Life Sciences Commons^™

Bryophyte Species Composition Over Moisture Gradients In The Windmill Islands, East Antarctica: Development Of A Baseline For Monitoring Climate Change Impacts, J Wasley, S A. Robinson, J D. Turnbull, D H. King, W Wanek, M Popp

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Extreme environmental conditions prevail on the Antarctic continent and limit plant diversity to cryptogamic communities, dominated by bryophytes and lichens. Even small abiotic shifts, associated with climate change, are likely to have pronounced impacts on these communities that currently exist at their physiological limit of survival. Changes to moisture availability, due to precipitation shifts or alterations to permanent snow reserves, will most likely cause greatest impact. In order to establish a baseline for determining the effect of climate change on continental Antarctic terrestrial communities and to better understand bryophyte species distributions in relation to moisture in a floristically important Antarctic …

The Isolation Of Bioactive Flavonoids From Jacaranda Obtusifolia H. B. K. Ssp. Rhombifolia (G. F. W. Meijer) Gentry, Sorachai Khamsan, Saisunee Liawruangrath, Aphiwat Teerawutkulrag, Stephen G. Pyne, Mary J. Garson, Boonsom Liawruangrath

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

The paper describes the bioassay-guided isolation, structure elucidation and anticancer evaluation of five flavonoids (-)-liquiritigenin (1), (-)-neoliquiritin (2), isoliquiritigenin (3), isoliquiritin (4) and formononetin (5) from the twigs of Jacaranda obtusifolia H. B. K. ssp. rhombifolia (G. F. W. Meijer) Gentry. The structures were elucidated based on 1H, 13C NMR, comprehensive 2D NMR, MS analyses and comparison with previously reported spectral data. Compounds 1 and 3 were demonstrated to be inhibitory in vitro against NCI-H187 (small cell lung cancer) with IC50 values of 30.1 and 16.6 μg mL-1, respectively. The isolates were non-cytotoxic to Vero cells (African green monkey kidney).

Translocation Of The Eastern Bristlebird 1: Radio-Tracking Of Post-Release Movements, David Bain, Kris French, Jack Baker, Jean Clarke

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Translocating birds to a new area of habitat to restore or supplement depleted populations may pose a significant threat to the translocated individuals. While for many species, translocated individuals appear to move larger distances than resident animals, species with poor dispersal capacity may be restricted in movements and translocation methods may need to accommodate differences in movements to ensure success. In this study, designed to provide insights to inform our broader programme of translocations in New South Wales, Australia, we investigated post-release movements in the endangered, semi-flightless Eastern Bristlebird (Dasyornis brachypterus). We predicted that movements would be minimal, with few …

Manufacturing On The Move? Beyond The High Dollar In The Debate About Making Things In Australia - The Case Of The Australian Surfboard Industry - Ausccer Discussion Paper No. 2012/2, Andrew Warren, Chris Gibson

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

In October 2011 surfboard manufacturer BASE abruptly closed its factory on the Gold Coast resulting in the direct loss of 50 jobs. A few days later, nearby D’Arcy Surfboards also announced it was shedding workers and downsizing from a state-of-the art purpose built factory into a backyard workshop. Each business exported surfboards internationally and employed some of Australia’s best known surfboard-makers. The troubles facing these workshops added to those brewing at the very same in Australia’s steel, aluminium, automotive and garment industries. With renewed public debate and media commentary on the future of manufacturing, we now face a crisis in …

Process-Evaluation Of Tropospheric Humidity Simulated By General Circulation Models Using Water Vapor Isotopologues: 1. Comparison Between Models And Observations, Camille Risi, David Noone, John Worden, Christian Frankenberg, Gabriele Stiller, Michael Kiefer, Bernd Funke, Kaley Walker, Peter Bernath, Matthias Schneider, Debra Wunch, Vanessa Sherlock, Nicholas M. Deutscher, David W. Griffith, Paul O. Wennberg, Kimberly Strong, Dan Smale, Emmanuel Mahieu, Sabine Barthlott, Frank Hase, Omar Garcia, Justus Notholt, Thorsten Warneke, Geoffrey Toon, David Sayres, Sandrine Bony, Jeonghoon Lee, Derek Brown, Ryu Uemura, Christophe Sturm

