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The specific activity of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (spAARS), an index of growth rate, and of the electron transport system (spETS), an index of respiration, was measured in three size fractions (73-150 μm, >150 μm and >350 μm) of zooplankton during five cruises to tropical coastal waters of the Kimberley coast (North West Australia) and four cruises to waters of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR; North East Australia). The N-specific biomass of plankton was 3-4-fold higher in the Kimberley than on the GBR in all 3 size classes: Kimberley 1.27, 3.63, 1.94 mg m-3; GBR 0.36, 0.88 and 0.58 mg m-3 in the 73-150 μm, >150 μm and >350 μm size classes, respectively. Similarly, spAARS activity in the Kimberley was greater than that of the GBR: 88.4, 132.2, and 147.6 nmol PPi hr-1 mg protein -1 in the Kimberley compared with 71.7, 82.0 and 83.8 nmol PPi hr-1 mg protein -1 in the GBR, for the 73-150 μm, >150 μm and >350 μm size classes, respectively. Specific ETS activity showed similar differences in scale between the two coasts: 184.6, 148.8 and 92.2 μL O2 hr-1 mg protein-1 in the Kimberley, against 86.5, 88.3 and 71.3 μL O2 hr-1 mg protein-1 in the GBR. On the basis of these measurements, we calculated that >150 μm zooplankton grazing accounted for 7% of primary production in the Kimberley and 8% in GBR waters. Area-specific respiration by >73 μm zooplankton was 7-fold higher in the Kimberley than on the GBR and production by >150 μm zooplankton was of the order of 278 mg C m-2 d-1 in the Kimberley and 42 mg C m-2 d-1 on the GBR. We hypothesize that the much stronger physical forcing on the North West shelf is the principal driver of higher rates in the west than in the east of the continent.

If the declines in interest and performance within school science are to be reversed, it is imperative that competent and confident teachers deliver quality science experiences. This paper reports on the long-term implementation of two complementary, student-centered tertiary science methods courses that integrated instruction in content with teaching methods within a preservice elementary teaching degree. The Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument B was employed to collect data from multiple cohorts (2007-2014). Multiple iterations of the quasi-experimental design were employed. Complete data supplied by 234 preservice teachers were analyzed using MANOVA with repeated measures on the occasion of testing. Results indicate that personal and outcome efficacy beliefs grew significantly with moderate to large effect sizes, in ways that are atypical within the literature. Broader implications are discussed.

In this paper, we outline the theory behind the educational design used to implement a large-scale high school astronomy education project. This design was created in response to the realization of ineffective educational design in the initial early stages of the project. The new design follows an iterative improvement model where the materials and general approach can evolve in response to solicited feedback. The improvement cycle concentrates on avoiding overly positive self-evaluation while addressing relevant external school and community factors while concentrating on backward mapping from clearly set goals. Limiting factors, including time, resources, support and the potential for failure in the classroom, are dealt with as much as possible in the large-scale design allowing teachers the best chance of successful implementation in their real-world classroom. The actual approach adopted following the principles of this design is also outlined, which has seen success in bringing real astronomical data and access to telescopes into the high school classroom.

This research is based on the Journey through Space and Time (JTST) educational astronomy project for primary and junior high school science curricula in Australia, which seeks to improve students' astronomy content knowledge through science inquiry. The focus of the current project is on the learning needs of students for whom the language of instruction is a foreign or second language (EFL/ESL). This article reports the results of a pilot case study conducted in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in December 2017. The research employed a Type II Case Study design. Data were collected through video and audio recordings of classroom interactions. The Astronomy Diagnostic Test measured changes in content knowledge and written feedback at the end of the course and helped to understand students' overall impression from the course. The study revealed that engaging Kyrgyzstani EFL students aged between 12 and 15 years in making videos about their learning of astronomy significantly facilitated their content knowledge acquisition. This research contributes to the existing knowledge about the use of technology in students' science education, and specifically as a tool to enhance EFL students' understanding of the integrated science, technology engineering and mathematics (STEM) curriculum. The results of the shared knowledge construction stimulated by the collaboration in video production create a case for further research in EFL students' disciplinary literacy development.

