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The release of RNA-containing extracellular vesicles (EV) into the extracellular milieu has been demonstrated in a multitude of different in vitro cell systems and in a variety of body fluids. RNA-containing EV are in the limelight for their capacity to communicate genetically encoded messages to other cells, their suitability as candidate biomarkers for diseases, and their use as therapeutic agents. Although EV-RNA has attracted enormous interest from basic researchers, clinicians, and industry, we currently have limited knowledge on which mechanisms drive and regulate RNA incorporation into EV and on how RNA-encoded messages affect signalling processes in EV-targeted cells. Moreover, EV-RNA research faces various technical challenges, such as standardisation of EV isolation methods, optimisation of methodologies to isolate and characterise minute quantities of RNA found in EV, and development of approaches to demonstrate functional transfer of EV-RNA in vivo. These topics were discussed at the 2015 EV-RNA workshop of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles. This position paper was written by the participants of the workshop not only to give an overview of the current state of knowledge in the field, but also to clarify that our incomplete knowledge – of the nature of EV(-RNA)s and of how to effectively and reliably study them – currently prohibits the implementation of gold standards in EV-RNA research. In addition, this paper creates awareness of possibilities and limitations of currently used strategies to investigate EV-RNA and calls for caution in interpretation of the obtained data.
The Birds of the Highlands of South-West Saudi Arabia and adjacent parts of the Tihama: July 2010
(2010)
The objective of the survey was to compare habitats and bird life in the Asir region, particularly Jebal Souda and the Raydah escarpment protected area of the Saudi Wildlife Commission, and adjacent regions of the tihama, with those observed in July 1987 (Jennings, et al., 1988). The two surveys were approximately the same length and equal amounts of time were spent in the highlands and on the tihama. A number of walked censuses were carried out during 2010 on Jebal Souda, using the same methodology as walked censuses in 1987, and the results are compared. Broadly speaking the comparison of censuses revealed that in 2010 there were less birds and reduced diversity on the Jebal Souda plateau, compared to 1987. However in the Raydah reserve the estimates of breeding bird populations compiled in the mid 1990s was little changed as far as could be assessed in 2010. The highland region of south-west Saudi Arabia, especially Jebal Souda, has been much developed since the 1987 survey and is now an important internal recreation and resort area. This has lead to a reduction in the region’s importance for terraced agriculture. These changes may be a contributing factor to changes in bird numbers on the plateau. Subsidiary tasks that arose during the 2010 survey were to help locate satellite tagged Bald Ibises Geronticus eremita from Syria which were transiting Saudi Arabia at the time. Secondly to search for the Asir subspecies of the Eurasian Magpie Pica pica asirensis, which is endemic to the south-west Saudi Arabia highlands, and is reported to be in decline. A separate team searching for the Bald Ibis located some individuals and one was found dead. Few Magpies were located and it seems clear that this very scarce bird has declined further in numbers in recent years. A number of interesting records of birds were obtained, especially on the tihama, where two new birds for Saudi Arabia were observed, Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala and Painted Snipe Rostratula benghalensis and one species, Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus was found breeding for the first time in the Arabian Peninsula. Some recommendations for the protection and management of the Raydah reserve are presented. A systematic list of all birds seen is provided.
The genus Squamidium, a group of mosses with a tropical to subtropical American-African distribution, consists of two sections and seven species (prior to this study 27 species were recognized): sect. Squamidium (S. leucotrichum, S. livens, S. isocladum, S. nigricans, S. brasiliense) and sect. Macrosquamidium (S. macrocarpum and S. diversicoma). Twenty-four names are treated as syn. nov., three are provisionally excluded pending an examination of their types, and one new combination is made: Orthostichopsis pilotrichelloides (Sehnem) Allen & Crosby. Section Squamidium ist characterized by immersed capsules, stolon leaves with entire margins, and a relatively high basal membrane. Section Macrosquamidium is characterized by exserted capsules, stolon leaves with sharply recurved marginal teeth, and a relatively low basal membrane. The genus is retained in the Meteoriaceae. Within the Meteoriaceae Squamidium, is most closely related to Zelotmeteorium from which it differs only by its lack of squarrose-recurved leaves and its more well-developed alar cells. Squamidium, which in the absence of sporophytes has been confused consistently with Orthostichopsis, is separated from that genus on the basis of its lack of pseudoparaphyllia, weaker costae, lack of a distinct region of reddish cells across the leaf base, and strongly decurrent alar cells.
