The role of water markets in climate change adaptation

Abstract Water markets were first introduced in Australia in the 1980s, and water entitlement and allocation trade have been increasingly adopted by both private individuals and government.Irrigators turned to water markets (particularly for allocation water) to manage water scarcity and Governments to acquire water for the environment (particularly water entitlements. It is expected that further adoption of water markets will be essential for coping with future climate change impacts. This report reviews the available literature related to the relationship between southern Murray-Darling Basin (sMDB) water markets and anticipated climate change effects; the economic, social and environmental impacts of water reallocation through markets; and future development requirements to enhance positive outcomes in these areas. The use of water markets by irrigators can involve both transformational (selling all water entitlements and relocating or switching to dryland) and incremental (e.g. buying water allocations/entitlements, using carry-over, changing water management techniques) adaptation to climate change. Barriers to both adaptations include: current and future climate uncertainty; poor (or non-existent) market signals; financial constraints; information barriers; mental processing limits; inherent attitudes toward or beliefs about climate change; institutional barriers and disincentives to adapt. A better understanding of trade behaviour, especially strategic trade issues that can lead to market failures, will improve the economic advantages of water trade. There remains community concerns about the impacts of transfers away from regional areas such as reduced community spending and reinvestment; population losses; loss of jobs; declining taxation base, loss of local services and businesses, regional production changes; and legacy issues for remaining farmers. However, it is hard to disentangle these impacts from those caused by ongoing structural change in agriculture. Rural communities that are most vulnerable to water scarcity under climate change and water trade adjustment include smaller irrigation-dependent towns. Communities less dependent on irrigation are better able to adapt. Further, where environmental managers use water markets to deal with water variability and to ensure ecological benefits, irrigators are concerned about its impact on their traditional use of markets to manage scarcity. Climate change and water scarcity management are intertwined, suggesting that policy, institutional and governance arrangements to deal with such issues should be similarly structured. Water users will adapt, either out of necessity or opportunity. The cost of that adaptation at individual, regional and national levels—particularly to future water supply variability—can be mitigated by the consideration of the existing advantages from future opportunities for water marketing in Australia

Biological Activities and Molecular Analysis of Novel Dithiocarbazate Complex Compoundson Glioma Cell Lines

