Indonesian Throughflow drove Australian climate form humid Pliocene to arid Pleistocene

Late Miocene to mid-Pleistocene sedimentary proxy records reveal that northwest Australia underwent an abrupt transition from dry to humid climate conditions at 5.5 million years (Ma), likely receiving year-round rainfall, but after ~3.3 Ma, climate shifted toward an increasingly seasonal precipitation regime. The progressive constriction of the Indonesian Throughflow likely decreased continental humidity and transferred control of northwest Australian climate from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean, leading to drier conditions punctuated by monsoonal precipitation. The northwest dust pathway and fully established seasonal and orbitally controlled precipitation were in place by ~2.4 Ma, well after the intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation. The transition from humid to arid conditions was driven by changes in Pacific and Indian Ocean circulation and regional atmospheric moisture transport, influenced by the emerging Maritime Continent. We conclude that the Maritime Continent is the switchboard modulating teleconnections between tropical and high-latitude climate systems.published_or_final_versio

Properties of an alkali-thermo stable xylanase from Geobacillus thermodenitrificans A333 and applicability in xylooligosaccharides generation

An extracellular thermo-alkali-stable and cellulase-free xylanase from Geobacillus thermodenitrificans A333 was purified to homogeneity by ion exchange and size exclusion chromatography. Its molecular mass was 44 kDa as estimated in native and denaturing conditions by gel filtration and SDS-PAGE analysis, respectively. The xylanase (GtXyn) exhibited maximum activity at 70 °C and pH 7.5. It was stable over broad ranges of temperature and pH retaining 88 % of activity at 60 °C and up to 97 % in the pH range 7.5–10.0 after 24 h. Moreover, the enzyme was active up to 3.0 M sodium chloride concentration, exhibiting at that value 70 % residual activity after 1 h. The presence of other metal ions did not affect the activity with the sole exceptions of K+ that showed a stimulating effect, and Fe2+, Co2+ and Hg2+, which inhibited the enzyme. The xylanase was activated by non-ionic surfactants and was stable in organic solvents remaining fully active over 24 h of incubation in 40 % ethanol at 25 °C. Furthermore, the enzyme was resistant to most of the neutral and alkaline proteases tested. The enzyme was active only on xylan, showing no marked preference towards xylans from different origins. The hydrolysis of beechwood xylan and agriculture-based biomass materials yielded xylooligosaccharides with a polymerization degree ranging from 2 to 6 units and xylobiose and xylotriose as main products. These properties indicate G. thermodenitrificans A333 xylanase as a promising candidate for several biotechnological applications, such as xylooligosaccharides preparation

Nutraceutical agents with anti-inflammatory properties prevent dietary saturated-fat induced disturbances in blood-brain barrier function in wild-type mice

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that disturbances in the blood–brain barrier (BBB) may be pivotal to the pathogenesis and pathology of vascular-based neurodegenerative disorders. Studies suggest that heightened systemic and central inflammations are associated with BBB dysfunction. This study investigated the effect of the anti-inflammatory nutraceuticals garlic extract-aged (GEA), alpha lipoic acid (ALA), niacin, and nicotinamide (NA) in a murine dietary-induced model of BBB dysfunction. Methods: C57BL/6 mice were fed a diet enriched in saturated fatty acids (SFA, 40% fat of total energy) for nine months to induce systemic inflammation and BBB disturbances. Nutraceutical treatment groups included the provision of either GEA, ALA, niacin or NA in the positive control SFA-group and in low-fat fed controls. Brain parenchymal extravasation of plasma derived immunoglobulin G (IgG) and large macromolecules (apolipoprotein (apo) B lipoproteins) measured by quantitative immunofluorescent microscopy, were used as markers of disturbed BBB integrity. Parenchymal glial fibrillar acidic protein (GFAP) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were considered in the context of surrogate markers of neurovascular inflammation and oxidative stress. Total anti-oxidant status and glutathione reductase activity were determined in plasma.Results: Brain parenchymal abundance of IgG and apoB lipoproteins was markedly exaggerated in mice maintained on the SFA diet concomitant with significantly increased GFAP and COX-2, and reduced systemic antioxidative status. The nutraceutical GEA, ALA, niacin, and NA completely prevented the SFA-induced disturbances of BBB and normalized the measures of neurovascular inflammation and oxidative stress. Conclusions: The anti-inflammatory nutraceutical agents GEA, ALA, niacin, or NA are potent inhibitors of dietary fat-induced disturbances of BBB induced by systemic inflammations

