Infrastructure Engineering - Research Publications
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ItemA multi-model approach to assessing the impacts of catchment characteristics on spatial water quality in the Great Barrier Reef catchments(ELSEVIER SCI LTD, 2021-11-01)Water quality monitoring programs often collect large amounts of data with limited attention given to the assessment of the dominant drivers of spatial and temporal water quality variations at the catchment scale. This study uses a multi-model approach: a) to identify the influential catchment characteristics affecting spatial variability in water quality; and b) to predict spatial variability in water quality more reliably and robustly. Tropical catchments in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) area, Australia, were used as a case study. We developed statistical models using 58 catchment characteristics to predict the spatial variability in water quality in 32 GBR catchments. An exhaustive search method coupled with multi-model inference approaches were used to identify important catchment characteristics and predict the spatial variation in water quality across catchments. Bootstrapping and cross-validation approaches were used to assess the uncertainty in identified important factors and robustness of multi-model structure, respectively. The results indicate that water quality variables were generally most influenced by the natural characteristics of catchments (e.g., soil type and annual rainfall), while anthropogenic characteristics (i.e., land use) also showed significant influence on dissolved nutrient species (e.g., NOX, NH4 and FRP). The multi-model structures developed in this work were able to predict average event-mean concentration well, with Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient ranging from 0.68 to 0.96. This work provides data-driven evidence for catchment managers, which can help them develop effective water quality management strategies.
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ItemSatellite cell-specific ablation of Cdon impairs integrin activation, FGF signalling, and muscle regeneration.(Wiley, 2020-08)BACKGROUND: Perturbation in cell adhesion and growth factor signalling in satellite cells results in decreased muscle regenerative capacity. Cdon (also called Cdo) is a component of cell adhesion complexes implicated in myogenic differentiation, but its role in muscle regeneration remains to be determined. METHODS: We generated inducible satellite cell-specific Cdon ablation in mice by utilizing a conditional Cdon allele and Pax7 CreERT2 . To induce Cdon ablation, mice were intraperitoneally injected with tamoxifen (tmx). Using cardiotoxin-induced muscle injury, the effect of Cdon depletion on satellite cell function was examined by histochemistry, immunostaining, and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) incorporation assay. Isolated myofibers or myoblasts were utilized to determine stem cell function and senescence. To determine pathways related to Cdon deletion, injured muscles were subjected to RNA sequencing analysis. RESULTS: Satellite cell-specific Cdon ablation causes impaired muscle regeneration with fibrosis, likely attributable to decreased proliferation, and senescence, of satellite cells. Cultured Cdon-depleted myofibers exhibited 32 ± 9.6% of EdU-positive satellite cells compared with 58 ± 4.4% satellite cells in control myofibers (P < 0.05). About 32.5 ± 3.7% Cdon-ablated myoblasts were positive for senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) while only 3.6 ± 0.5% of control satellite cells were positive (P < 0.001). Transcriptome analysis of muscles at post-injury Day 4 revealed alterations in genes related to mitogen-activated protein kinase signalling (P < 8.29 e-5 ) and extracellular matrix (P < 2.65 e-24 ). Consistent with this, Cdon-depleted tibialis anterior muscles had reduced phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK) protein levels and expression of ERK targets, such as Fos (0.23-fold) and Egr1 (0.31-fold), relative to mock-treated control muscles (P < 0.001). Cdon-depleted myoblasts exhibited impaired ERK activation in response to basic fibroblast growth factor. Cdon ablation resulted in decreased and/or mislocalized integrin β1 activation in satellite cells (weak or mislocalized integrin1 in tmx = 38.7 ± 1.9%, mock = 21.5 ± 6%, P < 0.05), previously linked with reduced fibroblast growth factor (FGF) responsiveness in aged satellite cells. In mechanistic studies, Cdon interacted with and regulated cell surface localization of FGFR1 and FGFR4, likely contributing to FGF responsiveness of satellite cells. Satellite cells from a progeria model, Zmpste24-/- myofibers, showed decreased Cdon levels (Cdon-positive cells in Zmpste24-/- = 63.3 ± 11%, wild type = 90 ± 7.7%, P < 0.05) and integrin β1 activation (weak or mislocalized integrin β1 in Zmpste24-/- = 64 ± 6.9%, wild type = 17.4 ± 5.9%, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Cdon deficiency in satellite cells causes impaired proliferation of satellite cells and muscle regeneration via aberrant integrin and FGFR signalling.
