Search

The Gondwanan relict tree genus Nothofagus has generated much research due to its biogeographical significance in understanding the biota of the Southern Temperate Zone. However, the southern temperate forest arthropod fauna, including that of Nothofagus, has received less attention than northern temperate forest and tropical rainforest. The extant Tasmanian Nothofagus canopy arthropod fauna has been considered depauparate. Yet with a palaeohistory of long persistence, high diversity and widespread distribution of the genus within Australia, the endemic Tasmanian Nothofagaceae ‚Äö- the evergreen Nothofagus cunninghamii and winter deciduous N. gunnii - could be expected to have accreted a large and diverse arthropod fauna, as have its sister Fagalean families in the northern hemisphere. Conversely, range contraction of Tasmanian Nothofagus in the increasingly arid conditions of the late Tertiary, and its cyclical isolation from the Australian mainland during the glacial cycles of the Pleistocene, could have depleted the associated arthropod fauna. Thus the aims of this project were to document in detail the diversity and structure of the invertebrate communities associated with both species of Tasmanian Nothofagus; to build an inventory of canopy arthropod fauna according to feeding guild; and to measure the levels of herbivory, as an indication of herbivore activity, on the these host species. These data enabled comparison of the arthropod communities on the two hostplants, and comparison with similar studies on closely related tree species (Nothofagus elsewhere, northern temperate Fagales) and other Australian tree taxa, now widespread (Acacia and Eucalyptus). A cross section of survey sites was chosen, 17 for N. cunninghamii, and 12 for N. gunnii, including three where the host plants were sympatric. Canopy arthropods were sampled by branch beating, and leaves were collected from, or examined in situ on marked branches. The sampling schedule from March 1998 until March 2002 yielded data sets by Nothofagus species, site, sampling aspect, season, region, and between years. Priority was given to arthropod orders containing herbivorous taxa or scavenging taxa known to forage on trees. These were sorted to family, then genus and species where possible, otherwise to morphospecies; and allocated to feeding guilds. The leaves were designated 'chewed' or 'intact' and the leaf area lost from the chewed leaves was estimated. Mean percentage leaf area loss was calculated as a measure of herbivory. The main finding from these investigations was that there existed a strong contrast in the diversity and taxonomic profile of the arthropod fauna between the two Nothofagus species. For N. cunninghamii, the associated fauna was relatively rich in taxa and comparable with other temperate zone trees in both its diversity and guild structure. Similarly the N. cunninghamii herbivory levels were within the range of those found on temperate and subtropical tree taxa. N. gunnii in contrast was clearly depauparate, particularly lacking many important folivorous groups such as chrysomelid beetles, leaf miners and aphids. However there was, for the two Nothofagus species, considerable local variation in the arthropod communities and levels of herbivory - between regions; between sites within a region; and within a site, seasonal variation and also differences between consecutive sampling years - insights which have significance for effective biodiversity surveys and conservation strategies.

INTRODUCTION Although e-cigarettes can be an effective form of nicotine substitution for adults attempting to quit smoking, their use among children and young people is a concern. Accurate data about this are needed to inform debates over policy and regulation in the UK and elsewhere. METHODS Using data from an online survey of 2,613 people aged 11 to 18 years, conducted by the market research company YouGov in March 2022, we present prevalence estimates of e-cigarette and tobacco use.We use logistic regression models to assess differences in e-cigarette use, tobacco use and use of disposable e-cigarettes across a range of covariates including age, sex, tobacco smoking status, social class and country. RESULTS Among the 18.0% of those surveyed who reported ever having smoked a cigarette, 83.9% were not regular (at least once per week) smokers and 16.1% were (15.1% and 2.9% of the total sample respectively). Among the 19.2% of those surveyed who had ever used an e-cigarette, 79.2% were not regular users, while 20.8% were (15.2% and 4.0% respectively. Regular e-cigarette use was more common than regular tobacco smoking (4.0% vs 2.9%). E-cigarette use was more common among those who also smoked tobacco, with 9.0% of never e-cigarette users ever smoking tobacco, compared with 89.4% of regular e-cigarette users. Both smoking and e-cigarette use were associated with increasing age and use by others within the home, but not with social class. Use of disposable e-cigarettes was reported by 53.8% of those who have ever used an e-cigarette, and more common among girls than boys. DISCUSSION Regular e-cigarette use is now more common than smoking in children and youth, though the majority of this is among those who have also smoked tobacco. Measures to reduce the appeal of e-both e-cigarettes and tobacco to children and young people are warranted.

