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Organoindium compounds of redox active 1,2‐benzenedithiolate and 2‐amidobenzenethiolate ligands were synthesized and tested for reactivity against mild oxidants. The reaction of Me3In and (NCN)InMe2 [NCN=2,6‐bis(dimethylaminomethy)phenyl] with 3,4‐toluenedithiol (H2tdt) at room temperature afforded [MeIn(tdt)(py)]2 (1) and (NCN)In(tdt) (2), respectively. A similar reaction of Me3In with 2‐aminobenzenethiol (H2abt) in toluene under reflux afforded [MeIn(abt)(py)]2 (3). The reaction of (NCN)InCl2 with one equivalent of Li2(abt) or two equivalents of Li(Habt) afforded the compounds [(NCN)In(abt)]⋅LiCl(thf)2 (4⋅LiCl(thf)2) and (NCN)In(Habt)2 (5), respectively. The X‐ray crystal structures of 1 and 3 are similar and show dimeric structures via μ‐S‐(tdt) and μ‐N‐(abt) ligands, respectively. Compounds 2 and 4 possess similar monomeric structures and tridentate NCN pincer ligands. DFT computational studies have been used to rationalize the observed solid‐state structures and discern the potential reactivity of compounds 1–4 against oxidants. The reaction of 1 and 2 with excess iodine resulted in loss of the 3,4‐toluenedithiolate ligand and the formation of the oligomeric disulfide [tdt]n, while 3 and 4 showed no reactivity under similar conditions. This contrasts the reactivity of previously reported organoindium o‐amidophenolate complexes which undergo oxidative addition of iodine to afford ligand‐centered radical species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecotherms adjust their physiology to environmental temperatures. Long-term exposures to heat or cold typically induce acclimation responses that generate directional, but reversible shifts in thermal tolerance and performance. However, less is known about how short exposure in different life stages will affect the adult phenotype. In the present study, we compared the effects of long-term temperature exposure to 15, 19 and 31 °C with that of brief (16 h) exposure periods at the same temperatures in Drosophila melanogaster eggs, larvae, pupae, or adults, respectively. The acclimation responses are evaluated using activity measurements at 11, 15, 19, 27, 31 and 33 °C and by measuring upper and lower thermal limits ( CTmax and CTmin) in 5-day-old adult males. As expected, long-term cold exposure reduces relative CTmin, whereas long-term heat exposure increases relative CTmax. By contrast, we find little effect on thermal limits when using short-term exposures at different life stages. Long-term exposures to 31 and 15 °C both suppressed activity relative to the 19 °C control, suggesting that development at high and low temperatures may lead to reduced activity later in life. Short-term cold exposure early in development reduces activity in the adult stage, whereas the effects of short-term heat exposure on behaviour are dependent on life stage and test temperature. Together, our results highlight how the thermal sensitivity of the trait measured determines the ability to detect acclimation responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We systematically reviewed quantitative research that compared developmental health or wellbeing outcomes for maltreated children placed in out-of-home care (OoHC) with those cared for in their home. Randomised, quasi-randomised and cohort studies that met detailed criteria were eligible. Study results and bias risk information were extracted by two authors using predefined data fields. Narrative synthesis was used because of the diversity of studies. No randomised studies were found. Thirty-one papers from 11 cohort studies were included. The studies covered 15 developmental health or wellbeing outcomes (63 distinct comparisons). Of 40 significance-tested comparisons, 29 were consistent with no evidence of benefit or harm of OoHC, seven were consistent with harm and four with benefit. Three studies with low risk of selection bias showed no evidence of significant differences, or found worse outcomes for OoHC. Overall, evidence from cohort studies shows limited evidence of improved outcomes, and some evidence of worse outcomes associated with OoHC. These results may be explained by selection bias favouring placement of children likely to have worse outcomes in OoHC rather than in-home care. Further research, including randomised controlled trials and carefully matched data-sets, is needed to determine the effectiveness of OoHC. