Reef fishes of Saba Bank, Netherlands Antilles : Assemblage structure across a gradient of habitat types

Saba Bank is a 2,200 km2 submerged carbonate platform in the northeastern Caribbean Sea off Saba Island, Netherlands Antilles. The presence of reef-like geomorphic features and significant shelf edge coral development on Saba Bank have led to the conclusion that it is an actively growing, though wholly submerged, coral reef atoll. However, little information exists on the composition of benthic communities or associated reef fish assemblages of Saba Bank. We selected a 40 km2 area of the bank for an exploratory study. Habitat and reef fish assemblages were investigated in five shallow-water benthic habitat types that form a gradient from Saba Bank shelf edge to lagoon. Significant coral cover was restricted to fore reef habitat (average cover 11.5%) and outer reef flat habitat (2.4%) and declined to near zero in habitats of the central lagoon zone. Macroalgae dominated benthic cover in all habitats (average cover: 32.5 – 48.1%) but dominant algal genera differed among habitats. A total of 97 fish species were recorded. The composition of Saba Bank fish assemblages differed among habitat types. Highest fish density and diversity occurred in the outer reef flat, fore reef and inner reef flat habitats. Biomass estimates for commercially valued species in the reef zone (fore reef and reef flat habitats) ranged between 52 and 83 g/m2. The composition of Saba Bank fish assemblages reflects the absence of important nursery habitats, as well as the effects of past fishing. The relatively high abundance of large predatory fish (i.e. groupers and sharks), which is generally considered an indicator of good ecosystem health for tropical reef systems, shows that an intact trophic network is still present on Saba Bank

Spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of Saba Island, Lesser Antilles: Unusually high species richness indicates the Caribbean Biodiversity Hotspot is woefully undersampled

Saba Island (Caribbean Netherlands) is one of the northernmost islands of the Lesser Antilles. It is only 13 square kilometers but contains a wide variety of potential spider habitats including dry, moist, and elfin forests. As part of a collaborative effort between Conservation International and Saba Conservation Foundation, during a several week period in March and May 2008 we briefly surveyed the island for spiders and other arthropods. This survey, the first for spiders of Saba, resulted in the identification of 18 families and 76 spider species, including six new species that will be described elsewhere and may be endemic to Saba. The species richness of Saba’s spider fauna is considerably higher than that reported from other small Caribbean islands. We conclude this is probably a combined result of undersampling and lower habitat diversity on these other islands

Insights into frequent asthma exacerbations from a primary care perspective and the implications of UK National Review of Asthma Deaths recommendations

The United Kingdom National Review of Asthma Deaths (NRAD) recommends that patients who require ≥3 courses of oral corticosteroids (OCS) for exacerbations in the past year or those on British Thoracic Society (BTS) Step 4/5 treatment must be referred to a specialist asthma service. The aim of the study was to identify the proportion of asthma patients in primary care that fulfil NRAD criteria for specialist referral and factors associated with frequent exacerbations. A total of 2639 adult asthma patients from 10 primary care practices in Glasgow, UK were retrospectively studied between 2014 and 2015. Frequent exacerbators and short-acting β2-agonist (SABA) over-users were identified if they received ≥2 confirmed OCS courses for asthma and ≥13 SABA inhalers in the past year, respectively. Community dispensing data were used to assess treatment adherence defined as taking ≥75% of prescribed inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) dose. The study population included 185 (7%) frequent exacerbators, 137 (5%) SABA over-users, and 319 (12%) patients on BTS Step 4/5 treatment. Among frequent exacerbators, 41% required BTS Step 4/5 treatment, 46% had suboptimal ICS adherence, 42% had not attended an asthma review in the past year and 42% had no previous input from a specialist asthma service. Older age, female gender, BTS Step 4/5, SABA over-use and co-existing COPD diagnosis increased the risk of frequent exacerbations independently. Fourteen per 100 asthma patients would fulfil the NRAD criteria for specialist referral. Better collaboration between primary and secondary care asthma services is needed to improve chronic asthma care

Synthesis and structure of trans-1,2,3-tris(3-thenoyl)cyclopropane: erratum

Misleading statements in the paper by Saba [Acta Cryst. (1994), C50, 271-274] concerning the resolution of the enantiomers are corrected

