Potential influence of a marine heatwave on range extensions of tropical fishes in the eastern Indian Ocean—Invaluable contributions from amateur observers

Global changes to fish distributions are expected to continue in coming decades with predicted increases in ocean temperatures and the frequency of extreme climatic events. In the eastern Indian Ocean during the 2010/11 summer, sea surface temperatures 4–5 °C above average and an unseasonal, anomalously strong, Leeuwin Current (LC) triggered a “marine heatwave” along the west coast of Australia, with elevated water temperatures persisting for a further two years. Peak LC flows in summer/autumn transported pelagic early life history stages of summer-spawning coastal subtropical and tropical fishes southwards. This study examined whether the heatwave enabled the arrival, persistence and reproduction of such species in waters View the MathML source≥∼32°S using a range of available datasets. Juveniles of Chaetodon assarius, Trachinotus botla, T. baillonii, Polydactylus plebeius, Psammoperca waigiensis and Siganus sp. recruited into nearshore waters at View the MathML source≥∼32°S in 2011. Polydactylus plebeius survived until the summer of 2012/13. Trachinotus spp., P. waigiensis and Siganus sp. survived over consecutive winters, with Siganus sp. establishing a self-recruiting, breeding population two years later. A return to more typical summer water temperatures by 2013/14 was associated with an apparent recruitment failure of Siganus sp. This is a rare example of a tropical vagrant surviving to breed in temperate regions. Confirmation of range extension beyond existing limits of this and other tropical species will be primarily dependent on either continuous or intermittent recruitment from this recently established southern breeding population. Commercial fisheries catch and effort data were of limited use in this study because they were not designed to record small catches of unusual and/or non-target species. In contrast, fisheries-independent recruitment surveys recorded tropical juveniles and validated amateur observations provided important information on unusual species. The study confirmed the emerging contribution of ‘citizen scientists’ working with researchers to document climate related impacts in the marine environment

Integral-based filtering of continuous glucose sensor measurements for glycaemic control in critical care

Hyperglycaemia is prevalent in critical illness and increases the risk of further complications and mortality, while tight control can reduce mortality up to 43%. Adaptive control methods are capable of highly accurate, targeted blood glucose regulation using limited numbers of manual measurements due to patient discomfort and labour intensity. Therefore, the option to obtain greater data density using emerging continuous glucose sensing devices is attractive. However, the few such systems currently available can have errors in excess of 20-30%. In contrast, typical bedside testing kits have errors of approximately 7-10%. Despite greater measurement frequency larger errors significantly impact the resulting glucose and patient specific parameter estimates, and thus the control actions determined creating an important safety and performance issue. This paper models the impact of the Continuous Glucose Monitoring System (CGMS, Medtronic, Northridge, CA) on model-based parameter identification and glucose prediction. An integral-based fitting and filtering method is developed to reduce the effect of these errors. A noise model is developed based on CGMS data reported in the literature, and is slightly conservative with a mean Clarke Error Grid (CEG) correlation of R=0.81 (range: 0.68-0.88) as compared to a reported value of R=0.82 in a critical care study. Using 17 virtual patient profiles developed from retrospective clinical data, this noise model was used to test the methods developed. Monte-Carlo simulation for each patient resulted in an average absolute one-hour glucose prediction error of 6.20% (range: 4.97-8.06%) with an average standard deviation per patient of 5.22% (range: 3.26-8.55%). Note that all the methods and results are generalisable to similar applications outside of critical care, such as less acute wards and eventually ambulatory individuals. Clinically, the results show one possible computational method for managing the larger errors encountered in emerging continuous blood glucose sensors, thus enabling their more effective use in clinical glucose regulation studies

Extracellular bacterial lymphatic metastasis drives Streptococcus pyogenes systemic infection

Unassisted metastasis through the lymphatic system is a mechanism of dissemination thus far ascribed only to cancer cells. Here, we report that Streptococcus pyogenes also hijack lymphatic vessels to escape a local infection site, transiting through sequential lymph nodes and efferent lymphatic vessels to enter the bloodstream. Contrasting with previously reported mechanisms of intracellular pathogen carriage by phagocytes, we show S. pyogenes remain extracellular during transit, first in afferent and then efferent lymphatics that carry the bacteria through successive draining lymph nodes. We identify streptococcal virulence mechanisms important for bacterial lymphatic dissemination and show that metastatic streptococci within infected lymph nodes resist and subvert clearance by phagocytes, enabling replication that can seed intense bloodstream infection. The findings establish the lymphatic system as both a survival niche and conduit to the bloodstream for S. pyogenes, explaining the phenomenon of occult bacteraemia. This work provides new perspectives in streptococcal pathogenesis with implications for immunity

Liquid 4He: contributions to first principles theory of quantized vortices, thermohydrodynamic properties, and the lambda transition

Liquid 4He has been studied extensively for almost a century, but there are still a number of outstanding weak or missing links in our comprehension of it. This paper reviews some of the principal paths taken in previous research and then proceeds to fill gaps and create an integrated picture with more complete understanding through first principles treatment of a realistic model that starts with a microscopic, atomistic description of the liquid. Newly derived results for vortex cores and thermohydrodynamic properties for a two-fluid model are used to show that interacting quantized vortices may produce a lambda anomaly in specific heat near the superfluid transition where flow properties change. The nature of the order in the superfluid state is explained. Experimental support for new calculations is exhibited, and a unique specific heat experiment is proposed to test predictions of the theory. Relevance of the theory to modern research in cosmology, astrophysics, and Bose-Einstein condensates is discussed.Comment: 155 pages, 28 figure

