Climate Change and the Resilience of Commodity Food Production in Australia

The current view of Australian state and national governments about the effects of climate change on agriculture is that farmers – through the adoption of mitigation and adaptation strategies – will remain resilient, and agricultural production will continue to expand. The assumption is that neoliberalism will provide the best ‘free market’ options for climate change mitigation and adaptation in farming. In contrast, we argue that neoliberalism will increase the move towards productivis (‘high-tech’) agriculture – the very system that has caused major environmental damage to the Australian continent. High-tech farming is highly dependent upon access to water and fossil fuels, both of which would appear to be the main limits to production in future decades. Productivist agriculture is a system highly reliant upon fertilizers and fuels that are derived from the petrochemical industry, and are currently increasing in cost as the price of oil increases.

Nedd4-2(NEDD4L) controls intracellular Na(+)-mediated activity of voltage-gated sodium channels in primary cortical neurons.

Nedd4-2, a HECT (homologous with E6-associated protein C-terminus)-type ubiquitin protein ligase, has been implicated in regulating several ion channels, including Navs (voltage-gated sodium channels). In Xenopus oocytes Nedd4-2 strongly inhibits the activity of multiple Navs. However, the conditions under which Nedd4-2 mediates native Nav regulation remain uncharacterized. Using Nedd4-2-deficient mice, we demonstrate in the present study that in foetal cortical neurons Nedd4-2 regulates Navs specifically in response to elevated intracellular Na(+), but does not affect steady-state Nav activity. In dorsal root ganglia neurons from the same mice, however, Nedd4-2 does not control Nav activities. The results of the present study provide the first physiological evidence for an essential function of Nedd4-2 in regulating Navs in the central nervous system.

Structures of μOconotoxins from Conusmarmoreus. Inhibitors of tetrodotoxin (TTX)-sensitive and TTX-resistant sodium channels in mammalian sensory neurons

The μO-conotoxins are an intriguing class of conotoxins targeting various voltage-dependent sodium channels and molluscan calcium channels. In the current study, we have shown MrVIA and MrVIB to be the first known peptidic inhibitors of the transient tetrodotoxin-resistant (TTX-R) Na+ current in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons, in addition to inhibiting tetrodotoxin-sensitive Na+ currents. Human TTX-R sodium channels are a therapeutic target for indications such as pain, highlighting the importance of the μO-conotoxins as potential leads for drug development. Furthermore, we have used NMR spectroscopy to provide the first structural information on this class of conotoxins. MrVIA and MrVIB are hydrophobic peptides that aggregate in aqueous solution but were solubilized in 50% acetonitrile/water. The three-dimensional structure of MrVIB consists of a small β-sheet and a cystine knot arrangement of the three-disulfide bonds. It contains four backbone “loops” between successive cysteine residues that are exposed to the solvent to varying degrees. The largest of these, loop 2, is the most disordered part of the molecule, most likely due to flexibility in solution. This disorder is the most striking difference between the structures of MrVIB and the known δ- and ω-conotoxins, which along with the μO-conotoxins are members of the O superfamily. Loop 2 of ω-conotoxins has previously been shown to contain residues critical for binding to voltage-gated calcium channels, and it is interesting to speculate that the flexibility observed in MrVIB may accommodate binding to both sodium and molluscan calcium channels.

Phagocytosis of bacteria by olfactory ensheathing cells and Schwann cells

Opportunistic bacterial infections of the nasal cavity could potentially lead to infection of the brain if the olfactory or trigeminal nerves are colonised. The olfactory nerve may be a more susceptible route because primary olfactory neurons are in direct contact with the external environment. Peripheral glia are known to be able to phagocytose some species of bacteria and may therefore provide a defence mechanism against bacterial infection. As the nasal cavity is frequently exposed to bacterial infections, we hypothesised that the olfactory and trigeminal nerves within the nasal cavity could be subjected to bacterial colonisation and that the olfactory ensheathing cells and Schwann cells may be involved in responding to the bacterial invasion. We have examined the ability of mouse OECs and Schwann cells from the trigeminal nerve and dorsal root ganglia to phagocytose Escherichia coli and Burkholderia thailandensis in vitro. We found that all three sources of glia were equally able to phagocytose E. coli with 75-85% of glia having phagocytosed bacteria within 24h. We also show that human OECs phagocytosed E. coli. In contrast, the mouse OECs and Schwann cells had little capacity to phagocytose B. thailandensis. Thus subtypes of peripheral glia have similar capacities for phagocytosis of bacteria but show selective capacity for the two different species of bacteria that were examined. These results have implications for the understanding of the mechanisms of bacterial infections as well as for the use of glia for neural repair therapies.

'Devils and dust' : extending the 'uncivil politics of law and order' to the 'war on terror'

The ‘war on terror’ and ongoing terrorist attacks around the world have generated a growing body of literature on national and international measures to counteract terrorist activity. This detailed study investigates an aspect of contemporary counter-terrorism that has been largely overlooked; the impact of these measures on the continued viability of the democratic state.