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Messages Most research has high bias risk, as children who enter OoHC have more disadvantaged backgrounds and higher risk for poor outcomes than other maltreated children., Even allowing for significant bias risk in the studies, there are mixed results for children entering OoHC, and the three highest-quality studies showed no difference or worse outcomes for OoHC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optimal temperature at which an organism grows and develops is commonly correlated with latitude and elevation; however, the maximum temperature for physiological performance often is not. This makes performance at temperatures between the optimum and the maximum of particular interest. Temperature can influence long-term performance (growth and development), as well as short-term performance (heat shock protein) responses differentially. In the present study, two populations of the clouded sulphur butterfly Colias eriphyle Edwards that differ in elevation, thermal regime and optimal and maximum temperatures are studied to quantify their responses to repeated, sub-lethal heat treatments early in development (second instar). Heat treatments accelerate development during the second to fourth instars in both populations initially, although this effect disappears by pupation. Heat treatment decreases pupal mass in the lower elevation population, suggesting that repeated exposure to high temperatures early in development may reduce final size and fecundity in this population. Heat shock protein gene ( hsp70) expression levels in the lower elevation (1633 m a.s.l.) population are highest 24 h after the start of the heat treatment and then the fall to pre-exposure levels by 36-72 h, suggesting a rapid response to stressful temperatures. By contrast, heat treatment has no significant effect on pupal mass in the higher elevation (2347 m a.s.l.) population. This population has higher levels of hsp70 expression overall but constant expression levels, suggesting that the temperature treatments used are insufficient to elicit a heat stress response. Overall, the effects of repeated exposure to sub-lethal high temperatures early in development on growth, final size and gene expression differ between populations that differ in thermal sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid evolution of physiological traits in response to novel thermal environments has rarely been demonstrated in natural populations., We studied the temperature dependence [thermal performance curves (TPCs)] of larval feeding rate for two populations each of Colias eurytheme and Colias eriphyle in North America that occur over a range of elevations and climates. Using historical data for two of the populations, we assessed changes over time in both air temperatures and TPCs for larval feeding., Populations at lower elevations with longer growing seasons had broader TPCs for larval feeding. In contrast, higher elevation populations with shorter growing seasons had higher optimal and maximal temperatures for feeding., Overall mean air temperatures during the growing season showed little change at the two sites, but the frequency of high air temperatures (>28 °C) has increased markedly at both sites over the past 40 years. This climatic shift was associated with increased rates of larval feeding at higher temperatures (>28 °C) in both populations., These results suggest that recent climate warming has led to physiological shifts in the TPCs for larval feeding in this system, indicating that thermal adaptation can occur rapidly in response to changing thermal conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the authors discuss the challenges for the policy and intervention on volatile substance misuse (VSM) in Australia. They describe five matters that require continuing consideration and development including the need for a systematic evaluations of treatments for VSM, efficient integration of policies with welfare services, and provision of a site for harm reduction. Also investigated is the interventions for petrol sniffing in the country's indigenous communities.

