Indigenous Rights and Interests in WildCountry in Australia

An interview with Anthony Esposito, National Manager of the Indigenous Engagement Strategy, The Wilderness Society, by Heather Goodall, 22nd January 2007. Based on a paper presented to the Landscapes of Meaning Conference: joint management sessions. 19th October 200

Parallelizing the Cluster Rank Analysis application

A wide range of researchers is beginning to utilize customized statistical methods for analyzing data as hardware and software become cheaper and more widely available. Cluster Rank Analysis (CRA) is an existing multivariate statistical algorithm that existed as an inefficient service-oriented application. Here it is described how CRA was optimized and parallelized using an available computing cluster and both open source and custom software. This was followed by the development of a command-line submission system for CRA jobs, as well as a Web retrieval system for the results of analyses. A subsequent timing study revealed speedup that quickly rose to 15 by the use 35 processors, and should reach a proposed maximum of 19 given over 100 processors. It was found that this speedup was limited primarily by the serial portion of code; the Ethernet communication network was sufficient for this application. By the time that even 10 processors were involved in parallel runs, the average runtime had dropped from over 100 minutes to approximately 15 minutes, before being reduced to 6 minutes by 80 processors. The locations of bottlenecks suggest that further performance increases are possible through additional parallelization. This work with CRA illustrates (1) the speed with which high-performance in-house applications can be developed and (2) the speed and efficiency with which statistical analyses of complex data structures can be carried out given commodity hardware and software resources

Concurrent Validity of the Sahara Portable Bone Sonometer

Osteoporosis is a contemporary health issue in today’s society. Bone mineral density tests have the ability to detect low bone density before a fracture occurs. Presently, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is a common method used to measure bone mineral density. In recent years, quantitative ultrasonography (ultrasound) has been used as a screening device at health fairs and other venues to estimate bone mineral density. The use of ultrasound offers several advantages: it exposes individuals to no radiation, it is inexpensive, and requires less tester skill and oversight than DXA. PURPOSE: To assess the accuracy of calcaneal ultrasound as a bone mineral density screening method compared to total body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. METHODS: A total of 44 men between the ages of 18-25 years (21.6 ± 1.41) completed both a total body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) (GE Lunar) scan and an ultrasound (Hologic Sahara) calcaneus scan in a single visit. Correlation coefficients were calculated to determine the relationship between the two devices. Independent sample t-tests were used to determine if the two devices produced significantly different raw values. Bland-Altman plots were used to visually display agreement between devices. RESULTS: The ultrasound device had a weak relationship to the DXA (r = 0.514, p \u3c 0.01). Comparing the absolute agreement between the two devices, the ultrasound device was consistently conservative. It provided mean values of 0.689g/cm2 less than the DXA. It produced values significantly lower (1.31± 0.13 g/cm2 vs. 0.62 ± 0.14 g/cm2 , p \u3c 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the ultrasound device produced values significantly lower than the values produced by the DXA. Ultrasound should not be used for individuals requiring a high degree of precision in their measurement. It could be useful, however, as a field device in the screening and estimating of bone mineral density

Eukaryotic Polyribosome Profile Analysis

Protein synthesis is a complex cellular process that is regulated at many levels. For example, global translation can be inhibited at the initiation phase or the elongation phase by a variety of cellular stresses such as amino acid starvation or growth factor withdrawal. Alternatively, translation of individual mRNAs can be regulated by mRNA localization or the presence of cognate microRNAs. Studies of protein synthesis frequently utilize polyribosome analysis to shed light on the mechanisms of translation regulation or defects in protein synthesis. In this assay, mRNA/ribosome complexes are isolated from eukaryotic cells. A sucrose density gradient separates mRNAs bound to multiple ribosomes known as polyribosomes from mRNAs bound to a single ribosome or monosome. Fractionation of the gradients allows isolation and quantification of the different ribosomal populations and their associated mRNAs or proteins. Differences in the ratio of polyribosomes to monosomes under defined conditions can be indicative of defects in either translation initiation or elongation/termination. Examination of the mRNAs present in the polyribosome fractions can reveal whether the cohort of individual mRNAs being translated changes with experimental conditions. In addition, ribosome assembly can be monitored by analysis of the small and large ribosomal subunit peaks which are also separated by the gradient. In this video, we present a method for the preparation of crude ribosomal extracts from yeast cells, separation of the extract by sucrose gradient and interpretation of the results. This procedure is readily adaptable to mammalian cells

Treatment of Psoriasis in Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis: An Updated Literature Review Informing the 2021 GRAPPA Treatment Recommendations

