Observations on the ecology and conservation status of Haloragis exalata subsp. exalata (Haloragaceae) in southern New South Wales

Haloragis exalata F. Muell. subspecies exalata (family Haloragaceae), a perennial forb, is currently listed as Vulnerable, under both national and New South Wales threatened species conservation legislation. Very few herbarium records existed until recently. Recent discoveries of Haloragis exalata subsp. exalata in new sites on the NSW South Coast and Southern Tablelands prompted us to carry out surveys for the two varieties of the taxon, var. exalata and var. laevis. Our surveys in 2004– 2007 aimed to relocate historical collection sites and target areas of potentially suitable habitat in these areas. Our work has substantially increased the number of known localities for Haloragis exalata subsp. exalata var. exalata. It can be locally abundant. Ecologically it appears to function as a gap species whose populations are almost invariably found at sites where disturbance through temporary inundation, physical disturbance, or fire, has exposed bare earth with higher levels of light at ground level than would be present when the local vegetation community is intact. There are morphological differences between populations in disjunct areas. Haloragis exalata subsp. exalata var. laevis is much more restricted. As a result, the conservation status of Haloragis exalata subsp. exalata may need revision, considering that a) var. exalata is more widespread than previously known, but that b) there is only one known extant population of var. laevis, and that c) the population from Geehi area may be a distinct taxon

Consideration of landscape in the framework documentation during the evolution of the Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS) in the Republic of Ireland.

working paperThis paper looks at the changing concept of landscape during the evolution of REPS. It reviews and groups definitions of landscape and identifies their agri-environmental relevance. Descriptions were devised to amplify each grouping with reference to an Irish context and were used as an analytical framework to categorise each landscape reference in REPS documentation. There was an increase in the use of the term landscape with each version of the scheme and expansion in the range of different landscape categories to which this apparently applied. However there has been no coherence in its use. This paper makes recommendations to improve the framework for the treatment of landscape issues in REPS and its future evolution

Preliminary observations of muscle fibre cross sectional area of flexor digitorum brevis in cadaver feet with and without claw toes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In order to facilitate normal gait, toes require to be in a rectus position during the propulsive phase. This requires a correct balance and sequence of activity of the intrinsic musculature of the feet. Alteration of this balance and sequence may lead to the development of claw toes. Atrophy of the lumbricals occurs in the development of claw toes, but it is not known if changes occur in any other intrinsic muscles, including flexor digitorum brevis. This study set out to investigate whether hypertrophic changes were evident in flexor digitorum brevis in feet with claw toes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Four cadaver feet were investigated, two with rectus toes and two with claw toes. Flexor digitorum brevis was removed from each, and seven anatomically significant tissue sections from each muscle were routinely processed, cut and stained. One hundred and sixty muscle fibre cross sectional areas were measured from each section.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean age of the donors was 81.5 years, and three of the four were female. Results showed that the cross sectional area of fibres from feet with claw toes was 417 μg²significantly greater (p < 0.01) than the cross sectional area of fibres from feet with rectus toes, which was 263 μg².</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Although this study has several limitations, preliminary observations reveal that flexor digitorum brevis muscle fibre cross sectional area is significantly reduced in feet with claw toes. This would indicate a relationship between muscle fibre atrophy of flexor digitorum brevis and clawing of the lesser toes.</p

Relationship of dental practitioners to rural primary care networks

Abstract still to be addedResidents of rural and remote communities have poorer oral health and less access to oral health services than people living in major cities. The populations of many rural and remote centres are not large enough to support a resident dentist and, in the absence of community oral health services, rural residents may present to non-dental primary care providers with oral health problems. The aim of this study was to describe strategies that can be used by primary care practitioners to improve the provision of oral health services to rural and remote communities. The specific objectives were to (i) map oral health services practices in rural communities across primary care providers (ii) assess the extent to which oral health problems impact on service provision by primary health care providers; (iii) assess the extent to which primary care networks could be more effectively utilised to improve the provision of oral health services to rural communities and to identify what interventions/strategies were most likely to be effective.The research reported in this paper is a project of the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute which is supported by a grant from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing under the Primary Health Care Research Evaluation and Development Strategy

Assessing the capacity of the health services research community in Australia and New Zealand

BACKGROUND: In order to profile the health services research community in Australia and New Zealand and describe its capacity, a web-based survey was administered to members of the Health Services Research Association of Australia and New Zealand (HSRAANZ) and delegates of the HSRAANZ's Third Health Services Research and Policy Conference. RESULTS: Responses were received from 191 individuals (68%). The responses of the 165 (86%) who conducted or managed health services research indicated that the health services research community in Australia and New Zealand is characterised by highly qualified professionals who have come to health services research via a range of academic and professional routes (including clinical backgrounds), the majority of whom are women aged between 35 and 54 who have mid- to senior- level appointments. They are primarily employed in universities and, to a lesser extent, government departments and health services. Although most are employed in full time positions, many are only able to devote part of their time to health services research, often juggling this with other professional roles. They rely heavily on external funding, as only half have core funding from their employing institution and around one third have employment contracts of one year or less. Many view issues around building the capacity of the health services research community and addressing funding deficits as crucial if health services research is to be translated into policy and practice. Despite the difficulties they face, most are positive about the support and advice available from peers in their work settings, and many are actively contributing to knowledge through academic and other written outputs. CONCLUSION: If health services research is to achieve its potential in Australia and New Zealand, policy-makers and funders must take the concerns of the health services research community seriously, foster its development, and contribute to maximising its capacity through a sustainable approach to funding. There is a clear need for a strategic approach, where the health services research community collaborates with competitive granting bodies and government departments to define and fund a research agenda that balances priority-driven and investigator-driven research and which provides support for training and career development

