Thirteen year results from a Spotted Gum provenance trial in the Wellington catchment of Western Australia

The response of invertebrates to silvicultural treatments (including timber harvesting and post-harvest burning) was examined as part of the FORESTCHECK monitoring project in the jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest of south-west Western Australia. Invertebrates were collected twice yearly (spring and autumn) at 48 sample grids in four jarrah forest ecosystems, which included two different vegetation complexes within the same ecosystem. Grids represented examples of unharvested forest (reference) and forest subject to gap release and shelterwood/selective cut treatments. Collection methods included light trapping, pitfall trapping and hand sampling. A total of 56 705 invertebrate specimens comprising 1497 morphospecies were collected. Within each forest ecosystem, species richness did not differ significantly between gap release, shelterwood/selective cut and reference forest. Estimated total richness of macro-invertebrates varied with silvicultural treatment and collection method: 630 species for pitfall trapping and 1095 for light trapping. Estimated richness from light trapping of grids in unharvested forest was 892 species, compared with 780 species in shelterwood/selective cut and 665 species in gap release treatments. Collection method influenced the direction and magnitude of changes in estimated richness following timber harvesting and post-harvest burning, indicating that multiple collection methods are needed to assess invertebrate response to disturbance. Based on combined capture methods, estimated whole bioregional richness of macro-invertebrate morphospecies was highest in reference forest (1783), intermediate in forest subject to shelterwood/selective cut treatment (1652) and lowest in forest subject to gap release (1527 morphospecies). Greater richness estimates in reference forest are attributable to a greater proportion of macro-invertebrate species that occurred in only one grid. However, the robustness of comparisons between treatments of these bioregional estimates of richness is compromised by inadequate sampling. In contrast, for equivalent sampling effort, species accumulation was slightly greater in silviculturally treated forest than in reference forest, implying that silviculturally treated grids had a more homogenous species composition. Data were analysed using non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination and canonical analysis of principal co-ordinates (CAP) analysis. Invertebrate assemblage composition and abundance were strongly influenced by biogeographic pattern, as represented by forest ecosystem/year of collection (these factors were confounded in the design of the monitoring project). No significant effects of silvicultural treatments on morphospecies composition were detected using CAP analysis of morphospecies abundance. Retention of patches of unharvested forest adjacent to harvested forest will assist in maintaining invertebrate biodiversity at the landscape scale. The data suggest that indicator species may be of limited value for monitoring recovery after disturbance in the jarrah forest bioregion because of substantial species turnover between different forest ecosystems and years of sampling. Monitoring of invertebrates should be continued to demonstrate whether harvested coupes are sufficiently heterogeneous, so that their contribution to bioregion species diversity is equivalent to that of unharvested areas.     

Stem cankers of Eucalyptus saligna in Western Australia

Ten plantations of Eucalyptus saligna in the southwest of Western Australia were surveyed for stem cankers on the lower 2 m of bole. Cankers occurred on 43% of the surveyed trees, and of these 92% were annual. The majority of the remainder, perennial cankers, were associated with galleries of Tryphocaria solida, the eucalypt longhorn beetle. Statistical analyses showed that the cankers did not appear to affect the growth rate of the trees. The fungi Cytospora eucalypticola, Endothia havanensis and Botryosphaeria ribis were isolated from both annual and perennial cankers. Pathogenicity tests showed that these fungi could cause cankers. B. ribis and E. havanensis caused larger lesions more frequently than C. eucalypticola.     

Wood properties of Eucalyptus globulus at three sites in Western Australia: effects of fertiliser and plantation stocking