Behavioural Inhibition System response to conflicting advertisement cues: Road safety messages vs. motor vehicle promotional advertisements

This study assessed the revised Behavioural Inhibition System (BIS), as conceptualised by Gray and McNaughton’s (2000) revised RST, by exposing participants to a loss-framed road safety message (emphasising the negative consequences of speeding behaviour) and a high performance motor vehicle promotional advertisement. Licensed young drivers (N = 40, aged 17–25 years) were randomly allocated to view either the message or both the message and advertisement. Participants then completed a computerised lexical decision task prior to completing three personality measures: Corr-Cooper RST-PQ, CARROT and Q-Task. It was predicted that those with a stronger BIS would demonstrate greater processing of these mixed message cues compared to weaker BIS individuals, and that this BIS effect would only be observed in the mixed cues condition (due to simultaneous activation of the incentive and punishment systems). Preliminary findings will be discussed in the context of the influence of personality traits on health message processing.

Processing biases towards gain-framed messages may lead reward sensitive individuals to adopt safer driving behaviours

Using Gray and McNaughton’s revised RST, this study investigated the extent to which the Behavioural Approach System (BAS) and the Fight-Flight-Freeze System (FFFS) influence the processing of gain-framed and loss-framed road safety messages and subsequent message acceptance. It was predicted that stronger BAS sensitivity and FFFS sensitivity would be associated with greater processing and acceptance of the gain-framed messages and loss-framed messages, respectively. Young drivers (N = 80, aged 17–25 years) viewed one of four road safety messages and completed a lexical decision task to assess message processing. Both self-report (e.g., Corr-Cooper RST-PQ) and behavioural measures (i.e., CARROT and Q-Task) were used to assess BAS and FFFS traits. Message acceptance was measured via self-report ratings of message effectiveness, behavioural intentions, attitudes and subsequent driving behaviour. The results are discussed in the context of the effect that differences in reward and punishment sensitivities may have on message processing and message acceptance.

Cultural drivers of high performing knowledge-intensive service organisations

Organisational culture is considered an important influence on performance, particularly for service firms that rely on values-driven social controls to enhance human interactions (O’Reilly & Chatman, 1996). Using a qualitative approach, we show how the modified Organisational Culture Profile developed by Sarros, Gray, Densten, and Cooper (2005) to assess Australian organisations provides a framework for exploring the cultural drivers of high performing knowledge-intensive service firms in New Zealand. Our study provides rich insights into how six key cultural dimensions–competitiveness, innovation, performance orientation, emphasis on rewards, supportiveness and social responsibility–are translated into strategic human resource management practices.

The molecular structure of the borate mineral rhodizite (K, Cs)Al4Be4(B, Be)12O28 – A vibrational spectroscopic study

We have studied the borate mineral rhodizite (K, Cs)Al4Be4(B, Be)12O28 using a combination of DEM with EDX and vibrational spectroscopic techniques. The mineral occurs as colorless, gray, yellow to white crystals in the triclinic crystal system. The studied sample is from the Antandrokomby Mine, Sahatany valley, Madagascar. The mineral is prized as a semi-precious jewel. Semi-quantitative chemical composition shows a Al, Ca, borate with minor amounts of K, Mg and Cs. The mineral has a characteristic borate Raman spectrum and bands are assigned to the stretching and bending modes of B, Be and Al. No Raman bands in the OH stretching region were observed.

Blind steganalysis : a countermeasure for binary image steganography

In this paper, we propose a new blind steganalytic method to detect the presence of secret messages embedded in black and white images using the steganographic techniques. We start by extracting several sets of matrix, such as run length matrix, gap length matrix and pixel difference. We also apply characteristic function on these matrices to enhance their discriminative capabilities. Then we calculate the statistics which include mean, variance, kurtosis and skewness to form our feature sets. The presented empirical works demonstrate our proposed method can effectively detect three different types of steganography. This proves the universality of our proposed method as a blind steganalysis. In addition, the experimental results show our proposed method is capable of detecting small amount of the embedded message.

Breaking time-inversion invariance through decoherence : energetic consequences for attosecond neutron scattering

Nuclei and electrons in condensed matter and/or molecules are usually entangled, due to the prevailing (mainly electromagnetic) interactions. However, the "environment" of a microscopic scattering system (e.g. a proton) causes ultrafast decoherence, thus making atomic and/or nuclear entanglement e®ects not directly accessible to experiments. However, our neutron Compton scattering experiments from protons (H-atoms) in condensed systems and molecules have a characteristic collisional time about 100|1000 attoseconds. The quantum dynamics of an atom in this ultrashort, but ¯nite, time window is governed by non-unitary time evolution due to the aforementioned decoherence. Unexpectedly, recent theoretical investigations have shown that decoherence can also have the following energetic consequences. Disentangling two subsystems A and B of a quantum system AB is tantamount to erasure of quantum phase relations between A and B. This erasure is widely believed to be an innocuous process, which e.g. does not a®ect the energies of A and B. However, two independent groups proved recently that disentangling two systems, within a su±ciently short time interval, causes increase of their energies. This is also derivable by the simplest Lindblad-type master equation of one particle being subject to pure decoherence. Our neutron-proton scattering experiments with H2 molecules provide for the first time experimental evidence of this e®ect. Our results reveal that the neutron-proton collision, leading to the cleavage of the H-H bond in the attosecond timescale, is accompanied by larger energy transfer (by about 2|3%) than conventional theory predicts. Preliminary results from current investigations show qualitatively the same e®ect in the neutron-deuteron Compton scattering from D2 molecules. We interpret the experimental findings by treating the neutron-proton (or neutron-deuteron) collisional system as an entangled open quantum system being subject to fast decoherence caused by its "environment" (i.e., two electrons plus second nucleus of H2 or D2). The presented results seem to be of generic nature, and may have considerable consequences for various processes in condensed matter and molecules, e.g. in elementary chemical reactions.