Survival of exposure to methylglyoxal (MG) in Gram-negative pathogens is largely dependent upon the operation of the glutathione-dependent glyoxalase system, consisting of two enzymes, GlxI ( gloA) and GlxII ( gloB). In addition, the activation of the KefGB potassium efflux system is maintained closed by glutathione (GSH) and is activated by S-lactoylGSH (SLG), the intermediate formed by GlxI and destroyed by GlxII. Escherichia coli mutants lacking GlxI are known to be extremely sensitive to MG. In this study we demonstrate that a Δ gloB mutant is as tolerant of MG as the parent, despite having the same degree of inhibition of MG detoxification as a Δ gloA strain. Increased expression of GlxII from a multicopy plasmid sensitizes E. coli to MG. Measurement of SLG pools, KefGB activity and cytoplasmic pH shows these parameters to be linked and to be very sensitive to changes in the activity of GlxI and GlxII. The SLG pool determines the activity of KefGB and the degree of acidification of the cytoplasm, which is a major determinant of the sensitivity to electrophiles. The data are discussed in terms of how cell fate is determined by the relative abundance of the enzymes and KefGB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated how dynamic compression induced changes in gene expression, tissue composition, and structural properties of the intervertebral disc using a rat tail model. We hypothesized that daily exposure to dynamic compression for short durations would result in anabolic remodeling with increased matrix protein expression and proteoglycan content, and that increased daily load exposure time and experiment duration would retain these changes but also accumulate changes representative of mild degeneration. Sprague-Dawley rats ( n = 100) were instrumented with an Ilizarov-type device and divided into three dynamic compression (2 week-1.5 h/day, 2 week-8 h/day, 8 week-8 h/day at 1 MPa and 1 Hz) and two sham (2 week, 8 week) groups. Dynamic compression resulted in anabolic remodeling with increased matrix mRNA expression, minimal changes in catabolic genes or disc structure and stiffness, and increased glysosaminoglycans (GAG) content in the nucleus pulposus. Some accumulation of mild degeneration with 8 week-8 h included loss of annulus fibrosus GAG and disc height although 8-week shams also had loss of disc height, water content, and minor structural alterations. We conclude that dynamic compression is consistent with a notion of 'healthy' loading that is able to maintain or promote matrix biosynthesis without substantially disrupting disc structural integrity. A slow accumulation of changes similar to human disc degeneration occurred when dynamic compression was applied for excessive durations, but this degenerative shift was mild when compared to static compression, bending, or other interventions that create greater structural disruption. © 2009 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fusarium species infect cereal crops worldwide and cause the important diseases Fusarium head blight and crown rot in wheat. Fusarium pathogens reduce yield and some species also produce trichothecene mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol (DON), during infection. These toxins play roles in pathogenesis on wheat and have serious health effects if present in grain consumed by humans or animals. In the present study, the response of wheat tissue to DON has been investigated. Infusion of wheat leaves with DON induced hydrogen peroxide production within 6 h followed by cell death within 24 h that was accompanied by DNA laddering, a hallmark of programmed cell death. In addition, real-time PCR analysis revealed that DON treatment rapidly induced transcription of a number of defence genes in a concentration-dependent manner. Co-treatment with DON and the antioxidant ascorbic acid reduced these responses, suggesting their induction may be at least partially mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS), commonly known to be signalling molecules in plants. Wheat defence genes were more highly expressed in wheat stems inoculated with a DON-producing fungal strain than those inoculated with a DON-non-producing mutant, but only at a late stage of infection. Taken together, the results are consistent with a model in which DON production during infection of wheat induces ROS, which on the one hand may stimulate programmed host cell death assisting necrotrophic fungal growth, whereas, on the other hand, the ROS may contribute to the induction of antimicrobial host defences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kinetics of mRNA expression following a single loading event was measured using an in vivo rat tail model. Animals were instrumented and loaded in compression for 1.5 h at 1 MPa and 1 Hz. Real-time RT-PCR was used to measure mRNA levels 0, 8, 24 and 72 h after mechanical stimulation for genes associated