Functional significance of male attractants of Bactrocera tryoni (Diptera: Tephritidae) and underlying mechanisms

This project elucidated functional role of phytochemicals used in the management of pest fruit flies. Comparative behavioural, physiological and genomic approaches revealed that phytochemicals are mediating reproductive fitness by changing pheromonal compound males release and by making them physiologically more active. The possible mechanistic functions are that the phytochemicals act as a pheromone booster and as an energy supplement.

The development of a carrying capacity assessment model for the Australian socio-environmental context

A key aim of this research was to highlight how society's understanding of constraints to the productive capacity of its resource base is vital to its long-term survival. This was achieved through the development of an online model, the Carrying Capacity Dashboard. The Dashboard was developed to estimate how much land Australian populations require for the production of their food, textiles, timber and liquid fuel. Findings reveal that Australia's estimated carrying capacity is currently over 40 million people but longer-term and more regional analyses suggest a much smaller number. Carrying capacity assessment also indicates that optimal resource security is to be found in balancing both small and large-scale self-sufficiency.

The informed manager : exploring absorptive capacity in the non-profit sector

Being across new knowledge is critical to the survival of individual businesses. This study explored the way in which managers of small social services in Queensland identified important new knowledge and brought this into their organisations. New knowledge was found to be highly valued by managers with key resources allocated to knowledge seeking processes particularly in response to regulatory change. Knowledge absorption involved accessing multiple sources, and external professional networks were found to be critical to understanding and integrating new knowledge. The research highlighted the challenges in securing new knowledge and the importance of managers professional links.

ATF3 suppresses metastasis of bladder cancer by regulating gelsolin-mediated remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton

Bladder cancer is associated with high recurrence and mortality rates due to metastasis. The elucidation of metastasis suppressors may offer therapeutic opportunities if their mechanisms of action can be elucidated and tractably exploited. In this study, we investigated the clinical and functional significance of the transcription factor activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) in bladder cancer metastasis. Gene expression analysis revealed that decreased ATF3 was associated with bladder cancer progression and reduced survival of patients with bladder cancer. Correspondingly, ATF3 overexpression in highly metastatic bladder cancer cells decreased migration in vitro and experimental metastasis in vivo. Conversely, ATF3 silencing increased the migration of bladder cancer cells with limited metastatic capability in the absence of any effect on proliferation. In keeping with their increased motility, metastatic bladder cancer cells had increased numbers of actin filaments. Moreover, ATF3 expression correlated with expression of the actin filament severing protein gelsolin (GSN). Mechanistic studies revealed that ATF3 upregulated GSN, whereas ATF3 silencing reduced GSN levels, concomitant with alterations in the actin cytoskeleton. We identified six ATF3 regulatory elements in the first intron of the GSN gene confirmed by chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis. Critically, GSN expression reversed the metastatic capacity of bladder cancer cells with diminished levels of ATF3. Taken together, our results indicate that ATF3 suppresses metastasis of bladder cancer cells, at least in part through the upregulation of GSN-mediated actin remodeling. These findings suggest ATF3 coupled with GSN as prognostic markers for bladder cancer metastasis.

Controlling whole blood activation and resultant clot properties by carboxyl and alkyl functional groups on material surfaces : a possible therapeutic approach for enhancing bone healing

Most research virtually ignores the important role of a blood clot in supporting bone healing. In this study, we investigated the effects of surface functional groups carboxyl and alkyl on whole blood coagulation, complement activation and blood clot formation. We synthesised and tested a series of materials with different ratios of carboxyl (–COOH) and alkyl (–CH3, –CH2CH3 and –(CH2)3CH3) groups. We found that surfaces with –COOH/–(CH2)3CH3 induced a faster coagulation activation than those with –COOH/– CH3 and –CH2CH3, regardless of the –COOH ratios. An increase in –COOH ratios on –COOH/–CH3 and –CH2CH3 surfaces decreased the rate of coagulation activation. The pattern of complement activation was entirely similar to that of surface-induced coagulation. All material coated surfaces resulted in clots with thicker fibrin in a denser network at the clot/material interface and a significantly slower initial fibrinolysis when compared to uncoated glass surfaces. The amounts of platelet-derived growth factor-AB (PDGF-AB) and transforming growth factor-b (TGF-b1) released from an intact clot were higher than a lysed clot. The release of PDGF-AB was found to be correlated with the fibrin density. This study demonstrated that surface chemistry can significantly influence the activation of blood coagulation and complement system, resultant clot structure, susceptibility to fibrinolysis as well as release of growth factors, which are important factors determining the bone healing process.

