Research UNE (University of New England)
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Global terrestrial nitrogen fixation and its modification by agriculture
No full textBiological nitrogen fixation (BNF) is the largest natural source of new nitrogen (N) that supports terrestrial productivity1,2, yet estimates of global terrestrial BNF remain highly uncertain3,4. Here we show that this uncertainty is partly because of sampling bias, as field BNF measurements in natural terrestrial ecosystems occur where N fixers are 17 times more prevalent than their mean abundances worldwide. To correct this bias, we develop new estimates of global terrestrial BNF by upscaling field BNF measurements using spatially explicit abundances of all major biogeochemical N-fixing niches. We find that natural biomes sustain lower BNF, 65 (52–77) Tg N yr−1, than previous empirical bottom-up estimates3,4, with most BNF occurring in tropical forests and drylands. We also find high agricultural BNF in croplands and cultivated pastures, 56 (54–58) Tg N yr−1. Agricultural BNF has increased terrestrial BNF by 64% and total terrestrial N inputs from all sources by 60% over pre-industrial levels. Our results indicate that BNF may impose stronger constraints on the carbon sink in natural terrestrial biomes and represent a larger source of agricultural N than is generally considered in analyses of the global N cycle5,6, with implications for proposed safe operating limits for N use7,8
Pronounced differences in heart rate and metabolism distinguish daily torpor and short-term hibernation in two bat species
No full textTorpor, and its differential expression, is essential to the survival of many mammals and birds. Physiological characteristics of torpor appear to vary between those species that express strict daily heterothermy and those capable of multiday hibernation, but comparisons are complicated by the temperature-dependence of variables. Previous reviews have compared these different torpor strategies by measuring the depth and duration of torpor in multiple species. However, direct comparison of multiple physiological parameters under similar thermal conditions are lacking. Here, we quantified three physiological variables; body temperature, metabolic rate (MR) and heart rate (HR) of two small heterothermic bats (daily heterotherm Syconycteris australis, and hibernator Nyctophilus gouldi) under comparable thermal conditions and torpor bout durations. When normothermic and resting both MR and HR were similar for the two species. However, during torpor the minimum HR was more than fivefold higher, and minimum MR was 6.5-fold higher for the daily heterotherm than for the hibernator at the same subcutaneous Tb (16 ± 0.5 °C). The data show that the degree of heterothermy defined using Tb is not necessarily a precise proxy for physiological capacity during torpor in these bats and is unlikely to reveal accurate energy budgets. Our study provides evidence supporting a distinction between daily torpor in a daily heterotherm and short term torpor in a hibernator, at least within the Chiroptera with regard to these physiological variables. This exists even when individuals display the same degree of Tb reduction, which has clear implications for the modelling of their energy expenditure
Integrating Remote Sensing and Weather Time Series for Australian Irrigated Rice Phenology Prediction
No full textPhenology prediction is critical for optimizing the timing of rice crop management operations such as fertilization and irrigation, particularly in the face of increasing climate variability. This study aimed to estimate three key developmental stages in the temperate irrigated rice systems of Australia: panicle initiation (PI), flowering, and harvest maturity. Extensive and diverse field observations (n ≈ 302) were collected over four consecutive seasons (2022–2025) from the rice-growing regions of the Murrumbidgee and Murray Valleys in southern New South Wales, encompassing six varieties and three sowing methods. The extent of data available allowed a number of traditional and emerging machine learning (ML) models to be directly compared to determine the most robust strategies to predict Australian rice crop phenology. Among all models, Tabular Prior-data Fitted Network (TabPFN), a pre-trained transformer model trained on large synthetic datasets, achieved the highest precision for PI and flowering predictions, with root mean square errors (RMSEs) of 4.9 and 6.5 days, respectively. Meanwhile, long short-term memory (LSTM) excelled in predicting harvest maturity with an RMSE of 5.9 days. Notably, TabPFN achieved strong results without the need for hyperparameter tuning, consistently outperforming other ML approaches. Across all stages, models that integrated remote sensing (RS) and weather variables consistently outperformed those relying on single-source input. These findings underscore the value of hybrid data fusion and modern time series modeling techniques for accurate and scalable phenology prediction, ultimately enabling more informed and adaptive agronomic decision-making
How and When Should Clinical Reasoning Be Taught in Undergraduate Medicine: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses
No full textGenetic analysis of sensor-based activity in Australian Merino sheep
No full textThe use of on-animalsensor data enables continuous monitoring, providing valuable behavioural observations with the potential to be used for assessing an individual’s health and productivity. This study aimed to estimate the genetic parameters of sheep general activity, measured as vector magnitude, which represents the overall magnitude of the movement to provide an objective activity level measurement. Activity records of 1,149 Merino ewes were collected with ActiGraph™ wGT3X-BT® devices over a period of 17 days (after editing 10 non-continuous days used in the analysis). Single trait estimates (STE) were initially considered for this analysis; however, random regression (RR) was also checked, given the patterns observed on raw records over time and days. The STE of heritability (h 2 ) and repeatability (Rep) in the whole dataset were 0.19 ± 0.06 and 0.56 ± 0.08, respectively. Across 10 days, single estimates of h 2 ranged from 0.15 ± 0.06 to 0.25 ± 0.08 and Rep from 0.45 ± 0.08 to 0.66 ± 0.08, while RR models resulted in lower h 2 (0.11 to 0.23) and Rep (0.22 to 0.34) over these days. Genetic correlations between days (up to day 16) and times (2 hours) were high, which did not indicate the potential of random effects of time and day in genetic parameters for sheep activity. These estimated parameters can be considered for future welfarerelated breeding programs, and the amount of repeatability can guide the development of an effective measurement protocol
