New South Wales Vegetation Classification and Assessment : part 1, plant communities of the NSW Western Plains

For the Western Plains of New South Wales, 213 plant communities are classified and described and their protected area and threat status assessed. The communities are listed on the NSW Vegetation Classification and Assessment database (NSWVCA). The full description of the communities is placed on an accompanying CD together with a read-only version of the NSWVCA database. The NSW Western Plains is 45.5 million hectares in size and covers 57% of NSW. The vegetation descriptions are based on over 250 published and unpublished vegetation surveys and maps produced over the last 50 years (listed in a bibliography), rapid field checks and the expert knowledge on the vegetation. The 213 communities occur over eight Australian bioregions and eight NSW Catchment Management Authority areas. As of December 2005, 3.7% of the Western Plains was protected in 83 protected areas comprising 62 public conservation reserves and 21 secure property agreements. Only one of the eight bioregions has greater than 10% of its area represented in protected areas. 31 or 15% of the communities are not recorded from protected areas. 136 or 64% have less than 5% of their pre-European extent in protected areas. Only 52 or 24% of the communities have greater than 10% of their original extent protected, thus meeting international guidelines for representation in protected areas. 71 or 33% of the plant communities are threatened, that is, judged as being ‘critically endangered’, ‘endangered’ or ‘vulnerable’. While 80 communities are recorded as being of ‘least concern’ most of these are degraded by lack of regeneration of key species due to grazing pressure and loss of top soil and some may be reassessed as being threatened in the future. Threatening processes include vegetation clearing on higher nutrient soils in wetter regions, altered hydrological regimes due to draw-off of water from river systems and aquifers, high continuous grazing pressure by domestic stock, feral goats and rabbits, and in some places native herbivores — preventing regeneration of key plant species, exotic weed invasion along rivers and in fragmented vegetation, increased salinity, and over the long term, climate change. To address these threats, more public reserves and secure property agreements are required, vegetation clearing should cease, re-vegetation is required to increase habitat corridors and improve the condition of native vegetation, environmental flows to regulated river systems are required to protect inland wetlands, over-grazing by domestic stock should be avoided and goat and rabbit numbers should be controlled and reduced. Conservation action should concentrate on protecting plant communities that are threatened or are poorly represented in protected areas

Challenges to develop an interactive 3D virtual world for psychological experiments

This article is a case study which discusses the implementation of a 3D virtual world application that will enable psychology students to conduct experimental investigation for the testing and analysis of models and theories relating to operant conditioning. Teaching and learning in psychology focuses on how people think, feel, and behave. Students must learn to use scientific methods to collect data from participants, and then analyse the data to testify related models and theories learned in the classroom. Experiments may be performed to study at different levels: individuals, groups, organizations, and communities. In the real world there are limited opportunities and various challenges for undergraduate students to be involved in experimental investigations. 1) There are difficulties recruiting participants. This often results in the use of convenience samples which typically consist of undergraduate students. This problem is compounded in campuses with a low student population where there is a limited variety of participants. This may be further effected by the cost of participation compensation. These issues may result in small sample sizes or skewed samples which can makes statistical analysis meaningless. Currently, lecturers may provide a dummy data set collected from previous research for students to conduct data analysis. This is a simple solution; however, students do not practice appropriate experiment design nor learn to administer surveys for data collection. 2) There are difficulties conducting longitudinal studies relating to reinforcement or induced behavioural changes due to time limitations. This is essential for some theories and models such as developmental psychology which may require longitudinal studies over many years. 3) It is risky to allow undergraduate students to conduct experimental investigation on human subjects. Performing these tasks in a virtual world will allow students to explore a range of psychological phenomena without the need for close supervision required when dealing with human subjects. In response to these issues, the proposed virtual world application will use intelligent agents and 3D avatars with physical, physiological, and emotional responses. Students will interact with the avatars, participate in the virtual world to conduct experimental investigation, collect behavioural and emotional data, and analyse the data. When conducting the investigation, students will provide rewards/punishments to induce reinforcement/changes to the avatars' behaviour based on learning theory. This will cause the behaviour of the avatars to change with experience. For example, an avatar that is rewarded for engaging in a behaviour will have a higher probability of displaying that behaviour in the future (operant conditioning). If the avatars are punished they will be more likely to decrease that behaviour, as well as displaying emotional responses (such as fear of the person administering the punishment). Thus, over time, the behaviour of the avatars in the virtual world will take on unique characteristics as a function of their interactions with students. The proposed application will enhance students learning experience in research design and analysis involving human subjects that would normally be difficult or impossible to conduct in undergraduate psychology subjects within a single study period

