Review of the National Packaging Covenant

The NSW Nature Conservation Council, with funding from the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation, commissioned the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology, Sydney, to carry out an independent review of the National Packaging Covenant and the National Environmental Protection Measure for Used Packaging Materials (the Covenant systema), in December 2003. This review was intended to evaluate the Covenant system's effectiveness in achieving both its stated objectives and broader environmental and social outcomes, including reduction in generation of packaging waste, specifically reduction in virgin materials used in packaging and a reduction in packaging material disposed to landfill. The National Packaging Covenant (NPC) is a voluntary agreement between industry, the Commonwealth Government, most State Governments and some local governments, to reduce packaging waste. It is supported by a regulatory measure, the National Environmental Protection Measure (NEPM), designed to encourage brand owners to sign the NPC. The NPC came into effect in August 1999 and is due to finish in July 2004. It is currently the subject of three separate reviews, including this one. The principle of a cooperative regulatory framework supported by a regulatory safety net is an appealing one, so there is a strong desire on the part of industry and some government agencies to provide the maximum possible opportunity for the NPC to demonstrate that it has provided benefits. This review has determined that the Covenant system is not an effective instrument for reducing the generation of packaging waste and therefore an alternative policy framework will be needed to achieve this goal. The evaluation is briefly summarised for each of the criteria

Local perspectives on weirs in the Upper Nepean

The Independent Expert Panel of the HawkesburyâNepean River Management Forum commissioned the Institute for Sustainable Futures to conduct research into the values held by river users and community members in relation to the weirs on the Upper Nepean River and concerns they would have with any change to the current situation. The weirs at the centre of this research are Bergins, Thurns, Sharpes and Brownlow Hill. The research questions guiding the project are: What is the nature of the social and economic relationship between people and weirs at a local level In what ways would people want to participate in decisions about the weirs and river management Local people were asked about how they use the weirs, what value they see the weirs having for their community, culture and industry and what concerns there may be about potential changes. The research aims to help the Expert Panel and the Forum make appropriate decisions about potential retention, modification or removal of the weirs and the fishways associated with them. A further aim is to facilitate public participation in the decision-making process. Within any community, there are different individuals and groups with diverse interests and experiences. These differences might result in multiple perspectives between and within groups. To differentiate some of these perspectives, the broader community was divided into four sectors: general public, community groups, identifiable water users such as irrigators and recreational users and Indigenous groups. The general public participants emphasised the aesthetic and leisure value of the river. They appear to identify very strongly with the river, with participants interpreting the existence of the weirs as integral to both the riverâs survival and the ongoing economic survival of the region. The findings indicate that this group view the weirs as an integral part of the river and the river as an integral part of the Camden community

p21-activated kinase signaling in breast cancer

The p21-activated kinases signal through a number of cellular pathways fundamental to growth, differentiation and apoptosis. A wealth of information has accumulated at an impressive pace in the recent past, both with regard to previously identified targets for p21-activated kinases that regulate the actin cytoskeleton and cellular stress pathways and with regard to newly identified targets and their role in cancer. Emerging data also provide new clues towards a previously unappreciated link between these various cellular processes. The present review attempts to provide a quick tutorial to the reader about the evolving significance of p21-activated kinases and small GTPases in breast cancer, using information from mouse models, tissue culture studies, and human materials

The effects of mutant Ras proteins on the cell signalome

The genetic alterations in cancer cells are tightly linked to signaling pathway dysregulation. Ras is a key molecule that controls several tumorigenesis-related processes, and mutations in RAS genes often lead to unbiased intensification of signaling networks that fuel cancer progression. In this article, we review recent studies that describe mutant Ras-regulated signaling routes and their cross-talk. In addition to the two main Ras-driven signaling pathways, i.e., the RAF/MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways, we have also collected emerging data showing the importance of Ras in other signaling pathways, including the RAC/PAK, RalGDS/Ral, and PKC/PLC signaling pathways. Moreover, microRNA-regulated Ras-associated signaling pathways are also discussed to highlight the importance of Ras regulation in cancer. Finally, emerging data show that the signal alterations in specific cell types, such as cancer stem cells, could promote cancer development. Therefore, we also cover the up-to-date findings related to Ras-regulated signal transduction in cancer stem cells. © 2020, The Author(s)