SEJARAH SINGKAT LEGONG KERATON SABA

Tari Legong Keraton adalah salah satu tari kelasik yang dipercaya sebagai sumber inspirasi munculnya tari-tari kreasi baru di Bali. Tari Legong adalah berasal dari desa Sukawati, yaitu di Puri Paang Sukawati. Dari Sukawati legong berkembang kebergagai pelosok desa di Bali seperti; di Puri Agung desa Saba ( sekarang di Puri Taman Saba), di Peliatan, di Bedulu, di Benoh Denpasar, dan lain sebagainya. Di desa Saba yaitu di Puri Saba tari legong keraton, menurut I Gusti Gede Raka sudah ada sekitar tahun 1911, dibawah pimpinan serta asuhan I Gusti Gede Oka yang bergelar Anak Agung di desa Saba, yaitu kakek beliau sendiri. IGusti Gede Oka dengan membawa calon penari datang ke Sukawati, belajar tari legong di desa Sukawati yaitu di Puri Paang, dengan guru tarinya pada waktu itu adalah Anak Agung Rai Perit. Di atas tahun 1920-an kepemimpinan sekha legong di Saba yang juga merangkap sebagai pelatih dan pembina seka legong di Saba adalah putra beliau bernama I Gusti Bagus Jelantik sampai tahun 1940-an, yang mana beliau juga belajar di Puri paang Sukawati. Di atas tahun 1945-an kepemimpinan sekha legong yang juga merangkap sebagai pelatih dan pembina adalah I Gusti gede Raka yaitu keponakan dari I Gusti Bagus Jelantik, yang lebih dikenal dengan sebutan Anak Agung Raka Saba, karena beliau adalah orang Puri

Repetitive Sequence Variations in the Promoter Region of the Adhesin-Encoding Gene sabA of Helicobacter pylori Affect Transcription

The pathogenesis of diseases elicited by the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori is partially determined by the effectiveness of adaptation to the variably acidic environment of the host stomach. Adaptation includes appropriate adherence to the gastric epithelium via outer membrane protein adhesins such as SabA. The expression of sabA is subject to regulation via phase variation in the promoter and coding regions as well as repression by the two-component system ArsRS. In this study, we investigated the role of a homopolymeric thymine [poly(T)] tract -50 to -33 relative to the sabA transcriptional start site in H. pylori strain J99. We quantified sabA expression in H. pylori J99 by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR), demonstrating significant changes in sabA expression associated with experimental manipulations of poly(T) tract length. Mimicking the length increase of this tract by adding adenines instead of thymines had similar effects, while the addition of other nucleotides failed to affect sabA expression in the same manner. We hypothesize that modification of the poly(T) tract changes DNA topology, affecting regulatory protein interaction(s) or RNA polymerase binding efficiency. Additionally, we characterized the interaction between the sabA promoter region and ArsR, a response regulator affecting sabA expression. Using recombinant ArsR in electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA), we localized binding to a sequence with partial dyad symmetry -20 and +38 relative to the sabA + 1 site. The control of sabA expression by both ArsRS and phase variation at two distinct repeat regions suggests the control of sabA expression is both complex and vital to H. pylori infection

Biodiversity of the Saba Bank supports status of Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA)

This report contains a study regarding the biodiversity of the Saba Bank, one of the three largest atolls in the world. All scientific and anecdotic evidence suggests that the area is a hot spot of biodiversity and one of the few areas in the Caribbean that is still in a relatively pristine condition. The atoll is likely also important as a source of larvae for other areas in the region because of its enormous dimensions and diverse habitats. Major damage however may already be inflicted by the anchoring of large oil tankers. More scientific research is necessary with regards to the damage inflicted by anchoring and to the sustainability of current fishing practices, but to date there is already sufficient data to call for strong protection of the Saba Bank as soon as possible. Therefore, an application to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to designate the Saba Bank as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) in order to prevent possibly irreversible damage to the ecosystem and to enable sustainable protection of it’s vulnerable resources seems crucial and urgent

Additive efficacy of short-acting bronchodilators on dynamic hyperinflation and exercise tolerance in stable COPD patients treated with long-acting bronchodilators

