Revision and description of select Mesozoic actinopterygians from the Sydney, Great Artesian and Perth basins of Australia.

Mesozoic sites across Australia were surveyed with four new genera of actinopterygian (bony fish) being discovered and described. Two historically identified fish were also redescribed and placed in a modern phylogenetic context. The research identified biogeographic links in the fauna between Australian and South America which suggests faunal exchange between east and west Gondwana during the Mesozoic

A Library of Coumarin-Enaminone Chemodosimeters for the Detection of Analytes

Many anions and metal ions are of biological and environmental importance. This work describes our attempts to synthesize molecular probes to specifically target cyanide, zinc, cadmium and mercury as these species can often result in negative effects to the environment and the human body. The work in this dissertation, describes the synthesis of a family of coumarin-enamine chemodosimeters, in a straightforward synthetic procedure, the reaction between 7-(diethylamino)-4-hydroxycoumarin and a primary amine. The work presented in this dissertation demonstrates that these molecules can play dual roles and therefore the work is split into two distinct parts: Part 1 describes one role of theses molecular probes. In this first section three members of the coumarin-enamine family showed selectivity towards the cyanide ion over other anions studied (F-, Cl-, Br-, I-, NO3-, OAc-, H2PO4-, HSO4-, BF4-, N3-, SCN-, ClO4-, and OH-) in DMSO, with a detection limit as low as 4.2 ppb. The kinetics of the Michael addition was also investigated with a fluorescent response time calculated to be approximately (t1/2 = 20 s). The second role of these molecular probes was to investigate and decimate structurally similar metal salts (Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Cr3+, Mn2+, Fe2+, Fe3+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Pd2+, Ag+, Cd2+, Hg2+, and Pb2+), in particular the chloride and acetate salts. A univariate approach was used. The participation of the acetate anion is key for the probe to selectively bind the metal via the enaminone chelating motif. These molecular probes showed preference to zinc acetate salt whereby the chromophore utilized a duel signaling mechanism, inhibition of ESIPT which either quenches the fluorescence signal or shifts the band in the blue direction. Then upon the addition of the zinc(II) ion a CHEF mechanism increases the fluorescence signal upon the coordination of the metal ion. The limit of detection was calculated to be 7.4 ppb. This work extensively used various analytical methods to detect and monitor these analytes in particular UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. Additional techniques, for example NMR, IR, ESI-MS, and X-Ray were all utilized to help our understanding of the coordination environment of the molecular probe and the metal ions

The rise of ICTs in the Pacific

A Pacific-wide online discussion looked at the use of mobile phones and how fast-improving internet access will bring about change in the region

Radical cyanomethylation via vinyl azide cascade-fragmentation

Herein, a novel methodology for radical cyanomethylation is described. The process is initiated by radical addition to the vinyl azide reagent 3-azido-2-methylbut-3-en-2-ol which triggers a cascade-fragmentation mechanism driven by the loss of dinitrogen and the stabilised 2-hydroxypropyl radical, ultimately effecting cyanomethylation. Cyanomethyl groups can be efficiently introduced into a range of substrates via trapping of α-carbonyl, heterobenzylic, alkyl, sulfonyl and aryl radicals, generated from a variety of functional groups under both photoredox catalysis and non-catalytic conditions. The value of this approach is exemplified by the late-stage cyanomethylation of pharmaceuticals

International Management: managing in the era of globalization

[Extract - English translation] Since the early civilization of human beings, trade activities cross borders and regions have occurred. The discovery of rich materials located in distant lands stimulated the excitingly historical exploration. Almost all the fortunes created by the industrial revolutionary were manufactured like this: taking raw materials obtained in one region to another one to process, then selling the products worldwide. It has been 200 years since this kind of trade model was defined as international trade. However, the con cept of globalization that came into being during the past years has a profound meaning. For business activities, globalization means integrating all the activities on the world scale. For many industries, investment, research, production, distribution and marketing are increasingly becoming globalized

Evidence for overwintering and autochthonous transmission of Usutu virus to wild birds following its redetection in the United Kingdom

