Plant species first recognised as naturalised for New South Wales in 2002 and 2003, with additional comments on species recognised as naturalised in 2000–2001

Information is provided on the taxonomy and distribution of 71 taxa of naturalised or naturalising plants newly recorded for the state of New South Wales during the period 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2003. Of these taxa, 32 are new records for Australia (prefaced with a †). These species are: Abutilon pictum, Acanthus mollis, †Aesculus indica (naturalising), Agapanthus praecox subsp. orientalis, Ajuga reptans, †Anigozanthos flavidus, Aquilegia vulgaris, Arbutus unedo, †Athertonia diversifolia (naturalising), †Bergenia x schmidtii (naturalising), Bromus catharticus subsp. stamineus, Bryophyllum daigremontianum, Bryophyllum fedtschenkoi, Calyptocarpus vialis, †Ceiba speciosa (naturalising), Cereus uruguayanus, †Cestrum x cultum, †Chamaecyparis lawsoniana, Cistus salviifolius, †Clematis montana, †Coprosma x cunninghamii, Coprosma robusta, Cornus capitata, Cotoneaster simonsii, Cotoneaster x watereri group, Crinum moorei, Cupressus lusitanica, †Cylindropuntia fulgida var. mamillata forma monstrosa, †Cylindropuntia prolifera, Cylindropuntia tunicata, Desmanthus virgatus, Drosanthemum candens, †Elaeagnus umbellata (naturalising), †Eragrostis trichophora, †Eupatorium lindleyanum, †Gibasis pellucida, Glechoma hederacea, †Hesperis matronalis, Hieracium aurantiacum subsp. carpathicola, †Inga edulis (naturalising), †Juniperus conferta (naturalising), †Justicia caudata, Lamium galeobdolon, Lathyrus tingitanus, †Lysimachia fortunei, †Maackia amurensis, †Monstera deliciosa, †Murdannia keisak, Odontonema tubaeforme, Oxalis vallicola, Phoenix canariensis, †Physostegia virginiana, Pinus patula, Pittosporum eugenioides, †Pittosporum ralphii, Pittosporum tenuifolium, Plectranthus ecklonii, †Potentilla vesca, †Prunus campanulata, †Rhododendron ponticum, Rosa luciae, Rubus rugosus, Ruellia squarrosa, †Senna multijuga, Stapelia gigantea, Stephanophysum longifolium, Strobilanthes anisophylla, †Tabebuia chrysotricha, †Tabebuia impetiginosa, †Tradescantia pallida and Ulmus x hollandica. Additional notes and name changes are recorded for plants first recognised as naturalised for New South Wales over the period 2000–2001. The identification of several naturalised taxa occurring in New South Wales has been corrected. Plants formerly identified as Pinus nigra var. corsicana are now considered to be Pinus halepensis; Cylindropuntia arbuscula is Cylindropuntia kleiniae, Cylindropuntia tunicata is Cylindropuntia rosea, Abrus precatorius subp. precatorius is now Abrus precatorius subsp. africanus and Cotoneaster ?horizontalis is Cotoneaster microphyllus. Further field studies have revealed that Cylindropuntia leptocaulis, Cylindropuntia spinosior, Hypericum kouytchense and Chamaesyce ophthalmica are more widespread than previously thought

The Rayleigh—Taylor problem with a vertical magnetic field, including the effects of Hall current and resistivity

The influence of resistivity and Hall current on the Rayleigh-Taylor problem involving two superposed fluids of finite density in the presence of gravitational and magnetic fields normal to the fluid interface is examined. Unlike the related problem in which the magnetic field is parallel to the interface, it appears that the dispersion relation does not exhibit singular behaviour in the zero resistivity limit. The ‘potentially stable' situation is considered throughout. The results are compared with earlier ideal and resistive theories, and an apparent anomaly regarding the existence of normal modes in such systems is resolve

Effects of oilseed meal and grain-urea supplements fed infrequently on digestion in sheep: 1. Low quality grass hay diets

An experiment examined intake, growth response and rumen digestion of young sheep fed ad libitum low quality grass hay alone or supplemented with approximately isonitrogenous amounts of barley grain and urea (Bar/N), safflower meal (SAF) or linseed meal (LIN) provided at 3 days intervals. Supplements comprised 13–20% of total DM intake. Sheep fed grass hay alone consumed 60.2gDM/kgLW0.75/day of hay and an estimated 6.09MJ metabolizable energy (ME)/day, and were in liveweight (LW) maintenance. Hay intake was decreased (P<0.05) by the Bar/N supplement with a substitution rate of 0.9, but was not changed by the oilseed meal supplements. Each of the supplements increased (P<0.05) estimated ME intake to a similar extent, but LW gain and wool growth were lower (P<0.05) in sheep supplemented with Bar/N than those supplemented with LIN. Rumen degradabilities of the SAF and LIN CP were estimated to be 0.72 and 0.62, respectively. Rumen ammonia concentrations in sheep fed hay alone (average 97mgNH3/l) were expected to be adequate for microbial activity. Fractional outflow rate (FOR) of liquid from the rumen measured with Co-EDTA (mean 0.109h−1) was greater than that of Cr-mordanted supplements (mean 0.056h−1), which was in turn greater than the FOR of Cr-mordanted hay (mean 0.031h−1). Diet did not affect these FOR. Supplemented sheep accommodated increased DM intake on Day 1 of the 3 day supplementation cycle by increasing rumen digesta load rather than by increasing rate of passage of digesta. Results show that the LW gain of young sheep fed low quality hay was increased more by either oilseed meal than by equivalent amounts of barley grain/urea supplement, apparently due to more efficient utilization of ME for LW gain

