Taxonomic notes on two powdery mildews: Phyllactinia chorisiae and Ovulariopsis wissadulae (Erysiphaceae: Phyllactinieae)

The powdery mildew Phyllactinia chorisiae has been considered conspecific with P. guttata. A re-examination of the type material of P. chorisiae and another specimen showed that this fungus, unlike P. guttata, has dimorphic conidia and its anamorph does not belong to the genus Ovulariopsis, which is the typical anamorph for Phyllactinia species. This suggests that P. chorisiae is morphologically distinct from P. guttata and should no longer be accepted as a synonym. Re-evaluation of type material of Oidiopsis wissadulae revealed that it has monomorphic conidia (mostly lemon-shaped) and hemiendophytic mycelium, a combination of characters that clearly places this fungus in the genus Ovulariopsis. Emended descriptions of P. chorisiae and Ovulariopsis wissadulae are presented.

Assessing the taxonomic status of dingoes Canis familiaris for conservation

1. The conservation status of the dingo Canis familiaris dingo is threatened by hybridization with the domestic dog C. familiaris familiaris. A practical method that can estimate the different levels of hybridization in the field is urgently required so that animals below a specific threshold of dingo ancestry (e.g. 1/4 or 1/2 dingoes) can reliably be identified and removed from dingo populations. 2. Skull morphology has been traditionally used to assess dingo purity, but this method does not discriminate between the different levels of dingo ancestry in hybrids. Furthermore, measurements can only be reliably taken from the skulls of dead animals. 3. Methods based on the analysis of variation in DNA are able to discriminate between the different levels of hybridization, but the validity of this method has been questioned because the materials currently used as a reference for dingoes are from captive animals of unproven genetic purity. The use of pre-European materials would improve the accuracy of this method, but suitable material has not been found in sufficient quantity to develop a reliable reference population. Furthermore, current methods based on DNA are impractical for the field-based discrimination of hybrids because samples require laboratory analysis. 4. Coat colour has also been used to estimate the extent of hybridization and is possibly the most practical method to apply in the field. However, this method may not be as powerful as genetic or morphological analyses because some hybrids (e.g. Australian cattle dog × dingo) are similar to dingoes in coat colour and body form. This problem may be alleviated by using additional visual characteristics such as the presence/absence of ticking and white markings.

A taxonomic approach to understanding managerial ethical decision making approaches of clinically and non-clinically trained healthcare managers in Australia

Objective To understand differences in the managerial ethical decision-making styles of Australian healthcare managers through the exploratory use of the Managerial Ethical Profiles (MEP) Scale. Background Healthcare managers (doctors, nurses, allied health practitioners and non-clinically trained professionals) are faced with a raft of variables when making decisions within the workplace. In the absence of clear protocols and policies healthcare managers rely on a range of personal experiences, personal ethical philosophies, personal factors and organizational factors to arrive at a decision. Understanding the dominant approaches to managerial ethical decision-making, particularly for clinically trained healthcare managers, is a fundamental step in both increasing awareness of the importance of how managers make decisions, but also as a basis for ongoing development of healthcare managers. Design Cross-sectional. Methods The study adopts a taxonomic approach that simultaneously considers multiple ethical factors that potentially influence managerial ethical decision-making. These factors are used as inputs into cluster analysis to identify distinct patterns of influence on managerial ethical decision-making. Results Data analysis from the participants (n=441) showed a similar spread of the five managerial ethical profiles (Knights, Guardian Angels, Duty Followers, Defenders and Chameleons) across clinically trained and non-clinically trained healthcare managers. There was no substantial statistical difference between the two manager types (clinical and non-clinical) across the five profiles. Conclusion This paper demonstrated that managers that came from clinical backgrounds have similar ethical decision-making profiles to non-clinically trained managers. This is an important finding in terms of manager development and how organisations understand the various approaches of managerial decision-making across the different ethical profiles.

Thermal Expansivities and Temperature Coefficients of Refractive Indices for Molten Salts

An empirical relation for temperature–independent molar polarization is suggested. When this relation was used, the thermal expansivity was estimated correctly from refractive index data.

