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Freshwater snails usually possess thin unadorned shells lacking structural components such as spines. Exceptions can be found on the high, well-watered islands of the South Pacific. Streams on these islands support a rich freshwater molluscan fauna with several nerite taxa (Neritimorpha: Neritidae) exhibiting extremely long dorsal spines. We sought to assess the defensive capacity of these structures for several co-occurring nerite genera on the Island of Ovalau, Fiji. Our overarching hypothesis was that spines confer a defensive advantage. We tested four predictions for eight common taxa: (i) predator “rich” habitats (the creek entrance) would be dominated by spine-bearing nerites, (ii) spine-bearing species should be smaller in size, (iii) nerites with spines would exhibit lower levels of shell damage and (iv) nerites with spines should invest less in their shells (i.e., their shells should be thinner). Most of these predictions received support. Spine-bearing species dominated the entrance to the creek and were smaller in size. Levels of shell damage were low overall, with 2 of the 3 spinose taxa exhibiting no shell damage, as did many of the nonspinose taxa. Finally, shells of spinose species were 25% thicker, demonstrating increased rather than decreased investment. Taken together, these findings suggest that the elaborate spines of Clithon spp. play a defensive role.

‘Shark attack’ presents a considerable social‐environmental challenge. Each year a small number of people are injured or killed by shark bite. Concurrently, sharks and other marine life are subject to unprecedented anthropogenic pressures. Shark hazard management varies globally, but lethal strategies are common, with negative consequences for species and environments. Of particular concern are the effects for threatened species. Lethal strategies have recently come under criticism, based on the negative effects for marine life, effectiveness for human safety and inconsistency with contemporary values. Moves to improve both safety and conservation can be hindered by polarized debate. We present a case study of the world's longest‐running lethal shark hazard management program, the Shark Meshing (Bather Protection) Program, New South Wales, Australia. We take an interdisciplinary approach to bring into conversation factors that contribute to safety and conservation outcomes. To date, most research focuses on one or other of these areas. We seek to synthesize the factors that are not previously considered in relation to each other. Our aims were to: (a) identify and critique the diverse factors that determine the outcomes of the program; (b) assess the negative effects of the program for sharks and other marine life; and (c) assess the effectiveness of the program for reducing threat of shark interactions. We find that: (a) multiple social and environmental factors contribute to program outcomes; (b) total shark numbers and populations of key target species – white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) and bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) – have declined over the program's 80 years, as have a number of non‐target species; (c) incidence of shark bite has declined since the program's introduction, but two external points warrant attention. First, key factors influencing the shark bite incidence are frequently overlooked, namely changing cultures of beach‐ and ocean‐use, advances in beach patrol, and emergency and medical response. Second, the proportion of bites leading to fatality has decreased significantly in recent decades. Beach patrol and emergency response contribute to human safety and well‐being without the negative consequences of lethal strategies. As such, they offer a focus for future shark hazard management and research. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

Whilst the composition and arrangement of habitats within landscape mosaics are known to be important determinants of biodiversity patterns, the influence of seascape patterning and connectivity on temperate reef fish assemblages remains largely unknown. We examined how habitat patterns at multiple spatial scales (100–1000 m) explained the abundance and diversity of temperate reef fish in a reef-seagrass dominated seascape. Fish assemblages were surveyed using remote underwater videos deployed on 22 reefs in Jervis Bay, NSW, Australia. Using full-subset GAMMs, we investigated if habitat area, edge, structural connectivity and a metric for habitat diversity (Shannon’s diversity index) of reef and seagrass can predict variations in a temperate reef fish assemblage. A key finding of the study was that temperate reefs close ( 6.25 ha) seagrass meadows contained greater abundance and diversity of fish. A consistent negative correlation was also found between reef area (> 0.01 ha) and the fish assemblage. The influence of seascape metrics on the abundance of fishes varied with functional traits (trophic groups, mobility and habitat associations). Fish-seascape relationships occurred at a range of spatial scales with no single scale being solely important for structuring the fish assemblage. We demonstrate that it is important not to view reef habitats in isolation, rather consider a reefs context to adjacent seagrass when predicting the distribution of temperate reef fish. This finding improves current understanding of the multi-scale factors structuring temperate reef fish assemblages and highlights the importance of reef-seagrass connectivty for the management of temperate marine ecosystems.

