Chile is hot travel spot

A brief travel article about Chile

Perspectives on the effectiveness of the late night liquor trading lockout legislative provision

The effectiveness of ‘the lockout policy’ integrated within a broader police enforcement strategy to reduce alcohol-related harm, in and around late-night licensed premises, in major drinking precincts was examined. First response operational police (n= 280) recorded all alcohol and non alcohol-related incidents they attended in and around late-night liquor trading premises. A before and after study design was used, with police completing modified activity logs prior to and following the introduction of the lockout policy in two policing regions: Gold Coast (n = 12,801 incidents); Brisbane City/Fortitude Valley (n = 9,117 incidents). Qualitative information from key stakeholders (e.g., Police, Security Staff & Politicians n = 20) was also obtained. The number of alcohol-related offences requiring police attention was significantly reduced in some policing areas and for some types of offences (e.g., sex offences, street disturbances, traffic incidents. However, there was no variation for a number of other offence categories (e.g., assault). Interviews with licensees revealed that although all were initially opposed to the lockout policy, most perceived benefits from its introduction. This study was the first of its kind to comprehensively examine the impact of a lockout policy and provides supportive evidence for the effectiveness of the lockout policy as integrating positively with police enforcement to enhance public safety in some areas in and around late-night liquor trading premises.

Broadening of transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate (TRAMP) model to represent late stage androgen depletion independent cancer

BACKGROUND The transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate (TRAMP) model closely mimics PC-progression as it occurs in humans. However, the timing of disease incidence and progression (especially late stage) makes it logistically difficult to conduct experiments synchronously and economically. The development and characterization of androgen depletion independent (ADI) TRAMP sublines are reported. METHODS Sublines were derived from androgen-sensitive TRAMP-C1 and TRAMP-C2 cell lines by androgen deprivation in vitro and in vivo. Epithelial origin (cytokeratin) and expression of late stage biomarkers (E-cadherin and KAI-1) were evaluated using immunohistochemistry. Androgen receptor (AR) status was assessed through quantitative real time PCR, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. Coexpression of AR and E-cadherin was also evaluated. Clonogenicity and invasive potential were measured by soft agar and matrigel invasion assays. Proliferation/survival of sublines in response to androgen was assessed by WST-1 assay. In vivo growth of subcutaneous tumors was assessed in castrated and sham-castrated C57BL/6 mice. RESULTS The sublines were epithelial and displayed ADI in vitro and in vivo. Compared to the parental lines, these showed (1) significantly faster growth rates in vitro and in vivo independent of androgen depletion, (2) greater tumorigenic, and invasive potential in vitro. All showed substantial downregulation in expression levels of tumor suppressor, E-cadherin, and metastatis suppressor, KAI-1. Interestingly, the percentage of cells expressing AR with downregulated E-cadherin was higher in ADI cells, suggesting a possible interaction between the two pathways. CONCLUSIONS The TRAMP model now encompasses ADI sublines potentially representing different phenotypes with increased tumorigenicity and invasiveness.

Development of a high-level gene expression system for the production of bioplastics in sugarcane