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

[1] The goal of this study is to determine how H2O and HDO measurements in water vapor can be used to detect and diagnose biases in the representation of processes controlling tropospheric humidity in atmospheric general circulation models (GCMs). We analyze a large number of isotopic data sets (four satellite, sixteen ground-based remote-sensing, five surface in situ and three aircraft data sets) that are sensitive to different altitudes throughout the free troposphere. Despite significant differences between data sets, we identify some observed HDO/H2O characteristics that are robust across data sets and that can be used to evaluate models. We evaluate …

The Role Of Streptokinase As A Virulence Determinant Of Streptococcus Pyogenes - Potential For Therapeutic Targeting, Jason D. Mcarthur, Simon M. Cook, Carola Venturini, Mark J. Walker

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Streptococcus pyogenes is a major human pathogen responsible for numerous diseases ranging from uncomplicated skin and throat infections to severe, life threatening invasive disease such as necrotising fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. These severe invasive infections progress rapidly and produce high rates of morbidity and mortality despite the implementation of aggressive treatment plans. The activation of plasminogen and the acquisition of plasmin activity at the bacterial cell surface is critical for the invasive pathogenesis of this organism. To facilitate this process, S. pyogenes secrete streptokinase, a potent plasminogen activating protein. Here, we describe the role of streptokinase in invasive …

Seed Bank Persistence And Climate Change, Mark K. J Ooi

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

"The strong mechanistic relationship between climatic factors and seed dormancy and germination suggests that forecast climatic changes will significantly affect seed bank persistence. This review focuses on the potential impact of changing temperature, rainfall and fire regimes on the longevity of long-term persistent seed-banks. Currently, there are few studies investigating the mechanistic responses of demographic processes, such as seed-bank dynamics, to forecast climate change. However, from the work that has been published, several key points have been highlighted. First, increased air temperatures will produce significantly higher soil temperatures in open and sparsely vegetated habitats. Some evidence shows that this could …

Evaluation Of The Evidence Between Consumption Of Refined Grains And Health Outcomes, Peter G. Williams

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This review evaluates the available evidence on the relationship between consumption of refined grains and health outcomes. A total of 135 relevant articles were identified from database searches of studies published between 2000 and 2010. The great majority found no associations between the intake of refined grain foods and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, weight gain or overall mortality. A few studies found that very high intakes might be associated with some types of cancers, but at moderate levels of consumption the risks were not significant. The totality of evidence shows that consumption of up to 50% of all grain foods as …

Australian Adolescents' Compliance With Sun Protection Behaviours During Summer: The Importance Of The School Context, Melinda Williams, Sandra C. Jones, Peter Caputi, Donald Iverson

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Adolescents exhibit significantly lower sun protection behaviours than adults in Australia. While many studies have assessed the sun protection behaviours of adolescents during summer, few studies have explored the differences in sun protection behaviours of adolescents across key contexts relevant to adolescents during summer—notably school time, weekends and school holidays. Greater understanding of differences in behaviours across these contexts provides more detailed explanations of the nature of adolescent ultraviolet exposure and thereby facilitates improved targeting of interventions for this segment whose behaviour is considered hard to change. In this study, we explore the differences in self-reported, habitual, sun protection behaviours …

Fish Consumption And Chd Mortality: An Updated Meta-Analysis Of Seventeen Cohort Studies, Jusheng Zheng, Tao Huang, Yinghua Yu, Xiaojie Hu, Bin Yang, Duo Li

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective Results of studies on fish consumption and CHD mortality are inconsistent. The present updated meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the up-to-date pooling effects. Design A random-effects model was used to pool the risk estimates. Generalized least-squares regression and restricted cubic splines were used to assess the possible dose–response relationship. Subgroup analyses were conducted to examine the sources of heterogeneity. Setting PubMed and ISI Web of Science databases up to September 2010 were searched and secondary referencing qualified for inclusion in the study. Subjects Seventeen cohorts with 315 812 participants and average follow-up period of 15·9 years were identified. Results …

Reflection Impulsivity In Adolescent Cannabis Users: A Comparison With Alcohol-Using And Non-Substance-Using Adolescents, Nadia Solowij, Katy A. Jones, Megan E. Rozman, Sasha M. Davis, Joseph Ciarrochi, Patrick C. L Heaven, Nicole Pesa, Dan I. Lubman, Murat Yucel

