No abstract

When the residual demand curve for wheat facing the United States and Canada shifts to the left, or when the exportable surplus of Australia is large, market-shares of these duopolists are reduced. Such circumstances lead to the formation of a market-share triopoly with Australia. The evidence for this proposition is examined and a model of triopoly pricing in the world wheat market is presented. If major exporters continue to be concerned with relative market-shares, the triopoly will reform, stocks will accumulate, and lower prices will prevail; however, prices will be more variable, and possibly higher, than before 1972/73.

We aimed to describe the clinical features and outcomes of pyogenic spondylodiscitis and to identify factors associated with an unfavourable clinical outcome (defined as death, permanent disability, spinal instability or persistent pain). In our tertiary centre, 91 cases were identified prospectively and a retrospective descriptive analysis of clinical records was performed prior to binary regression analysis of factors associated with an unfavourable outcome. A median 26 days elapsed from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis and 51% of patients had neurological impairment at presentation. A microbiological diagnosis was reached in 81%, with Staphylococcus aureus most commonly isolated. Treatment involved prolonged hospitalisation (median stay 40.5 days), long courses of antibiotics (>6 weeks in 98%) and surgery in 42%. While this was successful in eradicating infection, only 32% of patients had a favourable clinical outcome and six patients (7%) died. Diabetes mellitus, clinical evidence of neurological impairment at presentation, a longer duration of symptoms and radiological evidence of spinal cord or cauda equina compression were independent factors associated with an unfavourable outcome. Our data indicate that spondylodiscitis is associated with significant morbidity and suggest that adverse outcomes may be predicted to an extent by factors present at the time of diagnosis.

Despite the influence of freshwater ecology on investment and management worldwide, many aquatic ecosystems remain severely degraded. By using the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia, as an example, we examined the relationship between freshwater ecological research and interventions implemented to achieve management objectives. We explored four related issues about why freshwater ecologists are rarely satisfied with management solutions and why some adopted remedies have not achieved sustainable management outcomes. We argue that, as a discipline, freshwater ecology does not focus enough on the development of solutions. Many proposed solutions create problems elsewhere and implementation of these solutions can prove unduly problematic. Although there is no simple panacea, changes to the training and career structure of freshwater ecologists could increase researchers’ focus on solutions and enhance their capacity for cross-disciplinary collaboration, especially with social scientists. Such cross-disciplinary outputs are more likely to be palatable because of their system focus. Professor Peter Cullen advocated the importance of undertaking collaborative research to generate predictive capacity. We extend that call by advocating greater cross-disciplinary collaboration and the need for research to focus on the development of solutions rather than problem delineation.

'V "%UBLICLY financed services to agricultural industries have been under review r^f o r some years (Bilker et al., 1990; Watson et al., 1992; Industry Commission, 1994). Policy change has occurred in die public funding and provision of agricultural R&D and extension services (Cary, 1993; Godden, 1997). Change could be imminent in die publicly-funded provision of plant breeding services. Australia's major broadacre industries are supported by mainly publicly fi nanced plant breeding (Begg & Peacock, 1990). State governments finance plant breeding in State agricultural agencies and research institutes. Supporting funds come from die federal government diat matches, up to a cap, farmers' levy pay ments on grain production. The Grains Research and Development Corporadon (GRDC) administers diese growers' and federal government contribudons, and al locates some of die funds to providers of plant breeding services. Plant breeding is subject to new legisladon diat enlarges and protects property rights in plant variedes. This enlargement of property rights may prompt change in die publicly financed provision of plant variedes for Australia's broadacre industries. Phe Plant Breeder's Rights Act 1994 extends intellectual property rights in plant variedes created in previous 1987 legisladon. The 1987 legisladon had little effect on die breeding of broadacre crops in Aus tralia because die intellectual property right in new variedes applied only to sales of seed to farmers. Returns to developers of new variedes were limited because die farmers who used die seed needed only to buy small amounts of it. Farmers who inidally purchased these small amounts could dien 'bulk up' (muldply) die seed and condnue to use seed they had saved from die harvest of dieir own crops. This farmer-saved seed was exempt from any royalty payments to die original developers of die variety. Because farmers save most of die seed diey use in Australia's broad-1