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Carotenoids are fat-soluble pigments primarily found in fruits and vegetables. They accumulate in human skin and contribute to skin yellowness, which has a favorable effect on appearance. The association between specific fruit and vegetable intakes and skin yellowness is currently unknown and could help to promote increased fruit and vegetable consumption in those motivated by appearance, such as young women. The objective was to evaluate associations between specific fruit and vegetable intakes and skin yellowness in young women. It was hypothesized that the intake of fruits and vegetables known to be rich in carotenoids, particularly β-carotene, would account for the greatest variation in skin yellowness. One hundred and eighteen women (18–40 years) were recruited from the Hunter region, NSW, Australia. Fruit and vegetable intakes were assessed using the 2010 Australian Eating Survey Food Frequency Questionnaire and skin yellowness was measured using reflectance spectroscopy. Multiple linear regression was used to assess how much of the variation in skin yellowness is explained by fruit and vegetable intakes. Higher combined fruit and vegetable intake ( P  = .0004) and higher total fruit intake ( P  = .005) were associated with increased skin yellowness. Three specific fruits (apple/pear, mango/pawpaw and dried fruit) and five vegetables (beans/lentils, spinach, broccoli, corn, baked beans) also accounted for a significant proportion of the variation in skin yellowness ( P  < .05). In conclusion, the consumption of eight specific fruits and vegetables and total combined fruit and vegetable intake are positively associated with skin yellowness and this confers a desirable effect on appearance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical investigation of two Irciniidae sponges collected by hand (SCUBA) from Australian near shore waters, afforded six new examples of a rare class of sesterterpene lactam; ircinialactams B ( 1 ), G ( 2 ), H ( 5 ), and I ( 6 ), and 8-hydroxyircinialactams C ( 3 ) and G ( 4 ); together with the new biosynthetically related lactone, ircinialactone A ( 7 ). Also isolated were seven biosynthetically related known Irciniidae metabolites; ircinialactams A ( 8 ) and C ( 9 ), (7 E ,12 E ,20 Z ,18 S )-variabilin ( 10 ), (7 Z ,12 Z ,20 Z ,18 S )-variabilin ( 11 ), (7 E ,12 Z ,20 Z ,18 S )-variabilin ( 12 ), (7 Z ,12 E ,20 Z ,18 S )-variabilin ( 13 ) and irciniafuran A ( 14 ). The structure elucidation of 1 – 14 was achieved by detailed spectroscopic analysis, and consideration of a plausible biosynthetic relationship linking Irciniidae sesterterpene β-furans, lactams and lactones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thirty two-year observations (1990–2022) of water level from a total of 14 high-quality acoustic tide stations around the coast of Australia deployed for the Australian Baseline Sea Level Monitoring Project were analyzed. The following three approaches were used: Fourier Transform (FT), Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD), and Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA). The water level anomaly was observed to have predominant annual variations with a period of about 12 months based on the Fourier transform. The intrinsic components of stations were extracted in the EMD analysis and the mean period of each of the components was calculated using the zero down crossing method. A regular association was observed between the order of modes and the mean period such that the periods increase by a factor of two on successive modes. The third method used for anomaly analysis was SSA. The number of the obtained components in this method was less than in the EMD. Moreover, the order observed for the components' period in the EMD was not seen in this method. Spectral analysis of Autocorrelation function (ACF) has demonstrated that peak frequencies are almost the same with anomaly spectra so the dominant modes in anomalies are also present in the ACF. • More than 30-year sea level data around the Australian coast have been analyzed. • Fourier Transform, Empirical Mode Decomposition, and Singular Spectrum Analysis have been used. • A predominant annual variation with a period of about 12 months was observed based on the Fourier transform. ACF analysis showed that: ✓ The periodic and regular signals have larger ACF with low rate decreasing amplitude. ✓ Irregular signal has a smaller ACF and its amplitude decreases more sever. ✓ In general, the more regular the time series, the more symmetrical its ACF. ✓ Spectral analysis of anomalies and ACF has demonstrated that peak frequencies are almost the same in both spectra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytochemical investigation of the leaves of the Australian rainforest tree Cryptocarya mackinnoniana led to the discovery of three new oxygenated phenyl alkyl acids, cryptocaryoic acids A – C and two known compounds, cryptocaryone and 2′,6′-dihydroxy-4′-methoxychalcone. The structures of all the compounds were determined by detailed spectroscopic analysis. Mosher's analysis was used for absolute stereochemistry determination at C-11, while the remaining stereochemistry determination of the one remaining stereocenter C-13 was based on NOESY correlations. All compounds isolated were also evaluated for their anti-inflammatory properties by assessing their inhibitory effects on LPS and interferon-γ induced nitric oxide (NO) production and TNF- α release in RAW 264.7 macrophages. The new cryptocaryoic acids exhibited weak to moderate anti-inflammatory activity (NO inhibition) ranging from (18.4–56 μM). [Display omitted] • Three new phenyl alkyl acids, cryptocaryoic acids A – C, were isolated from the leaves of Cryptocarya mackinnoniana • Cryptocaryoic acids exhibited weak to moderate anti-inflammatory activity • Cryptocaryoic acids are the first in the series of molecules bearing