The recovery of communities of predatory fishes within a no‐take marine reserve after the eradication of illegal fishing provides an opportunity to examine the role of sharks and other large‐bodied mesopredatory fishes in structuring reef fish communities. We used baited remote underwater video stations to investigate whether an increase in sharks was associated with a change in structure of the mesopredatory fish community at Ashmore Reef, Western Australia. We found an almost fourfold increase in shark abundance in reef habitat from 0.64 hr−1 ± 0.15 SE in 2004, when Ashmore Reef was being fished illegally, to 2.45 hr−1 ± 0.37 in 2016, after eight years of full‐time enforcement of the reserve. Shark recovery in reef habitat was accompanied by a two and a half‐fold decline in the abundance of small mesopredatory fishes (≤50 cm TL) (14.00 hr−1 ± 3.79 to 5.6 hr−1 ± 1.20) and a concomitant increase in large mesopredatory fishes (≥100 cm TL) from 1.82 hr−1 ± 0.48 to 4.27 hr−1 ± 0.93. In contrast, near‐reef habitats showed an increase in abundance of large mesopredatory fishes between years (2.00 hr−1 ± 0.65 to 4.56 hr−1 ± 1.11), although only smaller increases in sharks (0.67 hr−1 ± 0.25 to 1.22 hr−1 ± 0.34) and smaller mesopredatory fishes. Although the abundance of most mesopredatory groups increased with recovery from fishing, we suggest that the large decline of small mesopredatory fish in reef habitat was mostly due to higher predation pressure following the increase in sharks and large mesopredatory fishes. At the regional scale, the structure of fished communities at Ashmore Reef in 2004 resembled those of present day Scott Reefs, where fishing still continues today. In 2016, Ashmore fish communities resembled those of the Rowley Shoals, which have been protected from fishing for decades., We observed abundance and community composition of shark and mesopredatory reef fish at Ashmore Reef in Western Australia, before and after recovery from illegal fishing pressure. After eight years of recovery, there was a large decrease in small (≤50 cm TL) mesopredatory reef fish abundance and a concomitant increase in shark and large (>100 cm TL) mesopredatory fish abundance in reef habitat. Our findings provide support for fish community restructuring with reef shark recovery, which has implications for management time frames of marine protected areas.

Marine fisheries in coastal ecosystems in many areas of the world have historically removed large-bodied individuals, potentially impairing ecosystem functioning and the long-term sustainability of fish populations. Reporting on size-based indicators that link to food-web structure can contribute to ecosystem-based management, but the application of these indicators over large (cross-ecosystem) geographical scales has been limited to either fisheries-dependent catch data or diver-based methods restricted to shallow waters (20 m) that can misrepresent the abundance of large-bodied fished species. We obtained data on the body-size structure of 82 recreationally or commercially targeted marine demersal teleosts from 2904 deployments of baited remote underwater stereo-video (stereo-BRUV). Sampling was at up to 50 m depth and covered approximately 10,000 km of the continental shelf of Australia. Seascape relief, water depth, and human gravity (i.e., a proxy of human impacts) were the strongest predictors of the probability of occurrence of large fishes and the abundance of fishes above the minimum legal size of capture. No-take marine reserves had a positive effect on the abundance of fishes above legal size, although the effect varied across species groups. In contrast, sublegal fishes were best predicted by gradients in sea surface temperature (mean and variance). In areas of low human impact, large fishes were about three times more likely to be encountered and fishes of legal size were approximately five times more abundant. For conspicuous species groups with contrasting habitat, environmental, and biogeographic affinities, abundance of legal-size fishes typically declined as human impact increased. Our large-scale quantitative analyses highlight the combined importance of seascape complexity, regions with low human footprint, and no-take marine reserves in protecting large-bodied fishes across a broad range of species and ecosystem configurations.Las pesquerías marinas de los ecosistemas costeros en muchas áreas del mundo históricamente han removido a individuos de gran tamaño, potencialmente perjudicando el funcionamiento ambiental y la sostenibilidad a largo plazo de las poblaciones de peces. Los reportes sobre los indicadores basados en el tamaño que se vinculan con la estructura de la red alimenticia pueden contribuir al manejo basado en el ecosistema, aunque la aplicación de estos indicadores a grandes (inter-ecosistemas) escalas geográficas ha estado limitada a datos de captura dependientes de las pesquerías o métodos basados en el buceo restringidos a aguas someras (20 m), lo cual puede representar erróneamente la abundancia de peces de gran tamaño capturados para la pesca. Obtuvimos los datos de la estructura del tamaño corporal de 82 teleósteos marinos demersales focalizados por razones recreativas o comerciales tomados de 2,904 despliegues de video estéreo subacuático remoto con cebo (stereo-BRUV, en inglés). El muestreo se realizó hasta los 50 metros de profundidad y abarcó aproximadamente 10,000 km del talud continental de Australia. El relieve marino, la profundidad del agua y la gravedad humana (es decir, un indicador de los impactos humanos) fueron los pronosticadores más sólidos de la probabilidad de incidencia de los peces de gran tamaño y de la abundancia de peces por encima del tamaño legal mínimo de captura. Las reservas marinas de protección total tienen un efecto positivo sobre la abundancia de los peces que están por encima del tamaño legal, aunque el efecto varió según el grupo de especies. Como contraste, los peces de tamaño sublegal fueron pronosticados de mejor manera usando gradientes de la temperatura de la superficie marina (media y varianza). En las áreas con un impacto humano reducido, los peces de gran tamaño corporal tenían hasta tres veces mayor probabilidad de aparecer y los peces de tamaño legal eran aproximadamente cinco veces más abundantes. Para los grupos de especies conspicuas con afinidades contrastantes de hábitat, ambiente y biogeografía, la abundancia de peces de tamaño legal normalmente declinó conforme aumentó el impacto humano. Nuestros análisis cuantitativos a gran escala resaltan la importancia conjunta que tienen la complejidad marina, las regiones con una huella humana reducida y las reservas marinas de protección total para la protección de los peces de gran tamaño corporal en una extensa gama de especies y configuraciones ecosistémicas. Efectos de la Huella Humana y los Factores Biofísicos sobre la Estructura del Tamaño Corporal de Especies Marinas Capturadas para la Pesca.

