Mapping biodiversity value worldwide: combining higher-taxon richness from different groups

Maps of large-scale biodiversity are urgently needed to guide conservation, and yet complete enumeration of organisms is impractical at present. One indirect approach is to measure richness at higher taxonomic ranks, such as families. The difficulty is how to combine information from different groups on numbers of higher taxa, when these taxa may in effect have been defined in different ways, particularly for more distantly related major groups. In this paper, the regional family richness of terrestrial and freshwater seed plants, amphibians, reptiles and mammals is mapped worldwide by combining: (i) absolute family richness; (ii) proportional family richness; and (iii) proportional family richness weighted for the total species richness in each major group. The assumptions of the three methods and their effects on the results are discussed, although for these data the broad pattern is surprisingly robust with respect to the method of combination. Scores from each of the methods of combining families are used to rank the top five richness hotspots and complementary areas, and hotspots of endemism are mapped by unweighted combination of range-size rarity scores

Paths to the unknown: dispersal during the early life of fishes

The special issue brings together selected contributions from the 39th Annual Larval Fish Conference hosted by the University of Vienna, Austria, and presents the latest research and understanding of dispersal patterns and processes of early life stages of fishes of various aquatic environments around the world (open ocean, coastal areas, estuaries, and rivers). An important component of this compendium is to indicate new approaches and to outline the importance of integration of information about movements and dispersal for recruitment, population dynamics, species conservation, and management issue

Contrasting patterns of larval mortality in two sympatric riverine fish species: A test of the critical period hypothesis

Understanding the causal mechanisms that determine recruitment success is critical to the effective conservation of wild fish populations. Although recruitment strength is likely determined during early life when mortality is greatest, few studies have documented age-specific mortality rates for fish during this period. We investigated age-specific mortality of individual cohorts of two species of riverine fish from yolksac larvae to juveniles, assaying for the presence of a "critical period": A time when mortality is unusually high. Early life stages of carp gudgeons (Hypseleotris spp.) and unspecked hardyhead (Craterocephalus stercusmuscarum fulvus)-two fishes that differ in fecundity, egg size and overlap between endogenous and exogenous feeding-were collected every second day for four months. We fitted survivorship curves to 22 carp gudgeon and 15 unspecked hardyhead four-day cohorts and tested several mortality functions. Mortality rates declined with age for carp gudgeon, with mean instantaneous mortality rates (-Z) ranging from 1.40-0.03. In contrast, mortality rates for unspecked hardyhead were constant across the larval period, with a mean -Z of 0.15. There was strong evidence of a critical period for carp gudgeon larvae from hatch until 6 days old, and no evidence of a critical period for unspecked hardyhead. Total larval mortality for carp gudgeon and unspecked hardyhead up to 24 days of age was estimated to be 97.8 and 94.3%, respectively. We hypothesise that life history strategy may play an important role in shaping overall mortality and the pattern of mortality during early life in these two fishes

Interstitial pneumonitis following intrapleural chemotherapy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mucinous neoplasms within the abdomen may disseminate by direct extension through the diaphragm to involve the pleural space. Treatment of this condition is by parietal and visceral pleurectomy followed by hyperthermic intrapleural chemotherapy.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>In this case report a patient developed persistent right upper lobe interstitial pneumonitis and progressive parenchymal fibrosis following intrapleural chemotherapy treatment with mitomycin C and doxrubicin. The condition persisted until death 28 months later. Death was from progressive intraabdominal disease with intestinal obstruction and sepsis associated with progressive pulmonary parenchymal disease. The right pleural space disease did not recur.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This manuscript is the first case report describing interstitial pneumonitis and lung fibrosis following intrapleural chemotherapy. Since pulmonary toxicity from chemotherapy is a dose-dependent phenomenon, dose reduction of intrapleural as compared to intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy may be necessary.</p

BPS and non-BPS states in a supersymmetric Landau-Ginzburg theory

We analyze the spectrum of the N=(2,2) supersymmetric Landau-Ginzburg theory in two dimensions with superpotential W=X^{n+2}-lambda X^2. We find the full BPS spectrum of this theory by exploiting the direct connection between the UV and IR limits of the theory. The computation utilizes results from the Picard-Lefschetz theory of singularities and its extension to boundary singularities. The additional fact that this theory is integrable requires that the BPS states do not close under scattering. This observation fixes the masses of non-BPS states as well.Comment: 27 pages, 12 figure

