Australian Research Council

This study compared five solvents - urea, carbonate-bicarbonate, citrate, phosphate, and water - for their ability to extract proteins from beech (BM) ( Hypsizygus marmoreus ) and Swiss brown (SB) ( Agaricus bisporus ) mushrooms. Using mass spectrometry-based proteomics and bioinformatics, we found that urea produced the highest total protein identifications by data-dependent acquisition at 1% false discovery rate (FDR): BM: 1,739, SB: 1,907; and by data-independent acquisition: BM: 1,969, SB: 2,172 proteins, especially enriching cytosolic and ribosomal proteins. Carbonate-bicarbonate favoured the extraction of metabolic and translational proteins, while citrate targeted extracellular and membrane-associated proteins related to cell wall dynamics. Phosphate-enriched catalytically active proteins, and water extracted mainly soluble, simple proteins. Sequence-based enzyme profiling of urea extracts revealed an abundance of oxidoreductases, transferases, ligases, and translocases. Overall, extraction solvent selection strongly influences yield, diversity, and functional potential of mushroom proteomes, establishing a framework for targeted extraction of endogenous enzymes and functionally distinct proteins for food ingredient and nutraceutical formulations. • No single solvent captures the full proteome; each enriches specific proteins. • Solvent chemistry and cell wall structure influence protein extraction outcomes. • Urea yielded most proteins and enhanced oxidoreductase and transferase abundance. • Citrate, carbonate, phosphate, and water enriched distinct protein and enzyme sets. • Combining solvents can deepen and tailor macro-fungal proteome analysis.

Polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-rich oils, such as fish oil (FO), borage oil (BO), and evening primrose oil (EPO), are highly susceptible to oxidative degradation, which compromises their nutritional value. This study applies Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy combined with multivariate data analysis to develop a non-destructive, reagent-free approach for monitoring fatty acid composition and oxidation induced by mild thermal stress (∼50°C), which simulates degradation. FTIR provides clear spectral markers of oxidation and achieved up to 100% classification accuracy, while Raman spectroscopy offered complementary information on unsaturation but showed lower performance (79-84%) and greater oil-type dependency. These findings highlight the importance of algorithm choice in multivariate modelling of spectroscopic data, with Support Vector Machines consistently outperforming other methods. Overall, the spectroscopy-only workflow demonstrated here offers a rapid, scalable, and non-invasive platform for oxidation detection and authenticity testing in PUFA-rich oils under realistic storage conditions.

Australia's native fauna is unique through millions of years of isolated evolution resulting in a significant divergence of marsupial brain anatomy, and thus neural pathways, from eutherian mammals. This study provides a morphometric description of a mature female koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) through segmentation of high-resolution magnetic resonance images. As the availability of brain specimens of the endangered koala is scarce, brain segmentation has been performed on a single specimen. The brain of a naturally deceased koala was removed and fixed in 10% neutral buffered formaldehyde (pH 7.0). The MRI was acquired on a 9.4 T Bruker Biospec MR system with Paravision 7.0 software, using a 3D multigradient echo sequence, with TR/TE = 70 msec/ (8 echoes 4-32 msec), a field of view = 7.0 × 6.4 × 4.0 cm3. AMIRA post image processing software was used to create three-dimensional volume reconstruction of different brain structures, allowing for the calculation of their volumes. The koala brain is lissencephalic and has a volume of 15720.98 mm3. It was found that the olfactory bulbs of the koala were 418 mm3 or 2.66% of the total brain volume (tbv). The cerebral hemispheres were 9336.92 mm3 (59.39% of the tbv). The interhemispheric connections were 148 mm3 (0.94% of tbv). The combined volume of the anterior commissure and fasciculus aberrans, which is specific to marsupials, has also been labeled and segmented. The ventricular system was 172 mm3 (1.09% of tbv). The brainstem was 1874 mm3 (11.92% of tbv). The cerebellum was 2304.69 mm3 (14.66% of tbv). This study can be used as a basis for clinical imaging of koalas and as baseline data for future research into brain development of koalas and other marsupials.

Abstract. The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is increasingly threatened by mass thermal coral bleaching events under climate change. Marine cloud brightening (MCB) has been proposed as a potential adaptation strategy to reduce thermal stress by enhancing cloud reflectivity through aerosol injection. This study evaluates the sensitivity of cloud–aerosol interactions to aerosol emission intensity and spatial configuration over the GBR using convection-permitting Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model simulations. A control simulation representing a non- to weakly-precipitating shallow trade-cumulus regime is compared with three MCB sensitivity experiments: a densely distributed (20 km apart), moderate-intensity emission scenario (EXP20), a sparsely distributed (100 km spacing), high-intensity scenario (EXP100), and an intermediate configuration (EXP40). Results show that enhanced aerosol emissions substantially increase near-surface aerosol concentrations, with dispersion strongly governed by source spacing and prevailing trade winds. The EXP20 configuration produces more homogeneous and widespread aerosol enhancements, whereas EXP100 generates localized peaks that are rapidly scavenged, resulting in smaller domain-mean increases despite identical total emissions. Over a 24-hour period, domain-averaged cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC), optical depth, and cloud albedo exhibit strong sensitivity to aerosol loading, while cloud water path (CWP) and cloud fraction show limited responses. These findings indicate a dominant Twomey effect in this cloud regime, with only weak evidence of the Albrecht effect. Nonlinear CWP responses are noted under varying conditions of mid-level humidity, wind shear, and lower-tropospheric stability. Overall, the results highlight the importance of aerosol source configuration and background atmospheric state in shaping MCB effectiveness over the GBR.

