Sustainable urban biophilia: The case of greenskins for urban density

Green infrastructure ameliorates the urban heat island effect, contributes positively to liveability and enables sustainability in higher density urban environments. Greenskins (living architectures) are a more specific form of green infrastructure, including green walls and green roofs, for dense urban areas. These offer a new approach for sustainable urban biophilia and some forms can be built using the ecological design principles of constructed wetlands. The paper compares findings from two urban centres in warm Mediterranean climates. In general from Adelaide, South Australia and more specifically from university collaborative projects on particular technical and social parameters necessary to sustain Greenskins in dense urban conditions in Fremantle, Western Australia. Results from trials of a prototype greywater Greenskin using vertical constructed wetland cells are reported. Through an experimental investigation of designing living green walls in urban Fremantle, this paper challenges the conventional "triple-bottom-line" approach to sustainable dense urban systems by addressing the greater aesthetic needs of sustainability and its thinking. Here landscape aesthetics looks to the collaborative fields of urban design, environmental engineering and landscape architecture to design new urban biophilic experiences and restorative landscapes for regenerative cultural pleasure, ecological responsibility, environmental stewardship and intellectual gain

Ligand-induced closure of inward rectifier Kir6.2 channels traps spermine in the pore

Small organic amines block open voltage-gated K(+) channels and can be trapped by subsequent closure. Such studies provide strong evidence for voltage gating occurring at the intracellular end of the channel. We engineered the necessary properties (long block times with unblock kinetics comparable to, or slower than, the kinetics of gating) into spermine-blocked, ATP-gated (N160D,L157C) mutant K(ATP) channels, in order to test the possibility of “blocker trapping” in ligand-gated Kir channels. Spermine block of these channels is very strongly voltage dependent, such that, at positive voltages, the off-rate of spermine is very low. A brief pulse to negative voltages rapidly relieves the block, but no such relief is observed in ATP-closed channels. The results are well fit by a simple kinetic model that assumes no spermine exit from closed channels. The results incontrovertibly demonstrate that spermine is trapped in channels that are closed by ATP, and implicate the M2 helix bundle crossing, or somewhere lower, as the probable location of the gate

Commercialisation and Impacts of Pasture Legumes in Southern Australia–Lessons Learnt

Forage legumes are a key feature of temperate grasslands in southern Australia, valued for their ability to increase animal production, improve soil fertility and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Of the 36 temperate annual legume and 11 temperate perennial legume species with registered cultivars introduced or domesticated in Australia over the last 100 years, a third have made a major contribution to agriculture, a third have modest use and a third have failed to make any commercial impact. Highly successful species include subterranean clover, barrel medic, white clover, lucerne, French serradella and balansa clover. Species were assessed on the scale of their application, ease of seed production and specific requirements for agronomic management to determine critical factors for maximising commercial success. Of fundamental importance is the need to understand the farming systems context for legume technologies, particularly as it relates to potential scale of application and impact on farm profitability. Other factors included a requirement for parallel investment in rhizobiology, implementing an adequate ‘duty of care’ problem-solving framework for each new plant product and the need to construct a commercialisation model that optimises the trade-off between rapid adoption by farmers and profitability of the seed industry. Our experience to date indicates that seed industry engagement is highest when they have exclusive rights to a cultivar, can exercise some control over seed production and can market seed for a premium price without having to carry over significant seed quantities from one season to the next. A capability for non-specialist seed production on-farm (with lower associated seed costs) is a disincentive for the seed industry, but may be an appropriate commercialisation model for some public cultivars

The Introduction of the Prevent Duty into Schools and Colleges: Stories of Continuity and Change

Drawing on mixed methods research carried out with school and college staff during 2015 and 2016, this chapter provides insight into how the Prevent Duty ‘landed’ in schools and colleges during the first 18 months after its introduction in July 2015. The discussion centres on four key questions: (1) To what extent did staff express overall opposition to or support for the Prevent Duty? (2) To what extent was the Prevent Duty interpreted by staff in schools and colleges as a straightforward extension of existing safeguarding responsibilities? (3) To what extent did staff perceive the Duty to be exacerbating the stigmatisation of Muslim students? (4) To what extent did staff perceive the Duty to have a ‘chilling effect’ on classrooms and on student voices

