The role of seed rain, seed bank, and clonal growth in plant colonization of ancient and restored grasslands.

Understanding the establishment of plant species is important to inform management of restored grasslands and to preserve biodiversity in ancient grasslands. In grassland communities, plant species can establish from seeds arriving via spatial dispersal, from seeds in the soil seed bank or through vegetative spread from nearby source individuals. However, this colonization potential and the likelihood of species establishment can vary in grasslands with different land-use history.

Reduced insulin/IGF-1 signalling upregulates two anti-viral immune pathways, decreases viral load and increases survival under viral infection in C. elegans.

Reduced insulin/IGF-1 signalling (rIIS) improves survival across diverse taxa and there is a growing interest in its role in regulating immune function. Whilst rIIS can improve anti-bacterial resistance, the consequences for anti-viral immunity are yet to be systematically examined. Here, we show that rIIS in adult Caenorhabditis elegans increases the expression of key genes in two different anti-viral immunity pathways, whilst reducing viral load in old age, increasing survival and reducing rate-of-senescence under infection by naturally occurring positive-sense single-stranded RNA Orsay virus.

Could green infrastructure supplement ecosystem service provision from semi-natural grasslands?

Ancient semi-natural grasslands in Europe are important for ecosystem service (ES) provision. Often, the surrounding matrix contains 'Grassland Green Infrastructure' (GGI) that contain grassland species which have the potential to supplement grassland ES provision across the landscape. Here we investigate the potential for GGI to deliver a set of complementary ES, driven by plant composition.

Author Correction: Super-regional land-use change and effects on the grassland specialist flora.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

No genetic erosion after five generations for Impatiens glandulifera populations across the invaded range in Europe.

Background: The observation that many alien species become invasive despite low genetic diversity has long been considered the 'genetic paradox' in invasion biology. This paradox is often resolved through the temporal buildup genetic diversity through multiple introduction events. These temporal dynamics in genetic diversity are especially important for annual invasive plants that lack a persistent seed bank, for which population persistence is strongly dependent on consecutive seed 're-establishment' in each growing season.

How will the semi-natural vegetation of the UK have changed by 2030 given likely changes in nitrogen deposition?

Nitrogen deposition is known to have major impacts on contemporary ecosystems but few studies have addressed how these impacts will develop over coming decades. We consider likely changes to British semi-natural vegetation up to the year 2030 both qualitatively, based on knowledge of species responses from experimental and gradient studies, and quantitatively, based on modelling of species relationships in national monitoring data. We used historical N deposition trends and national predictions of changing deposition to calculate cumulative deposition from 1900 to 2030.

The zebrafish reference genome sequence and its relationship to the human genome.

Zebrafish have become a popular organism for the study of vertebrate gene function. The virtually transparent embryos of this species, and the ability to accelerate genetic studies by gene knockdown or overexpression, have led to the widespread use of zebrafish in the detailed investigation of vertebrate gene function and increasingly, the study of human genetic disease. However, for effective modelling of human genetic disease it is important to understand the extent to which zebrafish genes and gene structures are related to orthologous human genes.

Enrolled nurse medication administration.

This paper describes an initiative undertaken at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, Western Australia to enhance the professional development of enrolled nurses to allow them to administer medications without the direct supervision of a registered nurse. This practice change proved to be a positive step for the hospital and for enrolled nurses. Benefits for patients were identified as greater continuity of care and increased timeliness of medication admiuistrqtion.

The DNA sequence and biological annotation of human chromosome 1.

The reference sequence for each human chromosome provides the framework for understanding genome function, variation and evolution. Here we report the finished sequence and biological annotation of human chromosome 1. Chromosome 1 is gene-dense, with 3,141 genes and 991 pseudogenes, and many coding sequences overlap.

Tamponade as a rare complication of CPAP use following cardiac surgery.

A 64-year-old woman developed tamponade more than 48 hours following cardiac surgery. The cause for this was haemorrhage from the site of multiple attempted cannulations of the right internal jugular vein. However this was a secondary haemorrhage and appeared to be precipitated by the use of CPAP on the second postoperative day.

The DNA sequence and comparative analysis of human chromosome 10.

The finished sequence of human chromosome 10 comprises a total of 131,666,441 base pairs. It represents 99.4% of the euchromatic DNA and includes one megabase of heterochromatic sequence within the pericentromeric region of the short and long arm of the chromosome.

DNA sequence and analysis of human chromosome 9.

Chromosome 9 is highly structurally polymorphic. It contains the largest autosomal block of heterochromatin, which is heteromorphic in 6-8% of humans, whereas pericentric inversions occur in more than 1% of the population. The finished euchromatic sequence of chromosome 9 comprises 109,044,351 base pairs and represents >99.

The DNA sequence and analysis of human chromosome 13.

Chromosome 13 is the largest acrocentric human chromosome. It carries genes involved in cancer including the breast cancer type 2 (BRCA2) and retinoblastoma (RB1) genes, is frequently rearranged in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, and contains the DAOA locus associated with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. We describe completion and analysis of 95.

The DNA sequence and analysis of human chromosome 6.

Chromosome 6 is a metacentric chromosome that constitutes about 6% of the human genome. The finished sequence comprises 166,880,988 base pairs, representing the largest chromosome sequenced so far. The entire sequence has been subjected to high-quality manual annotation, resulting in the evidence-supported identification of 1,557 genes and 633 pseudogenes.

A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial of nebulized epinephrine in infants with acute bronchiolitis.

Background: The treatment of infants with bronchiolitis is largely supportive. The role of bronchodilators is controversial. Most studies of the use of bronchodilators have enrolled small numbers of subjects and have examined only short-term outcomes, such as clinical scores.

The DNA sequence and comparative analysis of human chromosome 20.

The finished sequence of human chromosome 20 comprises 59,187,298 base pairs (bp) and represents 99.4% of the euchromatic DNA. A single contig of 26 megabases (Mb) spans the entire short arm, and five contigs separated by gaps totalling 320 kb span the long arm of this metacentric chromosome.

Plasma histamine profiles in paediatric cardiopulmonary bypass.

We have previously reported our findings of very high plasma histamine levels in the extracorporeal blood primes of infants undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for correction of congenital cardiac defects and have now extended this enquiry to examine the whole peri-operative period. In this preliminary study, samples of blood for plasma histamine were drawn from a mixed group of congenital cardiac patients featuring varying degrees of cyanosis, differing hypothermic operative conditions and utilising two oxygenator systems. Despite the diversity of this group a common pattern of histamine release emerged with a clear origin at the commencement of bypass, and continuing during the operative period.

AIDS in ICUs: outcome.

The admission of patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) to intensive care units in the United Kingdom was surveyed in January 1986. Ninety-three intensive care units completed the questionnaire. Thirty-two patients had been admitted to 12 units up to that time.

Cardiac dysrhythmia associated with general anaesthesia for oral surgery. Its prevention by the prophylactic use of an oral beta-adrenergic blocker.

Ninety patients, divided randomly into three groups, received either no metoprolol, 50 mg or 100 mg metoprolol as an oral premedication. The electrocardiogram was monitored throughout the procedure. It was found that both doses of metoprolol significantly reduced the incidence of cardiac dysrhythmia.