Background: Pythium ultimum (P. ultimum) is a ubiquitous oomycete plant pathogen responsible for a variety of diseases on a broad range of crop and ornamental species. Results: The P. ultimum genome (42.8 Mb) encodes 15,290 genes and has extensive sequence similarity and synteny with related Phytophthora species, including the potato blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans. Whole transcriptome sequencing revealed expression of 86% of genes, with detectable differential expression of suites of genes under abiotic stress and in the presence of a host. The predicted proteome includes a large repertoire of proteins involved in plant pathogen interactions although surprisingly, the P. ultimum genome does not encode any classical RXLR effectors and relatively few Crinkler genes in comparison to related phytopathogenic oomycetes. A lower number of enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism were present compared to Phytophthora species, with the notable absence of cutinases, suggesting a significant difference in virulence mechanisms between P. ultimum and more host specific oomycete species. Although we observed a high degree of orthology with Phytophthora genomes, there were novel features of the P. ultimum proteome including an expansion of genes involved in proteolysis and genes unique to Pythium. We identified a small gene family of cadherins, proteins involved in cell adhesion, the first report in a genome outside the metazoans. Conclusions: Access to the P. ultimum genome has revealed not only core pathogenic mechanisms within the oomycetes but also lineage specific genes associated with the alternative virulence and lifestyles found within the pythiaceous lineages compared to the Peronosporaceae.
The purpose of this study of early social-cognitive development was to assess the very young child's behaviorally expressed knowledge of people's visual-attentional acts and abilities. Boys and girls (N = 60) 1, 1 1/2, 2, 2 1/2, and 3 years of age were tested in their homes with their mothers' help. Three sorts of tasks were used: 1. Percept production. The child's task was to produce a visual percept in the other. Examples include pointing to objects ("productive pointing") and a wide variety of object-showing problems. 2. Percept deprivation. The opposite, exemplified by a variety of object-hiding problems. 3. Percept diagnosis. The child's task was to determine what the other was already visually attending to, either by looking where his or her finger was pointed ("receptive pointing") or where his eyes were directed. It was found that the majority of l-year-olds produced and comprehended pointing, and would sometimes hold out a toy to show it, but did little else. The 3-year-olds were at ceiling on virtually all tasks. At 1 1/2 years, children usually showed a picture by holding it flat so that both they and the other could see it. From 2 on, they usually turned it toward the other in the adult fashion. Very few children of any age showed egocentrically - i.e., orienting the picture so only they could see it. By age 2, the children solved what were presumably novel showing problems for them: e.g., successfully showing to another a picture pasted on the inside bottom of a hollow cube. Hiding ability emerged later than showing ability but seemed well established by age 3. The role of the other's eyes in seeing appeared to be quite well understood at least by age 2-2 1/2. As examples, children of this age took the other's hands away from her or his eyes before trying to show her something, and could usually tell where she was looking from her eye orientation alone. These age trends presumably reflect important developments in the area of social interaction and communication, as well as with respect to cognition about percepts.
Hatching asynchrony and the onset of incubation in birds revisited : when is the critical period?
