Plant species first recognised as naturalised for New South Wales in 2002 and 2003, with additional comments on species recognised as naturalised in 2000–2001

Information is provided on the taxonomy and distribution of 71 taxa of naturalised or naturalising plants newly recorded for the state of New South Wales during the period 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2003. Of these taxa, 32 are new records for Australia (prefaced with a †). These species are: Abutilon pictum, Acanthus mollis, †Aesculus indica (naturalising), Agapanthus praecox subsp. orientalis, Ajuga reptans, †Anigozanthos flavidus, Aquilegia vulgaris, Arbutus unedo, †Athertonia diversifolia (naturalising), †Bergenia x schmidtii (naturalising), Bromus catharticus subsp. stamineus, Bryophyllum daigremontianum, Bryophyllum fedtschenkoi, Calyptocarpus vialis, †Ceiba speciosa (naturalising), Cereus uruguayanus, †Cestrum x cultum, †Chamaecyparis lawsoniana, Cistus salviifolius, †Clematis montana, †Coprosma x cunninghamii, Coprosma robusta, Cornus capitata, Cotoneaster simonsii, Cotoneaster x watereri group, Crinum moorei, Cupressus lusitanica, †Cylindropuntia fulgida var. mamillata forma monstrosa, †Cylindropuntia prolifera, Cylindropuntia tunicata, Desmanthus virgatus, Drosanthemum candens, †Elaeagnus umbellata (naturalising), †Eragrostis trichophora, †Eupatorium lindleyanum, †Gibasis pellucida, Glechoma hederacea, †Hesperis matronalis, Hieracium aurantiacum subsp. carpathicola, †Inga edulis (naturalising), †Juniperus conferta (naturalising), †Justicia caudata, Lamium galeobdolon, Lathyrus tingitanus, †Lysimachia fortunei, †Maackia amurensis, †Monstera deliciosa, †Murdannia keisak, Odontonema tubaeforme, Oxalis vallicola, Phoenix canariensis, †Physostegia virginiana, Pinus patula, Pittosporum eugenioides, †Pittosporum ralphii, Pittosporum tenuifolium, Plectranthus ecklonii, †Potentilla vesca, †Prunus campanulata, †Rhododendron ponticum, Rosa luciae, Rubus rugosus, Ruellia squarrosa, †Senna multijuga, Stapelia gigantea, Stephanophysum longifolium, Strobilanthes anisophylla, †Tabebuia chrysotricha, †Tabebuia impetiginosa, †Tradescantia pallida and Ulmus x hollandica. Additional notes and name changes are recorded for plants first recognised as naturalised for New South Wales over the period 2000–2001. The identification of several naturalised taxa occurring in New South Wales has been corrected. Plants formerly identified as Pinus nigra var. corsicana are now considered to be Pinus halepensis; Cylindropuntia arbuscula is Cylindropuntia kleiniae, Cylindropuntia tunicata is Cylindropuntia rosea, Abrus precatorius subp. precatorius is now Abrus precatorius subsp. africanus and Cotoneaster ?horizontalis is Cotoneaster microphyllus. Further field studies have revealed that Cylindropuntia leptocaulis, Cylindropuntia spinosior, Hypericum kouytchense and Chamaesyce ophthalmica are more widespread than previously thought

Hydrogeologic assessment of in situ natural attenuation in a controlled field experiment