Objective. Our aim was to summarize and evaluate the current quality of evidence regarding the efficacy of therapies for cutaneous psoriasis (PsO) in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA).Methods. A literature search of MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library databases, and conference abstracts was conducted to identify interventional randomized controlled trials in patients with PsA between February 2013 and December 2021. Studies were included if PsO outcomes included achieving at least 75% improvement in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index and the blinded comparison period was >= 10 weeks. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology was employed to assess quality of the evidence to inform and update the 2021 Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) treatment recommendations.Results. A total of 116 studies and 36 abstracts identified in the initial search were screened. A total of 37 studies (40 treatment arms) met the criteria for final inclusion. Phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitors, Janus kinase inhibitors, and tyrosine kinase 2 inhibitors, interleukin 17 inhibitors (IL-17i), IL-12/23i, IL-23i, and tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) had high-quality data broadly supporting the efficacy of each class for plaque PsO over placebo. Head-to-head studies with high-quality data supported both IL-17i and IL-23i over TNFi.Conclusion. Several pharmacologic therapeutic classes have high-quality evidence demonstrating efficacy for cutaneous PsO in the PsA population. The findings will be integrated into the 2021 GRAPPA treatment recommendations, intended to guide selection of a therapeutic class where efficacy in 1 or more cutaneous or musculoskeletal domains is required

A strongly magnetized pulsar within the grasp of the milky way’s supermassive black hole

The center of our Galaxy hosts a supermassive black hole, Sagittarius (Sgr) A∗. Young, massive stars within 0.5 pc of Sgr A∗ are evidence of an episode of intense star formation near the black hole a few million years ago, which might have left behind a young neutron star traveling deep into Sgr A∗’s gravitational potential. On 2013 April 25, a short X-ray burst was observed from the direction of the Galactic center. With a series of observations with the Chandra and the Swift satellites, we pinpoint the associated magnetar at an angular distance of 2.4±0.3 arcsec from Sgr A∗, and refine the source spin period and its derivative (P = 3.7635537(2) s and ˙ P = 6.61(4) × 10−12 s s−1), confirmed by quasi simultaneous radio observations performed with the Green Bank Telescope and Parkes Radio Telescope, which also constrain a dispersion measure of DM = 1750 ± 50 pc cm−3, the highest ever observed for a radio pulsar. We have found that this X-ray source is a young magnetar at ≈0.07–2 pc from Sgr A∗. Simulations of its possible motion around Sgr A∗ show that it is likely (∼90% probability) in a bound orbit around the black hole. The radiation front produced by the past activity from the magnetar passing through the molecular clouds surrounding the Galactic center region might be responsible for a large fraction of the light echoes observed in the Fe fluorescence features.We acknowledge support by grants AYA 2012-39303, SGR2009-811, iLINK 2011-0303, AYA 2010-21097-C03-02, Prometeo 2009/103, AYA2010-17631, P08-TIC-4075, INAF 2010 PRIN grant, Chandra Awards GO2-13076X, G03-14060X, GO3-14099X and G03-14121X, and an EU Marie Curie IEF (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IEF-331095)

The effects of antimicrobials and lipopolysaccharide on acute immune responsivity in pubertal male and female CD1 mice

Exposure to stress during critical periods of development—such as puberty—is associated with long-term disruptions in brain function and neuro-immune responsivity. However, the mechanisms underlying the effect of stress on the pubertal neuro-immune response has yet to be elucidated. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to investigate the effect antimicrobial and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatments on acute immune responsivity in pubertal male and female mice. Moreover, the potential for probiotic supplementation to mitigate these effects was also examined. 240 male and female CD1 mice were treated with one week of antimicrobial treatment (mixed antimicrobials or water) and probiotic treatment (L. rhamnosis R0011 and L. helveticus R0052 or L. helveticus R0052 and B. longum R0175) or placebo at five weeks of age. At six weeks of age (pubertal stress-sensitive period), the mice received a single injection of LPS or saline. Sickness behaviours were assessed, and mice were euthanized eight hours post-injection. Brain, blood, and intestinal samples were collected. The results indicated that the antimicrobial treatment reduced sickness behaviours, and potentiated LPS-induced plasma cytokine concentrations and pro-inflammatory markers in the pre-frontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus, in a sex-dependent manner. However, probiotics reduced LPS-induced plasma cytokine concentrations along with hippocampal and PFC pro-inflammatory markers in a sex-dependent manner. L. rhamnosis R0011 and L. helveticus R0052 treatment also mitigated antimicrobial-induced plasma cytokine concentrations and sickness behaviours. These findings suggest that the microbiome is an important modulator of the pro-inflammatory immune response during puberty