A molecular phylogeny of Southeast Asian Cyrtandra (Gesneriaceae) supports an emerging paradigm for Malesian plant biogeography

The islands of Southeast Asia comprise one of the most geologically and biogeographically complex areas in the world and are a centre of exceptional floristic diversity, harbouring 45,000 species of flowering plants. Cyrtandra, with over 800 species of herbs and shrubs, is the largest genus in the family Gesneriaceae and is one of the most emblematic and species-rich genera of the Malesian rainforest understorey. The high number of species and tendency to narrow endemism make Cyrtandra an ideal genus for examining biogeographic patterns. We sampled 128 Cyrtandra taxa from key localities across Southeast Asia to evaluate the geo-temporal patterns and evolutionary dynamics of this clade. One nuclear and four chloroplast regions were used for phylogenetic reconstruction, molecular dating, and ancestral range estimation. Results from the dating analysis suggest that the great diversity of Cyrtandra seen in the Malesian region results from a recent radiation, with most speciation taking place in the last five million years. Borneo was recovered as the most likely ancestral range of the genus, with the current distribution of species resulting from a west to east migration across Malesia that corresponds with island emergence and mountain building. Lastly, our investigation into the biogeographic history of the genus indicates high levels of floristic exchange between the islands on the Sunda shelf and the important role of the Philippines as a stepping stone to Wallacea and New Guinea. These patterns underlie much of the plant diversity in the region and form an emerging paradigm in Southeast Asian plant biogeography

ANNOTATED CHECKLIST OF CYRTANDRA (GESNERIACEAE) OF SUMATRA, INDONESIA

WANG, Q. W., BRAMLEY, G. L. C., ATKINS, H. J. & KARTONEGORO, A. 2022. Annotated checklist of Cyrtandra (Gesneriaceae) of Sumatra, Indonesia. Reinwardtia 21(2): 63‒80. — There are 53 species and three varieties of Sumatran Cyrtandra (Gesneriaceae) included in the checklist. Thirty-three lectotypes and four neotypes have been assigned, including for two excluded species. Two species are designated as incertae sedis due to a lack of type material or any associated specimens. A new name of C. jackii is proposed here to replace the illegitimate C. glabra Jack. Most of the species included in the checklist are endemic to Sumatra, with some species distributed in neighboring islands in Malesia. The next step for Cyrtandra in Sumatra is to carry out a full taxonomic revision to better understand distribution patterns and species limits and also to assign appropriate neotypes for those species still missing original material

Para-infectious brain injury in COVID-19 persists at follow-up despite attenuated cytokine and autoantibody responses

To understand neurological complications of COVID-19 better both acutely and for recovery, we measured markers of brain injury, inflammatory mediators, and autoantibodies in 203 hospitalised participants; 111 with acute sera (1–11 days post-admission) and 92 convalescent sera (56 with COVID-19-associated neurological diagnoses). Here we show that compared to 60 uninfected controls, tTau, GFAP, NfL, and UCH-L1 are increased with COVID-19 infection at acute timepoints and NfL and GFAP are significantly higher in participants with neurological complications. Inflammatory mediators (IL-6, IL-12p40, HGF, M-CSF, CCL2, and IL-1RA) are associated with both altered consciousness and markers of brain injury. Autoantibodies are more common in COVID-19 than controls and some (including against MYL7, UCH-L1, and GRIN3B) are more frequent with altered consciousness. Additionally, convalescent participants with neurological complications show elevated GFAP and NfL, unrelated to attenuated systemic inflammatory mediators and to autoantibody responses. Overall, neurological complications of COVID-19 are associated with evidence of neuroglial injury in both acute and late disease and these correlate with dysregulated innate and adaptive immune responses acutely

Factors Associated with Revision Surgery after Internal Fixation of Hip Fractures