with matrix proteins (aggrecan, collagen-I, collagen-II), proteases (MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-13, ADAMTS-4), and their inhibitors (TIMP-1, TIMP-3) in anulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus regions. Baseline mRNA levels were of greatest abundance for matrix proteins and lowest for proteases. The mRNA levels reached maximum levels 24 h following mechanical stimulation for the majority of genes evaluated, but some had maximum levels 8 and 72 h following loading. The mRNA levels returned to baseline levels for all genes in the nucleus 72 h following loading, but the majority of genes in the anulus remained upregulated. Results support a coordinated strategy of relative mRNA expression that varied over time beginning with inhibition of tissue breakdown, followed by synthesis of aggrecan and matrix degrading enzymes, and eventually collagen metabolism days following loading. Consequently, optimal time for tissue harvest for mRNA measurements depends on genes of interest. Results suggest attempts at anabolic remodeling must be given adequate time for metabolic processes and protein synthesis to occur, and that changes in TIMP and MMP levels may have greater potency in affecting structural protein abundance than direct changes in the structural protein messages. Results have important implications for disc remodeling and tissue engineering. © 2008 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 26:579-588, 2008 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The goal of this study was to determine the time-dependent response of the intervertebral disc cells to in vivo dynamic compression. Forty-seven skeletally mature Wistar rats (>12 months old) were instrumented with an Ilizarov-type device spanning caudal disc 8–9. Using a load magnitude (1MPa) and frequency (1.0Hz) that were previously shown to significantly alter mRNA levels in the disc, the effects of 0.5 and 4h of loading were investigated and compared to a sham group and our previous 2h results. Annulus and nucleus tissue of loaded (c8–9) and internal control discs (c6–7 and c10–11) were separately analyzed by real-time RT-PCR for levels of mRNA coding for various anabolic (collagen-1A1, collagen-2A1, aggrecan) and catabolic (MMP-3, MMP-13, ADAMTs-4) proteins. In the annulus, mRNA levels increased for Collagen types I & II, and MMP 3 & 13 with increasing load duration. In contrast, the nucleus had the largest increases in aggrecan, ADAMTs-4, MMP-3 and MMP-13 after 2h of loading, with aggrecan and MMP-13 mRNA levels returning to control values after 4h of loading. Taken in context with our previous studies, we conclude that intervertebral disc cells from the nucleus and annulus have distinct responses to dynamic mechanical compression in vivo with sensitivity to compression magnitude, frequency and duration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The structures of six 1-phenylethylammonium tartrates have been determined and in each of them a distinctive hydrogenbonded anion substructure can be identified. (S)-l-Phenylethylammonium (R,R)-hydrogen tartrate [(I), P21, Z'= 1] contains anion sheets built from a single type of R44(22) ring with cations pendent, via three N-H…O hydrogen bonds, from just one face of the sheet. (S)-l-Phenylethylammonium rac-hydrogen tartrate [(II), P21, Z' = 2] and its enantiomorph (R)-l-phenylethylammonium rac-hydrogen tartrate [(III), P21, Z'= 2] contain anion sheets built from four types of ring, R2²(10), R2²(12), R24(14) and R44(20), and there are cations pendent from both faces of the sheet. The anion substructure in bis[(S)-l-phenylethylammonium] (R,R)-tartrate [(IV), P21, Z' = 1] consists of simple C(5) chains, which are linked into sheets by the cations, while in bis(rac-l-phenylethylammonium) (R,R)-tartrate [(V), P21, Z' = 2] there are anion sheets containing two distinct types of R44(22) ring, with equal numbers of (R) and (S) cations pendent from each face of the anion sheet. Bis[(R)-l-phenylethylammonium] rac-tartrate methanol hemisolvate [(VI), P1, Z' = 4, with 14 independent components in the asymmetric unit] contains anion sheets built from two types of R2²(12) ring and two types of R66(32) ring; half of the cations and half of the methanol molecules are pendent from each face of the sheet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study was to characterize the anabolic and catabolic mRNA response of the disc to dynamic loading to determine if variations in the magnitude and/or frequency of loading could elicit different cellular responses. Sixty-eight Wistar rats were instrumented with an Ilizarov-type device spanning caudal disc 8–9. Seventy-two hours after surgery, animals were anesthetized and loaded at either 1 or 0.2 MPa at a frequency of 1, 0.2 or 0.01 Hz for 2 h (6 groups). The surgical control (Sham) animals underwent anesthesia with no loading. Loaded (c8-9) and internal-control discs (c6-7 and c10-11) were dissected and annulus and nucleus tissue were separately analyzed by real-time RT-PCR for levels of anabolic (collagen-1A1, collagen-2A1, aggrecan) and catabolic (MMP-3, MMP-13, ADAMTs-4) mRNA. In the nucleus, a frequency-dependent response was seen at 1 MPa with anabolic genes stimulated at 0.01 Hz and catabolic genes at 1 Hz. In the annulus all frequencies resulted in significant up-regulation of catabolic mRNA at 1 MPa loading. In general loading at 0.2 MPa or 0.2 Hz had little effect on gene expression. The results suggest that gene expression of the annulus appears to be more dependent on the magnitude of applied stress, while the nucleus is both magnitude- and frequency-dependent. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary The chronological life span of yeast, the survival of stationary (G0 ) cells over time, provides a model for investigating certain of the factors that may influence the aging of non-dividing cells and tissues in higher organisms. This study measured the effects of defined defects in the base excision repair (BER) system for DNA repair on this life span. Stationary yeast survives longer when it is pregrown on respiratory, as compared to fermentative (glucose), media. It is also less susceptible to viability loss as the result of defects in DNA glycosylase/AP lyases (Ogg1p, Ntg1p, Ntg2p), apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonucleases (Apn1p, Apn2p) and monofunctional DNA glycosylase (Mag1p). Whereas single BER glycosylase/AP lyase defects exerted little influence over such optimized G0 survival, this survival was severely shortened with the loss of two or more such enzymes. Equally, the apn1 Δ and apn2 Δ single gene deletes survived as well as the wild type, whereas a apn1 Δapn2 Δ double mutant totally lacking in any AP endonuclease activity survived poorly. Both this shortened G0 survival and the enhanced mutagenicity of apn1 Δapn2 Δ cells were however rescued by the overexpression of either Apn1p or Apn2p. The results highlight the vital importance of BER in the prevention of mutation accumulation and the attainment of the full yeast chronological life span. They also reveal an appreciable overlap in the G0 maintenance functions of the different BER DNA glycosylases and AP endonucleases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Petrol sniffing (and other forms of inhalant misuse) occur within some Aboriginal communities across Australia. However, there is little documented information about the nature and combination of interventions that are most effective in addressing it. This article reviews published and unpublished literature relevant to petrol sniffing in Australian Aboriginal communities. A range of strategies which have been trialled previously are discussed under the categories of primary, secondary and tertiary intervention.We have adopted Zinberg's schema of 'drug', 'set' and 'setting' in theorizing the mix of interventions most likely to reduce petrol sniffing. We argue that interventions should address as many as possible of these factors. Further, while no strategy is likely to succeed without strong support from local community members, governments also have an important role in addressing petrol sniffing. Consistent funding for strategies directly addressing petrol sniffing and co-ordinated government responses to the broader needs of Aboriginal young people and their communities are critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article seeks to advance analyses and responses to conflict prevention and reconstruction in Africa that go beyond state-centric perspectives to include a range of non-state players. Drawing on examples from both Uganda and Canada, it focuses on the activities of NGOs that have ‘partnered’ with state-based actors in various peacekeeping and peace-building operations as well as on the increasingly important role played by think-tanks. The latter have emerged in Africa as major contributors to the proliferating literature on the political economy of violence, an approach that recognizes that African conflict reflects imperatives of production and consumption in relations that juxtapose Africa’s political institutions and cultures with international and global political economies. The article argues that novel forms of ‘security communities’ are emerging from the non-state/state/international partnerships and coalitions that have developed around contemporary issues like ‘blood’ diamonds, small arms, debt and HIV/AIDS, thus drawing attention to connections between conflict and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on a study where the crystal structure of 2,4,6,triisopropylbenzenesulfonamide was solved from X-ray powder diffraction data collected at 120(1)Kelvin using synchrotron radiation and refined by Rietved methods. Solution of a structure by the application of a Monte Carlo method.

