Does antenatal education prepare fathers for their role as birth partners and for parenthood?

A systematic review of the literature was undertaken to explore fathers' opinions and views on antenatal education and its effectiveness in preparing them for their role as birth partners and for parenthood. The findings are categorised under four key themes: outnumbered, excluded, anxious and uncertain, and preparedness. While research suggests that most fathers want to support their partners and be involved in the pregnancy, labour and birth of their baby, they are less likely to attend antenatal classes than women. While fathers who attend antenatal education classes value them, their experiences are not always as positive or helpful in preparing them for their role as birth partners or in parenthood. It was highlighted that men are more likely to feel unprepared when complications at birth arise. A common finding was that men would welcome the opportunity to focus on their individual needs.

Role of the AP2 beta-appendage hub in recruiting partners for clathrin-coated vesicle assembly

Adaptor protein complex 2 alpha and beta-appendage domains act as hubs for the assembly of accessory protein networks involved in clathrin-coated vesicle formation. We identify a large repertoire of beta-appendage interactors by mass spectrometry. These interact with two distinct ligand interaction sites on the beta-appendage (the "top" and "side" sites) that bind motifs distinct from those previously identified on the alpha-appendage. We solved the structure of the beta-appendage with a peptide from the accessory protein Eps15 bound to the side site and with a peptide from the accessory cargo adaptor beta-arrestin bound to the top site. We show that accessory proteins can bind simultaneously to multiple appendages, allowing these to cooperate in enhancing ligand avidities that appear to be irreversible in vitro. We now propose that clathrin, which interacts with the beta-appendage, achieves ligand displacement in vivo by self-polymerisation as the coated pit matures. This changes the interaction environment from liquid-phase, affinity-driven interactions, to interactions driven by solid-phase stability ("matricity"). Accessory proteins that interact solely with the appendages are thereby displaced to areas of the coated pit where clathrin has not yet polymerised. However, proteins such as beta-arrestin (non-visual arrestin) and autosomal recessive hypercholesterolemia protein, which have direct clathrin interactions, will remain in the coated pits with their interacting receptors.

Relationships between EEA1 binding partners and their role in endosome fusion

Homotypic fusion between early endosomes requires the phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI3P)-binding protein, Early Endosomal Autoantigen 1 (EEA1). We have investigated the role of other proteins that interact with EEA1 in the fusion of early endosomes derived from Baby Hamster Kidney (BHK) cells. We confirm a requirement for syntaxin 13, but additionally show that the assay is equally sensitive to reagents specifically targeted against syntaxin 6. Binding of EEA1 to immobilised GST-syntaxin 6 and 13 was directly compared; only syntaxin 6 formed a stable complex with EEA1. Early endosome fusion requires the release of intravesicular calcium, and calmodulin plays a vital role in the fusion pathway, as judged by sensitivity to antagonists. We demonstrate that both EEA1 and syntaxin 13 interact with calmodulin. In the case of EEA1, binding to calmodulin requires an IQ domain, which is adjacent to a C-terminal FYVE domain that specifically binds to PI3P. We have assessed the influence of protein binding partners on EEA1 interaction with PI3P and find that both calmodulin and rab5-GTP are antagonistic to PI3P binding, whilst syntaxins 6 and 13 have no effect. These studies reveal a complex network of interactions between the proteins required for endosome fusion.

An algorithm to predict pregnancy in assisted conception

BACKGROUND: Male fertility potential cannot be measured by conventional parameters for assisted reproduction by intracytoplasmic sperm injection. This study determines the relationship between testicular and ejaculated sperm mitochondrial (mt) DNA deletions, nuclear (n) DNA fragmentation and fertilisation and pregnancy rates in ICSI. METHODS: Ejaculated sperm were obtained from 77 men and testicular sperm from 28 men with obstructive azoospermia undergoing ICSI. Testicular sperm were retrieved using a Trucut needle. MtDNA analysed using a long polymerase chain reaction. The alkaline Comet assay determined nDNA fragmentation. RESULTS: Of subjects who achieved a pregnancy (50%) using testicular sperm, only 26% had partners�??�?�¢?? sperm with wild type (WT) mtDNA. Of pregnant subjects (38%) using ejaculated sperm, only 8% had partner sperm with WT mtDNA.. In each, the successful group had less mtDNA deletions and less nDNA fragmentation. There were inverse relationships between pregnancy and mtDNA deletion numbers, size and nDNA fragmentation for both testicular and ejaculated sperm. No relationships were observed with fertilisation rates. An algorithm for the prediction of pregnancy is presented based on the quality of sperm nDNA and mtDNA. CONCLUSION: In both testicular and ejaculated sperm, mtDNA deletions and nDNA fragmentation are closely associated with pregnancy in ICSI.

North/South Infrastructure Development via Cross-border PPP Mechanism

Both Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland governments recognise the current infrastructural deficits in their respective jurisdictions which, if not addressed, will undermine the future economic prosperity of both regions. This paper considers the adoption of a collaborative approach on the island to addressing the deficit, using public private partnerships (PPP) as the delivery vehicle. It presents a critical perspective of the challenges and opportunities posed by adopting such a cross-border approach. Whilst PPPs have the potential to bring about North-South co-operation, bridge gaps in infrastructure capacity and facilitate the advancement of sectoral knowledge, their adoption on a cross border basis will require significant reorganisation and change at administrative and sectoral levels. This review concludes that governments and construction sector representatives in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have still some work to do in order to enhance the capability and readiness of public and private partners to evolve an all-island PPP infrastructure development approach.

