A shared accretion instability for black holes and neutron stars.

Accretion disks around compact objects are expected to enter an unstable phase at high luminosity. One instability may occur when the radiation pressure generated by accretion modifies the disk viscosity, resulting in the cyclic depletion and refilling of the inner disk on short timescales. Such a scenario, however, has only been quantitatively verified for a single stellar-mass black hole.

(Ericaceae), a new species from northeastern Yunnan (China), based on morphological and genomic data.

Y.H. Chang, J.

Unconventional Practice, "Innovative" Interventions and the National Law.

This column explores a recent health profession disciplinary case which throws light on the problems of unconventional interventions by medical practitioners under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009 (Qld). The case involved "innovative" practices which were later found to have been scientifically unsupported, dangerous to patients and grounds for cancelling the health practitioner's registration. This column looks at common features of these kinds of cases in Australia and then examines recent attempts by the Medical Board of Australia to draft policy guidance around the use of unconventional practice in medicine.

Management of People With a Fontan Circulation: a Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand Position statement.

The Fontan circulation describes the circulatory state resulting from an operation in congenital heart disease where systemic venous return is directed to the lungs without an intervening active pumping chamber. As survival increases, so too does recognition of the potential health challenges. This document aims to allow clinicians, people with a Fontan circulation, and their families to benefit from consensus agreement about management of the person with a Fontan circulation.

Simultaneous X-Ray and Infrared Observations of Sagittarius A*'s Variability.

Emission from Saggitarius A* is highly variable at both X-ray and infrared (IR) wavelengths. Observations over the last ~20 yr have revealed X-ray flares that rise above a quiescent thermal background about once per day, while faint X-ray flares from Sgr A* are undetectable below the constant thermal emission. In contrast, the IR emission of Sgr A* is observed to be continuously variable.