Marine benthic plants of Western Australia's shelf-edge atolls

One hundred and twenty-one species of marine algae, seagrasses and cyanobacteria are reported from the offshore atolls of northwestern Western Australia (the Rowley Shoals, Scott Reef and Seringapatam Reef). Included are 65 species of Rhodophyta, 40 species of Chlorophyta, nine species of Phaeophyceae, three species of Cyanophyta and four species of seagrasses. This report presents the first detailed account of marine benthic algae from these atolls. Twenty-four species are newly recorded for Western Australia, with four species (Anadyomene wrightii, Rhipilia nigrescens, Ceramium krameri and Zellera tawallina) also newly recorded for Australia

Development of the stria vascularis and potassium regulation in the human fetal cochlea : insights into hereditary sensorineural hearing loss

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is one of the most common congenital disorders in humans, afflicting one in every thousand newborns. The majority is of heritable origin and can be divided in syndromic and nonsyndromic forms. Knowledge of the expression profile of affected genes in the human fetal cochlea is limited, and as many of the gene mutations causing SNHL likely affect the stria vascularis or cochlear potassium homeostasis (both essential to hearing), a better insight into the embryological development of this organ is needed to understand SNHL etiologies. We present an investigation on the development of the stria vascularis in the human fetal cochlea between 9 and 18 weeks of gestation (W9–W18) and show the cochlear expression dynamics of key potassium‐regulating proteins. At W12, MITF+/SOX10+/KIT+ neural‐crest‐derived melanocytes migrated into the cochlea and penetrated the basement membrane of the lateral wall epithelium, developing into the intermediate cells of the stria vascularis. These melanocytes tightly integrated with Na(+)/K(+)‐ATPase‐positive marginal cells, which started to express KCNQ1 in their apical membrane at W16. At W18, KCNJ10 and gap junction proteins GJB2/CX26 and GJB6/CX30 were expressed in the cells in the outer sulcus, but not in the spiral ligament. Finally, we investigated GJA1/CX43 and GJE1/CX23 expression, and suggest that GJE1 presents a potential new SNHL associated locus. Our study helps to better understand human cochlear development, provides more insight into multiple forms of hereditary SNHL, and suggests that human hearing does not commence before the third trimester of pregnancy. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 75: 1219–1240, 201

Settling behaviour of thin curved particles in quiescent fluid and turbulence

The motion of thin curved falling particles is ubiquitous in both nature and industry but is not yet widely examined. Here, we describe an experimental study on the dynamics of thin cylindrical shells resembling broken bottle fragments settling through quiescent fluid and homogeneous anisotropic turbulence. The particles have Archimedes numbers based on the mean descent velocity $0.75 \times 10^4 \lesssim Ar \lesssim 2.75 \times 10^4$. Turbulence reaching a Reynolds number of $Re_\lambda \approx 100$ is generated in a water tank using random jet arrays mounted in a co-planar configuration. After the flow becomes statistically stationary, a particle is released and its three-dimensional motion is recorded using two orthogonally positioned high-speed cameras. We propose a simple pendulum model that accurately captures the velocity fluctuations of the particles in still fluid and find that differences in the falling style might be explained by a better alignment of the particle incidence angle with its velocity direction. By comparing the trajectories under background turbulence with the quiescent fluid cases, we measure a decrease in the mean descent velocity in turbulence for the conditions tested. We also study the secondary motion of the particles and identify descent events that are unique to turbulence such as 'long gliding' and 'rapid rotation' events. Lastly, we show an increase in the radial dispersion of the particles under background turbulence and correlate the timescale of descent events with the local settling velocity.Comment: 25 pages, 18 figures, 5 movie

Engineering disorder in three-dimensional photonic crystals

We demonstrate the effect of introducing controlled disorder in self-assembled three-dimensional photonic crystals. Disorders are induced through controlling the self-assembling process using an electrolyte of specific concentrations. Structural characterization reveals increase in disorder with increase in concentrations of the electrolyte. Reflectivity and transmittance spectra are measured to probe the photonic stop gap at different levels of disorder. With increase in disorder the stop gap is vanished and that results in a fully random photonic nanostructure where the diffuse scattered intensity reaches up to 100%. Our random photonic nanostructure is unique in which all scatters have the same size and shape. We also observe the resonant characteristics in the multiple scattering of light.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figure

The geographical configuration of a language area influences linguistic diversity

Like the transfer of genetic variation through gene flow, language changes constantly as a result of its use in human interaction. Contact between speakers is most likely to happen when they are close in space, time, and social setting. Here, we investigated the role of geographical configuration in this process by studying linguistic diversity in Japan, which comprises a large connected mainland (less isolation, more potential contact) and smaller island clusters of the Ryukyuan archipelago (more isolation, less potential contact). We quantified linguistic diversity using dialectometric methods, and performed regression analyses to assess the extent to which distance in space and time predict contemporary linguistic diversity. We found that language diversity in general increases as geographic distance increases and as time passes—as with biodiversity. Moreover, we found that (I) for mainland languages, linguistic diversity is most strongly related to geographic distance—a so-called isolation-by-distance pattern, and that (II) for island languages, linguistic diversity reflects the time since varieties separated and diverged—an isolation-by-colonisation pattern. Together, these results confirm previous findings that (linguistic) diversity is shaped by distance, but also goes beyond this by demonstrating the critical role of geographic configuration

Amoxicillin pharmacokinetics in preterm infants with gestational ages of less than 32 weeks

The multiple-dose pharmacokinetics of amoxicillin (AM [administered twice daily in a 25-mg/kg of body weight intravenous dose]) in 17 preterm infants (11 males; gestational age, 29 +/- 1.9 weeks; birth weight, 1,175 +/- 278 g) were evaluated on day 3 of life. Blood samples were collected from an arterial catheter at 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 h after the intravenous dose. A high-performance liquid chromatography method was used to determine AM concentrations in serum. AM pharmacokinetics followed a one-compartment open model. The glomerular filtration rates of all patients were simultaneously studied by means of the 24-h continuous inulin infusion technique. The elimination half-life, apparent volume of distribution, and total body clearance of AM (mean +/- standard deviation) were 6.7 +/- 1.7 h, 584 +/- 173 ml, and 62.4 +/- 23.3 ml/h, respectively. The mean (+/- standard deviation) AM peak and trough levels were 53.6 +/- 9.1 and 16.0 +/- 4.9 mg/liter, respectively. All infants had a serum trough level above 5 mg/liter. The total body clearance and apparent volume of distribution of AM and the clearance of inulin increased significantly with increasing gestational age. The total bod

Idarucizumab for Dabigatran Reversal - Full Cohort Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Idarucizumab, a monoclonal antibody fragment, was developed to reverse the anticoagulant effect of dabigatran. METHODS: We performed a multicenter, prospective, open-label study to determine whether 5 g of intravenous idarucizumab would be able to reverse the anticoagulant effect of dabigatran in patients who had uncontrolled bleeding (group A) or were about to undergo an urgent procedure (group B). The primary end point was the maximum percentage reversal of the anticoagulant effect of dabigatran within 4 hours after the administration of idarucizumab, on the basis of the diluted thrombin time or ecarin clotting time. Secondary end points included the restoration of hemostasis and safety measures. RESULTS: A total of 503 patients were enrolled: 301 in group A, and 202 in group B. The median maximum percentage reversal of dabigatran was 100% (95% confidence interval, 100 to 100), on the basis of either the diluted thrombin time or the ecarin clotting time. In group A, 137 patients (45.5%) presented with gastrointestinal bleeding and 98 (32.6%) presented with intracranial hemorrhage; among the patients who could be assessed, the median time to the cessation of bleeding was 2.5 hours. In group B, the median time to the initiation of the intended procedure was 1.6 hours; periprocedural hemostasis was assessed as normal in 93.4% of the patients, mildly abnormal in 5.1%, and moderately abnormal in 1.5%. At 90 days, thrombotic events had occurred in 6.3% of the patients in group A and in 7.4% in group B, and the mortality rate was 18.8% and 18.9%, respectively. There were no serious adverse safety signals. CONCLUSIONS: In emergency situations, idarucizumab rapidly, durably, and safely reversed the anticoagulant effect of dabigatran. (Funded by Boehringer Ingelheim; RE-VERSE AD ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02104947 .)

Successful Smoking Cessation and Duration of Abstinence—An Analysis of Socioeconomic Determinants

Smoking does not affect every socioeconomic subgroup of the population equally, resulting in major inequalities in terms of smoking-related morbidity and mortality. While previous studies mainly focused on inequalities in smoking prevalence, we have analysed the socioeconomic dimensions that might be associated with two other smoking-related outcomes: the odds of successfully quitting and the duration of abstinence. Using nationally representative Swiss data, we found evidence of a socioeconomic gradient in successful cessation and abstinence duration with respect to education level and income for both men and women

Effects of dredging-related pressures on critical ecological processes for organisms other than fish or coral. Report of Theme 9 - Project 9.1 prepared for the Dredging Science Node

In November 2013 a workshop was held at CSIRO Floreat, which brought together national and international marine scientists. The workshop addressed two primary objectives: • identify the timing of critical ecological processes in tropical and temperate ecosystems with a focus on non-coral and non-fish biota (seagrass, seaweed, sponges, ascidians, bryozoans, molluscs, echinoderms, crustaceans and non-coral cnidarians); and • identify environmental windows for critical ecological processes identified in Objective 1. This will be achieved by compiling information on the timing of reproduction, release of propagules and recruitment for these organisms, as well as the temporal and spatial scales of reproduction and recruitment events. During Workshop 1 a conceptual diagram was developed to illustrate and guide the decision process behind the selection of environmental windows (EWs) (see Figure 1). The life histories of the biota investigated were then identified and listed in detailed tables with specific reference to potential effects of dredging at each life history stage..