Standardised training simulations: a case study of the water industry in Australia

This article is a case study which discusses how a realistic game-based simulation training platform may tackle the challenges raised by the requirements for a national competencies certification framework and the requirements of a new generation of trained water operators. The proposed platform aims to 1) enhance training experience with learn by doing and scenario- based learning experience, 2) increase training capacity for the water industry, 3) provide cost effective methods to deliver training in remote areas, and 4) attract young people to join the water industry workforce. The National Water Commission of Australia is currently developing a national competencies framework for certification of water treatment operators. This framework aims to ensure that the water operator role is carried out by qualified staff. In response to the introduction of this new competencies framework, there will be an increase in demand for skills training in the water industry to ensure that employees at water treatment facilities possess the required certifications. Currently, the water industry is facing several challenges to meet the future training demands required by the new competencies framework. The lack of standardised training manuals and assessment criteria make it very difficult to ensure that training is consistent between different water treatment facilities. Australia is an immense country with sparse distribution of population centres and large distances between towns, which create an insurmountable problem for delivery of training. In particular, for rural areas, there is a substantial lack of trainers available to deliver training. Travel expenses and loss of work days for travelling makes training a very expense exercise. Also, the water industry is facing an ageing workforce with an average age over 45. There are less than 5% of trained water operators under 25 years of age. With the ever increasing technological advancements being introduced into the water industry, a new generation of water operator who are technology savvy are required. In response to these problems, a realistic game-based simulation training platform is being developed for water operator training. The pilot training module focuses on the collection of water samples. This particular task was chosen as it is a statutory requirement for the industry to perform water testing at regular intervals and it is a critical factor in the quality assurance process. It is also important as thousands of dollars can be wasted on each contaminated water sample. During the development of this training application, several technical challenges were encountered. The challenges include rendering of realistic water, simulating physics for small objects, and using two handed controls for object manipulation. Future development of this training platform will also be discussed

EST Express: PHP/MySQL based automated annotation of ESTs from expression libraries

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Several biological techniques result in the acquisition of functional sets of cDNAs that must be sequenced and analyzed. The emergence of redundant databases such as UniGene and centralized annotation engines such as Entrez Gene has allowed the development of software that can analyze a great number of sequences in a matter of seconds.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have developed "EST Express", a suite of analytical tools that identify and annotate ESTs originating from specific mRNA populations. The software consists of a user-friendly GUI powered by PHP and MySQL that allows for online collaboration between researchers and continuity with UniGene, Entrez Gene and RefSeq. Two key features of the software include a novel, simplified Entrez Gene parser and tools to manage cDNA library sequencing projects. We have tested the software on a large data set (2,016 samples) produced by subtractive hybridization.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>EST Express is an open-source, cross-platform web server application that imports sequences from cDNA libraries, such as those generated through subtractive hybridization or yeast two-hybrid screens. It then provides several layers of annotation based on Entrez Gene and RefSeq to allow the user to highlight useful genes and manage cDNA library projects.</p

RegenBase: a knowledge base of spinal cord injury biology for translational research.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) research is a data-rich field that aims to identify the biological mechanisms resulting in loss of function and mobility after SCI, as well as develop therapies that promote recovery after injury. SCI experimental methods, data and domain knowledge are locked in the largely unstructured text of scientific publications, making large scale integration with existing bioinformatics resources and subsequent analysis infeasible. The lack of standard reporting for experiment variables and results also makes experiment replicability a significant challenge. To address these challenges, we have developed RegenBase, a knowledge base of SCI biology. RegenBase integrates curated literature-sourced facts and experimental details, raw assay data profiling the effect of compounds on enzyme activity and cell growth, and structured SCI domain knowledge in the form of the first ontology for SCI, using Semantic Web representation languages and frameworks. RegenBase uses consistent identifier schemes and data representations that enable automated linking among RegenBase statements and also to other biological databases and electronic resources. By querying RegenBase, we have identified novel biological hypotheses linking the effects of perturbagens to observed behavioral outcomes after SCI. RegenBase is publicly available for browsing, querying and download.Database URL:http://regenbase.org

Multi-functional anodes boost the transient power and durability of proton exchange membrane fuel cells.

