Bacterial polymertropism, the response to strain-induced alignment of polymers

In nature, bacteria often live in surface-associated communities known as biofilms. Biofilm-forming bacteria deposit a layer of polysaccharide on the surfaces they inhabit; hence, polysaccharide is their immediate environment on any surface. In this study, we examined how the physical characteristics of polysaccharide substrates influence the behavior of the biofilm-forming bacterium Myxococcus xanthus. M. xanthus colonies, and indeed those of the majority of biofilm-forming species tested, respond to the compression-induced deformation of polysaccharide substrates by preferentially spreading across the surface perpendicular to the axis of compression. This response is conserved across multiple distantly related phyla and is found in species with an array of distinct motility apparatuses.The birefringence and small angle X-ray scattering patterns of compressed polysaccharide substrates indicate that the directed surface movements of these bacteria consistently match the orientation of the long axes of aligned and tightly packed polysaccharide fibers in compressed substrates. Therefore, we refer to this behavior as polymertropism to denote that the directed movements are a response to the physical arrangement of the change in packing and alignment of the polymers in the substrate. In addition to altering the colony morphology we find the behavior of groups of cells, called flares, is also affected in several species resulting in increased flare speed, duration, and displacement on compressed gel substrates.We suggest that polymertropism, which requires a downward-facing motility apparatus in M. xanthus, may be responsible for the observed tendency of bacterial cells to follow trails of extruded and presumably aligned polysaccharides, which their neighbors secrete and deposit on the substrate as they move across it. Polymertropism may also play a role in the organization of bacteria in a biofilm, as the iterative process of polysaccharide trail deposition and following is proposed to yield aggregates of cells

IT-assisted comprehensive geriatric assessment for residents in care homes: Quasiexperimental longitudinal study

Background: Frailty interventions such as Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) can provide significant benefits for older adults living with frailty. However, incorporating such proactive interventions into primary care remains a challenge. We developed an IT-assisted CGA (i-CGA) process, which includes advance care planning (ACP). We assessed if, in older care home residents, particularly those with severe frailty, i-CGA could improve access to advance care planning discussions and reduce unplanned hospitalisations. Method: As a quality improvement project we progressively incorporated our i-CGA process into routine primary care for older care home residents, and used a quasi-experimental approach to assess its interim impact. Residents were assessed for frailty by General Practitioners. Proactive i-CGAs were completed, including consideration of traditional CGA domains, deprescribing and ACP discussions. Interim analysis was conducted at 1 year: documented completion, preferences and adherence to ACPs, unplanned hospital admissions, and mortality rates were compared for i-CGA and control (usual care) groups, 1-year post-i-CGA or post-frailty diagnosis respectively. Documented ACP preferences and place of death were compared using the Chi-Square Test. Unplanned hospital admissions and bed days were analysed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Survival was estimated using Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Results: At one year, the i-CGA group comprised 196 residents (severe frailty 111, 57%); the control group 100 (severe frailty 56, 56%). ACP was documented in 100% of the i-CGA group, vs. 72% of control group, p < 0.0001. 85% (94/111) of severely frail i-CGA residents preferred not to be hospitalised if they became acutely unwell. For those with severe frailty, mean unplanned admissions in the control (usual care) group increased from 0.87 (95% confidence interval ± 0.25) per person year alive to 2.05 ± 1.37, while in the i-CGA group they fell from 0.86 ± 0.24 to 0.68 ± 0.37, p = 0.22. Preferred place of death was largely adhered to in both groups, where documented. Of those with severe frailty, 55% (62/111) of the i-CGA group died, vs. 77% (43/56) of the control group, p = 0.0013. Conclusions: Proactive, community-based i-CGA can improve documentation of care home residents’ ACP preferences, and may reduce unplanned hospital admissions. In severely frail residents, a mortality reduction was seen in those who received an i-CGA

Adaptations of Avian Flu Virus Are a Cause for Concern

We are in the midst of a revolutionary period in the life sciences. Technological capabilities have dramatically expanded, we have a much improved understanding of the complex biology of selected microorganisms, and we have a much improved ability to manipulate microbial genomes. With this has come unprecedented potential for better control of infectious diseases and significant societal benefit. However, there is also a growing risk that the same science will be deliberately misused and that the consequences could be catastrophic. Efforts to describe or define life-sciences research of particular concern have focused on the possibility that knowledge or products derived from such research, or new technologies, could be directly misapplied with a sufficiently broad scope to affect national or global security. Research that might greatly enhance the harm caused by microbial pathogens has been of special concern (1–3). Until now, these efforts have suffered from a lack of specificity and a paucity of concrete examples of “dual use research of concern” (3). Dual use is defined as research that could be used for good or bad purposes. We are now confronted by a potent, real-world example

