Macroecology of Australian Tall Eucalypt Forests: Baseline Data from a Continental-Scale Permanent Plot Network.

Tracking the response of forest ecosystems to climate change demands large (≥1 ha) monitoring plots that are repeatedly measured over long time frames and arranged across macro-ecological gradients. Continental scale networks of permanent forest plots have identified links between climate and carbon fluxes by monitoring trends in tree growth, mortality and recruitment. The relationship between tree growth and climate in Australia has been recently articulated through analysis of data from smaller forest plots, but conclusions were limited by (a) absence of data on recruitment and mortality, (b) exclusion of non-eucalypt species, and (c) lack of knowledge of stand age or disturbance histories.

Effects of Field of View and Visual Complexity on Virtual Reality Training Effectiveness for a Visual Scanning Task.

Virtual reality training systems are commonly used in a variety of domains, and it is important to understand how the realism of a training simulation influences training effectiveness. We conducted a controlled experiment to test the effects of display and scenario properties on training effectiveness for a visual scanning task in a simulated urban environment. The experiment varied the levels of field of view and visual complexity during a training phase and then evaluated scanning performance with the simulator's highest levels of fidelity and scene complexity.

Determination of anthelmintic efficacy against Toxocara canis in dogs by use of capsule endoscopy.

Industry guidelines for anthelmintic testing call for postmortem inspection of animals to verify treatment efficacy. A previous study showed that capsule endoscopy (CE) can be performed on dogs in vivo to quantify hookworms in the small intestine. Adoption of a minimally invasive procedure such as this could reduce the need for necropsy in efficacy trials.

Tuning the Electronic Structure of Fe(II) Polypyridines via Donor Atom and Ligand Scaffold Modifications: A Computational Study.

Fe(II) polypyridines are an important class of pseudo-octahedral metal complexes known for their potential applications in molecular electronic switches, data storage and display devices, sensors, and dye-sensitized solar cells. Fe(II) polypyridines have a d(6) electronic configuration and pseudo-octahedral geometry and can therefore possess either a high-spin (quintet) or a low-spin (singlet) ground state. In this study, we investigate a series of complexes based on [Fe(tpy)2](2+) (tpy = 2,2';6',2″-terpyridine) and [Fe(dcpp)2](2+) (dcpp = 2,6-bis(2-carboxypyridyl)pyridine).

Climate-induced variations in global wildfire danger from 1979 to 2013.

Climate strongly influences global wildfire activity, and recent wildfire surges may signal fire weather-induced pyrogeographic shifts. Here we use three daily global climate data sets and three fire danger indices to develop a simple annual metric of fire weather season length, and map spatio-temporal trends from 1979 to 2013. We show that fire weather seasons have lengthened across 29.

Electron Injection from Copper Diimine Sensitizers into TiO2: Structural Effects and Their Implications for Solar Energy Conversion Devices.

Copper(I) diimine complexes have emerged as low cost replacements for ruthenium complexes as light sensitizers and electron donors, but their shorter metal-to-ligand-charge-transfer (MLCT) states lifetimes and lability of transient Cu(II) species impede their intended functions. Two carboxylated Cu(I) bis-2,9-diphenylphenanthroline (dpp) complexes [Cu(I)(dpp-O(CH2CH2O)5)(dpp-(COOH)2)](+) and [Cu(I)(dpp-O(CH2CH2O)5)(dpp-(Φ-COOH)2)](+) (Φ = tolyl) with different linker lengths were synthesized in which the MLCT-state solvent quenching pathways are effectively blocked, the lifetime of the singlet MLCT state is prolonged, and the transient Cu(II) ligands are stabilized. Aiming at understanding the mechanisms of structural influence to the interfacial charge transfer in the dye-sensitized solar cell mimics, electronic and geometric structures as well as dynamics for the MLCT state of these complexes and their hybrid with TiO2 nanoparticles were investigated using optical transient spectroscopy, X-ray transient absorption spectroscopy, time-dependent density functional theory, and quantum dynamics simulations.

Laboratory Evaluation of the Efficacy of 10 % Imidacloprid + 2.5 % Moxidectin Topical Solution (Advantage® Multi, Advocate®) for the Treatment of Dirofilaria immitis Circulating Microfilariae in Dogs.

This study examined the efficacy of 10 % imidacloprid + 2.5 % moxidectin topical solution (Advantage ® Multi, Advocate®, Bayer) for the treatment of circulating microfilariae from dogs naturally infected with Dirofilaria immitis. The study included two groups of 11 dogs each that consisted of two replicates.

A review of critical factors for assessing the dermal absorption of metal oxide nanoparticles from sunscreens applied to humans, and a research strategy to address current deficiencies.

Metal oxide nanoparticles in sunscreens provide broad-spectrum ultraviolet protection to skin. All studies to assess dermal penetration of nanoparticles have unanimously concluded that the overwhelming majority of nanoparticles remain on the outer surface of the skin. However, possibly due to many different experimental protocols in use, conclusions over the potential penetration to viable skin are mixed.

Local and global pyrogeographic evidence that indigenous fire management creates pyrodiversity.

Despite the challenges wildland fire poses to contemporary resource management, many fire-prone ecosystems have adapted over centuries to millennia to intentional landscape burning by people to maintain resources. We combine fieldwork, modeling, and a literature survey to examine the extent and mechanism by which anthropogenic burning alters the spatial grain of habitat mosaics in fire-prone ecosystems. We survey the distribution of Callitris intratropica, a conifer requiring long fire-free intervals for establishment, as an indicator of long-unburned habitat availability under Aboriginal burning in the savannas of Arnhem Land.

