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ABSTRACTFreshwater aquatic ecosystems can be considered sentinels of change as they integrate signals from catchment, hydrology and biogeochemistry to provide an indication of how the system fluctuates. The Coorong estuary acts as a sentinel for the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB), Australia. Its location at the terminus of the Murray-Darling River systems, which drains more than 1 million square kilometres across 22 major catchments, means that any change to climate, water extraction or land use in the upstream catchments will have repercussions for the Coorong. It therefore acts as an indicator of the health of the MDB and the effectiveness of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan at protecting this ecosystem. Environmental water secured through the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and establishment of the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder has been critical to preventing significant ecosystem decline in the Coorong. For most water years in the last decade environmental water has contributed to the majority of flow through the barrages. This has exported salt from the basin, reduced influx of salt from the ocean, and expanded available habitat for fish in the Coorong. However, the environmental flows have not been sufficient to arrest sand build up, and dredges still operate at the Murray Mouth during all but the highest flow events. There is a clear case for continued water management and reform, extending beyond the boundaries of the MDB, to further increase security of water flowing along the river system through the barrages and supporting the ecological health of the Coorong, and by association the full MDB.

Wages in industrialized countries have risen considerably during the last 50 years, whereas hours worked, for manual workers at least, have decreased only marginally. In Europe, one policy response has [...]

Implications of the National Cooperative Research Act of 1984 of United States (US) on strategic research partnerships are examined. Extent to which these policies have improved the US National Innovation System is also analyzed.

This paper investigates claims that firm-specific effects in advertising-sales models can be attributed to a positive correlation between advertising and product quality. Using a standard Koyck transformation on an unbalanced [...]

People have been eating oats and oat products since the first century A.D., but the therapeutic uses of oats are sparsely documented. We are only now beginning to find a [...]

The terms ‘Bowen disease’ and ‘intraepidermal squamous cell carcinoma’ are sometimes considered synonymous. In this paper we present historical, clinical, histological and molecular evidence that this is incorrect. The term Bowen disease should be reserved for a subset of intraepidermal squamous cell carcinoma with a distinctive and reproducible morphological pattern, described in detail by Bowen in 1912. One other common subset of intraepidermal squamous cell carcinoma represents progression of actinic keratosis. In some cases the separation of these two common patterns of intraepidermal squamous cell carcinoma can be challenging and there are patterns of intraepidermal squamous cell carcinoma which appear to represent other distinct pathways. However, there is emerging biological evidence to support this distinction and reason to suspect that the types of invasive squamous cell carcinoma which arise from these different pathways may show important clinical and biological differences, particularly in the era of targeted and immunomodulatory therapy for advanced disease.

The article discusses the various goals as well as progress of the strategy to help reduce teenage pregnancies in the UK. One of the highest priorities of the teenage pregnancy strategy has been to improve access to family planning, especially for the younger age group.

Diversion of water from the Murray River is causing environmental degradation in South Australia's Coorong wetlands. Diverted water is primarily used for domestic and agricultural purposes. Discussion focuses on a drainage system that will further affect water volumes and salinity in the region.

The attitude of British firefighters towards the retained duty system of the Fire and Rescue Service is discussed. The efforts of Humberside Fire and Rescue Service to make part-time firefighters an integral part of its planning agenda are described.

ABSTRACTFoot-and-mouth disease (FMD) can cause large disruptive epidemics in livestock. Current eradication measures rely on the rapid clinical detection and removal of infected herds. Here, we evaluated the potential for preclinical diagnosis during reactive surveillance to reduce the risk of between-farm transmission. We used data from transmission experiments in cattle where both samples from individual animals, such as blood, probang samples, and saliva and nasal swabs, and herd-level samples, such as air samples, were taken daily during the course of infection. The sensitivity of each of these sample types for the detection of infected cattle during different phases of the early infection period was quantified. The results were incorporated into a mathematical model for FMD, in a cattle herd, to evaluate the impact of the early detection and culling of an infected herd on the infectious output. The latter was expressed as the between-herd reproduction ratio, Rh, where an effective surveillance approach would lead to a reduction in the Rhvalue to <1. Applying weekly surveillance, clinical inspection alone was found to be ineffective at blocking transmission. This was in contrast to the impact of weekly random sampling (i.e., using saliva swabs) of at least 10 animals per farm or daily air sampling (housed cattle), both of which were shown to reduce the Rhto <1. In conclusion, preclinical detection during outbreaks has the potential to allow earlier culling of infected herds and thereby reduce transmission and aid the control of epidemics.

