Artificial Fishing Reefs, Gulf of Mexico, Region IV

Artificial reefs were constructed offshore at Freeport and Galveston, Texas. The Galveston reef was successful in respect to fish usage but not in respect to fisherman usage. The conclusion reached was that the project realized too low a return on the investment

Lamotrigine treatment of aggression in female borderline patients, Part II: an 18-month follow-up

Borderline patients often display pathological aggression. We previously tested lamotrigine, an anti-convulsant, in therapy for aggression in women with borderline personality disorder (BPD) (J Psychopharmacol 2005; 19: 287–291), and found significant changes on most scales of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) after eight weeks. To assess the longerterm efficacy of lamotrigine in therapy for aggression in women with BPD, this 18-month follow-up observation was carried out, in which patients (treated with lamotrigine: n = 18; former placebo group: n = 9) were tested every six months. According to the intent-to-treat principle, significant changes on all scales of the STAXI were observed in the lamotrigine-treated subjects. All subjects tolerated lamotrigine relatively well. Lamotrigine appears to be an effective and relatively safe agent in the longer-term treatment of aggression in women with BPD

The tube-web spiders of the genus Ariadna (Araneae: Segestriidae) from South Australia and Victoria

The tube-web spider genus Ariadna Audouin, 1826 has been revised for South Australia and Victoria, revealing a remarkable diversity, particularly centred in the arid north of South Australia. We describe 23 species as new, ten of which are supported by molecular data, where these were available. We recognise two species groups for some of the species based on a combination of genitalic morphology, macrosetae patterns and somatic characters: the clavata species group, which includes Ariadna clavata Marsh, Baehr, Glatz & Framenau, 2018 and A. spinosa sp. nov. from South Australia, and A. otwayensis sp. nov. and A. sinuosa sp. nov. from Victoria, and the formosa species group, including A. formosa sp. nov. and A. umbra sp. nov. from South Australia, and A. tria sp. nov. from Victoria. Seventeen new species could not be placed into these two species groups: A. arenacea sp. nov., A. bellatula sp. nov., A. curvata sp. nov., A. deserta sp. nov., A. diucrura sp. nov., A. flavescens sp. nov., A. inflata sp. nov., A. insula sp. nov., A. pollex sp. nov., A. propria sp. nov., A. rutila sp. nov., Ariadna simplex sp. nov., A. subplana sp. nov., A. una sp. nov., A. ungua sp. nov., A. valida sp. nov. and A. woinarskii sp. nov. We provide updated diagnoses and distributional data for A. clavata and A. tangara Marsh, Baehr, Glatz & Framenau, 2018; however, the holotype of A. burchelli (Hogg, 1900) from Victoria could not be located for this project

The twin paradox in compact spaces

Twins travelling at constant relative velocity will each see the other's time dilate leading to the apparent paradox that each twin believes the other ages more slowly. In a finite space, the twins can both be on inertial, periodic orbits so that they have the opportunity to compare their ages when their paths cross. As we show, they will agree on their respective ages and avoid the paradox. The resolution relies on the selection of a preferred frame singled out by the topology of the space.Comment: to be published in PRA, 3 page

Symbiodinium thermophilum sp. nov., a thermotolerant symbiotic alga prevalent in corals of the world's hottest sea, the Persian/Arabian Gulf

Coral reefs are in rapid decline on a global scale due to human activities and a changing climate. Shallow water reefs depend on the obligatory symbiosis between the habitat forming coral host and its algal symbiont from the genus Symbiodinium (zooxanthellae). This association is highly sensitive to thermal perturbations and temperatures as little as 1°C above the average summer maxima can cause the breakdown of this symbiosis, termed coral bleaching. Predicting the capacity of corals to survive the expected increase in seawater temperatures depends strongly on our understanding of the thermal tolerance of the symbiotic algae. Here we use molecular phylogenetic analysis of four genetic markers to describe Symbiodinium thermophilum, sp. nov. from the Persian/Arabian Gulf, a thermally tolerant coral symbiont. Phylogenetic inference using the non-coding region of the chloroplast psbA gene resolves S. thermophilum as a monophyletic lineage with large genetic distances from any other ITS2 C3 type found outside the Gulf. Through the characterisation of Symbiodinium associations of 6 species (5 genera) of Gulf corals, we demonstrate that S. thermophilum is the prevalent symbiont all year round in the world's hottest sea, the southern Persian/Arabian Gulf

