Hybridization between damselfishes Dascyllus aruanus and D. reticulatus on the Great Barrier Reef

[Extract] Hybridization among closely related species is relatively common in marine fishes thatspawn mid-water. Although at least 81 species of tropical coral-reef fish have been reported to hybridize in nature (primarily Chaetodontidae, Pomacanthidae and Labridae), hybridization is thought to be exceedingly rare among benthic-nesting species that engage in pair spawning, such as the Pomacentridae (Montanari et al.2016 ). The Pomacentridae include >385 species, most of which form breeding pairs and nest on the benthos. Yet only four Pomacentridae hybridshave been confirmed based on strong molecular evidence (e.g., Yaakub et al. 2006), and only from areas where one or both species are rare, such as degraded habitats and/or geographic zones of overlap

Orthostatic Hypotension and the Long-Term Risk of Dementia: A Population-Based Study

Background: Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is a common cause of transient cerebral hypoperfusion in the population. Cerebral hypoperfusion is widely implicated in cognitive impairment, but whether OH contributes to cognitive decline and dementia is uncertain. We aimed to determine the association between OH and the risk of developing dementia in the general population. Methods and Findings: Between 4 October 1989 and 17 June 1993, we assessed OH in non-demented, stroke-free participants of the population-based Rotterdam Study. OH was defined as a ≥20 mm Hg drop in systolic blood pressure (SBP) or ≥10 mm Hg drop in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) within 3 min from postural change. We furthermore calculated within participant variability in SBP related to postural change, expressed as coefficient of variation. Follow-up for dementia was conducted until 1 January 2014. We determined the risk of dementia in relation to OH and SBP variability, using a Cox regression model, adjusted for age; sex; smoking status; alcohol intake; SBP; DBP; cholesterol:high-density lipoprotein ratio; diabetes; body mass index; use of antihypertensive, lipid-lowering, or anticholinergic medication; and apolipoprotein E genotype. Finally, we explored whether associations varied according to compensatory increase in heart rate. Among 6,204 participants (mean ± standard deviation [SD] age 68.5 ± 8.6 y, 59.7% female) with a median follow-up of 15.3 y, 1,176 developed dementia, of whom 935 (79.5%) had Alzheimer disease and 95 (8.1%) had vascular dementia. OH was associated with an increased risk of dementia (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.15, 95% CI 1.00–1.34, p = 0.05), which was similar for Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia. Similarly, greater SBP variability with postural change was associated with an increased risk of dementia (aHR per SD increase 1.08, 95% CI 1.01–1.16, p = 0.02), which was similar when excluding those who fulfilled the formal criteria for OH (aHR 1.08, 95% CI 1.00–1.17, p = 0.06). The risk of dementia was particularly increased in those with OH who lacked a compensatory increase in heart rate (within lowest quartile of heart rate response: aHR 1.39, 95% CI 1.04–1.85, p-interaction = 0.05). Limitations of this study include potential residual confounding despite rigorous adjustments, and potentially limited generalisability to populations not of European descent. Conclusions: In this population predominantly of European descent, OH was associated with an increase in long-term risk of dementia

Shapes of the Proton

A model proton wave function, constructed using Poincare invariance, and constrained by recent electromagnetic form factor data, is used to study the shape of the proton. Spin-dependent quark densities are defined as matrix elements of density operators in proton states of definite spin-polarization, and shown to have an infinite variety of non-spherical shapes. For high momentum quarks with spin parallel to that of the proton, the shape resembles that of a peanut, but for quarks with anti-parallel spin the shape is that of a bagel.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, to be submitted to Phys. Rev. C This corrects a few typos and explains some further connections with experiment

Stable self similar blow up dynamics for slightly L^2 supercritical NLS equations

We consider the focusing nonlinear Schr\"odinger equations $i\partial_t u+\Delta u +u|u|^{p-1}=0$ in dimension $1\leq N\leq 5$ and for slightly $L^2$ supercritical nonlinearities p_c with $p_c=1+\frac{4}{N}$ and 0<\e\ll 1. We prove the existence and stability in the energy space $H^1$ of a self similar finite time blow up dynamics and provide a qualitative description of the singularity formation near the blow up tim