The article discusses whether providing teenagers with greater access to contraception is actually resulting in increasing the rate of teenage pregnancies, rather than dissuading them from indulging in sexual activities. The vital role that parents can play in helping discourage their children from indulging in sexual activity leading to unwanted teenage pregnancies is highlighted.

Anthropogenic modification of catchments and river flow can significantly alter estuarine habitats, hydrology and nutrient delivery with implications for fisheries productivity. The Coorong estuary at the terminus of Australia’s River Murray supports an economically important fishery as well as being recognised internationally as a critical site for migratory birds. Salinity near the Murray Mouth varies between fresh and marine depending upon river flow, but the Coorong becomes increasingly saline along its 120 km length. Freshwater flow to the Coorong is naturally variable but has significantly reduced by extraction for irrigated agriculture and domestic use upstream. Extreme drought from 2000 to 2010 and over-allocation of water resources resulted in the cessation of freshwater flow to the Coorong, significantly increasing salinity. During this period the diversity and abundance of organisms in the Coorong declined which reduced food web complexity. During lower flows the system generally becomes less productive as evidenced by: lower nutrient concentrations and loads, lower chlorophyll and primary productivity, a decrease in the abundance of fish-prey items (zooplankton, macroinvertebrates and small fish), a decrease in fish abundance, although this is not well reflected in fishery catch data because of the concentration of fishing in available habitat. The maintenance of flow is the only management strategy that stimulates recruitment, delivers nutrient resources to the estuary and ensures maintenance of habitable area by maintaining appropriate salinity.

AbstractIn this article my aim is to deepen, expand and indeed question the associations with which, I argue, Froud's thirty-year output seems to have become too easily and comfortably categorised. This is done through a close analysis of selected artworks exhibited on his recent exhibitions titled‘A retrospective of exhibitions I never had’. Building upon a 2003 review by Carine Zaayman in which she evaluates Froud's work as a joining of the weighty, dirty concerns of the real world within the sterilised space of the art gallery, I argue for a re-reading of the selected works in an attempt to reveal Froud's deeper, more critical and cynical eye. Through a lens of black humour, a gendered, filmic, comparative and literary re-reading explores a zone of discomfort and dark absurdity at play across all facets of his diverse output.

Most studies of both pari-mutuel and fixed-odds betting markets have shown a systematic tendency for the expected return to bets at lower odds to exceed those at higher odds. Some [...]

AbstractWith Jack Kerouac's iconic scroll manuscript of On the road1exhibited outside of the US for the first time in 2009, attention may once again be brought to bear on the imagistic properties of texts in certain contemporary novels and the influence of artists who work within and around the conventions of the book. By forging an argument for the importance of working outside of the accepted conventions of the novel's structure and form, Kerouac's inventiveness invites us to find other ways in which the novel may be informed by the interpretive acts of artists who use the form of the book in their work. This article explores the relationship between Jonathan Safran Foer's novel Extremely loud and incredibly close(2005) and structural, linguistic and visual conventions found in selected artists' books.2Of particular concern are: the self-reflexive interventions made by the author to draw attention to the novel's meta-narratives; the seemingly random use of imagery as elliptical illuminations; the manipulation of the typographic conventions of the page for imagistic and affective purposes; and, lastly, the use of a flip-book structure at the end of the book, suggesting an alternative conclusion and the reader's collusion in averting history. The novel's unusual structural, linguistic and visual manipulations are analysed through the lens of selected earlier novels which exploited and undermined the literary conventions of their day, as well as selected artists' books in which texts behave as images. In this analysis, the article attempts to show that an awareness of both a history of the breaking of literary conventions, and of certain artists' books and their structures, might help a reader gain greater insight into Foer's narrative by understanding how he enunciates not what a book is, but what it doesand howit does it.