Wood properties of 10-year-old trees in Eucalyptus globulus plantations at three sites in Western Australia were examined. Silvicultural treatments applied at age two years were stocking (unthinned, 1250 stems ha^–1; thinned to 600 stems ha^–1 or 300 stems ha^–1) and nitrogen fertiliser application (0 or 250 kg ha^–1 elemental nitrogen) in factorial combination. The three sites differed markedly in their annual rainfall (620–1100 mm), open-pan evaporation and soil water-holding capacity. Wood cores were collected at breast height from a total of 263 trees (~15 trees for each site-by-treatment combination), and radial samples prepared for analysis by SilviScan to produce radial profiles of air-dry density and microfibril angle (MFA) and modulus of elasticity (MOE), and by radial near infrared (NIR) surface scanning to produce radial profiles of NIR-predicted Kraft pulp yield (KPY) and cellulose content (CC). Sampling interval was 0.025 mm for density and 5 mm for the other properties. For wood property mean values (i.e. wood property averages of each pith-to-cambium sample), sites differed significantly only in air-dry density. The Boyup Brook site, which had low annual rainfall, the lowest climate wetness index and soil water-storage capacity and the slowest diameter growth, had the highest mean wood density (648 kg m^–3), while Scott River, with the highest rainfall, had mean density that was 10% lower. The Wellstead site (low rainfall but highest soil water-storage capacity) was intermediate for density. The only other significant differences for mean wood properties were caused by fertiliser addition, which reduced NIR-predicted KPY from 54.6% (without fertiliser) to 54.1% and predicted CC from 43.7% to 43.1%. Clear radial trends were evident for all wood properties. Density, MOE, KPY and CC all increased from pith to the cambium, while MFA declined. From the innermost (pith) 10% to the outermost (cambial) 10% of the radius, density increased on average by 21%, MOE by 103%, KPY by 9% and cellulose by 11%, while MFA declined by 47%. NIR calibrations developed using the SilviScan and NIR spectral data explained 71% of variance in MOE for an independent set of radial wood samples of E. globulus from Victoria, but less than 50% of variance for density and MFA. Implications for paper pulp and veneer manufacture are briefly considered.     

Post-fire Responses of a Eucalyptus baxteri Woodland near Penola in South Australia

An analysis of the changes occurring during pyric succession in Eucalyptus baxteri woodland was made using species richness, evenness and diversity measures. Each of these measures returned to its original level within two years of burning, a result attributed to the high frequency of vegetative regeneration among the 68 species of perennial vascular plants considered.     

Follow-up results from a randomised controlled trial evaluating in- and outpatient pain management programmes.

This study reports a 9-18 month follow-up of a randomised controlled trial of pain management programmes for chronic, non-malignant pain. Twenty-two inpatients, 18 outpatients and 12 control subjects completed the follow-up assessments. Significant treatment effects were demonstrated by the inpatient group on pain ratings, the Pain Behaviour Checklist, and General Health Questionnaire, with similar effects demonstrated by the outpatient group on the former 2 measures. The findings were confounded by higher inpatient scores at pretreatment, in comparison with the 2 other conditions. There was a high drop-out rate of subjects, particularly from the control condition which illustrates the limitations of controlled group designs in this area. Analgesic use, activity levels and pain ratings were also evaluated using the criteria for 'success' described by Malec et al. (1981). Results indicated that 68% of inpatients, 61% of outpatients and 21% of control subjects met all 3 criteria. Both treatment programmes were effective in returning patients to paid employment, whilst 3 control group patients gave up work. The cost-benefit implications of these changes are discussed. We conclude that pain management programmes contribute substantially to the rehabilitation of chronic pain sufferers.     

Factors in AIDS dementia complex trial design: results and lessons from the abacavir trial

Objectives:     

The psychometric characteristics of the IPR inventory: data from rural Western Australia. Interpersonal Relationships Inventory

BACKGROUND: Although there is evidence of the psychometric adequacy of the Interpersonal Relationships Inventory (IPRI), the scale was validated on urban North American samples and may function differently in populations that do not share urban United States attitudes toward the giving and receiving of social support. OBJECTIVES: To determine the psychometric characteristics of the IPRI in a sample of rural Australians and compare our findings to previous studies. METHOD: A survey containing the IPRI, the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, and a 4-point self-rating measure of physical health was posted to residents of rural communities in Western Australia. The 382 respondents who returned usable surveys had a mean age of 44 years and 71% of them were female. RESULTS: The essential findings of the original IPRI study were replicated. The social support and the conflict subscales were shown to be valid and internally consistent; the reciprocity subscale was internally consistent but its validity was equivocal. Support and conflict proved to be good predictors of severity of depression, and each of the three subscales could reliably discriminate among groups who rated their physical health as poor, fair, good, or excellent. CONCLUSION: The consistent results across the two studies provide further evidence for the psychometric adequacy of the IPRI and suggest that Western societies, urban or rural, interpret and manifest the constructs of support, reciprocity, and conflict in much the same ways.     

Infestation of regenerated stands of Karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor) by bullseye borer (Tryphocaria acanthocera,Cerambycidae) in Western Australia

Damage to even-aged regeneration of Karri by the indigenous bullseye borer beetle, first noted in 1967, caused serious concern in 1980 when first thinnings were harvested. The insect has a 2-year-life cycle, 18 months of which are occupied by the woodfeeding lavai stage. The borer occurs within the entire range of Karri forest.

No damage was recorded in fully stocked stands younger than 14 years. Damage tended to be associated with the proximity of even-aged regrowth to old growth forest or non-clearfelled stands, and also with the unsuitability of sites for pure Karri, small coupe size, and drought (average annual rainfall for the period 1967–87 was about 10% less than in the preceding 21 year period (1946–66)). None of the infestations was linked to fire damage.