the phenyl oxy-alkyl acid from C.mackinnoniana [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the agreement between detected changes in body composition determined by bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) and air-displacement plethysmography (ADP) among patients with cancer undergoing peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT); and to assess the agreement of absolute values of BIS with ADP and dual energy x-ray (DXA). Methods: Forty-four adult hematologic cancer patients undergoing PBSCT completed both BIS and ADP assessment at preadmission and at 3 mo after transplantation. A subsample (n = 11) was assessed by DXA at 3 mo after transplantation. Results were examined for the BIS instrument's default setting and three alternative predictive equations from the literature. Agreement was assessed by the Bland-Altman limits of agreement analysis while correlation was examined using the Lin's concordance correlation. Results: Changes in body composition parameters assessed by BIS were comparable with those determined by ADP regardless of the predictive equations used. Bias of change in fat-free mass was clinically acceptable (all <1 kg), although limits of agreement were wide (more than ±6 kg). Overall, the BIS predictive equation accounting for body mass index performed the best. Absolute body composition parameters predicted by the alternative predictive equations agreed with DXA and ADP better than the BIS instrument's default setting. Conclusion: Changes predicted by BIS were similar to those determined by ADP on a group level; however, agreement of predicted changes at an individual level should be interpreted with caution due to wide limits of agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Propolis of Australian stingless bees (Tetragonula carbonaria, Meliponini) originating from Corymbia torelliana (Myrtaceae) fruit resins was tested for its antimicrobial activities as well as its flavonoid contents. This study aimed at the isolation, structural elucidation and antibacterial testing of flavanones of C. torelliana fruit resins that are incorporated into stingless bee propolis. Flavanones of this study were elucidated by spectroscopic and spectrometric methods including UV, 1D and 2D NMR, EI-MS, ESI-MS and HR-MS. The results indicated known C-methylated flavanones namely, 1 (2S)-cryptostrobin, its regioisomer 2 (2S)- stroboponin, 3 (2S)- cryptostrobin 7-methyl ether, and 6 (2S)- desmethoxymatteucinol, and known flavanones 4 (2S)- pinostrobin and 5 (2S)- pinocembrin as markers for C. torelliana fruit resins and one propolis type. Ethanolic preparations of propolis were shown to be active against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) and to a lesser extent against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853). C. torelliana flavanones inhibited the growth of S. aureus therefore contributing to the antibacterial effects observed for Australian stingless bee propolis extracts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Clustering LARge Applications (CLARA) statistical sampling and clustering algorithm is used to classify sea wave spectra into groups with different spectral properties. The actual spectrum is used in the classification, not proxy sets of spectral parameters. The clustering needs no a priori information on spectral properties, statistical distributions, or number of modes in the spectra. Cluster membership can be viewed as being essentially determined by the geometrical or shape properties of spectra, and is uninfluenced by the numerical dominance of particular shapes if a sufficient number of clusters is requested. The CLARA algorithm also enables outlier detection. CLARA provides a spectrum from each grouping or cluster as a central tendency measure or medoid. This allows a collection of spectra to be reduced to a set of basis or representative spectra according to the different spectral shapes present. However, other statistical measures constructed from the clusters form more suitable basis spectra than medoids. The methods are illustrated with a one-year long waverider data set from a shallow water coastal site off northwest Australia. The site experiences spectral peaks in three frequency bands, seasonally changing conditions, and daily sea breezes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A growing number of investigations have shown that remote sensing of foliar nitrogen (N) concentration in plant canopies can be achieved with imaging spectroscopy, or hyperspectral remote sensing, from satellite or airborne sensors. Development of this approach has been fueled by recognition that foliar N is related to a variety of ecological and biogeochemical processes, ranging from the spread of invasive species to the ecosystem effects of insect defoliation events to patterns of N cycling in forest soils. To date, most studies have focused on building site-specific foliar N detection algorithms applied to individual scenes or small landscapes that have been intensively characterized with local field measurements. However, the growing number of well-measured sites, combined with improvements in image data quality and processing methods provide an opportunity to begin seeking more general N detection methods that can be applied to a broader range of sites or to locations that lack intensive field measurements. Here, we combine data from several independent efforts in North America, Central America and Australia, to examine whether development of calibration methods to determine canopy nitrogen concentration across a wide range of forest ecosystems is possible. The analysis included data from 137 individual field plots within eight study sites for which imagery has been acquired from NASA''s Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) and/or Hyperion instruments. The combined dataset was used to evaluate site-specific calibration results as well as results