Crop Updates 2004 - Cereals

This session covers twenty eight papers from different authors: PLENARY 1. Declining profitability in continuous cropping systems. Is more wheat the answer on Duplex soil? Dr Wal Anderson, Department of Agriculture 2. Disease implications of extending the wheat phase in low-medium rainfall areas, Dr Vivian Vanstone and Dr Robert Loughman, Department of Agriculture 3. Prolonged wheat phase on duplex soils – where do weeds set the boundary? Vanessa Stewart, Department of Agriculture WHEAT AGRONOMY 4. Management of small grain screenings in wheat, Dr Wal Anderson and Dr Darshan Sharma, Department of Agriculture 5. Agronomic responses of new wheat varieties, Christine Zaicou-Kunesch, Dr Darshan Sharma, Brenda Shackley, Dr Mohammad Amjad, Dr Wal Anderson and Steve Penny,Department of Agriculture 6. Managing wheat yield reduction from wide rows, Dr Mohammad Amjad and Dr Wal Anderson, Department of Agriculture 7. Row spacing and stubble effect on wheat yield and ryegrass seed set, Glen Riethmuller, Department of Agriculture 8. Grain protein management – lessons learnt on the south coast, Jeremy Lemon, Department of Agriculture 9. Unravelling the mysteries of optimum seed rates, Dr Wal Anderson, Dr Darshan Sharma, Brenda Shackley and Mario D’Antuono, Department of Agriculture 10. Agronomic features for growing better wheat – south east agricultural region 2003, Dr Mohammad Amjad, Veronika Reck and Ben Curtis, Department of Agriculture 11. Agronomic responses of new wheat varieties – great southern agricultural region 2003, Brenda Shackley and Judith Devenish, Department of Agriculture 12. Variety specific responses of new wheat varieties – central agricultural region 2003, Dr Darshan Sharma and Dr Wal Anderson, Department of Agriculture 13. Agronomic responses of new wheat varieties – northern agricultural region 2003, Christine Zaicou-Kunesch, Melaine Kupsch and Anne Smith, Department of Agriculture BARLEY AND OAT AGRONOMY 14. Gairdner for high rainfall – where does Baudin fit in? Blakely Paynter, Roslyn Jettnerand Leanne Schulz, Department of Agriculture 15. Oaten hay – varieties and agronomy, Blakely Paynter, Jocelyn Ball and Tom Sweeny, Department of Agriculture NUTRITION 16. In-furrow fungicide applications in liquid fertiliser, Dr Stephen Loss, CSBP Ltd 17. Elemental sulphur as a fertiliser source in Western Australia, Ashleigh Brooks1A, Justin Fuery2, Geoff Anderson3 and Prof Zed Rengel1,1UWA, 2Summit FertilizerFertilisers and 3Department of Agriculture 18. Genetic variation in potassium efficiency of barley, Paul Damon and Prof. Zed Rengel, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, UWA 19. Managing protein through strategic N applications, Eddy Pol and Dr Stephen Loss, CSBP Ltd 20. Nitrogen management for wheat in high rainfall cropping areas, Narelle Hill1, Ray Tugwell1, Dr Wal Anderson1, Ron McTaggart1and Nathan Moyes2, 1Department of Agriculture and 2Landmark 21. Flag smut resistance in current WA wheat varieties, John Majewski and Dr Manisha Shankar, Department of Agriculture 22. Rust resistance update for wheat varieties in WA, Dr Manisha Shankar, John Majewski and Jamie Piotrowski, Department of Agriculture PESTS AND DISEASES 23. Stripe rust in WA – where was it and what can we learn from 2003? Dr Robert Loughman and Ciara Beard, Department of Agriculture 24. Foliar disease management – a key factor in the adoption of Baudin and Hamlin barley, Dr Kithsiri Jayasena, Dr Rob Loughman, Kazue Tanaka and Grey Poulish, Department of Agriculture 25. Validating aphid and virus risk forecasts for cereals, Dr Debbie Thackray, Rohan Prince and Dr Roger Jones, Department of Agriculture and Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture HARVESTING 26. Swathing Gairdner barley at 30% moisture, Peter Nelson¹ and Nigel Metz², ¹Cooperative Bulk Handling and ² Fitzgerald Biosphere Group MODELLING 27. Development of a web based grower decision aid application for cereal growers, Dr Leisa Armstrong1, Yee Leong (Alex) Yung1and Dr Moin Salam2 1School of Computer and Information Science, Edith Cowan University; and 2Department of Agriculture 28. Wheat varieties updated in ‘Flowering Calculator’ – a model predicting flowering time, Brenda Shackley, Dr David Tennant, Dr Darshan Sharma and Christine Zaicou‑Kunesch, Department of Agricultur