Pediatric-inspired acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) regimens are increasingly used in adult ALL [1]. These protocols universally feature asparaginase (ASP), a bacterial enzyme which deprives ALL ...

Worldwide, several countries have established coherent, representative, and large‐scale networks of marine reserves to conserve biodiversity. Very few have, however, published systematic assessments of the ecological responses to this network protection, hindering broad understanding of their generality, utility, and efficacy. We present data collected from systematic sampling of rocky reef fish assemblages at sites across a network of 27 no‐take marine reserve areas (NTMR) and 27 partially protected areas (PPA) nested within multiple marine parks (regional networks) across three Australian bioregions spanning >1000 km of coastline (7° latitude) to test the generality of ecological change across this network. We also sampled 18 reference areas (outside of the marine parks) to provide an independent assessment of potential NTMR effects and also to assess whole marine park effects. Baited remote underwater video (BRUV) was used to sample fishes between depths of 20–40 m over austral winters in four years (2010, 2011, 2015, and 2016). Despite substantial bioregional differences in fish assemblages, large and consistent effects of NTMR protection were detected across all bioregions for a key commercially and recreationally harvested species, Chrysophrys auratus (pink snapper). There were substantial increases in relative abundance of C. auratus in NTMR compared with fished zones through time (effect sizes >150%). The wider assemblage of targeted fish (excluding C. auratus) only showed relatively small effects of protection (~11%) with trends observed for site‐attached wrasses (labrids) and planktivores (e.g., commercially fished Scorpis lineolata) that are recreationally and commercially harvested. Furthermore, the relative abundance of non‐target or by‐catch species generally did not differ among management zones across the bioregional network. These results highlight how NTMR can be used to assess the ecological effects of fishing and wider environmental management, and can be incorporated into ecosystem‐based management for reef species more generally. Importantly, the provision of robust evidence of the performance and generality of NTMR over large‐spatial scales (e.g., bioregions) provides greater confidence in the expected outcomes from marine reserve networks as a conservation management approach.

Marine reserves are a key tool for the conservation of marine biodiversity, yet only ~2.5% of the world's oceans are protected. The integration of marine reserves into connected networks representing all habitats has been encouraged by international agreements, yet the benefits of this design has not been tested empirically. Australia has one of the largest systems of marine reserves, providing a rare opportunity to assess how connectivity influences conservation success. An Australia‐wide dataset was collected using baited remote underwater video systems deployed across a depth range from 0 to 100 m to assess the effectiveness of marine reserves for protecting teleosts subject to commercial and recreational fishing. A meta‐analytical comparison of 73 fished species within 91 marine reserves found that, on average, marine reserves had 28% greater abundance and 53% greater biomass of fished species compared to adjacent areas open to fishing. However, benefits of protection were not observed across all reserves (heterogeneity), so full subsets generalized additive modelling was used to consider factors that influence marine reserve effectiveness, including distance‐based and ecological metrics of connectivity among reserves. Our results suggest that increased connectivity and depth improve the aforementioned marine reserve benefits and that these factors should be considered to optimize such benefits over time. We provide important guidance on factors to consider when implementing marine reserves for the purpose of increasing the abundance and size of fished species, given the expected increase in coverage globally. We show that marine reserves that are highly protected (no‐take) and designed to optimize connectivity, size and depth range can provide an effective conservation strategy for fished species in temperate and tropical waters within an overarching marine biodiversity conservation framework., An Australia‐wide dataset was collected using baited remote underwater video systems deployed across a depth range from 0 to 100 m to assess the effectiveness of marine reserves for protecting fished species. A meta‐analytical comparison of 73 fished species within 91 marine reserves found that, on average, marine reserves had 28% greater abundance and 53% greater biomass of fished species compared to adjacent areas open to fishing. We show that marine reserves that are highly protected (no‐take) and designed to optimize connectivity, size and depth range can provide an effective conservation strategy for fished species in temperate and tropical waters.