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Rationale Reflection impulsivity-a failure to gather and evaluate information before making a decision-is a critical component of risk-taking and substance use behaviours, which are highly prevalent during adolescence. Objectives and methods The Information Sampling Test was used to assess reflection impulsivity in 175 adolescents (mean age 18.3, range 16.5-20; 55% female)-48 cannabis users (2.3 years use, 10.8 days/month), 65 alcohol users, and 62 non-substance-using controls-recruited from a longitudinal cohort and from the general community and matched for education and IQ. Cannabis and alcohol users were matched on levels of alcohol consumption. Results Cannabis users sampled to the lowest degree of …

Online Advertising: Examining The Content And Messages Within Websites Targeted At Children, Lisa Kervin, Sandra C. Jones, Jessica Mantei

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

It is recognised that from a young age children spend considerable portions of their leisure time on the Internet. In Australia a number of child-targeted magazines have associated websites, which have high and ever-increasing readership. We do not yet know the impact of this medium upon children. Overt advertising is evident on webpages, but so too are hidden advertisements in the written text, images and games. This material usually does not comply with existing broadcasting codes of practice for mainstream advertising. This article examines the instances of overt and covert advertisements for food within three websites monitored over a 12-month …

Using Interviews And Peer Pairs To Better Understand How School Environments Affect Young Children's Playground Physical Activity Levels: A Qualitative Study, Anne-Maree Parrish, Heather Yeatman, Donald Iverson, Ken Russell

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

School break times provide a daily opportunity for children to be active; however, research indicates this time is underutilized. Reasons for low children’s playground activity levels have primarily focused on physical barriers. This research aimed to contribute to physical environmental findings affecting children’s playground physical activity levels by identifying additional variables through the interview process. Thirteen public schools were included in the sample (total 2946 children). Physical activity and environmental data were collected over 3 days. Environmental variables were manually assessed at each of the 13 schools. Observational data were used to determine which three schools were the most and …

The Association Between Job Demands/Control And Health In Employed Parents: The Mediating Role Of Work-To-Family Interference And Enhancement, Christopher A. Magee, Natalie Stefanic, Peter Caputi, Donald C. Iverson

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

"This paper examined whether work-to-family interference (WFI) and work-to-family enhancement (WFE) mediated the association between job demands/control and self-reported mental and physical health. Data were from the Household, Income and Labor Dynamics in Australia survey and included 1,404 Australian adults aged 18-64 years at baseline; 820 participants provided data at three time points (baseline, 12-month follow-up, and 24-month follow-up). Self-report questionnaires assessed mental and physical health, WFI and WFE, and job demands/control. Mediation analyzes performed on the longitudinal data indicated that WFI mediated the relationships between job demands/control and self-reported mental and physical health. The findings have implications for improving …

Food Toxicity And Safety, Peter Williams

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Key Points

• Despite the many potential health risks associated with foods, in practice the degree of risk associated with the modern food supply is extremely low.

• By far the most important hazards of significance are those from biological agents: pathogenic bacteria, viruses, fungi and a few toxic seafoods.

• Trends to larger-scale production, longer distribution chains in the food supply, increased eating away from the home and the emergence of new pathogens means foodborne illness continues to be a significant public health issue.

• The assessment of the safety of food additives is led internationally by JECFA, but …

Noise , Beno Groothoff, Faioh Coh

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Vection During Conflicting Multisensory Information About The Axis, Magnitude And Direction Of Self-Motion, April Ash, Stephen Palmisano

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

We examined the vection induced by consistent and conflicting multisensory information about self-motion. Observers viewed displays simulating constant-velocity self-motion in depth while physically oscillating their heads left ^ right or back ^ forth in time with a metronome. Their tracked head movements were either ignored or incorporated directly into the self-motion display (as an added simulated self-acceleration). When this head oscillation was updated into displays, sensory conflict was generated by simulating oscillation along: (i) an orthogonal axis to the head movement; or (ii) the same axis, but in a non-ecological direction. Simulated head oscillation always produced stronger vection than `no …

Measuring Women's Beliefs About Glass Ceilings: Development Of The Career Pathways Survey, Paul Smith, Nadia Crittenden, Peter Caputi

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to develop a new measure called the Career Pathways Survey (CPS) which allows quantitative comparisons of women's beliefs about glass ceilings. Design/methodology/approach - A 34-item version of the CPS was completed by 243 women from all levels of management, mostly in Australia. An expanded 38-item CPS was administered to another sample of women (N = 307). Findings - Analyses of data from both studies yielded a four factor model of attitudes to glass ceilings: resilience, acceptance, resignation and denial. The factors demonstrated good internal consistency. Practical implications - The CPS allows a …