Crop Updates 2008 - Farming Systems

This session covers thirty nine papers from different authors: PLENARY 1. Developments in grain end use, Dr John de Majnik, New Grain Products, GRDC, Mr Paul Meibusch, New Farm Products and Services, GRDC, Mr Vince Logan, New Products Executive Manager, GRDC PRESENTATIONS 2. Global warming potential of wheat production in Western Australia: A life cycle assessment, Louise Barton1, Wahid Biswas2 and Daniel Carter3, 1School of Earth & Geographical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 2Centre of Excellence in Cleaner Production, Division of Science and Engineering, Curtin University of Technology, 3Department of Agriculture and Food 3. How much fuel does your farm use for different farm operations? Nicolyn Short1, Jodie Bowling1, Glen Riethmuller1, James Fisher2 and Moin Salam1, 1Department of Agriculture and Food, 2Muresk Institute, Curtin University of Technology 4. Poor soil water storage and soil constraints are common in WA cropping soils, Stephen Davies, Jim Dixon, Dennis Van Gool and Alison Slade, Department of Agriculture and Food, Bob Gilkes, School of Earth and Geographical Sciences, University of Western Australia 5. Developing potential adaptations to climate change for low rainfall farming system using economic analysis tool. STEP, Megan Abrahams, Caroline Peek, Dennis Van Gool, Daniel Gardiner and Kari-Lee Falconer, Department of Agriculture and Food 6. What soil limitations affect the profitability of claying on non-wetting sandplain soils? David Hall1, Jeremy Lemon1, Harvey Jones1, Yvette Oliver2 and Tania Butler1, 1Department of Agriculture and Food, 2CSIRO Div Sustainable Ecology, Perth 7. Farming systems adapting to a variable climate; Two case studies, Kari-Lee Falconer, Department of Agriculture and Food 8. Importance of accounting for variation in crop yield potential when making fertiliser decisions, Michael Robertson and Yvette Oliver, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Floreat 9. Soil acidity is a widespread problem across the Avon River Basin, Stephen Carr1, Chris Gazey2, David York1 and Joel Andrew1, 1Precision SoilTech, 2Department of Agriculture and Food 10. The use of soil testing kits and ion-selective electrodes for the analysis of plant available nutrients in Western Australian soils, Michael Simeoni and Bob Gilkes School of Earth and Geographical Sciences, University of Western Australia 11. Redlegged earth mite resistance and integrated strategies for their control in Western Australia, Mangano G. Peter and Micic Svetlana, Department of Agriculture and Food 12. The economics of treating soil pH (liming), Chris Gazey, Steve Davies, Dave Gartner and Adam Clune, Department of Agriculture and Food, 13. Health benefits – A future differentiator for high value grains, Matthew Morell, Theme Leader, CSIRO Food Futures Flagship 14. Carbon in Sustralian cropping soils – We need to be realistic, Alan Umbers (M Rur Sc), GRDC/DAFF Sustainable Industries Initiative Project 15. AGWEST® Bartolo bladder clover (Trifolium spumosum) − a low cost annual pasture legume for the wheat/sheep zone, Angelo Loi, Brad Nutt and Clinton Revell, Department of Agriculture and Food 16. Maximising the value of point based soil sampling: Monitering trends in soil pH through time, Joel Andrew1, David York1, Stephen Carr1 and Chris Gazey2, 1Precision SoilTech, 2Department of Agriculture and Food 17. Improved crop root growth and productivity with deep ripping and deep placed lime, Stephen Davies1, Geoff Kew2*, Chris Gazey1, David Gartner1 and Adam Clune1, 1Department of Agriculture and Food, 