Thinning regrowth stands of Karri may be a management option for reducing infestation by bullseye borer, but further research on the influence of site factors on Karri physiology and borer ecology is needed before this control measure can be prescribed.     

The Ontario HIV seroprevalence study of childbearing women: results from the first year of testing.

The Ontario HIV Seroprevalence Study of Childbearing Women is an unliked anonymous seroprevalence study designed according to the well-established ethical and legal guidelines for such studies. Commencing in November, 1989, randomly selected neonatal heelprick specimens were tested for the presence of HIV antibodies after all identifying information had been permanently and irrevocably unlinked from the specimens. During the first year of the study 94,119 (approximately 60% of all submitted specimens) were tested. Twenty-six specimens which were repeatedly reactive by EIA were confirmed as positive for an overall crude seroprevalence rate of 2.8 per 10,000 women having live births (95% CI: 1.8-4.1). Twenty-five of the 26 confirmed seropositive results came from babies born in hospitals in the Metropolitan Toronto, Ottawa-Carlton, or Hamilton-Peel-Halton regions.     

Homeopathic treatment of acute childhood diarrhea: results from a clinical trial in Nepal

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the finding in a previous study that homeopathic medicines decrease the duration of acute diarrhea in children could be replicated in a different study population. DESIGN: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. SETTING: Private, charitable health clinic in Kathmandu, Nepal. SUBJECTS: A consecutive sample of 126 children, 6 months to 5 years of age, who presented during April through June, 1994, with more than three unformed stools in the previous 24 hours. INTERVENTION: Children received either an individualized homeopathic medicine or placebo, to be taken one dose after each unformed stool for 5 days. Parents recorded daily stools on diary cards, and health workers made home visits daily to monitor children. OUTCOME MEASURES: Predefined measures were based on the previous study: (1) duration of diarrhea, defined as the time until there were fewer than three unformed stools per day, for two consecutive days, and (2) Average number of stools per day for each group. RESULTS: Of the 126 children initially enrolled, 116 completed treatment. The mean number of stools per day over the entire 5-day treatment period was 3.2 for the treatment group and 4.5 for the placebo group (P = 0.023). A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis of the duration of diarrhea, which included data from all patient visits, showed an 18.4% greater probability that a child would be free of diarrhea by day 5 under homeopathic treatment (P = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS: These results are consistent with the finding from the previous study that individualized homeopathic treatment decreases the duration of diarrhea and number of stools in children with acute childhood diarrhea.     

Incidence of IDDM in Western Australia in children aged 0-14 yr from 1985 to 1989.

OBJECTIVE--To document the incidence of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) in Western Australia in children aged 0-14 yr between 1985 and 1989 and to test for differences in incidence by year of diagnosis, age of diagnosis, and sex. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS--A population-based register that used a primary source of case ascertainment (diabetes clinics at teaching hospitals and direct approach to general practitioners and general physicians) and a secondary source (Western Australian Hospital Morbidity Data System) established numerator data. Denominator data were obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. RESULTS--From 1985 to 1989 inclusive, 235 children in the 0- to 14-yr age-group were diagnosed with IDDM in Western Australia. Case ascertainment was estimated at 99% complete. The mean age-adjusted (developed-world population) annual incidence of IDDM was 13.2 per 100,000 person-yr and there was no evidence of an increasing incidence over the 5 yr. However, girls were more likely than boys to be diagnosed with IDDM in this period (P = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS--The incidence of IDDM in Western Australia is in the middle range of IDDM incidence in countries throughout the world. The unexpected finding of an increased incidence of IDDM in girls compared with boys needs to be confirmed in a future study.     

Workplace violence in Queensland, Australia: the results of a comparative study

This paper presents the results on workplace violence from a larger study undertaken in 2004. Comparison is made with the results of a similar study undertaken in 2001. The study involved the random sampling of 3,000 nurses from the Queensland Nurses' Union's membership in the public (acute hospital and community nursing), private (acute hospital and domiciliary nursing) and aged care (both public and private aged care facilities) sectors. The self-reported results suggest an increase in workplace violence in all three sectors. Although there are differences in the sources of workplace violence across the sectors, the major causes of workplace violence are: clients/patients, visitors/relatives, other nurses, nursing management and medical practitioners. Associations were also found between workplace violence and gender, the designation of the nurse, hours of employment, the age of the nurse, morale and perceptions of workplace safety. Although the majority of nurses reported that policies were in place for the management of workplace violence, these policies were not always adequate.     