Engraftment outcomes after HPC co-culture with mesenchymal stromal cells and osteoblasts

Haematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation is an established cell-based therapy for a number of haematological diseases. To enhance this therapy, there is considerable interest in expanding HSCs in artificial niches prior to transplantation. This study compared murine HSC expansion supported through co-culture on monolayers of either undifferentiated mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) or osteoblasts. Sorted Lineage− Sca-1+ c-kit+ (LSK) haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HPC) demonstrated proliferative capacity on both stromal monolayers with the greatest expansion of LSK shown in cultures supported by osteoblast monolayers. After transplantation, both types of bulk-expanded cultures were capable of engrafting and repopulating lethally irradiated primary and secondary murine recipients. LSKs co-cultured on MSCs showed comparable, but not superior, reconstitution ability to that of freshly isolated LSKs. Surprisingly, however, osteoblast co-cultured LSKs showed significantly poorer haematopoietic reconstitution compared to LSKs co-cultured on MSCs, likely due to a delay in short-term reconstitution. We demonstrated that stromal monolayers can be used to maintain, but not expand, functional HSCs without a need for additional haematopoietic growth factors. We also demonstrated that despite apparently superior in vitro performance, co-injection of bulk cultures of osteoblasts and LSKs in vivo was detrimental to recipient survival and should be avoided in translation to clinical practice.

Whole-body cryotherapy : empirical evidence and theoretical perspectives

Whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) involves short exposures to air temperatures below –100°C. WBC is increasingly accessible to athletes, and is purported to enhance recovery after exercise and facilitate rehabilitation postinjury. Our objective was to review the efficacy and effectiveness of WBC using empirical evidence from controlled trials. We found ten relevant reports; the majority were based on small numbers of active athletes aged less than 35 years. Although WBC produces a large temperature gradient for tissue cooling, the relatively poor thermal conductivity of air prevents significant subcutaneous and core body cooling. There is weak evidence from controlled studies that WBC enhances antioxidant capacity and parasympathetic reactivation, and alters inflammatory pathways relevant to sports recovery. A series of small randomized studies found WBC offers improvements in subjective recovery and muscle soreness following metabolic or mechanical overload, but little benefit towards functional recovery. There is evidence from one study only that WBC may assist rehabilitation for adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder. There were no adverse events associated with WBC; however, studies did not seem to undertake active surveillance of predefined adverse events. Until further research is available, athletes should remain cognizant that less expensive modes of cryotherapy, such as local ice-pack application or cold-water immersion, offer comparable physiological and clinical effects to WBC.

Autonomous operation of multiple interconnected microgrids with self-healing capacity

This paper shows how multiple interconnected microgrids can operate in autonomous mode in a self–healing medium voltage network. This is possible if based on network self– healing capability, the neighbour microgrids are interconnected and a surplus generation capacity is available in some of the Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) of the interconnected microgrids. This will reduce or prevent load shedding within the microgrids with less generation capacity. Therefore, DERs in a microgrid are controlled such that they share the local load within that microgrid as well as the loads in other interconnected microgrids. Different control algorithms are proposed to manage the DERs at different operating conditions. On the other hand, a Distribution Static Compensator (DSTATCOM) is employed to regulate the voltage. The efficacy of the proposed power control, sharing and management among DERs in multiple interconnected microgrids is validated through extensive simulation studies using PSCAD/EMTDC.

Older driver safety and mobility : where to from here?

