A methodology for the rapid assessment of the potential impact and hazard of coal seam gas mining on aquifers and the environment

The potential environmental impacts and hazards of coal seam gas mining in Australia are highly contentious and poorly understood. Concerns have been raised by communities, and the Australian government has incorporated management tools and strategies to address these concerns. The primary environmental issue associated with coal seam gas mining would be on the aquifers above the target coal seam. If the upper aquifers are affected in terms of quantity and quality, then there are cumulative impacts to the surface environment such as groundwater dependent ecosystems and surface waters. This paper will examine the Australian situation with regard to coal seam gas mining and present a methodology for rapid assessment of the potential impacts and hazards of coal seam gas extraction on aquifers and surface environments. A GIS analysis method for developing broad scale potential impact and hazard criterion for aquifers above the target coal zone are discussed. Current investigations and future research and development opportunities are explored

Complete Closed Genome Sequences of Three Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica Serovar Dublin Strains Isolated from Cattle at Harvest

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Dublin is a host-adapted pathogen for cattle that can cause invasive disease in humans. To facilitate genomic comparisons characterizing virulence determinants of this pathogen, we present the complete genome sequences of three S. Dublin strains isolated from bovine sources at harvest

Protein profiling of isolated uterine AA amyloidosis causing fetal death in goats

Pathologic amyloid accumulates in the CNS or in peripheral organs, yet the mechanism underlying the targeting of systemic amyloid deposits is unclear. Serum amyloid A (SAA) 1 and 2 are produced predominantly by the liver and form amyloid most commonly in the spleen, liver, and kidney. In contrast, SAA3 is produced primarily extrahepatically and has no causal link to amyloid formation. Here, we identified 8 amyloidosis cases with amyloid composed of SAA3 expanding the uterine wall of goats with near-term fetuses. Uterine amyloid accumulated in the endometrium, only at the site of placental attachment, compromising maternal-fetal gas and nutrient exchange and leading to fetal ischemia and death. No other organ contained amyloid. SAA3 mRNA levels in the uterine endometrium were as high as SAA2 in the liver, yet mass spectrometry of the insoluble uterine peptides identified SAA3 as the predominant protein, and not SAA1 or SAA2. These findings suggest that high local SAA3 production led to deposition at this unusual site. Although amyloid A (AA) amyloid deposits typically consist of an N-terminal fragment of SAA1 or SAA2, here, abundant C-terminal peptides indicated that the uterine amyloid was largely composed of full-length SAA3. The exclusive deposition of SAA3 amyloid in the uterus, together with elevated uterine SAA3 transcripts, suggests that the uterine amyloid deposits were due to locally produced SAA3. This is the first report of SAA3 as a cause of amyloidosis and of AA amyloid deposited exclusively in the uterus

Complete Genome Sequence of a Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica Serovar Fresno Isolate Recovered from a Bovine Lymph Node

Salmonella enterica serovar Fresno is an infrequently isolated serovar whose ecology and genomic characteristics have not yet been described. To further understand the genomic characteristics of this serovar, we sequenced the complete genome of a single isolate recovered from a bovine lymph node at harvest