The Effect Of Dairy Consumption On Blood Pressure In Mid-Childhood: Caps Cohort Study, A M. Rangan, V L. Flood, G Denyer, J G. Ayer, K L. Webb, G B. Marks, D S. Celermajer, Tim Gill

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background/objectives: It has been postulated that higher dairy consumption may affect blood pressure regulation. The aim of this study was to examine the association between dairy consumption and blood pressure in mid-childhood. Methods: Subjects (n=335) were participants of a birth cohort at high risk of asthma withinformation on diet at 18 months and blood pressure at 8 years. Multivariate analyses were used to assess the association of dairy consumption (serves) and micronutrient intakes (mg) at 18 m with blood pressure at 8 y. In a subgroup of children (n=201), dietary intake was measured at age 18 m and 9 y …

Comparing Attitudes To Fish Consumption Between Clinical Trial Participants And Non-Trial Individuals, Elizabeth P. Neale, Deborah Nolan-Clark, Yasmine C. Probst, Marijka J. Batterham, Linda C. Tapsell

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Aim: The study aims to investigate attitudes and perceptions influencing fish consumption in a sample of clinical trial participants and compare these perceptions to those expressed by a sample of adults not involved in the trial. Methods: Six semi-structured focus groups were conducted; three with participants of a weight loss trial which incorporated specific and general fish consumption advice (n = 15) and three with nontrial participants from the same study population (n = 14). All data were recorded digitally and transcribed verbatim by the moderator. Data analysis was carried out using NVivo (QSR International Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia). …

Effectiveness Of Home Based Early Intervention On Children's Bmi At Age 2: Randomised Controlled Trial, Li Ming Wen, Louise A. Baur, Judy M. Simpson, Chris Rissel, Karen Wardle, Victoria M. Flood

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of a home-based early intervention on children’s BMI at age two. Design: Randomised controlled trial Setting: The Healthy Beginnings Trial was conducted in socially and economically disadvantaged areas of Sydney, Australia during 2007-2010. Participants: A total of 667 first-time mothers and their infants. Intervention: The intervention consisted of eight home visits from specially trained community nurses delivering a staged home-based intervention, one in the antenatal period, and seven at 1, 3, 5, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months after birth. Timing of the visits was designed to coincide with early childhood developmental milestones. …

Measurung Plate Waste In Hospitals, Karen L. Walton, Jacquie Krassie

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

It has been suggested that the median plate wastage in hospitals is approximately 30% (range of 6–65%). The level of hospital food wastage is influenced by numerous parameters, including the menu, the setting, diet type, the type of food service distribution system used and its flexibility. Some food wastage is inevitable, as appetites are unpredictable. However, large amounts of food waste have a huge financial cost; and more importantly, it indicates that patients are not likely to be meeting their nutritional requirements. ‘Food is an integral and important part of a patient’s treatment but the food must be consumed if …

Are Parents' Working Patterns Associated With Their Child's Sleep? An Analysis Of Dual-Parent Families In Australia, Christopher A. Magee, Peter Caputi, Don C. Iverson

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Insufficient sleep in children predicts emotional and behavioral problems, poorer school performance, and health problems. Child sleep durations have declined in recent decades, suggesting a need to identify and understand predictors of short sleep. The present study investigated whether aspects of parental employment (i.e. parental work hours, and non-standard work hours) were associated with sleep in children. Data collected from 2477 children aged 6–7 years as part of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children were used in this paper. Child sleep duration, bedtimes, and wake times were determined from parent self-report using time-use diaries. Parents completed a survey assessing their …

What Influences Australian Women To Not Drink During Pregnancy?, Sandra C. Jones, Joanne Telenta

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

There is a strong social norm against consuming alcohol during pregnancy. However, many women do not realise they are pregnant until the sixth week and are not provided with information about the risks of consuming alcohol until they visit a health professional in the second trimester. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 midwives and 12 pregnant women from two regions inNSWin 2008–09 to explore attitudes towards alcohol consumption during pregnancy, and the factors that may encourage or inhibit women from following the recommendation to abstain from drinking while pregnant. Both groups noted the social issues around pregnant women consuming alcohol …