In each of 2 experiments, 2 measures were used to assess infants' understanding of the concept of "containment." After being habituated to videotaped episodes of sand being poured into and out of a cylinder, infants saw a "possible" event and then an "impossible" event. Infants who understand containment were expected to look longer at the "impossible" event. In the second test, infants were involved in a game of dropping blocks into a cup. In Experiment 1, 14-month-olds were contrasted with 20-month-olds to establish that the latter but not the former demonstrate an understanding of containment on both tasks. This age effect was obtained. In Experiment 2, we examined whether this understanding could be acquired by 14-months-olds. 50 infants were randomly assigned to 5 training conditions. 1 condition was effective in leading to the development of an understanding of containment: Infants who played with both cans and tubes in their home for 1 month performed in both tests similarly to untrained 20-month-olds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barley leaves infected with powdery mildew fungus (Erysiphe graminis DC. ex Merat f.sp. hordei Marchal) show an accelerated loss of chloroplast photochemical activities and electron transport components, compared to the losses which occur during senescence of non-infected controls. Concentrations of electron carriers and rates of light-saturated photochemical activities were measured at selected times after inoculation, in an endeavour to identify rate-limiting components of the electron transport chain in infected leaves. It has previously been demonstrated that the rate-limiting step in non-infected leaves is the transfer of electrons from PQ to the cyt f/b4 complex. When compared on a fresh weight basis, the concentration of all electron carriers (P700, cyt f. cyt b559H.P.. and the photoreducible pool of PQ). and all photochemical activities (H2O → PS2 → PS1, → H2O → PS2, DONOR → PS1), decreased more rapidly in infected leaves, when compared with non-inoculated controls of the same age, starting from 4 d after inoculation. When expressed on a chlorophyll basis, concentrations of the electron carriers and rates of the photochemical activities were identical for infected and control leaves of the same age. These data suggest that the rate-limiting step of non-cyclic electron transport is the same in both infected and control leaves (PQ → cyt b6/f complex). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sucrose-hydrolyzing activity in mycelium of the wheat stem rust fungus (Puccinia graminis Pers. f.sp. tritici Erikss. & E. Henn.) grown in axenic culture was compared with that in mycelium of Penicillium expansum (Linkex F. S. Gray). In subcellular fractions and permeabilized cells from Pu. graminis, most activity was bound tightly to the cell wall, whereas, in Pe. expansum, the enzyme was soluble and appeared to be located in the periplasmic space. Particulate preparations from mycelium of Pu. graminis hydrolyzed sucrose to a mixture of hexoses with a fructose : glucose ratio of about 0·8; hence the activity was essentially that of an 'invertase' (E.C. 3 . 2. 1. 26, β-D-fructofuranoside fructohydrolase). Despite this slight deficit in fructose, no direct evidence was obtained for fructan transferase activity. By contrast, the enzyme preparation from Pe. expansum exhibited more transferase than hydrolase activity. The wall-bound enzyme from Pu. graminis showed a pH optimum of 5·0 to 5·5, and Km values at pH 5·4 of 3 and 40 mM for sucrose and raffinose, respectively. All attempts to solubilize substantially the wall-bound activity were unsuccessful, even after removal of 63 % of the particulate matter by polysaccharide-degrading enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses a study that assessed the ability of infants to discriminate dynamic, multimodal expressions of emotion. Contemporary studies of discrimination of dynamic expressions; Design of an experiment which is a happy-sad discrimination with voice; Observations on the dynamic expressions of joy and anger at five months of age.

Approximately fifty elementary school children from a Canadian city completed a questionnaire related to their perception of having working mothers. Using the statistical technique of path analysis, it was found that older children, girls, and children who stay alone after school feel more negatively affected by their mothers' employment than younger children, boys, and children who are supervised after school. Children's attitudes about their mothers' employment are influenced by their perception of their mothers' feelings about employment These and other findings indicate that children's perceptions of their mothers' employment should be considered in the research on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assesses the contribution of historian Johann Gustav Droysen on the development of historical hermeneutics in Germany. Introduction of teleology into history; Existence of hermeneutics in nineteenth century; Methodological complexity of hermeneutic.