Growth and physiological response of six Australian rainforest tree species to a light gradient

An understanding of growth and photosynthetic potential of subtropical rainforest species to variations in light environment can be useful for determining the sequence of species introductions in rainforest restoration projects and mixed species plantations. We examined the growth and physiology of six Australian subtropical rainforest tree species in a greenhouse consisting of three artificial light environments (10%, 30%, and 60% full sunlight). Morphological responses followed the typical sun-shade dichotomy, with early and late secondary species (Elaeocarpus grandis, Flindersia brayleyana, Flindersia schottiana, and Gmelina leichhardtii) displaying higher relative growth rate (RGR) compared to mature stage species (Cryptocarya erythroxyion and Heritiera trifoliolatum). Growth and photosynthetic performance of most species reached a maximum in 30-60% full sunlight. Physiological responses provided limited evidence of a distinct dichotomy between early and late successional species. E. grandis and F brayleyana, provided a clear representation of early successional species, with marked increase in Am in high light and an ability to down regulate photosynthetic machinery in low light conditions. The remaining species (F. schottiana, G. leichhardtii, and H. trifoliolatum) were better represented as failing along a shade-tolerant continuum, with limited ability to adjust physiologically to an increase or decrease in light, maintaining similar A(max) across all light environments. Results show that most species belong to a shade-tolerant constituency, with an ability to grow and persist across a wide range of light environments. The species offer a wide range of potential planting scenarios and silvicultural options, with ample potential to achieve rapid canopy closure and rainforest restoration goals.

Response of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) to renovation in Australian dairy pastures

This study reports on the effect of oversowing perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) into a degraded perennial ryegrass and white clover (Trifolium repens L.) pasture to extend its productive life using various intensities of seedbed preparation. Sites in New South Wales (NSW), Western Australia (WA), South Australia (SA) and Tasmania (Tas.) were chosen by a local group of farmers as being degraded and in need of renovation. Control (nil renovation) and medium (mulch and graze, spray with glyphosphate and sow) renovation treatments were common to all sites whereas minimum (mulch and graze, and sow) and full seedbed (graze and spray with glyphosphate and then full seedbed preparation) renovation were imposed only at some sites. Plots varied in area from 0.14 to 0.50 ha, and were renovated then sown in March or April 2000 and subsequently grazed by dairy cows. Pasture utilisation was estimated from pre- and post-grazing pasture mass assessed by a rising plate pasture meter. Utilised herbage mass of the renovated treatments was significantly higher than control plots in period 1 (planting to August) and 2 (first spring) at the NSW site only. There was no difference among treatments in period 3 (first summer) at any site, and only at the WA and NSW sites in period 4 (March to July 2001) was there a response to renovation. As a result, renovation at the NSW site only significantly increased ryegrass utilisation over the whole experimental period. Ryegrass plant density was higher at the NSW, WA (excluding minimum renovation) and Tas. (excluding full renovation) sites 6 months after renovation but this was only sustained for 12 months for the minimum and medium treatments at the NSW and Tas. sites, respectively, presumably due to reduced competition from naturalised C4 summer grasses [kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) and paspalum (Paspalum dilatatum)] in NSW At the NSW, WA and SA sites, the original ryegrass plant density was low (<35 plants/m2) compared with the Tas. site where density was around 185/m2. The response to renovating a degraded perennial ryegrass pasture varied between sites in Australia. Positive responses were generally small and were most consistent where renovation removed competing C4 summer grasses.

Predicting the response of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to liquid and granular phosphorus fertilisers in Australian soils

Liquid forms of phosphorus (P) have been shown to be more effective than granular P for promoting cereal growth in alkaline soils with high levels of free calcium carbonate on Eyre Peninsula, South Australia. However, the advantage of liquid over granular P forms of fertiliser has not been fully investigated across the wide range of soils used for grain production in Australia. A glasshouse pot experiment tested if liquid P fertilisers were more effective for growing spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) than granular P (monoammonium phosphate) in 28 soils from all over Australia with soil pH (H2O) ranging from 5.2 to 8.9. Application of liquid P resulted in greater shoot biomass, as measured after 4 weeks' growth (mid to late tillering, Feeks growth stage 2-3), than granular P in 3 of the acidic to neutral soils and in 3 alkaline soils. Shoot dry matter responses of spring wheat to applied liquid or granular P were related to soil properties to determine if any of the properties predicted superior yield responses to liquid P. The calcium carbonate content of soil was the only soil property that significantly contributed to predicting when liquid P was more effective than granular P. Five soil P test procedures (Bray, Colwell, resin, isotopically exchangeable P, and diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT)) were assessed to determine their ability to measure soil test P on subsamples of soil collected before the experiment started. These soil test values were then related to the dry matter shoot yields to assess their ability to predict wheat yield responses to P applied as liquid or granular P. All 5 soil test procedures provided a reasonable prediction of dry matter responses to applied P as either liquid or granular P, with the resin P test having a slightly greater predictive capacity on the range of soils tested. The findings of this investigation suggest that liquid P fertilisers do have some potential applications in non-calcareous soils and confirm current recommendations for use of liquid P fertiliser to grow cereal crops in highly calcareous soils. Soil P testing procedures require local calibration for response to the P source that is going to be used to amend P deficiency.

