Degradability of creatinine under sewer conditions affects its potential to be used as biomarker in sewage epidemiology

Creatinine was proposed to be used as a population normalising factor in sewage epidemiology but its stability in the sewer system has not been assessed. This study thus aimed to evaluate the fate of creatinine under different sewer conditions using laboratory sewer reactors. The results showed that while creatinine was stable in wastewater only, it degraded quickly in reactors with the presence of sewer biofilms. The degradation followed first order kinetics with significantly higher rate in rising main condition than in gravity sewer condition. Additionally, daily loads of creatinine were determined in wastewater samples collected on Census day from 10 wastewater treatment plants around Australia. The measured loads of creatinine from those samples were much lower than expected and did not correlate with the populations across the sampled treatment plants. The results suggested that creatinine may not be a suitable biomarker for population normalisation purpose in sewage epidemiology, especially in sewer catchment with high percentage of rising mains.

Australian paramedic graduates transitioning into UK NHS ambulance services: what are the potential challenges?

With United Kingdom (UK) Ambulance National Health Service (NHS) Trusts and Foundation Trusts actively recruiting Australian paramedic graduates, this article seeks to stimulate discussion by identifying differences existing between the two ambulance systems, as well as highlighting potential challenges that Australian graduates may face when transitioning to the UK ambulance service. It also identifies similarities between Australian and UK ambulance systems, which may assist new graduates to overcome the transition shock. This article suggests that transition shock is not solely related to Australian graduates moving to the UK, and may well be present for graduates moving to comparable international ambulance services in Canada, the Middle East, Ireland and South Africa.

The in vivo fate of nanoparticles and nanoparticle-loaded microcapsules after oral administration in mice: Evaluation of their potential for colon-specific delivery

Anti-cancer drug loaded-nanoparticles (NPs) or encapsulation of NPs in colon-targeted delivery systems shows potential for increasing the local drug concentration in the colon leading to improved treatment of colorectal cancer. To investigate the potential of the NP-based strategies for colon-specific delivery, two formulations, free Eudragit® NPs and enteric-coated NP-loaded chitosan–hypromellose microcapsules (MCs) were fluorescently-labelled and their tissue distribution in mice after oral administration was monitored by multispectral small animal imaging. The free NPs showed a shorter transit time throughout the mouse digestive tract than the MCs, with extensive excretion of NPs in faeces at 5 h. Conversely, the MCs showed complete NP release in the lower region of the mouse small intestine at 8 h post-administration. Overall, the encapsulation of NPs in MCs resulted in a higher colonic NP intensity from 8 h to 24 h post-administration compared to the free NPs, due to a NP ‘guarding’ effect of MCs during their transit along mouse gastrointestinal tract which decreased NP excretion in faeces. These imaging data revealed that this widely-utilised colon-targeting MC formulation lacked site-precision for releasing its NP load in the colon, but the increased residence time of the NPs in the lower gastrointestinal tract suggests that it is still useful for localised release of chemotherapeutics, compared to NP administration alone. In addition, both formulations resided in the stomach of mice at considerable concentrations over 24 h. Thus, adhesion of NP- or MC-based oral delivery systems to gastric mucosa may be problematic for colon-specific delivery of the cargo to the colon and should be carefully investigated for a full evaluation of particulate delivery systems.

Evaluating the potential use of direct evaporative cooling in Australia

Greenhouse gas emissions and associated global climate change are a significant and growing concern for the world community. In order to improve building energy efficiency, the use of evaporative cooling systems is attracting growing attention. Using a climate assessment tool, the potential use of direct evaporative coolers over different Australian climates is evaluated. It is found that overall, the potential use of direct evaporative cooling is very significant in Australian climates. Among all the eight capital cities across Australia, except for Darwin, the need of hybrid cooling for other cities is found to be insignificant,and is less than 5% if appropriate air circulation is provided on hot/warm days. It is also found that the potential use of evaporative cooling can be significantly influenced by a change in the applications or design parameters. In Brisbane, it is estimated that with an increase of sensible cooling load from 30 W/m2 to 40 W/m2 in the conditioned space, the requirement in hours of hybrid cooling can increase significantly, from 4.06% to 14.89%.

