Showing papers by "University of Adelaide published in 2001"
TL;DR: Child and adolescent mental health problems are an important public health problem in Australia and the appropriate balance between funding provided for clinical interventions focusing on individual children and families and funding for interventions that focus on populations, requires careful study.
Abstract: Objective: To identify the prevalence of three mental disorders (Depressive Disorder, Conduct Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), the prevalence of mental health problems, the health-related quality of life of those with problems, and patterns of service utilisation of those with and without mental health problems, among 4–17-year-olds in Australia. To identify rates of health-risk behaviours among adolescents with mental health problems.Method: The mental disorders were assessed using the parent-version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version IV. Parents completed the Child Behaviour Checklist to identify mental health problems and standard questionnaires to assess healthrelated quality of life and service use. The Youth Risk Behaviour Questionnaire completed by adolescents was employed to identify health-risk behaviours.Results: Fourteen percent of children and adolescents were identified as having mental health problems. Many of those with mental health problems ha...
913 citations
TL;DR: It is found that the mutation in GABRG2 (encoding the γ2-subunit) abolished in vitro sensitivity to diazepam, raising the possibility that endozepines do in fact exist and have a physiological role in preventing seizures.
Abstract: Epilepsies affect at least 2% of the population at some time in life, and many forms have genetic determinants. We have found a mutation in a gene encoding a GABA(A) receptor subunit in a large family with epilepsy. The two main phenotypes were childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) and febrile seizures (FS). There is a recognized genetic relationship between FS and CAE, yet the two syndromes have different ages of onset, and the physiology of absences and convulsions is distinct. This suggests the mutation has age-dependent effects on different neuronal networks that influence the expression of these clinically distinct, but genetically related, epilepsy phenotypes. We found that the mutation in GABRG2 (encoding the gamma2-subunit) abolished in vitro sensitivity to diazepam, raising the possibility that endozepines do in fact exist and have a physiological role in preventing seizures.
739 citations
TL;DR: The results compared favorably to results obtained when benzyl mercaptan was used as the trapping nucleophile, indicating that phloroglucinol is an effective reagent for this analysis.
Abstract: The analysis of proanthocyanidin cleavage products after acid-catalysis in the presence of excess phloroglucinol was investigated. In the developed analytical method, a solution of 0.1 N HCl in methanol, containing 50 g/L phloroglucinol and 10 g/L ascorbic acid was prepared. The proanthocyanidin of interest was reacted in this solution (5 g/L) at 50 °C for 20 min, and afterward combined with 5 volumes of 40 mM aqueous sodium acetate before analysis by reversed-phase HPLC using an aqueous acetic acid and methanol gradient. This procedure was used to investigate the composition of proanthocyanidins isolated from the seed and skin tissue of Vitis vinifera L. berries. The results compared favorably to results obtained when benzyl mercaptan was used as the trapping nucleophile, indicating that phloroglucinol is an effective reagent for this analysis. Keywords: Proanthocyanidin; tannin; flavan-3-ol; molar absorptivity; Vitis vinifera; grape; phloroglucinol; benzyl mercaptan; thiolysis; yield
716 citations
[...]
TL;DR: Maynard Keynes, the eldest child of John Neville and Florence Ada Keynes, was born into a professional middle-class English household on 5 June 1883 in Cambridge as discussed by the authors, where he was the author of two minor classics, Studies and Exercises in Formal Logic (1884) and The Scope and Method of Political Economy (1891).
Abstract: John Maynard Keynes, the eldest child of John Neville and Florence Ada Keynes, was born into a professional middle-class English household on 5 June 1883 in Cambridge. There were three children, all gifted and destined to make their own mark, but Maynard Keynes excelled. He was his parents’ favourite and modern students of sibling rivalry no doubt could have a field day analysing the consequent impact on his brother, Geoffrey, and sister, Margaret. John Neville was a university lecturer in the Moral Science Tripos when Keynes was born (in the year that Karl Marx died). He was to be the author of two ‘minor classics’, Studies and Exercises in Formal Logic (1884) and The Scope and Method of Political Economy (1891). He was also a colleague of Alfred Marshall, whose pupil Maynard Keynes became. He subsequently became the Registrary of the University, in 1910.
