Folate Content of Asian Vegetables

Folates are one of the most nutritionally significant vitamins. Natural sources of folate are reportedly more effective than supplementation or fortification with folic acid. Green leafy vegetables are excellent sources of folates which occur naturally in many forms or vitamers. With an expanding range of Asian vegetables and increasing consumer awareness and acceptance, it is timely to present information on the health attributes of these vegetables.

Fallow management Calculating the profitability of different fallow management options

The method used to manage a fallow can influence your overall farm profitability. The benefits of a well managed fallow include improved soil health, reduced weed control costs, a reduction in the number of machinery operations and an increase in sugarcane productivity. Growers generally have two main options for managing their fallow; 1) bare fallow or 2) rotational crop. A bare fallow predominantly involves the use of tillage or herbicides to keep the block free of weeds and volunteer cane. Growing a rotational crop generally uses legumes like soybeans or cowpeas because of their soil health and nitrogen benefits. This paper looks into some of these methods and the flow on effects on farm profitability. Fallow management should never be viewed in isolation, as it is an integral part of the cane farming system. In this analysis we will investigate the effect of fallow management and farming system practices on the whole of farm profitability. There are many factors to consider when looking at different fallow management options. These include the type of farming system practices used and the suitability of a legume crop to a particular situation. Legume crops may not be suited to all situations, therefore it is recommended to consult with your local agronomist for more specific advice. One method of examining the options is to work through an example. In this case we will look at four options that are based on some common fallow management and farming system practices used in the Herbert region.

Improvement of hardwood drying schedules.

Drying regrowth native hardwoods to satisfactory moisture levels is a significant challenge for the processing industry. Dried quality is becoming increasingly important as sawn hardwood continues to move away from structural markets into appearance applications, but more difficult to achieve as the resource mix being processed becomes younger. An accurate, predictive drying model is a powerful tool in schedule development, decreasing the reliance on expensive, repetitive drying trials. This project updates the KilnSched drying model to allow the drying behaviour of regrowth blackbutt, jarrah, messmate, spotted gum and Victorian ash to be modeled more accurately. The effect of high temperature drying and humidity treatments on spotted gum were also investigated, as was the economics of various drying methods on spotted gum and blackbutt.

Effect of reduced rotation length on Araucaria wood quality.

The review of existing information has identified the following: - the juvenile core in Araucaria is probably contained within the first 15 growth rings in the pith, with spiral grain being a chief determinant of its extent within the stem; - a reduction in rotation length for a given site index will reduce ASV and mature wood volume, with an increase in the proportion of juvenile wood; - for a given rotation length, lower ASV stems were estimated to contain a lower proportion of juvenile wood (based on the assumptions made and crude simulations using WEEDS, PL YSIM and STEPS software); regardless of juvenile wood proportions, smaller stems will yield a higher proportion of pith-in material; - an increase in the proportion of juvenile wood, due to a reduction in rotation length, could affect wood quality due to an increase in the proportion of the recovery containing high spiral grain, shorter tracheids and higher micellar angle; - high spiral grain and high micellar angles adversely impact on wood quality through their influence on twist and longitudinal shrinkage, respectively; - positive outcomes from a reduction in rotation length might include an increase in the proportion of live knots in upper stem sections and a reduction in the extent of brown-stain heartwood; - the uniformity in basic density within Araucaria stems means reduced rotation lengths and lower stem ASVs are unlikely to have a major impact on this wood property, and - the effect of a reduction in rotation length on the incidence of compression wood and timber susceptible to kiln staining could not be established from the available information.

The suitability of plantation thinnings as vineyard posts.

The aim of this project was to investigate the suitability of thinnings from a range of plantation species for use as vineyard posts. The hardwood plantation species examined were Eucalyptus grandis, E. globulus, E. pilularis, E. dunnii, E. cladocalyx and Corymbia maculata, while Acacia mearnsii was obtained from natural regrowth. The softwood plantation species were P. elliottii, P. radiata and Araucaria cunninghamii. Variables examined included: three air drying regimes; microwave conditioning of E. grandis and E. globulus; two preservative treatments for hardwoods (alkaline copper quaternary compound (ACQ) and pigment emulsified creosote (PEC)); and two preservative treatments for softwood species (ACQ and, for Pinus radiata copper chromium arsenic (CCA)). A further aim was to install treated posts in commercial vineyards for demonstration purposes. From an earlier trial of three hardwood species treated with PEC, demonstration posts previously installed were also to be inspected annually for three years, and any movement of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) from the posts monitored.

