Back to Back Theatre’s ‘Ganesh versus the Third Reich’: Politics, representation and response

This panel considers the work of the Australian contemporary performance company Back to Back Theatre within the context of the conference theme of ‘cultural articulations’. We will address the ways in which religious objections to Ganesh versus the Third Reich were entwined with questions about the economic impact of these objections in attempts to censor and control the work. Helena Grehan’s paper will analyse the production Ganesh versus the Third Reich in terms of the ethical, political and social questions the work engenders. Peter Eckersall’s 'Theatre Love' The paper considers some of the possible ways that reading Back to Back’s theatre might respond to the current wave of a politics where opposition is an end in itself, whereas the idea of ‘taking sides’ requires a radical appreciation of the other. The third element is a roundtable discussion/interview with Bruce Gladwin (Director of Back to Back Theatre) and Alice Nash (Executive Producer Back to Back Theatre

Long time scale molecular dynamics using least action

We present here an efficient method for evaluating molecular trajectories over long time scales. The method is based on optimisation of the path action defined by classical mechanics. We test the technique on non-trivial examples drawn from the literature and discuss the effectiveness of this approach in the study of molecular processes. Many of the present techniques for calculating molecular trajectories are limited computationally. Standard forward integration of Newton's equations of motion yields accurate results for a range of systems whose transition times are many orders of magnitude less than most biologically interesting processes. If one wants to extend these calculations to biologically relevant time scales, it is necessary to develop methodologies which avoid this limitation. The process outlined in this paper has been tested on simple systems using harmonic and Lennard--Jones potential energy functions. The algorithm yields stable trajectories and is adjustable to suite available computational resources. In theory, this algorithm is applicable to any molecular system where the initial and final states are known. This could include investigation of chemical reactions, ligand/receptor binding and work cycles of molecular machinery

Exact quantization of a PT-symmetric (reversible) Li\'enard-type nonlinear oscillator

We carry out an exact quantization of a PT symmetric (reversible) Li\'{e}nard type one dimensional nonlinear oscillator both semiclassically and quantum mechanically. The associated time independent classical Hamiltonian is of non-standard type and is invariant under a combined coordinate reflection and time reversal transformation. We use von Roos symmetric ordering procedure to write down the appropriate quantum Hamiltonian. While the quantum problem cannot be tackled in coordinate space, we show how the problem can be successfully solved in momentum space by solving the underlying Schr\"{o}dinger equation therein. We obtain explicitly the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions (in momentum space) and deduce the remarkable result that the spectrum agrees exactly with that of the linear harmonic oscillator, which is also confirmed by a semiclassical modified Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization rule, while the eigenfunctions are completely different.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure, Fast Track Communicatio

Reporting on sustainability and HRM: a comparative study of sustainability reporting practices by the world’s largest companies

As a response to the growing public awareness on the importance of organisational contributions to sustainable development, there is an increased incentive for corporations to report on their sustainability activities. In parallel with this has been the development of ‘Sustainable HRM’ which embraces a growing body of practitioner and academic literature connecting the notions of corporate sustainability to HRM. The aim of this article is to analyse corporate sustainability reporting amongst the world’s largest companies and to assess the HRM aspects of sustainability within these reports in comparison to environmental aspects of sustainable management and whether organisational attributes – principally country-of-origin – influences the reporting of such practices. A focus in this article is the extent to which the reporting of various aspects of sustainability may reflect dominant models of corporate governance in the country in which a company is headquartered. The findings suggest, first and against expectations, that the overall disclosure on HRM-related performance is not lower than that on environmental performance. Second, companies report more on their internal workforce compared to their external workforce. Finally, international differences, in particular those between companies headquartered in liberal market economies and coordinated market economies, are not as apparent as expected

Safety and Feasibility of Long-term Intravenous Sodium Nitrite Infusion in Healthy Volunteers

BACKGROUND: Infusion of sodium nitrite could provide sustained therapeutic concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) for the treatment of a variety of vascular disorders. The study was developed to determine the safety and feasibility of prolonged sodium nitrite infusion. METHODOLOGY: Healthy volunteers, aged 21 to 60 years old, were candidates for the study performed at the National Institutes of Health (NIH; protocol 05-N-0075) between July 2007 and August 2008. All subjects provided written consent to participate. Twelve subjects (5 males, 7 females; mean age, 38.8±9.2 years (range, 21-56 years)) were intravenously infused with increasing doses of sodium nitrite for 48 hours (starting dose at 4.2 µg/kg/hr; maximal dose of 533.8 µg/kg/hr). Clinical, physiologic and laboratory data before, during and after infusion were analyzed. FINDINGS: The maximal tolerated dose for intravenous infusion of sodium nitrite was 267 µg/kg/hr. Dose limiting toxicity occurred at 446 µg/kg/hr. Toxicity included a transient asymptomatic decrease of mean arterial blood pressure (more than 15 mmHg) and/or an asymptomatic increase of methemoglobin level above 5%. Nitrite, nitrate, S-nitrosothiols concentrations in plasma and whole blood increased in all subjects and returned to preinfusion baseline values within 12 hours after cessation of the infusion. The mean half-life of nitrite estimated at maximal tolerated dose was 45.3 minutes for plasma and 51.4 minutes for whole blood. CONCLUSION: Sodium nitrite can be safely infused intravenously at defined concentrations for prolonged intervals. These results should be valuable for developing studies to investigate new NO treatment paradigms for a variety of clinical disorders, including cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage, and ischemia of the heart, liver, kidney and brain, as well as organ transplants, blood-brain barrier modulation and pulmonary hypertension. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov; NCT00103025

Vascular Endothelial Dysfunction in β-Thalassemia Occurs Despite Increased eNOS Expression and Preserved Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Reactivity to NO