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells have been regarded as the most promising candidate for fuel cell vehicles and tools. Their broader adaption, however, has been impeded by cost and lifetime. By integrating a thin layer of tungsten oxide within the anode, which serves as a rapid-response hydrogen reservoir, oxygen scavenger, sensor for power demand, and regulator for hydrogen-disassociation reaction, we herein report proton exchange membrane fuel cells with significantly enhanced power performance for transient operation and low humidified conditions, as well as improved durability against adverse operating conditions. Meanwhile, the enhanced power performance minimizes the use of auxiliary energy-storage systems and reduces costs. Scale fabrication of such devices can be readily achieved based on the current fabrication techniques with negligible extra expense. This work provides proton exchange membrane fuel cells with enhanced power performance, improved durability, prolonged lifetime, and reduced cost for automotive and other applications

Optimization of a 96-Well Electroporation Assay for Postnatal Rat CNS Neurons Suitable for Cost–Effective Medium-Throughput Screening of Genes that Promote Neurite Outgrowth

Following an injury, central nervous system (CNS) neurons show a very limited regenerative response which results in their failure to successfully form functional connections with their original target. This is due in part to the reduced intrinsic growth state of CNS neurons, which is characterized by their failure to express key regeneration-associated genes (RAGs) and by the presence of growth inhibitory molecules in CNS environment that form a molecular and physical barrier to regeneration. Here we have optimized a 96-well electroporation and neurite outgrowth assay for postnatal rat cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs) cultured upon an inhibitory cellular substrate expressing myelin-associated glycoprotein or a mixture of growth inhibitory chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans. Optimal electroporation parameters resulted in 28% transfection efficiency and 51% viability for postnatal rat CGNs. The neurite outgrowth of transduced neurons was quantitatively measured using a semi-automated image capture and analysis system. The neurite outgrowth was significantly reduced by the inhibitory substrates which we demonstrated could be partially reversed using a Rho Kinase inhibitor. We are now using this assay to screen large sets of RAGs for their ability to increase neurite outgrowth on a variety of growth inhibitory and permissive substrates

Near-tropical subsurface ice on Mars

Near-surface perennial water ice on Mars has been previously inferred down to latitudes of about 45{\deg} and could result from either water vapor diffusion through the regolith under current conditions or previous ice ages precipitations. In this paper we show that at latitudes as low as 25{\deg} in the southern hemisphere buried water ice in the shallow (< 1 m) subsurface is required to explain the observed surface distribution of seasonal CO2 frost on pole facing slopes. This result shows that possible remnants of the last ice age, as well as water that will be needed for the future exploration of Mars, are accessible significantly closer to the equator than previously thought, where mild conditions for both robotic and human exploration lie

The mTOR Substrate S6 Kinase 1 (S6K1) Is a Negative Regulator of Axon Regeneration and a Potential Drug Target for Central Nervous System Injury

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) positively regulates axon growth in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). Although axon regeneration and functional recovery from CNS injuries are typically limited, knockdown or deletion of PTEN, a negative regulator of mTOR, increases mTOR activity and induces robust axon growth and regeneration. It has been suggested that inhibition of S6 kinase 1 (S6K1, gene symbol: RPS6KB1), a prominent mTOR target, would blunt mTOR's positive effect on axon growth. In contrast to this expectation, we demonstrate that inhibition of S6K1 in CNS neurons promotes neurite outgrowth in vitro by twofold to threefold. Biochemical analysis revealed that an mTOR-dependent induction of PI3K signaling is involved in mediating this effect of S6K1 inhibition. Importantly, treating female mice in vivo with PF-4708671, a selective S6K1 inhibitor, stimulated corticospinal tract regeneration across a dorsal spinal hemisection between the cervical 5 and 6 cord segments (C5/C6), increasing axon counts for at least 3 mm beyond the injury site at 8 weeks after injury. Concomitantly, treatment with PF-4708671 produced significant locomotor recovery. Pharmacological targeting of S6K1 may therefore constitute an attractive strategy for promoting axon regeneration following CNS injury, especially given that S6K1 inhibitors are being assessed in clinical trials for nononcological indications.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Despite mTOR's well-established function in promoting axon regeneration, the role of its downstream target, S6 kinase 1 (S6K1), has been unclear. We used cellular assays with primary neurons to demonstrate that S6K1 is a negative regulator of neurite outgrowth, and a spinal cord injury model to show that it is a viable pharmacological target for inducing axon regeneration. We provide mechanistic evidence that S6K1's negative feedback to PI3K signaling is involved in axon growth inhibition, and show that phosphorylation of S6K1 is a more appropriate regeneration indicator than is S6 phosphorylation