Management and Distribution of Information (MADI) Discussion paper

The Department of Agriculture\u27s mission is To maintain and improve the productivity, profitability and market competitiveness of the rural sector of Western Australia, consistent with conservation of the State\u27s natural resources . To achieve that, the DAWA conducts extensive research, extension, and regulatory programs, and reviews ways it might provide information more effectively and efficiently to its clients, including consultants and farmers Developments in the computing, communication, and education industries are providing opportunities such as video text, free text retrieval, image and document management systems, electronic help lines. bulletin boards, and networks. The situation is continuing to develop rapidly and the DAWA aims to package information in more focused ways and to provide alternative avenues for access On a technical side, the development of common interest networks such as Telecom\u27s Discovery, AARNET, Oz-E-Mail and Pegasus has been rapid. This has allowed the establishment and decentralisation of public bulletin boards providing announcements and current information, and access to database forums with questions and answers. In addition, the technology of in-house CD­ ROM preparation and transferring copious amounts of information to remote locations electronically, or via commercial television networks such as Golden West Network broadcasters, is developing rapidly

Relationship between circulating microRNA-30c with total- and LDL-cholesterol, their circulatory transportation and effect of statins

Background: Small non-coding microRNAs (miR) have important regulatory roles and are used as biomarkers of disease. We investigated the relationship between lipoproteins and circulating miR-30c, evaluated how they are transported in circulation and determined whether statins altered the circulating concentration of miR-30c. Methods: To determine the relationship between lipoproteins and circulating miR-30c, serum samples from 79 subjects recruited from a lipid clinic were evaluated. Ultracentrifugation and nanoparticle tracking analysis was used to evaluate the transportation of miR-30c in the circulation by lipoproteins and extracellular vesicles in three healthy volunteers. Using archived samples from previous studies, the effects of 40 mg rosuvastatin (n = 22) and 40 mg pravastatin (n = 24) on miR-30c expression was also examined. RNA extraction, reverse transcription-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was carried out using standard procedures. Results: When stratified according to total cholesterol concentration, there was increased miR-30c expression in the highest compared to the lowest tertile (p = 0.035). There was significant positive correlation between miR- 30c and total- (r = 0.367; p = 0.002) and LDL-cholesterol (r = 0.391; p = 0.001). We found that miR-30c was transported in both exosomes and on HDL3. There was a 3.8-fold increased expression of circulating miR-30c after pravastatin treatment for 1 year (p = 0.005) but no significant change with atorvastatin after 8 weeks (p = 0.145). Conclusions: This study shows for the first-time in humans that circulating miR-30c is significantly, positively correlated with total- and LDL-cholesterol implicating regulatory functions in lipid homeostasis. We show miR-30c is transported in both exosomes and on HDL3 and pravastatin therapy significantly increased circulating miR-30c expression adding to the pleiotropic dimensions of statins

Gas phase synthesis of core-shell Fe@FeOx magnetic nanoparticles into fluids

AKTAS, SITKI/0000-0002-9143-6752; Binns, Chris/0000-0003-1711-375XWOS: 000389896600003Sorbitol, short chain molecules, have been used to stabilise of Fe@FeOx nanoparticles produced in the gas phase under the ultra-high vacuum (UHV) conditions. The sorbitol coated Fe@FeOx nanoparticles produced by our method have a narrow size distribution with a hydrodynamic diameter of 35 nm after NaOH is added to the solution. Magnetisation measurement shows that the magnetic nanoparticles are superparamagnetic at 100 K and demonstrate hysteresis at 5 K with an anisotropy constant of 5.31 x 10(4) J/m(3) (similar to bulk iron). Also, it is shown that sorbitol is only suitable for stabilising the Fe@FeOx suspensions, and it does not prevent further oxidation of the metallic Fe core. According to MRI measurement, the nanoparticles have a high transverse relaxation rate of 425 mM(-1) s(-1).EnSol Norway (Norwegian Research Council (NRC)) [239750]; Republic of Turkey Ministry of National EducationMinistry of National Education - TurkeyThis study was funded by EnSol Norway (Norwegian Research Council (NRC) project number: 239750). Additionally, Sitki Aktas was supported by the Republic of Turkey Ministry of National Education

Reducing Single-Use Plastic Cup Waste at Events Held in the Engineering Student Centre (ESC)

The UBC SEEDS Program introduced students to the client, the Engineering Undergraduate Society (“EUS”), on January 3, 2019. From the list of sustainability concerns highlighted, it was determined the team would be addressing the principle client concern of single use plastic cup waste. [Client Concern] Events hosted at the EUS student building are resulting in the disposal of a significant volume of single-use plastic cups. The EUS is seeking policy solutions to reduce the number of single-use plastic cups disposed across all event-types. [Actions taken] The student team undertook preliminary research to assess the status of the singleuse plastics disposal problem. This included: conducting stakeholder interviews, reviewing current EUS contracts and related policy regulation, and attending two EUS events of varying size and duration to observe event participant behavior and construct a sample baseline of cup use. [Deliverable Content] As a part of the final report, the student team has produced recommendations for immediate action by EUS as well as a detailed pilot project design for use by the EUS Sustainability Council to evaluate longer-term, more intensive solutions. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”Arts, Faculty ofPublic Policy and Global Affairs, School ofUnreviewedGraduat

13C Metabolic Flux Analysis for Systematic Metabolic Engineering of S. cerevisiae for Overproduction of Fatty Acids.

Efficient redirection of microbial metabolism into the abundant production of desired bioproducts remains non-trivial. Here, we used flux-based modeling approaches to improve yields of fatty acids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We combined 13C labeling data with comprehensive genome-scale models to shed light onto microbial metabolism and improve metabolic engineering efforts. We concentrated on studying the balance of acetyl-CoA, a precursor metabolite for the biosynthesis of fatty acids. A genome-wide acetyl-CoA balance study showed ATP citrate lyase from Yarrowia lipolytica as a robust source of cytoplasmic acetyl-CoA and malate synthase as a desirable target for downregulation in terms of acetyl-CoA consumption. These genetic modifications were applied to S. cerevisiae WRY2, a strain that is capable of producing 460 mg/L of free fatty acids. With the addition of ATP citrate lyase and downregulation of malate synthase, the engineered strain produced 26% more free fatty acids. Further increases in free fatty acid production of 33% were obtained by knocking out the cytoplasmic glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, which flux analysis had shown was competing for carbon flux upstream with the carbon flux through the acetyl-CoA production pathway in the cytoplasm. In total, the genetic interventions applied in this work increased fatty acid production by ~70%

Reanalysing glacier mass balance measurement series

Glacier-wide mass balance has been measured for more than sixty years and is widely used as an indicator of climate change and to assess the glacier contribution to runoff and sea level rise. Until recently, comprehensive uncertainty assessments have rarely been carried out and mass balance data have often been applied using rough error estimation or without consideration of errors. In this study, we propose a framework for reanalysing glacier mass balance series that includes conceptual and statistical toolsets for assessment of random and systematic errors, as well as for validation and calibration (if necessary) of the glaciological with the geodetic balance results. We demonstrate the usefulness and limitations of the proposed scheme, drawing on an analysis that comprises over 50 recording periods for a dozen glaciers, and we make recommendations to investigators and users of glacier mass balance data. Reanalysing glacier mass balance series needs to become a standard procedure for every monitoring programme to improve data quality, including reliable uncertainty estimates