2,952 research outputs found
Future mangement arrangements for Western Australia\u27s temperate shark fisheries.
This paper provides a summary of the attributes of these temperate shark fisheries, and sets out the proposed objectives and the measures available to achieve them. In summary, primary measures are aimed at the sustainability of dusky and whiskery sharks, with dusky sharks being of greater concern as their status is more critical. The final decision on management of these fisheries cannot compromise sustainability, not only because of the Department’s obligations under the Fish Resources Management Act, 1994, but also: • national and international obligations associated with ecologically sustainable development; • export accreditation under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act); and • the National Plan of Action for shar
Self reported aggravating activities do not demonstrate a consistent directional pattern in chronic non specific low back pain patients: An observational study
Question: Do the self-reported aggravating activities of chronic non-specific low back pain
patients demonstrate a consistent directional pattern? Design: Cross-sectional observational
study. Participants: 240 chronic non specific low back pain patients. Outcome measure: We
invited experienced clinicians to classify each of the three self-nominated aggravating
activities from the Patient Specific Functional Scale by the direction of lumbar spine
movement. Patients were described as demonstrating a directional pattern if all nominated
activities moved the spine into the same direction. Analyses were undertaken to determine if
the proportion of patients demonstrating a directional pattern was greater than would be
expected by chance. Results: In some patients, all tasks did move the spine into the same
direction, but this proportion did not differ from chance (p = 0.328). There were no clinical or
demographic differences between those who displayed a directional pattern and those who did
not (all p > 0.05). Conclusion: Using patient self-reported aggravating activities we were
unable to demonstrate the existence of a consistent pattern of adverse movement in patients
with chronic non-specific low back pain
Field identification guide to Western Australian sharks and shark-like rays
This guide is intended to improve the standard of identification and shark-catch reporting in Western Australia\u27s widespread and varied fisheries.https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/fr_fop/1005/thumbnail.jp
Sinorhizobium Meliloti, A Bacterium Lacking The Autoinducer-2 (AI-2) Synthase, Responds To AI-2 Supplied By Other Bacteria
Many bacterial species respond to the quorum-sensing signal autoinducer-2 (AI-2) by regulating different niche-specific genes. Here, we show that Sinorhizobium meliloti, a plant symbiont lacking the gene for the AI-2 synthase, while not capable of producing AI-2 can nonetheless respond to AI-2 produced by other species. We demonstrate that S. meliloti has a periplasmic binding protein that binds AI-2. The crystal structure of this protein (here named SmlsrB) with its ligand reveals that it binds (2R,4S)-2-methyl-2,3,3,4-tetrahydroxytetrahydrofuran (R-THMF), the identical AI-2 isomer recognized by LsrB of Salmonella typhimurium. The gene encoding SmlsrB is in an operon with orthologues of the lsr genes required for AI-2 internalization in enteric bacteria. Accordingly, S. meliloti internalizes exogenous AI-2, and mutants in this operon are defective in AI-2 internalization. S. meliloti does not gain a metabolic benefit from internalizing AI-2, suggesting that AI-2 functions as a signal in S. meliloti. Furthermore, S. meliloti can completely eliminate the AI-2 secreted by Erwinia carotovora, a plant pathogen shown to use AI-2 to regulate virulence. Our findings suggest that S. meliloti is capable of \u27eavesdropping\u27 on the AI-2 signalling of other species and interfering with AI-2-regulated behaviours such as virulence
Extraordinary Size and Survival of American Black Duck, Anas rubripes, Broods
Two female American Black Ducks (Anas rubripes) were initially observed during June 1982 with 20 Class Ib or 18-22 Class Ia-b ducklings in two wetlands in Hancock County, Cherryfield, Maine. Fifteen of 20 ducklings (75%) in one brood and 16 of 18-22 ducklings (72-89%) in the other brood survived to fledge. These large broods probably resulted from post-hatch brood amalgamation
In vitro and in vivo effects of salbutamol on neutrophil function in acute lung injury
Background: Intravenous salbutamol (albuterol) reduces lung water in patients with the acute respiratory
distress syndrome (ARDS). Experimental data show that it also reduces pulmonary neutrophil accumulation or
activation and inflammation in ARDS.
Aim: To investigate the effects of salbutamol on neutrophil function.
Methods: The in vitro effects of salbutamol on neutrophil function were determined. Blood and
bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid were collected from 35 patients with acute lung injury (ALI)/ARDS, 14
patients at risk from ARDS and 7 ventilated controls at baseline and after 4 days’ treatment with placebo or
salbutamol (ALI/ARDS group). Alveolar–capillary permeability was measured in vivo by thermodilution
(PiCCO). Neutrophil activation, adhesion molecule expression and inflammatory cytokines were measured.