Modelling deep convection and its impacts on the tropical tropopause layer

The UK Met Office&apos;s Unified Model is used at a climate resolution (N216, ~0.83&amp;deg;&amp;times;~0.56°, ~60 km) to assess the impact of deep tropical convection on the structure of the tropical tropopause layer (TTL). We focus on the potential for rapid transport of short-lived ozone depleting species to the stratosphere by rapid convective uplift. The modelled horizontal structure of organised convection is shown to match closely with signatures found in the OLR satellite data. In the model, deep convective elevators rapidly lift air from 4–5 km up to 12–14 km. The influx of tropospheric air entering the TTL (11–12 km) is similar for all tropical regions with most convection stopping below ~14 km. The tropical tropopause is coldest and driest between November and February, coinciding with the greatest upwelling over the tropical warm pool. As this deep convection is co-located with bromine-rich biogenic coastal emissions, this period and location could potentially be the preferential gateway for stratospheric bromine

A coupled compressible flow and geomechanics model for dynamic fracture aperture during carbon sequestration in coal

This paper presents the development of a discrete fracture model of fully coupled compressible fluid flow, adsorption and geomechanics to investigate the dynamic behaviour of fractures in coal. The model is applied in the study of geological carbon dioxide sequestration and differs from the dual porosity model developed in our previous work, with fractures now represented explicitly using lower‐dimensional interface elements. The model consists of the fracture‐matrix fluid transport model, the matrix deformation model and the stress‐strain model for fracture deformation. A sequential implicit numerical method based on Galerkin finite element is employed to numerically solve the coupled governing equations, and verification is completed using published solutions as benchmarks. To explore the dynamic behaviour of fractures for understanding the process of carbon sequestration in coal, the model is used to investigate the effects of gas injection pressure and composition, adsorption and matrix permeability on the dynamic behaviour of fractures. The numerical results indicate that injecting nonadsorbing gas causes a monotonic increase in fracture aperture; however, the evolution of fracture aperture due to gas adsorption is complex due to the swelling‐induced transition from local swelling to macro swelling. The change of fracture aperture is mainly controlled by the normal stress acting on the fracture surface. The fracture aperture initially increases for smaller matrix permeability and then declines after reaching a maximum value. When the local swelling becomes global, fracture aperture starts to rebound. However, when the matrix permeability is larger, the fracture aperture decreases before recovering to a higher value and remaining constant. Gas mixtures containing more carbon dioxide lead to larger closure of fracture aperture compared with those containing more nitrogen

Twentieth century increase in snowfall in coastal West Antarctica

The Amundsen Sea sector of the West Antarctic ice sheet has been losing mass in recent decades; however, long records of snow accumulation are needed to place the recent changes in context. Here we present 300 year records of snow accumulation from two ice cores drilled in Ellsworth Land, West Antarctica. The records show a dramatic increase in snow accumulation during the twentieth century, linked to a deepening of the Amundsen Sea Low (ASL), tropical sea surface temperatures, and large-scale atmospheric circulation. The observed increase in snow accumulation and interannual variability during the late twentieth century is unprecedented in the context of the past 300 years and evidence that the recent deepening of the ASL is part of a longer trend

Acceptability measures of water, sanitation and hygiene interventions in low- and middle-income countries, a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Inadequate access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is an environmental risk factor for poor health outcomes globally, particularly for children in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Despite technological advancements, many interventions aimed at improving WASH access return less than optimal results on long term impact, efficacy and sustainability. Research focus in the 'WASH sector' has recently expanded from investigating 'which interventions work' to 'how they are best implemented'. The 'acceptability' of an intervention is a key component of implementation that can influence initial uptake and sustained use. Acceptability assessments are increasingly common for health interventions in clinical settings. A broad scale assessment of how acceptability has been measured in the WASH sector, however, has not yet been conducted. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We conducted a systematic literature review of intervention studies published between 1990 and 2021 that evaluated the acceptability of WASH interventions in LMIC settings. Using an implementation science approach, focused outcomes included how acceptability was measured and defined, and the timing of acceptability assessment. We conducted quality assessment for all included studies using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool for randomised studies, and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for non-randomised studies. Of the 1238 records; 36 studies were included for the analysis, 22 of which were non-randomized interventions and 16 randomized or cluster-randomized trials. We found that among the 36 studies, four explicitly defined their acceptability measure, and six used a behavioural framework to inform their acceptability study design. There were few acceptability evaluations in schools and healthcare facilities. While all studies reported measuring WASH acceptability, the measures were often not comparable or described. CONCLUSIONS: As focus in WASH research shifts towards implementation, a consistent approach to including, defining, and measuring acceptability is needed