Investigating the potential of Shikonin, a Chinese herbal medicine, as a novel scar remediation therapy

This project investigates for the first time the biological mechanisms underlying the anecdotal use of Shikonin, an active component extracted from the Chinese herbal medicine "Zi Cao", as a treatment for hypertrophic scars. Compelling molecular and cellular evidence was generated supporting the therapeutic value of Shikonin as a scar treatment, suggesting that further development of this agent is warranted.

Study of miRNA polymorphisms and their potential association with breast cancer risk in Australian Caucasian populations

This project established a large and well characterised prospective breast cancer DNA biobank and used this biobank to conduct genetic studies in breast cancer. The thesis presented the results of these high-throughput genotyping studies in two separate Australian Caucasian case-control populations and identified association between three novel genetic variants in microRNA genes and breast cancer risk.

From “somatic scandals” to “a constant potential for violence”? The culture of dissection, brain-based learning, and the rewriting/rewiring of “the child”

This article analyzes the “messy and numberless beginnings” of the hope placed upon neurological foundationalism to provide a solution to the “problem” of differences between students and to the achievement of educational goals. Rather than arguing for or against educational neuroscience, the article moves through five levels to examine the conditions of possibility for subscribing to the brain as a causal organological locus of learning.

A potential epigenetic marker mediating serum folate and vitamin B12 levels contributes to ischemic stroke risk

Background and Purpose Stroke is a multifactorial disease that may be associated with aberrant DNA methylation profiles.We investigated epigenetic dysregulation for the MTHFR gene among ischaemic stroke patients. Methods Cases (n=297) and controls (n=110) were recruited after obtaining signed written informed consent, following a screening process against the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Serum vitamin metabolites (folate, vitamin B12 and homocysteine) were determined using immunoassays and methylation profiles for CpGs A and B in the MTHFR gene were determined using bisulfitepyrosequencing method. Results Methylation of MTHFR significantly increased the susceptibility risk for ischemic stroke. In particular, CpG A outperformed CpG B in mediating folate and vitamin B12 levels to increase ischemic stroke susceptibility risks by 4.73 fold. CpGs A and B were not associated with either serum homocysteine levels or ischemic stroke severity. Conclusion CpG A is a potential epigenetic marker in mediating serum folate and vitamin B12 to contribute to ischemic stroke.

Sexual harassment and the corporation in Australia and Japan: The potential for corporate governance of human rights

The authors explore the legal and social undercurrents in Australia and Japan which are encouraging corporations to embrace broader social responsibilities. They consider a case study of sexual harassment and its regulation within Australian corporations, uncovering the legal and social conditions that have led to the adoption of sexual harassment policies. The authors propose a model for determining when corporate governance of sexual harassment is likely to be effective and test the model by reference to the experience of sexual harassment in Japan. They draw some conclusions about what the experience of corporate implementation of management of sexual harassment might mean for other areas of human rights.

The potential for consumer segmentation in the Finnish housing market

This article examines whether cluster analysis can be used to identify groups of Finnish residents with similar housing preferences. Because homebuilders in Finland have been providing relatively homogeneous products to an increasingly diverse population, current housing may not represent the occupiers' preferences so a segmentation approach relying on socioeconomic characteristics and expressed preferences may not be sufficient. We use data collected via questionnaire in a principal component analysis followed by a hierarchical cluster analysis to determine whether different combinations of housing attributes are important to groups of residents. We can identify four clusters of housing residents based on important characteristics when looking for a house. The clusters describe Finnish people in different phases of the life cycle and with different preferences based on their recreational activities and financial expenditures. Mass customization of housing could be used to better appeal to these different clusters of consumers who share similar preferences, increasing consumer satisfaction and improving profitability.