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ItemMitochondrial Quality Control in the Heart: New Drug Targets for Cardiovascular Disease.(The Korean Society of Cardiology, 2020-05)Despite considerable efforts to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease (CVD), it has become the leading cause of death worldwide. Cardiac mitochondria are crucial cell organelles responsible for creating energy-rich ATP and mitochondrial dysfunction is the root cause for developing heart failure. Therefore, maintenance of mitochondrial quality control (MQC) is an essential process for cardiovascular homeostasis and cardiac health. In this review, we describe the major mechanisms of MQC system, such as mitochondrial unfolded protein response and mitophagy. Moreover, we describe the results of MQC failure in cardiac mitochondria. Furthermore, we discuss the prospects of 2 drug candidates, urolithin A and spermidine, for restoring mitochondrial homeostasis to treat CVD.
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ItemZNF746/PARIS overexpression induces cellular senescence through FoxO1/p21 axis activation in myoblasts.(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2020-05-12)Various stresses, including oxidative stress, impair the proliferative capacity of muscle stem cells leading to declined muscle regeneration related to aging or muscle diseases. ZNF746 (PARIS) is originally identified as a substrate of E3 ligase Parkin and its accumulation is associated with Parkinson's disease. In this study, we investigated the role of PARIS in myoblast function. PARIS is expressed in myoblasts and decreased during differentiation. PARIS overexpression decreased both proliferation and differentiation of myoblasts without inducing cell death, whereas PARIS depletion enhanced myoblast differentiation. Interestingly, high levels of PARIS in myoblasts or fibroblasts induced cellular senescence with alterations in gene expression associated with p53 signaling, inflammation, and response to oxidative stress. PARIS overexpression in myoblasts starkly enhanced oxidative stress and the treatment of an antioxidant Trolox attenuated the impaired proliferation caused by PARIS overexpression. FoxO1 and p53 proteins are elevated in PARIS-overexpressing cells leading to p21 induction and the depletion of FoxO1 or p53 reduced p21 levels induced by PARIS overexpression. Furthermore, both PARIS and FoxO1 were recruited to p21 promoter region and Trolox treatment attenuated FoxO1 recruitment. Taken together, PARIS upregulation causes oxidative stress-related FoxO1 and p53 activation leading to p21 induction and cellular senescence of myoblasts.
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ItemGrowth differentiation factor 15 protects against the aging-mediated systemic inflammatory response in humans and mice.(Wiley, 2020-08)Mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with aging-mediated inflammatory responses, leading to metabolic deterioration, development of insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes. Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) is an important mitokine generated in response to mitochondrial stress and dysfunction; however, the implications of GDF15 to the aging process are poorly understood in mammals. In this study, we identified a link between mitochondrial stress-induced GDF15 production and protection from tissue inflammation on aging in humans and mice. We observed an increase in serum levels and hepatic expression of GDF15 as well as pro-inflammatory cytokines in elderly subjects. Circulating levels of cell-free mitochondrial DNA were significantly higher in elderly subjects with elevated serum levels of GDF15. In the BXD mouse reference population, mice with metabolic impairments and shorter survival were found to exhibit higher hepatic Gdf15 expression. Mendelian randomization links reduced GDF15 expression in human blood to increased body weight and inflammation. GDF15 deficiency promotes tissue inflammation by increasing the activation of resident immune cells in metabolic organs, such as in the liver and adipose tissues of 20-month-old mice. Aging also results in more severe liver injury and hepatic fat deposition in Gdf15-deficient mice. Although GDF15 is not required for Th17 cell differentiation and IL-17 production in Th17 cells, GDF15 contributes to regulatory T-cell-mediated suppression of conventional T-cell activation and inflammatory cytokines. Taken together, these data reveal that GDF15 is indispensable for attenuating aging-mediated local and systemic inflammation, thereby maintaining glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity in humans and mice.