Steady-State Response of Thick Rectangular Plates

The classical theory of plates neglects the effects of rotatory inertia and shear deformation, and due to this assumption it is applicable only for thin plates. Mindlin presented an improved plate theory which is fairly accurate.

The Municipal Budgetary Response to Changing Labor Costs: The Case of San Francisco

"This paper analyzes how expenditures of the city of San Francisco were altered in response to changes in municipal labor costs over the period 1945 through 1976. A hybrid of the "demands" and the "organizational" models of budgeting is used to measure the budgetary response to changes in the relative prices of labor inputs. Descriptive and econometric evidence reveals significant adjustments both among and within departments in reaction to changes in relative labor costs. The empirical evidence demonstrates that the city's budgetary process is guided by simple allocative rules modified by price-responsive adjustments."

Anticipatory and reactive response to falls: Muscle synergy activation of forearm muscles

We investigated the surface electromyogram response of six forearm muscles to falls onto the outstretched hand. The extensor carpi radialis longus, extensor carpi radialis brevis, extensor carpi ulnaris, abductor pollicis longus, flexor carpi radialis and flexor carpi ulnaris muscles were sampled from eight volunteers who underwent ten self-initiated falls. All muscles initiated prior to impact. Co-contraction is the most obvious surface electromyogram feature. The predominant response is in the radial deviators. The surface electromyogram timing we recorded would appear to be a complex anticipatory response to falling modified by the ef- fect on the forearm muscles following impact. The mitigation of the force of impact is probably more importantly through shoulder abduction and extension and elbow flexion rather than action of the forearm muscles.

Buffel grass in Queensland's semi-arid woodlands: response to local and landscape scale variables, and relationship with grass, forb and reptile species.

Buffel grass [Pennisetum ciliare (L.) Link] has been widely introduced in the Australian rangelands as a consequence of its value for productive grazing, but tends to competitively establish in non-target areas such as remnant vegetation. In this study, we examined the influence landscape-scale and local-scale variables had upon the distribution of buffel grass in remnant poplar box (Eucalyptus populnea F. Muell.) dominant woodland fragments in the Brigalow Bioregion, Queensland. Buffel grass and variables thought to influence its distribution in the region were measured at 60 sites, which were selected based on the amount of native woodland retained in the landscape and patch size. An information-theoretic modelling approach and hierarchical partitioning revealed that the most influential variable was the percent of retained vegetation within a 1-km spatial extent. From this, we identified a critical threshold of similar to 30% retained vegetation in the landscape, above which the model predicted buffel grass was not likely to occur in a woodland fragment. Other explanatory variables in the model were site based, and included litter cover and long-term rainfall. Given the paucity of information on the effect of buffel grass upon biodiversity values, we undertook exploratory analyses to determine whether buffel grass cover influenced the distribution of grass, forb and reptile species. We detected some trends; hierarchical partitioning revealed that buffel grass cover was the most important explanatory variable describing habitat preferences of four reptile species. However, establishing causal links - particularly between native grass and forb species and buffel grass - was problematic owing to possible confounding with grazing pressure. We conclude with a set of management recommendations aimed at reducing the spread of buffel grass into remnant woodlands.

Response of an invasive liana to simulated herbivory: implications for its biological control

Pre-release evaluation of the efficacy of biological control agents is often not possible in the case of many invasive species targeted for biocontrol. In such circumstances simulating herbivory could yield significant insights into plant response to damage, thereby improving the efficiency of agent prioritisation, increasing the chances of regulating the performance of invasive plants through herbivory and minimising potential risks posed by release of multiple herbivores. We adopted this approach to understand the weaknesses herbivores could exploit, to manage the invasive liana, Macfadyena unguis-cati. We simulated herbivory by damaging the leaves, stem, root and tuber of the plant, in isolation and in combination. We also applied these treatments at multiple frequencies. Plant response in terms of biomass allocation showed that at least two severe defoliation treatments were required to diminish this liana's climbing habit and reduce its allocation to belowground tuber reserves. Belowground damage appears to have negligible effect on the plant's biomass production and tuber damage appears to trigger a compensatory response. Plant response to combinations of different types of damage did not differ significantly to that from leaf damage. This suggests that specialist herbivores in the leaf-feeding guild capable of removing over 50% of the leaf tissue may be desirable in the biological control of this invasive species.

