Recent increases in Tasmanian Huon pine ring widths from a subalpine stand: natural climate variabiliry, CO2 fertilisation, or greenhouse warming?

Tasmanian subalpine Huon pines from the extreme high-altitude limit of the species distribution provide a summer temperature reconstruction extending back beyond 800 BC. Compared to low elevation Huon pine sites, the subalpine ring-widths exhibit a straightforward direct response to current growth-season temperatures and indicate anomalous warming of 0.33 ± O.06°C from 1967-91. This warming is consistent with Tasmanian instrumental records and with hemispheric and global records. The possibility that the trees are responding directly to CO2 fertilisation is explored, using a high-precision record of CO2, obtained from air in Antarctic ice and firn, plus direct measurements of air from Cape Grim. The temperature forcing appears capable of explaining the ring-width variations in the alpine trees over the full range of observed periods, whereas CO2 fertilisation would require a more complex interaction and is not supported by other arguments. Two millennia-long tree-ring reconstructions of summer temperatures from South America do not exhibit the recent warming, nor other features found in the Tasmanian record on decadal to century time-scales. In fact, the South American chronologies bear little resemblance to each other, but do, however, reflect their own regional instrumental records. The Mt Read ring-width chronology, and the instrumental temperature series used for its calibration, also co-vary with climate influences of a distinctly regional character, yet still replicate many of the features reported as hemispheric and global temperatures over the last century. Spectral analysis of the Mt Read tree-ring data over the full 2792 years suggests that at least part of the recent warming in the instrumental records could be a consequence of "natural forcing" of the record, complicating an interpretation in terms of a greenhouse-forced warming

Clinical guidelines for low back pain. A critical review of consensus and inconsistencies across three major guidelines.

Given the scale and cost of the problem of low back pain, it is imperative that healthcare professionals involved in the care of people with low back pain have access to up-to-date, evidenced based information to assist them in treatment decision making. Clinical guidelines exist to promote consistent best practice, to reduce unwarranted variation and the use of low value interventions in patient care. Recent decades have seen the publication of a number of such guidelines. In this narrative review we consider three selected international interdisciplinary guidelines for the management of low back pain. Guideline development methods, consistent recommendations and inconsistencies between these guidelines are critically discussed

Defining ecologically relevant scales for spatial protection with long-term data on an endangered seabird and local prey availability

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this record.Human activities are important drivers of marine ecosystem functioning. However, separating the synergistic effects of fishing and environmental variability on the prey base of nontarget predators is difficult, often because prey availability estimates on appropriate scales are lacking. Understandi ng how prey abundance at different spatial scales links to population change can help integrate the needs of nontarget predators into fisheries management by defining ecologically relevant areas for spatial protection. We investigated the local population response (number of breeders) of the Bank Cormorant (Phalacrocorax neglectus), a range-restricted endangered seabird, to the availability of its prey, the heavily fished west coast rock lobster (Jasus lalandii). Using Bayesian state-space modeled cormorant counts at 3 colonies, 22 years of fisheries-independent data on local lobster abundance, and generalized additive modeling, we determined the spatial scale pertinent to these relationships in areas with different lobster availability. Cormorant numbers responded positively to lobster availability in the regions with intermediate and high abundance but not where regime shifts and fishing pressure had depleted lobster stocks. The relationships were strongest when lobsters 20–30 km offshore of the colony were considered, a distance greater than the Bank Cormorant's foraging range when breeding, and may have been influenced by prey availability for nonbreeding birds, prey switching, or prey ecology. Our results highlight the importance of considering the scale of ecological relationships in marine spatial planning and suggest that designing spatial protection around focal species can benefit marine predators across their full life cycle. We propose the precautionary implementation of small-scale marine protected areas, followed by robust assessment and adaptive-management, to confirm population-level benefits for the cormorants, their prey, and the wider ecosystem, without negative impacts on local fisheries.The National Research Foundation (NRF) SEAChange Grant 79735 and an incentive grant to R.J.M.C., Leiden Conservation Foundation, Claude Leon Foundation, and our institutions provided funding

Molecular characterization of a multidrug resistance IncF plasmid from the globally disseminated Escherichia coli ST131 clone.

