The Development of DNA Markers to Resolve Uncertainties of Seabird Bycatch Identification From Longline Fisheries in Australian Waters.

Incidental mortality in fisheries is a major driver of population declines for albatrosses and petrels globally. However, accurate identification of species can be difficult due to the poor condition of bycaught birds and/or visual similarities between closely related species. We assessed three genetic markers for their ability to distinguish the 36 albatross and petrel species listed in Annex 1 to the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) and in Australia's Threat Abatement Plan (TAP) for the bycatch of seabirds during oceanic longline fishing operations.

Baseline Characteristics of Participants in STAREE: A Randomized Trial for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Events and Prolongation of Disability-Free Survival in Older People.

Background: The risk-benefit balance of statin use in healthy older people is uncertain. We describe the baseline characteristics of the STAREE (Statins in Reducing Events in the Elderly) trial, which is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial among community-dwelling older people; the trial evaluated the effect of atorvastatin 40 mg for the prevention of major cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction or stroke), and on disability-free survival (survival free of both dementia and persistent physical disability).

Methods And Results: STAREE enrolled people aged ≥70 years from 1583 general practices across Australia with no history of clinical cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or dementia.

Camouflage or Coincidence? Investigating the Effects of Spatial and Temporal Environmental Features on Feral Cat Morphology in Tasmania.

Variations in coat morphology are well documented among felids and are theorised to aid in camouflage during stalk and ambush hunting. A diverse array of coat types has arisen in (feral cats) through domestication and subsequent selective breeding. This species has successfully spread across Australia over the past 200 years, raising the question of whether any specific coat types offer an adaptive advantage.

Smartphone automated motor and speech analysis for early detection of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease: Validation of TapTalk across 20 different devices.

Introduction: Smartphones are proving useful in assessing movement and speech function in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. Valid outcomes across different smartphones are needed before population-level tests are deployed. This study introduces the TapTalk protocol, a novel app designed to capture hand and speech function and validate it in smartphones against gold-standard measures.

The complex effects of modern oncogenic environments on the fitness, evolution and conservation of wildlife species.

Growing evidence indicates that human activities are causing cancer rates to rise in both human and wildlife populations. This is due to the inability of ancestral anti-cancer defences to cope with modern environmental risks. The evolutionary mismatch between modern oncogenic risks and evolved cancer defences has far-reaching effects on various biological aspects at different timeframes, demanding a comprehensive study of the biology and evolutionary ecology of the affected species.

Pain management challenges in a patient with mucopolysaccharidosis IVA.

It is important to consider all potential pain management modalities including alternative treatment on managing complex pain presentations. Acupuncture is a treatment modality that may result in reduction of pain in patients with significant medical comorbidities due to MPS IVA.

A non-invasive approach to measuring body dimensions of wildlife with camera traps: A felid field trial.

Dimensions of body size are an important measurement in animal ecology, although they can be difficult to obtain due to the effort and cost associated with the invasive nature of these measurements. We avoid these limitations by using camera trap images to derive dimensions of animal size. To obtain measurements of object dimensions using this method, the size of the object in pixels, the focal length of the camera, and the distance to that object must be known.

An evolutionary case for plant rarity: as a model system.

Species rarity is a common phenomenon across global ecosystems that is becoming increasingly more common under climate change. Although species rarity is often considered to be a stochastic response to environmental and ecological constraints, we examined the hypothesis that plant rarity is a consequence of natural selection acting on performance traits that affect a species range size, habitat specificity, and population aggregation; three primary descriptors of rarity. Using a common garden of 25 species of Tasmanian , we find that the rarest species have 70% lower biomass than common species.

Cryptic diversity within two widespread diadromous freshwater fishes (Teleostei: Galaxiidae).

Identification of taxonomically cryptic species is essential for the effective conservation of biodiversity. Freshwater-limited organisms tend to be genetically isolated by drainage boundaries, and thus may be expected to show substantial cryptic phylogenetic and taxonomic diversity. By comparison, populations of diadromous taxa, that migrate between freshwater and marine environments, are expected to show less genetic differentiation.

Delay in Adélie penguin nest occupation restricts parental investment in nest construction and reduces reproductive output.

Reproductive success is an important demographic parameter that can be driven by environmental and behavioural factors operating on various spatio-temporal scales. As seabirds breed on land and forage in the ocean, processes occurring in both environments can influence their reproductive success. At various locations around East Antarctica, Adélie penguins' () reproductive success has been negatively linked to extensive sea-ice.

In vitro competition between two transmissible cancers and potential implications for their host, the Tasmanian devil.

Since the emergence of a transmissible cancer, devil facial tumour disease (DFT1), in the 1980s, wild Tasmanian devil populations have been in decline. In 2016, a second, independently evolved transmissible cancer (DFT2) was discovered raising concerns for survival of the host species. Here, we applied experimental and modelling frameworks to examine competition dynamics between the two transmissible cancers in vitro.

Preparation and evaluation of a niosomal delivery system containing extract and study of its anti- activity.

extract (GME) has severe pharmacokinetic deficiencies and is made up of a variety of bioactive components. GME has proven its anti- effectiveness. In this investigation, a GME-loaded niosome was developed to increase its potential therapeutic efficacy.