620 citations
TL;DR: The purpose of this review is to integrate previously published knowledge on Zn and apoptosis with current attempts to elucidate the mechanisms of action of this biometal, and examine the cytoprotective functions of Zn which suppress major pathways leading to apoptosis, as well as the more direct influence of ZN on the apoptotic regulators, especially the caspase family of enzymes.
Abstract: In addition to its diverse role in many physiological systems, zinc (Zn) has now been shown to be an important regulator of apoptosis. The purpose of this review is to integrate previously published knowledge on Zn and apoptosis with current attempts to elucidate the mechanisms of action of this biometal. This paper begins with an introduction to apoptosis and then briefly reviews the evidence relating Zn to apoptosis. The major focus of this review is the mechanistic actions of Zn and its candidate intracellular targets. In particular, we examine the cytoprotective functions of Zn which suppress major pathways leading to apoptosis, as well as the more direct influence of Zn on the apoptotic regulators, especially the caspase family of enzymes. These two mechanisms are closely related since a decline in intracellular Zn below a critical threshold level may not only trigger pathways leading to caspase activation but may also facilitate the process by which the caspases are activated. Studies by our laboratory in airway epithelial cells show that Zn is co-localized with the precursor form of caspase-3, mitochondria and microtubules, suggesting this Zn is critically placed to control apoptosis. Further understanding the different pools of Zn and how they interact with apoptotic pathways should have importance in human disease.
426 citations
TL;DR: The use of rotating vane geometries for the measurement of the flow properties of very non-Newtonian liquids has become increasingly popular over the last 20 years as mentioned in this paper, and the particular advantages of the vane geometry are its simplicity of fabrication, ease of cleaning and more than anything else, its elimination of serious wall-slip effects.
Abstract: The use of rotating vane geometries for the measurement of the flow properties of very non-Newtonian liquids has become increasingly popular over the last 20 years. Originally, these geometries were used to measure the apparent yield stresses of inorganic dispersions, but have more recently been used to measure other rheological parameters also. These include the low-strain modulus and the steady-state flow-curves of structured liquids. The particular advantages of the vane geometry are its simplicity of fabrication, ease of cleaning and more than anything else, its elimination of serious wall-slip effects. The development of the vane technique and the theory to go with it, together with its use in various areas are described, where these areas include inorganic colloidal dispersions, foods, bioengineering fermentation broths, etc.
425 citations
TL;DR: The link between resistance, melanism and phenoloxidase activity is examined in Spodoptera larvae and the results strengthen the link between melanisms and disease resistance and implicate the involvement of phenol oxidase.
Abstract: There is growing evidence that insects in high-density populations invest relatively more in pathogen resistance than those in low-density populations (i.e. density-dependent prophylaxis). Such increases in resistance are often accompanied by cuticular melanism, which is characteristic of the high-density form of many phase polyphenic insects. Both melanism and pathogen resistance involve the prophenoloxidase enzyme system. In this paper the link between resistance, melanism and phenoloxidase activity is examined in Spodoptera larvae. In S. exempta, cuticular melanism was positively correlated with phenoloxidase activity in the cuticle, haemolymph and midgut. Melanic S. exempta larvae were found to melanize a greater proportion of eggs of the ectoparasitoid Euplectrus laphygmae than non-melanic larvae, and melanic S. littoralis were more resistant to the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (in S. exempta the association between melanism and fungal resistance was non-signficant). These results strengthen the link between melanism and disease resistance and implicate the involvement of phenoloxidase.
409 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the spectral energy distribution of gamma-ray (γ-ray) loud BL Lac objects typically has a double-humped appearance usually interpreted in terms of synchrotron self-Compton models.
408 citations
TL;DR: It is shown for the first time that a mammalian histone variant, H2A.Z, plays a critical role in early development, and it is concluded that this hist one variant plays a pivotal role in establishing the chromatin structures required for the complex patterns of gene expression essential for normal mammalian development.
388 citations
TL;DR: A gene from the megaplasmid of a LEE-negative O113:H21 STEC strain (98NK2) responsible for an outbreak of HUS encodes an auto-agglutinating adhesin designated Saa, which exhibits a low degree of similarity with YadA of Yersinia enterocolitica and Eib, a recently described phage-encoded immunoglobulin binding protein from E. coli.