Results: In vitro, physiological concentrations of salbutamol had no effect on neutrophil chemotaxis, viability
or apoptosis. Patients with ALI/ARDS showed increased neutrophil activation and adhesion molecule
expression compared with at risk-patients and ventilated controls. There were associations between alveolar–
capillary permeability and BAL myeloperoxidase (r = 0.4, p = 0.038) and BAL interleukin 8 (r = 0.38,
p = 0.033). In patients with ALI/ARDS, salbutamol increased numbers of circulating neutrophils but had no
effect on alveolar neutrophils.
Conclusion: At the onset of ALI/ARDS, there is increased neutrophil recruitment and activation. Physiological
concentrations of salbutamol did not alter neutrophil chemotaxis, viability or apoptosis in vitro. In vivo,
salbutamol increased circulating neutrophils, but had no effect on alveolar neutrophils or on neutrophil
activation. These data suggest that the beneficial effects of salbutamol in reducing lung water are unrelated to
modulation of neutrophil-dependent inflammatory pathways
Spatial and temporal dynamics of Western Australia’s commercially important sharks
This project took advantage of an unprecedented deployment of acoustic receiver infrastructure around the Western Australian coast to monitor a large number of sharks implanted with acoustic tags. This research was undertaken to better understand the temporal and spatial dynamics of commercially-important sharks in Western Australia, which has enabled a re-evaluation of the risks of cryptic sources of catch and bycatch to dusky and sandbar shark stocks and development of population simulation models with which to test the implications of spatially-different histories of fishery management, as well as future spatial-management arrangements for whiskery and gummy sharks stocks
New trapdoor-knapsack public-key cryptosystem
The paper presents a new trapdoor-knapsack public-key cryptosystem. The encryption equation is based on the general modular knapsack equation, but, unlike the Merkle-Hellman scheme, the knapsack components do not have to have a superincreasing structure. The trapdoor is based on transformations between the modular and radix form of the knapsack components, via the Chinese remainder theorem. The security is based on factoring a number composed of 256 bit prime factors. The resulting cryptosystem has high density, approximately 30% message expansion and a public key of 14 Kbits. This compares very favourably with the Merkle-Hellman scheme which has over 100% expansion and a public key of 80 Kbits. The major advantage of the scheme when compared with the RSA scheme is one of speed. Typically, knapsack schemes such as the one proposed here are capable of throughput speeds which are orders of magnitude faster than the RSA scheme
Regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor bioactivity in patients with acute lung injury
Background: Reduced bioactive vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been demonstrated in
several inflammatory lung conditions including the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). sVEGFR-1,
a soluble form of VEGF-1 receptor, is a potent natural inhibitor of VEGF. We hypothesised that sVEGFR-1
plays an important role in the regulation of the bioactivity of VEGF within the lung in patients with ARDS.
Methods: Forty one patients with ARDS, 12 at risk of developing ARDS, and 16 normal controls were
studied. Bioactive VEGF, total VEGF, and sVEGFR-1 were measured by ELISA in plasma and
bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for sVEGFR-1 was
performed on BAL cells.
Results: sVEGFR-1 was detectable in the BAL fluid of 48% (20/41) of patients with early ARDS (1.4–
54.8 ng/ml epithelial lining fluid (ELF)) compared with 8% (1/12) at risk patients (p = 0.017) and none of
the normal controls (p = 0.002). By day 4 sVEGFR-1 was detectable in only 2/18 ARDS patients
(p = 0.008). Patients with detectable sVEGFR-1 had lower ELF median (IQR) levels of bioactive VEGF than
those without detectable sVEGFR-1 (1415.2 (474.9–3192) pg/ml v 4761 (1349–7596.6) pg/ml, median
difference 3346 pg/ml (95% CI 305.1 to 14711.9), p = 0.016), but there was no difference in total VEGF
levels. BAL cells expressed mRNA for sVEGFR-1 and produced sVEGFR-1 protein which increased
following incubation with tumour necrosis factor a.
Conclusion: This study shows for the first time the presence of sVEGFR-1 in the BAL fluid of patients with
ARDS. This may explain the presence of reduced bioactive VEGF in patients early in the course of ARDS
Investigating the role of benzodiazepines in drug-related mortality: A systematic review undertaken on behalf of The Scottish National Forum on Drug-Related Deaths
Owing to a lack of research on benzodiazepines, the National Forum on Drug-Related Deaths commissioned work addressing why benzodiazepines are common in DRDs and what role they play in such deaths, particularly at the high doses often reported. This Report presents the findings of a systematic review of evidence in relation to the use and misuse of benzodiazepines and highlights significant gaps in knowledge
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