Field pea in the great southern

Semi-leafless field pea like Kaspa have lifted the benchmark set by the previous conventional varieties such as Parafield and Dunwa. Semi-leafless field pea have the same traits as conventional field pea: adaptation to a range of soil types; wide selection of weed control options (including crop topping); nitrogen input; disease break; and reduction in root lesion nematodes. Semi-leafless pea is easier to harvest and is less prone to pod shatter

Managing complexity in a distributed digital library

As the capabilities of distributed digital libraries increase, managing organizational and software complexity becomes a key issue. How can collections and indexes be updated without impacting queries currently in progress? How can the system handle several user-interface clients for the same collections? Computer science professors and lectors from the University of Waikato have developed a software structure that successfully manages this complexity in the New Zealand Digital Library. This digital library has been a success in managing organizational and software complexity. The researchers' primary goal has been to minimize the effort required to keep the system operational and yet continue to expand its offerings

Use of silver nanowires to determine thresholds for fibre length-dependent pulmonary inflammation and inhibition of macrophage migration in vitro

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The objective of this study was to examine the threshold fibre length for the onset of pulmonary inflammation after aspiration exposure in mice to four different lengths of silver nanowires (AgNW). We further examined the effect of fibre length on macrophage locomotion in an <it>in vitro</it> wound healing assay. We hypothesised that exposure to longer fibres causes both increased inflammation and restricted mobility leading to impaired clearance of long fibres from the lower respiratory tract to the mucociliary escalator <it>in vivo</it>.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Nine week old female C57BL/6 strain mice were exposed to AgNW and controls via pharyngeal aspiration. The dose used in this study was equalised to fibre number and based on 50 μg/ mouse for AgNW₁₄. To examine macrophage migration <it>in vitro</it> a wound healing assay was used. An artificial wound was created in a confluent layer of bone marrow derived macrophages by scraping with a pipette tip and the number of cells migrating into the wound was monitored microscopically. The dose was equalised for fibre number and based on 2.5 μg/cm² for AgNW_14.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Aspiration of AgNW resulted in a length dependent inflammatory response in the lungs with threshold at a fibre length of 14 μm. Shorter fibres including 3, 5 and 10 μm elicited no significant inflammation. Macrophage locomotion was also restricted in a length dependent manner whereby AgNW in the length of ≥5 μm resulted in impaired motility in the wound closure assay.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We demonstrated a 14 μm cut-off length for fibre-induced pulmonary inflammation after aspiration exposure and an <it>in vitro</it> threshold for inhibition of macrophage locomotion of 5 μm. We previously reported a threshold length of 5 μm for fibre-induced pleural inflammation. This difference in pulmonary and pleural fibre- induced inflammation may be explained by differences in clearance mechanism of deposited fibres from the airspaces compared to the pleural space. Inhibition of macrophage migration at long fibre lengths could account for their well-documented long term retention in the lungs compared to short fibres. Knowledge of the threshold length for acute pulmonary inflammation contributes to hazard identification of nanofibres.</p

The effects and correction of the geometric factor for the POES/MEPED electron flux instrument using a multisatellite comparison

Measurements from the Polar-Orbiting Environmental Satellite (POES) Medium Energy Proton and Electron Detector (MEPED) instrument are widely used in studies into radiation belt dynamics and atmospheric coupling. However, this instrument has been shown to have a complex energy-dependent response to incident particle fluxes, with the additional possibility of low-energy protons contaminating the electron fluxes. We test the recent Monte Carlo theoretical simulation of the instrument by comparing the responses against observations from an independent experimental data set. Our study examines the reported geometric factors for the MEPED electron flux instrument against the high-energy resolution Instrument for Detecting Particles (IDPs) on the Detection of Electromagnetic Emissions Transmitted from Earthquake Regions satellite when they are located at similar locations and times, thereby viewing the same quasi-trapped population of electrons. We find that the new Monte Carlo-produced geometric factors accurately describe the response of the POES MEPED instrument. We go on to develop a set of equations such that integral electron fluxes of a higher accuracy are obtained from the existing MEPED observations. These new MEPED integral fluxes correlated very well with those from the IDP instrument (>99.9% confidence level). As part of this study we have also tested a commonly used algorithm for removing proton contamination from MEPED instrument observations. We show that the algorithm is effective, providing confirmation that previous work using this correction method is valid

