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Sodium doping and trapped ion mobility spectrometry improve lipid detection for novel MALDI-MSI analysis of oats
Get PDFOat (Avena sativa L.) is an important cereal grain with a unique nutritional profile including a high proportion of lipids. Understanding lipid composition and distribution in oats is valuable for plant, food and nutritional research, and can be achieved using MALDI mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI). However, this approach presents several challenges for sample preparation (hardness of grains) and analysis (isobaric and isomeric properties of lipids). Here, oat sections were successfully mounted onto gelatin-coated indium tin oxide slides with minimal tearing. Poor detection of triacylglycerols was resolved by applying sodium chloride during mounting, increasing signal intensity. In combination with trapped ion mobility spectrometry (TIMS), lipid identification significantly improved, and we report the separation of several isobaric and isomeric lipids with visualisation of their “true” spatial distributions. This study describes a novel MALDI-TIMS-MSI analytical technique for oat lipids, which may be used to improve the discovery of biomarkers for grain quality.Wai C.D. Lau, Leigh Donnellan, Matthew Briggs, Thusitha Rupasinghe, John C. Harris, Julie E. Hayes, Peter Hoffman
Can low-income people afford life satisfaction? The modifying effect of personality traits, a cross-sectional study
Get PDFPublished online: 10 June 2023The aim was to investigate whether the "Big Five" personality traits modify the association between household income and life satisfaction (LF); and to evaluate the interaction and main effects of personality traits and income on LF. Data from the Dental Care and Oral Health Study (DCOHS, 2015–2016) was used for the cross-sectional study (n=3,475). Multivariable Poisson regression models (adjusted for demographics and health behaviours) assessed the effect of personality traits (measured using the Ten-Item Personality Inventory) on the association between income and LF (measured by the Satisfaction With Life Scale) using prevalence ratios (PRs). The Relative Excess Risk due to Interaction (RERI) was calculated to assess the direction of effect modification. Among low-income respondents, low LF was less prevalent in those with high personality trait scores than those with low scores. The difference in the prevalence of low LF by personality traits was greater between low versus high income for openness (11.4% vs 7.7%), agreeableness (12.3% vs 9.4%) and emotional stability (26.1% vs 20.2%) categories. The combined effects of low income and low scores for these traits on LF also exceeded the sum of their individual effects, as shown by their positive RERIs. The association between low income and low LF was modified by high openness, agreeableness and emotional stability scores. Findings suggest that psychological interventions for improving LF would be most beneficial in low-income groups.Mehrsa Zakershahrak Sergio Chrisopoulos, Liana Luzzi, Dandara Haag, David Brenna
The First Aussie Mosques: Mediating Boundaries despite the ‘White Australia’ Policy
No full textKatharine Bartsch, Md. Mizanur Rashid, and Peter Scrive
Evolution of surgical approach to rectal cancer resection: A multinational registry assessment
No full textPurpose: Surgical approach to rectal cancer has evolved in recent decades, with introduction of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) techniques and local excision. Since implementation might differ internationally, this study is aimed at evaluating trends in surgical approach to rectal cancer across different countries over the last 10 years and to gain insight into patient, tumour and treatment characteristics. Methods: Pseudo-anonymised data of patients undergoing resection for rectal cancer between 2010 and 2019 were extracted from clinical audits in the Netherlands (NL), Sweden (SE), England-Wales (EW) and Australia-New Zealand (AZ). Results: Ninety-nine thousand five hundred ninety-seven patients were included (38,413 open, 55,155 MIS and 5416 local excision). An overall increase in MIS was observed from 29.9% in 2010 to 72.1% in 2019, with decreasing conversion rates (17.5–9.0%). The MIS proportion was highly variable between countries in the period 2010–2014 (54.4% NL, 45.3% EW, 39.8% AZ, 14.1% SE, P<0.001), but variation reduced over time (2015–2019 78.8% NL, 66.3% EW, 64.3% AZ, 53.2% SE, P<0.001). The proportion of local excision for the two periods was highly variable between countries: 4.7% and 11.8% in NL, 3.9% and 7.4% in EW, 4.7% and 4.6% in AZ, 6.0% and 2.9% in SE. Conclusions: Application and speed of implementation of MIS were highly variable between countries, but each registry demonstrated a significant increase over time. Local excision revealed inconsistent trends over time.International Colorectal Cancer Registry Collaboration (ICORC) Collaborators: Hidde Kroon ... Tarik Sammour ... et al. and Julie M L Sijmons, Jan Willem T Dekker, Jurriaan B Tuynman, Helen M Mohan, Philip Smart, Alexander G Heriot, Kate Walker, Angela Kuryba, Peter Matthiessen, Pieter J Tani