The object of research in the exploration of new chemotherapy agents is to kill cancerous cells and not harm the healthy cells. In addition, an effective dose of these agents is essential in conducting clinical studies in the treatment of cancer. In this study, an investigation of the anticancer effects of a group of synthetic compounds on human glioma cell lines was carried out. Initially, 11 compounds were screened using cytotoxicity assays. The most active compounds were found to be derived from bis (S-methyl-I3-N-(2-acetylfuran) dithiocarbazate) (SMDB) and bis (S-benzyl-I3-N-(2-acetylfuran) dithiocarbazate) (SBD4) complexed with zinc, cadmium and platinum ions. The glioma cell lines, A172, U87MG and T98G and normal brain cell line HCN-2, were used in this study. The ICso values of the cell lines treated with the compounds were determined by using (3-4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2-5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Tamoxifen was used as a control as it is the current drug of choice in the treatment of brain cancer. From the cytotoxicity assays, it was found that the compounds which showed the most potential are SMDB-Cd and SMDB-Zn. The ICso values for SMDB-Cd on A172, U87MG, T98G and HCN-2 were O.65IJg/ml, O.29IJg/ml, OAlJg/ml, and 1AlJg/ml, while that for SMDB-Zn were at 3.7IJg/ml, 1.76IJg/ml, 2.71Jg/ml and 7lJg/ml, respectively. The ICso values for tamoxifen for the same cell lines were 6.7IJg/ml, 5.3IJg/ml, 6.31Jg/ml and 6IJg/ml respectively. Several methods were employed towards understanding the mechanism of action at the molecular level for SMDB-Cd and SMDB-Zn on glioma cell lines. Tunel assay displayed the typical morphological features of apoptosis cells with condensed and fragmented nuclei at 48 hours. The percentage of apoptotic cells in all treated cells with tamoxifen, SMDB-Zn and SMDB-Cd were significantly (p<O.05) increased. Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) was used in monitoring the gene expression level of two key genes, Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) and Mouse Double Minute 2 (MDM2). The expression of EGFR gene was suppressed in all three-cell lines. However, MDM2 gene was suppressed only in A172 and T98G. Therefore, the suppression of EGFR and MDM2 by the compounds was one of the pathways to apoptosis in the glioma cells.In the flow cytometry analysis, the effect of SMDB-Cd and tamoxifen on the cell cycle after 3, 6, 12 and 24 hr treatment showed glioma cells A172, U87MG and T98G were arrested in G1 phase and the SMDB-Zn arrested glioma cell lines U87MG, T98G and A172 in, G2/M, S phase and G1 phase, respectively. The SMDB-Cd and tamoxifen arrested the cell cycle by preventing replication (phase specific G1 ) whereas SMDB-Zn was not phase specific which can arrest the cell at any point in the cell cycle. Results, of caspase-8/9 activity assay of tamoxifen, SMDB-Cd and SMDB-Zn on glioma cells showed that caspase-8 activity was significantly induced but no significant activity for caspase-9 was observed. Therefore, the activation of caspase-8 may be the mechanism through which tamoxifen, SMDB-Cd and SMDB-Zn induces apoptosis. The comet assay used to study the genotoxic activity of SMDB-Cd and SMDBZn in CHO cell line showed no genotoxic activity in both compounds. In conclusion, the two compounds have the potential to be developed as chemotherapeutic agents. Nilai ICso untuk sel-sel tersebut yang telah dirawat dengan sebatian-sebatian di-atas dipastikan dengan menggunakan kaedah (3-4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-25- diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MIT). Tamoksifen telah digunakan sebagai kawalan memandangkan ia adalah dadah pilihan semasa dalam rawatan kanser otak. Dari kaedah sitotoksik itu sebatian-sebatian yang ditemui menunjukkan potensi adalah SMDB-Cd dan SMDB-Zn. Nilai ICso untuk SMDB-Cd pada A172, U87MG, T98G dan HCN-2 adalah O.65IJg/ml, O.29IJg/ml, OAlJg/ml, dan 1.4lJg/ml, sementara itu bagi SMDB-Zn adalah 3.7IJg/ml, 1.76IJg/ml, 2.7IJg/ml and 7lJg/ml. Nilai ICso bagi tamoksifen pula untuk sel-sel yang sama tersebut adalah 6.7IJg/ml, 5.3IJg/ml, 6.3IJg/ml and 6lJg/ml. Beberapa kaedah telah dijalankan ke arah memahami mekanisme tindakan SMDB-Cd dan SMDB-Zn tersebut dalam sel-sel glioma pada peringkat molekul. Kaedah Tunel telah menunjukkan ciri-ciri morfologi yang tipikal bagi sel-sel apoptotik dengan nukleusnya yang menjadi padat dan pecah pada 48 jam, peratus sel-sel yang apoptotik dalam semua sel-sel yang dirawat bersama tamoxifen, SMDB-Zn dan SMDB-Cd adalah sangat bermakna (p<O.05). "Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction" (RT-PCR) telah digunakan dalam pemerhatian paras ekspresi gen terhadap dua gen ini, "Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor" (EGFR) dan Mouse Double Minute 2 (MDM2). Ekspresi gen EGFR telah dihalang didalam ketiga-tiga sel yang digunakan

Advanced solutions for quality-oriented multimedia broadcasting

Multimedia content is increasingly being delivered via different types of networks to viewers in a variety of locations and contexts using a variety of devices. The ubiquitous nature of multimedia services comes at a cost, however. The successful delivery of multimedia services will require overcoming numerous technological challenges many of which have a direct effect on the quality of the multimedia experience. For example, due to dynamically changing requirements and networking conditions, the delivery of multimedia content has traditionally adopted a best effort approach. However, this approach has often led to the end-user perceived quality of multimedia-based services being negatively affected. Yet the quality of multimedia content is a vital issue for the continued acceptance and proliferation of these services. Indeed, end-users are becoming increasingly quality-aware in their expectations of multimedia experience and demand an ever-widening spectrum of rich multimedia-based services. As a consequence, there is a continuous and extensive research effort, by both industry and academia, to find solutions for improving the quality of multimedia content delivered to the users; as well, international standards bodies, such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), are renewing their effort on the standardization of multimedia technologies. There are very different directions in which research has attempted to find solutions in order to improve the quality of the rich media content delivered over various network types. It is in this context that this special issue on broadcast multimedia quality of the IEEE Transactions on Broadcasting illustrates some of these avenues and presents some of the most significant research results obtained by various teams of researchers from many countries. This special issue provides an example, albeit inevitably limited, of the richness and breath of the current research on multimedia broadcasting services. The research i- - ssues addressed in this special issue include, among others, factors that influence user perceived quality, encoding-related quality assessment and control, transmission and coverage-based solutions and objective quality measurements

Roles of binding elements, FOXL2 domains, and interactions with cJUN and SMADs in regulation of FSHβ.