Rapid and accurate diagnosis is essential for effective control of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). The present report describes the practical steps undertaken to deploy a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR) to process the samples received during the outbreaks of FMD in the United Kingdom in 2007. Two independent real-time RT-PCR assays targeting different regions (5′UTR and 3D) of the FMD virus (FMDV) genome were used to confirm the presence of FMDV in clinical samples collected from the first infected premises. Once the FMDV strain responsible had been sequenced, a single real-time RT-PCR assay (3D) was selected to test a total of 3,216 samples, including material from all 8 infected premises. Using a 96-well automated system to prepare nucleic acid template, up to 84 samples could be processed within 5 hr of submission, and up to 269 samples were tested per working day. A conservative cut-off was used to designate positive samples, giving rise to an assay specificity of 99.9% or 100% for negative control material or samples collected from negative premises, respectively. For the first time, real-time RT-PCR results were used to recognize preclinical FMD in a cattle herd. Furthermore, during the later stages of the outbreaks, the real-time RT-PCR assay supported an active surveillance program within high-risk cattle herds. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first documented use of real-time RT-PCR as a principal laboratory diagnostic tool following introduction of FMD into a country that was FMD-free (without vaccination) and highlights the advantages of this assay to support control decisions during disease outbreaks.

The Coorong and Lower Lakes are listed as a Wetland of International Significance under the Ramsar Convention. This wetland system was nominated because of the diversity of wetlands that were supported: fresh, estuarine and hypermarine; and because of the importance of the area to vast numbers of water birds: ducks, swans, pelicans, terns, grebes, and migratory sandpipers and endemic shorebirds (stilts, avocets).

Plant communities on the River Murray floodplain, South Australia, are degraded by flow regulation and salinization, with up to 95% of eucalypt trees being dead or dying from water stress. This paper describes the floodplain seed bank and its capacity to respond to floods or managed ‘environmental flows’. The soil seed bank contained mainly annual native species, particularly chenopods, whereas the dominant trees, river red gum and black box (Myrtaceae: Eucalyptus camaldulensis, E. largiflorens), retained most of their seeds in a canopy seed bank (‘serotiny’). In healthy trees, seed release peaked in summer (December– February for river red gum, October–March for black box), but variable volumes suggested cyclical patterns in seed crops. Seed release, viability and germination rates did not appear to limit recruitment. In water‐stressed trees, however, seed release was up to nine‐fold less. Germination requires water from floods or local rainfall. Flow regulation has reduced flood frequencies and delayed timing, so that germination now is likely to be followed by relatively hot, dry conditions (summer). Following managed watering events, seeds accumulated in high‐water strandlines, where they germinated readily under a mulch of organic litter, but survival was limited. The importance of local rainfall as a complementary water source was demonstrated, and survival rates were higher for rain‐triggered germinants, compared to seedlings germinating in strandlines created by managed watering. Seedling survival would be greater if environmental flows were delivered to complement local rainfall or to extend the effect of short flood events. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A panel of 36 sera has been assembled from experimental cattle that had been infected by inoculation or contact exposure with 4 serotypes of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) with or without prior vaccination. Virus replication and persistence had been characterized in all of the animals. The proportion of the sera scored positive by 5 tests for antibodies to the nonstructural proteins of FMDV varied, suggesting that the panel can discriminate between the sensitivity with which such tests are able to identify infected cattle. Use of this panel will help in assessment of new tests and quality control of existing methods.

Forty peptides were synthesized corresponding to hydrophilic clusters of amino acids within the sequences of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) nonstructural proteins (NSP). Six peptides were studied in more detail and the most promising, a 2B peptide, was evaluated in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using sera from naïve, vaccinated, and vaccinated-and-challenged cattle as well as bovine sera from field outbreaks. The performance of the new NSP peptide ELISA was compared to that of 4 commercial NSP ELISA kits. Antibody to 2B was detectable from the end of the first week to the second week after infection in most of the nonvaccinated animals and by the second to third week in vaccinated-and-challenged animals. The sensitivity of the 2B peptide ELISA was comparable to the 3ABC Ceditest (Ceditest® FMDV-NS, Cedi Diagnostics B.V.; Chung et al., 2002). With some modification and further validation, this 2B test could be useful as a screening or conformational NSP test in postvaccination surveillance for FMD.

