Chemosensory gene expression analysis in the argentine ant, linepithema humile

This experiment was conducted to determine expression patterns of a subset of chemosensory genes, including odorant receptors (Ors) and odorant binding proteins (OBPs), in the invasive Argentine ant, Linepithema humile. Fragments of two Ors were identified from a whole ant EST project, which suggested their potential importance in Argentine ant ecology. An initial RT-PCR experiment demonstrated that OrA and OrB were expressed throughout the body. The newly available genome sequence was used to manually build additional Or gene models to test in RT-PCR. OBP and opsin genes were also tested in the RT-PCR to serve as positive and negative controls. The RT-PCR results were unclear; therefore qPCR was conducted for a semi-quantitative analysis of their gene expression in the tissue samples. It was hypothesized that the expression levels for the Ors should be high in the head/antennal samples, and low in the other body samples assayed. We also hypothesized that the OBPs would have variable of expression levels in all the body regions analyzed and that opsins would be highly expressed in the head/antennal region since they are photoreceptors in the eyes. The qPCR results demonstrated that the Ors and opsins were highly expressed in the head/antennal samples compared to the thorax/legs and abdominal tissue samples. The OBPs did not have a pattern that suggested a bias toward one tissue, but were highly expressed in all body regions

Using Insights from Psychology and Language to Improve How People Reason with Description Logics

Inspired by insights from theories of human reasoning and language, we propose additions to the Manchester OWL Syntax to improve comprehensibility. These additions cover: functional and inverse functional properties, negated conjunction, the definition of exceptions, and existential and universal restrictions. By means of an empirical study, we demonstrate the effectiveness of a number of these additions, in particular: the use of solely to clarify the uniqueness of the object in a functional property; the replacement of and with intersection in conjunction, which was particularly beneficial in negated conjunction; the use of except as a substitute for and not; and the replacement of some with including and only with noneOrOnly, which helped in certain situations to clarify the nature of these restrictions

Let\u27s get moving with the affordable medium-speed alternatives to the old dream of high-speed rail

More than half a century has passed since high-speed rail (HSR) effectively began operating, in Japan in 1964, and it has been mooted for Australia since 1984. I estimate that the cost of all HSR studies by the private and public sectors in Australia exceeds $125 million, in today\u27s dollars. But the federal government is now less interested in high-speed rail (now defined as electric trains operating on steel rails at maximum speeds of above 250km per hour), and instead favours faster rail or medium-speed rail

Transport is letting Australia down in the race to cut emissions

At a time Australia is meant to be reducing its greenhouse emissions, the upward trend in transport sector emissions continues. The latest National Greenhouse Gas Inventory report released last week shows the transport sector emitted 102 million tonnes (Mt) of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO₂-e) in the 12 months to September 2019. This was 18.9% of Australia\u27s emissions

East coast mainline rail track: options for 2014

The alignment of the track linking Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Cairns is outlined, along with the current North - South interstate rail upgrade, and the former Queensland MainLine Upgrade. Summaries are given of the 2006 - 07 draft AusLink Corridor Strategies for each corridor along with the ongoing upgrading of the Hume, Pacific and Bruce Highways. Comment is made on track straightening and other upgrading options for each corridor. Such upgrades during 2009 - 2014 would lower transport costs and assist rail to reach a target of 50 per cent mode share on the East Coast (as opposed to less than 12 per cent on the North - South corridor and 25 per cent on the Queensland North Coast line). In turn, this would deliver by 2014, estimated savings in diesel use of 185 million litres per annum along with reductions of greenhouse gas emissions (nearly 500,000 tonnes CO2e pa) and external costs ($325m pa)

Constant-temperature molecular-dynamics algorithms for mixed hard-core/continuous potentials

We present a set of second-order, time-reversible algorithms for the isothermal (NVT) molecular-dynamics (MD) simulation of systems with mixed hard-core/continuous potentials. The methods are generated by combining real-time Nose' thermostats with our previously developed Collision Verlet algorithm [Mol. Phys. 98, 309 (1999)] for constant energy MD simulation of such systems. In all we present 5 methods, one based on the Nose'-Hoover [Phys. Rev. A 31, 1695 (1985)] equations of motion and four based on the Nose'-Poincare' [J.Comp.Phys., 151 114 (1999)] real-time formulation of Nose' dynamics. The methods are tested using a system of hard spheres with attractive tails and all correctly reproduce a canonical distribution of instantaneous temperature. The Nose'-Hoover based method and two of the Nose'-Poincare' methods are shown to have good energy conservation in long simulations.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Shifting freight to rail could make the Pacific Highway safer

Articulated trucks such as semi-trailers and B-Doubles are involved in about 30% of fatal road accidents on the Pacific Highway. As the number of trucks carrying freight between Sydney and Brisbane increases, we will see more tragic incidents like the fatal crash involving a B-Double on 8 January 2012 near Urunga

Government rail asset sales, and return to the public sector, in New Zealand and Tasmania

The paper outlines the sale, with a track lease, in 1993 of the state owned New Zealand Railways Corporation to a consortium, TranzRail Holdings formed by the United States and New Zealand interests. It also notes increases in productivity and traffic levels to 1999 with subsequent problems leading to the New Zealand Government agreeing in 2003 to repurchase and rehabilitate the track. The paper then outlines transfer of effective ownership of the trains and related services in 2003 to an Australian company, and in 2008 back to the New Zealand Government at appreciable net cost.After a brief outline of railways in Australia, the paper notes how government rail in Tasmania, then owned and operated by the Australian National Railways Commission, was sold in 1997 with a track lease to a company related to TranzRail Holdings. The paper then notes emerging problems after initial success, and how after a change in ownership in 2004, the Tasmanian track lease was taken back by the public sector in 2007, followed by the trains in 2009.Other rail asset sales in Australia are also noted along with the high total costs of road vehicle operations in Australia and New Zealand