We previously identified FOXL2 as a critical component in FSHβ gene transcription. Here, we show that mice deficient in FOXL2 have lower levels of gonadotropin gene expression and fewer LH- and FSH-containing cells, but the same level of other pituitary hormones compared to wild-type littermates, highlighting a role of FOXL2 in the pituitary gonadotrope. Further, we investigate the function of FOXL2 in the gonadotrope cell and determine which domains of the FOXL2 protein are necessary for induction of FSHβ transcription. There is a stronger induction of FSHβ reporter transcription by truncated FOXL2 proteins, but no induction with the mutant lacking the forkhead domain. Specifically, FOXL2 plays a role in activin induction of FSHβ, functioning in concert with activin-induced SMAD proteins. Activin acts through multiple promoter elements to induce FSHβ expression, some of which bind FOXL2. Each of these FOXL2-binding sites is either juxtaposed or overlapping with a SMAD-binding element. We determined that FOXL2 and SMAD4 proteins form a higher order complex on the most proximal FOXL2 site. Surprisingly, two other sites important for activin induction bind neither SMADs nor FOXL2, suggesting additional factors at work. Furthermore, we show that FOXL2 plays a role in synergistic induction of FSHβ by GnRH and activin through interactions with the cJUN component of the AP1 complex that is necessary for GnRH responsiveness. Collectively, our results demonstrate the necessity of FOXL2 for proper FSH production in mice and implicate FOXL2 in integration of transcription factors at the level of the FSHβ promoter

Family physician work force projections in Saskatchewan

This thesis applies the econometric projection approach to forecast the numbers of general practitioners (GPs) in Saskatchewan for the next 15 years at both provincial and the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) levels. The projection results will provide the estimated level of GPs up to 2021 for policy makers to adjust their decision on health professionals’ planning. Three hypothesized scenarios, which include the changes in population proportion, average income for GPs and a combination of both, are used for projections based on the regression results. The projections suggest a 4.34% expected annual increase of GPs if the proportions of children and seniors increase or decrease according to prediction for the next 15 years for Saskatchewan. At the RHAs level, 4.5% to 10.7% expected annual rate of increase for numbers of GPs is projected for the northern RHAs and Saskatoon RHA, while the expected increase for other urban RHAs will experience less than 1.5% increases. The predicted changes in average income for GPs show insignificant effect for the expected changes in numbers of GPs. However, the second and third scenarios are not extended to the RHAs level due to lack of information, which requires additional data for both Saskatchewan physicians and population for further projection analysis

A compendium of ecological knowledge for restoration of freshwater fishes in Australia’s Murray–Darling Basin

Many freshwater fishes are imperilled globally, and there is a need for easily accessible, contemporary ecological knowledge to guide management. This compendium contains knowledge collated from over 600 publications and 27 expert workshops to support the restoration of 9 priority native freshwater fish species, representative of the range of life-history strategies and values in south-eastern Australia’s Murray–Darling Basin. To help prioritise future research investment and restoration actions, ecological knowledge and threats were assessed for each species and life stage. There is considerable new knowledge (80% of publications used were from the past 20 years), but this varied among species and life stages, with most known about adults, then egg, juvenile and larval stages (in that order). The biggest knowledge gaps concerned early life stage requirements, survival, recruitment, growth rates, condition and movements. Key threats include reduced longitudinal and lateral connectivity, altered flows, loss of refugia, reductions in both flowing (lotic) and slackwater riverine habitats, degradation of wetland habitats, alien species interactions and loss of aquatic vegetation. Examples and case studies illustrating the application of this knowledge to underpin effective restoration management are provided. This extensive ecological evidence base for multiple species is presented in a tabular format to assist a range of readers

Pilot in loop assessment of fault tolerant flight control schemes in a motion flight simulator

