France and Australia. The "prise de possession." A new chapter in our early history

When Ernest Scott, Professor of History in the University of Melbourne, was working on his Life of Flinders, he employed a copyist to obtain material from the Paris archives. The copyist found so much about Australia that the charges mounted very high. So Professor Scott pointed out to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Library and the Mitchell Library that they ought to have copies of these valuable historical documents. The authorities agreed, and the cost of Professor Scott's material was one-third of what it would otherwise have been. This partial overhaul of the Paris archives by an intelligent copyist has thrown a flood of light on the early relations of France and Australia. An examination of the papers in the Commonwealth Library, made by the courtesy of the Speaker, reveals the hitherto unpublished fact that a French expedition did, in 1772, take formal possession of Western Australia. It is not in France alone that material may be found. Hidden away in some dusty corner in Portugal, Spain, or possibly Holland, there may be documents which upset accepted ideas about the obscure but fascinating subject of early exploration in Australasian regions

Integrated heterogeneous catalysis and biocatalysis for sustainable synthesis

The development of sustainable methods with applications in synthetic organic chemistry has been investigated widely in recent years. Catalytic processes often provide sustainable strategies with high efficiency, high selectivity and low environmental impact in terms of energy consumption and waste production. In this project, heterogeneous catalysis and biocatalysis have been investigated separately and combined into a two-step process. Gold nanoparticle catalysts supported on inert bulk materials have been applied in the oxidation of alcohol feedstocks as an alternative to stoichiometric oxidation techniques. Synthesis of a range of gold nanoparticle catalysts has been undertaken with variation in support materials and preparation methods. These catalysts have been tested in the oxidation of the benchmark substrate benzyl alcohol, and the substrate scope also extended to include secondary alcohols. The low gold loading and reusability of these heterogeneous catalysts coupled with the use of water as the solvent has provided a sustainable oxidation method for primary and secondary alcohols. Transaminases are enzymes which catalyse the transfer of an amino group to the carbonyl group of an aldehyde or ketone. Screening of transaminases from the UCL transaminase library was undertaken to identify enzymes for application in this project. These enzymes have been applied in the synthesis of furfurylamines from furfurals, in a one-step biocatalytic reaction under mild conditions on a preparative scale. The transaminases were also applied in the synthesis of chiral amines from ketone precursors, with high yields and stereoselectivities achieved. Heterogeneous catalysis and biocatalysis have been coupled together into a novel two-step cascade to produce chiral amines from secondary alcohol feedstocks. The oxidation of secondary alcohols using gold nanoparticle catalysts was followed by the transamination of the ketone intermediates. This process was conducted in one pot, with water as the solvent and no isolation or purification of the ketone intermediate

Post-weaning growth performance of heifers grazing Tasmanian native pastures and the estimation of inbreeding levels using random amplied polymorphic DNA markers

The aims of this study were to evaluate the growth performance of Hereford, Angus, Hereford × Angus and Hereford × Saler heifers within the same herd grazing native pastures and to estimate homozygosity and inbreeding coefcients using random amplied polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Post-weaning liveweight (BW), average daily gain (ADG) and body condition score (BCS) on a scale from 0 to 5 were monitored monthly from 2005 to 2006. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples, amplified using RAPD primers, fragments resolved by gel electrophoresis and banding patterns elucidated under UV light. Estimation of homozygosity through band sharing patterns was utilised in determining within-breed inbreeding levels. Regardless of breed, LWT, BCS and ADG of heifers followed a typical sigmoid curve pattern characterised by a decline in average BW from 200 kg in May to 188 kg in June, a continuous monthly increase through to March 2006 when it reached a peak (380 kg) before a nal decline to 375 kg in May. The BCS ranged from 1.6 to 3.6 while ADG ranged from -0.4 to 1.5 kg/d. Significant genetic variation was observed between the different breeds in that BCS and BW of purebred Angus heifers were lower than those of purebred Hereford and their crosses with Angus and Saler. Average BW of the Angus breed ranged from 164-349 kg, with BCS ranging from 1.4 to 3.3 compared to the Hereford (186-383 kg, 1.6-3.6), Hereford × Angus (192-383 kg, 1.7-3.6) and Hereford × Saler (192-385 kg, 1.6-3.7), respectively. The ADG of the Angus was not different from those of Hereford and their crosses indicating that the Angus was perhaps better in terms of feed efciency since they probably ate less and gained the same weight as the heavier breeds that must have eaten more commensurate with their maintenance requirements. The strongest residual correlation (r=0.98) was between BW and BCS. Average band sharing frequencies ranged from 0.60 in the crossbreds to 0.96 in the purebreds with estimated inbreeding coefcients ranging from 0.5% to 3%, respectively, which is very low

Krill: An exploration in underwater sensor networks

While sensor networks have now become very popular on land, the underwater environment still poses some difficult problems. Communication is one of the difficult challenges under water. There are two options: optical and acoustic. We have designed an optical communication board that allows the Fleck’s to communicate optically. We have tested the resulting underwater sensor nodes in two different applications