Abstract: The capacity of Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) to adhere to the intestinal mucosa undoubtedly contributes to pathogenesis of human disease. The majority of STEC strains isolated from severe cases produce attaching and effacing lesions on the intestinal mucosa, a property mediated by the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) pathogenicity island. This element is not essential for pathogenesis, as some cases of severe disease, including hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), are caused by LEE-negative STEC strains, but the mechanism whereby these adhere to the intestinal mucosa is not understood. We have isolated a gene from the megaplasmid of a LEE-negative O113:H21 STEC strain (98NK2) responsible for an outbreak of HUS, which encodes an auto-agglutinating adhesin designated Saa (STEC autoagglutinating adhesin). Introduction of saa cloned in pBC results in a 9.7-fold increase in adherence of E. coli JM109 to HEp-2 cells and a semilocalized adherence pattern. Mutagenesis of saa in 98NK2, or curing the wild-type strain of its megaplasmid, resulted in a significant reduction in adherence. Homologues of saa were found in several unrelated LEE-negative STEC serotypes, including O48:H21 (strain 94CR) and O91:H21 (strain B2F1), which were also isolated from patients with HUS. Saa exhibits a low degree of similarity (25% amino acid [aa] identity) with YadA of Yersinia enterocolitica and Eib, a recently described phage-encoded immunoglobulin binding protein from E. coli. Saa produced by 98NK2 is 516 aa long and includes four copies of a 37-aa direct repeat sequence. Interestingly, Saa produced by other STEC strains ranges in size from 460 to 534 aa as a consequence of variation in the number of repeats and/or other insertions or deletions immediately proximal to the repeat domain.
378 citations
TL;DR: This work describes how a large number of glycosyltransferases with broad, rather than narrow, substrate specificity can be constrained in order to avoid interfering with other pathways of primary and secondary metabolism.
Abstract: Plants are exposed to a wide range of toxic and bioactive low-molecular-weight molecules from both exogenous and endogenous sources. Glycosylation is one of the primary sedative mechanisms that plants utilise in order to maintain metabolic homeostasis. Recently, a range of glycosyltransferases has been characterized in detail with regard to substrate specificity. The next step in increasing our understanding of the biology of glycosylation will require information regarding the exact role of individual glycosyltransferases in planta, as well as an insight into their potential involvement in metabolon-complexes. Hopefully, this will answer how a large number of glycosyltransferases with broad, rather than narrow, substrate specificity can be constrained in order to avoid interfering with other pathways of primary and secondary metabolism. These and other topics are discussed.
TL;DR: The combined frequency of SCN1A andSCN1B mutations in familial cases of GEFS+ was found to be 17%.
Abstract: Generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus (GEFS+) is a familial epilepsy syndrome characterized by the presence of febrile and afebrile seizures. The first gene, GEFS1, was mapped to chromosome 19q and was identified as the sodium-channel β1-subunit, SCN1B. A second locus on chromosome 2q, GEFS2, was recently identified as the sodium-channel α1-subunit, SCN1A. Single-stranded conformation analysis (SSCA) of SCN1A was performed in 53 unrelated index cases to estimate the frequency of mutations in patients with GEFS+. No mutations were found in 17 isolated cases of GEFS+. Three novel SCN1A mutations—D188V, V1353L, and I1656M—were found in 36 familial cases; of the remaining 33 families, 3 had mutations in SCN1B. On the basis of SSCA, the combined frequency of SCN1A and SCN1B mutations in familial cases of GEFS+ was found to be 17%.
TL;DR: Women with PCOS, particularly those with a high BMI, should be reviewed regularly with respect to IGT or NIDDM, as the frequency of impaired glycaemic control is high, and the rate of conversion from normal glucose tolerance to I GT or NidDM, or from IGT to NID DM is substantial.
Abstract: Background Cross-sectional studies have shown a high frequency of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). However, little is known about the change in glucose tolerance that occurs over a period of several years in women with PCOS. Methods Sixty-seven women with PCOS received a 75 g glucose tolerance test and measurement of lipids at baseline and at follow-up after an average time of 6.2 years. All women followed prospectively had normal glucose tolerance (n = 54) or IGT (n = 13) at the start of the study. Results Change in glycaemic control from baseline was frequent, with 5/54 (9%) of normoglycaemic women at baseline developing IGT and a further 4/54 (8%) moving directly from normoglycaemic to NIDDM. For women with IGT at baseline, 7/13 (54%) had NIDDM at follow-up. Body mass index (BMI) at baseline was an independent significant predictor of adverse change in glycaemic control. Conclusions Women with PCOS, particularly those with a high BMI, should be reviewed regularly with respect to IGT or NIDDM, as the frequency of impaired glycaemic control is high, and that the rate of conversion from normal glucose tolerance to IGT or NIDDM, or from IGT to NIDDM is substantial.
