Defending Australia: a history of Australia’s defence white papers

This paper provides a summary of each of Australia’s defence white papers issued between 1976 and 2013 and seeks to draw out common themes that emerge in some or all of them. Executive summary Australia published defence white papers in 1976, 1987, 1994, 2000, 2009 and 2013 and a new white paper is expected in 2015. A community consultation process was undertaken as part of the 2000 and 2009 defence white papers and a similar process is being carried out for the upcoming 2015 defence white paper. The need to defend Australia against a major aggressor remains the primary driver in Australian defence policy. Regional security and contributing to the global order have been secondary, but still important priorities in Australian defence planning. Each of the defence white papers has been created on the basis that Australia should be able to defend itself against a potential aggressor without outside assistance (the principle of self-reliance), while at the same time stressing the importance of the alliance with the United States. Threat perceptions have changed from the Cold War influences reflected in the 1976 and 1987 white papers to a contemporary focus on terrorism while also incorporating emerging threats such as cyber attacks and the rise of China. Defence white papers are not produced in a vacuum but are informed by key reviews of Australia’s strategic situation, industry policy and force posture. Defence policy is subject to the broader economic conditions of the time and the Department of Defence must contend with many other priorities for government funding. The financial plans set out in the various defence white papers are often ambitious and rarely brought to fruition. On the whole, capability choices have displayed continuity between the different white papers regardless of changes in government. This is understandable given the length of time required for major capital equipment acquisitions. Recent white papers have placed a greater emphasis on regional engagement. The contribution of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, as well as to border protection activities, has also been included in the most recent white papers

Next Generation Gene Synthesis by targeted retrieval of bead-immobilized, sequence verified DNA clones from a high throughput pyrosequencing device

The setup of synthetic biological systems involving millions of bases is still limited by the required high quality of synthetic DNA. Important drivers to further open up the field are the accuracy and scale of chemical DNA synthesis and the downstream processing of longer DNA assembled from short fragments. We developed a new, highly parallel and miniaturized method for the preparation of high quality DNA termed “Megacloning” by using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology in a preparative way. We demonstrate our method by processing both conventional and microarray-derived DNA oligonucleotides in combination with a bead-based high throughput pyrosequencing platform, gaining a 500-fold error reduction for microarray oligonucleotides in a first embodiment. We also show the assembly of synthetic genes as part of the Megacloning process. In principle, up to millions of DNA fragments can be sequenced, characterized and sorted in a single Megacloner run, enabling many new applications

The Grizzly, November 9, 1999

Could Ursinus be a Target for Thieves? • Sexual Harassment at Ursinus College • John Street Elected New Mayor of Philadelphia • A Makeover for Ursinus Art on Campus • Egypt Air Flight 990 Disaster • BPS: True Student Living • Grizzly Greeks Rush to Greet New Members • Letter to the Editor: Disrespect of Women on the Ursinus Campus; Ursinus Students Fall Victim to False Sense of Security • Response: Racism • UC Baseball Players Receive Defensive Honors for 1999 Season • Football Stretches Streak to Six, Looks to Dickinson for 7 • Men\u27s Soccer Takes Tough Loss • F&M and Gettysburg in NCAA Tourneyhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1451/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, November 3, 1998

President\u27s Proposal Summons Bears to the Roundtable • Pay...Now or Later • Myrin Security a Necessity • Close of Olin\u27s Open Door Policy • Opinion: Random Rudeness and Senseless Acts of Destruction; Why This Election Matters; College Students: Get Out and Vote! • Group Helps Students Cope with Loss • Kicking the Habit, One Habit at a Time • New Course Tackles The Big Questions • A Night of Jazz • Intercollegiate Choir • Graffiti Tribe Returns • Men\u27s Soccer Dominates Swarthmore • Season High for UC Volleyball • Field Hockey Victorious Over Colgate • UC Swimmers Test the Water • Women\u27s Soccer Season Ends Its Third Year • Football Loses to Muhlenberg in Overtimehttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1427/thumbnail.jp

Mutations impairing GSK3-mediated MAF phosphorylation cause cataract, deafness, intellectual disability, seizures, and a down syndrome-like facies

Transcription factors operate in developmental processes to mediate inductive events and cell competence, and perturbation of their function or regulation can dramatically affect morphogenesis, organogenesis, and growth. We report that a narrow spectrum of amino-acid substitutions within the transactivation domain of the v-maf avian musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene homolog (MAF), a leucine zipper-containing transcription factor of the AP1 superfamily, profoundly affect development. Seven different de novo missense mutations involving conserved residues of the four GSK3 phosphorylation motifs were identified in eight unrelated individuals. The distinctive clinical phenotype, for which we propose the eponym Aymé-Gripp syndrome, is not limited to lens and eye defects as previously reported for MAF/Maf loss of function but includes sensorineural deafness, intellectual disability, seizures, brachycephaly, distinctive flat facial appearance, skeletal anomalies, mammary gland hypoplasia, and reduced growth. Disease-causing mutations were demonstrated to impair proper MAF phosphorylation, ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation, perturbed gene expression in primary skin fibroblasts, and induced neurodevelopmental defects in an in vivo model. Our findings nosologically and clinically delineate a previously poorly understood recognizable multisystem disorder, provide evidence for MAF governing a wider range of developmental programs than previously appreciated, and describe a novel instance of protein dosage effect severely perturbing developmen