Summary Proximity and size of the nearest market (‘market gravity’) have been shown to have strong negative effects on coral reef fish communities that can be mitigated by the establishment of closed areas. However, moray eels are functionally unique predators that are generally not subject to targeted fishing and should therefore not directly be affected by these factors. We used baited remote underwater video systems to investigate associations between morays and anthropogenic, habitat, and ecological factors in the Caribbean region. Market gravity had a positive effect on morays, while the opposite pattern was observed in a predator group subject to exploitation (sharks). Environmental DNA analyses corroborated the positive effect of market gravity on morays. We hypothesize that the observed pattern could be the indirect result of the depletion of moray competitors and predators near humans., Graphical Abstract, Highlights • Baited remote underwater videos and environmental DNA were used to assess morays • Market gravity had a strong positive effect on moray abundance • Morays and sharks were negatively associated • Lack of competitors and predators may explain increased morays on reefs near humans, Environmental science; ecology; biological sciences; zoology; animals; ethology

Millions of recreational boats and ~ 65,000 ocean-going merchant ships anchor routinely. Anchor and chain scour associated with these vessels mechanically disturb the seabed having implications for marine environments globally. Our review summarises the scientific literature that examines the response of biota to anchor scour across five habitats; unvegetated sediments; seagrass; rhodolith beds; coral and rocky reefs. Forty-one studies met our criteria with >85% of articles targeting recreational-based disturbances, mostly focussed on seagrass. Investigations of anchor scour from ships comes almost exclusively from cruise ships anchoring on coral reef. All research examined reported biota responding negatively to anchor scour, either directly or indirectly. Effects to biota were dependent on the spatio-temporal scale of the perturbation or the life-histories of the organisms impacted. We highlight several key knowledge gaps requiring urgent investigation and suggest a range of management strategies to work towards sustainable anchoring practices and the preservation of valuable seabed environments.

Rocky intertidal shores are diverse ecosystems that have been extensively studied, yet there is a surprising lack of knowledge on the methods best suited to quantifying species abundance, diversity and assemblages. We compared visual census, unbaited remote underwater video (mini-RUV), baited remote underwater video (mini-BRUV) and draining/collection methods, with the goal of quantifying the effectiveness of non-invasive methods over more typical invasive methods for quantifying rockpool fish assemblages. In addition, we assessed the optimal set time of video deployment for mini-RUV and mini-BRUV. Fieldwork was undertaken from May–June 2016 using 20 rockpools at seven locations on the SE coast of NSW, Australia. Following standardisation of methods, visual census detected the lowest abundance of fishes whereas hand collection detected the highest out of any method. Increasing sampling time of mini-RUV and mini-BRUV from 10 to 25 min improved their effectiveness, with mini-BRUV detecting comparable abundances to invasive hand collection. The methods did not differ with respect to species richness however. Further, 25 min of mini-BRUV yielded greater detection of common species than hand collection. All together, these results suggest that mini-BRUV is the best method if the goal is to provide accurate estimates of overall abundance, richness and assemblages with minimal disturbance to rockpools, with a preferred set time of 25 min (and at least 15 min). The ability to conduct rapid and non-invasive species surveys of natural rockpool fish communities is an important conservation and management tool given that these habitats can be home to a variety of commercially important and rare species.

We thank Marie-Claire Demers, Rhiannon Kiggins, Mark Fackerell and Simon Rees for assistance with fieldwork. We acknowledge support from JBMP and Booderee National Park staff. We thank Geoff Hurt for assistance and construction of the BRUV units. We thank the 3 anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments. We also thank the Ecological Society of Australia and The Nature Conservancy, Australia, for project support.