Fabrication of Electronic Materials from Australian Essential Oils

This RIRDC publication reports the findings and recommendations of the RIRDC funded study, "Fabrication of Electronic Materials from Australian Essential Oils". This project was undertaken to facilitate an expansion of the Australian Essential Oils Industry through the development of novel applications in the Electronic and Bio-Materials Industries. The findings presented in this report will provide value broadly across the Australian Essential Oils Industry, and more particularly to the growers involved in the production of tea tree, lavender and other essential oils. Several essential oils, namely tea tree oil, sandalwood oil, eucalyptus oil, alpha-pinene, d-limonene, lavender oil (a separate PhD project) and five major components of tea tree oil were tested. With the exception of sandalwood oil, all oils investigated were successfully polymerised. Importantly, this project determined that it is possible to use an environmentally friendly, inexpensive process of polymerisation to fabricate materials from essential oils in a reproducible manner with properties required by the optics, electronics, protective coatings, and bio-material industries.

Tropical dryland agroforestry on clay soils: : Analysis of systems based on Acacia senegal in the Blue Nile region, Sudan

Acacia senegal, the gum arabic producing tree, is the most important component in traditional dryland agroforestry systems in the Blue Nile region, Sudan. The aim of the present study was to provide new knowledge on the potential use of A. senegal in dryland agroforestry systems on clay soils, as well as information on tree/crop interaction, and on silvicultural and management tools, with consideration on system productivity, nutrient cycling and sustainability. Moreover, the aim was also to clarify the intra-specific variation in the performance of A. senegal and, specifically, the adaptation of trees of different origin to the clay soils of the Blue Nile region. In agroforestry systems established at the beginning of the study, tree and crop growth, water use, gum and crop yields, nutrient cycling and system performance were investigated for a period of four years (1999 to 2002). Trees were grown at 5 x 5 m and 10 x 10 m spacing alone or in mixture with sorghum or sesame; crops were also grown in sole culture. The symbiotic biological N2 fixation by A. senegal was estimated using the 15N natural abundance (δ15N) procedure in eight provenances collected from different environments and soil types of the gum arabic belt and grown in clay soil in the Blue Nile region. Balanites aegyptiaca (a non-legume) was used as a non-N-fixing reference tree species, so as to allow 15N-based estimates of the proportion of the nitrogen in trees derived from the atmosphere. In the planted acacia trees, measurements were made on shoot growth, water-use efficiency (as assessed by the δ13C method) and (starting from the third year) gum production. Carbon isotope ratios were obtained from the leaves and branch wood samples. The agroforestry system design caused no statistically significant variation in water use, but the variation was highly significant between years, and the highest water use occurred in the years with high rainfall. No statistically significant differences were found in sorghum or sesame yields when intercropping and sole crop systems were compared (yield averages were 1.54 and 1.54 ha-1 for sorghum and 0.36 and 0.42 t ha-1 for sesame in the intercropped and mono-crop plots, respectively). Thus, at an early stage of agroforestry system management, A. senegal had no detrimental effect on crop yield, but the pattern of resource capture by trees and crops may change as the system matures. Intercropping resulted in taller trees and larger basal and crown diameters as compared to the development of sole trees. It also resulted in a higher land equivalent ratio. When gum yields were analysed it was found that a significant positive relationship existed between the second gum picking and the total gum yield. The second gum picking seems to be a decisive factor in gum production and could be used as an indicator for the total gum yield in a particular year. In trees, the concentrations of N and P were higher in leaves and roots, whereas the levels of K were higher in stems, branches and roots. Soil organic matter, N, P and K contents were highest in the upper soil stratum. There was some indication that the P content slightly increased in the topsoil as the agroforestry plantations aged. At a stocking of 400 trees ha-1 (5 x 5 m spacing), A. senegal accumulated in the biomass a total of 18, 1.21, 7.8 and 972 kg ha-1of N, P, K and OC, respectively. Trees contributed ca. 217 and 1500 kg ha-1 of K and OC, respectively, to the top 25-cm of soil over the first four years of intercropping. Acacia provenances of clay plain origin showed considerable variation in seed weight. They also had the lowest average seed weight as compared to the sandy soil (western) provenances. At the experimental site in the clay soil region, the clay provenances were distinctly superior to the sand provenances in all traits studied but especially in basal diameter and crown width, thus reflecting their adaptation to the environment. Values of δ13C, indicating water use efficiency, were higher in the sand soil group as compared to the clay one, both in leaves and in branch wood. This suggests that the sand provenances (with an average value of -28.07 ) displayed conservative water use and high drought tolerance. Of the clay provenances, the local one (Bout) displayed a highly negative (-29.31 ) value, which indicates less conservative water use that resulted in high productivity at this particular clay-soil site. Water use thus appeared to correspond to the environmental conditions prevailing at the original locations for these provenances. Results suggest that A. senegal provenances from the clay part of the gum belt are adapted for a faster growth rate and higher biomass and gum productivity as compared to provenances from sand regions. A strong negative relationship was found between the per-tree gum yield and water use efficiency, as indicated by δ13C. The differences in water use and gum production were greater among provenance groups than within them, suggesting that selection among rather than within provenances would result in distinct genetic gain in gum yield. The relative δ15N values ( ) were higher in B. aegyptiaca than in the N2-fixing acacia provenances. The amount of Ndfa increased significantly with age in all provenances, indicating that A. senegal is a potentially efficient nitrogen fixer and has an important role in t agroforestry development. The total above-ground contribution of fixed N to foliage growth in 4-year-old A. senegal trees was highest in the Rahad sand-soil provenance (46.7 kg N ha-1) and lowest in the Mazmoom clay-soil provenance (28.7 kg N ha-1). This study represents the first use of the δ15N method for estimating the N input by A. senegal in the gum belt of Sudan. Key words: Acacia senegal, agroforestry, clay plain, δ13C, δ15N, gum arabic, nutrient cycling, Ndfa, Sorghum bicolor, Sesamum indicum