Reports of Research Activities: Dr Briony Mamo

Reports of Research Activities (by region): Hong Kong: The University of Hong Kong: Briony Mam

Benthic Foraminiferal baselines for the southern Great Barrier Reef: a foundation for future ecological research

[B-PT03] [EE] Biomineralization and the Geochemistry of Proxies -Field ecology, Laboratory culture and Paleo: poster abstract no. BPT03-P06Effective environmental management and monitoring has become increasingly important as anthropogenic processes increasingly impact natural ecosystems. One locality that is under direct threat due to human activities is the Australian Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Marine benthic foraminifera represent an abundant and readily applicable tool that can be used in environmental studies to investigate an array of ecological parameters and assist in understanding ecosystem dynamics and influence management protocols. Initially, baseline knowledge of the taxonomic composition within the region must be established to facilitate comparative studies and monitor change to maximise understanding and management efficacy. A detailed taxonomic assessment is provided of 133 species of benthic foraminifera in 76 genera from Heron Island, One Tree Island, Wistari and Sykes Reefs, which form the core of the Capricorn Group (CG) at the southern end of the GBR. Of these 133 species, 46% belong to the order Miliolida, 34% to Rotaliida, 7% to Textulariida, 5% to Lagenida, 3% to Lituolida, 3% to Spirillinida, 1% to Loftusiida and 1% to Robertinida. Samples were collected from a variety of shallow shelf reef environments including reef flat, lagoonal and channel environments. This work establishes a platform from which future investigations can stem

Benthic Foraminifera from the Capricorn Group, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Effective reef management and monitoring has become increasingly important as anthropogenic processes impact upon natural ecosystems. One locality that is under direct threat due to human activities is the Australian Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Marine foraminifera represent an abundant and readily applicable tool that can be used in reef studies to investigate a variety of ecological parameters and assist in understanding reef dynamics and influence management protocols. The first step is to establish a baseline knowledge of taxonomic composition within the region to facilitate comparative studies and monitor how assemblages change in order to maximise effective management. A detailed taxonomic assessment is provided of 133 species of benthic foraminifera in 76 genera from Heron Island, One Tree Island, Wistari and Sykes Reefs, which form the core of the Capricorn Group (CG) at the southern end of the GBR. Of these 133 species, 46% belong to the order Miliolida, 34% to Rotaliida, 7% to Textulariida, 5% to Lagenida, 3% to Lituolida, 3% to Spirillinida, 1% to Loftusiida and 1% to Robertinida. Samples were collected from a variety of shallow shelf reef environments including reef flat, lagoonal and channel environments. Seventy species, representing the most abundant forms, are formally described with detailed distribution data for the remaining 63 species supplied

Ecological Methods Reveal New Microfossil Signals of Cyclone Activity in a Tropical Reef Setting

NH23A Model, Tools, Techniques, and New Data Streams for Natural Hazards and Emergencies II Posters: abstract #NH23A-184

Palaeobathymetric Interpretations using Foraminiferal Data from the North-west Continental Shelf off Western Australia, IODP Expedition 356

PP43A Paleoclimate Variability in the Indo-Pacific Region III Posters : abstract #PP43A-2296In 2015, Integrated Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 356 drilled along the passive margin off the West Australian coast to investigate the history of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) and its integral role in the development of global thermohaline circulation and climate. Throughout the expedition, a suite of foraminiferal analyses were employed wherein planktic specimens revealed biostratigraphy, and an incredibly diverse benthic fauna (~ 260 species) was used to reveal palaeo- water depth, palaeobathymetric settings and variable conditions at the sediment-water interface. Benthic foraminiferal biofacies are particularly sensitive to changes in environmental conditions, have a rapid turnover and are ideal proxies for monitoring physical and chemical changes in marine environments. When this information is combined with lithostratigraphic and other microfossil data, a robust understanding of past environments can be reconstructed. Stretching from the Northern Carnarvon Basin up to the Roebuck Basin, several distinct biofacies were isolated at sites U1461-U1464 that reveal an array of marine settings and events that span from the Miocene to the Pleistocene. These features include water depths ranging from shallow reefs (Larger Benthic Foraminifera) to bathyal depths (~ 1000 m), the appearance of key indicator species for both the Leeuwin Current and the West Pacific Warm Pool, and episodes of downslope sediment transport. Here we present the main isolated biofacies, their associated lithofacies and their implications for reconstructing fluctuating sea-level, thermohaline circulation and sediment transport in a changing marine landscape