THE GENUS BORASSODENDRON (PALMAE) IN MALESIA

In April 1968 while I was botanising in the Fourth Division of Sarawak, I was shown by Mr. David Senada, District Forest Officer, Bintulu, a tall fan palm growing by the new Bintulu to Miri road, about 15 km from Bintulu

THE JAVANESE PALM FLORA, FIRST IMPRESSION

In comparison with other South East Asian palm floras, the Javanese palm flora is relatively small; there are about 50 species native to the island, With the long history of botanical exploration in Java,and the large concentration of botanists in the island, it would seem surprising if much new remained to be discovered on the island.However, palms are [usually neglected and after my first three months collecting in West Java and working in the Herbarium Bogoriense,it has become obvious that we still know very little of the Taxonomy and natural history of the native Javanese palms

Colour-magnitude diagrams of transiting Exoplanets -- III. A public code, nine strange planets, and the role of Phosphine

Colour-Magnitude Diagrams provide a convenient way of comparing populations of similar objects. When well populated with precise measurements, they allow quick inferences to be made about the bulk properties of an astronomic object simply from its proximity on a diagram to other objects. We present here a Python toolkit which allows a user to produce colour-magnitude diagrams of transiting exoplanets, comparing planets to populations of ultra-cool dwarfs, of directly imaged exoplanets, to theoretical models of planetary atmospheres, and to other transiting exoplanets. Using a selection of near- and mid-infrared colour-magnitude diagrams, we show how outliers can be identified for further investigation, and how emerging sub-populations can be identified. Additionally, we present evidence that observed differences in the \textit{Spitzer}'s 4.5\mu m flux, between irradiated Jupiters, and field brown dwarfs, might be attributed to phosphine, which is susceptible to photolysis. The presence of phosphine in low irradiation environments may negate the need for thermal inversions to explain eclipse measurements. We speculate that the anomalously low 4.5\mu m flux flux of the nightside of HD 189733b and the daysides of GJ 436b and GJ 3470b might be caused by phosphine absorption. Finally, we use our toolkit to include \textit{Hubble} WFC3 spectra, creating a new photometric band called the `Water band' (\textit{W$_{JH}$}-band) in the process. We show that the colour index [\textit{W$_{JH}$-H}] can be used to constrain the C/O ratio of exoplanets, showing that future observations with \textit{JWST} and \textit{Ariel} will be able to distinguish these populations if they exist, and select members for future follow-up.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA

HD 28109 hosts a trio of transiting Neptunian planets including a near-resonant pair, confirmed by ASTEP from Antarctica

We report on the disco v ery and characterization of three planets orbiting the F8 star HD 28109, which sits comfortably in TESS ’s continuous viewing zone. The two outer planets have periods of 56 . 0067 ±0 . 0003 d and 84 . 2597 + 0 . 0010 −0 . 0008 d, which implies a period ratio very close to that of the first-order 3:2 mean motion resonance, exciting transit timing variations (TTVs) of up to 60 min. These two planets were first identified by TESS , and we identified a third planet in the TESS photometry with a period of 22 . 8911 ±0 . 0004 d. We confirm the planetary nature of all three planetary candidates using ground-based photometry from Hazelwood , ASTEP , and LCO , including a full detection of the ∼9 h transit of HD 28109 c from Antarctica. The radii of the three planets are R b = 2 . 199 + 0 . 098 −0 . 10 R ⊕, R c = 4 . 23 ±0 . 11 R ⊕, and R d = 3 . 25 ±0 . 11 R ⊕; we characterize their masses using TTVs and precise radial velocities from ESPRESSO and HARPS, and find them to be M b = 18 . 5 + 9 . 1 −7 . 6 M ⊕, M c = 7 . 9 + 4 . 2 −3 . 0 M ⊕, and M d = 5 . 7 + 2 . 7 −2 . 1 M ⊕, making planet b a dense, massive planet while c and d are both underdense. We also demonstrate that the two outer planets are ripe for atmospheric characterization using transmission spectroscopy, especially given their position in the CVZ of James Webb Space Telescope . The data obtained to date are consistent with resonant (librating) and non-resonant (circulating) solutions; additional observations will show whether the pair is actually locked in resonance or just near-resonant.French polar agency IPEV ANR-15-IDEX-01 French polar agency PNRA ANR-15-IDEX-01Italian polar agency IPEV ANR-15-IDEX-01 Italian polar agency PNRA ANR-15-IDEX-01NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program NASA's Science Mission DirectorateEuropean Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere 0102.C-0503(A)National Science Foundation (NSF)European Space Agency European CommissionSwiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)European CommissionEuropean Research Council (ERC) 803193/BEBOPUK Research & Innovation (UKRI)Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC)Science and Technology Development Fund (STDF) ST/S00193X/1Fondazione CRT 2018.232