Mental template matching is a potential cultural transmission mechanism for New Caledonian crow tool manufacturing traditions

Cumulative cultural evolution occurs when social traditions accumulate improvements over time. In humans cumulative cultural evolution is thought to depend on a unique suite of cognitive abilities, including teaching, language and imitation. Tool-making New Caledonian crows show some hallmarks of cumulative culture; but this claim is contentious, in part because these birds do not appear to imitate. One alternative hypothesis is that crows' tool designs could be culturally transmitted through a process of mental template matching. That is, individuals could use or observe conspecifics' tools, form a mental template of a particular tool design, and then reproduce this in their own manufacture - a process analogous to birdsong learning. Here, we provide the first evidence supporting this hypothesis, by demonstrating that New Caledonian crows have the cognitive capacity for mental template matching. Using a novel manufacture paradigm, crows were first trained to drop paper into a vending machine to retrieve rewards. They later learnt that only items of a particular size (large or small templates) were rewarded. At test, despite being rewarded at random, and with no physical templates present, crows manufactured items that were more similar in size to previously rewarded, than unrewarded, templates. Our results provide the first evidence that this cognitive ability may underpin the transmission of New Caledonian crows' natural tool designs.Tis study was supported by the NZ Marsden fund (RDG), a Rutherford Discovery Fellowship and the 2015 Prime Ministers MacDiarmid Emerging Scientist prize (AHT). SAJ thanks the ERC (Grant Agreement No. 3399933) for funding

Systemic reduction in glutathione levels occurs in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma

PURPOSE. To assess the level of plasma glutathione in patients with untreated primary open-angle glaucoma. METHODS. Twenty-one patients with newly diagnosed primary open-angle glaucoma and 34 age- and gender-matched control subjects were subjected to a blood analysis to detect the level of circulating glutathione in its reduced and oxidized forms. The effect of age, gender, and systemic blood pressure on circulating glutathione levels was also analyzed. RESULTS. Age had a negative effect on the level of both reduced and total glutathione (P = 0.002, r = -0.52 and P = 0.002, r = -0.52, respectively) in control subjects but not in patients with glaucoma (P > 0.05, r = 0.27, and P > 0.05, r = 0.22, respectively). In the control group, men demonstrated higher levels of both reduced and total glutathione than did women (P = 0.024 and P = 0.032, respectively). After correction for age and gender influences on blood glutathione levels, patients with glaucoma exhibited significantly lower levels of reduced and total glutathione than did control subjects (P = 0.010, F = 7.24 and P = 0.006, F = 8.38, respectively). No differences between study groups were observed in either oxidized glutathione levels or redox index (P > 0.05, F = 0.50; and P > 0.05, F = 0.30, respectively). CONCLUSIONS. Patients with glaucoma exhibit low levels of circulating glutathione, suggesting a general compromise of the antioxidative defense. Copyright © Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology

Differences in efficacy of monepantel, derquantel and abamectin against multi-resistant nematodes of sheep

Drug resistance has become a global phenomenon in gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep, particularly resistance to macrocyclic lactones. New anthelmintics are urgently needed for both the control of infections with multi-resistant nematodes in areas where classical anthelmintics are no longer effective, and the prevention of the spread of resistance in areas where the problem is not as severe. Recently, two new active ingredients became commercially available for the treatment of nematode infections in sheep, monepantel (Zolvix®) and derquantel, the latter used only in a formulated combination with the macrocyclic lactone, abamectin (Startect®). In order to assess the potential of the new actives for the control and prevention of spread of anthelmintic resistance, two characterized multi-resistant field isolates from Australia were used in a GLP (good laboratory practice) conducted efficacy study in sheep. Eight infected sheep in each group were treated orally according to the product labels with 2.5 mg/kg body weight monepantel, 0.2 mg/kg abamectin, or with the combination of 2.0 mg/kg derquantel and 0.2 mg/kg abamectin. The results demonstrate that monepantel was fully effective against multi-resistant species, Trichostrongylus colubriformis and Haemonchus contortus (99.9%). In contrast, the combination of derquantel and abamectin was effective against T. colubriformis (99.9%), but was not effective against larval stages of the barber's pole worm H. contortus (18.3%)