49 research outputs found
Diffusion tensor imaging of post mortem multiple sclerosis brain.
Get PDFMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is being used to probe the central nervous system (CNS) of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic demyelinating disease. Conventional T(2)-weighted MRI (cMRI) largely fails to predict the degree of patients' disability. This shortcoming may be due to poor specificity of cMRI for clinically relevant pathology. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has shown promise to be more specific for MS pathology. In this study we investigated the association between histological indices of myelin content, axonal count and gliosis, and two measures of DTI (mean diffusivity [MD] and fractional anisotropy [FA]), in unfixed post mortem MS brain using a 1.5-T MR system. Both MD and FA were significantly lower in post mortem MS brain compared to published data acquired in vivo. However, the differences of MD and FA described in vivo between white matter lesions (WMLs) and normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) were retained in this study of post mortem brain: average MD in WMLs was 0.35x10(-3) mm(2)/s (SD, 0.09) versus 0.22 (0.04) in NAWM; FA was 0.22 (0.06) in WMLs versus 0.38 (0.13) in NAWM. Correlations were detected between myelin content (Tr(myelin)) and (i) FA (r=-0.79, p<0.001), (ii) MD (r=0.68, p<0.001), and (iii) axonal count (r=-0.81, p<0.001). Multiple regression suggested that these correlations largely explain the apparent association of axonal count with (i) FA (r=0.70, p<0.001) and (ii) MD (r=-0.66, p<0.001). In conclusion, this study suggests that FA and MD are affected by myelin content and - to a lesser degree - axonal count in post mortem MS brain
The impact of lake discontinuities on nitrogen biogeochemistry in river networks
Get PDFRiver networks connect terrestrial and marine ecosystems through transport of pollutants and nutrients. Lakes represent discontinuities within these river networks, which can be important biogeochemical hotspots, introducing substantial changes to the aquatic environment. Nitrogen is a key macronutrient that can potentially limit or co-limit primary production, but the processes that determine the fate of nitrogen during transport through river-lake networks are poorly understood. We studied three river systems and their lake discontinuities, spanning a range of trophic states and average water residence times, to understand the changes introduced to riverine nitrogen biogeochemistry by lake discontinuities. In-lake processes noticeably altered the concentration and speciation of nitrogen. Annually, lakes reduced up to 44% of nitrate compared to main inflow concentrations, while there was large variability in nitrate dynamics seasonally. The drawdown in surface nitrate concentrations resulted at times in phytoplankton co-limitation by nitrogen in-lake, as well as in the downstream river, where altered nitrogen patterns could persist for several kilometers. However, lakes occasionally subsidized N to downstream rivers as ammonium or dissolved organic nitrogen. Assimilation of nitrate in lake surface waters was one of the dominant processes impacting nitrogen availability; however, stable isotope data revealed an unexpected contribution of nitrification on nitrogen cycling in the epilimnion throughout the year and across trophic gradients. These changes in nitrogen concentration, as well as speciation introduced by lake discontinuities have potentially important consequences for the composition and metabolism of communities in downstream rivers and contribute to our fundamental understanding of freshwater processes
Transcript-Specific, Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism Discovery and Linkage Analysis in Hexaploid Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).
Get PDFSummary Food security is a global concern and substantial yield increases in cereal crops are required to feed the growing world population. Wheat is one of the three most important crops for human and livestock feed. However, the complexity of the genome coupled with a decline in genetic diversity within modern elite cultivars has hindered the application of marker-assisted selection (MAS) in breeding programmes. A crucial step in the successful application of MAS in breeding programmes is the development of cheap and easy to use molecular markers, such as single-nucleotide polymorphisms. To mine selected elite wheat germplasm for intervarietal single-nucleotide polymorphisms, we have used expressed sequence tags derived from public sequencing programmes and next-generation sequencing of normalized wheat complementary DNA libraries, in combination with a novel sequence alignment and assembly approach. Here, we describe the development and validation of a panel of 1114 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in hexaploid bread wheat using competitive allele-specific polymerase chain reaction genotyping technology. We report the genotyping results of these markers on 23 wheat varieties, selected to represent a broad cross-section of wheat germplasm including a number of elite UK varieties. Finally, we show that, using relatively simple technology, it is possible to rapidly generate a linkage map containing several hundred single-nucleotide polymorphism markers in the doubled haploid mapping population of Avalon · Cadenza