Reconceptualising cleft habitus: belonging and inclusion at Australian regional universities
No full textAn autoethnographic exploration of the life and career experiences of ten academics across the Australian Regional University Network (RUN) unearthed a prevailing disjuncture between formative cultural experiences and academia that expands upon Binns’ revised notion of cleft habitus. It signifies a gap between the generative capacity of cleft experience and its predominant construction in the literature as loss, difficulty and perceived deficit. Drawing on a framework that combines ‘cleft habitus’ and principles of intersectionality, this paper examines how cleft experiences impact study and academic work in higher education. Key findings include how academics within a cleft habitus space occupy liminal insider/outsider positions of privilege and disadvantage and can leverage insights gained from these experiences to inform their broad scholarly practice. Reconceptualising cleft habitus as a resource provides a new contribution to discourses around equity, diversity and inclusion in higher education
Genetic analysis of sow udder treatments
No full textCompromised udder health affects the performance and welfare of the sow and her piglets. Indicator traits for udder health, such as somatic cell count, are difficult to collect and record in sows. In the current study, on-farm udder treatment records were available which were used as an indicator trait for udder health. Genetic parameters were estimated using a threshold model for the udder treatment trait (0 = no udder treatment, 1 = udder treatment). Udder treatments were found to be lowly heritable 0.07 (95% confidence interval between 0.04 and 0.11), and therefore, udder treatment records captured routinely in the herd recording system could potentially be used to genetically improve udder health in sows and reduce sow medication on farms. It was also found that sows who were treated for udder-related conditions weaned half a piglet less per litter compared to sows who were not treated for udder reasons, which equates to $30 AUD / litter and shows the economic importance of improving udder health in sows. Future work could investigate the correlation between udder treatments and other traits, such as sow longevity to further support these findings
Apparent piebald variants in quolls (Dasyurus): examples of three recent cases in the spotted-tailed quoll Dasyurus maculatus
No full textPelage patterning plays an important role in animal behaviour. Variation in pelage patterns can change with pigment distribution and quantity in individuals. We present three cases of apparent piebaldism – a condition where the body is patchily unpigmented – in the spotted-tailed quoll Dasyurus maculatus. Using a comprehensive dataset of historical descriptions (from Dunlop et al. 2020), we conclude that these cases represent the first description of this phenotype in the genus Dasyurus, but acknowledge capture and testing of these individuals is required to be certain of the cause. Little is known about the implications of pelage patterning in quoll species and further investigation is required to understand the evolutionary and functional role of unaffected and unpigmented variants
Cost-benefit of a genomic reference population for goats in Australia
No full textThere is currently no genomic-based information available to Australian goat meat breeders to make selection decisions. This is due to a lack of performance-recorded goats with genomic information and a lack of genetic evaluation infrastructure. The Measured Goats project is the beginning of a genomic reference population that will help provide the data infrastructure to rectify both challenges. This study reports a cost-benefit analysis of investment of genomic reference populations for goat meat where commercial breeders breeding their own bucks could genomic test their “clean-skin” male selection candidates. The study demonstrates that the Measured Goats project is an excellent start to building a genomic reference population to underpin commercial genomic selection. All testing scenarios return a profit on investment to the industry in years 11-13. The genomic prediction accuracy and hence the response to selection is dependent on effective population size and the number of tested animals in the genomic reference population
Co-Created Psychosocial Resources to Support the Wellbeing of Children from Military Families: Usability Study
No full textIt is well known that early education and care lay the foundation for learning and wellbeing; however, resources available to support children with different life experiences can vary. For example, resources available to support early childhood educators working with young children from military families are particularly lacking. This is of concern, given that these children face a range of stressors in their daily lives. To address this gap, our interdisciplinary team used a co-creation framework to build a suite of free, online, psychosocial resources for the children and their parents, educators and support workers. To test the usability of the resources, we conducted an online survey with 83 Australian participants (parents, educators, and support workers) about their knowledge, skills and confidence in supporting these children and the children’s wellbeing. After the study, the participants were given access to the psychosocial resources for 6 to 12 months. Following this, an adapted survey was administered online (post-intervention) with 15 participants who had remained in the study during the COVID-19 pandemic. Quantitative data was analysed using cross-tabulation and descriptive statistics. Qualitative data was analysed using inductive thematic analysis. In our pre-intervention studies, 61% of parents and almost 26% of educators were only partially confident in understanding children’s responses to military-specific stressors. In contrast, in the current study, this number had fallen to under 7% (combined participant group), with perceived improvements noted in their views on the children’s wellbeing. These exploratory findings with a small sample size highlight the potential benefit of targeted programmes, professional development, and accessible resources for parents, educators, and support workers who assist children from military families