Population size, habitat and conservation status of an Endangered species, Macrozamia johnsonii (Zamiaceae)

Macrozamia johnsonii D. Jones & K. Hill is a locally endemic cycad (family Zamiaceae) with a restricted occurrence in north-eastern New South Wales and currently listed as Endangered. Based on recent field surveys, its mean population size is estimated as approximately 3.5 million mature plants, with the lower bound of the 95% confidence interval at 1.9 million mature plants. Thirty percent of the population occurs in a formal reserve. Macrozamia johnsonii occurs in grassy eucalypt forest, shrubby wet sclerophyll forest and in rainforest. It occurs most frequently on steeply sloping sites with high moisture index. There are no immediate significant threats to the species although timber harvesting is judged to be a potential longer term threat to part of the population. The conservation status of Macrozamia johnsonii is assessed using IUCN criteria and thresholds, using population size and extent data from this study and a plausible range of values based on available circumstantial evidence for parameters for which quantitative estimates are not available. Based on this assessment, we regard the conservation status of Macrozamia johnsonii to be in the category of Least Concern, and that its current listing as an Endangered species under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act (1995) needs to be revised

Transcriptional Response to Acute Thermal Exposure in Juvenile Chinook Salmon Determined by RNAseq.

Thermal exposure is a serious and growing challenge facing fish species worldwide. Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) living in the southern portion of their native range are particularly likely to encounter warmer water due to a confluence of factors. River alterations have increased the likelihood that juveniles will be exposed to warm water temperatures during their freshwater life stage, which can negatively impact survival, growth, and development and pose a threat to dwindling salmon populations. To better understand how acute thermal exposure affects the biology of salmon, we performed a transcriptional analysis of gill tissue from Chinook salmon juveniles reared at 12° and exposed acutely to water temperatures ranging from ideal to potentially lethal (12° to 25°). Reverse-transcribed RNA libraries were sequenced on the Illumina HiSeq2000 platform and a de novo reference transcriptome was created. Differentially expressed transcripts were annotated using Blast2GO and relevant gene clusters were identified. In addition to a high degree of downregulation of a wide range of genes, we found upregulation of genes involved in protein folding/rescue, protein degradation, cell death, oxidative stress, metabolism, inflammation/immunity, transcription/translation, ion transport, cell cycle/growth, cell signaling, cellular trafficking, and structure/cytoskeleton. These results demonstrate the complex multi-modal cellular response to thermal stress in juvenile salmon

A comparison of optical and radar measurements of mesospheric winds and tides

Optical measurements of mesospheric winds by Fabry‐Perot spectrometers, FPSs, at Mawson, 67.6°S 62.9°E, and Davis, 68.6°S 78.0°E, Antarctica are compared with similar measurements obtained using a spaced‐antenna MF radar at Davis. The FPSs observed the OH emission. Different analysis procedures, used to determine the mean wind, and amplitude and phase of the semidiurnal tide, have been compared. At these latitudes the diurnal tide is weak and the semi‐diurnal tide, although highly variable in amplitude, is usually the dominant periodicity. When comparing the amplitude and phase of the semidiurnal tide good agreement is obtained between measurements by the two instruments

Breakdown in hydrogen and deuterium gases in static and radio-frequency fields

We report the results of a combined experimental and modeling study of the electrical breakdown of hydrogen and deuterium in static (DC) and radio-frequency (RF) (13.56 MHz) electric fields. For the simulations of the breakdown events, simplified models are used and only electrons are traced by Monte Carlo simulation. The experimental DC Paschen curve of hydrogen is used for the determination of the effective secondary electron emission coefficient. A very good agreement between the experimental and the calculated RF breakdown characteristics for hydrogen is found. For deuterium, on the other hand, presently available cross section sets do not allow a reproduction of RF breakdown characteristics

Posterior cortical atrophy: visuomotor deficits in reaching and grasping

Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA) is a rare clinical syndrome characterized by the predominance of higher-order visual disturbances such as optic ataxia, a characteristic of Balint's syndrome. Deficits result from progressive neurodegeneration of occipito-temporal and occipito-parietal cortices. The current study sought to explore the visuomotor functioning of four individuals with PCA by testing their ability to reach out and grasp real objects under various viewing conditions. Experiment 1 had participants reach out and grasp simple, rectangular blocks under visually- and memory-guided conditions. Experiment 2 explored participants' abilities to accurately reach for objects located in their visual periphery. This investigation revealed that PCA patients demonstrate many of the same deficits that have been previously reported in other individuals with optic ataxia, such as “magnetic misreaching”—a pathological reaching bias toward the point of visual fixation when grasping peripheral targets. Unlike many other individuals with optic ataxia, however, the patients in the current study also show symptoms indicative of damage to the more perceptual stream of visual processing, including abolished grip scaling during memory-guided grasping and deficits in face and object identification. These investigations are the first to perform a quantitative analysis of the visuomotor deficits exhibited by patients with PCA. Critically, this study helps characterize common symptoms of PCA, a vital first step for generating effective diagnostic criteria and therapeutic strategies for this understudied neurodegenerative disorder

Entomological surveillance following a long-lasting insecticidal net universal coverage campaign in Midwestern Uganda.