Lost in transition? Access to and uptake of adult health services and outcomes for young people with type 1 diabetes in regional New South Wales

Objective: To document diabetes health services use and indices of glycaemic management of young people with type 1 diabetes from the time of their first contact with adult services, for those living in regional areas compared with those using city and state capital services, and compared with clinical guideline targets. Design, setting and subjects: Case note audit of 239 young adults aged 18-28 years with type 1 diabetes accessing five adult diabetes services before 30 June 2008 in three geographical regions of New South Wales: the capital (86), a city (79) and a regional area (74). Main outcome measures: Planned (routine monitoring) and unplanned (hospital admissions and emergency department attendance for hypoglycaemia or hyperglycaemia) service contacts; recorded measures of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure (BP). Results: Routine preventive service uptake during the first year of contact with adult services was significantly higher in the capital and city. Fewer regional area patients had records of complications assessment and measurements of HbA1c, BMI and BP across all audited years of contact (HbA1c: 73% v 94% city, 97% capital; P 8.0% (79% v 62% city, 56% capital) and lowest proportion < 7% (4% v 7%, 22%) (both P < 0.001). Fewer young people made unplanned use of acute services for diabetes crisis management in the capital (24% v 49% city, 50% regional area; P < 0.001). In the regional area, routine review did not occur reliably even annually, with marked attrition of patients from adult services after the first year of contact. Conclusion: Inadequate routine specialist care, poor diabetes self-management and frequent use of acute services for crisis management, particularly in regional areas, suggest service redesign is needed to encourage young people's engagement

Infuence of body weight and body condition score at breeding on conception and prolificacy of Merino and Composite Coopworth, East Friesian, Romney and Texel sheep in Tasmania, Australia

We evaluated ewe conception and prolificacy in six flocks on three sheep farms with similar commercial management conditions in the Australian State of Tasmania. The aim was to investigate the effects of BW and BCS at mating, age group, and breed on reproductive traits. 1759 Merino, Composite Merino/Coopworth (M/Coop), Composite East Friesian/Romney (EF/Rom), and Composite Coopworth/EastFriesian/Texel (Coop/EF/Tex) ewes of maiden (7 mo) and mature (18 to 30 mo) age groups were evaluated. Body weight and BCS of ewes were recorded before rams were introduced to the breeding mob. Ultrasound scanning 90 d after ram removal was carried out. Results demonstrated that ewes that conceived were consistently of greater BWand BCS than barren ewes. The average BW of non-pregnant, single, and multiple-bearing ewes were 41.3, 43.7, and 54.6 kg respectively, while their corresponding BCS were 2.77, 2.80, and 2.85. However, highly significant (P <0.0001) breed, age group, and flock variations were observed: 7 mo-old maiden ewes had a significantly lower conception rate than 18 mo-old ewes at the same BW at breeding. Within the 18-mo age groups, percentages of non-pregnant ewes were 16.7, 3.0, and 2.4% and percentages of multiple fetus-bearing ewes were 1.4, 53.6, and 74.2% for Merino, Coop/EF/Tex, and M/Coop, respectively. The Coop/EF/Tex flocks were consistently more prolific than other breeds with 74.2, and 77.5% of ewes scanned as multiple fetus-carrying at ages 18 and 30 mo, respectively. Above BW of approximately 55 kg, the probability of multiple conceptions began to increase at a greater rate at the expense of single conceptions. The study shows that nutritional management prior to joining in commercial Tasmanian sheep flocks has the potential to increase reproductive performance in ewes. This is of particular importance when ewes are bred as lambs or from breeds with characteristically low fertility levels

Services doing the best they can: Service experiences of young adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus in rural Australia

Aims and objectives. To describe the healthcare experiences of young adults with type 1 diabetes who access diabetes services in rural areas of New South Wales, Australia. Background. The incidence of type 1 diabetes in childhood and adolescence is increasing worldwide; internationally, difficulties are encountered in supporting young people during their transition from children to adulthood. Consumers' experiences and views will be essential to inform service redesign. Design. This was a qualitative exploratory study. Methods. Semistructured telephone interviews were conducted with 26 people aged 18-28years living rurally, recruited through staff in four regional healthcare centres in 2008. Results. Two key themes were evident: lack of access (comprised of transfer to adult services, access to health professionals and access to up-to-date information) and age-appropriate provision. The impact of place of residence and personal motivation crossed all themes. Participants contrasted unfavourably the seamless care and support received from paediatric outreach services with the shortages in specialist and general practice-based care and information and practical problems of service fragmentation and lack of coordination experienced as adults. They identified a range of issues including need for ongoing education, age-appropriate services and support networks related to developing their ability to self-manage. They valued personal service; online and electronic support was seldom volunteered as an alternative. Conclusion. This was a first view of rural young people's experiences with adult diabetes services. Reported experiences were in line with previous reports from other settings in that they did not perceive services in this rural area of Australia as meeting their needs; suggestions for service redesign differed. Relevance to clinical practice. New models of age-appropriate service provision are required, to meet their needs for personal as well as other forms of support, whilst acknowledging the very real resource limitations of these locations. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd