Phryssonotus novaehollandiae Silvestri, 1923 : the sole Australian representative of the millipede Family Synxenidae

Examination of synxenid millipedes from a number of collections confirms that Phryssonotus novaehollandiae is the sole representative of the genus and family in Australia. P. novaehollandiae was found to have the most widespread distribution of any native Australian millipede species. It occurs in a range of well-drained habitats including heathlands, woodlands and coastal scrub. Several thelytokous (female only) populations were found in coastal areas of south eastern Australia

The millipedes of Barrow Island, Western Australia (Diplopoda)

Six species of millipedes are recorded from Barrow Island, including three species of pin-cushion millipedes of the order Polyxenida, Lophoturus madecassus (Marquet and Condé, 1950) (Lophoproctidae), Unixenus mjoebergi (Verhoeff, 1924) (Polyxenidae) and Phryssonotus novaehollandiae (Silvestri, 1923) (Synxenidae), a single species of the order Spirobolida, Speleostrophus nesiotes Hoffman, 1994 (Trigoniulidae), and two species of the order Polydesmida, Boreohesperus dubitalis Car and Harvey, 2013 (Paradoxosomatidae) and one species of the family Haplodesmidae (genus and species indet.). Lophoturus madecassus is circum-tropical in distribution, Unixenus mjoebergi and Phryssonotus novaehollandiae are found also on mainland Australia, but the other three species are endemic to the island. Speleostrophus nesiotes is a highly modified troglobiotic species, currently listed as threatened by the Western Australian government. It is unclear at present whether the haplodesmid specimen is a troglobite

Comparative Performance of Three Length-Based Mortality Estimators

Length‐based methods provide alternatives for estimating the instantaneous total mortality rate (Z) in exploited marine populations when data are not available for age‐based methods. We compared the performance of three equilibrium length‐based methods: the length‐converted catch curve (LCCC), the Beverton–Holt equation (BHE), and the length‐based spawning potential ratio (LB‐SPR) method. The LCCC and BHE are two historically common procedures that use length as a proxy for age. From a truncated length‐frequency distribution of fully selected animals, the LCCC estimates Z with a regression of the logarithm of catch at length by the midpoint of the length‐bins, while the BHE estimates Z as a function of the mean length. The LB‐SPR method is a likelihood‐based population dynamics model, which—unlike the LCCC and BHE—does not require data truncation. Using Monte Carlo simulations across a range of scenarios with varying mortality and life history characteristics, our study showed that neither the LCCC nor the BHE was uniformly superior in terms of bias or root mean square error across simulations, but these estimators performed better than LB‐SPR, which had the largest bias in most cases. Generally, if the ratio of natural mortality (M) to the von Bertalanffy growth rate parameter (K) is low, then the BHE is most preferred, although there is likely to be high bias and low precision. If M/K is high, then the LCCC and BHE performed better and similarly to each other. Differences in performance among commonly used truncation methods for the LCCC and BHE were small. The LB‐SPR method did not perform as well as the classical methods but may still be of interest because it provides estimates of a logistic selectivity curve. The M/K ratio provided the most contrast in the performance of the three methods, suggesting that it should be considered for predicting the likely performance of length‐based mortality estimators

A Rare Myelin Protein Zero (MPZ) Variant Alters Enhancer Activity In Vitro and In Vivo

expression. variants. that resides within a previously described SOX10 binding site is associated with decreased enhancer activity, and alters binding of nuclear proteins. Additionally, the genomic segment harboring this variant directs tissue-relevant reporter gene expression in zebrafish. variant within a cis-acting transcriptional regulatory element. While we were unable to implicate this variant in disease onset, our data suggests that similar non-coding sequences should be screened for mutations in patients with neurological disease. Furthermore, our multi-faceted approach for examining the functional significance of non-coding variants can be readily generalized to study other loci important for myelin structure and function

AML risk stratification models utilizing ELN-2017 guidelines and additional prognostic factors: a SWOG report.

Background: The recently updated European LeukemiaNet risk stratification guidelines combine cytogenetic abnormalities and genetic mutations to provide the means to triage patients with acute myeloid leukemia for optimal therapies. Despite the identification of many prognostic factors, relatively few have made their way into clinical practice. Methods: In order to assess and improve the performance of the European LeukemiaNet guidelines, we developed novel prognostic models using the biomarkers from the guidelines, age, performance status and select transcript biomarkers. The models were developed separately for mononuclear cells and viable leukemic blasts from previously untreated acute myeloid leukemia patients (discovery cohort, Results: Models using European LeukemiaNet guidelines were significantly associated with clinical outcomes and, therefore, utilized as a baseline for comparisons. Models incorporating age and expression of select transcripts with biomarkers from European LeukemiaNet guidelines demonstrated higher area under the curve and C-statistics but did not show a substantial improvement in performance in the validation cohort. Subset analyses demonstrated that models using only the European LeukemiaNet guidelines were a better fit for younger patients (age \u3c 55) than for older patients. Models integrating age and European LeukemiaNet guidelines visually showed more separation between risk groups in older patients. Models excluding results for Conclusions: While European LeukemiaNet guidelines remain a critical tool for triaging patients with acute myeloid leukemia, the findings illustrate the need for additional prognostic factors, including age, to improve risk stratification