Medication related problems in ICU survivors: learning from a multi-centre programme
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Crop Updates 2005 - Farming Systems
Get PDFThis session covers forty four papers from different authors:
PLENARY
1. 2005 Outlook, David Stephens and Nicola Telcik, Department of Agriculture
FERTILITY AND NUTRITION
2. The effect of higher nitrogen fertiliser prices on rotation and fertiliser strategies in cropping systems, Ross Kingwell, Department of Agriculture and University of Western Australia
3. Stubble management: The short and long term implications for crop nutrition and soil fertility, Wayne Pluske, Nutrient Management Systems and Bill Bowden, Department of Agriculture
4. Stubble management: The pros and cons of different methods, Bill Bowden, Department of Agriculture, Western Australia and Mike Collins, WANTFA
5. Effect of stubble burning and seasonality on microbial processes and nutrient recycling, Frances Hoyle, The University of Western Australia
6. Soil biology and crop production in Western Australian farming systems, D.V. Murphy, N. Milton, M. Osman, F.C. Hoyle, L.K Abbott, W.R. Cookson and S. Darmawanto, The University of Western Australia
7. Urea is as effective as CAN when no rain for 10 days, Bill Crabtree, Crabtree Agricultural Consulting
8. Fertiliser (N,P,S,K) and lime requirements for wheat production in the Merredin district, Geoff Anderson, Department of Agriculture and Darren Kidson, Summit Fertilizers
9. Trace element applications: Up-front verses foliar? Bill Bowden and Ross Brennan, Department of Agriculture
10. Fertcare®, Environmental Product Stewardship and Advisor Standards for thee Fertiliser Industry, Nick Drew, Fertilizer Industry Federation of Australia (FIFA)
SOIL AND LAND MANAGEMENT
11. Species response to row spacing, density and nutrition, Bill Bowden, Craig Scanlan, Lisa Sherriff, Bob French and Reg Lunt, Department of Agriculture
12. Investigation into the influence of row orientation in lupin crops, Jeff Russell, Department of Agriculture and Angie Roe, Farm Focus Consultants
13. Deriving variable rate management zones for crops, Ian Maling, Silverfox Solutions and Matthew Adams, DLI
14. In a world of Precision Agriculture, weigh trailers are not passé, Jeff Russell, Department of Agriculture
15. Cover crop management to combat ryegrass resistance and improve yields, Jeff Russell, Department of Agriculture and Angie Roe, Farm Focus Consultants
16. ARGT home page, the place to find information on annual ryegrass toxicity on the web, Dr George Yan, BART Pty Ltd
17. Shallow leading tine (SLT) ripper significantly reduces draft force, improves soil tilth and allows even distribution of subsoil ameliorants, Mohammad Hamza, Glen Riethmuller and Wal Anderson, Department of Agriculture
PASTURE ANS SUMMER CROP SYSTEMS
18. New annual pasture legumes for Mediteranean farming systems, Angelo Loi, Phil Nichols, Clinton Revell and David Ferris, Department of Agriculture
19. How sustainable are phase rotations with Lucerne? Phil Ward, CSIRO Plant Industry
20. Management practicalities of summer cropping, Andrea Hills and Sally-Anne Penny, Department of Agriculture
21. Rainfall zone determines the effect of summer crops on winter yields, Andrea Hills, Sally-Anne Penny and David Hall, Department of Agriculture
22. Summer crops and water use, Andrea Hills, Sally-Anne Penny and David Hall, Department of Agriculture, and Michael Robertson and Don Gaydon, CSIRO Brisbane
23. Risk analysis of sorgum cropping, Andrea Hills and Sally-Anne Penny, Department of Agriculture, and Dr Michael Robertson and Don Gaydon, CSIRO Brisbane
FARMER DECISION SUPPORT AND ADOPTION
24. Variety release and End Point Royalties – a new system? Tress Walmsley, Department of Agriculture
25. Farming system analaysis using the STEP Tool, Caroline Peek and Megan Abrahams, Department of Agriculture
26. The Leakage Calculator: A simple tool for groundwater recharge assessment, Paul Raper, Department of Agriculture
27. The cost of Salinity Calculator – your tool to assessing the profitability of salinity management options, Richard O’Donnell and Trevor Lacey, Department of Agriculture
28. Climate decision support tools, Meredith Fairbanks and David Tennant, Department of Agriculture
29. Horses for courses – using the best tools to manage climate risk, Cameron Weeks, Mingenew-Irwin Group/Planfarm and Richard Quinlan, Planfarm Agronomy
30. Use of seasonal outlook for making N decisions in Merredin, Meredith Fairbanks and Alexandra Edward, Department of Agriculture