Sequential comparison of tiotropium to high-dose ipratropium in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a practice setting

Umair Gauhar, Mark Dransfield, J Allen D CooperPulmonary Section, Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Medicine University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USAObjective: To determine the effect of changing anticholinergic therapy in patients with COPD from ipratropium to tiotropium on pulmonary function.Methods: We examined records of patients prescribed high-dose ipratropium, who were subsequently converted to tiotropium. Spirometric values were obtained within 2 days of the change in medication and after 56 to 224 days of the switch to tiotropium.Results: 15 subjects were documented to have filled a prescription for ipratropium-containing medications the month prior to the change. Medication compliance over the 6 months prior to the switch in these patients was 72% ± 31% (mean ± SD) for ipratropium compared to 87% ± 14% for tiotropium over the 6-month period after the switch (P = 0.1). FEV1 improved from 1.12 ± 0.39 L at baseline to 1.37 ± 0.49 L after the change to tiotropium (P = 0.01). FVC also improved from 2.45 ± 0.73 L at baseline to 2.72 ± 0.69 L after the change (P = 0.04). Maximal voluntary ventilation was also increased from 39.67 ± 10.7 L/min to 45.13 ± 15.8 L/min (P = 0.045).Conclusions: We conclude that replacing high-dose ipratropium with tiotropium therapy significantly improves pulmonary function in a clinical setting.Keywords: ipratropium, tiotropium, COPD, pulmonary function, exacerbation rat

Phylogenetic Relationships Among the One-Flowered, Determinate Genera of Bambuseae (Poaceae: Bambusoideae)

Bambuseae (woody bamboos), one of two tribes recognized within Bambusoideae (true bamboos), comprise over 90% of the diversity of the subfamily, yet monophyly of the tribe is generally only moderately supported, and phylogenetic relationships within the tribe are poorly understood. In addition, there appears to be some level of conflict between morphological and molecular data within the tribe. We conducted a parsimony analysis of 43 species of Bambuseae, three of Olyreae (herbaceous bamboos), and two outgroup taxa using morphological and plastid rpl16 intron sequence data to (1) further test the monophyly of Bambuseae, (2) test the monophyly of Chusqueinae and Hickelinae (the two one-flowered, determinate subtribes), and (3) examine the apparent conflict between molecular and morphological data sets in the determinate, one-flowered genera of Bambuseae. We recovered a monophyletic Bambusoideae, Bambuseae, Olyreae, and Chusqueinae, although support for Bambuseae remained moderate. Our results suggest that the morphological similarities between Chusqueinae and Hickelinae are homoplasious, but robust resolution of relationships among the major lineages of woody bamboos is still wanting

Risk factors for COPD exacerbations in inhaled medication users: the COPDGene study biannual longitudinal follow-up prospective cohort.

BackgroundDespite inhaled medications that decrease exacerbation risk, some COPD patients experience frequent exacerbations. We determined prospective risk factors for exacerbations among subjects in the COPDGene Study taking inhaled medications.Methods2113 COPD subjects were categorized into four medication use patterns: triple therapy with tiotropium (TIO) plus long-acting beta-agonist/inhaled-corticosteroid (ICS ± LABA), tiotropium alone, ICS ± LABA, and short-acting bronchodilators. Self-reported exacerbations were recorded in telephone and web-based longitudinal follow-up surveys. Associations with exacerbations were determined within each medication group using four separate logistic regression models. A head-to-head analysis compared exacerbation risk among subjects using tiotropium vs. ICS ± LABA.ResultsIn separate logistic regression models, the presence of gastroesophageal reflux, female gender, and higher scores on the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire were significant predictors of exacerbator status within multiple medication groups (reflux: OR 1.62-2.75; female gender: OR 1.53 - OR 1.90; SGRQ: OR 1.02-1.03). Subjects taking either ICS ± LABA or tiotropium had similar baseline characteristics, allowing comparison between these two groups. In the head-to-head comparison, tiotropium users showed a trend towards lower rates of exacerbations (OR = 0.69 [95 % CI 0.45, 1.06], p = 0.09) compared with ICS ± LABA users, especially in subjects without comorbid asthma (OR = 0.56 [95% CI 0.31, 1.00], p = 0.05).ConclusionsEach common COPD medication usage group showed unique risk factor patterns associated with increased risk of exacerbations, which may help clinicians identify subjects at risk. Compared to similar subjects using ICS ± LABA, those taking tiotropium showed a trend towards reduced exacerbation risk, especially in subjects without asthma.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT00608764, first received 1/28/2008