BACKGROUND: A universal coverage campaign (UCC) with long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) was implemented in four districts in Midwestern Uganda in 2009-2010. Entomological surveys were carried out to monitor changes in vector density, behaviour and malaria transmission following this intervention. METHODS: Anopheles mosquitoes were collected using CDC light traps quarterly and human landing catch twice a year in four sites. Collections were done at baseline before the campaign and over a three-year period following the campaign. Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were performed. A subset of anophelines were molecularly identified to species, and kdr L1014S frequencies were determined. RESULTS: The prevailing malaria vector in three sites was Anopheles gambiae s.l. (>97 %), with An. funestus s.l. being present in low numbers only. An. gambiae s.s. dominated (> 95 %) over An. arabiensis within A. gambiae s.l. In the remaining site, all three vector species were observed, although their relative densities varied among seasons and years. Vector densities were low in the year following the UCC but increased over time. Vector infectivity was 3.2 % at baseline and 1.8 % three years post-distribution (p = 0.001). The daily entomological inoculation rate (EIR) in 2012 varied between 0.0-0.98 for the different sites compared to a baseline EIR that was between 0.0-5.8 in 2009. There was no indication of a change in indoor feeding times, and both An. gambiae s.l. and An. funestus s.l. continued to feed primarily after midnight with vectors being active until the early morning. Kdr L1014S frequencies were already high at baseline (53-85 %) but increased significantly in all sites over time. CONCLUSIONS: The entomological surveys indicate that there was a reduction in transmission intensity coinciding with an increase in use of LLINs and other antimalarial interventions in areas of high malaria transmission. There was no change in feeding behaviour, and human-vector contact occurred indoors and primarily after midnight constantly throughout the study. Although the study was not designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention compared to areas with no such intervention, the reduction in transmission occurred in an area with previously stable malaria, which seems to indicate a substantial contribution of the increased LLIN coverage

Teleological Essentialism

Placeholder essentialism is the view that there is a causal essence that holds category members together, though we may not know what the essence is. Sometimes the placeholder can be filled in by scientific essences, such as when we acquire scientific knowledge that the atomic weight of gold is 79. We challenge the view that placeholders are elaborated by scientific essences. On our view, if placeholders are elaborated, they are elaborated Aristotelian essences, a telos. Utilizing the same kinds of experiments used by traditional essentialists—involving superficial change (study 1), transformation of insides (study 2), acquired traits (study 3) and inferences about offspring (study 4)—we find support for the view that essences are elaborated by a telos. And we find evidence (study 5) that teleological essences may generate category judgments

Physiotherapy intervention in Parkinson's disease: systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To assess the effectiveness of physiotherapy compared with no intervention in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Data sources Literature databases, trial registries, journals, abstract books, and conference proceedings, and reference lists, searched up to the end of January 2012. Review methods Randomised controlled trials comparing physiotherapy with no intervention in patients with Parkinson’s disease were eligible. Two authors independently abstracted data from each trial. Standard meta-analysis methods were used to assess the effectiveness of physiotherapy compared with no intervention. Tests for heterogeneity were used to assess for differences in treatment effect across different physiotherapy interventions used. Outcome measures were gait, functional mobility and balance, falls, clinician rated impairment and disability measures, patient rated quality of life, adverse events, compliance, and economic analysis outcomes. Results 39 trials of 1827 participants met the inclusion criteria, of which 29 trials provided data for the meta-analyses. Significant benefit from physiotherapy was reported for nine of 18 outcomes assessed. Outcomes which may be clinically significant were speed (0.04 m/s, 95% confidence interval 0.02 to 0.06, P<0.001), Berg balance scale (3.71 points, 2.30 to 5.11, P<0.001), and scores on the unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale (total score −6.15 points, −8.57 to −3.73, P<0.001; activities of daily living subscore −1.36, −2.41 to −0.30, P=0.01; motor subscore −5.01, −6.30 to −3.72, P<0.001). Indirect comparisons of the different physiotherapy interventions found no evidence that the treatment effect differed across the interventions for any outcomes assessed, apart from motor subscores on the unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale (in which one trial was found to be the cause of the heterogeneity). Conclusions Physiotherapy has short term benefits in Parkinson’s disease. A wide range of physiotherapy techniques are currently used to treat Parkinson’s disease, with little difference in treatment effects. Large, well designed, randomised controlled trials with improved methodology and reporting are needed to assess the efficacy and cost effectiveness of physiotherapy for treating Parkinson’s disease in the longer term