Griffith University

About: Griffith University is a education organization based out in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 13830 authors who have published 49318 publications receiving 1420865 citations.

Inhibition of bacterial biofilm formation and swarming motility by a small synthetic cationic peptide

Abstract: Biofilms cause up to 80% of infections and are difficult to treat due to their substantial multidrug resistance compared to their planktonic counterparts. Based on the observation that human peptide LL-37 is able to block biofilm formation at concentrations below its MIC, we screened for small peptides with antibiofilm activity and identified novel synthetic cationic peptide 1037 of only 9 amino acids in length. Peptide 1037 had very weak antimicrobial activity, but at 1/30th the MIC the peptide was able to effectively prevent biofilm formation (>50% reduction in cell biomass) by the Gram-negative pathogens Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia cenocepacia and Gram-positive Listeria monocytogenes. Using a flow cell system and a widefield fluorescence microscope, 1037 was shown to significantly reduce biofilm formation and lead to cell death in biofilms. Microarray and follow-up studies showed that, in P. aeruginosa, 1037 directly inhibited biofilms by reducing swimming and swarming motilities, stimulating twitching motility, and suppressing the expression of a variety of genes involved in biofilm formation (e.g., PA2204). Comparison of microarray data from cells treated with peptides LL-37 and 1037 enabled the identification of 11 common P. aeruginosa genes that have a role in biofilm formation and are proposed to represent functional targets of these peptides. Peptide 1037 shows promise as a potential therapeutic agent against chronic, recurrent biofilm infections caused by a variety of bacteria.

Factors affecting the performance of construction projects in the Gaza Strip

Abstract: Construction projects located in the Gaza Strip, Palestine suffer from many problems and complex issues. Consequently, the objective of this paper is to identify the factors affecting the performance of local construction projects; and to elicit perceptions of their relative importance. A comprehensive literature review was deployed to generate a set of factors believed to affect project performance. A total of 120 questionnaires were distributed to 3 key groups of project participants; namely owners, consultants and contractors. The survey findings indicate that all 3 groups agree that the most important factors affecting project performance are: delays because of borders/roads closure leading to materials shortage; unavailability of resources; low level of project leadership skills; escalation of material prices; unavailability of highly experienced and qualified personnel; and poor quality of available equipment and raw materials. Based on these findings, the paper recommends that: 1) project ...

Small Worlds Among Interlocking Directors: Network Structure and Distance in Bipartite Graphs

Abstract: We describe a methodology to examine bipartite relational data structures as exemplified in networks of corporate interlocking These structures can be represented as bipartite graphs of directors and companies, but direct comparison of empirical datasets is often problematic because graphs have different numbers of nodes and different densities We compare empirical bipartite graphs to simulated random graph distributions conditional on constraints implicit in the observed datasets We examine bipartite graphs directly, rather than simply converting them to two 1-mode graphs, allowing investigation of bipartite statistics important to connection redundancy and bipartite connectivity We introduce a new bipartite clustering coefficient that measures tendencies for localized bipartite cycles This coefficient can be interpreted as an indicator of inter-company and inter-director closenesss but high levels of bipartite clustering have a cost for long range connectivity We also investigate degree distributions, path lengths, and counts of localized subgraphs Using this new approach, we compare global structural properties of US and Australian interlocking company directors By comparing observed statistics against those from the simulations, we assess how the observed graphs are structured, and make comparisons between them relative to the simulated graph distributions We conclude that the two networks share many similarities and some differences Notably, both structures tend to be influenced by the clustering of directors on boards, more than by the accumulation of board seats by individual directorss that shared multiple board memberships (multiple interlocks) are an important feature of both infrastructures, detracting from global connectivity (but more so in the Australian case)s and that company structural power may be relatively more diffuse in the US structure than in Australia

Effectiveness of brief intervention and contact for suicide attempters: a randomized controlled trial in five countries

Abstract: Resumen Eficacia de una intervencion de informacion y contactos en los casos de intento de suicidio: ensayo controlado aleatorizado en cinco paises Objetivo Determinar si una intervencion de informacion breve y contactos es una medida eficaz para reducir la mortalidad posterior por suicidio entre quienes han intentado suicidarse en los paises de ingresos bajos y medios.Metodos Un total de 1867 personas que habian intentado suicidarse seleccionadas por personal medico en los servicios de urgencia de ocho hospitales colaboradores en cinco lugares con distinto contexto cultural (Campinas, Brasil; Chennai, India; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Karaj, Republica Islamica del Iran; y Yuncheng, China) participaron entre enero de 2002 y octubre de 2005 en un ensayo controlado aleatorizado para someterse bien al tratamiento habitual, o bien al tratamiento habitual mas una intervencion consistente en una sesion breve de informacion y educacion del paciente y una serie de contactos de seguimiento (I+C). Globalmente, finalizaron el estudio el 91% de los pacientes. La variable principal de medicion del resultado del estudio fue la muerte por suicidio en los 18 meses de seguimiento.Resultados En el grupo sometido a I+C se observo una tasa de defunciones por suicidio significativamente menor que en el grupo tratado de la forma habitual (0,2% frente al 2,2%, respectivamente; c² = 13,83,