Differential effects of oilseed supplements on methane production and milk fatty acid concentrations in dairy cows

It is known that supplementing dairy cow diets with full-fat oilseeds can be used as a strategy to mitigate methane emissions, through their action on rumen fermentation. However, direct comparisons of the effect of different oil sources are very few, as are studies implementing supplementation levels that reflect what is commonly fed on commercial farms. The objective was to investigate the effect of feeding different forms of supplemental plant oils on both methane emissions and milk fatty acid (FA) profile. Four multiparous, Holstein-Friesian cows in mid-lactation were randomly allocated to one of four treatment diets in a 4 x 4 Latin square design with 28-day periods. Diets were fed as a TMR with a 50:50 forage:concentrate ratio (dry matter, DM basis) with the forage consisting of 75:25 maize silage:grass silage (DM). Dietary treatments were a control diet containing no supplemental fat, and three treatment diets containing extruded linseed (EL), calcium salts of palm and linseed oil (CPLO) or milled rapeseed (MR) formulated to provide each cow with an estimated 500 g additional oil/d (22 g oil/kg diet DM). Dry matter intake (DMI), milk yield, milk composition and methane production were measured at the end of each experimental period when cows were housed in respiration chambers for 4 days. There was no effect of treatment diet on DMI or milk protein or lactose concentration, but oilseed-based supplements increased milk yield compared with the control diet and milk fat concentration relative to control was reduced by 4 g/kg by supplemental EL. Feeding CPLO reduced methane production, and both linseed-based supplements decreased methane yield (by 1.8 L/kg DMI) and intensity (by 2.7 L/kg milk yield) compared with the control diet, but feeding MR had no effect on methane emission. All the fat supplements decreased milk total saturated fatty acid (SFA) concentration compared with the control, and SFA were replaced with mainly cis-9 18:1 but also trans FA (and in the case of EL and CPLO there were increases in polyunsaturated FA concentration). Supplementing dairy cow diets with these oilseed-based preparations affected milk FA profile and increased milk yield. However, only the linseed-based supplements reduced methane production, yield, or intensity, whilst feeding MR had no effect

Global analysis reveals the complexity of the human glomerular extracellular matrix.

The glomerulus contains unique cellular and extracellular matrix (ECM) components, which are required for intact barrier function. Studies of the cellular components have helped to build understanding of glomerular disease; however, the full composition and regulation of glomerular ECM remains poorly understood. We used mass spectrometry-based proteomics of enriched ECM extracts for a global analysis of human glomerular ECM in vivo and identified a tissue-specific proteome of 144 structural and regulatory ECM proteins. This catalog includes all previously identified glomerular components plus many new and abundant components. Relative protein quantification showed a dominance of collagen IV, collagen I, and laminin isoforms in the glomerular ECM together with abundant collagen VI and TINAGL1. Protein network analysis enabled the creation of a glomerular ECM interactome, which revealed a core of highly connected structural components. More than one half of the glomerular ECM proteome was validated using colocalization studies and data from the Human Protein Atlas. This study yields the greatest number of ECM proteins relative to previous investigations of whole glomerular extracts, highlighting the importance of sample enrichment. It also shows that the composition of glomerular ECM is far more complex than previously appreciated and suggests that many more ECM components may contribute to glomerular development and disease processes. The mass spectrometry proteomics data have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange Consortium with the dataset identifier PXD000456

Hospital doctors in Ireland and the struggle for work–life balance

Ireland has a high rate of doctor emigration. Challenging working conditions and poor work–life balance, particularly in the hospital sector, are often cited as a driver. The aim of this study was to obtain insight into hospital doctors’ experiences of work and of work–life balance. In late 2019, a stratified random sample of hospital doctors participated in an anonymous online survey, distributed via the national Medical Register (overall response rate 20%; n = 1070). This article presents a qualitative analysis of free-text questions relating to working conditions (n = 469) and work–life balance (n = 314). Results show that respondent hospital doctors, at all levels of seniority, were struggling to achieve balance between work and life, with work–life imbalance and work overload being the key issues arising. Work–life imbalance has become normalized within Irish hospital medicine. Drawing on insights from respondent hospital doctors, this study reflects on the sustainability of this way of working for the individual doctors, the medical workforce and the Irish health system. If health workforce planning is about getting the right staff with the right skills in the right place at the right time to deliver care, work–life balance is about maintaining doctor wellbeing and encouraging their retention