Developing closed-loop dairy value chains and tools to support decision-makers
No full textPublication date: 04 December 2023Food loss and waste (FLW) is a significant global challenge, and the dairy sector is an important contributor to the problem. There are a number of management options available to utilise dairy FLW in a close-looped system, particularly for developed dairy chains. In this chapter, we identify the dairy FLW management options for diversion and transformation into co-products. The Food Waste Hierarchy provides guidance about preferred food waste management practices. The challenge for individual businesses is identifying the most suitable options for their unique situation, taking into consideration their own goals regarding economic, environmental and social sustainability. Decision support tools (DSTs) may have a role in helping decision-makers consider multiple trade-offs and benefits from FLW options. There are several DSTs available to decision-makers in the dairy sector. This chapter provides a short summary of how DSTs can support dairy businesses to manage FLW and recommendations for the requirements to co-design unique DSTs that suit the needs of end-users across the chain and enable full closed-loop dairy production.Jack B. Hetherington, Pablo Juliano
Variants in ZFX are associated with an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder with recurrent facial gestalt
No full textPublished: February 6, 2024Pathogenic variants in multiple genes on the X chromosome have been implicated in syndromic and non-syndromic intellectual disability disorders. ZFX on Xp22.11 encodes a transcription factor that has been linked to diverse processes including oncogenesis and development, but germline variants have not been characterized in association with disease. Here, we present clinical and molecular characterization of 18 individuals with germline ZFX variants. Exome or genome sequencing revealed 11 variants in 18 subjects (14 males and 4 females) from 16 unrelated families. Four missense variants were identified in 11 subjects, with seven truncation variants in the remaining individuals. Clinical findings included developmental delay/intellectual disability, behavioral abnormalities, hypotonia, and congenital anomalies. Overlapping and recurrent facial features were identified in all subjects, including thickening and medial broadening of eyebrows, variations in the shape of the face, external eye abnormalities, smooth and/or long philtrum, and ear abnormalities. Hyperparathyroidism was found in four families with missense variants, and enrichment of different tumor types was observed. In molecular studies, DNA-binding domain variants elicited differential expression of a small set of target genes relative to wild-type ZFX in cultured cells, suggesting a gain or loss of transcriptional activity. Additionally, a zebrafish model of ZFX loss displayed an altered behavioral phenotype, providing additional evidence for the functional significance of ZFX. Our clinical and experimental data support that variants in ZFX are associated with an X-linked intellectual disability syndrome characterized by a recurrent facial gestalt, neurocognitive and behavioral abnormalities, and an increased risk for congenital anomalies and hyperparathyroidism.James L. Shepherdson ... Mark A. Corbett, Jozef Gecz, ... et al
Who's a pretty bird? Predicting the traded abundance of bird species in Australian online pet trade
No full textPublished online: 16 December 2023The increasing popularity of online commerce provides a new opportunity to investigate and quantify the dynamics of pet trade. Understanding these dynamics, including relationships between species characteristics and a species’ relative abundance in trade, can assist in informing trade regulation for conservation and biosecurity. We identified the leading correlates behind the abundance in the Australian pet trade of parrot (Psittaciformes) and passerine (Passeriformes) species. We examined 14,000 online sales of parrots and passerines collected from a popular online Australian marketplace in 2019 (representing 235 species) using an automated data collection method. We identified the characteristics that correlated with online species abundance; including (i) breeding and handling requirements; (ii) trade and availability; and (iii) appearance and behaviour. We found 55% of parrot species and 64% of passerine species traded online were non-native to Australia; of these, 81% and 85% respectively have an extreme risk of establishing invasive populations. Species abundance of both orders was correlated with cheaper prices, which is also associated with a higher invasion risk. Trade in parrots was correlated with attractive birdsongs, being easier to care for, and a preference for native Australian species. Passerine abundance was correlated with attractive plumage colour and, to a lesser extent, the availability of colour mutations and smaller geographic range sizes. These results, combined with an understanding of consumer behaviour and international trends, may help predict which species will become abundant in domestic trade in the future, and identify current and future invasion risks to assist in environmental biosecurity efforts.Katherine G. W. Hill, Oliver C. Stringham, Stephanie Moncayo, Adam Toomes, Jonathan J. Tyler, Phillip Cassey, Steven Delea