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ItemDependence of CWSI-Based Plant Water Stress Estimation with Diurnal Acquisition Times in a Nectarine Orchard(MDPI, 2021-07)Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing has become a readily usable tool for agricultural water management with high temporal and spatial resolutions. UAV-borne thermography can monitor crop water status near real-time, which enables precise irrigation scheduling based on an accurate decision-making strategy. The crop water stress index (CWSI) is a widely adopted indicator of plant water stress for irrigation management practices; however, dependence of its efficacy on data acquisition time during the daytime is yet to be investigated rigorously. In this paper, plant water stress captured by a series of UAV remote sensing campaigns at different times of the day (9h, 12h and 15h) in a nectarine orchard were analyzed to examine the diurnal behavior of plant water stress represented by the CWSI against measured plant physiological parameters. CWSI values were derived using a probability modelling, named ‘Adaptive CWSI’, proposed by our earlier research. The plant physiological parameters, such as stem water potential (ψstem) and stomatal conductance (gs), were measured on plants for validation concurrently with the flights under different irrigation regimes (0, 20, 40 and 100 % of ETc). Estimated diurnal CWSIs were compared with plant-based parameters at different data acquisition times of the day. Results showed a strong relationship between ψstem measurements and the CWSIs at midday (12 h) with a high coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.83). Diurnal CWSIs showed a significant R2 to gs over different levels of irrigation at three different times of the day with R2 = 0.92 (9h), 0.77 (12h) and 0.86 (15h), respectively. The adaptive CWSI method used showed a robust capability to estimate plant water stress levels even with the small range of changes presented in the morning. Results of this work indicate that CWSI values collected by UAV-borne thermography between mid-morning and mid-afternoon can be used to map plant water stress with a consistent efficacy. This has important implications for extending the time-window of UAV-borne thermography (and subsequent areal coverage) for accurate plant water stress mapping beyond midday.
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ItemUsing Remote Sensing Techniques to Improve Hydrological Predictions in a Rapidly Changing World(MDPI, 2021-10)Remotely sensed geophysical datasets are being produced at increasingly fast rates to monitor various aspects of the Earth system in a rapidly changing world. The efficient and innovative use of these datasets to understand hydrological processes in various climatic and vegetation regimes under anthropogenic impacts has become an important challenge, but with a wide range of research opportunities. The ten contributions in this Special Issue have addressed the following four research topics: (1) Evapotranspiration estimation; (2) rainfall monitoring and prediction; (3) flood simulations and predictions; and (4) monitoring of ecohydrological processes using remote sensing techniques. Moreover, the authors have provided broader discussions, on how to make the most out of the state-of-the-art remote sensing techniques to improve hydrological model simulations and predictions, to enhance their skills in reproducing processes for the fast-changing world.
