Joint Central and Northern Groups Conference (SSSIQ 2013): The Fast 15

The Surveyors Board of Queensland has recently become aware of some issues with the use of GNSS/GPS, particularly Real-Time Kinematic (RTK), on cadastral surveys. This document is designed to provide a summary of overarching principles that should govern how surveyors go about this task. It is not exhaustive: rather it is essentially an interim document designed to bring attention to some common errors in practice and will be later supplemented by more detailed guidelines. It is also designed to be read in conjunction with best practice guidelines such as SP#1 (refer to References). In this document RTK refers to the use of good quality geodetic receivers and antennas and not hand held mapping grade receivers, nor DGPS systems. Although this guideline primarily covers cadastral surveys where some aspects of the work will be carried out using RTK GNSS, these principles may be also applicable to engineering, topographic, and other surveys, particularly where local ground-based coordinates and dimensions are required. For completeness and clarity, parts of the document also may refer to GNSS observational techniques other than RTK. Logically, this guideline is not applicable when using conventional measurement techniques only. The document does not cover • legal traceability of measurement and survey integration – you should refer to requirements of the appropriate verifying authority for details on that aspect. • the general operational aspects of RTK GNSS – you should refer to manufacturers' specifications and other guidelines

Modelling secondary particle tracks generated by high-energy protons in water

1 pág.; XXIX International Conference on Photonic, Electronic, and Atomic Collisions (ICPEAC2015); Open Access funded by Creative Commons Atribution Licence 3.0We present interaction probability data of low-energy secondary electrons and positrons produced due to the proton impact. The probability distribution functions serve as input data for the Low Energy Particle Track Simulation (LEPTS) approach which allows one to include the effect of low-energy species in medical applications of radiation and in ion-beam cancer therapy, in particular.This work has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economía y Productividad (Project FIS2012-31320). We also acknowledge partial funding from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT-MCTES), research grant PEstOE/FIS/UI0068/2011,the EU/ESF COST Actions Nano-IBCT - MP1002 and CELINA CM- 1301, and from the FP7 Multi-ITN Project ”Advanced Radiotherapy, Generated by Exploiting Nanoprocesses and Technologies” (ARGENT) (Grant Agreement n◦608163).Peer Reviewe

Modeling secondary particle tracks generated by high-energy protons in water

ICPEAC 2015, Toledo, Spain on 22 –28 July 2015; http://www.icpeac2015.com/We present interaction probability data of low-energy secondary electrons and positrons produced due to the proton impact. The probability distribution functions serve as input data for the Low Energy Particle Track Simulation (LEPTS) approach which allows one to include the effect of low-energy species in medical applications of radiation and in ion-beam cancer therapy, in particular.his work has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economía y Productividad (Project FIS2012-31320). We also acknowledge partial funding from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT-MCTES), research grant PEstOE/FIS/UI0068/2011,the EU/ESF COST Actions Nano-IBCT - MP1002 and CELINA CM- 1301, and from the FP7 Multi-ITN Project ”Advanced Radiotherapy, Generated by Exploiting Nanoprocesses and Technologies” (ARGENT) (Grant Agreement n◦608163).Peer Reviewe

A study of general practitioners' perspectives on electronic medical records systems in NHS Scotland

<b>Background</b> Primary care doctors in NHSScotland have been using electronic medical records within their practices routinely for many years. The Scottish Health Executive eHealth strategy (2008-2011) has recently brought radical changes to the primary care computing landscape in Scotland: an information system (GPASS) which was provided free-of-charge by NHSScotland to a majority of GP practices has now been replaced by systems provided by two approved commercial providers. The transition to new electronic medical records had to be completed nationally across all health-boards by March 2012. <p></p><b> Methods</b> We carried out 25 in-depth semi-structured interviews with primary care doctors to elucidate GPs' perspectives on their practice information systems and collect more general information on management processes in the patient surgical pathway in NHSScotland. We undertook a thematic analysis of interviewees' responses, using Normalisation Process Theory as the underpinning conceptual framework. <p></p> <b>Results</b> The majority of GPs' interviewed considered that electronic medical records are an integral and essential element of their work during the consultation, playing a key role in facilitating integrated and continuity of care for patients and making clinical information more accessible. However, GPs expressed a number of reservations about various system functionalities - for example: in relation to usability, system navigation and information visualisation. <b>Conclusion </b>Our study highlights that while electronic information systems are perceived as having important benefits, there remains substantial scope to improve GPs' interaction and overall satisfaction with these systems. Iterative user-centred improvements combined with additional training in the use of technology would promote an increased understanding, familiarity and command of the range of functionalities of electronic medical records among primary care doctors

22nd Annual Conference of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education (AAEE 2011)

Participation by rural and remote area students has been identified as a critical element in increasing enrolments in higher education in Australia. This paper describes a research project to develop a model based on a regional university's investigation of a strategic alliance with the extractive energy industry to engage high schools in the local communities in engineering related activities, and ultimately to encourage participation by students in higher education. A key component of the model and adopted strategy was the design and conduct of engineering camps. This involved year 10 to 12 students in 2010-2011, from 13 regional high schools attending the university to work on real-life projects surrounding coal seam gas extraction. Students were also provided an opportunity to participate in site visits to experience life as an engineer in the energy industry. The desired outcomes of the model were: from the university's perspective to give students a taste of life as a student at university; from the students' perspective to raise awareness of issues surrounding the energy industry in their geographic area; and from the discipline perspective to demonstrate practical relevance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. The planned outcomes would then help to engage the local communities through the students' schools, make students aware of opportunities for further study, demonstrate the ease with which they could transition from high school to university life, and thereby encourage high school students in these communities to aspire to a career in engineering and spatial science. The interactive model resulted in camps that have become an annual event due to their unquestionable success. The model has now been embraced by industry, and opportunities have also been identified to further develop the model through a strengthened high school engagement

