Comparing size in lime

Extensive research into the management of soil acidity in Western Australia is increasing farmer awareness that lime use can reduce soil acidity and improve crop yields. However, as lime use increases, the question of lime performance and particle size is becoming more critical. Chris Gazey from the Department of Agriculture is heading up the soil acidity project, with the team comprising members from the department, CSIRO and the University of Western Australia. Mark Whitten reports on project outcomes relating to lime particle size

A novel approach for elucidating the complex maternal prehistories of Siberian ethnolinguistic groups using complete mitochondrial genomes

Siberia is an ideal region for exploring population histories from a molecular anthropological perspective given the diverse human populations, in terms of linguistic affiliation and lifestyle, currently inhabiting this geographically large region. As such, this thesis explores new methodologies for the investigation of the genetic histories of Siberian populations. While previous genetic work in this area of the world was able to provide detailed insights into paternal histories based on Y chromosomal data, it was not as successful on the maternal side. There existed difficulties in exploring the complex maternal demographic histories due to high levels of sequence identity between individuals in different populations when using only a very small region of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), known as the hypervariable region I (HV1). This realization led to the initial focus of this dissertation which was to identify and test improved methods of sequencing entire mtDNA genomes. This was necessary because the mtDNA genomes that were published for human Siberian populations and across the globe prior to the work described here were chosen based on specific sub-sample selection criteria that introduced an ascertainment bias rendering them unusable for population-wide analyses. After testing multiple next generation DNA sequencing methods, I helped develop a sequencing library preparation method based on multiplexing and hybridization enrichment of mtDNAs for sequencing by synthesis that has since become widely used in labs across the globe. Comparing the same samples sequenced by both the traditional and new methods for five ethnolinguistic populations showed that these new methods were robust and could lead to different inferences about population histories while avoiding a sampling bias. Based on the results of this thesis it is now recommended for researchers to sequence complete mtDNA genomes for all relevant samples within a collection. By applying these methods to additional Siberian populations it was possible to better describe maternal population contact and identify demographic changes over time. This additional information allowed for the identification of putative drops in the maternal effective population sizes in the Siberian populations examined here. When examining the potential migrations and population contact between Turkic-speaking Yakuts and the Tungusic-speaking Even and Evenks, there exists a differential sharing of haplotypes suggesting that the Tungusic speaking populations herein were already in the northern region and split prior to the expansion of the Yakuts into their territory. The putative origin of the Yakuts as being around Lake Baikal was given additional support from the analyses included in this study and the origins of the Dolgans were shown to predominately include the admixture of Yakuts and Evenks

Molecular Phylogenetics of Neotropical Leafless Angraecinae (Orchidaceae): Re-Evaluation of Generic Concepts

Phylogenetic relationships of leafless Neotropical Angraecinae (Dendrophylax Rchb.f., Harrisella Fawc. & Rendle, Polyradicion Garay, and Campylocentrum Benth.) were estimated using combined nuclear (ITS nrDNA) and plastid (matK and trnL-F) data sets with African angraecoid taxa as outgroups. Results indicate that Harrisella, Polyradicion, and Campylocentrum filiforme (Sw.) Cogn. are embedded within Dendrophylax and should be included in Dendrophylax. This contrasts with earlier generic concepts, which have been based mainly on gross differences in floral size and various morphological autapomorphies. Based on our current sampling, Campylocentrum includes both leafy and leafless species and is sister to a broadly defined Dendrophylax

Molecular Phylogenetics of Vandeae (Orchidaceae) and the Evolution of Leaflessness