In a recent article, Bell et al. (2014) misrepresent the current state of knowledge regarding water quality within the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and the processes that inuence it. To sustain the current high level of public and political support for maintaining the health of the GBR, it is important that scientists provide credible evidence of mans effects on the GBR system.

Cryptococcosis is a life-threatening fungal disease caused by Cryptococcus neoformans . The immunocompetent response results in the formation of a lung granuloma, which contains the fungal cells. We have previously developed a mouse model of the cryptococcal granuloma that is histologically similar to the human lung granuloma. In this study, we characterize the lung granuloma in mice using transcriptomics and lipidomics, elucidating the immune cell types present and the transcriptional landscape of macrophages at the granuloma border. Macrophage subtypes are identified, which form a characteristic boundary of the lung granuloma and were observed to have differentially expressed genes involved in the control of the infection. Lipidomic studies revealed that several sphingolipid-associated genes and their products involved in the regulation of phagocytosis were found to be upregulated and in vivo validation studies confirmed their key role in granuloma formation. Lastly, as the granuloma structure develops, the fungal replication inside the granuloma decreases concomitantly to the decrease of the macrophage activation. These studies identified important immune mechanisms of host protection at the granuloma site. Our results provide mechanistic insight into cryptococcal granuloma maturation and refine current models of host–pathogen interaction, which may open avenues for future immunomodulatory strategies. In this multi-omics analysis of a mouse cryptococcal granuloma, authors reveal macrophage subsets forming a protective boundary, early activation programs driving formation, and sphingolipid pathways essential for structure and function.

Rates of oxygen consumption (R) and ammonia excretion (E) of a total of 22 species of zooplankton and hyperbenthos, which weighed 0.0012 to 26.7 mg dry mass (DM), from inshore and slope waters of the Great Barrier Reef were determined at in situ temperatures (23 to 30°C). Rs ranged from 0.0048 to 118.3 μL O2 ind.−1 h−1 and Es from 0.00051 to 15.9 μg NH4-N ind.−1 h−1. Stepwise regression analyses in which the differences in body mass are taken into account revealed that zooplankton and hyperbenthos exhibited comparable R, but the latter showed lower E than the former. As a result, the atomic ratio of R to E (O : N) of hyperbenthos (geometric mean: 53.1) was greater than that (16.4) of zooplankton. No appreciable differences were evident in C and N composition of the bodies between zooplankton-hyperbenthos; total carbon (C) ranged from 18.0 to 47.2% of DM and total nitrogen (N) from 2.4 to 12.7% of DM, with C : N ratios of 3.1–7.5. Judging from C and N composition, protein was the major component of body organic matter of both zooplankton and hyperbenthos. In terms of N-specific R and N, the present zooplankton data are comparable to those published on tropical zooplankton and small fishes with similar body N. Compared with zooplankton, lower specific Es and higher O : N ratios of hyperbenthos were interpreted to reflect their partial or entire dependence on diets characterized by lower N composition (detritus).

This research compared the process of disciplinary literacy acquisition of students who experienced two different pedagogical approaches to learning science, technology, engineering and mathematics through astronomy (STEM-A). The objective of this study was to explore the impact of a digital storytelling (DST) educational technology intervention in a STEM-A context on the process of disciplinary literacy acquisition of students who were learning English as a foreign language (EFL). The research was designed as a type IV case study with a sample of 30 students from Kyrgyzstan aged between 12 and 16 years. Data were collected from written responses to the astronomy diagnostic tests (ADT), which were coded against the structure of the observed learning outcomes (SOLO) and analysed using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures on the occasion of testing. Data from the Australian sample, native speakers of English, (N = 328) were used as a baseline. The results showed a positive effect of the DST intervention on EFL students’ astronomy disciplinary literacy acquisition. The research contributes to the body of knowledge on educational technology by exemplifying how the DST teaching intervention could bridge the gap between EFL and non-EFL students’ disciplinary literacy acquisition in STEM areas.