An experiment to investigate the natural attenuation of three volatile organic compounds, toluene, carbon tetrachloride, and tetrachloroethene (∼1–10 mg L−1) was performed in a 3 m deep, sandy aquifer isolated within a 24 m long, 2 m wide, three-sided sheet pile alleyway (hereafter referred to as the gate). A constant flow was maintained in the test volume by pumping a well at the closed end of the gate at 130 mL min−1. The test compounds were introduced to the aquifer using diffusive emitters installed inside 25 cm diameter wells located at the open end of the gate. Monitoring was performed by sampling along six multilevel fences (consisting of 12 sampling points each) ranging in distance from 1 to 22 m from the source wells. A bromide tracer experiment established that there were no significant hydraulic leaks, nor was there any continuous channeling through the gate. Degradation of the test compounds was assessed by mass balance calculations between fences located 1 and 7 m from the source, and the results were compared with degradation rate estimates from snapshot analyses and the analysis of fluxes. There was reasonably good agreement between rates estimated by these different methods. Toluene degraded with a half-life of 58–62 days, carbon tetrachloride degraded with a half-life of ∼11–13 days, and tetrachloroethene degraded too slowly for a reliable estimate of rate to be made. Transformation products identified in the gate included acetate, possibly from toluene degradation, chloroform, trichloroethene, and cis-1,2, dichloroethene. The latter two compounds only appeared in trace quantities and could not be assessed for continuing degradation. However, chloroform degradation was assessed with the snapshot data and using the flux estimates and was found to degrade with a half-life in the range of 10–34 days. No additional chlorinated methanes were detected in the gate, suggesting that the carbon tetrachloride was completely dechlorinated by natural processes within 10 m of the source wells. This experiment demonstrated that degradation of chlorinated solvents occurs naturally at the Borden site but that the ethenes are more resistant to biodegradation than the methanes. In addition, the flux calculations were found to be the most robust in terms of estimating degradation rates.Financial support for this research was provided by the Advanced Alternative Technology Demonstration Facility, funded by the Department of Defense and administered by Rice University. Additional support was provided by the NSERC/Motorolla/ETI Industrial Research Chair in Groundwater Remediation and the Solvents in Groundwater Consortium, University of Waterloo. T. Anderson of the University of Massachusetts assisted with hydrogen measurements, while Susan Froud and Dennis Katic assisted with all other aspects of the fieldwork and participated in discussions of the data. Mike Brown is acknowledged for his contribution to the installation of the gate, and Stephanie Fiorenza is acknowledged for her comments and assistance liaising with AATDF

The politics of punishment in colonial Mauritius, 1766-1887

The history of imprisonment in British colonial Mauritius is intertwined with its political economy, most especially the relationship between metropolitan government and plantation owners. Whether labour was predominantly enslaved, apprenticed or indentured, incarceration was part of a broader process through which the regulation of the colonial workforce was taken from the private to the public sphere and became associated with economic development. Nevertheless, prisoners both challenged and used prison regimes as vehicles for the improvement of their lives. Mauritian jails were intensely political arenas in which the changing nature of colonial relations and the regulation of labour was both expressed and contested

Automated, high accuracy classification of Parkinsonian disorders: a pattern recognition approach

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), multiple system atrophy (MSA) and idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (IPD) can be clinically indistinguishable, especially in the early stages, despite distinct patterns of molecular pathology. Structural neuroimaging holds promise for providing objective biomarkers for discriminating these diseases at the single subject level but all studies to date have reported incomplete separation of disease groups. In this study, we employed multi-class pattern recognition to assess the value of anatomical patterns derived from a widely available structural neuroimaging sequence for automated classification of these disorders. To achieve this, 17 patients with PSP, 14 with IPD and 19 with MSA were scanned using structural MRI along with 19 healthy controls (HCs). An advanced probabilistic pattern recognition approach was employed to evaluate the diagnostic value of several pre-defined anatomical patterns for discriminating the disorders, including: (i) a subcortical motor network; (ii) each of its component regions and (iii) the whole brain. All disease groups could be discriminated simultaneously with high accuracy using the subcortical motor network. The region providing the most accurate predictions overall was the midbrain/brainstem, which discriminated all disease groups from one another and from HCs. The subcortical network also produced more accurate predictions than the whole brain and all of its constituent regions. PSP was accurately predicted from the midbrain/brainstem, cerebellum and all basal ganglia compartments; MSA from the midbrain/brainstem and cerebellum and IPD from the midbrain/brainstem only. This study demonstrates that automated analysis of structural MRI can accurately predict diagnosis in individual patients with Parkinsonian disorders, and identifies distinct patterns of regional atrophy particularly useful for this process

Incidence and public health burden of sunburn among beachgoers in the United States.

