New taxa in the Eriophyidae (Acari, Prostigmata) from forest trees in southern Brazil

Two new genera and five new species of Eriophyidae from forest trees in southern Brazil are described, namely: Juxtacolopodacus n. gen., Juxtacolopodacus phalakros n. sp. from Mollinedia clavigera Tul. (Monimiaceae); Procalacarus perporosus n. sp., from Randia armata (Sw.) (Rubiaceae); Scolotosus Flechtmann & Keifer, n. gen., Scolotosus centrolobii Flechtmann & Keifer, n. sp., from Centrolobium robustum Mart. (Leguminosae); Scolotosus hartfordi n. sp., from Centrolobium tomentosum Guill. (Leguminosae), and Metaculus tanythrix n. sp., from Dicksonia sellowiana Hook. (Dicksoniaceae).

Chemical characterization, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant capacity of jussara (Euterpe edulis) fruit from the Atlantic Forest in southern Brazil

Samples of fruit from the jussara palm plant (Euterpe edulis), collected in different regions of the state of Santa Catarina. Brazil, were analyzed for chemical composition. phenolic acids. anthocyanins, flavonoids and fatty acids profile. Results indicated that the jussara fruit has a high lipid content (18.45-44.08%), oleic acid (44.17-55.61%) and linoleic acid (18.19-25.36%) are the fatty acids found in the highest proportion, and other components were proteins (5.13-8.21%). ash (1.55-3.32%) and moisture (34.95-42.47%). Significant differences were found in the total phenolic, total monomeric anthocyanins and other flavonoids for the samples from the five cultivation regions. The fruit from region E harvested in summer, with high temperatures and medium altitudes, had the highest contents of total phenolics (2610.86 +/- 3.89 mg 100 g(-1) GAE) and monomeric anthocyanins (1080.54 +/- 2.33 mg 100g(-1) cy-3-glu). The phenolic compound included ferulic, gallic, hydroxybenzoic and p-coumaric acids, as well as catechin, epicatechin and quercetin. The results show promising perspectives for the exploitation of this tropical fruit with a chemical composition comprising considerable phenolic acids and flavonoids compounds and showing activity antioxidant. (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Semliki Forest virus as an expression vector in insect cell lines

Studies were undertaken to determine if replication-deficient Semliki Forest virus expression vectors could be successfully used to express foreign gene constructs in insect cell lines. Using green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a marker we recorded infection levels of nearly 100% in the Aedes albopictus cell lines C6/36 and Aa23T, as well as in the Ae. aegypti cell line MOS20. The virus was capable of infecting an Anopheles gambiae cell line MOS55. The amount of GFP protein produced in each cell line was quantified. Northern analysis of viral transcription revealed the presence of novel transcripts in Aa23T, C6/36, and MOS55 cell lines, but not in the BHK or MOS20. The initial characterization of these transcripts is described.

Using FCD Mapper Software and Landsat Images to Assess Forest Canopy Density in Landscapes in Australia and the Philippines

Using Landsat imagery, forest canopy density (FCD) estimated with the FCD Mapper®, was correlated with predominant height (PDH, measured as the average height of the tallest 50 trees per hectare) for 20 field plots measured in native forest at Noosa Heads, south-east Queensland, Australia. A corresponding image was used to calculate FCD in Leyte Island, the Philippines and was validated on the ground for accuracy. The FCD Mapper was produced for the International Tropical Timber Organisation and estimates FCD as an index of canopy density using reflectance characteristics of Landsat Enhanced Thematic (ETM) Mapper images. The FCD Mapper is a ‘semi-expert’ computer program which uses interactive screens to allow the operator to make decisions concerning the classification of land into bare soil, grass and forest. At Noosa, a positive strong nonlinear relationship (r2 = 0.86) was found between FCD and PDH for 15 field plots with variable PDH but complete canopy closure. An additional five field plots were measured in forest with a broken canopy and the software assessed these plots as having a much lower FCD than forest with canopy closure. FCD estimates for forest and agricultural land in the island of Leyte and subsequent field validation showed that at appropriate settings, the FCD Mapper differentiated between tropical rainforest and banana or coconut plantation. These findings suggest that in forests with a closed canopy this remote sensing technique has promise for forest inventory and productivity assessment. The findings also suggest that the software has promise for discriminating between native forest with a complete canopy and forest which has a broken canopy, such as coconut or banana plantation.

Combining GIS and Expert Opinion to Model Landscapes for a Smallholder Forest Extension Program in Leyte, the Philippines

A Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to model datasets of Leyte Island, the Philippines, to identify land which was suitable for a forest extension program on the island. The datasets were modelled to provide maps of the distance of land from cities and towns, land which was a suitable elevation and slope for smallholder forestry and land of various soil types. An expert group was used to assign numeric site suitabilities to the soil types and maps of site suitability were used to assist the selection of municipalities for the provision of extension assistance to smallholders. Modelling of the datasets was facilitated by recent developments of the ArcGIS® suite of computer programs and derivation of elevation and slope was assisted by the availability of digital elevation models (DEM) produced by the Shuttle Radar Topography (SRTM) mission. The usefulness of GIS software as a decision support tool for small-scale forestry extension programs is discussed.

Ending the affair: The decline of television current affairs in Australia

Examines the state of current affairs television in Australia today by pondering the future, while drawing lessons from the past. The book questions the social and political value of what we now think of as current affairs journalism.

Do migrants' remittances decline over time? Evidence from Tongans and Western Samoans in Australia

There is concern that Pacific Island economies dependent on remittances of migrants will endure foreign exchange shortages and falling living standards as remittance levels fall because of lower migration rates and the belief that migrants' willingness to remit declines over time. The empirical validity of the remittance-decay hypothesis has never been tested. From survey data on Tongan and Western Samoan migrants in Sydney, this paper estimates remittance functions using multivariate regression analysis. It is found that the remittance-decay hypothesis has no empirical validity, and migrants are motivated by factors other than altruistic family support, including asset accumulation and investment back home.