AbstractGlossy Black-Cockatoos on Kangaroo Island, South Australia, rely primarily on the kernels contained in the seed-cones of the Drooping Sheoak (Allocasuarina verticillata) as their food source. This study expands on previous studies of Glossy Black-Cockatoos foraging on Kangaroo Island by examining selection of patches, trees, branches and cones. The Cockatoos appeared to maximise food intake per unit of foraging time by foraging in trees with higher seed-fill and kernel ratio. Although not conclusive, this study suggests breeding birds may be more selective of high seed-fill and kernel ratio than non-breeding birds. Within the canopy of the Sheoaks, the Cockatoos cropped cones from branches with high densities of cones present on them. The Cockatoos also showed a preference for foraging in large trees, which appears to reduce the number of movements they have to make between trees. This would both limit the energetic costs of foraging and limit exposure to predators.

AbstractNew Holland Honeyeaters (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae, Meliphagidae) were examined for tick and blood parasite prevalence and intensity during a single breeding season (June-November 2004) at four locations in South Australia. We examined 126 birds for ticks and 110 of these birds for blood parasites. Twenty-two birds (17.5%) were infested with one to two ticks from the genus Ixodes.Ten birds (9.1%) were infected with blood parasites from the genus Haemoproteus(intensity was low, on average 0.016% infected blood cells). There was no relation between blood parasite and tick prevalence within birds and across sites. We found no relationship between blood parasites and site, or age, sex, or body condition of hosts. Tick prevalence was significantly related to host age (being higher in juveniles than adults), site (ticks were only found in coastal areas), and reduced body condition. This study provides preliminary evidence for a geographical pattern of tick (Ixodessp.) distribution: we found ticks on Kangaroo Island and in a coastal area of the Fleurieu Peninsula, but not at sites more inland within the Mount Lofty Ranges.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) can be excreted in milk and thereby spread infection to susceptible animals in other holdings. The feasibility of using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) as a diagnostic tool for detection of FMDV in milk was assessed by studying the excretion of virus from experimentally-infected cattle. Fore- and machine milk samples were collected over a 4-week period from two dairy cows infected with FMDV and from two in-contact cows held in the same pen. The whole, skim, cream and cellular debris components of the milks were tested by automated rRT-PCR and results compared to virus isolation (VI) in cell culture. The onset of clinical signs of FMD in all four cows correlated with viraemia, and the presence of FMDV in other clinical samples. rRT-PCR results matched closely with VI in detecting FMDV in all milk components and generally coincided with, but did not consistently precede, the onset of clinical signs. rRT-PCR detected FMDV in milk up to 23 days post inoculation which was longer than VI. Furthermore, the detection limit of FMDV in milk was greater by rRT-PCR than VI and, in contrast to VI, rRT-PCR detected virus genome following heat treatment that simulated pasteurisation. rRT-PCR was also able to detect FMDV in preservative-treated milk. In conclusion, this study showed that automated rRT-PCR is quicker and more sensitive than VI and can be used to detect FMDV in whole milk as well as milk fractions from infected animals.

New Holland Honeyeaters (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae, Meliphagidae) were examined for tick and blood parasite prevalence and intensity during a single breeding season (June?November 2004) at four locations in South Australia. We examined 126 birds for ticks and 110 of these birds for blood parasites. Twenty-two birds (17.5%) were infested with one to two ticks from the genus Ixodes. Ten birds (9.1%) were infected with blood parasites from the genus Haemoproteus (intensity was low, on average 0.016% infected blood cells). There was no relation between blood parasite and tick prevalence within birds and across sites. We found no relationship between blood parasites and site, or age, sex, or body condition of hosts. Tick prevalence was significantly related to host age (being higher in juveniles than adults), site (ticks were only found in coastal areas), and reduced body condition. This study provides preliminary evidence for a geographical pattern of tick (Ixodes sp.) distribution: we found ticks on Kangaroo Island and in a coastal area of the Fleurieu Peninsula, but not at sites more inland within the Mount Lofty Ranges.