Seascape variability may confound assessments on the effectiveness of no-take marine reserves (NTMRs) in conserving biodiversity. In most cases baseline data are lacking, resulting in evaluations of NTMR effectiveness being Control Impact (CI) assessments. Even with independent replicate areas among management zones, this approach can make it difficult to detect zone effects if seascape attributes, such as habitat structural complexity varies among experimental areas. To determine the importance of structural complexity in evaluations of NTMR effectiveness we performed assessments on the abundance of a targeted fish, yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi), in the Lord Howe Island Marine Park (LHIMP). We compared assessments which did and did not account for structural complexity, quantified using high resolution multibeam bathymetry. Despite almost 3 times more S. lalandi in NTMRs, the traditional CI assessment explained only 3% of the variation in the abundance of S. lalandi and revealed no clear effect of protection. Incorporating structural complexity into the assessment increased the deviance explained to 65% and uncovered an important interaction between zone and structural complexity. Greater abundances of S. lalandi were detected in NTMRs compared to fished zones but only on highly complex reefs. By accounting for structural complexity, we demonstrate that the precision and accuracy of NTMR assessments can be improved, leading to a better understanding of ecological change in response to this conservation strategy. Consequently, where marine park zones vary greatly in structural complexity, we strongly advocate for quantifying and accounting for such variability in assessments of NTMR performance.

Remote oceanic islands often display high levels of biodiversity and endemism, making them important locations for marine parks aimed at conserving biodiversity. To determine whether marine parks are reaching conservation objectives requires consistent assessments of their effectiveness through time. Lord Howe Island and Balls Pyramid are World Heritage listed remote oceanic islands in the Tasman Sea that support a diverse assemblage of fishes including many endemic and protected species. To conserve the region’s unique marine biodiversity, state and Commonwealth marine parks including no-take zones and partially protected zones open to line fishing were established. After approximately 5, 9 and 13 years of protection of shelf habitat we tested for changes in the marine park’s fish assemblage across management zones through time using baited remote underwater video systems (BRUVs). We detected no difference in total fish abundance, diversity, or assemblage composition between management zone types. The relative abundance of targeted carangids, yellowtail kingfish and silver trevally were 2 and 1.6 times greater in no-take zones than partially protected zones respectively, however, the substantial variation in their abundances among locations and sites meant that these differences were not statistically significant. No clear difference in the relative abundance of endemic, near-endemic and protected species were observed between management zone types. Generally, the abundance and diversity of fishes varied most among locations, sites and sampling years. The overall lack of difference in the fish assemblage between management zone types and its stability through time suggests current anthropogenic threats are relatively minor, and the marine park’s condition is reasonably healthy. Future surveys of the marine park’s fish assemblage will be valuable to test for body-size differences between zone types and to monitor trends in condition, particularly in response to possible changes in the number, frequency and intensity of anthropogenic threats.

Ecosystem-based fisheries managers are increasingly seeking quantitative and spatially-explicit information on species distributions to assist with the management of fisheries and aquatic habitats . In this study, we used boosted regression trees (BRT) to build species distribution models for a highly valued coastal teleost – pink snapper (Sparidae: Chrysophrys auratus ) across rocky reefs adjacent to Australia's most urbanised coastline. BRT models for juvenile ( 32 cm total length) snapper were created using a suite of environmental and habitat predictors. A surrogate for multiple anthropogenic stressors , measured as surrounding human population density, was also included in the models. The BRT model for juvenile snapper performed well (cross-validated AUC = 0.78) and identified habitat features as the most important drivers of their distribution across the region. Juvenile snapper were commonly associated with small patch reefs of low relief adjacent to large estuarine water bodies. In contrast, the performance of the BRT model for adult snapper was weak (cross-validated AUC = 0.68) but identified human population density over habitat features as the strongest predictor of adult snapper distributions. Lower occurrences of adult snapper were associated with reef habitats adjacent to large metropolitan centres, suggesting anthropogenic stressors, such as water pollution, noise and fishing may be negatively impacting adult snapper in the region. Our results highlight essential habitats for snapper populations, notably the importance of large estuaries in the coastal seascape, which are nurseries for juvenile snapper. Knowledge of the demographic habitat associations and spatial distribution of snapper across this highly urbanised coastline will support ongoing management and monitoring of snapper populations and their key habitats.

