Desktop panels transparency no longer works after Beta upgrade

Up until the latest 9.04 Alpha, the desktop panel transparency effect worked well both on top and the bottom panels. After upgrading to 9.04 Beta, the transparency is only partially in effect. In the top menu, some of the autostart application icons, the date and time and the user login/logoff objects, and in the bottom menu, the running programs and the trash can retain the system theme background color and seem to ignore transparency adjustments.

The problem can be seen clearly by right-click on either panel and selecting Panel Properties / Background and then Solid Color and Transparent Style.