Thorough assessment of DNA preservation from fossil bone and sediments excavated from a late Pleistocene–Holocene cave deposit on Kangaroo Island, South Australia

Fossils and sediments preserved in caves are an excellent source of information for investigating impacts of past environmental changes on biodiversity. Until recently studies have relied on morphology-based palaeontological approaches, but recent advances in molecular analytical methods offer excellent potential for extracting a greater array of biological information from these sites. This study presents a thorough assessment of DNA preservation from late Pleistocene–Holocene vertebrate fossils and sediments from Kelly Hill Cave Kangaroo Island, South Australia. Using a combination of extraction techniques and sequencing technologies, ancient DNA was characterised from over 70 bones and 20 sediment samples from 15 stratigraphic layers ranging in age from >20 ka to ∼6.8 ka. A combination of primers targeting marsupial and placental mammals, reptiles and two universal plant primers were used to reveal genetic biodiversity for comparison with the mainland and with the morphological fossil record for Kelly Hill Cave. We demonstrate that Kelly Hill Cave has excellent long-term DNA preservation, back to at least 20 ka. This contrasts with the majority of Australian cave sites thus far explored for ancient DNA preservation, and highlights the great promise Kangaroo Island caves hold for yielding the hitherto-elusive DNA of extinct Australian Pleistocene species.

Hydrofluoroalkanes as carrier solvents for timber preservation

Hydrofluoroalkanes are a specific category of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) commonly used in refrigeration applications. Some HFCs hold potential for use as carrier fluids for preservatives used to protect timber above ground. They do not share the most significant disadvantages of currently used carriers for these applications. At ‘conventional’ operating pressures, they are capable of rapid, full penetration of some timbers generally considered refractory, such as spruce and the heartwood of radiata pine. But they are comparatively expensive and, while they are not detrimental to the ozone layer, they would contribute significantly to the greenhouse effect if released. Impregnation process conditions can be optimised to maximise biocide solubility and impregnation speed and depth.

Natural Preservation Technologies for Tropical Fruits

The project intends to establish a cross DEEDI industry-leveraged project for tropical fruit convenience products.

Preservation of encapsulated shoot tips and nodes of the tropical hardwoods Corymbia torelliana × C. citriodora and Khaya senegalensis

Alginate encapsulation is a simple and cost-effective technique to preserve plant germplasm but there are only a few reports available on preservation of encapsulated explants of two highly valuable groups of tropical trees, the eucalypts (Myrtaceae) and mahoganies (Meliaceae). This study investigated alginate encapsulation for preservation of the eucalypt hybrid, Corymbia torelliana × C. citriodora, and the African mahogany, Khaya senegalensis. We assessed shoot regrowth of encapsulated shoot tips and nodes after storage for 0, 3, 6 and 12 months on media varying in sucrose and nutrient content, under storage conditions of 14°C and zero-irradiance. Encapsulated explants of both trees were preserved most effectively on high-nutrient (half-strength Murashige and Skoog) medium containing 1% sucrose, which provided very high frequencies of shoot regrowth (92–100% for Corymbia and 71–98% for Khaya) and excellent shoot development after 12 months’ storage. This technique provides an extremely efficient means for storage and exchange of eucalypts and mahoganies, ideally suited for incorporation into plant breeding and germplasm conservation programs.

Preservation of native conformation during aluminium-induced aggregation of tau protein