CYP108N14: A Monoterpene Monooxygenase from Rhodococcus globerulus
No full textRhodococcus globerulus (R. globerulus) was isolated from the soil beneath a Eucalypt tree. Metabolic growth studies revealed that R. globerulus was capable of living on certain monoterpenes, including 1,8-cineole and p-cymene, as sole sources of carbon and energy. Multiple P450 genes were identified in the R. globerulus genome that shared homology to known bacterial, monoterpene hydroxylating P450s. To date, two of these P450s have been expressed and characterised as 1,8-cineole (CYP176A1) and p-cymene (CYP108N12) monooxygenases that are believed to initiate the biodegradation of these terpenes. In this work, another putative P450 gene (CYP108N14) was identified in R. globerulus genome. Given its amino acid sequence identity to other monoterpene hydroxylating P450s it was hypothesised to catalyse monoterpene hydroxylation. These include CYP108A1 from Pseudomonas sp. (47 % identity, 68 % similarity) which hydroxylates α-terpineol, and CYP108N12 also from R. globerulus (62 % identity, 77 % similarity). Also present in the operon containing CYP108N14 were putative ferredoxin and ferredoxin reductase genes, suggesting a typical Class I P450 system. CYP108N14 was successfully over-expressed heterologously and purified, resulting in a good yield of CYP108N14 holoprotein. However, neither the ferredoxin nor ferredoxin reductase could be produced heterologously. Binding studies with CYP108N14 revealed a preference for the monoterpenes p-cymene, (R)-limonene, (S)-limonene, (S)-α-terpineol and (S)-4-terpineol. An active catalytic system was reconstituted with the non-native redox partners cymredoxin (from the CYP108N12 system) and putidaredoxin reductase (from the CYP101A1 system). CYP108N14 when supported by these redox partners was able to catalyse the hydroxylation of the five aforementioned substrates selectively at the methyl benzylic/allylic positions.Peter D. Giang, Luke R. Churchman, Julia B. Buczynski, Stephen G. Bell, Jeanette E. Stok, James J. De Vos
Psychedelics and environmental virtues
No full textPublished online: 29 Mar 2022The urgent need for solutions to critical environmental challenges is well attested, but often environmental problems are understood as fundamentally collective action problems. However, to solve these problems, there is also a need to change individual behavior. Hence, there is a pressing need to inculcate in individuals the environmental virtues – virtues of character that relate to our environmental place in the world. We propose a way of meeting this need, by the judicious, safe, and controlled administration of “classic” psychedelic drugs as a form of moral bio-enhancement. Recent evidence shows that psychedelics can be given safely in controlled environments, and can induce vivid experiences of unity and connectedness. These experiences, in turn, can durably increase feelings of nature-relatedness and proenvironmental behaviors. Therefore, we argue that responsible psychedelic use can reliably catalyze the development of a key environmental virtue known as living in place. This is a “master environmental virtue” that subsumes the qualities of respect for nature, proper humility, and aesthetic wonder and awe. Our account advances the environmental virtues debate by introducing a relevant practical proposal, and advances the psychedelic moral enhancement debate by providing a much-needed conceptual framework.Nin Kirkham and Chris Letheb
Compromised transcription-mRNA export factor THOC2 causes R-loop accumulation, DNA damage and adverse neurodevelopment
Get PDFWe implicated the X-chromosome THOC2 gene, which encodes the largest subunit of the highly-conserved TREX (Transcription-Export) complex, in a clinically complex neurodevelopmental disorder with intellectual disability as the core phenotype. To study the molecular pathology of this essential eukaryotic gene, we generated a mouse model based on a hypomorphic Thoc2 exon 37–38 deletion variant of a patient with ID, speech delay, hypotonia, and microcephaly. The Thoc2 exon 37–38 deletion male (Thoc2Δ/Y) mice recapitulate the core phenotypes of THOC2 syndrome including smaller size and weight, and significant deficits in spatial learning, working memory and sensorimotor functions. The Thoc2Δ/Y mouse brain development is significantly impacted by compromised THOC2/TREX function resulting in R-loop accumulation, DNA damage and consequent cell death. Overall, we suggest that perturbed R-loop homeostasis, in stem cells and/or differentiated cells in mice and the patient, and DNA damage-associated functional alterations are at the root of THOC2 syndrome.Rudrarup Bhattacharjee, Lachlan A. Jolly, Mark A. Corbett, Ing Chee Wee, Sushma R. Rao, Alison E. Gardner, Tarin Ritchie, Eline J. H. van Hugte, Ummi Ciptasari, Sandra Piltz, Jacqueline E. Noll, Nazzmer Nazri, ClareL. vanEyk, Melissa White, Dani Fornarino, Cathryn Poulton, Gareth Baynam, Lyndsey E.Collins-Praino, MartenF. Snel, Nael Nadif Kasri, Kim M.Hemsley, Paul Q. Thomas, Raman Kumar, Jozef Gec