Record of the occurrence in Australia of Ligia exotica Raux (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscoidea)

In all but one instance, examples of genus Ligia Fabricius reDorded from AustraUato date have been assigned to L. australiensis Dana, 1853. The one exception is a record by Jackson (1922, p. 697) of L. novae-zealandiae Dana, 1853, from Sunday Island, Victoria. Specimens of Ligia from Bobbin Head, New South Wales, which were presented to me by Dr. J. Ie Gay Brereton, differ from both of these species. A comparison of their characters with the descriptions of L. exotica Raux, 1828, given by Chilton (1916, p. 462), Jackson (1922, p. (93) and Verhoefi' (1928, p. 116) shows that they should be assigned to L. exotica

Share capitalism and worker wellbeing

We show that worker wellbeing is determined not only by the amount of compensation workers receive but also by how compensation is determined. While previous theoretical and empirical work has often been preoccupied with individual performance-related pay, we find that the receipt of a range of group-performance schemes (profit shares, group bonuses and share ownership) is associated with higher job satisfaction. This holds conditional on wage levels, so that pay methods are associated with greater job satisfaction in addition to that coming from higher wages. We use a variety of methods to control for unobserved individual and job-specific characteristics. We suggest that half of the share-capitalism effect is accounted for by employees reciprocating for the “gift”; we also show that share capitalism helps dampen the negative wellbeing effects of what we typically think of as “bad” aspects of job quality

Assessment of uncertainty in river flow projections for the Mekong River using multiple GCMs and hydrological models

Hydrological model-related uncertainty is often ignored within climate change hydrological impact assessments. A MIKE SHE model is developed for the Mekong using the same data as an earlier semi-distributed, conceptual model (SLURP). The model is calibrated and validated using discharge at 12 gauging stations. Two sets of climate change scenarios are investigated. The first is based on a 2 °C increase in global mean temperature (the hypothesised threshold of ‘dangerous’ climate change), as simulated by seven GCMs. There are considerable differences in scenario discharge between GCMs, ranging from catchment-wide increases in mean discharge (up to 12.7%; CCCMA CGCM31, NCAR CCSM30), decreases (up to 21.6% in the upper catchments; CSIRO Mk30, IPSL CM4), and spatially varying responses (UKMO HadCM3 and HadGEM1, MPI ECHAM5). Inter-GCM differences are largely driven by differences in precipitation. The second scenario set (HadCM3, increases in global mean temperature of 1–6 °C) shows consistently greater discharge (maximum: 28.7%) in the upper catchment as global temperature increases, primarily due to increasing precipitation. Further downstream, discharge is strongly influenced by increasing PET, which outweighs impacts of elevated upstream precipitation and causes consistent discharge reductions for higher temperatures (maximum: −5.3% for the main Mekong). MIKE SHE results for all scenarios are compared with those from the SLURP catchment model and the Mac-PDM.09 global hydrological model. Although hydrological model-related uncertainty is evident, its magnitude is smaller than that associated with choice of GCM. In most cases, the three hydrological models simulate the same direction of change in mean discharge. Mac-PDM.09 simulates the largest discharge increases when they occur, which is responsible for some differences in direction of change at downstream gauging stations for some scenarios, especially HadCM3. Inter-hydrological model differences are likely attributed to alternative model structures, process representations and PET methods (Linacre for MIKE SHE and SLURP, Penman–Monteith for Mac-PDM.09)

Moving world, moving voices: a discussion with Daljit Nagra

© The Author(s) 2020. This interview explores a range of both emergent and persistent areas of interest in the work of Daljit Nagra. Nagra’s two latest books — Ramayana (2013) and British Museum (2017) — represent explorations of his interests in both “rootedness” — what it means to be connected or grounded in a cultural environment — and “route-edness” — what it means for cultures to travel and the impact of cultural journeying (Clifford, 1997). In both books he considers how cultures — both as individual and intertwined entities — in complex ways solidify and mutate; how they remain static and move. In this interview he explores his own shifting, layered, and sometimes uncomfortable relationship with diverse cultures, considering the extent to which and the means by which cultures “translate”. Underlining the inevitable clashes and dislocation such processes necessitate, via pluralism he identifies an essential desire for the meaningful connection of diverse cultures. Like the British Museum of the title of his most recent work, he sees the importance of his poetry as a project in human connectivity, asserting creative achievement, resilience, and value. In exploring these ideas, Nagra discusses the ways in which his work connects both to Indian culture in transition and translation and to canonical English Literature. This interview was conducted in Uxbridge, West London on 6 December 2018