A phylogenetic and taxonomic re-evaluation of the Bipolaris - Cochliobolus - Curvularia Complex

Three genera, Cochliobolus, Bipolaris and Curvularia form a complex that contains many plant pathogens, mostly on grasses (Poaceae) with a worldwide distribution. The taxonomy of this complex is confusing as frequent nomenclatural changes and refinements have occurred. There is no clear morphological boundary between the asexual genera Bipolaris and Curvularia, and some species show intermediate morphology. We investigated this complex based on a set of ex-type cultures and collections from northern Thailand. Combined gene analysis of rDNA ITS (internal transcribed spacer), GPDH (glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase), LSU (large subunit) and EF1-α (translation elongation factor 1-α) shows that this generic complex divides into two groups. Bipolaris and Cochliobolus species clustered in Group 1 along with their type species, whereas Curvularia species (including species named as Bipolaris, Cochliobolus and Curvularia) clustered in Group 2, with its generic type. The nomenclatural conflict in this complex is resolved giving priority to the more commonly used established generic names Bipolaris and Curvularia. Modern descriptions of the genera Bipolaris and Curvularia are provided and species resolved in this study are transferred to one of these genera based on their phylogeny. © 2012 Mushroom Research Foundation.

Taxonomic revision of Ustilago, Sporisorium and Macalpinomyces

Morphological characters within the Ustilago-Sporisorium-Macalpinomyces complex are defined explicitly. The genera Sporisorium and Anthracocystis are emended to reflect morphological synapomorphies. Three new genera, Langdonia, Stollia and Triodiomyces are described based on soral synapomorphies and host classification. The new classification of the Ustilago-Sporisorium-Macalpinomyces complex incorporates 142 new taxonomic combinations.

Abundance indices for long-lived tropical snappers: estimating standardized catch rates from spatially and temporally coarse logbook data

The Northern Demersal Scalefish Fishery has historically comprised a small fleet (≤10 vessels year−1) operating over a relatively large area off the northwest coast of Australia. This multispecies fishery primarily harvests two species of snapper: goldband snapper, Pristipomoides multidens and red emperor, Lutjanus sebae. A key input to age-structured assessments of these stocks has been the annual time-series of the catch rate. We used an approach that combined Generalized Linear Models, spatio-temporal imputation, and computer-intensive methods to standardize the fishery catch rates and report uncertainty in the indices. These analyses, which represent one of the first attempts to standardize fish trap catch rates, were also augmented to gain additional insights into the effects of targeting, historical effort creep, and spatio-temporal resolution of catch and effort data on trap fishery dynamics. Results from monthly reported catches (i.e. 1993 on) were compared with those reported daily from more recently (i.e. 2008 on) enhanced catch and effort logbooks. Model effects of catches of one species on the catch rates of another became more conspicuous when the daily data were analysed and produced estimates with greater precision. The rate of putative effort creep estimated for standardized catch rates was much lower than estimated for nominal catch rates. These results therefore demonstrate how important additional insights into fishery and fish population dynamics can be elucidated from such “pre-assessment” analyses.

Eco-Taxonomic Insights into Actinomycete Symbionts of Termites for Discovery of Novel Bioactive Compounds

Termites play a major role in foraging and degradation of plant biomass as well as cultivating bioactive microorganisms for their defense. Current advances in “omics” sciences are revealing insights into function-related presence of these symbionts, and their related biosynthetic activities and genes identified in gut symbiotic bacteria might offer a significant potential for biotechnology and biodiscovery. Actinomycetes have been the major producers of bioactive compounds with an extraordinary range of biological activities. These metabolites have been in use as anticancer agents, immune suppressants, and most notably, as antibiotics. Insect-associated actinomycetes have also been reported to produce a range of antibiotics such as dentigerumycin and mycangimycin. Advances in genomics targeting a single species of the unculturable microbial members are currently aiding an improved understanding of the symbiotic interrelationships among the gut microorganisms as well as revealing the taxonomical identity and functions of the complex multilayered symbiotic actinofloral layers. If combined with target-directed approaches, these molecular advances can provide guidance towards the design of highly selective culturing methods to generate further information related to the physiology and growth requirements of these bioactive actinomycetes associated with the termite guts. This chapter provides an overview on the termite gut symbiotic actinoflora in the light of current advances in the “omics” science, with examples of their detection and selective isolation from the guts of the Sunshine Coast regional termite Coptotermes lacteus in Queensland, Australia

Agronomic indices, growth, yield-contributing traits, and yield of dry-seeded rice under varying herbicides

