New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/'proxy' AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele

Solar radiation potential and site modelling for photovoltaic modules in the Daintree lowlands of northeastern Australia

A regression model is developed which estimates monthly averages of daily peak sun hours for the Daintree region of North Queensland using 26 years of record. A mean daily peak sun hours of 4.32 ± 0.03 (n = 312) was obtained for the region. Simulations of solar energy potential for electricity generating purposes were made for clearings and treefall gaps at two different heights with four cloud conditions. Gaps in the rainforest of 40 metres or more with a solar array mounted at 7 metres above the ground were found to be optimal for electricity generating purposes under normal cloud conditions

Trampling resistance of tropical rainforest soils and vegetation in the wet tropics of north east Australia

Controlled trampling was conducted to investigate the trampling resistance of contrasting high fertility basaltic and low fertility rhyolitic soils and their associated highland tropical rainforest vegetation in north east Australia's Wet Tropics. Although this approach has been taken in numerous studies of trampling in a variety of ecosystem types (temperate and subtropical forest, alpine shrubland, coral reef and seagrass beds), the experimental method does not appear to have been previously applied in a tropical rainforest context. Ground vegetation cover and soil penetration resistance demonstrated variable responses to trampling. Trampling, most noticeably after 200 and 500 passes reduced organic litter cover. Bulk density increased with trampling intensity, particularly on basalt soils as rhyolite soils appeared somewhat resistant to the impacts of trampling. The permeability of the basalt and rhyolite soils decreased markedly with increased trampling intensity, even after only 75 passes. These findings suggest physical and hydrological changes may occur rapidly in tropical rainforest soils following low levels of trampling, particularly on basalt soils

Supporting Regional Natural Resource Management (NRM) organisations to update their NRM plans for adaptation to climate change

Our paper presents an innovative co-research approach to addressing the challenges faced by Australian NRM organisations in managing the impacts of climate change on natural resources. The project involves four regional NRM organisations and researchers from two major research institutions. The four NRM organisations in the 'Wet Tropics Cluster' (WTC) are: (i) Reef Catchments NRM, (ii) Terrain NRM, (iii) Cape York NRM, and (iv) Torres Strait Regional Authority. They cover the major part of the far northeastern coastal region of Queensland, Australia. This region is recognised globally for its outstanding natural values and NRM organisations are responsible for meeting international obligations to manage and maintain the high biodiversity values as well as balancing a wide range of social, economic, cultural and environmental needs. In the face of a changing climate, NRM organisations are required to also incorporate planning strategies that are aimed at mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change. This project is aimed at supporting NRM organisations in their planning, first by establishing a 'Brokering Hub' for the WTC, which brings together researchers and NRM organisations to guide the work of the WTC and facilitate the development and communication of new knowledge and tools. The research component of the Brokering Hub is divided into three 'Science Nodes', one of which is the 'Participatory Scenarios and Knowledge Integration Node. (Figure 1). Our initial work in this Node has focused on the identification of focal issues and key drivers of change in the four NRM regions through a participatory process with members of the Brokering Hub. The results from this process have highlighted similarities and key differences between regions, indicating the specific scientific information needs required by each NRM organisation to develop potential climate adaption responses. In order to address the issues and information needs of NRM organisations, new knowledge and tools will be generated by the Science Nodes in collaboration with the NRM organisations. Our innovative co-research approach equips the regions well for this task

Supporting Regional Natural Resource Management (NRM) organisations to update their NRM plans for adaptation to climate change

Our paper presents an innovative co-research approach to addressing the challenges faced by Australian NRM organisations in managing the impacts of climate change on natural resources. The project involves four regional NRM organisations and researchers from two major research institutions. The four NRM organisations in the 'Wet Tropics Cluster' (WTC) are: (i) Reef Catchments NRM, (ii) Terrain NRM, (iii) Cape York NRM, and (iv) Torres Strait Regional Authority. They cover the major part of the far northeastern coastal region of Queensland, Australia. This region is recognised globally for its outstanding natural values and NRM organisations are responsible for meeting international obligations to manage and maintain the high biodiversity values as well as balancing a wide range of social, economic, cultural and environmental needs. In the face of a changing climate, NRM organisations are required to also incorporate planning strategies that are aimed at mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change. This project is aimed at supporting NRM organisations in their planning, first by establishing a 'Brokering Hub' for the WTC, which brings together researchers and NRM organisations to guide the work of the WTC and facilitate the development and communication of new knowledge and tools. The research component of the Brokering Hub is divided into three 'Science Nodes', one of which is the 'Participatory Scenarios and Knowledge Integration Node. (Figure 1). Our initial work in this Node has focused on the identification of focal issues and key drivers of change in the four NRM regions through a participatory process with members of the Brokering Hub. The results from this process have highlighted similarities and key differences between regions, indicating the specific scientific information needs required by each NRM organisation to develop potential climate adaption responses. In order to address the issues and information needs of NRM organisations, new knowledge and tools will be generated by the Science Nodes in collaboration with the NRM organisations. Our innovative co-research approach equips the regions well for this task