Response to “Comment on ‘Indications of energetic consequences of decoherence at short times for scattering from open quantum systems’” [AIP Advances 1, 049101 (2011)]

The Comment by Mayers and Reiter criticizes our work on two counts. Firstly, it is claimed that the quantum decoherence effects that we report in consequence of our experimental analysis of neutron Compton scattering from H in gaseous H2 are not, as we maintain, outside the framework of conventional neutron scatteringtheory. Secondly, it is claimed that we did not really observe such effects, owing to a faulty analysis of the experimental data, which are claimed to be in agreement with conventional theory. We focus in this response on the critical issue of the reliability of our experimental results and analysis. Using the same standard Vesuvio instrument programs used by Mayers et al., we show that, if the experimental results for H in gaseous H2 are in agreement with conventional theory, then those for D in gaseous D2 obtained in the same way cannot be, and vice-versa. We expose a flaw in the calibration methodology used by Mayers et al. that leads to the present disagreement over the behaviour of H, namely the ad hoc adjustment of the measured H peak positions in TOF during the calibration of Vesuvio so that agreement is obtained with the expectation of conventional theory. We briefly address the question of the necessity to apply the theory of open quantum systems.

Indications of energetic consequences of decoherence at short times for scattering from open quantum systems

Decoherence of quantum entangled particles is observed in most systems, and is usually caused by system-environment interactions. Disentangling two subsystems A and B of a quantum systemAB is tantamount to erasure of quantum phase relations between A and B. It is widely believed that this erasure is an innocuous process, which e.g. does not affect the energies of A and B. Surprisingly, recent theoretical investigations by different groups showed that disentangling two systems, i.e. their decoherence, can cause an increase of their energies. Applying this result to the context of neutronCompton scattering from H2 molecules, we provide for the first time experimental evidence which supports this prediction. The results reveal that the neutron-proton collision leading to the cleavage of the H-H bond in the sub-femtosecond timescale is accompanied by larger energy transfer (by about 3%) than conventional theory predicts. It is proposed to interpreted the results by considering the neutron-proton collisional system as an entangled open quantum system being subject to decoherence owing to the interactions with the “environment” (i.e., two electrons plus second proton of H2).

High pressure in situ diffraction studies of metal–hydrogen systems

“Hybrid” hydrogen storage, where hydrogen is stored in both the solid material and as a high pressure gas in the void volume of the tank can improve overall system efficiency by up to 50% compared to either compressed hydrogen or solid materials alone. Thermodynamically, high equilibrium hydrogen pressures in metal–hydrogen systems correspond to low enthalpies of hydrogen absorption–desorption. This decreases the calorimetric effects of the hydride formation–decomposition processes which can assist in achieving high rates of heat exchange during hydrogen loading—removing the bottleneck in achieving low charging times and improving overall hydrogen storage efficiency of large hydrogen stores. Two systems with hydrogenation enthalpies close to −20 kJ/mol H2 were studied to investigate the hydrogenation mechanism and kinetics: CeNi5–D2 and ZrFe2−xAlx (x = 0.02; 0.04; 0.20)–D2. The structure of the intermetallics and their hydrides were studied by in situ neutron powder diffraction at pressures up to 1000 bar and complementary X-ray diffraction. The deuteration of the hexagonal CeNi5 intermetallic resulted in CeNi5D6.3 with a volume expansion of 30.1%. Deuterium absorption filled three different types of interstices, Ce2Ni2 and Ni4 tetrahedra, and Ce2Ni3 half-octahedra and was accompanied by a valence change for Ce. Significant hysteresis was observed between deuterium absorption and desorption which profoundly decreased on a second absorption cycle. For the Al-modified Laves-type C15 ZrFe2−xAlx intermetallics, deuteration showed very fast kinetics of H/D exchange and resulted in a volume increase of the FCC unit cells of 23.5% for ZrFe1.98Al0.02D2.9(1). Deuterium content, hysteresis of H/D uptake and release, unit cell expansion and stability of the hydrides systematically change with the amount of Al content. In the deuteride D atoms exclusively occupy the Zr2(Fe,Al)2 tetrahedra. Observed interatomic distances are Zr–D = 1.98–2.11; (Fe, Al)–D = 1.70–1.75A˚ . Hydrogenation slightly increases the magnetic moment of the Fe atoms in ZrFe1.98Al0.02 and ZrFe1.96Al0.04 from 1.9 �B at room temperature for the alloy to 2.2 �B for its deuteride.