Dry-seeded rice (DSR) is an emerging resource-conserving technology in many Asian countries, but weeds remain the major threat to the production of DSR systems. A field study was conducted in 2012 and 2013 at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Los Baños, Philippines, to evaluate the performance of sole and sequential applications of preemergence (oxadiazon and pendimethalin), early postemergence (butachlor + propanil and thiobencarb + 2,4-D), and late postemergence herbicides (bispyribac-sodium and fenoxaprop + ethoxysulfuron) with different modes of action in comparison to manual weeding in DSR. The sequential applications of all preemergence and postemergence herbicides reduced weed density and biomass by 80–100% compared to the nontreated plots. The sole application of postemergence herbicides reduced weed density by only 44–54% and weed biomass by 51–61%, whereas oxadiazon alone reduced weed density and biomass by 96–100%. All herbicide treatments and manual weeding significantly affected tiller number, biomass, crop growth rate, agronomic indices, yield-contributing parameters (panicle density and filled grains), and yield (biological and grain) of rice. The highest grain yield was obtained in the manually weeded plots (5.9–6.1 t ha−1) and the plots treated with oxadiazon alone (5.4–5.6 t ha−1) and oxadiazon followed by postemergence herbicides (5.2–5.8 t ha−1). The lowest paddy yield (0.22 t ha−1) was achieved in the nontreated plots followed by the plots treated with the sole application of bispyribac-sodium and fenoxaprop + ethoxysulfuron. The results suggest that oxadiazon is the best broad-spectrum and economically effective herbicide when applied alone or in combination with other effective postemergence herbicides with different modes of action, depending on the weed species present in the field.

Fluorescence properties of Baltic Sea phytoplankton

To obtain data on phytoplankton dynamics with improved spatial and temporal resolution, and at reduced cost, traditional phytoplankton monitoring methods have been supplemented with optical approaches. In this thesis, I have explored various fluorescence-based techniques for detection of phytoplankton abundance, taxonomy and physiology in the Baltic Sea. In algal cultures used in this thesis, the availability of nitrogen and light conditions caused changes in pigmentation, and consequently in light absorption and fluorescence properties of cells. In the Baltic Sea, physical environmental factors (e.g. mixing depth, irradiance and temperature) and related seasonal succession in the phytoplankton community explained a large part of the seasonal variability in the magnitude and shape of Chlorophyll a (Chla)-specific absorption. The variability in Chla-specific fluorescence was related to the abundance of cyanobacteria, the size structure of the phytoplankton community, and absorption characteristics of phytoplankton. Cyanobacteria show very low Chla-specific fluorescence. In the presence of eukaryotic species, Chla fluorescence describes poorly cyanobacteria. During cyanobacterial bloom in the Baltic Sea, phycocyanin fluorescence explained large part of the variability in Chla concentrations. Thus, both Chla and phycocyanin fluorescence were required to predict Chla concentration. Phycobilins are major light harvesting pigments for cyanobacteria. In the open Baltic Sea, small picoplanktonic cyanobacteria were the main source of phycoerythrin fluorescence and absorption signal. Large filamentous cyanobacteria, forming harmful blooms, were the main source of the phycocyanin fluorescence signal and typically their biomass and phycocyanin fluorescence were linearly related. Using phycocyanin fluorescence, dynamics of cyanobacterial blooms can be detected at high spatial and seasonal resolution not possible with other methods. Various taxonomic phytoplankton pigment groups can be separated by spectral fluorescence. I compared multivariate calibration methods for the retrieval of phytoplankton biomass in different taxonomic groups. Partial least squares regression method gave the closest predictions for all taxonomic groups, and the accuracy was adequate for phytoplankton bloom detection. Variable fluorescence has been proposed as a tool to study the physiological state of phytoplankton. My results from the Baltic Sea emphasize that variable fluorescence alone cannot be used to detect nutrient limitation of phytoplankton. However, when combined with experiments with active nutrient manipulation, and other nutrient limitation indices, variable fluorescence provided valuable information on the physiological responses of the phytoplankton community. This thesis found a severe limitation of a commercial fast repetition rate fluorometer, which couldn t detect the variable fluorescence of phycoerythrin-lacking cyanobacteria. For these species, the Photosystem II absorption of blue light is very low, and fluorometer excitation light did not saturate Photosystem II during a measurement. This thesis encourages the use of various in vivo fluorescence methods for the detection of bulk phytoplankton biomass, biomass of cyanobacteria, chemotaxonomy of phytoplankton community, and phytoplankton physiology. Fluorescence methods can support traditional phytoplankton monitoring by providing continuous measurements of phytoplankton, and thereby strengthen the understanding of the links between biological, chemical and physical processes in aquatic ecosystems.