Self-assembly of Fmoc-tetrapeptides based on the RGDS cell adhesion motif

Self-assembly in aqueous solution has been investigated for two Fmoc [Fmoc ¼ N-(fluorenyl)-9-methoxycarbonyl] tetrapeptides comprising the RGDS cell adhesion motif from fibronectin or the scrambled sequence GRDS. The hydrophobic Fmoc unit confers amphiphilicity on the molecules, and introduces aromatic stacking interactions. Circular dichroism and FTIR spectroscopy show that the self-assembly of both peptides at low concentration is dominated by interactions among Fmoc units, although Fmoc-GRDS shows b-sheet features, at lower concentration than Fmoc-RGDS. Fibre X-ray diffraction indicates b-sheet formation by both peptides at sufficiently high concentration. Strong alignment effects are revealed by linear dichroism experiments for Fmoc-GRDS. Cryo-TEM and smallangle X-ray scattering (SAXS) reveal that both samples form fibrils with a diameter of approximately 10 nm. Both Fmoc-tetrapeptides form self-supporting hydrogels at sufficiently high concentration. Dynamic shear rheometry enabled measurements of the moduli for the Fmoc-GRDS hydrogel, however syneresis was observed for the Fmoc-RGDS hydrogel which was significantly less stable to shear. Molecular dynamics computer simulations were carried out considering parallel and antiparallel b-sheet configurations of systems containing 7 and 21 molecules of Fmoc-RGDS or Fmoc-GRDS, the results being analyzed in terms of both intermolecular structural parameters and energy contributions

The Raploch: A history, people's perceptions and the likely future of a problem housing estate

This article explores the experience of belonging and identity, and the social distance and separateness which has long characterised aspects of Stirling’s Raploch housing estate. Detailed historical archive work uncovered the limited social planning and architectural ambitions set for this housing estate, when compared to the earlier Riverside development. The consequences of such decision making and subsequent poor management of the estate is then articulated through a series of qualitative interviews which explore attitudes to the construction and sustaining of neighbourhood and community identities. Achieving a physical solution to Raploch's social problems has eluded a series of recent regeneration initiatives and this paper suggests that the core problem is not primarily architectural but rather one of class related discrimination and stigma which has been core to Raploch's identity since the 16th Century

Thermally regulated reversible formation of vesicle-like assemblies by hexaproline amphiphiles

Peptides composed of hexaproline and glutamic acid (P6E) or lysine (P6K) as C-terminal units show thermally promoted aggregation, affording vesicle-like assemblies upon heating to 80 ºC. The aggregation is analyzed by dynamic light scattering (DLS), with number averaged diameters of ca. 600 and 300 nm respectively for P6E and P6K. NMR studies reveal that upon heating the amount of NMR-visible species is reduced to ca. 50% and that an important conformational change is experienced by the molecules in solution. Circular dichroism (CD) shows that at 20º C the peptides present a polyproline II (PP-II) conformation which is disorganized upon heating. Scanning electron microscopy for samples which were fast frozen at 80 ºC reveals vesicle-like assemblies. Using pyrene as a fluorescence probe, a critical aggregation concentration of ca. 30 m was estimated for P6E while that of P6K was above 0.6 mM. The aggregation process is found to be fully reversible and could serve as a basis for development of stimuli responsive carriers

Metaproteomics Reveal That Rapid Perturbations in Organic Matter Prioritize Functional Restructuring Over Taxonomy In Western Arctic Ocean Microbiomes

We examined metaproteome profiles from two Arctic microbiomes during 10-day shipboard incubations to directly track early functional and taxonomic responses to a simulated algal bloom and an oligotrophic control. Using a novel peptide-based enrichment analysis, significant changes (p-value \u3c 0.01) in biological and molecular functions associated with carbon and nitrogen recycling were observed. Within the first day under both organic matter conditions, Bering Strait surface microbiomes increased protein synthesis, carbohydrate degradation, and cellular redox processes while decreasing C1 metabolism. Taxonomic assignments revealed that the core microbiome collectively responded to algal substrates by assimilating carbon before select taxa utilize and metabolize nitrogen intracellularly. Incubations of Chukchi Sea bottom water microbiomes showed similar, but delayed functional responses to identical treatments. Although 24 functional terms were shared between experimental treatments, the timing, and degree of the remaining responses were highly variable, showing that organic matter perturbation directs community functionality prior to alterations to the taxonomic distribution at the microbiome class level. The dynamic responses of these two oceanic microbial communities have important implications for timing and magnitude of responses to organic perturbations within the Arctic Ocean and how community-level functions may forecast biogeochemical gradients in oceans