ALUMINIUM exposure has been shown to result in aggregation of microtubule-associated protein tau in vitro. In the light of recent observations that the native random structure of tau protein is maintained in its monomeric and dimeric states as well as in the paired helical filaments characteristic of Alzheimer's disease, it is likely that factors playing a causative role in neurofibrillary pathology would not drastically alter the native conformation of tau protein. We have studied the interaction of tau protein with aluminium using circular dichroism (CD) and 27(Al) NMR spectroscopy. The CD studies revealed a five-fold increase in the observed ellipticity of the tau-aluminium assembly. The increase in elipticity was not associated with a change in the general conformation of the protein and was most likely due to an aggregation of the tau protein induced by aluminium. Al-27 NMR spectroscopy confirmed the binding of aluminium to tau protein. Hyperphosphorylation of tau in Alzheimer's disease is known to be associated with defective microtubule assembly in this condition. Abnormally phosphorylated tau exists in a polymerized form in the paired helical filaments (PHF) which constitute the neurofibrillary tangles found in Alzheimer's disease. While it is hypothesized that its altered biophysical characteristics render abnormally phosphorylated tau resistant to proteolysis, causing the formation of stable deposits,the sequence of events resulting in the polymerization of tau are little understood, as are the additional factors or modifications required for tills process. Based on the results of our spectroscopic studies, a model for the sequence of events occurring in neurofibrillary pathology is proposed.

Symmetry preservation during radiation damage

An examination of radiation-damage processes consequent to high-energy irradiation in certain ammonium salts studied using ESR of free radical together with the structural information available from neutron diffraction studies shows that, other factors being equal/nearly equal, symmetry-related bonds are preserved in preference to those unrelated to one another by any symmetry.

Formation and preservation of pedogenic carbonates in South India, links with paleo-monsoon and pedological conditions: Clues from Sr isotopes, U-Th series and REEs

The influence of the pedogenic and climatic contexts on the formation and preservation of pedogenic carbonates in a climosequence in the Western Ghats (Karnataka Plateau, South West India) has been studied. Along the climosequence, the current mean annual rainfall (MAR) varies within a 80 km transect from 6000 mm at the edge of the Plateau to 500 mm inland. Pedogenic carbonates occur in the MAR range of 500-1200 mm. In the semi-arid zone (MAR: 500-900 mm), carbonates occur (i) as rhick hardpan calcretes on pediment slopes and (ii) as nodular horizons in polygenic black soils (i.e. vertisols). In the sub-humid zone (MAR: 900-1500 mm), pedogenic carbonates are disseminated in the black soil matrices either as loose, irregular and friable nodules of millimetric size or as indurated botryoidal nodules of centimetric to pluricentimetric size. They also occur at the top layers of the saprolite either as disseminated pluricentimetric indurated nodules or carbonate-cemented lumps of centimetric to decimetric size. Chemical and isotopic (Sr-87/Sr-86) compositions of the carbonate fraction were determined after leaching with 0.25 N HCl. The corresponding residual fractions containing both primary minerals and authigenic clays were digested separately and analyzed. The trend defined by the Sr-87/Sr-86 signatures of both labile carbonate fractions and corresponding residual fractions indicates that a part of the labile carbonate fraction is genetically linked to the local soil composition. Considering the residual fraction of each sample as the most likely lithogenic source of Ca in carbonates, it is estimated that from 24% to 82% (55% on average) of Ca is derived from local bedrock weathering, leading to a consumption of an equivalent proportion of atmospheric CO2. These values indicate that climatic conditions were humid enough to allow silicate weathering: MAR at the time of carbonate formation likely ranged from 400 to 700 mm, which is 2- to 3-fold less than the current MAR at these locations. The Sr, U and Mg contents and the (U-234/U-238) activity ratio in the labile carbonate fraction help to understand the conditions of carbonate formation. The relatively high concentrations of Sr, U and Mg in black soil carbonates may indicate fast growth and accumulation compared to carbonates in saprolite, possibly due to a better confinement of the pore waters which is supported by their high (U-234/U-238) signatures, and/or to higher content of dissolved carbonates in the pore waters. The occurrence of Ce, Mn and Fe oxides in the cracks of carbonate reflects the existence of relatively humid periods after carbonate formation. The carbonate ages determined by the U-Th method range from 1.33 +/- 0.84 kyr to 7.5 +/- 2.7 kyr and to a cluster of five ages around 20 kyr, i.e. the Last Glacial Maximum period. The young occurrences are only located in the black soils, which therefore constitute sensitive environments for trapping and retaining atmospheric CO2 even on short time scales. The maximum age of carbonates depends on their location in the climatic gradient: from about 20 kyr for centimetric nodules at Mule Hole (MAR = 1100 mm/yr) to 200 kyr for the calcrete at Gundlupet (MAR = 700 mm/yr, Durand et al., 2007). The intensity of rainfall during wet periods would indeed control the lifetime of pedogenic carbonates and thus the duration of inorganic carbon storage in soils. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Costs and Benefits of a Shared Digital Long-Term Preservation System