A Delphi survey of clinical nursing research priorities in Western Australia.

In 1989-1990 an investigation was undertaken to ascertain which problems WA nurses considered required researching. A modified Delphi technique was employed to obtain data from nurses in hospitals and health care agencies throughout the metropolitan and rural regions in the state. Participants worked in areas of acute care, mental health, paediatrics, gerontology, community health and domiciliary services and addictions. Problems identified were categorised into three streams; clinical, management and staff development. Respondents were required to assign a value to items according to their importance to nurses and to patients. They were also asked to indicate whether they considered there was an adequate research base relevant to each item. Results reported here are based on the 10 priority items identified in the clinical stream.     

Simple model of evapotranspiration by Eucalyptus plantations for data poor areas and tested using water balance data from a small catchment in Guangxi,China

ABSTRACT

Measurements of catchment and stand water balance were made in a small, upland catchment in Guangxi province, China that was covered with a plantation of a Eucalyptus urophylla × Eucalyptus grandis hybrid. These data were used to investigate the relationship between streamflow and the net stand water balance and to test the efficacy of a relationship between the crop factor (ratio of evapotranspiration to potential evaporation) and relative plant available soil water for predicting evapotranspiration. The model was then used to quantify the effect of afforestation with Eucalyptus plantations on the water balance of (1) upland catchments with shallow soils and (2) catchments with deeper soil profiles such as those that can occur in lowland catchments in Guangxi.

During the experiment, the plantation experienced a dry year in 2014, when rainfall was 1095 mm, and a year with approximately average rainfall in 2015 (1493 mm). In 2014, plantation evapotranspiration was 779 mm or 71% of rainfall while during 2015 the annual plantation evapotranspiration was 931 mm or 61% of rainfall. Measured streamflow for a full year was only 18 mm (2%) less than the difference between rainfall and estimated evapotranspiration. The relationship between measured streamflow and the net stand water balance was also strong (r² = 0.8) and unbiased (slope of 1.006).

A model that predicted the crop factor as a function of relative plant available soil water explained more than 78% of the variation in observed evapotranspiration and had a model efficiency of 0.73. It also provided an unbiased prediction of monthly evapotranspiration. When used to model the effect of a change from grassland to a plantation of E. urophylla, it predicted an average annual decrease in drainage of 70 mm and a 5% increase in the number of months with zero flow.     

Erythrocytapheresis versus phlebotomy in the initial treatment of HFE hemochromatosis patients: results from a randomized trial

BACKGROUND: Standard treatment of newly diagnosed HFE hemochromatosis patients is phlebotomy. Erythrocytapheresis provides a new therapeutic modality that can remove up to three times more red blood cells per single procedure and could thus have a clinical and economic benefit. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: To compare the number of treatment procedures between erythrocytapheresis and phlebotomy needed to reach the serum ferritin (SF) target level of 50 µg/L, a two‐treatment‐arms, randomized trial was conducted in which 38 newly diagnosed patients homozygous for C282Y were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to undergo either erythrocytapheresis or phlebotomy. A 50% decrease in the number of treatment procedures for erythrocytapheresis compared to phlebotomy was chosen as the relevant difference to detect. RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed a significantly lower mean number of treatment procedures in the erythrocytapheresis group (9 vs. 27; ratio, 0.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.25‐0.45; Mann‐Whitney p < 0.001). After adjustments for the two important influential factors initial SF level and body weight, the reduction ratio was still significant (0.43; 95% CI, 0.35‐0.52; p < 0.001). Cost analysis showed no significant difference in treatment costs between both procedures. The costs resulting from productivity loss were significantly lower for the erythrocytapheresis group. CONCLUSION: Erythrocytapheresis is highly effective treatment to reduce iron overload and from a societal perspective might potentially also be a cost‐saving therapy.     

Social support intervention after stroke: results of a randomized trial.

The purpose of this study was to determine if social support intervention would improve the support experienced by stroke survivors and if improvement would result in better psychosocial outcome. Subjects were drawn from a community-based sample that had received rehabilitation services in the hospital and at home. The study was a randomized trial (n = 48 experimental group, n = 40 control group), and measures were taken at entry into the study, immediately after intervention (or, at a comparable time for the control group), and again 3 months later. No significant differences were found between groups either on social support measures or psychosocial outcomes. Secondary analyses showed that significant changes in support had been experienced within the sample as a whole in relation to the subjects' gender, living situation, marital status, and employment status. Findings are discussed in terms of methodologic and programmatic concerns, and recommendations are made for further research with this potentially valuable intervention.