(1995)
1. Birds are unique among animals in being able to influence the birthing intervals of their young through the timing of the onset incubation. However, many species hatch their young asynchronously, frequently resulting in reduced survivorship for later-hatched young. This is the Paradox of Hatching Asynchrony. 2. The Brood Reduction Hypothesis provided a resolution to the paradox by suggesting an adaptive function to the offspring mortality that results from asynchrony. Experimental tests have provided little support, and 16 alternative hypotheses have been proposed, but few have been tested. Most experimental tests have not measured important parameters such as parental effort and postfledging survival. Many have lacked adequate controls or sufficient statistical power. 3. We divide the hypotheses for hatching asynchrony into four categories based on the effects of intrinsic or extrinsic factors during a critical period of the nesting cycle which constrains reproductive success. Hatching asynchrony could be simply the consequence of the early onset of incubation during egg-laying, either as a result of physiological constraints on incubation or because parents derive fitness benefits from the protective function of early incubation. During the nestling period, hatching asynchrony could be adaptive if it allowed parents to eliminate one or more nestlings selectively, or increased parental efficiency. Alternatively, parents could manipulate the duration of the different periods of the nesting cycle to maximize benefits. 4. Because the onset of incubation generally determines hatching patterns, we encourage refocusing attention from the search for adaptive hatching patterns during the nestling period to the events surrounding the onset of incubation during egg-laying. Many factors can affect when incubation is begun, including physiology, and interactions with the environment, predators, competitors, and mates. 5. Patterns of the onset of incubation are difficult to determine and to quantify, in part because many birds begin incubating gradually, or at night. In some species, the onset of incubation varies with clutch size, but not in others. 6. The onset of incubation is the principle proximate control of hatching patterns, but other factors, such as egg size, embryonic vocalizations, and time of year may also affect hatching patterns. 7. Synchronous hatching is the primitive condition in birds, and is widespread in the lower, primarily precocial taxa. Most altricial species hatch their eggs asynchronously, although some exhibit synchrony as a secondarily derived trait. Hatching patterns show wide variation within some orders and families. 8. Patterns of the onset of incubation and hatching in a species may reflect the influence of multiplefactors. The relative importance of those factors may depend on the trade-offs associated with the potential benefits of early incubation to the survival of eggs and the potential costs to the survivor of later-hatching young associatedwith nestling size hierarchies. 9. The relative effects of multiple factors can be examined by integrating the results of empirical tests of single factors through modeling. 10. We demonstrated the use of a stochastic model by using empirical data from the House Sparrow. Results revealed the trade-offs inherent in the onset of incubation from differences in egg viability and nestling survivorship. An intermediate onset of incubation produced the greatest fledging success. 11. Other factors may be integrated into such models if they can be measured in terms of their effects on fledging success. Different factors, represented by different hypotheses, vary in how readily they may be modeled.
The ( J, T ) = (1, 1) parity doublet in 20Ne at 11.26 MeV is a good candidate to study parity violation in nuclei. However, its energy splitting is known with insufficient accuracy for quantitative estimates of parity violating effects. To improve on this unsatisfactory situation, nuclear resonance fluorescence experiments using linearly and circularly polarized γ -ray beams were used to determine the energy difference of the parity doublet E = E(1−) − E(1+) = −3.2(±0.7)stat( +0.6 −1.2)sys keV and the ratio of their integrated cross sections I (+) s,0 /I (−) s,0 = 29(±3)stat( +14 −7 )sys. Shell-model calculations predict a parityviolating matrix element having a value in the range 0.46–0.83 eV for the parity doublet. The small energy difference of the parity doublet makes 20Ne an excellent candidate to study parity violation in nuclear excitations.
Background: There is no international consensus up to which age women with a diagnosis of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and no family history of breast or ovarian cancer should be offered genetic testing for germline BRCA1 and BRCA2 (gBRCA) mutations. Here, we explored the association of age at TNBC diagnosis with the prevalence of pathogenic gBRCA mutations in this patient group.
Methods: The study comprised 802 women (median age 40 years, range 19–76) with oestrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 negative breast cancers, who had no relatives with breast or ovarian cancer. All women were tested for pathogenic gBRCA mutations. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the association between age at TNBC diagnosis and the presence of a pathogenic gBRCA mutation.
