The extinct marine megafauna of the Phanerozoic.

The modern marine megafauna is known to play important ecological roles and includes many charismatic species that have drawn the attention of both the scientific community and the public. However, the marine megafauna has never been assessed as a whole, nor has it been defined in deep time. Here, we review the literature to define and list the species that constitute the marine megafauna, and to explore biological and ecological patterns throughout the Phanerozoic.

Excitation Energy Transfer Dynamics from Carotenoid to Bacteriochlorophyll in the LH2 Complex of : Insights from Reconstitution Experiments with Carotenoids and B800 Bacteriochlorophyll .

Carotenoids are crucial for photosynthesis, playing key roles in light harvesting and photoprotection. In this study, spheroidene and bacteriochlorophyll (Bchl ) were reconstituted into the chromatophores of the carotenoidless mutant R26.1, resulting in the preparation of high-quality LH2 complexes.

Non-invasive ventilation in cystic fibrosis: the Australian experience over the past 24 years.

The role of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in patients with cystic fibrosis (pwCF) includes use in both the management of hypercapnic respiratory failure and as an adjunct to airway clearance techniques. We performed a retrospective review of the Australian Cystic Fibrosis Data Registry to analyse the characteristics of pwCF requiring NIV. We demonstrated that despite improvements in overall health in pwCF there is still a significant role of NIV in this population.

Geographic variability of interstitial lung disease diagnoses and impact of air pollution on disease outcomes.

Background And Objective: Anecdotal reports suggest interstitial lung disease (ILD) phenotypes vary regionally. We aimed to assess geographic variability of ILD diagnoses and impact of air quality on disease outcomes across the state of New South Wales, Australia.

Methods: Consecutive patients referred to an ILD multidisciplinary meeting, receiving referrals from across NSW (Feb 2014-Feb 2017), were included.

Photosynthetic Energy Transfer: Missing in Action (Detected Spectroscopy)?

In recent years, action-detected ultrafast spectroscopies have gained popularity offering distinct advantages over their coherently detected counterparts, such as spatially resolved and operando measurements with high sensitivity. However, there are also fundamental limitations connected to the process of signal generation in action-detected experiments. Here we perform fluorescence-detected two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy (F-2DES) of the light-harvesting II (LH2) complex from purple bacteria.

Broadband rapid-scanning phase-modulated Fourier transform electronic spectroscopy.

We present a phase-modulated approach for ultrabroadband Fourier transform electronic spectroscopy. To overcome the bandwidth limitations and spatial chirp introduced by acousto-optic modulators (AOMs), pulses from a 1 µm laser are modulated using AOMs prior to continuum generation. This phase modulation is transferred to the continuum generated in a yttrium aluminum garnet crystal.

Co-Producing Paws on Campus: A Psychoeducational Dog-Facilitated Programme for University Students Experiencing Mental Health Difficulties.

Declining student mental health is a global public health issue. Campus-based animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) are popular and effective interventions to prevent and alleviate symptoms. How to design, implement and evaluate evidence-based, student-centred interventions that enjoy sustained stakeholder buy-in and support is less known.

Standardizing feeding strategies for preterm infants born greater than 1500 grams.

Background: Use of standardized feeding protocols and donor breast milk (DBM) have been studied primarily in infants born <1500 g and not examined exclusively in infants born >1500 g.

Methods: In this retrospective pre-post-implementation cohort study, we evaluated a protocol for preterm infants born >1500 g that was implemented clinically to standardize feeding advancements at 30 mL/kg/day, with infants born <33 weeks eligible to receive DBM. We compared placement of peripherally inserted central catheters for parenteral nutrition, feeding tolerance, growth, and maternal milk provision in the 18 months before/after implementation.

Femtosecond Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy of Linear Carotenoids.

Femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (FSRS) and transient absorption data measured in a single experiment are used to determine the vibronic properties of the S state of linear carotenoids with different conjugation lengths. The Raman band corresponding to the C═C stretching mode in the S state peaks at 1799 cm (neurosporene), 1802 cm (spheroidene), and 1791 cm (lycopene). Contrary to the ground state C═C mode, variation of the C═C stretching mode in the S state is small and does not follow a linear dependence on .

DUETS for Light's in separating exudate from transudate.

Background: Fifty years since its inception, Light's criteria have aided in classifying pleural effusions (PEs) as exudates if 1 or more criteria are met. Thoracic ultrasound (US) emerges as a non-invasive technique for point of care use especially if pleural procedures are contemplated.

Objective: We aimed to develop a score based on radiological and US features that could separate exudates from transudates without serum and pleural fluid biochemical tests necessary for Light's criteria.

An adjustable acoustic metamaterial cell using a magnetic membrane for tunable resonance.

Acoustic metamaterials are growing in popularity for sound applications including noise control. Despite this, there remain significant challenges associated with the fabrication of these materials for the sub-100 Hz regime, because acoustic metamaterials for such frequencies typically require sub-mm scale features to control sound waves. Advances in additive manufacturing technologies have provided practical methods for rapid fabrication of acoustic metamaterials.

A photoheterotrophic bacterium from Iceland has adapted its photosynthetic machinery to the long days of polar summer.

During their long evolution, anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria have inhabited a wide variety of natural habitats and developed specific strategies to cope with the challenges of any particular environment. Expression, assembly, and safe operation of the photosynthetic apparatus must be regulated to prevent reactive oxygen species generation under illumination in the presence of oxygen. Here, we report on the photoheterotrophic sp.

Measuring undergraduates' understanding of the culture of scientific research as an outcome variable in research on CUREs.