VIP enhances TRH-stimulated prolactin secretion of pituitary tumours Studies with 31P NMR

AbstractIntravenous thyrotrophin releasing hormone (TRH) caused a 6.5-fold increase in plasma prolactin (PRL) in rats carrying implanted pituitary tumours. Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) had no effect, but TRH given after VIP raised TRH stimulated secretion 13-fold above basal. 31P NMR spectroscopy showed that VIP caused a decrease in high energy metabolites (depleted phosphocreatine, elevated inorganic phosphate and lowered intracellular pH). TRH alone caused a similar but smaller effect; given after VIP, it caused no detectable depletion. We suggest that the changes in high energy metabolite cencentrations reflect increased cellular energy consumption consistent with a priming process (stage 1) in PRL secretion, followed by hormone release (stage 2). VIP induces stage 1 whereas RTH induced both stages

Comparing plasma and faecal measures of steroid hormones in Adelie penguins Pygoscelis adeliae

Physiological measurements of both stress and sex hormones are often used to estimate the consequences of natural or human-induced change in ecological studies of various animals. Different methods of hormone measurement exist, potentially explaining variation in results across studies; methods should be cross-validated to ensure that they correlate. We directly compared faecal and plasma hormone measurements for the first time in a wild free-living species, the Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae). Blood and faecal samples were simultaneously collected from individual penguins for comparison and assayed for testosterone and corticosterone (or their metabolites). Sex differences and variability within each measure, and correlation of values across measures were compared. For both hormones, plasma samples showed greater variation than faecal samples. Males had higher mean corticosterone concentrations than females, but the difference was only statistically significant in faecal samples. Plasma testosterone, but not faecal testosterone, was significantly higher in males than females. Correlation between sample types was poor overall, and weaker in females than in males, perhaps because measures from plasma represent hormones that are both free and bound to globulins, whereas measures from faeces represent only the free portion. Faecal samples also represent a cumulative measure of hormones over time, as opposed to a plasma ‘snapshot’ concentration. Our data indicate that faecal sampling appears more suitable for assessing baseline hormone concentrations, whilst plasma sampling may best define immediate responses to environmental events. Consequently, future studies should ensure that they select the most appropriate matrix and method of hormone measurement to answer their research questions

A Dutch translation of the Self-Efficacy for Rehabilitation Outcome Scale (SER):a first impression on reliability and validity

Self-efficacy is a relevant factor during rehabilitation after total hip or knee arthroplasty. Research was done into the reliability and validity of a Dutch translation of the Self-Efficacy for Rehabilitation Outcome Scale (SER). One hundred and forty-one persons filled in the SER questionnaire and the Self-Efficacy Expectation Scale (SES) as a control scale. Research was done into reliability and into construct- and criterion-related validity. Factor analysis yielded two factors. Pearson's correlation between the two factors was 0.61 (P <0.01). To assess criterion-related validity, the Pearson's correlation coefficient was calculated between the sum score of the SER and the SES. The scales had a correlation of 0.62 (P <0.01). Internal consistency resulted in a Cronbach's coefficient alpha of 0.94 for the entire SER scale, and 0.94 and 0.87 for the first and second factors. It is concluded that for the time being the Dutch version of the SER can be considered a reliable and valid questionnaire. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

A small universe after all?

The cosmic microwave background radiation allows us to measure both the geometry and topology of the universe. It has been argued that the COBE-DMR data already rule out models that are multiply connected on scales smaller than the particle horizon. Here we show the opposite is true: compact (small) hyperbolic universes are favoured over their infinite counterparts. For a density parameter of Omega_o=0.3, the compact models are a better fit to COBE-DMR (relative likelihood ~20) and the large-scale structure data (sigma_8 increases by ~25%).Comment: 4 pages, RevTeX, 7 Figure