TL;DR: It is confirmed that BMI is associated with CRP, a marker for low-grade systemic inflammation, and it is observed that CRP was lowered in proportion to weight loss.
Abstract: C-reactive protein (CRP) is an inflammatory-response protein that is a strong, independent predictor of cardiovascular mortality. CRP is positively associated with body mass index (BMI). In this study, we investigated the effects of dynamic weight loss on CRP in 83 healthy, obese women (mean BMI, 33.8+/-0.4 kg/m(2); range, 28.2 to 43.8 kg/m(2)). Subjects were placed on very-low-fat, energy-restricted diets (5700 kJ, 15% fat) for 12 weeks. Weight, waist and hip circumferences, plasma lipids, glucose, and CRP were measured at baseline and after 12 weeks. CRP was positively associated with BMI (r=0.281, P=0.01) and waist circumference (r=0.278, P=0.01) but was not related to other atherosclerosis risk factors. BMI was significantly different between groups split above or below the median for CRP (34.8+/-0.6 kg/m(2) vs 33.0+/-0.5 kg/m(2), P=0.02). After 12 weeks, weight loss was 7.9+/-0.3 kg. CRP was significantly decreased by 26% (P<0.001), and a correlation was observed between weight loss and the change in CRP (r=0.309, P=0.005). The variance in the change in CRP was partly explained by initial CRP (13.6%), energy intake (5.4%), and percentage weight loss (4.6%, P=0.001). This study confirms recent observations that BMI is associated with CRP, a marker for low-grade systemic inflammation. Furthermore, we observed that CRP was lowered in proportion to weight loss.
TL;DR: It is demonstrated by mutation analysis and protein sequencing that human STIM2 initiates translation exclusively from a non-AUG start site in vivo, indicating a possible functional interaction between STIM1 and STIM 2.
Abstract: STIM1 (where STIM is stromal interaction molecule) is a candidate tumour suppressor gene that maps to human chromosome 11p15.5, a region implicated in a variety of cancers, particularly embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. STIM1 codes for a transmembrane phosphoprotein whose structure is unrelated to that of any other known proteins. The precise pathway by which STIM1 regulates cell growth is not known. In the present study we screened gene databases for STIM1-related sequences, and have identified and characterized cDNA sequences representing a single gene in humans and other vertebrates, which we have called STIM2. We identified a single STIM homologue in Drosophila melanogaster (D-Stim) and Caenorhabditis elegans, but no homologues in yeast. STIM1, STIM2 and D-Stim have a conserved genomic organization, indicating that the vertebrate family of two STIM genes most probably arose from a single ancestral gene. The three STIM proteins each contain a single SAM (sterile alpha-motif) domain and an unpaired EF hand within the highly conserved extracellular region, and have coiled-coil domains that are conserved in structure and position within the cytoplasmic region. However, the STIM proteins diverge significantly within the C-terminal half of the cytoplasmic domain. Differential levels of phosphorylation appear to account for two molecular mass isoforms (105 and 115 kDa) of STIM2. We demonstrate by mutation analysis and protein sequencing that human STIM2 initiates translation exclusively from a non-AUG start site in vivo. STIM2 is expressed ubiquitously in cell lines, and co-precipitates with STIM1 from cell lysates. This association into oligomers in vivo indicates a possible functional interaction between STIM1 and STIM2. The structural similarities between STIM1, STIM2 and D-STIM suggest conserved biological functions.
TL;DR: It is suggested that host–parasitoid systems are important experimental models for studying how the innate immune system of insects recognizes foreign invaders that are phylogenetically more closely related to their hosts.
