British signals intelligence and the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland

Historians for decades have placed Room 40, the First World War British naval signals intelligence organization, at the centre of narratives about the British anticipation of and response to the Easter Rising in Ireland in 1916. A series of crucial decrypts of telegrams between the German embassy in Washington and Berlin, it has been believed, provided significant advance intelligence about the Rising before it took place. This article upends previous accounts by demonstrating that Room 40 possessed far less advance knowledge about the Rising than has been believed, with most of the supposedly key decrypts not being generated until months after the Rising had taken place

Differential Expression of Rubisco in Sporophytes and Gametophytes of Some Marine Macroalgae

Rubisco (ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase), a key enzyme of photosynthetic CO2 fixation, is one of the most abundant proteins in both higher plants and algae. In this study, the differential expression of Rubisco in sporophytes and gametophytes of four seaweed species — Porphyra yezoensis, P. haitanensis, Bangia fuscopurpurea (Rhodophyte) and Laminaria japonica (Phaeophyceae) — was studied in terms of the levels of transcription, translation and enzyme activity. Results indicated that both the Rubisco content and the initial carboxylase activity were notably higher in algal gametophytes than in the sporophytes, which suggested that the Rubisco content and the initial carboxylase activity were related to the ploidy of the generations of the four algal species

A global agenda for advancing freshwater biodiversity research

Global freshwater biodiversity is declining dramatically, and meeting the challenges of this crisis requires bold goals and the mobilisation of substantial resources. While the reasons are varied, investments in both research and conservation of freshwater biodiversity lag far behind those in the terrestrial and marine realms. Inspired by a global consultation, we identify 15 pressing priority needs, grouped into five research areas, in an effort to support informed stewardship of freshwater biodiversity. The proposed agenda aims to advance freshwater biodiversity research globally as a critical step in improving coordinated actions towards its sustainable management and conservation

A global agenda for advancing freshwater biodiversity research

Global freshwater biodiversity is declining dramatically, and meeting the challenges of this crisis requires bold goals and the mobilisation of substantial resources. While the reasons are varied, investments in both research and conservation of freshwater biodiversity lag far behind those in the terrestrial and marine realms. Inspired by a global consultation, we identify 15 pressing priority needs, grouped into five research areas, in an effort to support informed stewardship of freshwater biodiversity. The proposed agenda aims to advance freshwater biodiversity research globally as a critical step in improving coordinated actions towards its sustainable management and conservation.Peer reviewe

Connections between trees and the birds that fly amongst them: correlations in diversity.

This world can be quite diverse, both on the macro and micro scale. There are many causes for this diversity, some have large scale implications, like the latitude of a location; however that does not explain local differences. Thanks to countless birds we have extensive knowledge of the make-up of bird diversity, but unfortunately that knowledge does not include why it is so. By studying the mist netting data done for Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) for the Pellston area in northern Michigan ana sampling the tree species at several at the nets I hope to find a correlation between the trees and the birds that live amongst them. When the indices of the two are compared there appears to be no connection. But with further investigation there does appear to be a connection in bird families and tree groupings with the type of habitat. Most notable of these was the connection between the family Parulidae (warblers) the deciduous trees of a riparian habitat.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/55094/1/3539.pdfDescription of 3539.pdf : Access restricted to on-site users at the U-M Biological Station

Buspirone for management of dyspnea in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy: a randomized placebo-controlled URCC CCOP study

PURPOSE: Cancer-related dyspnea is a common, distressing, and difficult-to-manage symptom in cancer patients, resulting in diminished quality of life and poor prognosis. Buspirone, a non-benzodiazepine anxiolytic which does not suppress respiration and has proven efficacy in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder, has been suggested to relieve the sensation of dyspnea in patients with COPD. The main objective of our study was to evaluate whether buspirone alleviates dyspnea in cancer patients. METHODS: We report on a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 432 patients (mean age 64, female 51%, lung cancer 62%) from 16 participating Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) sites with grade 2 or higher dyspnea, as assessed by the Modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale. Dyspnea was assessed by the Oxygen Cost Diagram (OCD; higher scores are better) and anxiety by the state subscale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S; lower scores are better) at baseline and after the 4-week intervention (post-intervention). RESULTS: Mean scores from baseline to post-intervention for buspirone were OCD 8.7 to 9.0 and STAI-S 40.5 to 40.1 and for placebo were OCD 8.4 to 9.3 and STAI-S 40.9 to 38.6 with raw improvements over time on both measures being greater in the placebo group. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) controlling for baseline scores showed no statistically significant difference between groups for OCD (P = 0.052) or STAI-S (P = 0.062). CONCLUSION: Buspirone did not result in significant improvement in dyspnea or anxiety in cancer patients. Thus, buspirone should not be recommended as a pharmacological option for dyspnea in cancer patients