Local immune response against larvae of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus in Bos taurus indicus and Bos taurus taurus cattle.

Bos taurus indicus cattle are less susceptible to infestation with Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus than Bos taurus taurus cattle but the immunological basis of this difference is not understood. We compared the dynamics of leukocyte infiltrations (T cell subsets, B cells, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II-expressing cells, granulocytes) in the skin near the mouthparts of larvae of R. microplus in B. t. indicus and B. t. taurus cattle. Previously naïve cattle were infested with 50,000 larvae (B. t. indicus) or 10,000 larvae (B. t. taurus) weekly for 6 weeks. One week after the last infestation all of the animals were infested with 20,000 larvae of R. microplus. Skin punch biopsies were taken from all animals on the day before the primary infestation and from sites of larval attachment on the day after the first, second, fourth and final infestations. Infiltrations with CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ and [gamma][delta] T cells followed the same pattern in both breeds, showing relatively little change during the first four weekly infestations, followed by substantial increases at 7 weeks post-primary infestation. There was a tendency for more of all cell types except granulocytes to be observed in the skin of B. t. indicus cattle but the differences between the two breeds were consistently significant only for [gamma][delta] T cells. Granulocyte infiltrations increased more rapidly from the day after infestation and were higher in B. t. taurus cattle than in B. t. indicus. Granulocytes and MHC class II-expressing cells infiltrated the areas closest to the mouthparts of larvae. A large volume of granulocyte antigens was seen in the gut of attached, feeding larvae.

Modeling dynamic demand response using Monte Carlo simulation and interval mathematics for boundary estimation

With the rapid development of various technologies and applications in smart grid implementation, demand response has attracted growing research interests because of its potentials in enhancing power grid reliability with reduced system operation costs. This paper presents a new demand response model with elastic economic dispatch in a locational marginal pricing market. It models system economic dispatch as a feedback control process, and introduces a flexible and adjustable load cost as a controlled signal to adjust demand response. Compared with the conventional “one time use” static load dispatch model, this dynamic feedback demand response model may adjust the load to a desired level in a finite number of time steps and a proof of convergence is provided. In addition, Monte Carlo simulation and boundary calculation using interval mathematics are applied for describing uncertainty of end-user's response to an independent system operator's expected dispatch. A numerical analysis based on the modified Pennsylvania-Jersey-Maryland power pool five-bus system is introduced for simulation and the results verify the effectiveness of the proposed model. System operators may use the proposed model to obtain insights in demand response processes for their decision-making regarding system load levels and operation conditions.

Refining the process of agent selection through understanding plant demography and plant response to herbivory

Understanding plant demography and plant response to herbivory is critical to the selection of effective weed biological control agents. We adopt the metaphor of 'filters' to suggest how agent prioritisation may be improved to narrow our choices down to those likely to be most effective in achieving the desired weed management outcome. Models can serve to capture our level of knowledge (or ignorance) about our study system and we illustrate how one type of modelling approach (matrix models) may be useful in identifying the weak link in a plant life cycle by using a hypothetical and an actual weed example (Parkinsonia aculeata). Once the vulnerable stage has been identified we propose that studying plant response to herbivory (simulated and/or actual) can help identify the guilds of herbivores to which a plant is most likely to succumb. Taking only potentially effective agents through the filter of host specificity may improve the chances of releasing safe and effective agents. The methods we outline may not always lead us definitively to the successful agent(s), but such an empirical, data-driven approach will make the basis for agent selection explicit and serve as testable hypotheses once agents are released.

Xanthine oxidoreductase in essential hypertension and metabolic syndrome : Experimental studies on rodent models

Hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia and dysglycemia constitute metabolic syndrome, a major public health concern, which is associated with cardiovascular mortality. High dietary salt (NaCl) is the most important dietary risk factor for elevated blood pressure. The kidney has a major role in salt-sensitive hypertension and is vulnerable to harmful effects of increased blood pressure. Elevated serum urate is a common finding in these disorders. While dysregulation of urate excretion is associated with cardiovascular diseases, present studies aimed to clarify the role of xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR), i.e. xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH) and its post-translational isoform xanthine oxidase (XO), in cardiovascular diseases. XOR yields urate from hypoxanthine and xanthine. Low oxygen levels upregulate XOR in addition to other factors. In present studies higher renal XOR activity was found in hypertension-prone rats than in the controls. Furthermore, NaCl intake increased renal XOR dose-dependently. To clarify whether XOR has any causal role in hypertension, rats were kept on NaCl diets for different periods of time, with or without a XOR inhibitor, allopurinol. While allopurinol did not alleviate hypertension, it prevented left ventricular and renal hypertrophy. Nitric oxide synthases (NOS) produce nitric oxide (NO), which mediates vasodilatation. A paucity of NO, produced by NOS inhibition, aggravated hypertension and induced renal XOR, whereas NO generating drug, alleviated salt-induced hypertension without changes in renal XOR. Zucker fa/fa rat is an animal model of metabolic syndrome. These rats developed substantial obesity and modest hypertension and showed increased hepatic and renal XOR activities. XOR was modified by diet and antihypertensive treatment. Cyclosporine (CsA) is a fungal peptide and one of the first-line immunosuppressive drugs used in the management of organ transplantation. Nephrotoxicity ensue high doses resulting in hypertension and limit CsA use. CsA increased renal XO substantially in salt-sensitive rats on a high NaCl diet, indicating a possible role for this reactive oxygen species generating isoform in CsA nephrotoxicity. Renal hypoxia, common to these rodent models of hypertension and obesity, is one of the plausible XOR inducing factors. Although XOR inhibition did not prevent hypertension, present experimental data indicate that XOR plays a role in the pathology of salt-induced cardiac and renal hypertrophy.

Pathophysiological factors of irritable bowel syndrome, and the effects of probiotic supplementation

Gastrointestinal symptoms and impaired quality of life caused by irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affect up to 20% of the adult population worldwide. The exact aetiology and pathophysiology of IBS are incompletely understood. Clinical studies suggest that supplementation with certain probiotics may be beneficial in IBS, but there is not enough evidence to make general recommendations. The aim of this thesis was to investigate microbiota- and mucosa-associated pathophysiological factors of IBS, and to evaluate the long-term effects of multispecies probiotic supplementation on symptoms, quality of life, intestinal microbiota and systemic inflammatory markers in IBS. The intestinal microbiota composition in IBS patients and healthy control subjects was analysed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Significantly lower counts for the Clostridium coccoides and the Bifidobacterium catenulatum groups were found in IBS compared to controls. Quantitative differences also appeared in subgroup analysis based on the predominant bowel habit: diarrhoea patients harboured significantly lower numbers of Lactobacillus spp. than the constipation-predominant patients, while higher counts for Veillonella spp. were detected in constipation-predominant patients compared to healthy controls. Analysis of mucosal biopsies by a metabolomic approach revealed multiple differences between patients and controls. The most prominent finding was an upregulation of specific lipid species, principally lysophosphatidylcholines and ceramides, in IBS. The effects of multispecies probiotic supplementation with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Lactobacillus rhamnosus Lc705, Propionibacterium freudenreichii subsp. shermanii JS, and Bifidobacterium breve Bb99 or Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Bb12 was evaluated in two, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. Compared to placebo, the probiotic supplementation significantly reduced the total symptoms of IBS. No effects on bowel habit were seen. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is reduced in patients with IBS in comparison with the Finnish population on the whole. The probiotic supplementation improved one IBS-specific domain of quality of life (bowel symptoms), whereas no other effects on HRQOL were seen. The probiotics had no major effects on the predominant microbiota as measured by qPCR, but a microarray-based analysis suggested that the probiotic consumption stabilised the microbiota. No effects on serum sensitive-CRP or cytokines were detected. In conclusion, alterations in the microbiota composition and in the mucosal metabolite profile are potential pathophysiological factors of IBS. Multispecies probiotic supplementation alleviates the gastrointestinal symptoms of IBS, and improves the bowel symptoms domain of HRQOL. Probiotic supplementation in IBS is associated with a stabilisation of microbiota, but it does not influence systemic inflammatory markers.

Mandatory Reporting and the Difficulties Identifying and Responding to Risk of Severe Neglect: A Response Requiring a Rethink

Neglect of children is a significant social issue worldwide and is typically the most frequently reported form of maltreatment in Western nations, with its severe forms sometimes resulting in significant illness and disablement or death. Yet, paradoxically, it remains ‘neglected’ and largely in the shadow of physical and sexual abuse, often being viewed as less serious despite the real-life consequences of its insidious and compounding nature and the lasting damage it causes to intergenerational familial relationships and the life outcomes of those affected. This chapter explores the many complex forms of child neglect, its causes and impacts and the strategies to prevent it. In particular, a critical standpoint is taken in analysing the rationale and merits of mandatory reporting of neglect and their effects, systemically and for children.