Responding to cyberbullying: the case for family conferencing

Cyberbullying is a form of anti-social conduct which is best understood as an online social relationship problem. Because of our growing understanding of the phenomenon, we can now see that any socio-legal response should envisage, therefore, a relationship solution. This article considers how one diversionary criminal justice process is particularly well suited to responding to incidents of cyberbullying where juveniles are involved yet which are deemed to be sufficiently serious to attract a potential criminal penalty. It explores, specifically, the option of family conferences (facilitated by youth justice co-ordinators) within the South Australian youth court framework. It concludes that both young cyberbullies and young victims of cyberbullying may benefit from alternatives to a retributive justice process, given that the primary focus of family conferencing is the repair of harm and the restoration of relationships.Colette Langos, Rick Sarr

Jagged1 intracellular domain-mediated inhibition of Notch1 signalling regulates cardiac homeostasis in the postnatal heart.

AIMS: Notch1 signalling in the heart is mainly activated via expression of Jagged1 on the surface of cardiomyocytes. Notch controls cardiomyocyte proliferation and differentiation in the developing heart and regulates cardiac remodelling in the stressed adult heart. Besides canonical Notch receptor activation in signal-receiving cells, Notch ligands can also activate Notch receptor-independent responses in signal-sending cells via release of their intracellular domain. We evaluated therefore the importance of Jagged1 (J1) intracellular domain (ICD)-mediated pathways in the postnatal heart. METHODS AND RESULTS: In cardiomyocytes, Jagged1 releases J1ICD, which then translocates into the nucleus and down-regulates Notch transcriptional activity. To study the importance of J1ICD in cardiac homeostasis, we generated transgenic mice expressing a tamoxifen-inducible form of J1ICD, specifically in cardiomyocytes. Using this model, we demonstrate that J1ICD-mediated Notch inhibition diminishes proliferation in the neonatal cardiomyocyte population and promotes maturation. In the neonatal heart, a response via Wnt and Akt pathway activation is elicited as an attempt to compensate for the deficit in cardiomyocyte number resulting from J1ICD activation. In the stressed adult heart, J1ICD activation results in a dramatic reduction of the number of Notch signalling cardiomyocytes, blunts the hypertrophic response, and reduces the number of apoptotic cardiomyocytes. Consistently, this occurs concomitantly with a significant down-regulation of the phosphorylation of the Akt effectors ribosomal S6 protein (S6) and eukaryotic initiation factor 4E binding protein1 (4EBP1) controlling protein synthesis. CONCLUSIONS: Altogether, these data demonstrate the importance of J1ICD in the modulation of physiological and pathological hypertrophy, and reveal the existence of a novel pathway regulating cardiac homeostasis

Catalytic conversion of methanol to larger organic molecules over crystalline forsterite: laboratory study and astrophysical implications

Laboratory catalytic reactions of methanol over heated crystalline silicates (forsterite) lead to the formation of gas-phase olefinic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules, and are of potential importance in astrophysical environments including hot molecular cores, protoplanetary disks and shocks. In our experiments the methanol reagent, together with intermediate and product gas-phase molecular species were detected using time-of-flight mass-spectrometry (TOF-MS). A solid deposited on the crystalline forsterite surface was examined subsequently using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and thermal gravimetric techniques and found to comprise amorphous and graphitic carbon. The chemical players in this work – gas-phase methanol, crystalline silicates and PAHs, have been identified spectroscopically in a range of astrophysical environments including young and evolved stars, protoplanetary disks, comets, captured dust particles and meteorites. It is envisaged that reactions on bare dust grains as studied here both experimentally and theoretically through DFT calculations, can have implications for chemical transformations and conversions, in forming PAH molecules and potentially in the synthesis of prebiotic molecules

Detection of diffuse interstellar bands in M31

We investigate the diffuse interstellar band (DIB) spectrum in the interstellar medium of M31. The DEIMOS spectrograph of the W. M. Keck observatory was used to make optical spectroscopic observations of two supergiant stars, MAG 63885 and MAG 70817, in the vicinity of the OB78 association in M31 where the metallicity is approximately equal to solar. The 5780, 5797, 6203, 6283 and 6613 DIBs are detected in both sightlines at velocities matching the M31 interstellar Na I absorption. The spectra are classified and interstellar reddenings are derived for both stars. Diffuse interstellar band (DIB) equivalent widths and radial velocities are presented. The spectrum of DIBs observed in M31 towards MAG 63885 is found to be similar to that observed in the Milky Way. Towards MAG 70817 the DIB equivalent widths per unit reddening are about three times the Galactic average. Compared to observations elsewhere in the Universe, relative to reddening the M31 ISM in the vicinity of OB78 is apparently a highly favourable environment for the formation of DIB carriers

The Notch pathway controls fibrotic and regenerative repair in the adult heart.