Identification of a lung cancer cell line deficient in atg7-dependent autophagy.

Autophagy is a major cellular process for bulk degradation of proteins and organelles in order to maintain metabolic homeostasis, and it represents an emerging target area for cancer. Initially proposed to be a cancer-restricting process for tumor initiation, recent studies suggest that autophagy can also promote cell survival in established tumors. ATG7 is an essential autophagy gene that encodes the E1 enzyme necessary for the lipidation of the LC3 family of ubiquitin-like proteins and autophagosome formation.

The Growing Public Health Challenges of Exposure to Ultraviolet Radiation From Use of Indoor Tanning Devices in the United States.

Ultraviolet radiation is recognized as a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the world's authority on cancer research. In particular, exposure to ultraviolet radiation can lead to melanoma of the skin, which is the deadliest form of skin cancer in the United States. Yet despite the significant public health burden that is associated with skin cancer in the United States, each year over a million Americans engage in indoor tanning where exposure to artificial ultraviolet radiation occurs.

Multi-wavelength holography with a single spatial light modulator for ultracold atom experiments.

We demonstrate a method to independently and arbitrarily tailor the spatial profile of light of multiple wavelengths and we show possible applications to ultracold atoms experiments. A single spatial light modulator is programmed to create a pattern containing multiple spatially separated structures in the Fourier plane when illuminated with a single wavelength. When the modulator is illuminated with overlapped laser beams of different wavelengths, the position of the structures is wavelength-dependent.

Macrocyclic lactone resistance in Dirofilaria immitis: Failure of heartworm preventives and investigation of genetic markers for resistance.

Macrocyclic lactone (ML) endectocides are used as chemoprophylaxis for heartworm infection (Dirofilaria immitis) in dogs and cats. Claims of loss of efficacy (LOE) of ML heartworm preventives have become common in some locations in the USA. We directly tested whether resistance to MLs exists in LOE isolates of D.

Fe(II)-Polypyridines as Chromophores in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells: A Computational Perspective.

Over the past two decades, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have become a viable and relatively cheap alternative to conventional crystalline silicon-based systems. At the heart of a DSSC is a wide band gap semiconductor, typically a TiO2 nanoparticle network, sensitized with a visible light absorbing chromophore. Ru(II)-polypyridines are often utilized as chromophores thanks to their chemical stability, long-lived metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) excited states, tunable redox potentials, and near perfect quantum efficiency of interfacial electron transfer (IET) into TiO2.

Canine Infections with Onchocerca lupi Nematodes, United States, 2011-2014.

Infections with Onchocerca lupi nematodes are diagnosed sporadically in the United States. We report 8 cases of canine onchocercosis in Minnesota, New Mexico, Colorado, and Florida. Identification of 1 cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene haplotype identical to 1 of 5 from Europe suggests recent introduction of this nematode into the United States.

Clinical case presentation and a review of the literature of canine onchocercosis by Onchocerca lupi in the United States.

Background: Onchocerca lupi, a filarioid of zoonotic concern, infects dogs and cats causing ocular lesions of different degrees, from minor to severe. However, infected animals do not always display overt clinical signs, rendering the diagnosis of the infection obscure to the majority of veterinarians. Canine onchocercosis has been reported in the Old World and the information on its occurrence in the United States, as well as its pathogenesis and clinical management is still meagre.

Feedbacks and landscape-level vegetation dynamics.

Alternative stable-state theory (ASS) is widely accepted as explaining landscape-level vegetation dynamics, such as switches between forest and grassland. This theory argues that webs of feedbacks stabilise vegetation composition and structure, and that abrupt state shifts can occur if stabilising feedbacks are weakened. However, it is difficult to identify stabilising feedback loops and the disturbance thresholds beyond which state changes occur.

Conjunctival habronemiasis in a square-lipped rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum).

A captive female square-lipped rhinoceros born in 1993 had been showing intermittent signs of bilateral conjunctivitis and conjunctival proliferation since 1998. Periodic improvement was noted, especially in winter, but overall the condition had deteriorated over the years. Treatment with various topical, intralesional, and systemic antibiotics and glucocorticosteroids was largely ineffective, as were repeated dewormings.

Linker dependence of interfacial electron transfer rates in Fe(II)-polypyridine sensitized solar cells.

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) convert solar energy to electricity employing dye molecules attached to a semiconductor surface. Some of the most efficient DSSCs use Ru-based chromophores. Fe-based dyes represent a cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternative to these expensive and toxic dyes.

Eucalyptus obliqua seedling growth in organic vs. mineral soil horizons.

Eucalyptus obliqua, the most widespread timber tree in Tasmania, is a pioneer after fire which can eliminate the organic layer of forest soil, exposing the underlying mineral soil. We compared seedling growth, mycorrhiza formation, and mineral nutrient limitation in organic layer vs. mineral soil.

Subspectacular nematodiasis caused by a novel Serpentirhabdias species in ball pythons (Python regius).

Subspectacular nematodiasis was diagnosed in three captive-bred juvenile ball pythons (Python regius) from two unrelated facilities within a 6-month period. The snakes were presented with similar lesions, including swelling of facial, periocular and oral tissues. Bilaterally, the subspectacular spaces were distended and filled with an opaque fluid, which contained nematodes and eggs.

Differences in grass pollen allergen exposure across Australia.

Objective: Allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma are important chronic diseases posing serious public health issues in Australia with associated medical, economic, and societal burdens. Pollen are significant sources of clinically relevant outdoor aeroallergens, recognised as both a major trigger for, and cause of, allergic respiratory diseases. This study aimed to provide a national, and indeed international, perspective on the state of Australian pollen data using a large representative sample.