Evaluation of prescription medication changes following sleeve gastrectomy surgery.

Objective: The increasing global prevalence of obesity, coupled with its association with chronic health conditions and rising healthcare costs, highlights the need for effective interventions; however, despite the availability of treatment options, the ongoing success of primary interventions in maintaining long-term weight loss remains limited. This study examined the prescription medication dispensing changes following sleeve gastrectomy in Australians aged 45 years and over.

Methods: In a retrospective analysis of 847 bariatric surgery patients from the New South Wales 45 and Up Study, the assessment of medication patterns categorizing into three groups: gastrointestinal, metabolic, cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and nervous systems was conducted.

Brief webcam test of hand movements predicts episodic memory, executive function, and working memory in a community sample of cognitively asymptomatic older adults.

Introduction: Low-cost simple tests for preclinical Alzheimer's disease are a research priority. We evaluated whether remote unsupervised webcam recordings of finger-tapping were associated with cognitive performance in older adults.

Methods: A total of 404 cognitively-asymptomatic participants (64.

Distribution and morphology of the diatom genus Riaux-Gobin & Compère in Indonesian and Australian waters, including the description of sp. nov.

Samples from coastal tropical waters of Central Sulawesi, Bangka Island and Bawean Island in Indonesia and from the Great Barrier Reef at Fitzroy Island in Queensland, Australia were analysed for species composition of diatom assemblages with a focus on . Whereas samples from Fitzroy Island littoral in Australia retrieved only one species of , in Poso Bay, Indonesia, we observed at least six species. All established taxa were documented with light (LM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) and principal component analysis (PCA) analysis was used to compare the species, based on the basic valve parameters of length, width, length to width ratio and striae density.

Association between disordered eating and clinical outcomes following a surgical or endoscopic bariatric procedure: A real-world exploratory study.

Problem: Disordered eating, such as binge, graze, and emotional eating, has been strongly linked to weight gain. Improved understanding of disordered eating by adults who elect bariatric weight loss procedures in a real-world setting is required.

Purpose: To determine the association between the number and type of disordered eating patterns (DEPs), as described by healthcare professionals during routine care without standardized assessment, with clinical outcomes in adults who elected a bariatric weight loss procedure.

Human land-use changes the diets of sympatric native and invasive mammal species.

The consequences of biological invasions and habitat degradation for native biodiversity depend on how species cope with the individual and synergetic challenges these processes present. To assess the impact of anthropogenic land-use on the food web architecture of an invaded community, we examine the diets of nine native and two highly invasive mammal species at different trophic levels, inhabiting different land-uses across six biogeographic regions in Tasmania, Australia. We use two complementary methods, environmental DNA metabarcoding analysis (eDNA) of faeces and stable isotope analysis (SIA) of nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) in whole blood, to account for the high interindividual and temporal variability in the diets of multiple species simultaneously.

From maternal glucocorticoid and thyroid hormones to epigenetic regulation of offspring gene expression: An experimental study in a wild bird species.

Offspring phenotype at birth is determined by its genotype and the prenatal environment including exposure to maternal hormones. Variation in both maternal glucocorticoids and thyroid hormones can affect offspring phenotype, but the underlying molecular mechanisms, especially those contributing to long-lasting effects, remain unclear. Epigenetic changes (such as DNA methylation) have been postulated as mediators of long-lasting effects of early-life environment.

The benthic-pelagic continuum: Age class and sex differences in the use of the vertical dimension by a rare pinniped.

Sea lions as a group, display strong site fidelity, and varying degrees of vulnerability to environmental change, disease and fisheries interactions. One of the rarest pinnipeds, the New Zealand sea lion (NZSL, ) has a very restricted breeding range. At Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku, one of the two primary breeding sites, at-sea foraging behaviour is unknown.

Methods of Assessing Health Care Costs in a Changing Climate: A Case Study of Heatwaves and Ambulance Dispatches in Tasmania, Australia.

Anthropogenic climate change is causing a rise in global temperatures, with this trend projected to increase into the future. Rising temperatures result in an increase in the frequency and severity of heatwave events, with an associated increase in poor health outcomes for vulnerable individuals. This places an increasing strain on health care services.

Abundance and population growth estimates for bare-nosed wombats.

Wildlife managers often rely on population estimates, but estimates can be challenging to obtain for geographically widespread species. Spotlight surveys provide abundance data for many species and, when conducted over wide spatial scales, have potential to provide population estimates of geographically widespread species. The bare-nosed wombat () has a broad geographical range and is subject to spotlight surveys.

Multifunctional redundancy: Impossible or undetected?

The diversity-functioning relationship is a pillar of ecology. Two significant concepts have emerged from this relationship: redundancy, the asymptotic relationship between diversity and functioning, and multifunctionality, a monotonic relationship between diversity and multiple functions occurring simultaneously. However, multifunctional redundancy, an asymptotic relationship between diversity and multiple functions occurring simultaneously, is rarely detected in research.