The Grizzly, December 8, 1998

Actual Implications of Student Evaluations • Students Debate Greek Life on Campus • Opinion: Letter to the Editor; Greek Life Controversy; Who\u27s Recycling? • Final Exam Schedule • Baseball Coach Discusses Return to Vietnam • New Law Helps College Students Manage Debt • WVOU Benefit a Success • High-Tech Cheating, For a Price • Panelists Square Off on Global Warming • Women\u27s Basketball Setting Their Mark • Men\u27s Basketball Opens League Play With Win • UC Swimming in Full Swinghttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1430/thumbnail.jp

Application of a synthetic human proteome to autoantigen discovery through PhIP-Seq

In this study, we improve on current autoantigen discovery approaches by creating a synthetic representation of the complete human proteome, the T7 “peptidome” phage display library (T7-Pep), and use it to profile the autoantibody repertoires of individual patients. We provide methods for 1) designing and cloning large libraries of DNA microarray-derived oligonucleotides encoding peptides for display on bacteriophage, and 2) analysis of the peptide libraries using high throughput DNA sequencing. We applied phage immunoprecipitation sequencing (PhIP-Seq) to identify both known and novel autoantibodies contained in the spinal fluid of three patients with paraneoplastic neurological syndromes. We also show how our approach can be used more generally to identify peptide-protein interactions and point toward ways in which this technology will be further developed in the future. We envision that PhIP-Seq can become an important new tool in autoantibody analysis, as well as proteomic research in general

The efficacy of vigorous-intensity exercise as an aid to smoking cessation in adults with elevated anxiety sensitivity: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Although cigarette smoking is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States (US), over 40 million adults in the US currently smoke. Quitting smoking is particularly difficult for smokers with certain types of psychological vulnerability. Researchers have frequently called attention to the relation between smoking and anxiety-related states and disorders, and evidence suggests that panic and related anxiety vulnerability factors, specifically anxiety sensitivity (AS or fear of somatic arousal), negatively impact cessation. Accordingly, there is merit to targeting AS among smokers to improve cessation outcome. Aerobic exercise has emerged as a promising aid for smoking cessation for this high-risk (for relapse) group because exercise can effectively reduce AS and other factors predicting smoking relapse (for example, withdrawal, depressed mood, anxiety), and it has shown initial efficacy for smoking cessation. The current manuscript presents the rationale, study design and procedures, and design considerations of the Smoking Termination Enhancement Project (STEP). Methods: STEP is a randomized clinical trial that compares a vigorous-intensity exercise intervention to a health and wellness education intervention as an aid for smoking cessation in adults with elevated AS. One hundred and fifty eligible participants will receive standard treatment (ST) for smoking cessation that includes cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). In addition, participants will be randomly assigned to either an exercise intervention (ST+EX) or a health and wellness education intervention (ST+CTRL). Participants in both arms will meet 3 times a week for 15 weeks, receiving CBT once a week for the first 7 weeks, and 3 supervised exercise or health and wellness education sessions (depending on randomization) per week for the full 15-week intervention. Participants will be asked to set a quit date for 6 weeks after the baseline visit, and smoking cessation outcomes as well as putative mediator variables will be measured up to 6 months following the quit date. Discussion: The primary objective of STEP is to evaluate whether vigorous-intensity exercise can aid smoking cessation in anxiety vulnerable adults. If effective, the use of vigorous-intensity exercise as a component of smoking cessation interventions would have a significant public health impact. Specifically, in addition to improving smoking cessation treatment outcome, exercise is expected to offer benefits to overall health, which may be particularly important for smokers. The study is also designed to test putative mediators of the intervention effects and therefore has the potential to advance the understanding of exercise-anxiety-smoking relations and guide future research on this topic

The Grizzly, October 13, 1998

Drunk Driving Hits the Campus • A Tale of Two Teams • Wismer Lower Library? • As the World Communicates • Friday Night Fights • GALA Makes Changes, Seeks Broader Support • Wellness to Promote Alcohol Awareness • Berman Quilt Exhibit • Sculptures on Campus • Field Hockey Falls to 0-11 • Women\u27s Soccer at .500 • Football Downed at Homecoming • Cross Country Competes in Dickinson Invitational • UC Volleyball Keeps Steady Pace • Faculty Coaches Give New Edge on Footballhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1426/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, November 17, 1998

Bring in the New Year with a New Problem • Airband: Still Searching for a Cause • Update: New Gym • Opinion: Opportunity to Gain a Degree Should be for Everyone • Full-time Students, Part-time Jobs • Is Anyone Listening?: WVOU • Swing Night at Ursinus • Eden Cinema: Paradise • Cross Country Sprints to End • Women\u27s Soccer Season Concludes • Seniors Step-Up on the Volleyball Court • UC Swimming Drops Home Opener • Ursinus Wrestlers Hungry to Regain Title • Field Hockey Struggles Through Rebuilding • UC Football Loses Final Battle of Season • UC Football Players Honored • Donahue and Bailey Represent UChttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1429/thumbnail.jp