Biological control of Mikania micrantha in Papua New Guinea and Fiji using the rust fungus Puccinia spegazzinii

Mikania micrantha Kunth (Asteraceae), commonly known as ‘mile-a-minute’, is a neotropical plant species now found in 17 Pacific island countries and territories, invading small cropping areas and plantations, thereby reducing productivity and food security. In 2006, a biocontrol project on M. micrantha commenced in Fiji and Papua New Guinea (PNG). The distribution of M. micrantha as well as baseline data such as plant growth rates and socio-economic impacts were determined before the importation of any biocontrol agents. Mikania micrantha was recorded in all 15 lowland provinces in PNG and on all major islands in Fiji. Plants grow about 3.2cm/day in PNG and about 1.9cm/day in Fiji. A socio-economic survey, involving over 370 respondents in over 220 villages from 15 provinces in PNG, found that 78% of respondents considered M. micrantha a serious weed and about 44% had M. micrantha, which they needed to weed at least fortnightly, in over a third of their land. Over 80% of respondents used slashing and/or handpulling as the preferred method of weed control. About 40% of respondents considered that M. micrantha reduced crop yield by more than 30%. In Fiji, 52 respondents from four islands participated in the survey. Over 60% of respondents in Fiji considered M. micrantha a serious weed and 23% had about 30% of their farm lands infested with the weed. Only 15% of respondents needed to weed at least fortnightly, with 56% using slashing and/or hand-pulling as the preferred means of control. Over 65% of respondents estimated that they lost at least 30% of potential crop yield to M. micrantha. Nearly 90% of respondents used M. micrantha as a medicinal plant to treat cuts and wounds. The life history of the rust Puccinia spegazzinii de Toni (Pucciniales: Pucciniaceae), originating from Ecuador, and imported into PNG and Fiji in 2008, was studied. P. spegazzinii is a microcyclic and autoecious rust and has a life cycle of 18-22 days. An efficient culturing and field release method was developed. Since 2008, the rust has been released at over 450 sites in 15 provinces in PNG, establishing at nearly 70 sites in four provinces. From some sites, the rust has spread over 7 km in 12 months. In Fiji, the rust has been released at over 80 sites, on four of the main islands, namely Viti Levu, Vanua Levu, Taveuni and Ovalau, and has established at 20 sites on Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Plant growth studies and field monitoring in PNG showed that P. spegazzinii can significantly reduce the growth and density of M. micrantha and offers great potential for the control of this weed.