This research presents the pilot in the loop tests carried out in a Six-Degree of Freedom (6-DOF) motion flight simulator to evaluate failure detection, isolation and identification (FDII) schemes for an advanced F-15 aircraft. The objective behind this study is to leverage the capability of the flight simulator at West Virginia University (WVU) to carry out a performance assessment of neurally augmented control algorithms developed on a Matlab/Simulink RTM platform. The experimental setup features an interface setup of Gen-2 SimulinkRTM schemes with MOTUS Flight Simulator (MFS). The set up is a close substitute to a real flight and thus is helpful in evaluation of the schemes in a realistic manner. The graphics in X-plane is used to obtain visual cues and the motion platform is used to obtain motion cues in the simulator cockpit. The whole set-up enables the pilot to respond with a joystick in the advent of a failure as he would otherwise in a real flight. The pilot response in maintaining the mission profile is different for different neural network augmentations and thus an indication of performance comparison of these schemes. Secondly, FDII schemes are developed for a sensor and actuator failure using an adaptive threshold for cross-correlation coefficients of the angular rates of the aircraft. Failure detection, isolation and identification logic is formulated based on monitoring the cross-correlation parameters with their Floating Limiter (FL) bounds. The FDII scheme developed shows a good performance with desktop simulation because of no pilot activity but with a pilot in the loop significant cross-correlation of the rates occur and hence the scheme become more susceptible to wrongs FDII. In addition, the pilot might induce some coupling of the cross-correlation parameters between detection and identification time which may trigger false detections and may configure the controller differently based on incorrect detection. Thus it is necessary that FDII scheme accommodate real flight conditions. The performance of the FDII schemes is improved with a pilot in the loop by monitoring the cross-correlation parameters and fine tuning FDII algorithms for real situations. This study has set up an excellent example to effectively utilize the aural, visual and motion cues to create a higher level of simulation complexity in designing control algorithms

Distinct Peripheral Blood RNA Responses to Salmonella in Pigs Differing in Salmonella Shedding Levels: Intersection of IFNG, TLR and miRNA Pathways

Transcriptomic analysis of the response to bacterial pathogens has been reported for several species, yet few studies have investigated the transcriptional differences in whole blood in subjects that differ in their disease response phenotypes. Salmonella species infect many vertebrate species, and pigs colonized with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (ST) are usually asymptomatic, making detection of these Salmonella-carrier pigs difficult. The variable fecal shedding of Salmonella is an important cause of foodborne illness and zoonotic disease. To investigate gene pathways and biomarkers associated with the variance in Salmonella shedding following experimental inoculation, we initiated the first analysis of the whole blood transcriptional response induced by Salmonella. A population of pigs (n = 40) was inoculated with ST and peripheral blood and fecal Salmonella counts were collected between 2 and 20 days post-inoculation (dpi). Two groups of pigs with either low shedding (LS) or persistent shedding (PS) phenotypes were identified. Global transcriptional changes in response to ST inoculation were identified by Affymetrix Genechip® analysis of peripheral blood RNA at day 0 and 2 dpi. ST inoculation triggered substantial gene expression changes in the pigs and there was differential expression of many genes between LS and PS pigs. Analysis of the differential profiles of gene expression within and between PS and LS phenotypic classes identified distinct regulatory pathways mediated by IFN-γ, TNF, NF-κB, or one of several miRNAs. We confirmed the activation of two regulatory factors, SPI1 and CEBPB, and demonstrated that expression of miR-155 was decreased specifically in the PS animals. These data provide insight into specific pathways associated with extremes in Salmonella fecal shedding that can be targeted for further exploration on why some animals develop a carrier state. This knowledge can also be used to develop rational manipulations of genetics, pharmaceuticals, nutrition or husbandry methods to decrease Salmonella colonization, shedding and spread

Irrigation, water market and climate change: three essays

Irrigation water is vital for agriculture, but climate change presents substantial challenges to its management. This thesis comprises three studies that examine the multidimensional challenges of irrigation water governance, the functionality of water markets, and their potential contribution to mitigating the impacts of climate change. The studies also investigate the effects of climatic conditions on the trading behaviour of water market participants. The first study presents a comprehensive framework for assessing the ability of water governance to cope with climate change. My findings indicate an improvement in the economic efficiency of irrigation water use over the past few decades and the contribution of market-based instruments in managing the impact of climate change. The second study takes a closer look at the functionality and performance of the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) water market in Australia. The study investigates several key market attributes across a number of trading zones in the sMDB. Overall, the findings document that water markets serve well their fundamental purpose in water resource management, and that various products available in the market enhance market efficiency. The third study uses a portfolio approach to analyse the impacts of climatic conditions, particularly water availability, on the optimal trading strategies of water market participants. The findings illustrate the benefits of portfolio management in improving returns, reducing risks and securing water supply, as opposed to the traditional ownership of a single type of water right. In summary, this thesis addresses the challenges that irrigation water governance confronts in the context of climate change and provides in-depth discussions about potential tools to deal with the challenges. My research highlights the crucial role of economic instruments, particularly water markets, in mitigating these challenges, based on empirical evidence and optimization results