Abstract: Recent studies suggest that insects use pattern recognition molecules to distinguish prokaryotic pathogens and fungi from “self” structures. Less understood is how the innate immune system of insects recognizes endoparasitic Hymenoptera and other eukaryotic invaders as foreign. Here we discuss candidate recognition factors and the strategies used by parasitoids to overcome host defense responses. We suggest that host–parasitoid systems are important experimental models for studying how the innate immune system of insects recognizes foreign invaders that are phylogenetically more closely related to their hosts. The strategies used by parasitoids suggest that insects may employ “hidden-self” recognition molecules for attacking foreign objects intruding the open circulatory system. BioEssays 23:344–351, 2001. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
TL;DR: There is evidence to suggest that the intrinsic direct effect of moderate degrees of maternal hypertension is beneficial to the fetus, and Hydralazine should no longer be thought of as the primary drug, most studies show a preference for calcium channel blockers.
TL;DR: The composition of grape skin proanthocyanidins has been determined using the following analytical techniques: elemental analysis, UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, reversed-phase HPLC after acid-catalysis in the presence of excess phloroglucinol, gel permeation chromatography, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), and (13)C NMR.
Abstract: The composition of grape (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Shiraz) skin proanthocyanidins has been determined at different stages of berry development. Beginning approximately 3 weeks after fruit set and concluding at commercial ripeness, the composition of isolated skin proanthocyanidins was determined using the following analytical techniques: elemental analysis, UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, reversed-phase HPLC after acid-catalysis in the presence of excess phloroglucinol, gel permeation chromatography, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), and (13)C NMR. On the basis of these analyses, berry development was correlated with an increase in proanthocyanidin mean degree of polymerization, an increase in the proportion of (-)-epigallocatechin extension subunits, and increases in the level of anthocyanins associated with the proanthocyanidin fraction. Additionally, data acquired from ESI-MS of the isolates following acid-catalysis in the presence of excess phloroglucinol is consistent with pectin-bound proanthocyanidins.
TL;DR: In this article, the influence of initial flow conditions on the passive scalar field of a turbulent free jet issuing from the round nozzle is investigated by a review of the literature and a detailed experimental study.
Abstract: The influence of initial flow conditions on the passive scalar field of a turbulent free jet issuing from the round nozzle is investigated in this paper by a review of the literature and a detailed experimental study. Two sets of distinctly different initial conditions are generated using two nozzle types: a smooth contraction and a long straight pipe. The present measurements of the passive scalar (temperature) field were conducted in a slightly heated air jet from each nozzle at a Reynolds number of 16 000 using identical experimental facilities and a single measurement technique. Significant differences between the flows from the two nozzles are revealed throughout the measured flow region which covers the axial range from 0 to 70 jet exit diameters. The study suggests that the differences observed in the statistics of the scalar field may be related to differences in the underlying turbulence structure of the jet in the near field. The present findings support the analytical result of George (1989) that the entire flow is influenced by the initial conditions, resulting in a variety of self-similar states in the far field.
TL;DR: A mutation of the beta2 subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit is described, effecting a V287M substitution within the M2 domain of CHRNB2, associated with ADNFLE in a Scottish family.
Abstract: Autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (ADNFLE) is an uncommon, idiopathic partial epilepsy characterized by clusters of motor seizures occurring in sleep We describe a mutation of the β2 subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, effecting a V287M substitution within the M2 domain The mutation, in an evolutionary conserved region of CHRNB2, is associated with ADNFLE in a Scottish family Functional receptors with the V287M mutation are highly expressed in Xenopus oocytes and characterized by an ∼10-fold increase in acetylcholine sensitivity CHRNB2 is a new gene for idiopathic epilepsy, the second acetylcholine receptor subunit implicated in ADNFLE
01 Jan 2001
TL;DR: In this paper, it was shown that for any staple so far studied, the intake of iron, calcium and zinc from cereals can be doubled, and the content/intake of essential carotenoids can be increased by much greater factors.
Abstract: Extensive genetic variation within large species such as the major cereals can be confidently expected for any new trait of interest. This has now been extensively demonstrated for the nutrient content of cereal grains that is of interest under deficient conditions both to human nutritionists and to cereal agronomists. As cereals are eaten in large quantity by practically everyone, they are the ideal vehicles for changing the balance of nutrient intake of the whole human population. Doing so appears to be necessary as the World Health Organization has identified deficient micronutrient intake in well over half of all people globally, notably women and children. Of major concern are iron, zinc, selenium iodine, calcium and vitamin A-related carotenoids. Our results show that for any staple so far studied, the intake of iron, calcium and zinc from cereals can be doubled, and the content/intake of essential carotenoids can be increased by much greater factors. To prove to rigid scientific standards that greater intake results in greater absorption and measurable health benefits is quite difficult, but it is currently being pursued in various ways. This proof of bioavailability is all that impedes implementation in breeding programs.