Genetics of Healthy Aging in Europe.The EU-Integrated Project GEHA (GEnetics of Healthy Aging)

The aim of the 5-year European Union (EU)-Integrated Project GEnetics of Healthy Aging (GEHA), constituted by 25 partners (24 from Europe plus the Beijing Genomics Institute from China), is to identify genes involved in healthy aging and longevity, which allow individuals to survive to advanced old age in good cognitive and physical function and in the absence of major age-related diseases. To achieve this aim a coherent, tightly integrated program of research that unites demographers, geriatricians, geneticists, genetic epidemiologists, molecular biologists, bioinfomaticians, and statisticians has been set up. The working plan is to: (a) collect DNA and information on the health status from an unprecedented number of long-lived 90+ sibpairs (n = 2650) and of younger ethnically matched controls (n = 2650) from 11 European countries; (b) perform a genome-wide linkage scannning in all the sibpairs (a total of 5300 individuals); this investigation will be followed by linkage disequilibrium mapping (LD mapping) of the candidate chromosomal regions; (c) study in cases (i.e., the 2650 probands of the sibpairs) and controls (2650 younger people), genomic regions (chromosome 4, D4S1564, chromosome 11, 11.p15.5) which were identified in previous studies as possible candidates to harbor longevity genes; (d) genotype all recruited subjects for apoE polymorphisms; and (e) genotype all recruited subjects for inherited as well as epigenetic variability of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The genetic analysis will be performed by 9 high-throughput platforms, within the framework of centralized databases for phenotypic, genetic, and mtDNA data. Additional advanced approaches (bioinformatics, advanced statistics, mathematical modeling, functional genomics and proteomics, molecular biology, molecular genetics) are envisaged to identify the gene variant(s) of interest. The experimental design will also allow (a) to identify gender-specific genes involved in healthy aging and longevity in women and men stratified for ethnic and geographic origin and apoE genotype; (b) to perform a longitudinal survival study to assess the impact of the identified genetic loci on 90+ people mortality; and (c) to develop mathematical and statistical models capable of combining genetic data with demographic characteristics, health status, socioeconomic factors, lifestyle habits.

Early birds are sexy: male age, dawn song and extrapair paternity in blue tits, Cyanistes (formerly Parus) caeruleus

Sexual selection theory predicts that signals reflecting the relative quality of individuals should be used in mate choice. Females could base their choice of copulation partners on male secondary sexual traits that honestly signal male age, as predicted by the age-based indicator mechanism. Studies have shown that female blue tits prefer older males and that aspects of dawn song reflect male quality, but it remains unknown whether dawn song characteristics correlate with male age. We compared dawn song characteristics of second-year (SY) and older (ASY) male blue tits (cross-sectional analysis), and tested for age-related changes within individuals (longitudinal analysis) and differential overwinter survival of SY males. We further investigated the relation between dawn song and paternity gain and loss. We found that ASY male blue tits began to sing earlier relative to sunrise than did SY males. This difference in the onset of dawn singing was due to age-related changes in individual performance rather than differential survival of individuals with varying expression of the trait. Males that began to sing earlier at dawn had more mating partners, and were more likely to gain extrapair paternity. Our findings suggest that the onset of dawn song can provide a simple mechanism for females to assess the relative quality of their mate and of neighbouring males. We propose that females use the onset of singing as a cue for their choice of extrapair partners. (c) 2006 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trans Governmentality: the production and regulation of gendered subjectivities

Feminist theorists have long critiqued the hierarchical gender division inherent in Western societies, with the inequalities resulting from this divide being widely decried and some progress made in reducing these. Despite increased efforts to theorise trans identification in recent times, gender is still largely understood, both culturally and theoretically, as adhering to the dualism of male/female. I argue within this paper that consideration of the narratives of transpeople and their partners could expand our conceptualisation of gender and offers possible points of resistance from which to challenge the gender binary, thereby destabilising hegemonic discourses of gender. As such I explore the narratives of transpeople and their partners in relation to the construction and reconstruction of gendered subjectivities. Transpeople’s intimate partnerships, considered here due to the critique of gender norms often evident within them, are examined through the theoretical lens of Foucault’s notion of governmentality. This paper offers an example of how governmentality can be a useful tool in the effort to understand gender regulation, not least for those apparently on the margins of ‘normality’.

Absolute Calibration of Atomic Density Measurements by Laser-Induced Fluorescence Spectroscopy with Two-Photon Excitation (TALIF)

The two-photon resonances of atomic hydrogen (? = 2 × 205.1 nm), atomic nitrogen (? = 2 × 206.6 nm) and atomic oxygen (? = 2 × 225.6 nm) are investigated together with two selected transitions in krypton (? = 2×204.2 nm) and xenon (? = 2×225.5 nm). The natural lifetimes of the excited states, quenching coefficients for the most important collisions partners, and the relevant ratios of the two-photon excitation cross sections are measured. These data can be applied to provide a calibration for two-photon laser-induced fluorescence measurements based on comparisons with spectrally neighbouring noble gas resonances.