AbstractBush Stone-curlews (Burhinus grallarius) have suffered major declines and a contraction of their range across southern Australia. A total of 414 records of Bush Stone-curlews was obtained for South Australia, from the late 1880s through to 1995. Early records were widespread across the state. By 1940, however, the decline of Stone-curlews was evident, and by 1980 there were few records on the mainland, with most remaining records coming from Kangaroo Island. call-playback surveys were undertaken across Kangaroo Island between September 1995 and July 1996 to determine the distribution of Stone-curlews on the island. The birds were recorded at 110 of the 147 (75%) survey sites. Combined with records obtained from landholders, Bush Stone-curlews were found to be distributed throughout the agricultural landscape on the island, being detected at 96% of survey sites in agricultural areas. In contrast, the birds were present at only 8% of survey sites in large remnants of native vegetation. Based on their wide distribution, the Kangaroo Island population of Bush Stone-curlews is now the stronghold for the species in southern Australia. In the absence of foxes, Bush Stone-curlews have benefited from vegetation clearance on Kangaroo Island, with the species being widespread in agricultural areas with remnants of native vegetation and largely absent from extensive areas of dense native vegetation. Call playback provides an efficient censusing technique to monitor population trends of Bush Stone-curlews on Kangaroo Island.

AbstractRufous Bristlebirds (Dasyornis broadbenti), possess song repertoires of between 12 and 30 different song-types, only a proportion of which are shared between different individuals. As a result, the comparison of songs among individuals is complicated by the use of multiple song-types. Using both discriminant function analysis (DFA) and spectrographic cross-correlation analysis (SPCC), those song-types that were shared among individuals demonstrated high levels of vocal individuality. DFA correctly classified an average of 98.3 ± 1.2% of male songs, whereas SPCC correctly classified an average of 87.4 ± 2.8% of songs. However, common song features among song-types showed limited value for individual identification. The information provided by the SPCC analyses was then used to discriminate among individuals over a distance of 7.8 km, the results of which supported those of previous studies with regard to the sedentary nature of Bristlebirds. Although the results of the present study show promise, the issue of song comparisons among multiple song-types remains a significant challenge for the development of acoustic identification systems for this species.

ABSTRACTAn inactivated SVDV antigen is used in current enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for the detection of antibodies to swine vesicular disease virus (SVDV). To develop a noninfectious recombinant alternative, we produced SVDV-like particles (VLPs) morphologically and antigenically resembling authentic SVDV particles by using a dual baculovirus recombinant, which expresses simultaneously the P1 and 3CD protein genes of SVDV under different promoters. Antigenic differences between recombinant VLPs and SVDV particles were not statistically significant in results obtained with a 5B7-ELISA kit, indicating that the VLPs could be used in the place of SVDV antigen in ELISA kits. We developed a blocking ELISA using the VLPs and SVDV-specific neutralizing monoclonal antibody 3H10 (VLP-ELISA) for detection of SVDV serum antibodies in pigs. The VLP-ELISA showed a high specificity of 99.9% when tested with pig sera that are negative for SVDV neutralization (n= 1,041). When tested using sera (n= 186) collected periodically from pigs (n= 19) with experimental infection with each of three different strains of SVDV, the VLP-ELISA detected SVDV serum antibodies as early as 3 days postinfection and continued to detect the antibodies from all infected pigs until termination of the experiments (up to 121 days postinfection). This test performance was similar to that of the gold standard virus neutralization test and indicates that the VLP-ELISA is a highly specific and sensitive method for the detection of SVDV serum antibodies in pigs. This is the first report of the production and diagnostic application of recombinant VLPs of SVDV. Further potential uses of the VLPs are discussed.

The endangered Kangaroo Island glossy black-cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami halmaturinus) relies entirely on the seeds of the drooping sheoak (Allocasuarina verticillata) for food. The time budget of the glossy black-cockatoos and their foraging behaviour was recorded to provide an indication of whether their food supply was likely to be limiting. The foraging behaviour of non-breeding and breeding cockatoos was also compared to record the strategy they used to collect the additional energy needed to raise young. Glossy black-cockatoos spent a relatively small proportion of their time foraging, suggesting that the food supply was abundant in the habitats used for feeding. Non-breeding birds spent only 26% of their time feeding and breeding birds spent only 36% of their time feeding. The cockatoos spent 0.4% of their time flying, foraged in a mean of only five trees per day and harvested cones in no more than five bouts per tree. This shows that the cockatoos made few movements between drooping sheoaks and within the canopy of the sheoaks when foraging. When breeding, the cockatoos spent significantly more time per day foraging, cropped cones in significantly more bouts per tree and harvested significantly more cones per tree than non-breeding birds. This shows that breeding birds increased their energy intake without greatly increasing movement between trees. The small number of movements made by glossy black-cockatoos when foraging on Kangaroo Island reflects the abundance of food trees and may be a strategy to reduce the risk of predation.