AIMS: In the adult heart, Notch signalling regulates the response to injury. Notch inhibition leads to increased cardiomyocyte apoptosis, and exacerbates the development of cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis. The role of Notch in the mesenchymal stromal cell fraction, which contains cardiac fibroblasts and cardiac precursor cells, is, however, largely unknown. In the present study, we evaluate, therefore, whether forced activation of the Notch pathway in mesenchymal stromal cells regulates pathological cardiac remodelling. METHODS AND RESULTS: We generated transgenic mice overexpressing the Notch ligand Jagged1 on the surface of cardiomyocytes to activate Notch signalling in adjacent myocyte and non-myocyte cells. In neonatal transgenic mice, activated Notch sustained cardiac precursor and myocyte proliferation after birth, and led to increased numbers of cardiac myocytes in adult mice. In the adult heart under pressure overload, Notch inhibited the development of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and transforming growth factor-β/connective tissue growth factor-mediated cardiac fibrosis. Most importantly, Notch activation in the stressed adult heart reduced the proliferation of myofibroblasts and stimulated the expansion of stem cell antigen-1-positive cells, and in particular of Nkx2.5-positive cardiac precursor cells. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that Notch is pivotal in the healing process of the injured heart. Specifically, Notch regulates key cellular mechanisms in the mesenchymal stromal cell population, and thereby controls the balance between fibrotic and regenerative repair in the adult heart. Altogether, these findings indicate that Notch represents a unique therapeutic target for inducing regeneration in the adult heart via mobilization of cardiac precursor cells

A southern hemisphere survey of the 5780 and 6284 {\AA} diffuse interstellar bands: correlation with the extinction

We present a new database of 5780.5 and 6283.8 {\AA} DIB measurements and also study their correlation with the reddening. The database is based on high-resolution, high-quality spectra of early-type nearby stars located in the southern hemisphere at an average distance of 300 pc. Equivalent widths of the two DIBs were determined by means of a realistic continuum fitting and synthetic atmospheric transmissions. For all stars that possess a precise measurement of their color excess, we compare the DIBs and the extinction. We find average linear relationships of the DIBS and the color excess that agree well with those of a previous survey of northern hemisphere stars closer than 550 pc. This similarity shows that there is no significant spatial dependence of the average relationship in the solar neighborhood within $\simeq$ 600 pc. A noticeably different result is our higher degree of correlation of the two DIBs with the extinction. We demonstrate that it is simply due to the lower temperature and intrinsic luminosity of our targets. Using cooler target stars reduces the number of outliers, especially for nearby stars, confirming that the radiation field of UV bright stars has a significant influence on the DIB strength. We have used the cleanest data to compute updated DIB shapes.Comment: Astronomy & Astrophysics (in press

Detection of C5N- and vibrationally excited C6H in IRC +10216

We report the detection in the envelope of the C-rich star IRC +10216 of four series of lines with harmonically related frequencies: B1389, B1390, B1394 and B1401. The four series must arise from linear molecules with mass and size close to those of C6H and C5N. Three of the series have half-integer rotational quantum numbers; we assign them to the 2Delta and 2Sigma vibronic states of C6H in its lowest (v_11) bending mode. The fourth series, B1389, has integer J with no evidence of fine or hyperfine structure; it has a rotational constant of 1388.860(2) MHz and a centrifugal distortion constant of 33(1) Hz; it is almost certainly the C5N- anion.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

Resveratrol Reverses Endothelial Colony-Forming Cell Dysfunction in Adulthood in a Rat Model of Intrauterine Growth Restriction.

Individuals born after intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) are at risk of developing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Endothelial dysfunction plays a role in the pathogenesis of CVDs; and endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) have been identified as key factors in endothelial repair. In a rat model of IUGR induced by a maternal low-protein diet, we observed an altered functionality of ECFCs in 6-month-old males, which was associated with arterial hypertension related to oxidative stress and stress-induced premature senescence (SIPS). Resveratrol (R), a polyphenol compound, was found to improve cardiovascular function. In this study, we investigated whether resveratrol could reverse ECFC dysfunctions in the IUGR group. ECFCs were isolated from IUGR and control (CTRL) males and were treated with R (1 μM) or dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) for 48 h. In the IUGR-ECFCs, R increased proliferation (5'-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation, p < 0.001) and improved capillary-like outgrowth sprout formation (in Matrigel), nitric oxide (NO) production (fluorescent dye, p < 0.01), and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression (immunofluorescence, p < 0.001). In addition, R decreased oxidative stress with reduced superoxide anion production (fluorescent dye, p < 0.001); increased Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase expression (Western blot, p < 0.05); and reversed SIPS with decreased beta-galactosidase activity (p < 0.001), and decreased p16 <sup>ink4a</sup> (p < 0.05) and increased Sirtuin-1 (p < 0.05) expressions (Western blot). No effects of R were observed in the CTRL-ECFCs. These results suggest that R reverses long-term ECFC dysfunctions related to IUGR