31. Forecasts and profits, Benefits or bulldust? Chris Carter and Doug Hamilton, Department of Agriculture
32. A tool to estimate fixed and variable header and tractor depreciation costs, Peter Tozer, Department of Agriculture
33. Partners in grain: ‘Putting new faces in new places’, Renaye Horne, Department of Agriculture
34. Results from the Grower group Alliance, Tracey Gianatti, Grower Group Alliance
35. Local Farmer Group Network – farming systems research opportunities through local groups, Paul Carmody, Local Farmer Group Network
GREENHOUSE GAS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
36. Changing rainfall patterns in the grainbelt, Ian Foster, Department of Agriculture
37. Vulnerability of broadscale agriculture to the impacts of climate change, Michele John, CSIRO (formerly Department of Agriculture) and Ross George, Department of Agriculture
38. Impacts of climate change on wheat yield at Merredin, Imma Farré and Ian Foster, Department of Agriculture
39. Climate change, land use suitability and water security, Ian Kininmonth, Dennis van Gool and Neil Coles, Department of Agriculture
40. Nitrous oxide emissions from cropping systems, Bill Porter, Department of Agriculture, Louise Barton, University of Western Australia
41. The potential of greenhouse sinks to underwrite improved land management in Western Australia, Richard Harper and Peter Ritson, CRC for Greenhouse Accounting and Forest Products Commission, Tony Beck, Tony Beck Consulting Services, Chris Mitchell and Michael Hill, CRC for Greenhouse Accounting
42. Removing uncertainty from greenhouse emissions, Fiona Barker-Reid, Will Gates, Ken Wilson and Rob Baigent, Department of Primary Industries - Victoria and CRC for Greenhouse Accounting (CRCGA), and Ian Galbally, Mick Meyer and Ian Weeks, CSIRO Atmospheric Research and CRCGA
43. Greenhouse in Agriculture Program (GIA), Traci Griffin, CRC for Greenhouse Accounting
44. Grains Greenhouse Accounting framework, D. Rodriguez, M. Probust, M. Meyers, D. Chen, A. Bennett, W. Strong, R. Nussey, I. Galbally and M. Howden
CONTACT DETAILS FOR PRINCIPAL AUTHOR
The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex
Get PDFThe cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome
Get PDFThe sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead
The Antarctic Circumpolar Current as a diversification trigger for deep-sea octocorals
Full text linkCSF1R inhibitor JNJ-40346527 attenuates microglial proliferation and neurodegeneration in P301S mice
Get PDFNeuroinflammation and microglial activation are significant processes in Alzheimer’s disease pathology. Recent genome-wide association studies have highlighted multiple immune-related genes in association with Alzheimer’s disease, and experimental data have demonstrated microglial proliferation as a significant component of the neuropathology. In this study, we tested the efficacy of the selective CSF1R inhibitor JNJ-40346527 (JNJ-527) in the P301S mouse tauopathy model. We first demonstrated the anti-proliferative effects of JNJ-527 on microglia in the ME7 prion model, and its impact on the inflammatory profile, and provided potential CNS biomarkers for clinical investigation with the compound, including pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics and efficacy assessment by TSPO autoradiography and CSF proteomics. Then, we showed for the first time that blockade of microglial proliferation and modification of microglial phenotype leads to an attenuation of tau-induced neurodegeneration and results in functional improvement in P301S mice. Overall, this work strongly supports the potential for inhibition of CSF1R as a target for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other tau-mediated neurodegenerative diseases
Inflammatory biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease plasma
Get PDFIntroduction:Plasma biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) diagnosis/stratification are a“Holy Grail” of AD research and intensively sought; however, there are no well-established plasmamarkers.Methods:A hypothesis-led plasma biomarker search was conducted in the context of internationalmulticenter studies. The discovery phase measured 53 inflammatory proteins in elderly control (CTL;259), mild cognitive impairment (MCI; 199), and AD (262) subjects from AddNeuroMed.Results:Ten analytes showed significant intergroup differences. Logistic regression identified five(FB, FH, sCR1, MCP-1, eotaxin-1) that, age/APOε4 adjusted, optimally differentiated AD andCTL (AUC: 0.79), and three (sCR1, MCP-1, eotaxin-1) that optimally differentiated AD and MCI(AUC: 0.74). These models replicated in an independent cohort (EMIF; AUC 0.81 and 0.67). Twoanalytes (FB, FH) plus age predicted MCI progression to AD (AUC: 0.71).Discussion:Plasma markers of inflammation and complement dysregulation support diagnosis andoutcome prediction in AD and MCI. Further replication is needed before clinical translatio