TL;DR: In this paper, two distinct unsteady friction models, the Zielke and the Brunone models, are investigated in detail, and the two models are incorporated into the method of characteristics water hammer algorithm.
Abstract: This paper reviews a number of unsteady friction models for transient pipe flow. Two distinct unsteady friction models, the Zielke and the Brunone models, are investigated in detail. The Zielke model, originally developed for transient laminar flow, has been selected to verify its effectiveness for "low Reynolds number" transient turbulent flow. The Brunone model combines local inertia and wall friction unsteadiness. This model is verified using the Vardy's analytically deduced shear decay coefficient C ∗ to predict the Brunone's friction coefficient k rather than use the traditional trial and error method for estimating k. The two unsteady friction models have been incorporated into the method of characteristics water hammer algorithm. Numerical results from the quasi-steady friction model and the Zielke and the Brunone unsteady friction models are compared with results of laboratory measurements for water hammer cases with laminar and low Reynolds number turbulent flows. Conclusions about the range of v...
TL;DR: Although responding to changes in plasma methadone concentration, maintenance patients are markedly hyperalgesic to pain induced by the cold pressor test, determined by the nature of the nociceptive stimulus.
Abstract: Opioid substitution treatment for dependence may alter sensitivity to pain. Previous studies on pain sensitivity in methadone maintenance patients have yielded contradictory results. This study compared nociceptive responses between 16 patients on stable, once daily, doses of methadone and 16 matched control subjects. Two types of nociceptive stimuli were used: (1) electrical stimulation; and (2) a cold pressor test. Two parameters were measured: detection for onset of pain, and pain tolerance. Methadone patients were tested over an inter-dosing period: at the time of trough plasma methadone concentration (0 h), and 3 h after their daily dose. Control subjects were tested twice 3 h apart. Blood samples were collected to determine plasma methadone concentration. In methadone patients, trough to peak increases in mean R-(-)- and S-(+)-methadone concentrations (118 and 138 ng/ml to 185 and 259 ng/ml, respectively) resulted in significant increases in pain detection and tolerance values for both nociceptive stimuli. Using electrical stimulation, methadone patients' pain tolerance values were lower than controls at 0 h, but higher than controls at 3 h; no significant differences in pain detection values were found. For the cold pressor test, methadone patients detected pain significantly earlier than controls at 0 h, and were also substantially less pain tolerant than controls at both 0 and 3 h. There were no significant differences in pain detection values between the two groups at 3 h. Pain tolerance to pain detection ratios for methadone patients were significantly lower than controls for the cold pressor test at 0 and 3 h, and for electrical stimulation at 0 h only. In summary, the relative pain sensitivity of methadone maintenance patients is determined by the nature of the nociceptive stimulus (e.g. cold pressor test versus electrical stimulation), the plasma methadone concentration (trough versus peak plasma concentration), and whether thresholds are determined for detection of pain or pain tolerance. Although responding to changes in plasma methadone concentration, maintenance patients are markedly hyperalgesic to pain induced by the cold pressor test.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the performance of three sponsors of the 1998 Adelaide Festival of the Arts and found conclusively that their effectiveness is directly related to the degree to which the sponsors are willing to leverage their investment with additional advertising and promotional activities and expenditure.
Abstract: Using an experimental approach, the returns achieved by three sponsors of the 1998 Adelaide Festival of the Arts are examined. Using a before-and-after design with a control group, a mail survey measured the change in attitudes to, and awareness of, three particular sponsors and their sponsorship efforts, by members of the audience who attended one of these sponsored events, and corresponding results for a non-attending control group. Results showed conclusively that sponsorship effectiveness is directly related to the degree to which the sponsors are willing to leverage their investment with additional advertising and promotional activities and expenditure.
TL;DR: It is documented that genetically engineered plants are able to synthesize and store large amounts of new natural products and the presence of dhurrin in the transgenic A. thaliana plants confers resistance to the flea beetle.