Inorganic Arsenic And Iron(Ii) Distributions In Sediment Porewaters Investigated By A Combined Dgt - Colourimetric Det Technique, William Bennett, Peter R. Teasdale, David T. Welsh, Jarad Panther, Ryan R. Stewart, Helen L. Price, Dianne F. Jolley

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Ch4, Co, And H2o Spectroscopy For The Sentinel-5 Precursor Mission: An Assessment With The Total Carbon Column Observing Network Measurements, A Galli, A Butz, R A. Scheepmaker, O Hasekamp, J Landgraf, P Tol, D Wunch, N M. Deutscher, G C. Toon, P O. Wennberg, D W. T Griffith, I Aben

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

The TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) will be part of ESA’s Sentinel-5 Precursor (S5P) satellite platform scheduled for launch in 2015. TROPOMI will monitor methane and carbon monoxide concentrations in the Earth’s atmosphere by measuring spectra of back-scattered sunlight in the short-wave infrared (SWIR).

Does Cytotoxicity Of Metallointercalators Correlate With Cellular Uptake Or Dna Affinity?, Kimberley J. Davis, Judith A. Carrall, Barry Lai, Janice R. Aldrich-Wright, Stephen F. Ralph, Carolyn T. Dillon

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

The cytotoxicity of the metallointercalators, [Pt(5,6-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline)(trans-1R,2Rdiaminocyclohexane)] 2+ ([56MERR]) and [Pt(5,6-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline)(trans-1S,2Sdiaminocyclohexane)] 2+ ([56MESS]), towards A549 human lung cancer cells was examined using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The IC50 value obtained following exposure of A549 cells to [56MESS] for 4 h was approximately three times smaller than that obtained when [56MERR] was administered under the same conditions, indicating that the former complex displayed greater cytotoxicity. Both IC50 values were greater than that obtained after exposure of A549 cells to cisplatin, demonstrating that the latter compound was the most cytotoxic of the three examined. Microprobe synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence (SR-XRF) analyses of …

A Simple Post-Hoc Method To Add Spatial Context To Predictive Species Distribution Models, Michael B. Ashcroft, Kristine O. French, Laurie A. Chisholm

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Methods to incorporate spatial context into species distribution models (SDMs) are underutilised, with predictions usually based only on environmental space and ignoring geographic space. The goals of this study were to demonstrate a relatively simple post-hoc method to include spatial context in SDMs and to quantify the improvement over purely niche-based models. The method involved producing a standard niche-based model using established techniques, such as Maxent, and then calculating the neighbourhood average of the model output in geographic space. In effect, we tested whether the spatially averaged model output was better at predicting species distributions than the raw model output. …

Activity And Molecular Dynamics Relationship Within The Family Of Human Cholinesterase, Judith Peters, Marie Trovaslet, Marcus Trapp, Florian Nachon, Flynn Hill, Etienne Royer, Frank Gabel, Lambert Van Eijck, Patrick Masson, Moeava Tehei

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

The temperature dependence of the dynamics of recombinant human acetylcholinesterase (hAChE) and plasma human butyrylcholinesterase (hBChE) is examined using elastic incoherent neutron scattering. These two enzymes belong to the same family and present 50% amino acid sequence identity. However, significantly higher flexibility and catalytic activity of hAChE when compared to the ones of hBChE are measured. At the same time, the average height of the potential barrier to the motions is increased in the hBChE, e.g. more thermal energy is needed to cross it in the latter case, which might be the origin of the increase in activation energy and …

Atmospheric Greenhouse Gases Retrieved From Sciamachy: Comparison To Ground-Based Fts Measurements And Model Results, O Schneising, P Bergamaschi, H Bovensmann, M Buchwitz, J P. Burrows, N M. Deutscher, D W. T Griffith, J Heymann, R Macatangay, J Messerschmidt, J Notholt, M Rettinger, M Reuter, R Sussmann, Voltaire A. Velazco, T Warneke, P O. Wennberg, D Wunch

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

SCIAMACHY onboard ENVISAT (launched in 2002) enables the retrieval of global long-term columnaveraged dry air mole fractions of the two most important anthropogenic greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane (denoted XCO₂ and XCH₄). In order to assess the quality of the greenhouse gas data obtained with the recently introduced v2 of the scientific retrieval algorithm WFM-DOAS, we present validations with ground-based Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) measurements and comparisons with model results at eight Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) sites providing realistic error estimates of the satellite data. Such validation is a prerequisite to assess the suitability …