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

Fishing has had a profound impact on global reef shark populations, and the absence or presence of sharks is strongly correlated with national socio-economic conditions and reef governance. Decades of overexploitation have devastated shark populations, leaving considerable doubt as to their ecological status(1,2). Yet much of what is known about sharks has been inferred from catch records in industrial fisheries, whereas far less information is available about sharks that live in coastal habitats(3). Here we address this knowledge gap using data from more than 15,000 standardized baited remote underwater video stations that were deployed on 371 reefs in 58 nations to estimate the conservation status of reef sharks globally. Our results reveal the profound impact that fishing has had on reef shark populations: we observed no sharks on almost 20% of the surveyed reefs. Reef sharks were almost completely absent from reefs in several nations, and shark depletion was strongly related to socio-economic conditions such as the size and proximity of the nearest market, poor governance and the density of the human population. However, opportunities for the conservation of reef sharks remain: shark sanctuaries, closed areas, catch limits and an absence of gillnets and longlines were associated with a substantially higher relative abundance of reef sharks. These results reveal several policy pathways for the restoration and management of reef shark populations, from direct top-down management of fishing to indirect improvement of governance conditions. Reef shark populations will only have a high chance of recovery by engaging key socio-economic aspects of tropical fisheries.

A 74-year-old gentleman presented to hospital with a 1-day history of acute onset pleuritic chest pain and fever. He was found to have widespread ST segment elevation on electrocardiogram, and blood cultures taken were positive for Streptococcus pneumoniae. Two days following admission the patient developed dyspnea, and a large pericardial effusion and right middle lobe consolidation were demonstrated on a computed tomography scan of the chest. A transthoracic echocardiogram confirmed the presence of a large circumferential pericardial effusion with multiple prominent adhesions and marked heterogenous thickening of the pericardium, without evidence of tamponade. Pericardiocentesis drained a purulent exudate positive for pneumococcal antigen. The occurrence of purulent pericarditis secondary to pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia is rare in the modern antibiotic era and represents an often-lethal manifestation of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). IPD is a vaccine-preventable illness for which adult vaccination rates are low despite high morbidity. Healthcare professionals need to vaccinate older patients opportunistically.

A 64-year-old gentleman initially presented with nephrotic syndrome and membranous nephropathy with positive staining for C1q, which was suspicious for lupus membranous nephritis. Investigation led to the simultaneous diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC). The CRC was surgically excised and the patient’s nephrotic syndrome resolved. The patient subsequently presented with classic systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) including positive serological markers, mouth-ulcers and a photosensitive maculopapular rash. Two months later the patient represented with an SLE flare encompassing the full-hand of renal-pulmonary syndrome and vasculitic-neuropathy, importantly at this presentation occult recurrence of CRC was proven with tissue biopsy. Major histocompatibility class II haplotyping demonstrated HLA-DRB1*03, a known predisposition for SLE. This case depicts the scenario of tumour transformation triggering SLE development in a predisposed individual after an initial paraneoplastic manifestation in the form of membranous nephropathy (plus C1q). This supports the potential role of tumourgenesis in the development of SLE in a primed individual.

Many marine fish populations have declined due to the individual or cumulative impacts of increasing water temperatures, ocean acidification, overfishing and other human-induced impacts such as land run-off, dredging and habitat alteration. Some solutions may be offered by ecosystem-based fisheries and conservation management. However, understanding their effectiveness relies on the availability of good quality data on the size distributions and abundance of fish populations and assemblages, collected at appropriate temporal and spatial scales. Since the early 2000s, baited remote underwater video systems (BRUVs) have become a popular tool for collecting data on fish assemblages across a range of depths and habitats. In Australia, this technique has been adopted by many different agencies and institutions, creating a unique opportunity to compile a continental-scale synthesis of fish data using a standardised sampling technique. Key Australian researchers and managers were invited to contribute to a synthesis workshop on baited underwater video in Albany, Western Australia between the 4th and 8th of February 2018. Data from 19,939 BRUVs deployments, collected between 2000 and 2017 around Australia, were compiled using GlobalArchive (globalarchive.org). The workshop identified and prioritised several key research themes that would contribute to the conservation and sustainable management of focal species and broad assemblages. Our goal is to describe where and when the data were collected, the type of equipment used and how the imagery was analysed. We also discuss the types of questions that can be addressed by analysing these standardised datasets and the potential benefits to conservation and fisheries management.

