8 research outputs found
A re-examination of the life and work of A.F.G. Kerr and of his colleagues and friends
Arthur Francis George Kerrâs life is reviewed and related to a previously published account. Kerrâs collecting activity
is analysed using an expanded version of the Thai Biogeography Groupâs database of collections. 8,666 of the total 48,970 collections
are Kerrâs and 3,178 are those of his colleagues and friends. Therefore, the total number of collections made by Kerr and his
acquaintances is likely to be larger and more diverse than previously believed. Mapping of these data using GIS show that Kerrâs
collecting activities focussed on particular regions of Thailand at particular times. Also large areas of the country remained unexplored
by Kerr and his acquaintances: a pattern that, to some extent, persists to this day. The large, but dispersed, archive of Kerrâs
photographs, maps, living collections and correspondence indicate that he was a skilled photographer (taking at least 3,000 images),
cartographer (producing many hand-drawn maps) and exceptionally acute, accurate and detailed observer (filling numerous notebooks
and leaving other records). It is clear that digitising these collections to form an on-line dedicated website is highly desirable
to further progress on the flora of Thailand and surrounding countries and would form an unique record of the social history of early
20thC Thailand
Characterization of the Tetraspan Junctional Complex (4JC) superfamily
Connexins or innexins form gap junctions, while claudins and occludins form tight junctions. In this study, statistical data, derived using novel software, indicate that these four junctional protein families and eleven other families of channel and channel auxiliary proteins are related by common descent and comprise the Tetraspan (4 TMS) Junctional Complex (4JC) Superfamily. These proteins all share similar 4 transmembrane α-helical (TMS) topologies. Evidence is presented that they arose via an intragenic duplication event, whereby a 2 TMS-encoding genetic element duplicated tandemly to give 4 TMS proteins. In cases where high resolution structural data were available, the conclusion of homology was supported by conducting structural comparisons. Phylogenetic trees reveal the probable relationships of these 15 families to each other. Long homologues containing fusions to other recognizable domains as well as internally duplicated or fused domains are reported. Large âfusionâ proteins containing 4JC domains proved to fall predominantly into family-specific patterns as follows: (1) the 4JC domain was N-terminal; (2) the 4JC domain was C-terminal; (3) the 4JC domain was duplicated or occasionally triplicated and (4) mixed fusion types were present. Our observations provide insight into the evolutionary origins and subfunctions of these proteins as well as guides concerning their structural and functional relationships
Effect of adjunctive single high-dose vitamin D3 on outcome of community-acquired pneumonia in hospitalised adults: The VIDCAPS randomised controlled trial
Abstract Low vitamin D status is associated with increased risk of pneumonia, greater disease severity and poorer outcome. However, no trials have examined the effect of adjunctive vitamin D therapy on outcomes in adults with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We conducted a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial examining the effects of adjunctive vitamin D in adults hospitalised with CAP. Participants were randomised to either a single oral dose of 200,000 IU vitamin D3 or placebo. The primary outcome was the complete resolution of chest radiograph infiltrate at 6 weeks post-study treatment. Secondary outcomes included length of hospital stay, intensive care admission and return to normal activity. Only participants who completed the study or died within the 6 week period were included in the analysis (nâ=â60 vitamin D, nâ=â57 placebo). Adjunctive vitamin D did not have any effect on the primary outcome (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.31 to 1.86, pâ=â0.548). However, there was evidence it increased the complete resolution of pneumonia in participants with baseline vitamin D levels <25 nmol/L (OR 17.0, 95% CI 1.40â549.45, Pâ=â0.043), but this did not reach statistical significance using exact methods (OR 13.0, 95%CI 0.7â960.4, Pâ=â0.083). There were no significant effects for any secondary outcome
Effect of adjunctive single high-dose vitamin Dâ on outcome of community-acquired pneumonia in hospitalised adults: The VIDCAPS randomised controlled trial
Low vitamin D status is associated with increased risk of pneumonia, greater disease severity and poorer outcome. However, no trials have examined the effect of adjunctive vitamin D therapy on outcomes in adults with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We conducted a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial examining the effects of adjunctive vitamin D in adults hospitalised with CAP. Participants were randomised to either a single oral dose of 200,000 IU vitamin Dâ or placebo. The primary outcome was the complete resolution of chest radiograph infiltrate at 6 weeks post-study treatment. Secondary outcomes included length of hospital stay, intensive care admission and return to normal activity. Only participants who completed the study or died within the 6 week period were included in the analysis (n = 60 vitamin D, n = 57 placebo). Adjunctive vitamin D did not have any effect on the primary outcome (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.31 to 1.86, p = 0.548). However, there was evidence it increased the complete resolution of pneumonia in participants with baseline vitamin D levels <25 nmol/L (OR 17.0, 95% CI 1.40â549.45, P = 0.043), but this did not reach statistical significance using exact methods (OR 13.0, 95%CI 0.7â960.4, P = 0.083). There were no significant effects for any secondary outcome
Accounting for the indirect area effect in stacked species distribution models to map species richness in a montane biodiversity hotspot
A re-examination of the life and work of A.F.G. Kerr and of his colleagues and friends
Arthur Francis George Kerrâs life is reviewed and related to a previously published account. Kerrâs collecting activity
is analysed using an expanded version of the Thai Biogeography Groupâs database of collections. 8,666 of the total 48,970 collections
are Kerrâs and 3,178 are those of his colleagues and friends. Therefore, the total number of collections made by Kerr and his
acquaintances is likely to be larger and more diverse than previously believed. Mapping of these data using GIS show that Kerrâs
collecting activities focussed on particular regions of Thailand at particular times. Also large areas of the country remained unexplored
by Kerr and his acquaintances: a pattern that, to some extent, persists to this day. The large, but dispersed, archive of Kerrâs
photographs, maps, living collections and correspondence indicate that he was a skilled photographer (taking at least 3,000 images),
cartographer (producing many hand-drawn maps) and exceptionally acute, accurate and detailed observer (filling numerous notebooks
and leaving other records). It is clear that digitising these collections to form an on-line dedicated website is highly desirable
to further progress on the flora of Thailand and surrounding countries and would form an unique record of the social history of early
20thC Thailand
A re-examination of the life and work of A.F.G. Kerr and of his colleagues and friends
Arthur Francis George Kerrâs life is reviewed and related to a previously published account. Kerrâs collecting activity
is analysed using an expanded version of the Thai Biogeography Groupâs database of collections. 8,666 of the total 48,970 collections
are Kerrâs and 3,178 are those of his colleagues and friends. Therefore, the total number of collections made by Kerr and his
acquaintances is likely to be larger and more diverse than previously believed. Mapping of these data using GIS show that Kerrâs
collecting activities focussed on particular regions of Thailand at particular times. Also large areas of the country remained unexplored
by Kerr and his acquaintances: a pattern that, to some extent, persists to this day. The large, but dispersed, archive of Kerrâs
photographs, maps, living collections and correspondence indicate that he was a skilled photographer (taking at least 3,000 images),
cartographer (producing many hand-drawn maps) and exceptionally acute, accurate and detailed observer (filling numerous notebooks
and leaving other records). It is clear that digitising these collections to form an on-line dedicated website is highly desirable
to further progress on the flora of Thailand and surrounding countries and would form an unique record of the social history of early
20thC Thailand