The purpose of this study was to clarify the additive efficacy of short-acting beta(2)-agonists (SABA) or muscarinic antagonists (SAMA) on dynamic hyperinflation and exercise tolerance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who had been treated with long-acting bronchodilators. Thirty-two patients with stable COPD who had been treated with long-acting bronchodilators, including long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA), were examined by pulmonary function tests, dynamic hyperinflation evaluated by the method of step-wise metronome-paced incremental hyperventilation, and the incremental shuttle walking test before and after inhalation of SABA or SAMA. The additive efficacy of the two drugs was analyzed. Inhalation of SABA and SAMA improved airflow limitation and dynamic hyperinflation in stable COPD patients who had been treated with LAMA. Inhalation of SABA decreased respiratory resistance and the difference in respiratory resistance at 5 Hz and 20 Hz. On the whole, the additive efficacy of SABA on airflow limitation and dynamic hyperinflation was superior to that of SAMA. Furthermore, inhalation of SABA resulted in relief of breathlessness during exercise and significant improvement in exercise capacity. Inhalation of SABA resulted in significant improvement in exercise tolerance, which may have been due to improvement in dynamic hyperinflation. Single use of SABA before exercise, in addition to regular treatment with LAMA, may therefore be useful in stable COPD patients.ArticleRESPIRATORY MEDICINE. 107(3):394-400 (2013)journal articl

KUALITAS AIR PAMSIMAS DESA SABA KABUPATEN GIANYAR DITINJAU DARI SIFAT FISIK, KIMIA DAN MIKROBIOLOGI

Pemeriksaan terhadap PAMSIMAS Desa Saba di beberapa titik sambungan oleh UPTD Laboratorium Kesehatan Kabupaten Gianyar tahun 2019 melaporkan bahwa bak penampungan air PAMSIMAS di Banjar Sema, Desa Saba telah mengalami pencemaran. Maka peneliti melakukan penelitian kualitas air PAMSIMAS di Desa Saba Kabupaten Gianyar ditinjau dari sifat fisik, kimia dan mikrobiologi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui kualitas air PAMSIMAS di Desa Saba, Kabupaten Gianyar. Data penelitian dianalisis secara deskriptif komparatif mengacu pada Peraturan Menteri Kesehatan Republik Indonesia Nomor 32 Tahun 2017 dan Peraturan Gubernur Bali No.16 tahun 2016. Pengambilan sampel dilakukan sebanyak 2 (dua) kali di PAMSIMAS Desa Saba, Kabupaten Gianyar dengan jumlah sampel masing-masing pada setiap pengambilan sebanyak 7 (tujuh) sampel (7 stasiun Penelitian), sehingga jumlah sampel dalam penelitian ini adalah 14 (empat belas) sampel. Sedangkan parameter kualitas air yang diteliti sebanyak 15 (lima belas) parameter yang meliputi parameter fisik, kimia dan mikrobiologi. Dari 15 (lima belas) parameter yang diteliti, menunjukkan bahwa terdapat 3 (tiga) parameter kualitas air yang melampaui standar baku mutu lingkungan yaitu parameter BOD, COD dan Escherichia coli dengan nilai rata-rata BOD, COD dan Escherichia coli berturut-turut 9,48 mg/L; 17,41 mg/L dan 3,64 MPN/100 mL. Kualitas air PAMSIMAS Desa Saba, Kabupaten Gianyar memenuhi syarat jika ditinjau dari sifat fisik tetapi dari sifat kimia dan mikrobiologi kualitas air PAMSIMAS Desa Saba tidak memenuhi syarat sebagai bahan baku air minum

The Communicative Roles of Saba the Wind in Hafez’s Poetry

Many natural elements are present in Hafez’ poetry, one of which is Saba Wind. From the viewpoint of communication sciences, Saba Wind demonstrates the components and concepts of a communication process. Saba Wind has many communicative roles in Hafez’ poetry: an informed source; a sender giving information; it conveys the message; as a channel, it transmits concepts and messages; it is sometimes a harbinger; it receives messages; it shapes meaning in the mind of the receiver. Performing case studies of Hafez’ poems and comparing and contrasting these cases resulted in a tree diagram which shows that Saba Wind plays six major roles consisting of eight subcategories. Analyzing the communicative roles of Saba Wind, this paper is intended to investigate the quality and degree of its roles