Elderly patients experience a different spectrum of disease and poorer outcomes than younger patients. This study investigated the impact of age and medical comorbidities on the management and outcome of patients ≥65 years.A retrospective review of all patients ≥65 years (481 patients with 525 primary melanomas) presenting with AJCC clinical stage I-II melanoma to an Australian cancer centre between 2000 and 2008.The median age was 74 years (65-94) with a male predominance (313 males, 65.0%) and median tumour thickness of 1.90 mm (IQR = 0.40-2.90, T1 = 33%, T2 = 20%, T3 = 24%, T4 = 23%). Inadequate surgical margins of excision (10 mm) were common in older patients independent of site, thickness and ulceration (OR = 1.04, 95%CI = 1.00-1.07, p = 0.038). Inadequate excision margins were strongly associated with time to local recurrence, independent of age, thickness, ulceration and mitotic rate (HR = 3.00, 95%CI = 1.49-6.03, p = 0.0021), but not time to progression (p = 0.10) or disease specific survival (DSS, p = 0.27). Overall survival (OS) was strongly related to increasing age (HR = 1.04, 95%CI = 1.01-1.07, p = 0.015) and comorbid medical conditions (HR = 1.26, 95%CI = 1.12-1.42, p 0.001), as assessed by the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI). DSS was significantly related to CCI (HR = 1.20, 95%CI = 1.01-1.42, p = 0.041) and not age (p = 0.46), when adjusting for thickness, ulceration and mitotic rate on multivariate analysis.Older patients present with poor prognosis melanomas yet are less likely to receive adequate surgical excision margins resulting in higher rates of local recurrence. In melanoma patients ≥65 years, the increasing number of medical comorbidities explains much of the age related variations in OS and DSS and should be considered when planning treatment.

Mid-water baited remote underwater video systems (BRUVS) are becoming an increasingly popular tool for examining pelagic fish assemblages in a non-destructive, fisheries independent manner. As the technique is relatively novel, critical methodological questions such as the most appropriate attractant for pelagic fish to mid-water RUVS remain unresolved. In this study, we compared the relative effectiveness of 4 attractant treatments (sight: metallic reflectors, sound: bait fish recordings, scent: pilchards and their combination) on the time of first arrival, total abundance of pelagic fish and the relative abundance of 3 pelagic fish species: Trachurus novaezelandiae, Sarda australis and Seriola lalandi. Recordings were made using mid-water RUVS in the Jervis Bay Marine Park, Australia. RUVS using a combination of all attractants recorded the highest abundances and shortest time of first arrival of pelagic fish. This result was primarily driven by Trachurus novaezelandiae. Although not significant, the abundance of Sarda australis was also greatest on the RUVS with all attractants. In contrast, the type of attractant had no effect on the abundance of Seriola lalandi. Bait, the standard attractant used in BRUVS surveys, was a poor performer for pelagic fish in all instances. We suggest that future studies using this sampling method employ multiple attractants. Disciplines Medicine and Health Sciences | Social and Behavioral Sciences Publication Details Rees, M. J., Knott, N. A., Fenech, G. V. & Davis, A. R. (2015). Rules of attraction: enticing pelagic fish to midwater remote underwater video systems (RUVS). Marine Ecology: Progress Series, 529 213-218. This journal article is available at Research Online: http://ro.uow.edu.au/smhpapers/3002

This study assessed whether the abundance of girellids and kyphosids was related to cover of the palatable green algae, Ulva australis and Ulva compressa, on rocky intertidal reefs in Jervis Bay, New South Wales, Australia. No relationship was found between Ulva spp. cover and abundance of Girella tricuspidata, Girella elevata and Kyphosus sydneyanus during a period of relatively low Ulva spp. cover (i.e. February 2011 to March 2011), but during a period of significantly higher Ulva spp. cover (i.e. October 2011 to November 2011) there was a strong correlation between Ulva spp. cover and G. tricuspidata abundance. Spatial analysis indicated that the abundance of G. tricuspidata was consistent across time, suggesting G. tricuspidata were not moving between reefs in response to variation in Ulva spp. cover between periods but rather that large schools of G. tricuspidata resided on reefs that had relatively higher Ulva spp. cover at certain times of the year.