The beach environment creates many barriers to effective sun protection, putting beachgoers at risk for sunburn, a well-established risk factor for skin cancer. Our objective was to estimate incidence of sunburn among beachgoers and evaluate the relationship between sunburn incidence and sun-protective behaviors. A secondary analysis, of prospective cohorts at 12 locations within the U.S. from 2003 to 2009 (n = 75,614), were pooled to evaluate sunburn incidence 10-12 days after the beach visit. Behavioral and environmental conditions were cross-tabulated with sunburn incidence. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the association between new sunburn and sun-protective behaviors. Overall, 13.1% of beachgoers reported sunburn. Those aged 13-18 years (16.5%), whites (16.0%), and those at beach locations along the Eastern Seaboard (16.1%), had the highest incidence of sunburn. For those spending ≥5 h in the sun, the use of multiple types of sun protection reduced odds of sunburn by 55% relative to those who used no sun protection (Odds Ratio = 0.45 (95% Confidence Interval:0.27-0.77)) after adjusting for skin type, age, and race. Acute health effects of sunburn tend to be mild and self-limiting, but potential long-term health consequences are more serious and costly. Efforts to encourage and support proper sun-protective behaviors, and increase access to shade, protective clothing, and sunscreen, can help prevent sunburn and reduce skin cancer risk among beachgoers

Integrating Knowledge for Instruction: A Tale of Two Teachers

Teacher knowledge is a critical factor that influences pedagogical decisions. If we want teachers to make appropriate choices in the classroom we must know and understand the types of knowledge used during this decision-making process. To this end, we sought to understand how, and the extent to which, two 5th grade teachers drew upon and integrated their knowledge of mathematics, learners, and pedagogy while teaching. Stimulated recall interviews were analyzed to uncover the types of knowledge and interactions that occurred. Both teachers primarily used their knowledge of learners and pedagogy, with the knowledge of mathematics playing a supportive role. In addition, the teachers integrated their knowledge in one of two ways: a) one knowledge type was used to justify or explain a statement about a second knowledge type and b) a discussion of one knowledge type lead to an implication or reflection about a second knowledge type. These interactions allowed the teachers to use and build their connected knowledge. Understanding how teachers integrate and use their knowledge has implications for the structure of teacher professional development

Childhood abuse and the content of delusions

Original article can be found at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01452134 Copyright Elsevier Ltd.We aimed to investigate possible associations between histories of childhood abuse and the content of delusions for individuals with psychotic disorders. 39 participants with a psychotic disorder including one or more delusional beliefs successfully completed structured interviews about childhood trauma, delusional beliefs and associated anomalous perceptual experiences including hallucinations. The presence of hallucinations was predicted by greater physical abuse. Greater abuse in general was associated with delusions involving ‘special abilities’ (grandiosity) and, at trend levels, with those involving ‘defective self’. Though preliminary, these results suggest that further investigation is warranted. The presence and nature of abuse may be relevant to delusional presentations and should form an essential part of clinical assessment of psychotic disorder.Peer reviewe

Validity of a self-report survey tool measuring the nutrition and physical activity environment of primary schools

Background: Valid tools measuring characteristics of the school environment associated with the physical activity and dietary behaviours of children are needed to accurately evaluate the impact of initiatives to improve school environments. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of Principal self-report of primary school healthy eating and physical activity environments. Methods: Primary school Principals (n = 42) in New South Wales, Australia were invited to complete a telephone survey of the school environment; the School Environment Assessment Tool – SEAT. Equivalent observational data were collected by pre-service teachers located within the school. The SEAT, involved 65 items that assessed food availability via canteens, vending machines and fundraisers and the presence of physical activity facilities, equipment and organised physical activities. Kappa statistics were used to assess agreement between the two measures. Results: Almost 70% of the survey demonstrated moderate to almost perfect agreement. Substantial agreement was found for 10 of 13 items assessing foods sold for fundraising, 3 of 6 items assessing physical activity facilities of the school, and both items assessing organised physical activities that occurred at recess and lunch and school sport. Limited agreement was found for items assessing foods sold through canteens and access to small screen recreation. Conclusions: The SEAT provides researchers and policy makers with a valid tool for assessing aspects of the school food and physical activity environment