Researchers who work on course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) and issues related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) retention have begun exploring changes in student thinking about what it means to be a scientist. To support this effort, we developed rubrics to score answers to three open-response prompts: What does it mean to think like a scientist? What does it mean to do science? and Did you do real research in your labs? The rubric development process was iterative and was based on input from the literature, experienced researchers, and early-career undergraduates. A analysis showed that the rubric elements map to 27 of 31 statements in the Culture of Scientific Research (CSR) framework, suggesting that scored responses to the three prompts can assess how well students understand what being a science professional entails.

Breast and colorectal cancer risks among over 6,000 CHEK2 pathogenic variant carriers: A comparison of missense versus truncating variants.

Background And Aims: Heterozygous truncating pathogenic variants (PVs) in CHEK2 confer a 1.5 to 3-fold increased risk for breast cancer and may elevate colorectal cancer risks. Less is known regarding missense variants.

Evaluation of the efficacy of asthma information videos ('Moving On Asthma') at improving knowledge in teenage children.

Introduction: Asthma is a common inflammatory condition that can be life threatening. The National Review of Asthma Deaths (2014) recommended: Parents and children…should be educated about managing asthma. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of an educational video on asthma at improving knowledge in adolescent children.

Disaster reconnaissance framework for sustainable post-disaster materials management.

A first foundational assessment is provided for disaster debris reconnaissance that includes identifying tools and techniques for reconnaissance activities, identifying challenges in field reconnaissance, and identifying and developing preliminary guidelines and standards based on advancements from a workshop held in 2022. In this workshop, reconnaissance activities were analyzed in twofold: in relation to post-disaster debris and waste materials and in relation to waste management infrastructure. A four-phase timeline was included to capture the full lifecycle of management activities ranging from collection to temporary storage to final management route: pre-disaster or pre-reconnaissance, post-disaster response (days/weeks), short-term recovery (weeks/months), and long-term recovery (months/years).

Testing anatomy: Dissecting spatial and non-spatial knowledge in multiple-choice question assessment.

Limited research has been conducted on the spatial ability of veterinary students and how this is evaluated within anatomy assessments. This study describes the creation and evaluation of a split design multiple-choice question (MCQ) assessment (totaling 30 questions divided into 15 non-spatial MCQs and 15 spatial MCQs). Two cohorts were tested, one cohort received a 2D teaching method in the academic year 2014/15 (male = 15/108, female 93/108), and the second a 3D teaching method in the academic year 2015/16 (male 14/98, female 84/98).

Rapid radiation of ant parasitic butterflies during the Miocene aridification of Africa.

Africa has undergone a progressive aridification during the last 20 My that presumably impacted organisms and fostered the evolution of life history adaptations. We test the hypothesis that shift to living in ant nests and feeding on ant brood by larvae of phyto-predaceous butterflies was an adaptive response to the aridification of Africa that facilitated the subsequent radiation of butterflies in this genus. Using anchored hybrid enrichment we constructed a time-calibrated phylogeny for and its closest, non-parasitic relatives in the section (Poloyommatini).

Intracytoplasmic-membrane development in alphaproteobacteria involves the homolog of the mitochondrial crista-developing protein Mic60.

Mitochondrial cristae expand the surface area of respiratory membranes and ultimately allow for the evolutionary scaling of respiration with cell volume across eukaryotes. The discovery of Mic60 homologs among alphaproteobacteria, the closest extant relatives of mitochondria, suggested that cristae might have evolved from bacterial intracytoplasmic membranes (ICMs). Here, we investigated the predicted structure and function of alphaproteobacterial Mic60, and a protein encoded by an adjacent gene Orf52, in two distantly related purple alphaproteobacteria, Rhodobacter sphaeroides and Rhodopseudomonas palustris.

Development of a cost-effective, morphology-preserving method for DNA isolation from bulk invertebrate trap catches: Tephritid fruit flies as an exemplar.

Insect identification and preservation of voucher specimens is integral to pest diagnostic and surveillance activities; yet bulk-trapped insects are a diagnostic challenge due to high catch numbers and the susceptibility of samples to environmental damage. Many insect trap catches rely on examination of morphological characters for species identifications, which is a time consuming and highly skilled task, hence there is a need for more efficient molecular approaches. Many bulk DNA extraction methods require destructive sampling of specimens, resulting in damaged, or fully destroyed, voucher specimens.

Intramolecular charge-transfer enhances energy transfer efficiency in carotenoid-reconstituted light-harvesting 1 complex of purple photosynthetic bacteria.

In bacterial photosynthesis, the excitation energy transfer (EET) from carotenoids to bacteriochlorophyll a has a significant impact on the overall efficiency of the primary photosynthetic process. This efficiency can be enhanced when the involved carotenoid has intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) character, as found in light-harvesting systems of marine alga and diatoms. Here, we provide insights into the significance of ICT excited states following the incorporation of a higher plant carotenoid, β-apo-8'-carotenal, into the carotenoidless light-harvesting 1 (LH1) complex of the purple photosynthetic bacterium Rhodospirillum rubrum strain G9+.

A CURE on the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance in Improves Student Conceptual Understanding.

We developed labs on the evolution of antibiotic resistance to assess the costs and benefits of replacing traditional laboratory exercises in an introductory biology course for majors with a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE). To assess whether participating in the CURE imposed a cost in terms of exam performance, we implemented a quasi-experiment in which four lab sections in the same term of the same course did the CURE labs, while all other students did traditional labs. To assess whether participating in the CURE impacted other aspects of student learning, we implemented a second quasi-experiment in which all students either did traditional labs over a two-quarter sequence or did CURE labs over a two-quarter sequence.