Results: A total of 127 women with TNBC (15.8%) were gBRCA mutation carriers (BRCA1: n = 118, 14.7%; BRCA2: n = 9, 1.1%). The mutation prevalence was 32.9% in the age group 20–29 years compared to 6.9% in the age group 60–69 years. Logistic regression analysis revealed a significant increase of mutation frequency with decreasing age at diagnosis (odds ratio 1.87 per 10 year decrease, 95%CI 1.50–2.32, p < 0.001). gBRCA mutation risk was predicted to be > 10% for women diagnosed below approximately 50 years.
Conclusions: Based on the general understanding that a heterozygous mutation probability of 10% or greater justifies gBRCA mutation screening, women with TNBC diagnosed before the age of 50 years and no familial history of breast and ovarian cancer should be tested for gBRCA mutations. In Germany, this would concern approximately 880 women with newly diagnosed TNBC per year, of whom approximately 150 are expected to be identified as carriers of a pathogenic gBRCA mutation.
The identity of Barbus capensis, as described by Andrew Smith (1841), is reviewed following a careful examination of the lectotype in the Natural History Museum, London. Evidence shows clearly that it represents a specimen of the Berg-Breede River whitefish or ‘witvis’ and not the species known as the Clanwilliam yellowfish, to which it was attributed until recently. The original illustration of the species is shown to be a composite of these two different species. A replacement name for the Clanwilliam yellowfish is drawn from the earliest described synonym, Labeobarbus seeberi (Gilchrist & Thompson, 1913). Following widespread recognition that the genus Barbus Daudin, 1805 does not occur in sub-Saharan Africa, the generic status of the Berg-Breede River whitefish (witvis) and other tetraploid cyprinines of southern Africa is reviewed, taking genetic and morphological characters into account. Five distinct lineages, each representing a genus, are recognized, including the genera Pseudobarbus Smith, 1841 and Cheilobarbus Smith, 1841, and three new genera described herein: Amatolacypris gen. nov., Sedercypris gen. nov. and Namaquacypris gen. nov.
Plant species first recognised as naturalised or naturalising for New South Wales in 2004 and 2005
(2011)
Information is provided on the taxonomy and distribution of 62 taxa of naturalised or naturalising plantsm newly recorded for the state of New South Wales during the period 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2005 and 1 species treated in the 2002 revised Flora of New South Wales Volume 2 but overlooked in an earlier paper of this series. Of these taxa, 17 are new records for Australia (prefaced with a †). The 62 taxa are: Acer palmatum, †Acer saccharinum, Achillea filipendulina, Acokanthera oblongifolia, †Anemone hupehensis var. japonica, Berberis aquifolium, †Bidens aurea, †Brugmansia suaveolens, Brugmansia x candida, Buddleja dysophylla, †Convolvulus farinosus, Cordyline australis, Coriandrum sativum, Corymbia citriodora (Australian species naturalised outside its native range), Crassula ericoides subsp. ericoides, Crotalaria retusa (Australian species naturalised outside its native range), Cyperus prolifer, Echinochloa polystachya, Ficus carica, †Gladiolus dalenii, †Gladiolus cultivar, Hakea laurina (Western Australian species), Hemerocallis fulva var. fulva, Hieracium pilosella, Hydrangea macrophylla, Hydrocleys nymphoides, Hymenachne amplexicaulis, Hypericum calycinum, Impatiens balfouri, Indigofera spicata, Iris laevigata, †Juglans ailantifolia, Lilium lancifolium, Lygodium japonicum, Malephora crocea, Mauranthemum paludosum, Melastoma malabathricum, †Nassella tenuissima, Pelargonium quercifolium, †Phoenix reclinata, Phormium tenax, Pinus contorta, Podranea ricasoliana, †Polygonatum x hybridum, Polypremum procumbens, †Primula malacoides, Rhaphiolepis umbellata, Romneya coulteri, Romneya trichocalyx, Setaria incrassata, †Sideritis lanata, †Sorbus aucuparia, Spartium junceum, Stylosanthes guianensis, Stylosanthes humilis, †Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus, Syzygium paniculatum (Australian species naturalising outside its native range), Tibouchina urvilleana, †Tradescantia cerinthoides, †Utricularia sandersonii, Washingtonia filifera and Zephyranthes carinata. The overlooked species is Eugenia uniflora.
