Biological characteristics and mortality of western butterfish (Pentapodus vitta), an abundant bycatch species of prawn trawling and recreational fishing in a large subtropical embayment

The western butterfish (Pentapodus vitta) is numerous in the bycatch of prawn trawling and recreational fishing in Shark Bay, Western Australia. We have thus determined crucial aspects of its biological characteristics and the potential impact of fishing on its abundance within this large subtropical marine embayment. Although both sexes attained a maximum age of 8 years, males grow more rapidly and to a larger size. Maturity is attained at the end of the first year of life and spawning occurs between October and January. The use of a Bayesian approach to combine independent estimates for total mortality, Z, and natural mortality, M, yielded slightly higher point estimates for Z than M. This result indicates that P. vitta is lightly impacted by fishing. It is relevant that, potentially, the individuals can spawn twice before recruitment into the fishery and that 73% of recreationally caught individuals are returned live to the water

Agouti C57BL/6N embryonic stem cells for mouse genetic resources.

We report the characterization of a highly germline competent C57BL/6N mouse embryonic stem cell line, JM8. To simplify breeding schemes, the dominant agouti coat color gene was restored in JM8 cells by targeted repair of the C57BL/6 nonagouti mutation. These cells provide a robust foundation for large-scale mouse knockout programs that aim to provide a public resource of targeted mutations in the C57BL/6 genetic background

Review of Engaging Education: Developing Emotional Literacy, Equity and Co-education. Brian Matthews. (Book Review)

The book is only about a fraction of its title Engaging Education. His section on ‘engaging the emotions’ sums this up: whereas the book is largely about engaging the emotions positively, the definition of ‘Engaging’ is more far reaching: “that pupils should be involved in their learning; be active and absorbed and not just passive recipients of a set curriculum. Additionally, they should feel engaged in the processes of education and have some input into creating their own agendas for learning” (p.2). Exploring the full impact of this statement across the curriculum really needs a different book

RNA polymerase mapping during stress responses reveals widespread nonproductive transcription in yeast

BACKGROUND: The use of genome-wide RNA abundance profiling by microarrays and deep sequencing has spurred a revolution in our understanding of transcriptional control. However, changes in mRNA abundance reflect the combined effect of changes in RNA production, processing, and degradation, and thus, mRNA levels provide an occluded view of transcriptional regulation. RESULTS: To partially disentangle these issues, we carry out genome-wide RNA polymerase II (PolII) localization profiling in budding yeast in two different stress response time courses. While mRNA changes largely reflect changes in transcription, there remains a great deal of variation in mRNA levels that is not accounted for by changes in PolII abundance. We find that genes exhibiting \u27excess\u27 mRNA produced per PolII are enriched for those with overlapping cryptic transcripts, indicating a pervasive role for nonproductive or regulatory transcription in control of gene expression. Finally, we characterize changes in PolII localization when PolII is genetically inactivated using the rpb1-1 temperature-sensitive mutation. We find that PolII is lost from chromatin after roughly an hour at the restrictive temperature, and that there is a great deal of variability in the rate of PolII loss at different loci. CONCLUSIONS: Together, these results provide a global perspective on the relationship between PolII and mRNA production in budding yeast

INTEGRAL IGR J18135-1751=HESS J1813-178: A new cosmic high energy accelerator from keV to TeV

We report the discovery of a soft gamma ray source, namely IGR J18135-1751, detected with the IBIS imager on board the INTEGRAL satellite. The source is persistent and has a 20-100 keV luminosity of $\sim$5.7 $\times$ 10$^{34}$ erg s$^{-1}$ (assuming a distance of 4kpc). This source is coincident with one of the eight unidentified objects recently reported by the HESS collaboration as part of the first TeV survey of the inner part of the Galaxy. Two of these new sources found along the Galactic plane, HESS J1813-178 and HESS J1614-518, have no obvious lower energy counterpart, a fact that motivated the suggestion that they might be dark cosmic ray accelerators. HESS J1813-178 has a strongly absorbed X-ray counterpart, the ASCA source AGPS273.4-17.8, showing a power law spectrum with photon index $\sim$ 1.8 and a total (galactic plus intrinsic) absorption corresponding to N$_H$ $\sim$5 $\times$ 10$^{22}$ cm$^{-2}$. We hypothesize that the source is a pulsar wind nebula embedded in its supernova remnant. The lack of X/gamma-ray variability, the radio morphology and the ASCA spectrum are all compatible with this interpretation. In any case we rule out the hypothesis that HESS J1813-178 belongs to a new class of TeV objects or that it is a cosmic "dark particle" accelerator.Comment: Revised version accepted for publication in ApJ Letters; 12 pages, 3 Figures. Figure 1 printed in low resolutio