Background: Femoral neck fractures are associated with high rates of revision surgery after management with internal fixation. Using data from the Fixation using Alternative Implants for the Treatment of Hip fractures (FAITH) trial evaluating methods of internal fixation in patients with femoral neck fractures, we investigated associations between baseline and surgical factors and the need for revision surgery to promote healing, relieve pain, treat infection or improve function over 24 months postsurgery. Additionally, we investigated factors associated with (1) hardware removal and (2) implant exchange from cancellous screws (CS) or sliding hip screw (SHS) to total hip arthroplasty, hemiarthroplasty, or another internal fixation device. Methods: We identified 15 potential factors a priori that may be associated with revision surgery, 7 with hardware removal, and 14 with implant exchange. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses in our investigation. Results: Factors associated with increased risk of revision surgery included: female sex, [hazard ratio (HR) 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-2.50; P = 0.001], higher body mass index (fo

Holistic approach for diagnosing, prioritising, implementing and monitoring effective strategies through synergetic fusion of SWOT, Balanced Scorecard and QFD

The integrative fusion of three powerful strategic tools yields obvious synergetic benefits for strategy planners. This holistic approach provides a pragmatic framework for developing a list of Key Success Factors (KSFs) and converting them into the respective internal strengths and weaknesses of an organisation. A systematic way is adopted to explore and evaluate the significance and likelihood of occurrence of various external factors to generate the list of external opportunities and threats. Matching the internal factors with the external factors, the SWOT analysis yields a list of action items as the basis for strategies. Slotting these action items (strategic performance measures) in the BSC framework portrays subjective yet democratic 'cause and effect' relationships among them through QFD. A Double House Of Quality (Double HOQ) is introduced to depict the relationships among the internal KSFs and the derived strategies. This holistic strategic formulation approach is called BSQ (short-form of Balanced Scorecard-SWOT-QFD).strategic management; balanced scorecard; BSC; SWOT; QFD; double HOQ; BSQ models; quality function deployment; strategic planning; critical success factors; strengths; weakenesses; opportunities; threats; performance measures; diagnosis; prioritisation; implementation; monitoring.

A pragmatic and holistic approach to strategic formulation through adopting balanced scorecard, SWOT analysis and blue ocean strategy – a case study of a consumer product manufacturer in China

This paper introduces a holistic approach to strategic formulation as practiced by a large consumer product manufacturer in China. This approach combines the application of a few powerful strategic tools to reap synergetic benefits. Innovative strategic approaches are regularly invented, introduced and adopted with mixed outcomes. It is important to be able to accurately, flexibly and systematically ascertain the internal corporate status and evaluate its business environment. Borrowing from the quality management practices, i.e., failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), a parallel analogy termed success mode and effects analysis (SMEA) is introduced to supplement the scanning of external environment. Two indexes [i.e., risk priority number (RPN) and opportunity priority number (OPN)] are introduced in the strategic formulation process to estimate the quantum of favourableness or unfavourableness of various external factors. The holistic strategic formulation approach as adopted by the consumer product manufacturer deploys the application of SWOT, balanced scorecard (BSC) and blue ocean strategy (BOS).strategy formulation; SWOT analysis; failure mode and effects analysis; FMEA; risk priority number; RPN; success mode and effects analysis; SMEA; opportunity priority number; OPN; strategic formulation; balanced scorecard; BSC; blue ocean strategy; BOS; consumer products; manufacturing; China; business strategy.

Gender dysphoria and autism spectrum disorder: A narrative review

The current literature shows growing evidence of a link between gender dysphoria (GD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study reviews the available clinical and empirical data. A systematic search of the literature was conducted using the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO and Scopus; utilizing different combinations of the following search terms: autism, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Aspergers disorder (AD), co-morbidity, gender dysphoria (GD), gender identity disorder (GID), transgenderism and transsexualism. In total, 25 articles and reports were selected and discussed. Information was grouped by found co-occurrence rates, underlying hypotheses and implications for diagnosis and treatment. GD and ASD were found to co-occur frequently - sometimes characterized by atypical presentation of GD, which makes a correct diagnosis and determination of treatment options for GD difficult. Despite these challenges there are several case reports describing gender affirming treatment of co-occurring GD in adolescents and adults with ASD. Various underlying hypotheses for the link between GD and ASD were suggested, but almost all of them lack evidence. 201