We have studied the effect of static and dynamic pair breaking on the normalized-specific-heat jump of a superconductor. We find that in contrast to the static impurity case, dynamic pair breaking enhances the specific-heat jump. We have employed functional-derivative techniques in order to gain some understanding of this result.

Data were gathered for a sample of 1075 rural Gambian children 0-15 years of age who lived in communities which had a measles outbreak in 1981. Each dependent variable was viewed separately. Information from 135 parents were presented in a frequency distribution to see why these children did or did not receive measles vaccine. All unimmunized children who did not have measles shots are potentially exposed to infection in an outbreak. Cases prevented are estimated by multiplying the number of vaccinated children in each age group by the attack rate in the unvaccinated group of the same age and vaccine efficiency rate appropriate for that age. 82 measles cases would have happened with no immunization. 3 expected deaths are yielded from applying the case fatality rate of 3.4% that was seen at outbreak. The 12-month estimated national cost per measles case and deaths prevented for Gambia have been adjusted for a 10% annual inflation rate plus a 20% monetary devaluation followed by floatation of the Gambian currency in 1986. 56% of the study population were registered with their health institutions and were most likely to be going to maternal-child health clinics and to be vaccinated against measles. Only 41% (@%]) of the children with health cards kept them for all 36 months of the study. Of the children who had measles before the 1981 outbreak (119) only 1% had health cards. 147 cases of measles occurred among 952 children aged 0-15 years; males and females were equally affected. The attack rate for children 9-11 months was significantly higher than that for children 0-8 months. 22% of the 524 unvaccinated children got measles compared to 7.0% of children vaccinated against measles when directly adjusted for age. 5 of the 147 cases of measles (3.4%) died by the 1st census; all these deaths were caused by measles. Measles is endemic in rural Gambia. Children who recover from it are at greater risk of dying from other child mortality causes. The estimated cost per case averted was US $3.10 and cost per death averted was US $65.26. Thus giving measles vaccine to rural children aged 0-15 was cost effective. However less than 1/2 of these children are immunized against measles. Reasons given for this were that they went to the clinic but measles vaccine was not received they did not know about the vaccine or that the mother works on clinic days.

Cells of Micrococcus sp. ATCC No. 407 grown in glutamic acid medium were permeable to maltose, maltotriose, maltotetraose, maltopentaose, 3-ketomaltose, and β-methylmaltoside but not to glucose, α-methylglucoside, isomaltose, maltitol, cellobiose, sucrose, trehalose, or lactose. The results suggest that the uptake mechanism is constitutive and may be specific for sugars with α,1–4 linkages. The kinetics of maltose and maltotriose uptake are in accord with the sugars undergoing an initial combination with a site followed by a rate-limiting reaction. Maltotriose competitively inhibited maltose uptake, which suggests that the same site is used during uptake of these two sugars. Maltotriose was taken up at a greater rate than maltose, which suggests that the rate-limiting process during uptake is not diffusion but a reaction that proceeds faster with maltotriose than with maltose.

Both the Animation and Product design programmes at the University of Technology Sydney share a common goal, with the early teaching focus being engagement with traditional analogue skills. We deem observational drawing and analysis from life an authentic research tool as it creates a clear and tangible experience between the observer and the subject in three-dimensional space. It also provides the opportunity for a physical and empathetic response to occur. Where students have not been directed to observe from life, we find they rely on the collection of images and video from online sources. The experience of pre-formatted, screen-based observation restricts the possibility of authentic engagement as the chosen subject matter is already pre-designed by a third party. In order to understand if students identify the benefits of an authentic research experience an experiment with two separate tasks was conducted. In the first task, students were asked to undertake a drawing exercise inside a computer lab with a computer terminal being the only research tool available. We call this the ‘screen-based studio’ (SBS). The second task directed the students to undertake a studio exercise where they drew from life, which we call the ‘drawing from life studio’ (DFLS). The goal of these studio exercises was to investigate ways for students to understand that producing innovative work requires stepping out of their comfort zones and engaging in a more challenging and authentic information gathering experience. This paper discusses the results of this experiment.