Cooperative Research Centre

About: Cooperative Research Centre is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Sea ice. The organization has 7633 authors who have published 8607 publications receiving 429721 citations.

Current wrought magnesium alloys: Strengths and weaknesses

Abstract: The opportunities for extruded and sheet magnesium products in the automotive industry, in particular, are increasing as the quest for lightweighting gains momentum. However, the current alloys all have limitations and these are accentuated when higher productivity targets are also imposed. This article attempts to summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the current wrought alloys, with particular emphasis on the extrusion process, and also considers alternative processing routes which may be useful in overcoming some of these shortcomings.

Effects of urbanization on streams of the Melbourne region, Victoria, Australia. I. Benthic macroinvertebrate communities

Abstract: 1. Macroinvertebrate community composition was assessed in small streams of the Melbourne region to test the effects of (a) urban density (catchment imperviousness 0-51%) and (b) stormwater drainage intensity (comparing the intensively drained metropolitan area with urban areas of the hinterland, which had open drains and some localized stormwater drainage). 2. Hinterland communities separated into two groups of sites correlating strongly with patterns of electrical conductivity (EC), basalt geology and annual rainfall. Community composition varied little in the high-EC, western group (imperviousness 0.2-1.2%), but in the eastern group it was strongly correlated with catchment imperviousness (0-12%), with lower taxon richness in more impervious catchments. 3. Metropolitan communities (imperviousness 1-51%) were all severely degraded, with high abundances of a few tolerant taxa. Community composition was poorly correlated with patterns of geology, rainfall or imperviousness. Differences between metropolitan and hinterland communities were well explained by patterns of biochemical oxygen demand and electrical conductivity, which were postulated to indicate the more efficient transport of pollutants to receiving streams by the metropolitan stormwater drainage system. 4. Degradation of macroinvertebrate community composition was well explained by urban density but intensive urban drainage increased degradation severely at even low urban densities. Quantification of relationships between imperviousness, drainage intensity and stream degradation can better inform the assessment, conservation and restoration of urban streams.

Crystal structures of fusion proteins with large-affinity tags

Abstract: The fusion of a protein of interest to a large-affinity tag, such as the maltose-binding protein (MBP), thioredoxin (TRX), or glutathione-S-transferase (GST), can be advantageous in terms of increased expression, enhanced solubility, protection from proteolysis, improved folding, and protein purification via affinity chromatography. Unfortunately, crystal growth is hindered by the conformational heterogeneity induced by the fusion tag, requiring that the tag is removed by a potentially problematic cleavage step. The first three crystal structures of fusion proteins with large-affinity tags have been reported recently. All three structures used a novel strategy to rigidly fuse the protein of interest to MBP via a short three- to five-amino acid spacer. This strategy has the potential to aid structure determination of proteins that present particular experimental challenges and are not conducive to more conventional crystallization strategies (e.g., membrane proteins). Structural genomics initiatives may also benefit from this approach as a way to crystallize problematic proteins of significant interest.

Coordinated international action to accelerate genome-to-phenome with FAANG, the Functional Annotation of Animal Genomes project

Abstract: We describe the organization of a nascent international effort, the Functional Annotation of Animal Genomes (FAANG) project, whose aim is to produce comprehensive maps of functional elements in the genomes of domesticated animal species.

Cold-induced repression of the rice anther-specific cell wall invertase gene OSINV4 is correlated with sucrose accumulation and pollen sterility

Abstract: Low temperatures during rice (Oryza sativa L.) pollen development cause pollen sterility and decreased grain yield. We show that the time of highest sensitivity to cold coincides with the time of peak tapetal activity: the transition of the tetrad to early uni-nucleate stage (young microspore, YM stage). Low temperatures at this stage of pollen development result in an accumulation of sucrose in the anthers, accompanied by decreased activity of cell wall bound acid invertase and depletion of starch in mature pollen grains. Expression analysis of two cell wall (OSINV1, 4) and one vacuolar (OSINV2) acid invertase genes showed that OSINV4 is anther-specific and down-regulated by cold treatment. OSINV4 is transiently expressed in the tapetum cell layer at the YM stage, and later from the early binucleate stage in the maturing microspores. The down-regulation of OSINV4 expression in the tapetum at YM may cause a disruption in hexose production and starch formation in the pollen grains. In a cold-tolerant cultivar, OSINV4 expression was not reduced by cold; sucrose did not accumulate in the anthers and starch formation in the pollen grains was not affected.