Genetic analysis of a major international collection of cultivated apple varieties reveals previously unknown historic heteroploid and inbred relationships

Domesticated apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) is a major global crop and the genetic diversity held within the pool of cultivated varieties is important for the development of future cultivars. The aim of this study was to investigate the diversity held within the domesticated form, through the analysis of a major international germplasm collection of cultivated varieties, the UK National Fruit Collection, consisting of over 2,000 selections of named cultivars and seedling varieties. We utilised Diversity Array Technology (DArT) markers to assess the genetic diversity within the collection. Clustering attempts, using the software STRUCTURE revealed that the accessions formed a complex and historically admixed group for which clear clustering was challenging. Comparison of accessions using the Jaccard similarity coefficient allowed us to identify clonal and duplicate material as well as revealing pairs and groups that appeared more closely related than a standard parent-offspring or full-sibling relations. From further investigation, we were able to propose a number of new pedigrees, which revealed that some historically important cultivars were more closely related than previously documented and that some of them were partially inbred. We were also able to elucidate a number of parent-offspring relationships that had resulted in a number of important polyploid cultivars. This included reuniting polyploid cultivars that in some cases dated as far back as the 18th century, with diploid parents that potentially date back as far as the 13th century

The HIV-1 Nef protein binds argonaute-2 and functions as a viral suppressor of RNA interference

The HIV-1 accessory protein Nef is an important virulence factor. It associates with cellular membranes and modulates the endocytic machinery and signaling pathways. Nef also increases the proliferation of multivesicular bodies (MVBs), which are sites for virus assembly and budding in macrophages. The RNA interference (RNAi) pathway proteins Ago2 and GW182 localize to MVBs, suggesting these to be sites for assembly and turnover of the miRNA-induced silencing complex (miRISC). While RNAi affects HIV replication, it is not clear if the virus encodes a suppressor activity to overcome this innate host response. Here we show that Nef colocalizes with MVBs and binds Ago2 through two highly conserved Glycine-Tryptophan (GW) motifs, mutations in which abolish Nef binding to Ago2 and reduce virus yield and infectivity. Nef also inhibits the slicing activity of Ago2 and disturbs the sorting of GW182 into exosomes resulting in the suppression of miRNA-induced silencing. Thus, besides its other activities, the HIV-1 Nef protein is also proposed to function as a viral suppressor of RNAi (VSR)

Electron ionisation of cyanoacetylene: Ionisation cross sections and dication formation

Cyanoacetylene (HC3N) is an important trace species in the atmosphere of Titan. We report, for the first time, absolute partial electron ionisation cross sections and absolute precursor-specific partial electron ionisation cross sections for cyanoacetylene, following an experimental and computational investigation. Our methodology involves using 2D ion-ion coincidence mass spectrometry to generate relative cross sections, over the electron energy range 50 – 200 eV. These relative values are then normalised to an absolute scale, using a binary encounter-Bethe (BEB) calculation of the total ionisation cross section. The BEB calculation agrees well with previous determinations in the literature. The mass spectrometric observations of HC2N+ and HCN+, ions with a connectivity markedly different to that of the neutral molecule, point towards a rich cationic energy landscape possessing several local minima. Indeed, [HC3N]2+ minima involving a variety of cyclic configurations are revealed by a preliminary computational investigation, along with two minima with linear and bent geometries involving H atom migration (CCCNH2+). Determination of the energy of a transition state between these local minima indicates that the dication is able to explore the majority of this rich conformational landscape at our experimental energies. This investigation of the energetics also determines an adiabatic double ionisation energy of 30.3 eV for the lowest lying singlet state of HCCCN2+, and 30.1 eV for the lowest-lying triplet state. The bulk of the cation pairs detected in the coincidence experiment appear to originate from markedly excited dication states, not the ground state. We observe 5 two-body dissociations of HCCCN2+, and subsequent decay of one of the ions generated in such two-body processes accounts for the majority of three-body dissociations we observe

Efficiency of siRNA delivery by lipid nanoparticles is limited by endocytic recycling

Despite substantial efforts to understand the interactions between nanoparticles and cells, the cellular processes that determine the efficiency of intracellular drug delivery remain largely unclear. Here we examined cellular uptake of siRNA delivered in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) using cellular trafficking probes in combination with automated high-throughput confocal microscopy as well as defined perturbations of cellular pathways paired with systems biology approaches to uncover protein-protein and protein-small molecule interactions. We show that multiple cell signaling effectors are required for initial cellular entry of LNPs through macropinocytosis, including proton pumps, mTOR, and cathepsins. SiRNA delivery is substantially reduced as ≅70% of the internalized siRNA undergoes exocytosis through egress of LNPs from late endosomes/lysosomes. Niemann Pick type C1 (NPC1) is shown to be an important regulator of the major recycling pathways of LNP-delivered siRNAs. NPC1-deficient cells show enhanced cellular retention of LNPs inside late endosomes/lysosomes and increased gene silencing of the target gene. Our data suggests that siRNA delivery efficiency might be improved by designing delivery vehicles that can escape the recycling pathways