The effect of the confinement of fluorophores (rhodamine 6G) in nano-cavities of porous 3D sculptured coatings made by glancing-angle deposition (GLAD) was investigated by fluorescence-lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). Shortening of fluorescence/ photoluminescence lifetime by ∼10% was observed from the dye-permeated (in liquid) structure; however, there was no rotational hindrance of dye molecules. When dried, a strong rotational hindrance 89% was observed for the orientation along the ordinary optical axis (slow-axis), and the hindrance was smaller than 57% for the extraordinary direction (fast axis). Light-intensity distribution inside the nano-structure with a form birefringence was numerically modeled using plane-wave illumination and a dipole source. Nanoscale localization of light intensity due to dipole nature I∼1/radius6 and boundary conditions for E-field allows efficient energy deposition inside the region of lower refractive index (nanogaps).

The first use of sulfinate salts for the late-stage modification of peptidic disulfide bonds is reported. While the majority of cysteine-based peptide modifications rely on the nucleophilicity of the side-chain thiol functionality, umpolung approaches-exploiting instead the electrophilicity of the cystine disulfide-are underexplored. Using structurallydiverse sulfinate salts, we have optimized a mild, photochemical strategy for the generation and coupling of carbon-centered radicals with both symmetrical and electronically-distinct, unsymmetrical cystine disulfides using high-throughput experimentation techniques. A library of modified peptides was accessible, as confirmed by qualitative and quantitative analytical data, providing valuable insights into the matched reactivity of specific radical/disulfide substrate pairings. The method was broadly compatible with a range of unprotected amino acids, including His, Trp and Tyr, and can be used for the functionalization of biologically relevant peptides, as exemplified by the late-stage modification of a semaglutide analogue and the preparation of high-value macrocyclic peptides.

Chemokine-driven leukocyte trafficking is central to the pathogenesis of cancer and autoimmune/inflammatory diseases. Therapeutic targeting of the chemokine system has largely failed due to promiscuous binding between chemokines and their receptors. Blood-feeding ticks evade immune responses by secreting salivary evasins that selectively bind and neutralize either CC or CXC chemokines. Here, we describe EVA-ATL1001 (EVA-ATL), an evasin with dual CC/CXC inhibitory function. Like other class A evasins, EVA-ATL engages CC chemokines through conserved hydrogen bonds between its β1 region and the chemokine CC motif. Remarkably, the same interface accommodates CXC chemokines with minor structural adjustments. This dual recognition is mediated primarily by a shallow hydrophobic pocket, along with contributions from the N-terminus and β1-β2 region, features absent in other evasins. EVA-ATL represents a natural evasin with broad-spectrum CC/CXC chemokine inhibition, offering a promising framework for next-generation immunotherapeutics for complex pathologies involving both chemokine families.

Strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) enhances catalytic activity via metal-support charge transfer but suffers from limited electronic structure regulation and imprecise control of reaction intermediate adsorption energies. This study demonstrates a systematic engineering approach by confining conductive transition metal phosphides (TMPs: FeP, CoP, Ni2P, and MoP) within the pores of the hierarchical channels of three-dimensional ordered mesoporous carbon CMK-5. MoP was selected as the counterpart to interact with CMK-5 to induce SMSI due to its moderate reaction kinetics and optimal intrinsic catalytic activity of MoP/CMK-5. Electron-rich Co atoms (3d74s2) were introduced into the composite to weaken the excessively strong hydrogen adsorption of Mo (4d5s1) by adjusting the electronic structure of MoP through hybridization. The PC bond peak at 133.3eV in X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed SMSI effect between phosphide and CMK-5 substrate, while Co doping synergistically enhanced SMSI via charge redistribution. Density functional theory (DFT) analysis further revealed that CoMo hybrid could effectively regulate the d-band center position and electronic structure of MoP/CMK-5 composite by inducing charge redistribution, effectively balancing the hydrogen adsorption intensity of Mo site, thereby enhancing the SMSI effect. Moreover, the Co site (ΔGH⁎=-0.125eV) in Co-MoP/CMK-5 is close to the thermoneutral value, providing a key active site for optimizing HER (hydrogen evolution reaction) performance. Therefore, the catalyst exhibited a very low overpotential (62mV@10mAcm-2) in 1 M KOH electrolyte. Benefiting from the spatial confinement effect of CMK-5 on nanoparticles, the catalytic activity shows almost no decay over 60h.

Abstract The structures and strictures of international law derive from long historical practices and principles. Even though we may now find some of them abhorrent, examining how they have shaped, and continue to shape, contemporary practices helps us both to understand them and contest them. In this keynote address, I will offer a personal reflection on the use of history in international law scholarship, and what it has enabled me to uncover about the phenomenon, conceptualisation, and regulation of human mobility over time. Whose voices and experiences are silenced or forgotten, and what might remembrance look like?