A viewpoint on material and design considerations for oesophageal stents with extended lifetime

Oesophageal stents are meshed tubular implants designed to maintain patency of the oesophageal lumen and attenuate the symptoms of oesophageal cancer. Oesophageal cancers account for one in twenty cancer diagnoses and can lead to dysphasia, malnutrition and the diminishment of patient quality of life (QOL). Self-expanding oesophageal stents are the most common approach to attenuate these symptoms. Recent advances in oncological therapy have enabled patient survival beyond the lifetime of current devices. This introduces new complications for palliation, driving the need for innovation in stent design. This review identifies the factors responsible for stent failure. It explores the challenges of enhancing the longevity of stent therapies and outlines solutions to improving clinical outcomes. Discussions focus on the role of stent materials, construction methods, and coatings upon device performance. We found three key stent enhancement strategies currently used; material surface treatments, anti-migratory modifications, and biodegradable skeletons. Furthermore, radioactive and drug eluting stent designs were identified as emerging novel treatments. In conclusion, the review offers an overview of remaining key challenges in oesophageal stent design and potential solutions. It is clear that further research is needed to improve the clinical outcome of stents and patient QOL

Development of PCL polyHIPE substrates for 3D breast cancer cell culture

Cancer is a becoming a huge social and economic burden on society, becoming one of the most significant barriers to life expectancy in the 21st century. In particular, breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death for women. One of the most significant difficulties to finding efficient therapies for specific cancers, such as breast cancer, is the efficiency and ease of drug development and testing. Tissue-engineered (TE) in vitro models are rapidly developing as an alternative to animal testing for pharmaceuticals. Additionally, porosity included within these structures overcomes the diffusional mass transfer limit whilst enabling cell infiltration and integration with surrounding tissue. Within this study, we investigated the use of high-molecular-weight polycaprolactone methacrylate (PCL–M) polymerised high-internal-phase emulsions (polyHIPEs) as a scaffold to support 3D breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) cell culture. We assessed the porosity, interconnectivity, and morphology of the polyHIPEs when varying mixing speed during formation of the emulsion, successfully demonstrating the tunability of these polyHIPEs. An ex ovo chick chorioallantoic membrane assay identified the scaffolds as bioinert, with biocompatible properties within a vascularised tissue. Furthermore, in vitro assessment of cell attachment and proliferation showed promising potential for the use of PCL polyHIPEs to support cell growth. Our results demonstrate that PCL polyHIPEs are a promising material to support cancer cell growth with tuneable porosity and interconnectivity for the fabrication of perfusable 3D cancer models

Effectiveness of the Malnutrition eLearning Course for Global Capacity Building in the Management of Malnutrition: Cross-Country Interrupted Time-Series Study.

BACKGROUND: Scaling up improved management of severe acute malnutrition has been identified as the nutrition intervention with the largest potential to reduce child mortality, but lack of operational capacity at all levels of the health system constrains scale-up. We therefore developed an interactive malnutrition eLearning course that is accessible at scale to build capacity of the health sector workforce to manage severely malnourished children according to the guidelines of the World Health Organization. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to test whether the malnutrition eLearning course improves knowledge and skills of in-service and preservice health professionals in managing children with severe acute malnutrition and enables them to apply the gained knowledge and skills in patient care. METHODS: This 2-year prospective, longitudinal, cross-country, interrupted time-series study took place in Ghana, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Colombia between January 2015 and February 2017. A subset of 354 in-service health personnel from 12 hospitals and 2 Ministries of Health, 703 preservice trainees from 9 academic institutions, and 204 online users participated. Knowledge gained after training and retention over time was measured through pre- and postassessments comprising questions pertaining to screening, diagnosis, pathophysiology and treatment, and prevention of malnutrition. Comprehension, application, and integration of knowledge were tested. Changes in perception, confidence, and clinical practice were assessed through questionnaires and interviews. RESULTS: Before the course, awareness of the World Health Organization guidelines was 36.73% (389/1059) overall, and 26.3% (94/358) among in-service professionals. The mean score gain in knowledge after access to the course in 606 participants who had pre- and postassessment data was 11.8 (95% CI 10.8-12.9; P<.001)-a relative increase of 41.5%. The proportion of participants who achieved a score above the pass mark posttraining was 58.7% (356/606), compared with 18.2% (110/606) in pretraining. Of the in-service professionals, 85.9% (128/149) reported applying their knowledge by changing their clinical practice in screening, assessment, diagnosis, and management. This group demonstrated significantly increased retained knowledge 6 months after training (mean difference [SD] from preassessment of 12.1 [11.8]), retaining 65.8% (12.1/18.4) of gained knowledge from the training. Changes in the management of malnutrition were reported by trained participants, and institutional, operational, and policy changes were also found. CONCLUSIONS: The malnutrition eLearning course improved knowledge, understanding, and skills of health professionals in the diagnosis and management of children with severe acute malnutrition, and changes in clinical practice and confidence were reported following the completion of the course

A-dependence of nuclear transparency in quasielastic A(e,e'p) at high Q^2

The A-dependence of the quasielastic A(e,e'p) reaction has been studied at SLAC with H-2, C, Fe, and Au nuclei at momentum transfers Q^2 = 1, 3, 5, and 6.8 (GeV/c)^2. We extract the nuclear transparency T(A,Q^2), a measure of the average probability that the struck proton escapes from the nucleus A without interaction. Several calculations predict a significant increase in T with momentum transfer, a phenomenon known as Color Transparency. No significant rise within errors is seen for any of the nuclei studied.Comment: 5 pages incl. 2 figures, Caltech preprint OAP-73