Waratah theft in Brisbane Water National Park - an analysis of the blue paint poaching reduction program

The flowers of Waratahs, Telopea speciosissima (family Proteaceae) are regularly harvested illegally from natural bushland, particularly close to urban areas such as the New South Wales Central Coast. The removal of Waratah blooms from the wild may have implications for the long-term survival of local populations because of the interaction between wildfire events, subsequent flowering and limited seedling recruitment opportunities. To reduce the incidence of theft, blue acrylic paint was applied to blooms to reduce their commercial value. The painting of blooms in 2004 did not significantly reduce the incidence of wildflower theft when compared to unpainted blooms, but overall losses were lower (27%) than in 2003 (33%). However, painting of blooms had a deleterious affect on fruit production on plants with multiple heads with painted blooms having significantly reduced fruit set compared to unpainted blooms. Painting of blooms had no significant effect on seed quality (seed production per fruit, seed germination or seedling vigour) when compared to unpainted blooms. The painting of Waratah blooms to reduce theft was relatively ineffective and decreased fruit production. Alternative strategies should be considered to reduce wildflower theft in the area

Gas separation membrane

A method of fabricating a gas separation membrane includes providing a coextruded multilayer film that includes a first polymer layer formed of a first polymer material and a second polymer layer formed of a second polymer material, the first polymer material having a first gas permeability. The coextruded multilayer film is axially oriented such that the second polymer layer has a second gas permeability that is greater than the first gas permeability.Board of Regents, University of Texas Syste

Queer(y)ing Illiberal Pragmatism in Singapore

Review of Audrey Yue and Jun Zubillaga-Pow (eds), Queer Singapore: Illiberal Citizenship and Mediated Cultures (Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong, 2012)

The semisynthesis of octadeutero-PheB1-octadeutero-ValB2]-procine insulin and its characterization by mass spectrometry

Insulin analogues labelled with stable isotopes (e.g. deuterium, 18O, 15N, etc.) are authentic (the native structure is rigorously maintained), non-radioactive (preferred for injection into man) and can easily be distinguished from endogenous insulin by mass spectrometry by virtue of their molecular masses. Appropriate combinations of amino-protecting groups (methylsulphonylethyloxycarbonyl and t-butoxy carbonyl), Edman degradation and chemical coupling were used to produce [octadeutero-PheB1]-porcine insulin and [octadeutero-PheB1-octadeutero-ValB2]-porcine insulin. The analogues were characterized by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Standard mixtures of labelled and unlabelled insulins were successfully studied by mass spectrometry. Isotope dilution mass spectrometry could therefore provide a useful direct measure of insulin under true physiological conditions, without many of the drawbacks of existing methods. In this regard, the analogue with 16 deuteriums was more suitable than the octadeuterated analogue, since the greater mass difference between the labelled and unlabelled forms enabled a lower mass spectrometric resolution to be used, resulting in higher sensitivit

Plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPases can shape the pattern of Ca2+ transients induced by store-operated Ca2+ entry

Calcium (Ca2+) is a critical cofactor and signaling mediator in cells, and the concentration of cytosolic Ca2+ is regulated by multiple proteins, including the plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPases (adenosine triphosphatases) (PMCAs), which use ATP to transport Ca2+ out of cells. PMCA isoforms exhibit different kinetic and regulatory properties; thus, the presence and relative abundance of individual isoforms may help shape Ca2+ transients and cellular responses. We studied the effects of three PMCA isoforms (PMCA4a, PMCA4b, and PMCA2b) on Ca2+ transients elicited by conditions that trigger store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) and that blocked Ca2+ uptake into the endoplasmic reticulum in HeLa cells, human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells, or primary endothelial cell isolated from human umbilical cord veins (HUVECs). The slowly activating PMCA4b isoform produced long-lasting Ca2+ oscillations in response to SOCE. The fast-activating isoforms PMCA2b and PMCA4a produced different effects. PMCA2b resulted in rapid and highly PMCA abundance-sensitive clearance of SOCE-mediated Ca2+ transients, whereas PMCA4a reduced cytosolic Ca2+, resulting in the establishment of a higher than baseline cytosolic Ca2+ concentration. Mathematical modeling showed that slow activation was critical to the sustained oscillation induced by the "slow" PMCA4b pump. The modeling and experimental results indicated that the distinct properties of PMCA isoforms differentially regulate the pattern of SOCE-mediated Ca2+ transients, which would thus affect the activation of downstream signaling pathways