How to Succeed in Knowledge Transfer : Case Study of Scandinavian Alliance in Ukraine

The current study of Scandinavian multinational corporate subsidiaries in the rapidly growing Eastern European market, due to their particular organizational structure, attempts to gain some new insights into processes and potential benefits of knowledge and technology transfer. This study explores how to succeed in knowledge transfer and to become more competitive, driven by the need to improve transfer of systematic knowledge for the manufacture of product and service provisions in newly entered market. The scope of current research is exactly limited to multinational corporations, which are defined as enterprises comprising entities in two or more countries, regardless of legal forms and field of activity of those entities, and which operate under a system of decision-making permitting coherent policies and a common strategy through one or more decision-making centers. The entities are linked, by ownership, and able to exercise influence over the activities of the others; and, in particular, to share the knowledge, resources, and responsibilities with others. The research question is "How and to which extent can knowledge-transfer influence a company's technological competence and economic competitiveness?" and try to find out what particular forces and factors affect the development of subsidiary competencies; what factors influence the corporate integration and use of the subsidiary's competencies; and what may increase competitiveness of MNC pursuing leading position in entered market. The empirical part of the research was based on qualitative analyses of twenty interviews conducted among employees in Scandinavian MNC subsidiary units situated in Ukraine, using structured sequence of questions with open-ended answers. The data was investigated by comparison case analyses to literature framework. Findings indicate that a technological competence developed in one subsidiary will lead to an integration of that competence with other corporate units within the MNC. Success increasingly depends upon people's learning. The local economic area is crucial for understanding competition and industrial performance, as there seems to be a clear link between the performance of subsidiaries and the conditions prevailing in their environment. The linkage between competitive advantage and company's success is mutually dependent. Observation suggests that companies can be characterized as clusters of complementary activities such as R&D, administration, marketing, manufacturing and distribution. Study identifies barriers and obstacles in technology and knowledge transfer that is relevant for the subsidiaries' competence development. The accumulated experience can be implemented in new entered market with simple procedures, and at a low cost under specific circumstances, by cloning. The main goal is focused to support company prosperity, making more profits and sustaining an increased market share by improved product quality and/or reduced production cost of the subsidiaries through cloning approach. Keywords: multinational corporation; technology transfer; knowledge transfer; subsidiary competence; barriers and obstacles; competitive advantage; Eastern European market

Identifying advanced practice: A national survey of a nursing workforce

Background The size and flexibility of the nursing workforce has positioned nursing as central to the goals of health service improvement. Nursing's response to meeting these goals has resulted in proliferation of advanced practice nursing with a confusing array of practice profiles, titles and roles. Whilst numerous models and definitions of advanced practice nursing have been developed there is scant published research of significant scope that supports these models. Consequently there is an ongoing call in the literature for clarity and stability in nomenclature, and confusion in the health industry on how to optimise the utility of advanced practice nursing. Objectives To identify and delineate advanced practice from other levels of nursing practice through examination of a national nursing workforce. Design A cross-sectional electronic survey of nurses using the validated Advanced Practice Role Delineation tool based on the Strong Model of Advanced Practice. Participants Study participants were registered nurses employed in a clinical service environment across all states and territories of Australia. Methods A sample of 5662 registered nurses participated in the study. Domain means for each participant were calculated then means for nursing position titles were calculated. Position titles were grouped by delineation and were compared with one-way analysis of variance on domain means. The alpha for all tests was set at 0.05. Significant effects were examined with Scheffe post hoc comparisons to control for Type 1 error. Results The survey tool was able to identify position titles where nurses were practicing at an advanced level and to delineate this cohort from other levels of nursing practice, including nurse practitioner. The results show that nurses who practice at an advanced level are characterised by high mean scores across all Domains of the Strong Model of Advanced Practice. The mean scores of advanced practice nurses were significantly different from nurse practitioners in the Direct Care Domain and significantly different from other levels of nurse across all domains. Conclusions The study results show that the nurse practitioner, advanced practice nurse and foundation level registered nurse have different patterns of practice and the Advanced Practice Role Delineation tool has the capacity to clearly delineate and define advanced practice nursing. These findings make a significant contribution to the international debate and show that the profession can now identify what is and what is not advanced practice in nursing.