Reconstructing CMEs with Coordinated Imaging and In Situ Observations: Global Structure, Kinematics, and Implications for Space Weather Forecasting

See the pdf for detailsComment: 45 pages, 16 figures, ApJ, in pres

On Sun-to-Earth Propagation of Coronal Mass Ejections

We investigate how coronal mass ejections (CMEs) propagate through, and interact with, the inner heliosphere between the Sun and Earth, a key question in CME research and space weather forecasting. CME Sun-to-Earth kinematics are constrained by combining wide-angle heliospheric imaging observations, interplanetary radio type II bursts and in situ measurements from multiple vantage points. We select three events for this study, the 2012 January 19, 23, and March 7 CMEs. Different from previous event studies, this work attempts to create a general picture for CME Sun-to-Earth propagation and compare different techniques for determining CME interplanetary kinematics. Key results are obtained concerning CME Sun-to-Earth propagation. Our comparison between different techniques (and data sets) also has important implications for CME observations and their interpretations. Future CME observations and space weather forecasting are discussed based on these results. See detail in the PDF.Comment: ApJ, in pres

The timing of hypertonic saline (HTS) and airway clearance techniques (ACT) in adults with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) during pulmonary exacerbation: Pilot data form a randomised crossover study.

BACKGROUND: Streamlining the timing of treatments in cystic fibrosis (CF) is important to optimise adherence while ensuring efficacy. The optimal timing of treatment with hypertonic saline (HTS) and airway clearance techniques (ACT) is unknown. OBJECTIVES: This study hypothesised that HTS before ACT would be more effective than HTS during ACT as measured by Lung Clearance Index (LCI). METHODS: Adults with CF providing written informed consent were randomised to a crossover trial of HTS before ACT or HTS during ACT on consecutive days. ACT treatment consisted of Acapella Duet. Patients completed LCI and spirometry at baseline and 90 min post treatment. Mean difference (MD) and 95% CIs were reported. RESULTS: 13 subjects completed the study (mean (SD) age 33 (12) years, forced expiratory volume in 1second % (FEV1%) predicted 51% (22), LCI (no. turnovers) 14 (4)). Comparing the two treatments (HTS before ACT vs HTS during ACT), the change from baseline to 90 min post treatment in LCI (MD (95% CI) -0.02 (-0.63 to 0.59)) and FEV1% predicted (MD (95% CI) -0.25 (-2.50 to 1.99)) was not significant. There was no difference in sputum weight (MD (95% CI) -3.0 (-14.9 to 8.9)), patient perceived ease of clearance (MD (95% CI) 0.4 (-0.6 to 1.3) or satisfaction (MD (95% CI) 0.4 (-0.6 to 1.5)). The time taken for HTS during ACT was significantly shorter (MD (95% CI) 14.7 (9.8 to 19.6)). CONCLUSIONS: In this pilot study, HTS before ACT was no more effective than HTS during ACT as measured by LCI. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01753869; Pre-results

What is news? News values revisited (again)

The deceptively simple question “What is news?” remains pertinent even as we ponder the future of journalism in the digital age. This article examines news values within mainstream journalism and considers the extent to which news values may be changing since earlier landmark studies were undertaken. Its starting point is Harcup and O’Neill’s widely-cited 2001 updating of Galtung and Ruge’s influential 1965 taxonomy of news values. Just as that study put Galtung and Ruge’s criteria to the test with an empirical content analysis of published news, this new study explores the extent to which Harcup and O’Neill’s revised list of news values remain relevant given the challenges (and opportunities) faced by journalism today, including the emergence of social media. A review of recent literature contextualises the findings of a fresh content analysis of news values within a range of UK media 15 years on from the last study. The article concludes by suggesting a revised and updated set of contemporary news values, whilst acknowledging that no taxonomy can ever explain everything

Evidence for semantic involvement in regular and exception word reading in emergent readers of English

We investigated the relationship between semantic knowledge and word reading. A sample of 27 6-year-old children read words both in isolation and in context. Lexical knowledge was assessed using general and item-specific tasks. General semantic knowledge was measured using standardized tasks in which children defined words and made judgments about the relationships between words. Item-specific knowledge of to-be-read words was assessed using auditory lexical decision (lexical phonology) and definitions (semantic) tasks. Regressions and mixed-effects models indicated a close relationship between semantic knowledge (but not lexical phonology) and both regular and exception word reading. Thus, during the early stages of learning to read, semantic knowledge may support word reading irrespective of regularity. Contextual support particularly benefitted reading of exception words. We found evidence that lexical–semantic knowledge and context make separable contributions to word reading