Ecosystem dynamics at disturbed and undisturbed sites in North Queensland wet tropical rain forest. III. Nutrient returns to the forest floor through litterfall

The nutrient contents and accessions in litterfall over a period of 3 y are reported for undisturbed areas and at two sites disturbed by selective harvesting in tropical rain forest in North Queensland, Australia. Mean concentrations (mg g(-1) dry weight) of nutrients in litterfall ranged from 10 to 12 for nitrogen; 0.33 to 0.43 for phosphorus; 3.6 to 4.3 for potassium; 6.0 to 10.5 for calcium and 1.7 to 2.6 for magnesium. These concentrations are in the middle to lower part of the spectrum of values recorded for tropical forest. Accessions of nutrients in litterfall (kg ha(-1) y(-1)) ranged from 59 to 64 N; 1.9 to 2.4 P; 20 to 24K; 34 to 63 Ca; and 9 to 16 Mg. These rates, particularly for IN and P, are among the lowest recorded for tropical forests. There were no consistent between-site differences in total nutrient accessions in small litterfall. In terms of the contribution of litterfall to the accessions of nutrients to the forest floor, this suggests that the logged sites have recovered from the effects of selective harvesting within 25 y. Nutrient accessions at each site were distinctly seasonal, with maximum accessions occurring in the late dry season to late in the wet season. Leaf-fall accounted for the largest proportion of nutrient accessions over the study period, although at certain times accessions in both reproductive material and wood were significant. A cyclone which crossed the coast near the study sites resulted in large nutrient accessions over a short period but had little effect on the total annual accession. A comparison with previous studies of litterfall in Australian tropical rainforests indicates that nutrient return in litterfall is directly related to soil fertility.

The Australian mortality decline: all-cause mortality 1788-1990

This review describes the Australian decline in all-cause mortality, 1788-1990, and compares this with declines in Europe and North America. The period until the 1870s shows characteristic 'crisis mortality', attributable to epidemics of infectious disease. A decline in overall mortality is evident from 1880. A precipitous fall occurs in infant mortality from 1900, similar to that in European countries. Infant mortality continues downward during this century (except during the 1930s), with periods of accelerated decline during the 1940s (antibiotics) and early 1970s. Maternal mortality remains high until a precipitous fall in 1937 coinciding with the arrival of sulphonamide. Excess mortality due to the 1919 influenza epidemic is evident. Artefactual falls in mortality occur in 1930, and for men during the war of 1939-1945. Stagnation in overall mortality decline during the 1930s and 1945-1970 is evident for adult males, and during 1960-1970 for adult females. A decline in mortality is registered in both sexes from 1970, particularly in middle and older age groups, with narrowing of the sex differential. The mortality decline in Australia is broadly similar to those of the United Kingdom and several European countries, although an Australian advantage during last century and the first part of this century may have been due to less industrialisation, lower population density and better nutrition. Australia shows no war-related interruptions in the mortality decline. Australian mortality patterns from 1970 are also similar to those observed in North America and European countries (including the United Kingdom, but excluding Eastern Europe).

The Australian mortality decline: cause-specific mortality 1907-1990

This review describes the changes in composition of mortality by major attributed cause during the Australian mortality decline this century. The principal categories employed were: infectious diseases, nonrheumatic cardiovascular disease, external causes, cancer,'other' causes and ill-defined conditions. The data were age-adjusted. Besides registration problems (which also affect all-cause mortality) artefacts due to changes in diagnostic designation and coding-are evident. The most obvious trends over the period are the decline in infectious disease mortality (half the decline 1907-1990 occurs before 1949), and the epidemic of circulatory disease mortality which appears to commence around 1930, peaks during the 1950s and 1960s, and declines from 1970 to 1990 (to a rate half that at the peak). Mortality for cancer remains static for females after 1907, but increases steadily for males, reaching a plateau in the mid-1980s (owing to trends in lung cancer); trends in cancers of individual sites are diverse. External cause mortality declines after 1970. The decline in total mortality to 1930 is associated with decline in infection and 'other' causes, Stagnation of mortality decline in 1930-1940 and 1946-1970 for males is a consequence of contemporaneous movements in opposite directions of infection mortality (decrease) and circulatory disease and cancer mortality (increase). In females, declines in infections and 'other' causes of death exceed the increase in circulatory disease mortality until 1960, then stability in all major causes of death to 1970. The overall mortality decline since 1970 is a consequence of a reduction in circulatory disease,'other' cause, external cause and infection mortality, despite the increase in cancer mortality (for males).

Late Quaternary cycles of mangrove development and decline on the north Australian continental shelf

Mangrove communities in the Australian tropics presently occur as narrow belts of vegetation in estuaries and on sheltered, muddy coasts. Palynological data from continental shelf and deep-sea cores indicate a long-term cyclical component of mangrove development and decline at a regional scale, which can be linked to specific phases of late Quaternary sealevel change. Extensive mangrove development, relative to today, occurs during periods of marine transgression, whereas very diminished mangrove occurs during marine regressions and during rarer periods of relative sea-level stability. Episodes of flourishing mangrove cannot be linked to phases of humid climate, as has been suggested in studies elsewhere. Rather, the cycle of expansion and decline of mangrove communities on a grand scale is explained in terms of contrasting physiographic settings characteristic of continental-shelf coasts during transgressive and regressive phases, in particular by the existence, or lack, of well-developed tidal estuaries. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.