A risk‐based inventory of invasive plant species of Queensland,Australia: Regional,ecological and floristic insights

Invasive alien plant species threaten agriculture and biodiversity globally and require ongoing management to minimise impacts. However, the large number of invasive species means that a risk‐based approach to prioritisation is needed, taking into account the spatial scale of management decisions and myriad of available information. Here, we developed a risk‐based inventory of invasive plants in Queensland, Australia, using both current species distribution/abundance and the severity of their impacts. Our assessment followed a comprehensive data collection process including a scoping of local government pest management plans, herbarium records, the published literature and structured elicitation of expert knowledge during a series of regional stakeholder workshops. From ~300 plant species that were identified as established and/or emerging invaders in the State, only one‐third were considered by practitioners to pose significant risks across regions to be considered management priorities. We aggregated regional species lists into a statewide priority list and analysed the data set (107 species) for historical, geographical, floristic and ecological patterns. Regions on the mainland eastern seaboard of the State share similar invasive plant communities, suggesting that these regions may form a single management unit, unlike the western/inland and the extreme far north (Torres Strait Islands) regions, which share fewer invasive plant species. Positive correlations were detected between invasiveness and time since introduction for some but not all plant life forms. Stakeholders identified research and management priorities for the invasive plant list, including biological control options, public awareness/education, effective herbicide use, ecology/taxonomy and risk analysis. In the course of the exercise, a statewide invasive plant priority list of high‐, medium‐ and low‐impact scores for policy, research and management was compiled. Finally, our approach to invasive plant species prioritisation highlighted that planning and policy documents are not necessarily reflected at the grass‐root level in terms of species identity and management priorities.     

Mucosal lymphatic-derived gammadelta T cells respond early to experimental Salmonella enterocolitis by increasing expression of IL-2R alpha

To better understand the roles of gammadelta T cells in mucosal infection, we utilized Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (Salmonella serovar Typhimurium) infection in cattle as it closely approximates Salmonella serovar Typhimurium-induced enterocolitis in humans. Protein and gene expression in alphabeta and gammadelta T cells derived from lymphatic ducts draining the gut mucosa in Salmonella serovar Typhimurium-infected calves were analyzed. In calves with enterocolitis, general gene expression trends in gammadelta T cells suggested subtle activation and innate response, whereas alphabeta T cells were relatively quiescent following Salmonella serovar Typhimurium infection. An increase in IL-2R alpha expression on gammadelta T cells from infected calves and results from in vitro assays suggested that gammadelta T cells were primed by Salmonella serovar Typhimurium LPS to better respond to IL-2 and IL-15. Together with gene expression trends in vivo, these data support early priming activation of target tissue gammadelta T cells during Salmonella serovar Typhimurium infection.     

POSaM: a fast,flexible, open-source,inkjet oligonucleotide synthesizer and microarrayer

DNA arrays are valuable tools in molecular biology laboratories. Their rapid acceptance was aided by the release of plans for a pin-spotting microarrayer by researchers at Stanford. Inkjet microarraying is a flexible, complementary technique that allows the synthesis of arrays of any oligonucleotide sequences de novo. We describe here an open-source inkjet arrayer capable of rapidly producing sets of unique 9,800-feature arrays.     

The effect of high-load vs. high-repetition training on endurance performance

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of high-load (H-load) periodized resistance training and high-repetition (H-rep) reverse step loading periodized resistance training on endurance performance. Twenty-six female university rowers (age = 20 +/- 1 year) were randomly assigned to H-load (5 novice, 8 varsity) or H-rep (7 novice, 6 varsity) groups. Subjects were pre- and posttested using a 2,000-m rowing ergometer test. Outcome variables included VO2 peak, time to test completion, total power, average power per stroke, total number of strokes, stroke rate, and body mass. Subjects trained for 8 weeks using identical exercises. Varsity rowers who performed H-load training demonstrated greater improvement compared with those who performed H-rep training. Novice rowers who performed H-rep training demonstrated greater improvement compared with those who performed H-load training. High-load periodized training appears to be more effective for athletes with advanced training status, and H-rep reverse step loading periodized training is more effective for those who are relatively untrained.     

Evaluation of eluents from separations of CD34+ cells from human cord blood using a commercial, immunomagnetic cell separation system

Human CD34+ cells from cord blood were separated in a two-step process using a commercial, immunomagnetic cell retention system. The performance of the system was evaluated by analyzing a number of eluents from the separations with a number of analytical techniques. In addition to cell counts and flow cytometry analysis, a new experimental technique that is undergoing development, cell tracking velocimetry (CTV), was used. CTV measures the degree to which a cell is immunomagnetically labeled, known as the magnetophoretic mobility, of a population of cells on a cell-by-cell basis and presents the results in the form of a histogram similar to flow cytometry data. The average recovery and purity of CD34+ cells from 10 separations was 52% and 60%, respectively. CTV analysis indicated that the mean magnetophoretic mobility of the positively enriched CD34 cells was 9.64 x 10(-5) mm3/T-A-s, while the mean mobility from negative eluents was -2.02 x 10(-6) mm3/T-A-s, very similar to the mobility of unlabeled cells. Within the positive eluents, the range of magnetophoretic mobility was approximately 50-fold, representing a plausible 50-fold range in surface CD34 antigen expression. CTV analysis also indicated that in some separations, positive cells were not retained by the immunomagnetic cell retention system. Finally, preliminary studies indicate that monocytes might be a primary cause in the lower purities and recoveries seen in this study. It is suggested that the monocytes phagocytose the magnetic nanobeads and become sufficiently magnetized to be retained within the Miltenyi column, reducing the purity of the positive eluent.