2School of Earth and Geographical Sciences University of Western Australia, *Presenting author 18. The role of pastures in hosting Root Lesion Nematode (RLN, Pratylenchus neglectus), Vivien Vanstone, Ali Bhatti and Ming Pei You, Department of Agriculture and Food 19. To rip or not to rip. When does it pay? Imma Farre, Bill Bowden and Stephen Davies, Department of Agriculture and Food 20. Can yield be predicted from remotely sensed data, Henry Smolinski, Jane Speijers and John Bruce, Department of Agriculture and Food 21. Rotations for profit, David McCarthy and Gary Lang, Facey Group, Wickepin, WA 22. Rewriting rules for the new cropping economics, David Rees, Consultant, Albany 23. Reducing business risk in Binnu! – A case study, Rob Grima, Department of Agriculture and Food 24. Does improved ewe management offer grain farmers much extra profit? John Young, Farming Systems Analysis Service, Ross Kingwell, Department of Agriculture and Food, and UWA, Chris Oldham, Department of Agriculture and Food RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS 25. Crop establishment and productivity with improved root zone drainage, Dr Derk Bakker, Research Officer, Department of Agriculture and Food 26. Will wheat production in Western Australia be more risky in the future? Imma Farre and Ian Foster, Department of Agriculture and Food PAPERS 27. Building farmers’ adaptive capacity to manage seasonal variability and climate change, David Beard, Department of Agriculture and Food 28. Precision placement increases crop phosphorus uptake under variable rainfall: Simulation studies, Wen Chen1 2, Richard Bell1, Bill Bowden2, Ross Brennan2, Art Diggle2 and Reg Lunt2, 1School of Environmental Science, Murdoch University, 2Department of Agriculture and Food 29. What is the role of grain legumes on red soil farms? Rob Grima, Department of Agriculture and Food 30. Fertiliser placement influences plant growth and seed yield of grain crops at different locations of WA, Qifu Ma1, Zed Rengel1, Bill Bowden2, Ross Brennan2, Reg Lunt2 and Tim Hilder2, 1Soil Science & Plant Nutrition, University of Western Australia, 2Department of Agriculture and Food 31. A review of pest and disease occurrences for 2007, Peter Mangano and Dusty Severtson, Department of Agriculture and Food 32. Effect of stocking rates on grain yield and quality of wheat in Western Australia in 2007, Shahajahan Miyan, Sam Clune, Barb Sage and Tenielle Martin, Department of Agriculture and Food 33. Storing grain is not ‘set and forget’ management, Chris Newman, Department of Agriculture and Food 34. Improving understanding of soil plant available water capacity (PAWC): The WA soil water database (APSoil), Yvette Oliver, Neal Dalgliesh and Michael Robertson, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems 35. The impact of management decisions in drought on a low rainfall northern wheatbelt farm, Caroline Peek and Andrew Blake, Department of Agriculture and Food 37. Cullen – A native pasture legume shows promise for the low-medium rainfall cropping zone, Megan Ryan, Richard Bennett, Tim Colmer, Daniel Real, Jiayin Pang, Lori Kroiss, Dion Nicol and Tammy Edmonds-Tibbett, School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia and Future Farm Industries CRC 38. Climate risk management tools – useful, or just another gadget? Lisa Sherriff, Kari-Lee Falconer, Daniel Gardiner and Ron McTaggart Department of Agriculture and Food 39. Benefits of crop rotation for management of Root Lesion Nematode (RLN, Pratylenchus neglectus), Vivien Vanstone, Sean Kelly and Helen Hunter, Department of Agriculture and Foo