In October 2001, the U.K. government implemented a dramatic shift in gambling taxation, resulting in a substantial decline in taxes levied on U.K. bookmakers. Using data before and after this event, we present econometric evidence on the demand response to this tax reduction. Our results imply that the demand for bookmaker gambling is highly sensitive to the rate of taxation and that the decline in the rate of taxation resulted in a large increase in the demand for onshore betting. The U.K. policy initiative provides useful information for policy makers in other countries who are contemplating changes in gambling taxation.

Abstract: In this paper we demonstrate that the measurement of stock market efficiency is an important activity in establishing whether eastern European countries satisfy the Copenhagen Criteria for EU membership. Specifically, we argue that developing an efficient stock market should be an important policy focus for countries with aspirations to join the EU as it helps to demonstrate the existence of a functioning market economy. We illustrate this issue by examining the evolution of stock market efficiency in the Bucharest Stock Exchange from mid-1997 to September 2002. We use a GARCH model on daily price data and model the disturbances using the Student-t distribution to allow for ‘fat-tails’. We find strong evidence of inefficiency in the Bucharest Stock Exchange in that the lagged stock price index is a significant predictor of the current price index. This result is robust to the inclusion of variables controlling for calendar effects of the sort that have been observed in more developed stock markets. The level of inefficiency appears to diminish over time and we find evidence consistent with stock market efficiency in Romania after January 2000.

AbstractFloristic and structural characteristics of vegetation inhabited by Southern Emu-wrens, Stipiturus malachurus, were examined for three geographically isolated subspecies in South Australia. Of the 47 plant species recorded in quadrats, 29 of these (61%) occurred in the habitat of a single subspecies. Structurally, there were no significant differences between habitats used by the three subspecies; however, some trends were apparent. All three subspecies used dense habitat; however, S. m. intermedius(Southern Mount Lofty Ranges) used habitat that, on average, was denser than habitats used by S. m. polionotum(Coorong) or S. m. halmaturinus(Kangaroo Island). Habitat used by all subspecies was most dense at ground level and decreased with height. S. m. intermediusused two distinct vegetation types (swamp and dry-heath) that were floristically, but not structurally, different. The habitat at Cox Scrub Conservation Park (CP), where S. m. intermediusexisted prior to a wildfire in 1983, was neither floristically nor structurally different from that currently inhabited by S. m. intermedius.The continued absence of S. m. intermediusfrom Cox Scrub CP reflects its limited dispersal ability. Since the habitat is extensive, Cox Scrub CP would be a suitable translocation site for S. m. intermedius.Successful translocation would greatly reduce the risk of a single fire event eliminating a substantial proportion of the remaining population of S. m. intermedius.

In the last decade, several studies were performed to characterise bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) isolates and define genetic groups by genotyping. Much data is now available from GenBank, predominantly sequences from the 5’ untranslated region (5’-UTR). In order to find out whether genetic grouping of isolates from different countries could be harmonised, 22 new isolates from five countries were analysed in combination with published sequences. Eighteen of these isolates were typed as BVDV genotype 1 (BVDV-1), and one isolate from Argentina and three isolates from Brazil were typed as BVDV-2. BVDV-1 isolates were clustered into five previously defined genetic groups: BVDV-1a, b, d, e and f. Two isolates from Finland and one from Egypt formed a group which was tentatively labelled as BVDV-1j, since statistical support was low. By using a fragment of the Npro gene for typing, we found that these isolates fall into the same group as a deer strain, and are statistically significant. Some Swiss BVDV strains taken from GenBank were found in a new genetic group which was designated as BVDV-1k. The BVDV-2 isolates included in this study seemed to fall into two genetic groups.

AbstractUsing a combination of field study, published records covering the period 1984–2003 and vegetation data, the extent of occurrence of Dasyornis broadbenti broadbentiwas estimated at 620 km2the area of occupancy at 205–245 km2. By mapping the location of calling birds the mean home range of paired adults in the Coorong National Park was estimated to be 2.3 ha. The total South Australian population was estimated to be at least 17800. Trapping and radio-tracking studies confirmed that paired adult Rufous Bristlebirds are sedentary, with individual adults being recaptured within 95 m of their initial capture location, over periods of up to 3 years. Immature birds dispersed distances of at least 740 m. The results confirm that the conservation status of this taxon is Least Concern. While this classification can now be accepted with greater confidence, some aspects of the ecology of D. b. broadbentirequire further investigation, particularly with regard to population trends and degree of fragmentation.