Members of tribe Vandeae (Orchidaceae) form a large, antropical clade of horticulturally important epiphytes. Monopodial leafless members of Vandeae have undergone extreme eduction in habit and represent a novel adaptation to the canopy environment in tropical Africa, Asia, and America. To study the evolution of monopodial leaflessness, molecular and structural evidence was used to generate phylogenetic hypotheses for Vandeae. Molecular analyses used sequence data from ITS nrDNA, trnL-F plastid DNA, and matK plastid DNA. Maximum parsimony analyses of these three DNA regions each supported two subtribes within monopodial Vandeae: Aeridinae and a combined Angraecinae þ Aerangidinae. Adding structural characters to sequence data resulted in trees with more homoplasy, but gave fewer trees each with more well-supported clades than either data set alone. Two techniques for examining character evolution were compared: (1) mapping vegetative characters onto a molecular topology and (2) tracing vegetative characters onto a combined structural and molecular topology. In both cases, structural synapomorphies supporting monopodial Vandeae were nearly identical. A change in leaf morphology (usually reduced to a nonphotosynthetic scale), monopodial growth habit, and aeration complexes for gas exchange in photosynthetic roots seem to be the most important characters in making the evolutionary transition to leaflessness

A Synopsis of Melanthiaceae (Liliales) with Focus on Character Evolution in Tribe Melanthieae

Melanthiaceae s.l. comprises five tribes: Chionographideae, Heloniadeae, Melanthieae, Parideae, and Xerophylleae—each defined by distinctive autapomorphies. The most morphologically diverse tribe Melanthieae, now with seven genera, had not been subject to rigorous phylogenetic character study prior to the current series of investigations that also include an overview of the family. Data from our publications and studies underway are here assessed and integrated, providing a useful overview of Melanthiaceae, and especially of Melanthieae. The results of parsimony analyses of ITS (nuclear ribosomal) and trnL-F (plastid) DNA sequence data correlate with potentially synapomorphic phenotypic characters for genera of Melanthieae, including habit form, rootstock type, bulb shape, inflorescence structure, indumentum type, tepa! shape, nectary morphology, and ovary position. Sequence data also correlate well with the pattern of variation in chromosome number. The molecular and morphological data support generic recircumscription in Melanthieae and also validate several generalizations concerning character evolution within the tribe, as well as among the tribes of the family

Charge density analysis of two polymorphs of antimony(III) oxide

High-resolution X-ray diffraction data have been collected on the cubic polymorph of antimony(III) oxide (senarmontite) to determine the charge distribution in the crystal. The results are in quantitative agreement with crystal Hartree–Fock calculations for this polymorph, and have been compared with theoretical calculations on the orthorhombic polymorph (valentinite). Information about the nature of bonding and relative bond strengths in the two polymorphs has been extracted in a straightforward manner via topological analysis of the electron density. All the close contacts in both polymorphs are found to be similar in nature based on the value of the Laplacian, the magnitude of the electron density and the local energy density at the bond critical points, and these characterise the observed interactions as substantially polar covalent, similar to molecular calculation results on Si–O and Ge–O. Electrostatic potential isosurfaces reveal the octopolar nature of this function for senarmontite, and shed light on the observed packing arrangement of Sb4O6 molecules in the crystal

Accurate Determination of Phenotypic Information from Historic Thoroughbred Horses by Single Base Extension

Historic DNA have the potential to identify phenotypic information otherwise invisible in the historical, archaeological and palaeontological record. In order to determine whether a single nucleotide polymorphism typing protocol based on single based extension (SNaPshot™) could produce reliable phenotypic data from historic samples, we genotyped three coat colour markers for a sample of historic Thoroughbred horses for which both phenotypic and correct geotypic information were known from pedigree information in the General Stud Book. Experimental results were consistent with the pedigrees in all cases. Thus we demonstrate that historic DNA techniques can produce reliable phenotypic information from museum specimens.© 2010 Campana et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Development of an Integrated RVC-LWRD System for RESOLVE

Regolith & Environment Science and Oxygen & Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE) incorporates 5 modules: (1) EBRC (Excavation and Bulk Regolith Characterization) (2) ERPC (Environment and Regolith Physical Characterization) ROE (Regolith Oxygen Extraction) (3) RVC (Regolith Volatile Characterization) (5) LWRD (Lunar Water Resource Demonstration). The goal of this work is to identify and quantify volatiles, demonstrate ISRU, engage the public interest in 'living off the land' technolog