Usutu virus (USUV) is an emerging zoonotic arbovirus in Europe, where it primarily impacts Eurasian blackbirds (Turdus merula). For mosquito-borne viruses to persist in temperate areas, transovarial transmission in vectors or overwintering in either hosts or diapausing vectors must occur to facilitate autochthonous transmission. We undertook surveillance of hosts and vectors in 2021 to elucidate whether USUV had overwintered in the United Kingdom (UK) following its initial detection there in 2020. From 175 dead bird submissions, we detected 1 case of USUV infection, in a blackbird, from which a full USUV genome was derived. Using a molecular clock analysis, we demonstrate that the 2021 detection shared a most recent common ancestor with the 2020 Greater London, UK, USUV sequence. In addition, we identified USUV-specific neutralizing antibodies in 10 out of 86 serum samples taken from captive birds at the index site, demonstrating in situ cryptic infection and potential sustained transmission. However, from 4966 mosquitoes, we detected no USUV RNA suggesting that prevalence in the vector community was absent or low during sampling. Combined, these results suggest that USUV overwintered in the UK, thus providing empirical evidence for the continued northward expansion of this vector-borne viral disease. Currently, our detection indicates geographically restricted virus persistence. Further detections over time will be required to demonstrate long-term establishment. It remains unclear whether the UK, and by extension other high-latitude regions, can support endemic USUV infection

Vicariance and dispersal in southern hemisphere freshwater fish clades: a palaeontological perspective

Widespread fish clades that occur mainly or exclusively in fresh water represent a key target of biogeographical investigation due to limited potential for crossing marine barriers. Timescales for the origin and diversification of these groups are crucial tests of vicariant scenarios in which continental break‐ups shaped modern geographic distributions. Evolutionary chronologies are commonly estimated through node‐based palaeontological calibration of molecular phylogenies, but this approach ignores most of the temporal information encoded in the known fossil record of a given taxon. Here, we review the fossil record of freshwater fish clades with a distribution encompassing disjunct landmasses in the southern hemisphere. Palaeontologically derived temporal and geographic data were used to infer the plausible biogeographic processes that shaped the distribution of these clades. For seven extant clades with a relatively well‐known fossil record, we used the stratigraphic distribution of their fossils to estimate confidence intervals on their times of origin. To do this, we employed a Bayesian framework that considers non‐uniform preservation potential of freshwater fish fossils through time, as well as uncertainty in the absolute age of fossil horizons. We provide the following estimates for the origin times of these clades: Lepidosireniformes [125–95 million years ago (Ma)]; total‐group Osteoglossomorpha (207–167 Ma); Characiformes (120–95 Ma; a younger estimate of 97–75 Ma when controversial Cenomanian fossils are excluded); Galaxiidae (235–21 Ma); Cyprinodontiformes (80–67 Ma); Channidae (79–43 Ma); Percichthyidae (127–69 Ma). These dates are mostly congruent with published molecular timetree estimates, despite the use of semi‐independent data. Our reassessment of the biogeographic history of southern hemisphere freshwater fishes shows that long‐distance dispersals and regional extinctions can confound and erode pre‐existing vicariance‐driven patterns. It is probable that disjunct distributions in many extant groups result from complex biogeographic processes that took place during the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic. Although long‐distance dispersals likely shaped the distributions of several freshwater fish clades, their exact mechanisms and their impact on broader macroevolutionary and ecological dynamics are still unclear and require further investigation.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148368/1/brv12473_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148368/2/brv12473.pd

Table 1: Dimensions of the Lightning Ridge pterosaur teeth.

The fossil record of Australian pterosaurs is sparse, consisting of only a small number of isolated and fragmentary remains from the Cretaceous of Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria. Here, we describe two isolated pterosaur teeth from the Lower Cretaceous (middle Albian) Griman Creek Formation at Lightning Ridge (New South Wales) and identify them as indeterminate members of the pterodactyloid clade Anhangueria. This represents the first formal description of pterosaur material from New South Wales. The presence of one or more anhanguerian pterosaurs at Lightning Ridge correlates with the presence of ‘ornithocheirid’ and Anhanguera-like pterosaurs from the contemporaneous Toolebuc Formation of central Queensland and the global distribution attained by ornithocheiroids during the Early Cretaceous. The morphology of the teeth and their presence in the estuarine- and lacustrine-influenced Griman Creek Formation is likely indicative of similar life habits of the tooth bearer to other members of Anhangueria