Routine detection of equine arteritis virus (EAV) can be achieved by virus isolation (VI) in cell culture, or by the amplification of viral genome by molecular methods. To simplify molecular diagnosis, a number of different Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and RT-nested PCR (RT-nPCR) assays were compared, and a one-tube method was developed and optimised utilizing a fluorogenic probe (TaqMan®). An artificial RNA template (Mimic) and associated probe were also constructed to provide in-tube validation of the RT-PCR system. To assess the utility of the RT-PCR TaqMan® assay, 28 different isolates of EAV representing different genetic groups of American and European strains were tested. Furthermore, the ability of VI and RT-PCR TaqMan® assay to detect EAV in different biological matrices such as semen, nasal and faecal swabs and blood was compared. All 28 EAV strains were detected by the RT-PCR TaqMan® assay. The results of TaqMan® and VI testing were in agreement for 30 of the 33 semen samples and all of the 50 other clinical specimens examined: the RT-PCR TaqMan® assay detected 18 positive semen samples, three more than VI. In conclusion, the one-tube RT-PCR TaqMan® assay is a rapid, reliable method for the detection of EAV.

The 5′‐untranslated region (5′‐UTR) of the ‘Giraffe’ strain of pestivirus was sequenced for comparison with those of other pestiviruses from cattle, sheep, goats, and swine. A phylogenetic tree constructed with these strains suggested that the ‘Giraffe’ strain was allocated to a new taxon. This observation was also confirmed by a newly proposed method based on palindromic nucleotide substitutions (PNS) at the three variable regions in the 5′‐UTR. Other reported pestivirus strains isolated from deer were assigned as bovine viral disease virus (BVDV)‐1 according to the PNS as well as phylogenetic analysis, suggesting that BVDV‐1 strains can cross‐infect deer as well as cattle, sheep, goats, and swine, and that wild deer may serve as a reservoir of BVDV‐1. We also identified the genovar of a deer isolate, SH9/11, as BVDV‐1c by the PNS method.

Cattle that are persistently infected (PI) with one strain of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) can resolve infection with a second, antigenically heterologous strain but not the homologous strain. Since CD4+T cells are thought to be critical for the resolution of acute BVDV infection (Howard et al.,1992, Vet. Immunol. Immunopathol.32, 303–314), we have examined the recognition of a heterologous virus (NADL) by CD4+T cells from Pe515-PI animals. The immune response of non-PI control cattle challenged with NADL or Pe515ncp was strain cross-reactive, whereas Pe515-PI animals responded to NADL only. The immune repertoire of both groups included NS3, which differs by approximately 1% (9/683) amino acids between these two viruses. Lymphoproliferative responses to proteins and synthetic peptides corresponding to three nonconservative differences in NS3 demonstrated that CD4+T cells from non-PI control animals responded well to proteins but poorly to the peptides from both viruses. In contrast, PI animals were responsive to heterologous proteins and peptides but nonresponsive to the homologous equivalents. A single amino acid difference between the two sequences was sufficient to allow responsiveness.

A reverse transcription - polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method was developed for the specific detection of border disease virus (BDV), using the primers PBD1 and PBD2 flanking a 225 bp DNA fragment, selected from the 5$'$ noncoding region of the pestivirus genome. In tests on 70 pestiviruses it was shown to be BDV-specific. A closed, one-tube nested RT-PCR method employing general pestivirus outer primers (324 and 326), and the same BDV-specific inner primers (PBD1 and PBD2) in conjunction with a BDV-specific fluorogenic TaqMan probe also detected only BDV and was more sensitive. BDV-specific RT-PCR was used in combination with a PCR specific for bovine viral diarrhoea virus type 2 (BVDV2) to ascertain whether virus stocks contained mixtures of BDV and BVDV2. It was shown that the ovine pestivirus strains 175375 and 59386 were originally BDV, but after subculture had become contaminated with BVDV2. This explains a previously reported discrepancy in the genetic typing of 59386. Although the BDV-specific RT-PCR can also detect BDV in clinical samples, the assay is likely to be most useful for the rapid typing of laboratory pestivirus strains.