SignificanceOur data challenge the generally accepted view that Kv2.1 proteins regulate arterial smooth muscle function by regulating their membrane potential. Rather, we discovered that Kv2.1 plays both conductive and structural roles with opposing functional consequences on arterial myocytes, with the former predominating in males, the latter in females. Opening of Kv2.1 channels opposes vasoconstriction by inducing membrane hyperpolarization. In addition to this conductive function, Kv2.1 promotes the structural clustering of CaV1.2 channels, thereby enhancing Ca2+ influx and inducing vasoconstriction. These two functions are highlighted by differences in the regulation of membrane potential, intracellular Ca2+, and myogenic tone between males and females. Our data suggest that these disparities derive from sex-specific variations in Kv2.1 expression levels in male versus female myocytes. The accepted role of the protein Kv2.1 in arterial smooth muscle cells is to form K+ channels in the sarcolemma. Opening of Kv2.1 channels causes membrane hyperpolarization, which decreases the activity of L-type CaV1.2 channels, lowering intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) and causing smooth muscle relaxation. A limitation of this model is that it is based exclusively on data from male arterial myocytes. Here, we used a combination of electrophysiology as well as imaging approaches to investigate the role of Kv2.1 channels in male and female arterial myocytes. We confirmed that Kv2.1 plays a canonical conductive role but found it also has a structural role in arterial myocytes to enhance clustering of CaV1.2 channels. Less than 1% of Kv2.1 channels are conductive and induce membrane hyperpolarization. Paradoxically, by enhancing the structural clustering and probability of CaV1.2–CaV1.2 interactions within these clusters, Kv2.1 increases Ca2+ influx. These functional impacts of Kv2.1 depend on its level of expression, which varies with sex. In female myocytes, where expression of Kv2.1 protein is higher than in male myocytes, Kv2.1 has conductive and structural roles. Female myocytes have larger CaV1.2 clusters, larger [Ca2+]i, and larger myogenic tone than male myocytes. In contrast, in male myocytes, Kv2.1 channels regulate membrane potential but not CaV1.2 channel clustering. We propose a model in which Kv2.1 function varies with sex: in males, Kv2.1 channels control membrane potential but, in female myocytes, Kv2.1 plays dual electrical and CaV1.2 clustering roles. This contributes to sex-specific regulation of excitability, [Ca2+]i, and myogenic tone in arterial myocytes.

In a changing ocean, tropical waters can be instructive as to the potential effects of climate induced changes on marine ecosystem structure and function. We describe the relationships between planktonic community respiration (CR), net community production (NCP), gross primary production (GPP) and environmental variables in 14 regions and three ecosystem types (coastal, coral reef and open sea) from Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. The data are compiled from separate studies conducted between 2002 and 2014 with the goal of better parameterizing the metabolic balance in tropical marine waters. Overall, these regions were strongly autotrophic (average GPP:CR ratio: 2.14 ± 0.98), though our dataset of 783 paired measurements did include some oceanic stations where heterotrophy (GPP:CR < 1) was predominant, and some coastal stations that were intermittently heterotrophic. Our statistical analysis suggested that temperature was the most important determinant of CR in coral reef and ocean ecosystems but less so in coastal ecosystems, where chlorophyll concentration was more important. In contrast, chlorophyll and sampling depth were more important in regulating GPP than temperature. The relationships between temperatures and metabolic rates showed that these were ecosystem-dependent, with coastal ecosystems showing less response to temperature than coral reef and open sea sites. The threshold of GPP to achieve metabolic balance fell in a range between 0.715 mmol O2 m-3 d-1 in the Coral Sea to 10.052 mmol O2 m-3 d-1 in mangrove waterways of Hinchinbrook Channel. These data allow regions in and around northern Australia to be ranked in terms of trophic state, ranging from the oligotrophic Scott Reef (GPP:CR = 0.84 ± 0.08) to productive surface waters of the Kimberley coast (GPP:CR = 5.21 ± 0.62). The measurement of pelagic metabolism shows potential as a quantitative tool to monitor the trophic state of coastal waters.