Von Willebrand factor and ADAMTS13 activity in relation to risk of dementia

Low ADAMTS13 activity is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, which is generally attributed to its proteolytic effects on Von Willebrand factor (VWF). Cardiovascular health is an important determinant of cognitive decline, but the association of either VWF or ADAMTS13 with risk of dementia is unknown. Between 1997-2002, we measured VWF antigen and ADAMTS13 activity in 6055 participants of the population-based Rotterdam Study (mean age 69.3 years, 57.2% women). At baseline, 85 participants had dementia, and during 15 years of follow-up 821 developed dementia. Higher VWF was associated with prevalence and risk of dementia, unaffected by concurrent ADAMTS13 activity, but estimates strongly attenuated over time and were no longer statistically significant at 4 years of follow-up (relative risks [95% CI] per standard deviation increase- cross-sectional: 1.37 [1.06-1.77], and longitudinal: 1.05 [0.97-1.14]). In contrast, low ADAMTS13 was associated with increased risk of dementia throughout follow-up (hazard ratio per SD decrease- 1.16 [1.06-1.28]), which alike for ischaemic stroke, was modified by the presence of diabetes (P-interaction = 0.003). In conclusion, higher VWF and low ADAMTS13 activity are associated with increased risk of dementia, but differences in time-course and lack of synergistic effects may indicate in part independent underlying mechanisms

Internal consistency and discriminant validity of the Structured Clinical Interview for Panic Agoraphobic Spectrum (SCI-PAS)

This paper reports on the feasibility, acceptability and psychometric properties of the Structured Clinical Interview for Panic-Agoraphobic Spectrum (SCI-PAS). This interview was designed to assess the lifetime presence of symptoms and other clinical features considered to comprise the panic-agoraphobic spectrum. The interview has 114 items grouped into nine domains. A total of 422 subjects, from 11 centres located throughout Italy, participated in this study. Data were collected from three groups of subjects: psychiatric patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for panic disorder (n = 141), cardiovascular patients (n = 140), including 29 with post-myocardial infarction, and university students (n = 141). The inter-rater reliability and the internal consistency of the SCI-PAS measures were assessed using the intra-class correlation coefficient and the Kuder-Richardson coefficient, respectively. Discriminant validity was assessed by comparing results in patients with panic disorder to those in the other groups. The interview required an average of 25 (±5) minutes to administer. Patients and clinicians found the scale to be highly useful, providing information not previously obtained. Internal consistency was good (>0.70) for six out of nine SCI-PAS domains. The inter-rater reliability was excellent (>0.70) for all the domains except for 'other phobias' (0.467). Patients with panic disorder scored significantly higher on each domain, and on the overall panic spectrum, than did the control subjects. In conclusion, the SCI-PAS is a useful clinical interview, which can be administered in a reasonable period of time. This assessment further demonstrates good internal consistency, discriminant validity, and inter-rater reliability. Copyright © 1999 Whurr Publishers Ltd

Fabrication and Characterization of Dual Phase Magnesia-Zirconia Ceramics Doped with Plutonia

Dual phase magnesia-zirconia ceramics doped with plutonia are being studied as an inert matrix fuel (IMF) for light water reactors. The motivation of this work is to develop an IMF with a thermal conductivity superior to that of the fuels based on yttria stabilized zirconia. The concept uses the MgO phase as an efficient heat conductor to increase thermal conductivity of the composite. In this paper ceramic fabrication and characterization by scanning electron microscopy, energy and wavelength dispersive xray spectroscopy is discussed. Characterization shows that the ceramics consist of the two-phase matrix and PuO2-rich inclusions. The matrix is comprised of pure MgO phase and MgO-ZrO2-PuO2 solid solution. The PuO2-rich inclusion contained dissolved MgO and ZrO2

Plasma amyloid-β levels, cerebral atrophy and risk of dementia: A population-based study