Dryland pasture legume programme

1. Medic variety evaluation a. Row Evaluation - 88ME122 - Merredin. This method of assessment was used to test a range of new medic material originating from the South Australian Department of Agriculture. b. Evaluation of burr medics on Morrel soils. - 88ME84 - Nokaning. c. Evaluation of burr medics on Whitegum soils. 88ME85 - North Kellerberrin. d. Evaluation of Santiago in low rainfall areas - 88ME86 - Mukinbudin. e. Selection of early maturing M. murex. 88SC30 - Merredin. f. Medic species evaluation - large plots. 88NO88 - Tammin. g. Medic species evaluation - large plots. 85M43 - Merredin Research Station. h. Medic species defoliation trial - 84LG34 - North East Pingrup. i. Medic variety evaluation - large plots 87M73 - Merredin Research Station. j. M. polymorpha variety evaluation - large plots. 86M65 - Merredin Research Station. k. Medic variety evaluation - large plots. 85ME49 - Kellerberrin. 2. Serradella Variety Evaluation. a. Large machine sown plots - new sowings. 88ME88 - Woolocutty. b. Evaluation of serradella on acid sandplain soils. 88ME90, 88ME92 - South Burracoppin. c. Saradella variety trial. 87M62 - South Carrabin annexe. d. Rate and depth of sowing of Serradella. 87M63 - South Carrabin annexe. 3. Pasture Agronomy a. Establishing burr medic pastures with cereal cover crops. 88M56 - Merredin Research Station b. Response of medic pasture to gypsum application. 88ME79 - North Bodallin. c. Effect of sulphur on medic growth - pot trial. 87M91 - Glasshouse, Merredin Research Station. d. Control of doublegees in medic pasture. 88ME93 - North Kellerberrin. e. Establishing Serradella under a cereal crop. 87M64 - South Carrabin annexe. f. Management of Serradella pastures. 87M92 - South Carrabin annexe. g. Broadleaf herbicide tolerance of Serradella. 88ME94 - North Kellerberin. h. Control of capeweed and turnip in Serradella pastures. 88M63 - South Carrabin annexe. 4. Rotational Experiments. a. Sub. clover rotation trial. 82M47 - Merredin Research Station. b. Maintenance of sub.clover in 1:1 rotations. 82WH39 - Wongan Hills Research Station. c. Rotational systems for burr medic. 88ME83 - Merredin. d. Serena grazing trial - Newdegate Research Station

Messina (\u3cem\u3eMelilotus siculus\u3c/em\u3e)–A New Pasture Legume for Saltland

Messina (Melilotus siculus ((Turra) Vitman ex B.D. Jacks)) is a new annual pasture legume for saltland in temperate Australia and regions of the world that experience Mediterranean climates. Messina has greater tolerance to the combined stresses of salinity and water-logging than existing commercial pasture legumes. Coupled with desirable agronomic traits these characteristics give messina the capacity to rehabilitate saltland and increase productivity on land where existing legumes fail. This paper reviews the agronomic perform-ance of messina in relation to top soil salinity levels

Molecular Basis of Inward Rectification: Polyamine Interaction Sites Located by Combined Channel and Ligand Mutagenesis

Polyamines cause inward rectification of (Kir) K+ channels, but the mechanism is controversial. We employed scanning mutagenesis of Kir6.2, and a structural series of blocking diamines, to combinatorially examine the role of both channel and blocker charges. We find that introduced glutamates at any pore-facing residue in the inner cavity, up to and including the entrance to the selectivity filter, can confer strong rectification. As these negative charges are moved higher (toward the selectivity filter), or lower (toward the cytoplasm), they preferentially enhance the potency of block by shorter, or longer, diamines, respectively. MTSEA+ modification of engineered cysteines in the inner cavity reduces rectification, but modification below the inner cavity slows spermine entry and exit, without changing steady-state rectification. The data provide a coherent explanation of classical strong rectification as the result of polyamine block in the inner cavity and selectivity filter