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The article discusses a longitudinal study of the self-reported drinking habits of teenagers in Sunderland, England between 1996 and 2010, based on questionnaires given every two years. The research organization Schools Health Education Unit (SHEU), gender differences in drinking behavior, and types of alcohol consumed are also discussed.

The article focuses on a study to determine the self-reported drinking behavior of school age children in Sunderland, England. A questionnaire was given to two age groups of secondary school children over the course of 10 years at two yearly intervals. Age groups studied were children of the ages of 12 and 13 and children of the ages of 14 and 15. Findings indicate a decrease in the numbers of schoolchildren drinking alcohol and in the amount consumed. Findings are contrasted with a trend of increased binge drinking by schoolchildren in the rest of Great Britain.

Trigonella suavissimaLindl. is an Australian native legume belonging to the tribe Trifolieae. It is an ephemeral species that is widely distributed in the arid interior of the continent where it occurs, following periodic inundation, on clay soils of the watercourse country of the Channel Country (far-western Queensland, north-east South Australia and north-western New South Wales). T. suavissimais the only member of its tribe that is endemic to Australia. Likewise, its root-nodule bacteria (Sinorhizobiumsp.) may be the only member of its taxonomic group (S. meliloti, S. medicae) that is an Australian native. The distribution and frequency of occurrence of T. suavissimaand the size of soil populations (density) of Sinorhizobiumwere monitored at 64 locations along inland river systems of the Channel Country. Measurements were made of (i) the nitrogen-fixing effectiveness of the symbioses between T. suavissimaand strains of its homologous Sinorhizobiumand (ii) the nitrogen-fixing effectiveness of the symbioses between legumes symbiotically related to T. suavissimaand diverse strains of Sinorhizobium. It was concluded that the distribution and frequency of occurrence of T. suavissimais soil related. The species is most widespread on fine-textured clay soils with deep, self-mulching surfaces and high moisture-holding capacity. By contrast, the occurrence of T. suavissimais sporadic in the upper reaches of the inland river systems where the soils are poorly structured clays with lower moisture-holding capacity. Sinorhizobiumis most abundant where the plant is most common. The nitrogen-fixing symbioses between T. suavissimaand strains of Sinorhizobiumisolated from soils across the region were consistently effective and often highly effective. Some of these strains fixed a little nitrogen with lucerne (Medicago sativaL.). T. suavissimaalso had some symbiotic (nitrogen-fixing) affinity with an exotic Trigonella(T. arabicaDel.). The economic value of T. suavissima(and its symbiosis with Sinorhizobium) to the beef industry in the Channel Country is discussed.