Despite various approaches, the production of biodegradable plastics such as polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) in transgenic plants has met with limited success due largely to low expression levels. Even in the few instances where high levels of protein expression have been reported, the transgenic plants have been stunted indicating PHB is phytotoxic (Poirier 2002). This PhD describes the application of a novel virus-based gene expression technology, termed InPAct („In Plant Activation.), for the production of PHB in tobacco and sugarcane. InPAct is based on the rolling circle replication mechanism by which circular ssDNA viruses replicate and provides a system for controlled, high-level gene expression. Based on these features, InPAct was thought to represent an ideal system to enable the controlled, high-level expression of the three phb genes (phbA, phbB and phbC) required for PHB production in sugarcane at a preferred stage of plant growth. A Tobacco yellow dwarf virus (TbYDV)-based InPAct-phbA vector, as well as linear vectors constitutively expressing phbB and phbC were constructed and different combinations were used to transform tobacco leaf discs. A total of four, eight, three and three phenotypically normal tobacco lines were generated from discs transformed with InPAct-phbA, InPAct-phbA + p1300-TaBV P-phbB/phbC- 35S T, p1300-35S P-phbA-NOS T + p1300-TaBV P-phbB/phbC-35S T and InPAct-GUS, respectively. To determine whether the InPAct cassette could be activated in the presence of the TbYDV Rep, leaf samples from the eight InPActphbA + p1300-TaBV P-phbB/phbC-35S T plants were agroinfiltrated with p1300- TbYDV-Rep/RepA. Three days later, successful activation was indicated by the detection of episomes using both PCR and Southern analysis. Leaf discs from the eight InPAct-phbA + p1300-TaBV P-phbB/phbC-35S T transgenic plant lines were agroinfiltrated with p1300-TbYDV-Rep/RepA and leaf tissue was collected ten days post-infiltration and examined for the presence of PHB granules. Confocal microscopy and TEM revealed the presence of typical PHB granules in five of the eight lines, thus demonstrating the functionality of InPActbased PHB production in tobacco. However, analysis of leaf extracts by HPLC failed to detect the presence of PHB suggesting only very low level expression levels. Subsequent molecular analysis of three lines revealed low levels of correctly processed mRNA from the catalase intron contained within the InPAct cassette and also the presence of cryptic splice sites within the intron. In an attempt to increase expression levels, new InPAct-phb cassettes were generated in which the castorbean catalase intron was replaced with a synthetic intron (syntron). Further, in an attempt to both increase and better control Rep/RepA-mediated activation of InPAct cassettes, Rep/RepA expression was placed under the control of a stably integrated alc switch. Leaf discs from a transgenic tobacco line (Alc ML) containing 35S P-AlcR-AlcA P-Rep/RepA were supertransformed with InPAct-phbAsyn or InPAct-GUSsyn using Agrobacterium and three plants (lines) were regenerated for each construct. Analysis of the RNA processing of the InPAct-phbAsyn cassette revealed highly efficient and correct splicing of the syntron, thus supporting its inclusion within the InPAct system. To determine the efficiency of the alc switch to activate InPAct, leaf material from the three Alc ML + InPAct-phbAsyn lines was either agroinfiltrated with 35S P-Rep/RepA or treated with ethanol. Unexpectedly, episomes were detected not only in the infiltrated and ethanol treated samples, but also in non-treated samples. Subsequent analysis of transgenic Alc ML + InPAct-GUS lines, confirmed that the alc switch was leaky in tissue culture. Although this was shown to be reversible once plants were removed from the tissue culture environment, it made the regeneration of Alc ML + InPAct-phbsyn plant lines extremely difficult, due to unintentional Rep expression and therefore high levels of phb expression and phytotoxic PHB production. Two Alc ML + InPAct-phbAsyn + p1300-TaBV P-phbB/phbC-35S T transgenic lines were able to be regenerated, and these were acclimatised, alcohol-treated and analysed. Although episome formation was detected as late as 21 days post activation, no PHB was detected in the leaves of any plants using either microscopy or HPLC, suggesting the presence of a corrupt InPAct-phbA cassette in both lines. The final component of this thesis involved the application of both the alc switch and the InPAct systems to sugarcane in an attempt to produce PHB. Initial experiments using transgenic Alc ML + InPAct-GUS lines indicated that the alc system was not functional in sugarcane under the conditions tested. The functionality of the InPAct system, independent of the alc gene switch, was subsequently examined by bombarding the 35S Rep/RepA cassette into leaf and immature leaf whorl cells derived from InPAct-GUS transgenic sugarcane plants. No GUS expression was observed in leaf tissue, whereas weak and irregular GUS expression was observed in immature leaf whorl tissue derived from two InPAct- GUS lines and two InPAct-GUS + 35S P-AlcR-AlcA P-GUS lines. The most plausible reason to explain the inconsistent and low levels of GUS expression in leaf whorls is a combination of low numbers of sugarcane cells in the DNA replication-conducive S-phase and the irregular and random nature of sugarcane cells bombarded with Rep/RepA. This study details the first report to develop a TbYDV-based InPAct system under control of the alc switch to produce PHB in tobacco and sugarcane. Despite the inability to detect quantifiable levels of PHB levels in either tobacco or sugarcane, the findings of this study should nevertheless assist in the further development of both the InPAct system and the alc system, particularly for sugarcane and ultimately lead to an ethanol-inducible InPAct gene expression system for the production of bioplastics and other proteins of commercial value in plants.