Information is provided on the taxonomy and distribution of 71 taxa of naturalised or naturalising plants newly recorded for the state of New South Wales during the period 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2003. Of these taxa, 32 are new records for Australia (prefaced with a †). These species are: Abutilon pictum, Acanthus mollis, †Aesculus indica (naturalising), Agapanthus praecox subsp. orientalis, Ajuga reptans, †Anigozanthos flavidus, Aquilegia vulgaris, Arbutus unedo, †Athertonia diversifolia (naturalising), †Bergenia x schmidtii (naturalising), Bromus catharticus subsp. stamineus, Bryophyllum daigremontianum, Bryophyllum fedtschenkoi, Calyptocarpus vialis, †Ceiba speciosa (naturalising), Cereus uruguayanus, †Cestrum x cultum, †Chamaecyparis lawsoniana, Cistus salviifolius, †Clematis montana, †Coprosma x cunninghamii, Coprosma robusta, Cornus capitata, Cotoneaster simonsii, Cotoneaster x watereri group, Crinum moorei, Cupressus lusitanica, †Cylindropuntia fulgida var. mamillata forma monstrosa, †Cylindropuntia prolifera, Cylindropuntia tunicata, Desmanthus virgatus, Drosanthemum candens, †Elaeagnus umbellata (naturalising), †Eragrostis trichophora, †Eupatorium lindleyanum, †Gibasis pellucida, Glechoma hederacea, †Hesperis matronalis, Hieracium aurantiacum subsp. carpathicola, †Inga edulis (naturalising), †Juniperus conferta (naturalising), †Justicia caudata, Lamium galeobdolon, Lathyrus tingitanus, †Lysimachia fortunei, †Maackia amurensis, †Monstera deliciosa, †Murdannia keisak, Odontonema tubaeforme, Oxalis vallicola, Phoenix canariensis, †Physostegia virginiana, Pinus patula, Pittosporum eugenioides, †Pittosporum ralphii, Pittosporum tenuifolium, Plectranthus ecklonii, †Potentilla vesca, †Prunus campanulata, †Rhododendron ponticum, Rosa luciae, Rubus rugosus, Ruellia squarrosa, †Senna multijuga, Stapelia gigantea, Stephanophysum longifolium, Strobilanthes anisophylla, †Tabebuia chrysotricha, †Tabebuia impetiginosa, †Tradescantia pallida and Ulmus x hollandica. Additional notes and name changes are recorded for plants first recognised as naturalised for New South Wales over the period 2000–2001. The identification of several naturalised taxa occurring in New South Wales has been corrected. Plants formerly identified as Pinus nigra var. corsicana are now considered to be Pinus halepensis; Cylindropuntia arbuscula is Cylindropuntia kleiniae, Cylindropuntia tunicata is Cylindropuntia rosea, Abrus precatorius subp. precatorius is now Abrus precatorius subsp. africanus and Cotoneaster ?horizontalis is Cotoneaster microphyllus. Further field studies have revealed that Cylindropuntia leptocaulis, Cylindropuntia spinosior, Hypericum kouytchense and Chamaesyce ophthalmica are more widespread than previously thought.