Escherichia coli sequence type 131 (E. coli ST131) is a recently emerged and globally disseminated multidrug resistant clone associated with urinary tract and bloodstream infections. Plasmids represent a major vehicle for the carriage of antibiotic resistance genes in E. coli ST131. In this study, we determined the complete sequence and performed a comprehensive annotation of pEC958, an IncF plasmid from the E. coli ST131 reference strain EC958. Plasmid pEC958 is 135.6 kb in size, harbours two replicons (RepFIA and RepFII) and contains 12 antibiotic resistance genes (including the blaCTX-M-15 gene). We also carried out hyper-saturated transposon mutagenesis and multiplexed transposon directed insertion-site sequencing (TraDIS) to investigate the biology of pEC958. TraDIS data showed that while only the RepFII replicon was required for pEC958 replication, the RepFIA replicon contains genes essential for its partitioning. Thus, our data provides direct evidence that the RepFIA and RepFII replicons in pEC958 cooperate to ensure their stable inheritance. The gene encoding the antitoxin component (ccdA) of the post-segregational killing system CcdAB was also protected from mutagenesis, demonstrating this system is active. Sequence comparison with a global collection of ST131 strains suggest that IncF represents the most common type of plasmid in this clone, and underscores the need to understand its evolution and contribution to the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in E. coli ST131

Discrete seasonal hydroclimate reconstructions over northern Vietnam for the past three and a half centuries

We present a 350-year hydroclimatic year (HY) index for northern Vietnam derived from three discrete seasonal reconstructions from tree rings: an index of autumn rainfall from the earlywood widths of Chinese Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga sinensis), the first such record from this species, and two nearby published Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) reconstructions from cypress (Fokienia hodginsii) tree rings for spring and summer, respectively. Autumn rainfall over the study region constitutes only around 9% of the annual total, but its variability is strongly linked to the strength of the atmospheric gradient over Asia during the transition from the boreal summer to winter monsoons. Deficit or surplus of autumn rainfall enhances or mitigates, respectively, the impact of the annual winter dry season on trees growing on porous karst hillsides. The most protracted HY drought (dry across all seasons) occurred at the turn of the twentieth century at a time of relative quiet, but a mid-to-late eighteenth century multi-year HY drought coincided with a period of great societal turmoil across mainland Southeast Asia and the Tay Son Rebellion in northern Vietnam. A mid-nineteenth century uprising accompanied by a smallpox epidemic, crop failure and famine, occurred during the worst autumn drought of the past two and a half centuries but only moderate drought in spring and summer. The “Great Vietnamese Famine” of the mid-twentieth century was dry only in autumn, with a wet spring and an average summer

Evaluating the difference in neuropsychological profiles of individuals with FASD based on the number of sentinel facial features: a service evaluation of the FASD UK National Clinic Database

It might be implied that those with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) with fewer sentinel facial features have a “milder” neuropsychological presentation, or present with fewer impairments than those with more sentinel facial features. The aim of this service evaluation was to compare the neuropsychological profile of people with FASD with varying numbers of sentinel facial features. (2) A clinical sample of 150 individuals with FASD, aged between 6 and 37 years, completed various standardised assessments as part of their diagnostic profiling. These included the documented level of risk of prenatal alcohol exposure (4-Digit Diagnostic Code), sensory needs (Short Sensory Profile), cognition (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—4th Edition; WISC-IV), and communication and socialisation adaptive behaviours (Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale—2nd Edition; VABS-II). As FASD has high comorbidity rates of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), these were also reviewed. The profiles of the ‘FASD with 2 or 3 sentinel facial features’ group (n = 41; 28 male, 13 female) were compared with the ‘FASD with 0 or 1 sentinel facial features’ group (n = 109; 50 male, 59 female) using Chi2 tests, independent sample t-tests, and Mann-Whitney U analyses (where appropriate). (3) There were no significant differences between the two comparison groups across any measure included in this service evaluation. (4) Whilst sentinel facial features remain an important aspect in recognising FASD, our service evaluation indicates that there is no significant relationship between the number of sentinel facial features and the neuropsychological profile of people with FASD in terms of severity of presentation