obtained with data pooled across all sites. We evaluated the accuracy of results using plot- and site-level cross-validation wherein individual plots or entire sites were withheld and used as an independent validation of the resulting algorithms. In instances where all sites were represented in the calibration, canopy-level foliar N concentration was predicted to within 7–15% of the mean field-measured values indicating a strong potential for broadly applied foliar N detection. When whole sites were iteratively dropped from the calibration and predicted by remaining data, predictions were still significant, but less accurate (7–47% of mean canopy-level N concentration). This suggests that further development to include a wider range of ecosystems will be necessary before cross-site prediction accuracy approaches that seen in site-specific calibrations. Nevertheless, we view these results as promising, particularly given the potential value of foliar N estimates, even at a reduced level of confidence, at sites for which there is no possibility of conducting field data collections. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper compares predictions of soil organic carbon (SOC) using visible and near infrared reflectance (vis–NIR) hyperspectral proximal and remote sensing data. Soil samples were collected in the Narrabri region, dominated by Vertisols, in north western New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Vis–NIR spectra were collected over this region proximally with an AgriSpec portable spectrometer (350–2500 nm) and remotely from the Hyperion hyperspectral sensor onboard satellite (400–2500 nm). SOC contents were predicted by partial least-squares regression (PLSR) using both the proximal and remote sensing spectra. The spectral resolution of the proximal and remote sensing data did not affect prediction accuracy. However, predictions of SOC using the Hyperion spectra were less accurate than those of the Agrispec data resampled to similar resolution as the Hyperion spectra. Finally, the SOC map predicted using Hyperion data shows similarity with field observations. There is potential for the use of hyperspectral remote sensing for predictions of soil organic carbon. The use of these techniques will facilitate the implementation of digital soil mapping. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Blackberry, Rubus fruticosus sp. agg., is a perennial, semi-deciduous shrub which forms dense thickets that infest approximately 8.8 million ha of land in Australia. It is highly invasive with a high potential for spread, and causes significant negative economic and environmental impacts. During 2004, HyMap hyperspectral imagery was acquired across the foreshores of Blowering Dam in Kosciuszko National Park, NSW, Australia to evaluate its utility for mapping the distribution of blackberry. Strategies for mapping image-derived blackberry spectra using hyperspectral imagery were assessed using Spectral Angle Mapper, Spectral Feature Fitting, Matched Filter, and Mixture-Tuned Matched Filter mapping algorithms. A Mixture-Tuned Matched Filter (MTMF) approach using the blackberry spectrum with a restricted wavelength range was adopted. MTMF distribution maps showed the highest agreement to the distribution of blackberry as assessed using an error matrix and independent groundtruth data. The MTMF distribution map generated a producer''s accuracy of 91%, user''s accuracy of 81%, overall accuracy of 92% and a Kappa coefficient of 0.715. This study has demonstrated that hyperspectral imagery can effectively quantify the distribution of blackberry in open canopies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The combination of mass spectrometry (MS) based electronic nose (eNose) with visible (VIS) and near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) was explored as an objective tool to measure sensory attributes in commercial Riesling wines grown in Australia. Calibration models were developed between instrumental data and sensory scores using partial least squares (PLS) regression with full cross validation. Good correlations (r >0.70, root mean square standard error in cross validation (RMSECV): 0.66) were found for developed and floral; intermediate (0.70> r >0.60, RMSECV: 0.84 and 0.63) for tropical and low (r<0.50, RMSECV: 0.98) for green characters measured by a sensory panel and the combination of both techniques. The results suggested that data from instrumental techniques coupled with chemometrics might be related with sensory scores measured by a trained panel. The study is considered a starting point in order to evaluate useful sources of information generated by different instrumental techniques with the objective to select combination of sensors for specific wine quality attributes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Previous studies have found that rates of suicide have a distinct annual rhythm with a peak in spring. Two recent European studies, however, have found that the amplitude of this rhythm has decreased over time. The purpose of this study was to examine whether such effects are found in Australia. Australian Bureau of Statistics data on all suicides in Australia 1970–1999 were analysed by spectral analysis. We found that suicide, violent suicide and suicide by males are seasonal and that the seasonal amplitude has increased over time. Males who use violent methods determine the seasonal effect. These results support previous findings that suicide and particularly violent suicide have a characteristic seasonal rhythm. However, the progressive increase in the amplitude of this rhythm over time in Australia is in direct contrast to other European findings. We suggest that this may be related to differences in patterns of anti-depressant use and also the effect of migration on the number of seasonally vulnerable individuals in Australia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]