Palms are ubiquitous as landscaping plants in many urban areas. Dispersed by frugivorous birds and often tolerated as self-seeded plants by the property owners, Phoenix canariensis (Canary Islands date palms) and two species of fan palms (Washingtonia robusta and Washingtonia filifera) in particular, have become established in many urban spaces. This paper examines the establishment of such self-seeded palms as epiphytic growth in crooks and branch scars of suburban street trees. Given the limited nutrient availability and the restricted space for rootmass development, these palms undergo a natural bonsai process. Some palms have persisted for over a decade without reaching sexual maturity. While the epiphytic growth demonstrates the palms' further dispersal capability, it does not appear to increase their potential invasiveness into new areas of land.
Labahitha spiders (Arachnida: Araneae: Filistatidae) from islands in the Indian and Pacific Ocean
(2022)
The genus Labahitha has hitherto comprised two species from peninsular Malaysia and Christmas Island (Australia). We here demonstrate that the genus is widespread in islands and territories across the Indian and Pacific Oceans, including the following species that have been previously assigned to other filistatid genera: Labahitha marginata (Kishida, 1936) comb. nov. (= Filistata bakeri Berland, 1938 syn. nov.), Labahitha garciai (Simon, 1892) comb. nov. (= Pritha heikkii Saaristo, 1978 syn. nov., = Pritha sechellana Benoit, 1978 syn. nov.), Labahitha nicobarensis (Tikader, 1977) comb. nov., Labahitha littoralis (Roewer, 1938) comb. nov., Labahitha insularis (Thorell, 1891) comb. nov., Labahitha sundaica (Kulczyński, 1908) comb. nov. (all transferred from Pritha, the latter three provisionally, pending re-examination of the type material); Labahitha fuscata (Nakatsudi, 1943) comb. nov. and Labahitha ryukyuensis (Ono, 2013) comb. nov. (both transferred from Tricalamus). Many of these species have been collected in synanthropic settings and from disparate islands thousands of kilometers apart. This suggests either high dispersal capabilities or, more likely, human-mediated introductions. At least L. marginata has been introduced to continental America. Two new species of Labahitha are described: Labahitha platnicki sp. nov. from New Caledonia and the Bismarck Islands and Labahitha incerta sp. nov. from Queensland, Australia. The male of Labahitha gibsonhilli (Savory, 1943) is reported for the first time. Wandella loloata sp. nov. is described from Papua New Guinea, representing the first record of this genus outside Australia. Pritha hasselti (Simon, 1906) from Indonesia is shown to be a Filistatinae, and thus the species is provisionally transferred back to Filistata.
Many aspects of the biology of Genoplesium baueri R.Br. (Orchidaceae) an endangered terrestrial orchid endemic to New South Wales, Australia, remain unknown. In this study observations were made on (1) plant morphology; (2) the biology of the fruit and seeds; (3) the biology of the plant tuber and the spatial patterning of emergent plants ; (4) the morphology of the pollen and the identity of pollen vectors and (5) to develop a preliminary description of the lifecycle of the orchid, by carrying out annual surveys of two key Genoplesium baueri populations in northern Sydney, for a 12-year period and collecting data on fruits, tubers and pollinators opportunistically. Individual plants cannot be tracked from year to year. We observed that each emergent plant produces a tubular leaf and an inflorescence of 1-15 non-resupinate flowers. Fruit capsules contained numerous tiny seeds, which were slightly larger than seeds of a closely related species, Corunastylis filiformis. The papillose surface of mature tubers of Genoplesium baueri differed greatly from the smooth, spherical tubers of Corunastylis fimbriata and is likely to be the site of orchid mycorrhizae. The occurrence of clumps of closely-packed, variously-sized tubers, each subtending single Genoplesium baueri plants, warrants investigation as development by vegetative increase at the tuber level provides one of several possible explanations. The morphology of the pollinarium and evidence of Chloropid fly-mediated pollination was observed. Our better understanding of the natural history and biology of Genoplesium baueri will contribute to orchid systematics and help inform management decisions regarding this species to ensure its persistence into the future.