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ItemWhich multispectral indices robustly measure canopy nitrogen across seasons: Lessons from an irrigated pasture crop(ELSEVIER SCI LTD, 2021-03)In precision farming, accurate estimation of canopy nitrogen concentration (CNC) is valuable for effective crop growth monitoring and nitrogen (N) fertiliser management. To date, many canopy multispectral indices have been proposed as indicators for CNC; however, many of these indices have also shown sensitivity to biomass and their performance drops at high biomass levels. Dependence on growth stage, season, or other environmental conditions limits their efficacy as generalized CNC indices. The objectives of this study were to assess the robustness of popular CNC indices across a wide range of biomass levels and fertiliser application levels; and for two contrasting seasons – winter and summer. To achieve this, we analysed the efficacy of seven canopy nitrogen indices, including canopy chlorophyll content index (CCCI), together with eleven other commonly used spectral indices. We used canopy level solar-induced hyperspectral reflectance data acquired using a hand-held optical spectroradiometer across four growth stages in winter (May-June 2018) and four in summer (January-February 2019) from an experimental field of irrigated perennial ryegrass with variable N application in Victoria, Australia. The field contained 40 plots, each with one of eight different N treatments. Almost all the indices exhibited similar correlation to CNC (%) when applied to individual stages (days) in both winter and summer; however, relationships between CNC and individual indices varied significantly between stages. We obtained similar results for canopy biomass. When the data across the entire range of growth stages and seasons were combined, the correlations between most canopy nitrogen indices and CNC became weak (R2 < 0.25, 0.9% ≤ RMSE ≤ 1.0%). PRI exhibited the highest correlation with CNC (R2 = 0.58, RMSE = 0.7%) for the combined data set. Even so, PRI's association with CNC and canopy biomass changed with the season. Most indices responded to both CNC and biomass simultaneously, and this confounds the estimation of CNC due to strong but growth stage-specific relationships between CNC and canopy biomass. This study shows that it is important to consider a wide range of conditions when evaluating multispectral CNC indices.
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ItemA Bayesian approach to understanding the key factors influencing temporal variability in stream water quality - a case study in the Great Barrier Reef catchments(COPERNICUS GESELLSCHAFT MBH, 2021-05-20)Abstract. Stream water quality is highly variable both across space and time. Water quality monitoring programmes have collected a large amount of data that provide a good basis for investigating the key drivers of spatial and temporal variability. Event-based water quality monitoring data in the Great Barrier Reef catchments in northern Australia provide an opportunity to further our understanding of water quality dynamics in subtropical and tropical regions. This study investigated nine water quality constituents, including sediments, nutrients and salinity, with the aim of (1) identifying the influential environmental drivers of temporal variation in flow event concentrations and (2) developing a modelling framework to predict the temporal variation in water quality at multiple sites simultaneously. This study used a hierarchical Bayesian model averaging framework to explore the relationship between event concentration and catchment-scale environmental variables (e.g. runoff, rainfall and groundcover conditions). Key factors affecting the temporal changes in water quality varied among constituent concentrations and between catchments. Catchment rainfall and runoff affected in-stream particulate constituents, while catchment wetness and vegetation cover had more impact on dissolved nutrient concentration and salinity. In addition, in large dry catchments, antecedent catchment soil moisture and vegetation had a large influence on dissolved nutrients, which highlights the important effect of catchment hydrological connectivity on pollutant mobilisation and delivery.
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ItemEmbedding trend into seasonal temperature forecasts through statistical calibration ofGCMoutputs(Wiley, 2021-01)Accurate and reliable seasonal climate forecasts are frequently sought by climate‐sensitive sectors to support decision‐making under climate variability and change. Temperature trend is discernible globally over the past decades, but seasonal forecasts produced by a global climate model (GCM) generally underestimate such trend. Current statistical methods used for calibrating seasonal climate forecasts mostly do not explicitly account for climate trends. Consequently, the calibrated forecasts also fail to capture the observed trend. Solving this problem can enhance user confidence in seasonal climate forecasts. In this study, we extend the capability of the Bayesian joint probability (BJP) modelling approach for statistical calibration of seasonal climate forecasts. A trend component is introduced into the BJP algorithm for embedding the observed trend into calibrated ensemble forecasts. We apply the new model (named BJP‐t) to three test stations in Australia. Seasonal forecasts of daily maximum temperatures from the SEAS5 model, operated by the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), are calibrated and evaluated. The BJP‐t calibrated ensemble forecasts can reproduce the observed trend, when the raw ensemble forecasts and the BJP calibrated ensemble forecasts both fail to do so. The BJP‐t calibration leads to more skilful, more reliable and sharper forecasts than the BJP calibration.