Invertebrate animals, including type specimens, transferred from the University of Tasmania to the Tasmanian Museum

Collections of Tasmanian invertebrates, formerly housed in the Department of Zoology, University of Tasmania, have been presented to the Tasmanian Museum. They include type specimens of Turbellaria, Trematoda, Cestoda, Hirudinea and Ascothoracida and examples of Hydroidea and Psocoptera

Deletions of the derivative chromosome 9 occur at the time of the Philadelphia translocation and provide a powerful and independent prognostic indicator in chronic myeloid leukemia

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is characterized by formation of the BCR-ABL fusion gene, usually as a consequence of the Philadelphia (Ph) translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22. Large deletions on the derivative chromosome 9 have recently been reported, but it was unclear whether deletions arose during disease progression or at the time of the Ph translocation. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis was used to assess the deletion status of 253 patients with CML. The strength of deletion status as a prognostic indicator was then compared to the Sokal and Hasford scoring systems. The frequency of deletions was similar at diagnosis and after disease progression but was significantly increased in patients with variant Ph translocations. In patients with a deletion, all Ph+ metaphases carried the deletion. The median survival of patients with and without deletions was 38 months and 88 months, respectively (P = .0001). By contrast the survival difference between Sokal or Hasford high-risk and non-high-risk patients was of only borderline significance (P = .057 and P = .034). The results indicate that deletions occur at the time of the Ph translocation. An apparently simple reciprocal translocation may therefore result in considerable genetic heterogeneity ab initio, a concept that is likely to apply to other malignancies associated with translocations. Deletion status is also a powerful and independent prognostic factor for patients with CML. The prognostic significance of deletion status should now be studied prospectively and, if confirmed, should be incorporated into management decisions and the analysis of clinical trials. (C) 2001 by The American Society of Hematology

Adjunctive corticosteroid treatment of clinical Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia in infants less than 18 months of age – a randomised controlled trial

Objectives. To determine the efficacy and safety of adjunctive corticosteroid therapy in clinical Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PCP) in infants exposed to HIV infection. Design. Double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trial. Methods. Infants with a clinical diagnosis of PCP, based on an ‘atypical' pneumonia with: (i) hypoxia out of proportion to the clinical findings on auscultation; (ii) C-reactive protein count less than 10 mg/l; (iii) lactate dehydrogenase level above 500 IU/l; (iv) compatible chest radiograph findings; and (v) positive HIV enzyme-linked immunosorbert assay (ELISA) were included in the study. Patients were randomised to receive either prednisone or placebo. The protocol provided for the addition of prednisone to the treatment at 48 hours if there was clinical deterioration or an independent indication for steroid therapy. Other treatment was carried out in accordance with established guidelines. The primary study endpoint was in-hospital survival. Secondary outcome was time from admission to the first day of mean oxygen saturation above 90% in room air. Results. One hundred patients were included, 47 in the prednisone and 53 in the placebo group. Patients in the prednisone group had a 43% better chance of survival than the placebo group (hazard ratio (HR) 0.57, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.30 - 1.07, p=0.08). No significant differences could be demonstrated between groups with regard to other parameters of recovery. Conclusions. In HIV-exposed infants with clinical PCP, adjunctive corticosteroid treatment does not appear to add benefit regarding time to recovery or oxygen independency, but early administration may improve survival. A large multicentred trial is needed to confirm these findings.South African Medical Journal Vol. 98 (4) 2008: pp.287-29

The Tumen Triangle Documentation Project: Sourcing the Chinese-North Korean Border

For scholars, the case study of a borderland in transition may be of use. Chinese-North Korean relations along this frontier are fraught, and the interactions between the populations within and on both sides of the border are significant barometers for any number of important questions. Are markets and special economic zones near the Chinese border true levers for cultural change in the DPRK? To what extent is the border permeable when it comes to ideas, or financial flows, or environmental management? The Chinese-North Korean boundary—in our case, marked the by Tumen River from its Paektusan/Changbaishan origins until it loses itself into the void of the Sea of Japan—is one of continual exchange, activity, and controversy