Lineage-Specific Methyltransferases Define the Methylome of the Globally Disseminated Escherichia coli ST131 Clone.

UNLABELLED: Escherichia coli sequence type 131 (ST131) is a clone of uropathogenic E. coli that has emerged rapidly and disseminated globally in both clinical and community settings. Members of the ST131 lineage from across the globe have been comprehensively characterized in terms of antibiotic resistance, virulence potential, and pathogenicity, but to date nothing is known about the methylome of these important human pathogens. Here we used single-molecule real-time (SMRT) PacBio sequencing to determine the methylome of E. coli EC958, the most-well-characterized completely sequenced ST131 strain. Our analysis of 52,081 methylated adenines in the genome of EC958 discovered three (m6)A methylation motifs that have not been described previously. Subsequent SMRT sequencing of isogenic knockout mutants identified the two type I methyltransferases (MTases) and one type IIG MTase responsible for (m6)A methylation of novel recognition sites. Although both type I sites were rare, the type IIG sites accounted for more than 12% of all methylated adenines in EC958. Analysis of the distribution of MTase genes across 95 ST131 genomes revealed their prevalence is highly conserved within the ST131 lineage, with most variation due to the presence or absence of mobile genetic elements on which individual MTase genes are located. IMPORTANCE: DNA modification plays a crucial role in bacterial regulation. Despite several examples demonstrating the role of methyltransferase (MTase) enzymes in bacterial virulence, investigation of this phenomenon on a whole-genome scale has remained elusive until now. Here we used single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing to determine the first complete methylome of a strain from the multidrug-resistant E. coli sequence type 131 (ST131) lineage. By interrogating the methylome computationally and with further SMRT sequencing of isogenic mutants representing previously uncharacterized MTase genes, we defined the target sequences of three novel ST131-specific MTases and determined the genomic distribution of all MTase target sequences. Using a large collection of 95 previously sequenced ST131 genomes, we identified mobile genetic elements as a major factor driving diversity in DNA methylation patterns. Overall, our analysis highlights the potential for DNA methylation to dramatically influence gene regulation at the transcriptional level within a well-defined E. coli clone

Choosing the most suitable classifier For supporting assistive technology adoption In people with Parkinson’s disease: a fuzzy Multi-criteria approach

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder which requires a long-term, interdisciplinary disease management. While there remains no cure for Parkinson’s disease, treatments are available to help reduce the main symptoms and maintain quality of life for as long as possible. Owing to the global burden faced by chronic conditions such as PD, Assistive technologies (AT’s) are becoming an increasingly common prescribed form of treatment. Low adoption is hampering the potential of digital technologies within health and social care. It is then necessary to employ classification algorithms have been developed for differentiating adopters and non-adopters of these technologies; thereby, potential negative effects on people with PD and cost overruns can be further minimized. This paper bridges this gap by extending the Multi-criteria decision-making approach adopted in technology adoption modeling for people with dementia. First, the fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) is applied to estimate the initial relative weights of criteria and sub-criteria. Then, the Decisionmaking Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) is used for evaluating the interrelations and feedback among criteria and sub-criteria. The Technique for Order of Preferences by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is finally implemented to rank three classifiers (Lazy IBk – knearest neighbors, Naïve bayes, and J48 decision tree) according to their ability to model technology adoption. A real case study considering is presented to validate the proposed approach