Chronological age and age-related cognitive deficits are associated with an increase in multiple types of driving errors in late life

Objective: Older driver research has mostly focused on identifying that small proportion of older drivers who are unsafe. Little is known about how normal cognitive changes in aging affect driving in the wider population of adults who drive regularly. We evaluated the association of cognitive function and age, with driving errors. Method: A sample of 266 drivers aged 70 to 88 years were assessed on abilities that decline in normal aging (visual attention, processing speed, inhibition, reaction time, task switching) and the UFOV® which is a validated screening instrument for older drivers. Participants completed an on-road driving test. Generalized linear models were used to estimate the associations of cognitive factor with specific driving errors and number of errors in self-directed and instructor navigated conditions. Results: All errors types increased with chronological age. Reaction time was not associated with driving errors in multivariate analyses. A cognitive factor measuring Speeded Selective Attention and Switching was uniquely associated with the most errors types. The UFOV predicted blindspot errors and errors on dual carriageways. After adjusting for age, education and gender the cognitive factors explained 7% of variance in the total number of errors in the instructor navigated condition and 4% of variance in the self-navigated condition. Conclusion: We conclude that among older drivers errors increase with age and are associated with speeded selective attention particularly when that requires attending to the stimuli in the periphery of the visual field, task switching, errors inhibiting responses and visual discrimination. These abilities should be the target of cognitive training.

‘Spotty Dick’ : a research experiment to test design suitability for the use of jewelled spot matrix patterns for UV aware men’s swimwear

The great male Aussie cossie is growing spots. The ‘dick’ tog, as it is colloquially referred to, is linked to Australia’s national identify with overtly masculine bronzed Aussie bodies clothed in this iconic apparel. Yet the reality is our hunger for worshiping the sun and the addiction to a beach lifestyle is tempered by the pragmatic need for neck-to-knee, or more apt head-to-toe, swimwear. Spotty Dick is an irreverent play on male swimwear – it experiments with alternate modes to sheath the body with Lyrca in order to protect it from searing UV’s and at the same time light-heartedly fools around with texture and pattern; to be specific, black Scharovsky crystals, jewelled in spot patterns - jewelled clothing is not characteristically aligned to menswear and even less so to the great Aussie cossie. The crystals form a matrix of spots that attempt to provoke a sense of mischievousness aligned to the Aussie beach larrikin. Ironically, spot patterns are in itself a form of a parody, as prolonged sun exposure ages the skin and sun spots can occur if appropriate sun protection is not used. ‘Spotty Dick’ – a research experiment to test design suitability for the use of jewelled spot matrix patterns for UV aware men’s swimwear. The creative work was paraded at 56 shows, over a 2 week period, and an estimated 50,000 people viewed the work.

Visual acuity is not what it seems : on Ian Burn's 'Late' reflections

A whole tradition is said to be based on the hierarchical distinction between the perceptual and conceptual. In art, Niklas Luhmann argues, this schism is played out and repeated in conceptual art. This paper complicates this depiction by examining Ian Burn's last writings in which I argue the artist-writer reviews the challenge of minimal-conceptual art in terms of its perceptual pre-occupations. Burn revisits his own work and the legacy of minimal-conceptual by moving away from the kind of ideology critique he is best known for internationally in order to reassert the long overlooked visual-perceptual preoccupations of the conceptual in art.

The rest flies down the wind : complexities of late style in the work of Christina Stead

Examining the late style of a writer is like skirting around quicksand. End-of-career reflection can subvert long standing critical accounts; revisionist publishing histories or newly minted archival work can do likewise. And, as Nancy J. Troy suggests, an artist’s last thoughts are rarely planned as such (15). In the case of Christina Stead any consideration of late style is made more difficult because, chronologically speaking, her ‘late’ works were written some 20 years before her death in 1983. Thus chronology can be deceptive, as Nicholas Delbanco points out in Lastingness: The Art of Old Age. Stead’s last novel, I’m Dying Laughing The Humourist, was completed, at least in rough draft form in 1966, when Stead was 64, but friends and readers suggested many changes. The book was published posthumously in 1986. Stead’s work is receiving increasing critical attention so a discussion of her ‘late style’ is important, particularly given that her fiction seems to refuse so many attempts at category-making. This perspective reveals two interesting aspects of her late work: first her consistent engagement with the problems of age for women, and in particular women writers, and second, the consequence of a life-long attention to the representation of dialogic sound in her novels, a preoccupation that results in what can be termed an aural signature. My discussion refers to Edward Said’s and Nicholas Delbanco’s ideas about late style by way of a focus on selective biographical issues and Stead’s engagement with radical politics before moving to an examination of what can be called an aural signature in several novels. Her fiction demonstrates one of the agreed markers of late style: she was constantly looking forward and looking back through innovation in form and content.