Cis-Acting Regulation of Brain-Specific ANK3 Gene Expression by a Genetic Variant Associated with Bipolar Disorder

Several genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for bipolar disorder (BD) have found a strong association of the Ankyrin3 (ANK3) gene. This association spans numerous linked single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a ~250 kb genomic region overlapping ANK3. The associated region encompasses predicted regulatory elements as well as two of six validated alternative first exons, which encode distinct protein domains at the N-terminus of the protein also known as ankyrin-G (AnkG). Using RNA Ligase-Mediated Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends (RLM-RACE) to identify novel transcripts in conjunction with a highly sensitive, exon-specific multiplexed mRNA expression assay, we detected differential regulation of distinct ANK3 transcription start sites (TSSs) and coupling of specific 5’ ends with 3’ mRNA splicing events in post-mortem human brain and human stem cell-derived neural progenitors and neurons. Furthermore, allelic variation at the BD–associated SNP rs1938526 correlated with a significant difference in cerebellar expression of a brain-specific ANK3 transcript. These findings suggest a brain-specific cis-regulatory transcriptional effect of ANK3 may be relevant to BD pathophysiology

Randomised feasibility trial of the helping families programme-modified: an intensive parenting intervention for parents affected by severe personality difficulties.

BACKGROUND: Specialist parenting intervention could improve coexistent parenting and child mental health difficulties of parents affected by severe personality difficulties. OBJECTIVE: Conduct a feasibility trial of Helping Families Programme-Modified (HFP-M), a specialist parenting intervention. DESIGN: Pragmatic, mixed-methods trial, 1:1 random allocation, assessing feasibility, intervention acceptability and outcome estimates. SETTINGS: Two National Health Service health trusts and local authority children's social care. PARTICIPANTS: Parents: (i) primary caregiver, (ii) 18 to 65 years, (iii) severe personality difficulties, (iv) proficient English and (v) capacity for consent. Child: (i) 3 to 11 years, (ii) living with index parent and (iii) significant emotional/behavioural difficulties. INTERVENTION: HFP-M: 16-session home-based intervention using parenting and therapeutic engagement strategies. Usual care: standard care augmented by single psychoeducational parenting session. OUTCOMES: Primary feasibility outcome: participant retention rate. SECONDARY OUTCOMES: (i) rates of recruitment, eligibility and data completion, and (ii) rates of intervention acceptance, completion and alliance (Working Alliance Inventory-Short Revised). Primary clinical outcome: child behaviour (Eyberg Child Behaviour Inventory). SECONDARY OUTCOMES: child mental health (Concerns About My Child, Child Behaviour Checklist-Internalising Scale), parenting (Arnold-O'Leary Parenting Scale, Kansas Parental Satisfaction Scale) and parent mental health (Symptom-Checklist-27). Quantitative data were collected blind to allocation. RESULTS: Findings broadly supported non-diagnostic selection criterion. Of 48 participants recruited, 32 completed post-intervention measures at mean 42 weeks later. Participant retention exceeded a priori rate (HFP-M=18; Usual care=14; 66.7%, 95% CI 51.6% to 79.6%). HFP-M was acceptable, with delivery longer than planned. Usual care had lower alliance rating. Child and parenting outcome effects detected across trial arms with potential HFP-M advantage (effect size range: 0.0 to 1.3). CONCLUSION: HFP-M is an acceptable and potentially effective specialist parenting intervention. A definitive trial is feasible, subject to consideration of recruitment and retention methods, intervention efficiency and comparator condition. Caution is required in interpretation of results due to reduced sample size. No serious adverse events reported. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN14573230

Rates of self-reported delinquency among Western Australian male and female high school students: the malefemale gender gap

The Adapted Self-Report Delinquency Scale (ASDS) was administered to 328 adolescents (174 males and 154 females) from eight high schools in Perth, Western Australia. The ages of the sample ranged from 13 to 17 years. Males reported a greater percentage level of involvement than females in 36 of 40 individual delinquent behaviours comprising the ASDS. A between-subjects multivariate analysis of variance using a Bonferroni adjusted alpha revealed a significant multivariate main effect of gender, F(6, 318) = 3.98, p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.08. No significant main effect of age was evident. Univariate F-tests revealed that males scored significantly higher than females on only one of seven delinquent factors (physical aggression). These data are discussed in light of established evidence showing male predominance in delinquency, recent reports suggesting a male-female gender gap, and theories that have attempted to explain this disparity in offending among males and females