Multiple marker screen positivity in the presence of hydrops fetalis

Three cases of hydrops fetalis presented in the second trimester as screen-positive for Down syndrome using multiple maternal serum markers. One case was a karyotypically normal female; one case was a monosomy X (Turner syndrome); and one case was a trisomy 21 (Down syndrome). In each case, the maternal serum human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) was disproportionately elevated. These cases support the contention that hydrops fetalis of any aetiology may present as screen-positive when using multiple maternal serum markers for Down syndrome. Further cases will be necessary before it can be determined whether a disproportionately elevated hCG is predictive of hydrops.     

Spatial and temporal variation in the size at maturity of the western rock lobster Panulirus cygnus George

The sizes at which female and male western rock lobster Panulirus cygnus become mature were examined over 32 years from records at six localities along the coast of Western Australia. The size of males at maturity was estimated from a subset of these data by a morphometric and a physiological method, with both producing statistically similar results. Males were larger at first maturity than females at the same sites. For both sexes, the sizes at first maturity at each location correlated (P<0.05) with the mean annual water temperature at that location, decreasing from south to north along the mainland coast and being smallest at the offshore Abrolhos Islands. Smaller sizes at maturity were recorded for both sexes than have been published previously. One certain explanation for these differences is that management measures protecting females with ovigerous setae have distorted size compositions and the ratio of immature to mature females, thereby increasing the likelihood of capturing small mature females. However, these fishing effects cannot fully account for the progressive decline in CL₅₀ observed over the past 20 years. Other possible hypotheses considered include increases in water temperature over this period, as well as whether this change could be consistent with a genotypic response caused by the selective removal of large lobsters combined with high exploitation rates.     

Arsenobetaine and thio-arsenic species in marine macroalgae and herbivorous animals: Accumulated through trophic transfer or produced in situ?

Arsenobetaine(AB) and thio-arsenoribosides were measured in common macroalgae species(8 phaeophyta, 4 rhodophyta and 2 chlorphyta), along the Australian south east coast line. As well, arsenic species profiles were measured for two common marine herbivores, the sea urchin Centrostephanus rodgersii and the fish Odax cyanomelas that graze on these macroalgae to understand if trophic transfer of these species would account for their presence in marine herbivores. AB was found in seven of the fourteen macroalgae species investigated but does not contributed significantly to any of the macroalgae arsenic content(0.01-1.2 μg/g). AB was found in only two of the brown macroalgae and all the red and green macroalgae(with the exception of Corallina officinalis). Thio-arsenic species were found sporadically, but not in high concentrations in any of the macroalgae investigated.AB present in macroalgae is likely to be associated with epiphytic organisms while thio-arsenoribosides are likely to be produced by decaying parts of damaged macroalgae.A laboratory feeding experiment in which the herbivorous gastropod, Austrocochlea constricta, was fed macroalgae containing thio-arsenoribosides for a 24 hr period every three days showed that these are readily accumulated over a short period. Thio-arsenoribosides in herbivores are therefore probably obtained through trophic transfer. Some AB is also obtained through trophic transfer; however, the presence of trimethylated arsonioribosides,a hypothesized precursor of AB formation in herbivores, suggests that some AB is produced within herbivores from the transformation of arsenoribosides accumulated from their diet.     

The on-road experiences and awareness of sleepiness in a sample of Australian highway drivers: A roadside driver sleepiness study

Objective: Driver sleepiness contributes substantially to road crash incidents. Simulator and on-road studies clearly reveal an impairing effect from sleepiness on driving ability. However, the degree to which drivers appreciate the dangerousness of driving while sleepy is somewhat unclear. This study sought to determine drivers' on-road experiences of sleepiness, their prior sleep habits, and personal awareness of the signs of sleepiness.

Methods: Participants were a random selection of 92 drivers traveling on a major highway in the state of Queensland, Australia, who were stopped by police as part of routine drink driving operations. Participants completed a brief questionnaire that included demographic information, sleepy driving experiences (signs of sleepiness and on-road experiences of sleepiness), and prior sleep habits. A modified version of the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) was used to assess subjective sleepiness in the 15 min prior to being stopped by police.

Results: Participants' ratings of subjective sleepiness were quite low, with 90% reporting being alert to extremely alert on the KSS. Participants were reasonably aware of the signs of sleepiness, with many signs of sleepiness associated with on-road experiences of sleepiness. Additionally, the number of hours spent driving was positively correlated with the drivers' level of sleep debt.

Conclusions: The results suggest that participants had moderate experiences of driving while sleepy and many were aware of the signs of sleepiness. The relationship between driving long distances and increased sleep debt is a concern for road safety. Increased education regarding the dangers of sleepy driving seems warranted.     