The hereditary β-thalassemia major condition requires regular lifelong blood transfusions. Transfusion-related iron overloading has been associated with the onset of cardiovascular complications, including cardiac dysfunction and vascular anomalies. By using an untransfused murine model of β-thalassemia major, we tested the hypothesis that vascular endothelial dysfunction, alterations of arterial structure and of its mechanical properties would occur despite the absence of treatments.Vascular function and structure were evaluated ex vivo. Compared to the controls, endothelium-dependent vasodilation with acetylcholine was blunted in mesenteric resistance arteries of β-thalassemic mice while the endothelium-independent vasodilator (sodium nitroprusside) produced comparable vessel dilation, indicating endothelial cell impairment with preserved smooth muscle cell reactivity to nitric oxide (NO). While these findings suggest a decrease in NO bioavailability, Western blotting showed heightened expression of aortic endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) in β-thalassemia. Vascular remodeling of the common carotid arteries revealed increased medial elastin content. Under isobaric conditions, the carotid arteries of β-thalassemic mice exhibited decreased wall stress and softening due to structural changes of the vessel wall.A complex vasculopathy was identified in untransfused β-thalassemic mice characterized by altered carotid artery structure and endothelial dysfunction of resistance arterioles, likely attributable to reduced NO bioavailability despite enhanced vascular eNOS expression

Control of star formation by supersonic turbulence

Understanding the formation of stars in galaxies is central to much of modern astrophysics. For several decades it has been thought that stellar birth is primarily controlled by the interplay between gravity and magnetostatic support, modulated by ambipolar diffusion. Recently, however, both observational and numerical work has begun to suggest that support by supersonic turbulence rather than magnetic fields controls star formation. In this review we outline a new theory of star formation relying on the control by turbulence. We demonstrate that although supersonic turbulence can provide global support, it nevertheless produces density enhancements that allow local collapse. Inefficient, isolated star formation is a hallmark of turbulent support, while efficient, clustered star formation occurs in its absence. The consequences of this theory are then explored for both local star formation and galactic scale star formation. (ABSTRACT ABBREVIATED)Comment: Invited review for "Reviews of Modern Physics", 87 pages including 28 figures, in pres

The Role of Fibrocytes in Sickle Cell Lung Disease

<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Interstitial lung disease is a frequent complication in sickle cell disease and is characterized by vascular remodeling and interstitial fibrosis. Bone marrow-derived fibrocytes have been shown to contribute to the pathogenesis of other interstitial lung diseases. The goal of this study was to define the contribution of fibrocytes to the pathogenesis of sickle cell lung disease.</p> <h3>Methodology/Principal Findings</h3><p>Fibrocytes were quantified and characterized in subjects with sickle cell disease or healthy controls, and in a model of sickle cell disease, the NY1DD mouse. The role of the chemokine ligand CXCL12 in trafficking of fibrocytes and phenotype of lung disease was examined in the animal model. We found elevated concentration of activated fibrocytes in the peripheral blood of subjects with sickle cell disease, which increased further during vaso-occlusive crises. There was a similar elevations in the numbers and activation phenotype of fibrocytes in the bone marrow, blood, and lungs of the NY1DD mouse, both at baseline and under conditions of hypoxia/re-oxygenation. In both subjects with sickle cell disease and the mouse model, fibrocytes expressed a hierarchy of chemokine receptors, with CXCR4 expressed on most fibrocytes, and CCR2 and CCR7 expressed on a smaller subset of cells. Depletion of the CXCR4 ligand, CXCL12, in the mouse model resulted in a marked reduction of fibrocyte trafficking into the lungs, reduced lung collagen content and improved lung compliance and histology.</p> <h3>Conclusions</h3><p>These data support the notion that activated fibrocytes play a significant role in the pathogenesis of sickle cell lung disease.</p> </div

Reduced transcription of TCOF1 in adult cells of Treacher Collins syndrome patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) is an autosomal dominant craniofacial disorder caused by frameshift deletions or duplications in the <it>TCOF1 </it>gene. These mutations cause premature termination codons, which are predicted to lead to mRNA degradation by nonsense mediated mRNA decay (NMD). Haploinsufficiency of the gene product (treacle) during embryonic development is the proposed molecular mechanism underlying TCS. However, it is still unknown if <it>TCOF1 </it>expression levels are decreased in post-embryonic human cells.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We have estimated <it>TCOF1 </it>transcript levels through real time PCR in mRNA obtained from leucocytes and mesenchymal cells of TCS patients (n = 23) and controls (n = 18). Mutational screening and analysis of NMD were performed by direct sequencing of gDNA and cDNA, respectively.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All the 23 patients had typical clinical features of the syndrome and pathogenic mutations were detected in 19 of them. We demonstrated that the expression level of <it>TCOF1 </it>is 18-31% lower in patients than in controls (<it>p < 0.05</it>), even if we exclude the patients in whom we did not detect the pathogenic mutation. We also observed that the mutant allele is usually less abundant than the wild type one in mesenchymal cells.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This is the first study to report decreased expression levels of <it>TCOF1 </it>in TCS adult human cells, but it is still unknown if this finding is associated to any phenotype in adulthood. In addition, as we demonstrated that alleles harboring the pathogenic mutations have lower expression, we herein corroborate the current hypothesis of NMD of the mutant transcript as the explanation for diminished levels of <it>TCOF1 </it>expression. Further, considering that <it>TCOF1 </it>deficiency in adult cells could be associated to pathologic clinical findings, it will be important to verify if TCS patients have an impairment in adult stem cell properties, as this can reduce the efficiency of plastic surgery results during rehabilitation of these patients.</p