In vivo analysis of NHPX reveals a novel nucleolar localization pathway involving a transient accumulation in splicing speckles

The NHPX protein is a nucleolar factor that binds directly to a conserved RNA target sequence found in nucleolar box C/D snoRNAs and in U4 snRNA. Using enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP)– and enhanced cyan fluorescent protein–NHPX fusions, we show here that NHPX is specifically accumulated in both nucleoli and Cajal bodies (CBs) in vivo. The fusion proteins display identical localization patterns and RNA binding specificities to the endogenous NHPX. Analysis of a HeLa cell line stably expressing EYFP–NHPX showed that the nucleolar accumulation of NHPX was preceded by its transient accumulation in splicing speckles. Only newly expressed NHPX accumulated in speckles, and the nucleolar pool of NHPX did not interchange with the pool in speckles, consistent with a unidirectional pathway. The transient accumulation of NHPX in speckles prior to nucleoli was observed in multiple cell lines, including primary cells that lack CBs. Inhibitor studies indicated that progression of newly expressed NHPX from speckles to nucleoli was dependent on RNA polymerase II transcription, but not on RNA polymerase I activity. The data show a specific temporal pathway involving the sequential and directed accumulation of NHPX in distinct subnuclear compartments, and define a novel mechanism for nucleolar localization

Small claims, big implications: usability of legal systems in theory and practice

The purposes of this article are many: partly cathartic, educational, persuasive and reflective. It seeks to examine the legal system, profession and discipline through my experience of a Small Claims court case. The perspective I bring to this is multidisciplinary: given my background in Cultural Studies, I am interested in legal practice and how its associated relationships of power are negotiated between practitioners and citizens; as a lecturer in Information Technology, I am intrigued by the usability of systems; and as an academic, I am fascinated by the discursive differences between disciplines. Therefore, this article will examine how the cultural and technical practice of law impacts its usability as a system through my personal experience as a user interacting with the system and its legal practitioners

Telecommunications across borders: refugees' technology use during displacement

This article reports on recent research examining refugees as a particular user group of communication technologies. The term `refugee? refers to all people who are exposed to refugee-type experiences and may include displaced people, asylum seekers and resettled refugees who have been granted residency in Australia. A review of literature has found that refugees as technology users have had very little attention across different disciplines, although the research has shown that technology is key to sustaining emotional wellbeing and precarious connections with family members when displaced. In particular, the telephone is the most critical technology for refugees in terms availability and familiarity. However, the access and affordability of telecommunications services and other technologies during displacement impacts on refugees? adoption and use of technology in the settlement process

Perceived Family Life Quality in Junior Secondary School Students in Hong Kong

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.The present longitudinal study examined perceived family functioning and related socio-demographic correlates from the perspective of adolescents in Hong Kong. Results showed that adolescent perceptions of family functioning based on different indicators gradually deteriorated over time. Regarding the socio-demographic correlates, (a) boys had more favourable perceived family functioning than did girls; (b) adolescents from non-intact families had poorer perceived family functioning than those from intact families; and (c) economically disadvantaged adolescents had poorer perceived family functioning than non-economically disadvantaged adolescents. Results also revealed that adolescents’ perceived family functioning was positively related to positive youth devel- opment. Analyses further indicated that perceived family functioning and positive youth development were concurrently and longitudinally related