The older adult population (65 years and over) represents a rapid growing segment of the population in many developed countries. Unlike earlier cohorts of older drivers that included many who were familiar with public transportation, the present cohort of older drivers historically has a greater reliance on the private automobile as their main form of transportation. Recent studies of older adults’ travel patterns reported automobile to be responsible for over 80% of the total number of hours spent on all trips. While older drivers, as a group, does not demonstrate a particular road risk, the evident demographic change and the increased physical fragility and severity of crash-related injuries makes older driver safety a prevalent public health issue. This study systematically reviewed the safety and mobility outcomes of existing strategies used internationally to manage older driver safety, with a specific focus on age-based testing (ABT), license restriction and self-regulation (i.e. voluntary limiting driving in potentially hazardous situations). ABT remains the most commonly adopted strategy by licensing authorities both within Australia and internationally. Heterogeneity in the development of functional declines, and in driving behaviours within the older driver population, makes age an unreliable index of driving capacity. Given the counter-productive safety and mobility outcomes of ABT strategies, their continued popularity within both the legislative and public domains remains problematic. Self-regulation may provide greater potential for reducing older drivers’ crash risk while maintaining their mobility and independence. The current body of literature on older drivers’ self-regulation is systematically reviewed. Despite being promoted by researchers and licensing authorities as a strategy to maintain older driver safety and mobility, the proportion of older drivers who self-regulate, and exactly how they do so, remains unclear. Future research on older drivers’ adoption of self-regulation, particularly the underlying psychological factors that underlies this process, is needed in order to promote its use within the older driver community.

Task constraints

Newell (1985, 1986) identified the importance of interacting constraints on the emergent behaviours of learners or performers in sport as they assemble functional states of movement organisation in achieving task goals. Constraints, related to the person, task and environment, were defined as ‘boundaries or features that limit motion of the entity under consideration at any moment in time’ (Newell, 1986, p.347). Personal (or organismic) constraints include factors such as individual anthropometrics (height, weight, and limb lengths), fitness (e.g., strength, speed, aerobic capacity, and flexibility), mental skills (e.g. concentration, confidence, emotional control and motivation), perceptual and decisionmaking skills (e.g., recognising patterns of play, anticipation by reading the movements of opponents) and personality factors (e.g., risk taking or conservative behaviours). Newell (1986, p.350) distinguished between general environmental constraints, such as gravity, ambient temperature, natural light and altitude and task constraints, which are task specific and concerned with the goals of a specific activity. More recently, socio-cultural constraints (e.g., family support, cultural expectations and access to facilities) have also been considered as environmental constraints. Application of the constraints framework to the study of sport performance has led to task constraints being defined to include factors such as rules of games, equipment used, boundary playing areas and markings, nets and goals, the number of...

Functional encryption for threshold functions (or fuzzy IBE) from lattices

Cryptosystems based on the hardness of lattice problems have recently acquired much importance due to their average-case to worst-case equivalence, their conjectured resistance to quantum cryptanalysis, their ease of implementation and increasing practicality, and, lately, their promising potential as a platform for constructing advanced functionalities. In this work, we construct “Fuzzy” Identity Based Encryption from the hardness of the Learning With Errors (LWE) problem. We note that for our parameters, the underlying lattice problems (such as gapSVP or SIVP) are assumed to be hard to approximate within supexponential factors for adversaries running in subexponential time. We give CPA and CCA secure variants of our construction, for small and large universes of attributes. All our constructions are secure against selective-identity attacks in the standard model. Our construction is made possible by observing certain special properties that secret sharing schemes need to satisfy in order to be useful for Fuzzy IBE. We also discuss some obstacles towards realizing lattice-based attribute-based encryption (ABE).

Temporal and functional changes in glycosaminoglycan expression during osteogenesis

Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) are complex and labile macromolecular moieties on the surfaces of cells that control the activities of a range of extracellular proteins, particularly those driving growth and regeneration. Here, we examine the biosynthesis of heparan sulfate (HS) sugars produced by cultured MC3T3-E1 mouse calvarial pre-osteoblast cells in order to explore the idea that changes in HS activity in turn drive phenotypic development during osteogenesis. Cells grown for 5 days under proliferating conditions were compared to cells grown for 20 days under mineralizing conditions with respect to their phenotype, the forms of HS core protein produced, and their HS sulfotransferase biosynthetic enzyme levels. RQ-PCR data was supported by the results from the purification of day 5 and day 20 HS forms by anionic exchange chromatography. The data show that cells in active growth phases produce more complex forms of sugar than cells that have become relatively quiescent during active mineralization, and that these in turn can differentially influence rates of cell growth when added exogenously back to preosteoblasts.