Structural and thermal properties of inorganic–organic montmorillonite: Implications for their potential environmental applications

Inorganic–organic clays (IOCs), clays intercalated with both organic cations such as cationic surfactants and inorganic cations such as metal hydroxy polycations have the properties of both organic and pillared clays, and thereby the ability to remove both inorganic and organic contaminants from water simultaneously. In this study, IOCs were synthesised using three different methods with different surfactant concentrations. Octadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (ODTMA) and hydroxy aluminium ([Al13O4 (OH)24(H2O)12]7+ or Al13) are used as the organic and inorganic modifiers (intercalation agents). According to the results, the interlayer distance, the surfactant loading amount and the Al/Si ratio of IOCs strictly depend on the intercalation method and the intercalation agent ratio. Interlayers of IOCs synthesised by intercalating ODTMA before Al13 and IOCs synthesised by simultaneous intercalation of ODTMA and Al13 were increased with increasing the ODTMA concentration used in the synthesis procedure and comparatively high loading amounts could be observed in them. In contrast, Al/Si decreased with increasing ODTMA concentration in these two types of IOCs. The results suggest that Al-pillars can be fixed within the interlayers by calcination and any increment in the amount of ODTMA used in the synthesis procedure did not affect the interlayer distance of the IOCs. Overall the study provides valuable insights into the structure and properties of the IOCs and their potential environmental applications.

Commentary: Chronic SSRI stimulation of astrocytic 5-HT2B receptors change multiple gene expressions/editings and metabolism of glutamate, glucose and glycogen: A potential paradigm shift

Working on the serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) 5-HT2B receptor since several years, we have read with high interest the review by Hertz et al. (2015). Previous studies from our group demonstrated that a direct injection in mouse raphe nucleus of the 5-HT2B agonist BW723C86 has the ability to increase extracellular levels of serotonin, which can be blocked by the selective 5-HT2B receptor antagonist RS127445 (Doly et al., 2008, 2009). We also reported that an acute injection of paroxetine 2 mg/kg in mice knocked out for the 5-HT2B receptor gene or in wild type mice injected with RS127445 (0.5 mg/kg) triggers a strong reduction in extracellular accumulation of 5-HT in hippocampus (Diaz et al., 2012). Following these observations, we showed that acute and chronic BW723C86 injection (3 mg/kg) can mimic the fluoxetine (3 mg/kg) and paroxetine (1 mg/kg) behavioral and biochemical antidepressant effects in mice (Diaz and Maroteaux, 2011; Diaz et al., 2012)...

The UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross-border Insolvency and its Potential Role in Upholding the Rule of Law

The rule of law is understood to be a core aspect in achieving a stable economy and an ordered society. Without the elements that are inherent in this principle the possibilities of anarchy, unfairness and uncertainty are amplified, which in turn can result in an economy with dramatic fluctuations. In this regard, commentators do not always agree that the rule of law is strictly adhered to in the international legal context. Therefore, this paper will explore one aspect of international regulation and consider whether the UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross-border Insolvency (1997) (‘Model Law’) and its associated Guide to Enactment and Interpretation (2013) contribute to the promotion of the key elements of the rule of law.

Influence of oxygen content of the certain types of biodiesels on particulate oxidative potential

Oxidative potential (OP) is related to the organic phase, specifically to its oxygenated organic fraction (OOA). Furthermore, the oxygen content of fuel molecules has significant influence on particulate OP. Thus, this study aimed to explore the actual dependency of the OOA and ROS to the oxygen content of the fuel. In order to reach the goal, different biodiesels blends, with various ranges of oxygen content; have been employed. The compact time of flight aerosol mass spectrometer (c-ToF AMS) enabled better identification of OOA. ROS monitored by using two assays: DTT and BPEA-nit. Despite emitting lower mass, both assays agreed that oxygen content of a biodiesel is directly correlated with its OOA, and highly related to its OP. Hence, the more oxygen included in the considered biodiesels, the higher the OP of PM emissions. This highlights the importance of taking oxygen content into account while assessing emissions from new fuel types, which is relevant from a health effects standpoint.