Background: Plasma amyloid-β (Aβ) levels are increasingly studied as a potential accessible marker of cognitive impairment and dementia. However, it remains underexplored whether plasma Aβ levels including the novel Aβ peptide 1-38 (Aβ1-38) relate to preclinical markers of neurodegeneration and risk of dementia. We investigated the association of plasma Aβ1-38, Aβ1-40, and Aβ1-42 levels with imaging markers of neurodegeneration and risk of dementia in a prospective population-based study. Methods: We analyzed plasma Aβ levels in 458 individuals from the Rotterdam Study. Brain volumes, including gray matter, white matter, and hippocampus, were computed on the basis of 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Dementia and its subtypes were defined on the basis of internationally accepted criteria. Results: A total of 458 individuals (mean age, 67.8 ± 7.7 yr; 232 [50.7%] women) with baseline MRI scans and incident dementia were included. The mean ± SD values of Aβ1-38, Aβ1-40, and Aβ1-42 (in pg/ml) were 19.4 ± 4.3, 186.1 ± 35.9, and 56.3 ± 6.2, respectively, at baseline. Lower plasma Aβ1-42 levels were associated with smaller hippocampal volume (mean difference in hippocampal volume per SD decrease in Aβ1-42 levels, - 0.13; 95% CI, - 0.23 to - 0.04; p = 0.007). After a mean follow-up of 14.8 years (SD, 4.9; range, 4.1-23.5 yr), 79 persons developed dementia, 64 of whom were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Lower levels of Aβ1-38 and Aβ1-42 were associated with increased risk of dementia, specifically AD (HR for AD per SD decrease in Aβ1-38 levels, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.00-2.16; HR for AD per SD decrease in Aβ1-42 levels, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.05-1.75) after adjustment for age, sex, education, cardiovascular risk factors, apolipoprotein E ϵ4 allele carrier status, and other Aβ isoforms. Conclusions: Our results show that lower plasma Aβ levels were associated with risk of dementia and incident AD. Moreover, lower plasma Aβ1-42 levels were related to smaller hippocampal volume. These results suggest that plasma Aβ1-38 and Aβ1-42 maybe useful biomarkers for identification of individuals at risk of dementia

Delta M_K and epsilon_K in the left-right supersymmetric model

We perform a complete analysis of $\Delta S=2$ processes in the kaon system and evaluate $\Delta M_K$ and $\epsilon_K$ in the left-right supersymmetric model. We include analytic expressions for the contributions of gluinos, neutralinos and charginos. We obtain general constraints on off-diagonal mass terms between the first two generations of both down-type and up-type squarks. In the down-squark sector, we compare the results with gluino-only estimates. In the up-squark sector, we find a complete set of bounds on all combinations of chirality conserving or chirality flipping parameters. Finally, we comment on the size of the bounds obtained by imposing left-right symmetry in the squark sector.Comment: 22 pages, 1 figure and 4 table

PERSonalised Incentives for Supporting Tobacco cessation (PERSIST) among healthcare employees: a randomised controlled trial protocol

BACKGROUND: Smoking is the primary preventable risk factor for disease and premature mortality. It is highly addictive and cessation attempts are often unsuccessful. Incentive-based programmes may be an effective method to reach sustained abstinence. Individualisation of incentives based on personal characteristics yields potential to further increase the effectiveness of incentive-based programmes. METHOD: A randomised controlled trial among healthcare workers recruited through their employer and signed up for a group-based smoking cessation programme. The intervention under study is the provision of personalised incentives on validated smoking cessation at several time points after the smoking cessation programme. A total of 220 participants are required. Participants are randomised 1:1 into intervention (personalised incentives) or control (no incentives). All participants join the group-based programme. Incentives are provided on validated abstinence directly after the smoking cessation programme and after 3, 6 and 12 months.Incentives are provided according to four schemes:(1) Standard: total reward size €350, pay-out scheme: €50 (t=0), €50 (t=3 months), €50 (t=6 months) and €200 (t=12 months), (2) descending: total reward size €300, pay-out scheme: €150, €100, €50 and €0, (3) ascending: total reward size: €400, pay-out scheme: €0, €0, €50 and €350 and (4) deposit: total reward size €450, pay-out scheme: €50, €50, €150, €200; participants pay a €100 deposit, returned conditional on abstinence after 6 months.Advice on which incentive scheme suits participants best is based on willingness to provid