Susceptibility of head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) to pediculicides in Australia

Infestation with head lice, Pediculus humanus capitis, is a worldwide problem, especially among primary (elementary) school children. Although studies in many different countries indicate lower levels of susceptibility to certain insecticides than expected ('resistance'), there is no empirical data from Australia. Data on the susceptibility of head lice to malathion, pyrethrums and permethrin were collected from four schools in Brisbane and one school in northern Queensland. Since no completely susceptible strain of head lice was available and head lice are difficult to keep in culture, a completely susceptible strain of body lice, Pediculus humanus humanus, was used for reference. All five groups of head lice were less susceptible to malathion, pyrethrums and permethrin than were lice from the reference strain. Moreover, the degree of susceptibility to these insecticides varied substantially among schools. Thus, a pediculicide that controlled lice at one school in Brisbane would not necessarily control head lice at another school in the same city. These preliminary data indicate that detailed information on the susceptibility of the different populations of head lice in Queensland to the different insecticides available is needed to maximize the chance of effective control of these increasingly common parasites.

How does residue management impact soil organic matter composition and quality under Eucalyptus globulus plantations in southwestern Australia?

This study investigated the influence of harvest residue management practices on soil organic matter (SOM) composition and quality from two second-rotation Eucalyptus globulus plantations in southwestern Australia, using solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy with cross-polarisation and magic-angle-spinning (CPMAS). Soil samples (0–5 cm) were collected every 12 months for 5 years from two sites that had contrasting soil types and fertility. Harvest residue management treatments established at both sites were (a) no harvest residues; and (b) double harvest residues. The use of 13C CPMAS and DD NMR spectroscopy enabled the successful non-destructive detection of SOM quality changes in the two E. globulus plantations. Relative intensities of 13C CPMAS NMR spectral regions were similar at both sites, and for both harvest residue treatments, indicating that SOM composition was also similar. Dipolar dephasing (DD) NMR spectra revealed resonances in SOM assigned to lignin and tannin structures, with larger resonances in the carbonyl and alkyl C regions that were indicative of cuticular material, enabling detection of changes in SOM quality. Retention of double harvest residues on the soil surface increased the soil quality compared with removal of all harvest residues at both sites as indicated by the NMR aromaticities, but this was most noticeable at Manjimup, which had greater initial soil fertility.

A survey of bacterial diversity in ticks, lice and fleas from Australia

We isolated bacteria from ticks, lice and fleas. Partial small subunit rRNA sequences were obtained for each isolate and the closest matches in the FastA database were determined. These bacteria were mostly Gram-positive (Firmicutes), although representatives from the Proteobacteria (alpha, beta, gamma subdivisions) and CFB group were also isolated. Most of the isolates we found were from genera that were present in most of the ectoparasites studied, but a few genera were restricted to one species of ectoparasite. The most commonly isolated genera were Stenotrophomonas, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter and Bacillus. Species of Bacillus and Proteus, which have biopesticide potential, were found in some of these ectoparasites. Overall, the communities of bacteria were similar to those found in other studies of parasitic arthropods.

The egalitarian leader: A comparison of leadership in Australia and New Zealand

This article compares leadership in Australia and New Zealand based on data collected as a part of the GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior effectiveness) 62-nation culture and leadership project. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to demonstrate that etic (universal) dimensions of 'Charismatic' and 'Self-Protective' leadership are evident in both cultures, but that the dimensions have emic (local) culturally determined manifestations. These emic manifestations were stronger in New Zealand than in Australia. Leadership effectiveness incorporated the negative emic dimension of 'Bureaucratic' leadership (both countries), and the positive emic dimension of 'Egalitarian leadership' in Australia and 'Team leadership' in New Zealand. Both models of leadership nonetheless represent styles of leadership based on egalitarian principles.

Black and white and re(a)d all over again: Indigenous minstrelsy in contemporary Canadian and Australian theatre

This essay considers processes by which community identities are challenged by discussing the use of whiteface as an activist strategy in recent indigenous theatre in Canada and Australia. To understand whiteface, I employ Susan Gubar's notion of racechange, processes that test and even transgress racial borders. I also situate whiteface in relation to the history of blackface minstrelsy. Noting the ways these racial performances affirm the hierarchies of color and how power becomes invested in such color codings, the essay highlights indigenous employment of whiteface as a potential form of critical historiography. I then analyze how whiteface functions in two productions, Daniel David Moses's Almighty Voice and His Wife (1991) in Canada and the Queensland Theatre Company's 2000 revival of George Landen Dann's Fountains Beyond in Australia. My analysis posits that such indigenous performances of whiteface can affirm the identity of the marginalized other even as they destabilize the fixity of race and its meanings.

Voluntary disclosure of forward-looking earnings forecasts in Australia

This study examines the voluntary disclosure of future earnings information in annual reports for Australian listed companies. We find that most Australian companies in our sample do not provide quantitative earnings, forecasts in their annual reports, although more than half of the sample do disclose forward-looking information relating to earnings, without specifically disclosing point estimates for the future. These companies mostly supply qualitative information with a positive bias, while the remainder of the sample discloses no forward-looking information relating to earnings. Our findings also suggest that larger companies with less volatile earnings tend to provide more future earnings information than smaller companies with relatively volatile earnings.

The characteristics of six species of living hollow-bearing trees and their importance for arboreal marsupials in the dry sclerophyll forests of southeast Queensland, Australia

Six species of trees located in the dry sclerophyll forests of southeast Queensland were studied to ascertain which was most suitable to be retained as hollow-bearing trees for nesting and denning by arboreal marsupials. Generally for all tree species, the number of entrances to hollows was positively correlated with the diameter at breast height (DBH) and the growth stage, and entrance diameters also increased in trees with a larger DBH. However, there were differences between the species; Corymbia citriodora had few hollows until the individuals were very large while Eucalyptus crebra had low numbers of hollows throughout its entire size range. It was concluded that a mixture of tree species provided a range of hollow sizes and positions that would be suitable for nesting and denning by arboreal marsupials in those forests. There were large differences between tree species in the relationship between tree size and estimated age. Five of the tree species took between 186 and 230 years to begin to produce hollows while E. crebra took up to 324 years. This suggests that tree species other than E. crebra may be the most preferred for retention in areas where hollow-bearing tree densities are lower than the prescribed level. Other data also suggests there are likely to be enough trees in larger size classes that would begin to form hollows within the next 50 years to compensate for an expected loss of hollow-bearing stags during that same period. In terms of forest operation, the retention of six hollow-bearing trees/ha would represent an estimated loss of 7.3-15% wood production. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.