This paper describes the cost-benefit analysis of digital long-term preservation (LTP) that was carried out in the context of the Finnish National Digital Library Project (NDL) in 2010. The analysis was based on the assumption that as many as 200 archives, libraries, and museums will share an LTP system. The term ‘system’ shall be understood as encompassing not only information technology, but also human resources, organizational structures, policies and funding mechanisms. The cost analysis shows that an LTP system will incur, over the first 12 years, cumulative costs of €42 million, i.e. an average of €3.5 million per annum. Human resources and investments in information technology are the major cost factors. After the initial stages, the analysis predicts annual costs of circa €4 million. The analysis compared scenarios with and without a shared LTP system. The results indicate that a shared system will have remarkable benefits. At the development and implementation stages, a shared system shows an advantage of €30 million against the alternative scenario consisting of five independent LTP solutions. During the later stages, the advantage is estimated at €10 million per annum. The cumulative cost benefit over the first 12 years would amount to circa €100 million.

Protocols for Collection, Preservation and Enumeration of Diatoms from Aquatic Habitats fro Water Quality Monitoring in India

Diatoms have become important organisms for monitoring freshwaters and their value has been recognised in Europe, American and African continents. If India is to include diatoms in the current suite of bioindicators, then thorough testing of diatom-based techniques is required. This paper provides guidance on methods through all stages of diatom collection from different habitats from streams and lakes, preparation and examination for the purposes of water quality assessment that can be adapted to most aquatic ecosystems in India.

Functionality preservation with enhanced mechanical integrity in the nanocomposites of the metal-organic framework, ZIF-8, with BN nanosheets

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and boron nitride both possess novel properties, the former associated with microporosity and the latter with good mechanical properties. We have synthesized composites of the imidazolate based MOF, ZIF-8, and few-layer BN in order to see whether we can incorporate the properties of both these materials in the composites. The composites so prepared between BN nanosheets and ZIF-8 have compositions ZIF-1BN, ZIF-2BN, ZIF-3BN and similar to ZIF-4BN. The composites have been characterized by PXRD, TGA, XPS, electron microscopy, IR, Raman and solid state NMR spectroscopy. The composites possess good surface areas, the actual value decreasing only slightly with the increase in the BN content. The CO2 uptake remains nearly the same in the composites as in the parent ZIF-8. More importantly, the addition of BN markedly improves the mechanical properties of ZIF-8, a feature that is much desired in MOFs. Observation of microporous features along with improved mechanical properties in a MOF is indeed noteworthy. Such manipulation of properties can be profitably exploited in practical applications.

Association Rule Sharing Model for Privacy Preservation and Collaborative Data Mining Efficiency

The disclosure of information and its misuse in Privacy Preserving Data Mining (PPDM) systems is a concern to the parties involved. In PPDM systems data is available amongst multiple parties collaborating to achieve cumulative mining accuracy. The vertically partitioned data available with the parties involved cannot provide accurate mining results when compared to the collaborative mining results. To overcome the privacy issue in data disclosure this paper describes a Key Distribution-Less Privacy Preserving Data Mining (KDLPPDM) system in which the publication of local association rules generated by the parties is published. The association rules are securely combined to form the combined rule set using the Commutative RSA algorithm. The combined rule sets established are used to classify or mine the data. The results discussed in this paper compare the accuracy of the rules generated using the C4. 5 based KDLPPDM system and the CS. 0 based KDLPPDM system using receiver operating characteristics curves (ROC).