Abstract: The entire pathway for synthesis of the tyrosine-derived cyanogenic glucoside dhurrin has been transferred from Sorghum bicolor to Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we document that genetically engineered plants are able to synthesize and store large amounts of new natural products. The presence of dhurrin in the transgenic A. thaliana plants confers resistance to the flea beetle Phyllotreta nemorum, which is a natural pest of other members of the crucifer group, demonstrating the potential utility of cyanogenic glucosides in plant defense.
TL;DR: Although the intestinal mucosa of the Steggles × Ross (F 1 ) strain of broiler chickens reared on a commercial starter diet was structurally developed at hatch, there was much change in structure with age, especially over the first 7 d post hatch.
Abstract: 1. A study was conducted on the pattern of development of the intestinal mucosa of the Steggles x Ross (F1) strain of broiler chickens reared on a commercial starter diet. The mechanisms underlying the structural changes were also assessed. 2. In relation to body weight, small intestinal weight peaked at 7 d of age and declined subsequently. There was also a reduction in the relative weights of the gizzard and yolk sac with age. The length of the small intestine and its regions increased with age. 3. Crypt depth increased with age in the duodenum and jejunum while villus height increased significantly with age in all three regions of the small intestine. There were also significant changes in apparent villus surface area in the three regions, while interactions between age and intestinal region were significant in the case of crypt depth and villus height. 4. There were significant differences between the age groups in the mucosal protein content of jejunal and ileal homogenates, both tending to peak at 7 d of age. The DNA content of the intestinal mucosa declined with age in the three regions of the small intestine. While there was an increase in RNA content in the duodenum and ileum, there was a reduction in the jejunum. 5. Protein: DNA ratio increased between hatch and 21 d of age in all intestinal regions. Protein: RNA ratio decreased with age in the duodenum and ileum but increased in the jejunum. There were significant increases in RNA: DNA ratio in the duodenum and ileum but no changes were observed in the jejunum. The interactions between age and intestinal region were significant for all biochemical indices assessed. 6. At all ages, enterocyte proliferation at the jejunum was completed and quantifiable within 1 h of administration of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrDU). Subsequent assessment revealed an increase in crypt column count and number of BrDU-labelled cells. The rate of cell migration increased with age while there was a decline in the distance migrated in proportion to mucosal depth. The estimated life-span of enterocytes and time spent by enterocytes in the crypt varied with age. In d-old and 7-d-old chicks, migration was complete or nearly complete within 96 h of cell birth. 7. Although the intestinal mucosa of the strain was structurally developed at hatch, there was much change in structure with age, especially over the first 7 d post hatch. The rate of development was most rapid in the jejunum but the other regions are also important, on account of villus height or relative length of the region.
TL;DR: The highly significant positive correlations of aromaticity of SOM and Koc values of carbaryl and phosalone revealed that the aromatic component of SOM is a good predictor of a soil's ability to bind such nonionic pesticides.
Abstract: The structural composition of soil organic matter (SOM) was determined in twenty-seven soils with different vegetation from several ecological zones of Australia and Pakistan using solid-state CPMAS 13C NMR. The SOM was characterized using carbon types derived from the NMR spectra. Relationships were determined between Koc (sorption per unit organic C) of carbaryl(1-naphthylmethylcarbamate) and phosalone (S-6-chloro-2,3-dihydro-2-oxobenzoxazol-3-ylmethyl O,O-diethyl phosphorodithioate) and the nature of organic matter in the soils. Substantial variations were revealed in the structural composition of organic matter in the soils studied. The variations in Koc values of the pesticides observed for the soils could be explained only when variations in the aromatic components of SOM were taken into consideration. The highly significant positive correlations of aromaticity of SOM and Koc values of carbaryl and phosalone revealed that the aromatic component of SOM is a good predictor of a soil's ability to bind such nonionic pesticides.
TL;DR: The causes and distribution of anthropogenic salinisation, the salinization of freshwater lakes, rivers and streams, and increases in the salinity of large, permanent saline lakes are discussed in this paper.
Abstract: Many inland waters are becoming more saline from human activities, particularly in semi-arid and arid regions. The causes and distribution of anthropogenic salinisation, the salinisation of freshwater lakes, rivers and streams, and increases in the salinity of large, permanent saline lakes are discussed. The impacts of anthropogenic salinisation are far-reaching, increasing, deleterious and largely irreparable. Environmental, social and environmental costs are high. Attention is drawn to the importance of anthropogenic salinisation and its impacts. The need for better recognition of the costs of salinisation and for more effective management is stressed.