Genoplesium baueri R.Br. (family Orchidaceae), an endangered terrestrial orchid species endemic to the Sydney Basin, New South Wales, Australia, is known from 13 populations but little is known about its population demographics. To assess the emergent population size, plant size and reproductive output of two key northern Sydney populations, at Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park (KCNP) and Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden (KWG), and how these fluctuate through time, intensive field surveys of these populations were carried out over a ten-year period (2009-18). Plants emerged at both sites in every year with a total of 1,249 plant counts made over the 10-year period. From this, we estimate that a total of approximately 500 perennial individuals may exist across both populations, more than previously thought. Although emergent population size did not differ between populations, we found significant differences between the populations in the other measures. The KWG population had taller plants that produced more flowers per plant than the KCNP population, while the plants in the KCNP population had more pollinated flowers and fruit per plant. All of these measures significantly fluctuated through time. This 10-year study has shown that the resilience of key Genoplesium baueri populations is greater than previously thought. However, it has also shown the boom-and-bust nature of emergence, flowering and fruit set in this species, which has highlighted the need for multiyear intensive studies when assessing likely persistence of endangered terrestrial orchid species.
Washingtonia robusta (Mexican Fan palm) is endemic to the semi-arid zone of California and northern Mexico. Dispersed globally by the horticultural trade, the species has demonstrated its ability to successfully invade disturbed areas and urban landscapes in warm temperate climates. Once established, the plant is extremely hardy. This paper presents the first documented instance of the successful establishment and growth of Washingtonia robusta in a pond in continually flooded wetlands at Albury, the first record of it naturalising in New South Wales.
Aims: The ILUVIEN Registry Safety Study is an ongoing, multicentre, open-label, observational study collecting real-world data on the safety and effectiveness of the 0.2 µg/day fluocinolone acetonide (FAc) implant in patients treated according to the European label requirements.
Methods: Patients included in this analysis were treated for the licensed indication of chronic diabetic macular oedema (cDMO; that is, DMO that persists or recurs despite treatment). Data presented in the current analysis were collected from patient records up to 6 March 2017. Visual acuity (VA) data, including mean change in VA over time and at last observation, intraocular pressure (IOP) over the course of the study, IOP events, use of IOP-lowering therapy and cup:disc ratio were analysed. Information on additional DMO treatments post-FAc implant was also captured.
Results: Five hundred and sixty-three patients (593 eyes) were enrolled on the study. Mean IOP for the overall population remained within the normal range throughout follow-up and 76.7% of patients did not require IOP-lowering therapy following treatment with the FAc implant. Sixty-nine per cent of eyes did not require additional DMO treatments. Mean VA in the overall population increased from 51.9 letters at baseline to 55.6 letters at month 12, with a significant increase of 2.9 letters at last observation. Patients with short-term cDMO experienced greater VA gains than those with long-term cDMO.
Conclusions: The results of this analysis are comparable with those of other studies, including the Fluocinolone Acetate for Macular Edema study. The study reinforces the good safety and effectiveness profile of FAc, and demonstrates the benefit of early FAc treatment.
Global change effects on biodiversity and human wellbeing call for improved long-term environmental data as a basis for science, policy and decision making, including increased interoperability, multifunctionality, and harmonization. Based on the example of two global initiatives, the International Long-Term Ecological Research (ILTER) network and the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON), we propose merging the frameworks behind these initiatives, namely ecosystem integrity and essential biodiversity variables, to serve as an improved guideline for future site-based long-term research and monitoring in terrestrial, freshwater and coastal ecosystems. We derive a list of specific recommendations of what and how to measure at a monitoring site and call for an integration of sites into co-located site networks across individual monitoring initiatives, and centered on ecosystems. This facilitates the generation of linked comprehensive ecosystem monitoring data, supports synergies in the use of costly infrastructures, fosters cross-initiative research and provides a template for collaboration beyond the ILTER and GEO BON communities.