Proteomic and other analyses to determine the functional consequences of deregulated kallikrein-related peptidase (KLK) expression in prostate and ovarian cancer

Rapidly developing proteomic tools are improving detection of deregulated kallikrein-related peptidase (KLK) expression, at the protein level, in prostate and ovarian cancer, as well as facilitating the determination of functional consequences downstream. Mass spectrometry (MS)-driven proteomics uniquely allows for the detection, identification and quantification of thousands of proteins in a complex protein pool, and this has served to identify certain KLKs as biomarkers for these diseases. In this review we describe applications of this technology in KLK biomarker discovery, and elucidate MS-based techniques which have been used for unbiased, global screening of KLK substrates within complex protein pools. Although MS-based KLK degradomic studies are limited to date, they helped to discover an array of novel KLK substrates. Substrates identified by MS-based degradomics are reported with improved confidence over those determined by incubating a purified or recombinant substrate and protease of interest, in vitro. We propose that these novel proteomic approaches represent the way forward for KLK research, in order to correlate proteolysis of biological substrates with tissue-related consequences, toward clinical targeting of KLK expression and function for cancer diagnosis, prognosis and therapies.

Energy Transformed : Building Capacity in the Engineering Profession in Australia

Global pressures of burgeoning population growth and consumption are threatening efforts to reduce negative environmental pressures associated with development such as atmospheric, land and water pollution. For example, the world’s population is now growing at over 70 million per year or 1 billion per decade (Brown, 2007), increasing from 3.5 billion in 1970, to 5 billion in 1990, to 7 billion by 2010 (United Nations, 2002). In 1990 only 13 percent of the global population lived in cities, while in 2007 more than half did. More than 60 percent of the global population lives within 100 kilometers of the coastline (World Resources Institute, 2005) and nearly all of the population growth hereon is forecast to happen in developing countries (Postel, 1999). Future levels of stress on the global environment are therefore likely to increase if current trends are used for forecasting, which is particularly challenging as scientists are already observing significant signs of degradation and failure in environmental systems. For example, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report (IPCC, 2007) provided an nequivocal link between climate change and current human activities, in particular: the burning of fossil fuels; deforestation and land clearing; the use of synthetic greenhouse gases; and decomposition of wastes from landfill. The UK Stern Review concluded that within our lifetime there is between a 77 to 99 percent chance (depending on the climate model used) of the global average temperature rising by more than 2 degrees Celsius (Stern, 2006), with a likely greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere of 550 parts per million (ppm) or more by around 2100.

Identification, functional expression and kinetic analysis of two primary amine oxidases from Rhodococcus opacus

Two native copper-containing amine oxidases (EC 1.4.3.21) have been isolated from Rhodococcus opacus and reveal phenotypic plasticity and catalytic activity with respect to structurally diverse natural and synthetic amines. Altering the amine growth substrate has enabled tailored and targeted oxidase upreg-ulation, which with subsequent treatment by precipitation, ion exchange and gel filtration, achieved a 90–150 fold purification. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometric and genomic analysis has indicated multiple gene activation with complex biodegradation pathways and regulatory mechanisms. Additional post-purification characterisation has drawn on the use of carbonyl reagent and chelating agent inhibitors. Michaelis–Menten kinetics for common aliphatic and aromatic amine substrates and several structural analogues demonstrated a broad specificity and high affinity with Michaelis constants (K M) ranging from 0.1 to 0.9 mM for C 1 –C 5 aliphatic mono-amines and <0.2 mM for a range of aromatic amines. Potential exploitation of the enzymatic versatility of the two isolated oxidases in biosensing and bioprocessing is discussed.