Research on the safety implications of taxi and hire car age limits

In response to recommendations from the review of the Victorian taxi industry, the objective of this project was to evaluate the appropriateness of current taxi and hire car age limits in ensuring safety of the taxi and hire car fleets. The aim was also to identify and analyse all associated issues including safety that the Taxi Services Commission (TSC) should consider in setting age limits for taxis and hire cars into the future. The project used a two phase methodology to meet these objectives. Phase one involved extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders in the taxi and hire car industries to determine issues relevant to the choice and operation of vehicles as taxis and hire cars. The second phase involved extensive analysis of the safety performance of the taxi and hire car fleet including the risk of crash involvement and injury outcomes related to vehicle choice in the event of a crash. The analysis then examined the relationship between these factors, taxi or hire car type and vehicle age. The safety performance was then used to construct an analytical model to test the influence of various scenarios not only for changes in taxi and hire car age limits but also scenarios related to safer vehicle choice and reduced vehicle crash risk related to improvements in driving standards. Finally, the economic worth of each of the scenarios considered was estimated in order to identify the most cost-effective strategies for improving the future safety of the taxi and hire car fleet. Recommendations for future policy on taxi and hire car age limits, vehicle choice and driver focused interventions were made and priorities for further research identified

Targeting Stat3 and Smad7 to restore TGF-beta cytostatic regulation of tumor cells in vitro and in vivo

Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGF-β) and Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) signaling pathways are both independently implicated as key regulators in tumor formation and progression. Here, we report that the tumor-associated overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) desensitizes TGF-β signaling and its cytostatic regulation through specific and persistent Stat3 activation and Smad7 induction in vivo. In human tumor cell lines, reduction of TGF-β-mediated Smad2 phosphorylation, nuclear translocation and Smad3 target gene activation were observed when EGFR was overexpressed, but not in cells that expressed EGFR at normal levels. We identified Stat3, which is activated specifically and persistently by overexpressed EGFR, as a key signaling molecule responsible for the reduced TGF-β sensitivity. Stable knockdown of Stat3 using small hairpin RNA(shRNA) in Head and Neck (HN5) and Epidermoid (A431) tumor cell lines resulted in reduced growth compared with control shRNA-transfected cells when grown as subcutaneous tumor xenografts. Furthermore, xenografts with Stat3 knockdown displayed increased Smad3 transcriptional activity, increased Smad2 phosphorylation and decreased Smad7 expression compared with control xenografts in vivo. Consistently, Smad7 mRNA and protein expression was also significantly reduced when EGFR activity was blocked by a specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor, AG1478, or in Stat3 knockdown tumors. Similarly, Smad7 knockdown also resulted in enhanced Smad3 transcriptional activity in vivo. Importantly, there was no uptake of subcutaneous HN5 xenografts with Smad7 knockdown. Taken together, we demonstrate here that targeting Stat3 or Smad7 for knockdown results in resensitization of TGF-β's cytostatic regulation in vivo. Overall, these results establish EGFR/Stat3/Smad7/TGF-β signaling axis driving tumor growth, which can be targeted therapeutically

Gene expression profiles in acute myeloid leukemia with common translocations using SAGE

Identification of the specific cytogenetic abnormality is one of the critical steps for classification of acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) which influences the selection of appropriate therapy and provides information about disease prognosis. However at present, the genetic complexity of AML is only partially understood. To obtain a comprehensive, unbiased, quantitative measure, we performed serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) on CD15(+) myeloid progenitor cells from 22 AML patients who had four of the most common translocations, namely t(8;21), t(15;17), t(9;11), and inv(16). The quantitative data provide clear evidence that the major change in all these translocation-carrying leukemias is a decrease in expression of the majority of transcripts compared with normal CD15(+) cells. From a total of 1,247,535 SAGE tags, we identified 2,604 transcripts whose expression was significantly altered in these leukemias compared with normal myeloid progenitor cells. The gene ontology of the 1,110 transcripts that matched known genes revealed that each translocation had a uniquely altered profile in various functional categories including regulation of transcription, cell cycle, protein synthesis, and apoptosis. Our global analysis of gene expression of common translocations in AML can focus attention on the function of the genes with altered expression for future biological studies as well as highlight genes/pathways for more specifically targeted therapy