Crop Updates 2010 - Farming Systems

This session covers twenty papers from different authors: Pests and Disease 1. Preserving phosphine for use in Grain Storage Industry, Christopher R Newman, Department of Agriculture and Food Farming Systems Research 2. Demonstrating the benefits of grazing canola in Western Australia, Jonathan England, Stephen Gherardi and Mohammad Amjad, Department of Agriculture and Food 3. Buloke barley yield when pasture-cropped across subtropical perennial pastures, David Ferris, Department of Agriculture and Food, Phil Ward and Roger Lawes, CSIRO 4. Is pasture cropping viable in WA? Grower perceptions and EverCrop initiatives to evaluate, David Ferris, Tim Wiley, Perry Dolling, Department of Agriculture and Food, Philip Barrett-Lennard, Evergreen farming 5. Best-bet management for dual-purpose canola, John Kirkegaard, Susan Sprague, Hugh Dove and Walter Kelman, CSIRO, Canberra, Peter Hamblin, Agritech Research, Young, NSW 6. Pasture in cropping systems – with and without sheep, Brad Nutt and Angelo Loi, Department of Agriculture and Food 7. Can technology substitute for a lupin break? Wayne Parker, Department of Agriculture and Food 8. Canola row spacing with and without long term stubble retention on a sandy clay loam at Merredin, Glen Riethmuller, Department of Agriculture and Food 9. Impact of stubble retention on water balance and crop yield, Phil Ward1, Ken Flower2,3, Neil Cordingley2 and Shayne Micin1, 1CSIRO, Wembley, Western Australia, 2Western Australian No-Till Farmers Association, 3University of Western Australia Analysis and Modelling 10. Using POAMA rainfall forecasts for crop management in South-West WA, Senthold Asseng1, Peter McIntosh2,3, Mike Pook2,3, James Risbey2,3, Guomin Wang3, Oscar Alves3, Ian Foster4, Imma Farre4 and Nirav Khimashia1, 1CSIRO Plant Industry, Perth, 2CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Hobart, 3Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research (CAWCR), A partnership between the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO, Melbourne, 4Department of Agriculture and Food 11. Adaption to changing climates and variability – results of the Agribusiness Changing Climates regional workshop, Anderson W3, Beard D3, Blake J3, Grieve R1, Lang M3, Lemon J3, McTaggart R3, Gray D3, Price M2 and Stephens D3, 1Roderick Grieve Farm Management Consultants, 2Coffey International P/L, 3Department of Agriculture and Food 12. Farmers’ management of seasonal variability and climate change in WA, DA Beard, DM Gray, P Carmody, Department of Agriculture and Food 13. Is there a value in having a frost forecast for wheat in South-West WA? Imma Farre1, Senthold Asseng2, Ian Foster1 and Doug Abrecht3, 1Department of Agriculture and Food, CSIRO, Floreat, 2CSIRO Plant Industry, Perth 3Department of Agriculture and Food, Centre for Cropping Systems 14. Does buying rainfall pay? Greg Kirk, Planfarm Agricultural Consultants 15. Which region in the WA wheatbelt makes best use of rainfall? Peter Rowe, Bankwest Agribusiness 16. POAMA – the Predictive Ocean-Atmosphere Model for Australia, Guomin Wang and Oscar Alves, Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research (CAWCR), A partnership between the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO, Melbourne 17. Exploring the link between water use efficiency and farm profitability, Cameron Weeks, Planfarm and Peter Tozer, PRT Consulting Precision Agriculture 18. A plethora of paddock information is available – how does it stack up? Derk Bakker, Department of Agriculture and Food 18. Variable rate prescription mapping for lime inputs based on electromagnetic surveying and deep soil testing, Frank D’Emden, Quenten Knight and Luke Marquis, Precision Agronomics, Australia 19. Trial design and analysis using precision agriculture and farmer’s equipment, Roger Lawes, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Centre for Environment and Life Sciences, Floreat 20. Farmer perspectives of precision agriculture in Western Australia: Issues and the way forward, Dr Roger Mandel, Curtin Universit

VDES J2325−5229 a z = 2.7 gravitationally lensed quasar discovered using morphology-independent supervised machine learning

We present the discovery and preliminary characterization of a gravitationally lensed quasar with a source redshift zs = 2.74 and image separation of 2.9 arcsec lensed by a foreground zl = 0.40 elliptical galaxy. Since optical observations of gravitationally lensed quasars showthe lens system as a superposition of multiple point sources and a foreground lensing galaxy, we have developed a morphology-independent multi-wavelength approach to the photometric selection of lensed quasar candidates based on Gaussian Mixture Models (GMM) supervised machine learning. Using this technique and gi multicolour photometric observations from the Dark Energy Survey (DES), near-IR JK photometry from the VISTA Hemisphere Survey (VHS) and WISE mid-IR photometry, we have identified a candidate system with two catalogue components with iAB = 18.61 and iAB = 20.44 comprising an elliptical galaxy and two blue point sources. Spectroscopic follow-up with NTT and the use of an archival AAT spectrum show that the point sources can be identified as a lensed quasar with an emission line redshift of z = 2.739 ± 0.003 and a foreground early-type galaxy with z = 0.400 ± 0.002.We model the system as a single isothermal ellipsoid and find the Einstein radius θE ∼ 1.47 arcsec, enclosed mass Menc ∼ 4 × 1011 M and a time delay of ∼52 d. The relatively wide separation, month scale time delay duration and high redshift make this an ideal system for constraining the expansion rate beyond a redshift of 1

Transcriptional Landscape of the Prenatal Human Brain

Summary The anatomical and functional architecture of the human brain is largely determined by prenatal transcriptional processes. We describe an anatomically comprehensive atlas of mid-gestational human brain, including de novo reference atlases, in situ hybridization, ultra-high resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and microarray analysis on highly discrete laser microdissected brain regions. In developing cerebral cortex, transcriptional differences are found between different proliferative and postmitotic layers, wherein laminar signatures reflect cellular composition and developmental processes. Cytoarchitectural differences between human and mouse have molecular correlates, including species differences in gene expression in subplate, although surprisingly we find minimal differences between the inner and human-expanded outer subventricular zones. Both germinal and postmitotic cortical layers exhibit fronto-temporal gradients, with particular enrichment in frontal lobe. Finally, many neurodevelopmental disorder and human evolution-related genes show patterned expression, potentially underlying unique features of human cortical formation. These data provide a rich, freely-accessible resource for understanding human brain development