The TRAM flap for breast reconstruction : Studies on perioperative cutaneous blood flow, vasoconstriction, and indices of obesity

Breast reconstruction is performed for 10-15 % of women operated on for breast cancer. A popular method is the TRAM (transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous) flap formed of the patient’s own abdominal tissue, a part of one of the rectus abdominis muscles and a transverse skin-subcutis area over it. The flap can be raised as a pedicled or a free flap. The pedicled TRAM flap, based on its nondominant pedicle superior epigastric artery (SEA), is rotated to the chest so that blood flow through SEA continues. The free TRAM flap, based on its dominant pedicle deep inferior epigastric artery (DIEA), is detached from the abdomen, transferred to the chest, and DIEA and vein are anastomosed to vessels on the chest. Cutaneous necrosis is seen in 5–60 % of pedicled TRAM flaps and in 0–15 % of free TRAM flaps. This study was the first one to show with blood flow measurements that the cutaneous blood flow is more generous in free than in pedicled TRAM flaps. After this study the free TRAM flap has exceeded the pedicled flap in popularity as a breast reconstruction method, although the free flap it is technically a more demanding procedure than the pedicled TRAM flap. In pedicled flaps, a decrease in cutaneous blood flow was observed when DIEA was ligated. It seems that SEA cannot provide sufficient blood flow on the first postoperative days. The postoperative cutaneous blood flow in free TRAM flaps was more stable than in pedicled flaps. Development of cutaneous necrosis of pedicled TRAM flaps could be predicted based on intraoperative laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) measurements. The LDF value on the contralateral skin of the flap decreased to 43 ± 7 % of the initial value after ligation of the DIEA in flaps developing cutaneous necrosis during the next week. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a powerful vasoconstrictory peptide secreted by vascular endothelial cells. A correlation was found between plasma ET-1 concentrations and peripheral vasoconstriction developing during and after breast reconstructions with a pedicled TRAM flap. ET-1 was not associated with the development of cutaneous necrosis. Felodipine, a vasodilating calcium channel antagonist, had no effect on plasma ET-1 concentrations, peripheral vasoconstriction or development of cutaneous necrosis in free TRAM flaps. Body mass index and thickness of abdominal were not associated with cutaneous necrosis in pedicled TRAM flaps.

Revisiting Coptotermes (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae): a global taxonomic road map for species validity and distribution of an economically important subterranean termite genus

Coptotermes Wasmann (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) is one of the most economically important subterranean termite genera and some species are successful invaders. However, despite its important pest status, the taxonomic validity of many named Coptotermes species remains unclear. In this study, we reviewed all named species within the genus and investigated evidence supporting the validity of each named species. Species were systematically scrutinized according to the region of their original description: Southeast Asia, India, China, Africa, the Neotropics, and Australia. We estimate that of the currently 69 named species described by accepted nomenclatural rules, only 21 taxa have solid evidence for validity, 44 names have uncertain status, and the remaining species names should be synonymized or were made unavailable. Species with high degrees of invasiveness may be known under additional junior synonyms due to independent parochial descriptions. Molecular data for a vast majority of species are scarce and significant effort is needed to complete the taxonomic and phylogenetic revision of the genus. Because of the wide distribution of Coptotermes, we advocate for an integrative taxonomic effort to establish the distribution of each putative species, provide specimens and corresponding molecular data, check original descriptions and type specimens (if available), and provide evidence for a more robust phylogenetic position of each species. This study embodies both consensus and contention of those studying Coptotermes and thus pinpoints the current uncertainty of many species. This project is intended to be a roadmap for identifying those Coptotermes species names that need to be more thoroughly investigated, as an incentive to complete a necessary revision process.

The characteristics and questionable taxonomic position of the oxalate-decomposing bacterium, Vibrio extorquens

A detailed account of the morphological, staining, penicillin sensitivity and serological peculiarities of five strains of an oxalate-decomposing bacterium including the well-recognized strain Vibrio extorquens, has been given. Inasmuch as all the strains share many of the characteristics of the genus Arthrobacter and not Vibrio the desirability of placing the bacterium in the former genus for the time being has been suggested. The possibility of the strains falling under an altogether new genus which represent a phylogenic link between the pseudomonads and diphtheroids has been speculated.