100 years running: The need to understand why employee physical activity benefits organizations

Employee physical activity initiatives are commonplace, but management scholarship has not kept pace with theoretical and empirical work to validate such initiatives. In this Incubator, we clarify the employee physical activity construct, present mechanisms linking physical activity to organizationally valued outcomes, and consider the dark side of employee physical activity initiatives. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effectiveness of lane departure warning systems—A reduction in real-world passenger car injury crashes

Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate the safety benefits of in vehicle lane departure warning (LDW) and lane keeping aid (LKA) systems in reducing relevant real-world passenger car injury crashes.

Methods: The study used an induced exposure method, where LDW/LKA-sensitive and nonsensitive crashes were compared for Volvo passenger cars equipped with and without LDW/LKA systems. These crashes were matched by car make, model, model year, and technical equipment; that is, low-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB) called City Safety (CS). The data were extracted from the Swedish Traffic Accident Data Acquisition database (STRADA) and consisted of 1,853 driver injury crashes that involved 146 LDW-equipped cars, 11 LKA-equipped cars, and 1,696 cars without LDW/LKA systems.

Results: The analysis showed a positive effect of the LDW/LKA systems in reducing lane departure crashes. The LDW/LKA systems were estimated to reduce head-on and single-vehicle injury crashes on Swedish roads with speed limits between 70 and 120 km/h and with dry or wet road surfaces (i.e., not covered by ice or snow) by 53% with a lower limit of 11% (95% confidence interval [CI]). This reduction corresponded to a reduction of 30% with a lower limit of 6% (95% CI) for all head-on and single-vehicle driver injury crashes (including all speed limits and all road surface conditions).

Conclusions: LDW/LKA systems were estimated to lower the driver injury risk in crash types that the systems are designed to prevent; that is, head-on and single-vehicle crashes. Though these are important findings, they were based on a small data set. Therefore, further research is desirable to evaluate the effectiveness of LDW/LKA systems under real-world conditions and to differentiate the effectiveness between technical solutions (i.e., LDW and LKA) proposed by different manufacturers.     

Seasonal dynamics of harmful algae in outer Oslofjorden monitored by microarray, qPCR, and microscopy

Monitoring of marine microalgae is important to predict and manage harmful algal blooms. Microarray Detection of Toxic ALgae (MIDTAL) is an FP7-funded EU project aiming to establish a multi-species microarray as a tool to aid monitoring agencies. We tested the suitability of different prototype versions of the MIDTAL microarray for the monthly monitoring of a sampling station in outer Oslofjorden during a 1-year period. Microarray data from two different versions of the MIDTAL chip were compared to results from cell counts (several species) and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR; only Pseudochattonella spp.). While results from generation 2.5 microarrays exhibited a high number of false positive signals, generation 3.3 microarray data generally correlated with microscopy and qPCR data, with three important limitations: (1) Pseudo-nitzschia cells were not reliably detected, possibly because cells were not sufficiently retained during filtration or lysed during the extraction, and because of low sensitivity of the probes; (2) in the case of samples with high concentrations of non-target species, the sensitivity of the arrays was decreased; (3) one occurrence of Alexandrium pseudogonyaulax was not detected due to a 1-bp mismatch with the genus probe represented on the microarray. In spite of these shortcomings our data demonstrate the overall progress made and the potential of the MIDTAL array. The case of Pseudochattonella — where two morphologically similar species impossible to separate by light microscopy were distinguished — in particular, underlines the added value of molecular methods such as microarrays in routine phytoplankton monitoring.     

Detecting Insect Pollinator Declines on Regional and Global Scales

Recently there has been considerable concern about declines in bee communities in agricultural and natural habitats. The value of pollination to agriculture, provided primarily by bees, is >$200 billion/year worldwide, and in natural ecosystems it is thought to be even greater. However, no monitoring program exists to accurately detect declines in abundance of insect pollinators; thus, it is difficult to quantify the status of bee communities or estimate the extent of declines. We used data from 11 multiyear studies of bee communities to devise a program to monitor pollinators at regional, national, or international scales. In these studies, 7 different methods for sampling bees were used and bees were sampled on 3 different continents. We estimated that a monitoring program with 200–250 sampling locations each sampled twice over 5 years would provide sufficient power to detect small (2–5%) annual declines in the number of species and in total abundance and would cost U.S.$2,000,000. To detect declines as small as 1% annually over the same period would require >300 sampling locations. Given the role of pollinators in food security and ecosystem function, we recommend establishment of integrated regional and international monitoring programs to detect changes in pollinator communities. Detección de Declinaciones de Insectos Polinizadores a Escalas Regional y Global