Objectives Melanoma treatment in the elderly can entail complex decision making. This study characterizes the presentation, management, and outcome of melanoma in the very elderly. Method Retrospective review of all patients in their 85th year or older presenting to a tertiary referral cancer centre between 2000 and 2012 with American Joint Committee on Cancer stages 0–II cutaneous melanoma. Results 127 patients, 26 with in-situ disease and 101 with stages I–II disease, were included. For invasive primary disease, the median age was 87 years (IRQ = 86–89). Most patients had melanomas with poor prognoses at diagnosis: 49.5% were ulcerated, 68.3% mitotically active (mitotic rate ≥ 1), and the median tumor thickness was 3.7 mm (IQR = 1.7–5.8). Nodular melanomas were the most frequent subtype (31.7%, 32/101). Only 66.3% received an excision margin ≥ 10 mm. Suboptimal excision margins were associated with increased risk of local recurrence (HR = 6.87, 95% CI = 5.53–8.20, p = 0.0045) but not poorer disease specific survival (DSS, p = 0.37) or overall survival (OS, p = 0.19). Sentinel node biopsy (SNB) did not influence survival (DSS, p = 0.39, OS, p = 0.78). Median OS was 33 months. Overall, one-third (34.7%) of patients died from causes other than melanoma during the follow up period. In patients aged ≥ 90 only 1 patient (4.3%) died from melanoma, while 10 patients (43.5%) died of other causes. Conclusions Older patients have thick, mitotically active and frequently ulcerated melanomas. An excision margin ≥ 10 mm should be considered to reduce risk of local recurrence. SNB did not impact on survival. With increasing age, patients will more commonly die of causes other than melanoma regardless of the extent of surgical care.

Aim To examine the potential of remotely sensed abiotic measures as surrogates for the abundance, diversity and community composition of temperate rocky reef fishes and sessile invertebrates.

This paper discusses a relatively new acid-stimulation process that uses dynamic fluid energy to divert flow into a specific fracture point in the well that can initiate and accurately place a hydraulic fracture. These acid-stimulation methods often use two independent fluid streams: the acid phase down the treating string and other liquids or gases down the annulus. The annular fluid may simply serve as a wellbore pressurizing component, or with this process, two different fluids can be mixed downhole with high energy to form a homogenous mixture. Using variations of this process, treatments were performed in four openhole, horizontal wells in the same formation. The first well was acid-fractured with coiled tubing to place many small fractures along the open hole. The second well was acidfractured with coiled tubing, but downhole mixing concepts were also used to provide in-situ generation of CO2 foam where fewer, but larger, fractures were placed in this well. The third and fourth wells were treated with acid using blasting-type rotating or non-rotating jetting tools while mixing the acid with CO2 downhole. Numerous small, near-wellbore fractures were the expected result in these two wells. Experimental laboratory investigation of the physical mechanisms that contributed to these successful stimulations was considered important. Large-scale laboratory tests were performed to more closely examine the physical rock response to the jetting mechanism and conditions. The findings of these tests are presented in this paper.

This paper discusses a relatively new acid-stimulation process that uses dynamic fluid energy to divert flow into a specific fracture point in the well, which can initiate and accurately place a fracture. The acid-stimulation process often uses two independent fluid streams: one in the pipe and one in the annulus. With this process, two different fluids can be mixed downhole with high energy to form a homogenous mixture. Four such treatments in four openhole, horizontal wells were performed in one formation. The first well was acidfractured with coiled tubing to replace many small fractures along the open hole. The second well was acid-fractured with coiled tubing, but downhole mixing concepts were used to provide in-situ generation of CO2 foam. Fewer, yet larger, fractures were placed in this well. The third and fourth wells were treated with acid using rotating and nonrotating jetting tools while mixing the acid with CO2 downhole. Many small, near-wellbore fractures were expected in these wells. Investigating the mechanism that may have contributed to these successes in the field is important. Laboratory tests were performed to analyze the jetting mechanism exposed to rock. The findings of these tests are reported in this paper.

Networks of no-take marine reserves and partially-protected areas (with limited fishing) are being increasingly promoted as a means of conserving biodiversity. We examined changes in fish assemblages across a network of marine reserves and two different types of partially-protected areas within a marine park over the first 5 years of its establishment. We used Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) to quantify fish communities on rocky reefs at 20-40 m depth between 2008-2011. Each year, we sampled 12 sites in 6 no-take marine reserves and 12 sites in two types of partially-protected areas with contrasting levels of protection (n = 4 BRUV stations per site). Fish abundances were 38% greater across the network of marine reserves compared to the partially-protected areas, although not all individual reserves performed equally. Compliance actions were positively associated with marine reserve responses, while reserve size had no apparent relationship with reserve performance after 5 years. The richness and abundance of fishes did not consistently differ between the two types of partially-protected areas. There was, therefore, no evidence that the more regulated partially-protected areas had additional conservation benefits for reef fish assemblages. Overall, our results demonstrate conservation benefits to fish assemblages from a newly established network of temperate marine reserves. They also show that ecological monitoring can contribute to adaptive management of newly established marine reserve networks, but the extent of this contribution is limited by the rate of change in marine communities in response to protection.