Parenting from the outside-in : reflections on parent training during a potential paradigm shift

This article proposes that a paradigm shift that has implications for practitioners of parenting interventions is emerging. This shift represents a challenge to the dominant model of parent training. The Triple P Parenting Program is discussed as an example of parent training programme to highlight the relevant issues for practitioners, including common practitioner objections encountered in dissemination as identified, in part, by Mazzucchelli and Sanders. It is argued that apart fromthese objections, there are more essential concerns in relation to the adoption of parent training programmes by practitioners. Rather, the article argues that parent training is “mind-blind” and that approaches emerging from the field of interpersonal neurobiology represent developmentally sophisticated alternatives for intervention. The Circle of Security programme is discussed as one example of this emerging paradigm shift that integrates attachment, social neuroscience, and psychodynamic theory. Contrasts are highlighted between the models, and considerations for future issues in parent intervention conclude the article.

Assessment of freestanding membranes prepared from Antheraea pernyi silk fibroin as a potential vehicle for corneal epithelial cell transplantation

Freestanding membranes created from Bombyx mori silk fibroin (BMSF) offer a potential vehicle for corneal cell transplantation since they are transparent and support the growth of human corneal epithelial cells (HCE). Fibroin derived from the wild silkworm Antheraea pernyi (APSF) might provide a superior material by virtue of containing putative cell- attachment sites that are absent from BMSF. Thus we have investigated the feasibility of producing transparent, freestanding membranes from APSF and have analysed the behaviour of HCE cells on this material. No significant differences in cell numbers or phenotype were observed in short term HCE cell cultures established on either fibroin. Production of transparent freestanding APSF membranes, however, proved to be problematic as cast solutions of APSF were more prone to becoming opaque, displayed significantly lower permeability and were more brittle than BMSF-membranes. Cultures of HCE cells established on either membrane developed a normal stratified morphology with cytokeratin pair 3/12 being immuno-localized to the superficial layers. We conclude that while it is feasible to produce transparent freestanding membranes from APSF, the technical difficulties associated with this biomaterial, along with an absence of enhanced cell growth, currently favours the continued development of BMSF as a preferred vehicle for corneal cell transplantation. Nevertheless, it remains possible that refinement of techniques for processing APSF might yet lead to improvements in the handling properties and performance of this material.

Health big data analytics : current perspectives, challenges and potential solutions

Modern health information systems can generate several exabytes of patient data, the so called "Health Big Data", per year. Many health managers and experts believe that with the data, it is possible to easily discover useful knowledge to improve health policies, increase patient safety and eliminate redundancies and unnecessary costs. The objective of this paper is to discuss the characteristics of Health Big Data as well as the challenges and solutions for health Big Data Analytics (BDA) – the process of extracting knowledge from sets of Health Big Data – and to design and evaluate a pipelined framework for use as a guideline/reference in health BDA.

The covenant for quiet enjoyment : a potential nuisance to lessors

Under Australian law, a tenant complaining of nuisance caused by another tenant traditionally had no recourse to the lessor unless the lessor actively participated in the nuisance. A recent Queensland Court of Appeal decision, Aussie Traveller Pty Ltd v Marklea Pty Ltd, has found that a lessor who fails to take steps to control a tenant's nuisance may be liable to other tenants for breach of the covenant of quiet enjoyment. This paper considers the recent decision in light of common law developments in Australia, England and the United States, including the American concept of constructive eviction.

A finite volume method with linearisation in time for the solution of advection-reaction-diffusion systems

The numerical solution in one space dimension of advection--reaction--diffusion systems with nonlinear source terms may invoke a high computational cost when the presently available methods are used. Numerous examples of finite volume schemes with high order spatial discretisations together with various techniques for the approximation of the advection term can be found in the literature. Almost all such techniques result in a nonlinear system of equations as a consequence of the finite volume discretisation especially when there are nonlinear source terms in the associated partial differential equation models. This work introduces a new technique that avoids having such nonlinear systems of equations generated by the spatial discretisation process when nonlinear source terms in the model equations can be expanded in positive powers of the dependent function of interest. The basis of this method is a new linearisation technique for the temporal integration of the nonlinear source terms as a supplementation of a more typical finite volume method. The resulting linear system of equations is shown to be both accurate and significantly faster than methods that necessitate the use of solvers for nonlinear system of equations.

Thinking Pedagogically

Despite the dominancy of medical explanations for difficult child behavior, the shifting sands that lie beneath the ADHD construct provide an unstable foundation for educational practice. It can be somewhat liberating to remember that “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder” is a label (one of many, including minimal brain damage and hyperkinetic reaction of childhood) that the medical domain has coined to both group and describe certain challenging behaviors exhibited by children and young people (see Smith, Chapter 2). The label is but one conceptualization of what these behaviors mean and, despite the existence of powerful lobby groups, it may not be the best way forward. In what follows, I present an alternative typology to the medical conceptualization by describing some common issues that bring this group of children to attention. In an effort to introduce educationally useful responses to students who are difficult to teach, I will then outline what classroom teachers need to recognize in order to work with these students and realize their potential. To assist teachers in thinking pedagogically, these observations are coupled with well-known and relevant qualities of good teaching to remind teachers of what they already know and to reacquaint them with the power of that knowledge.

Ozone-induced dissociation of conjugated lipids reveals significant reaction rate enhancements and characteristic odd-electron product ions

Ozone-induced dissociation (OzID) is an alternative ion activation method that relies on the gas phase ion-molecule reaction between a mass-selected target ion and ozone in an ion trap mass spectrometer. Herein, we evaluated the performance of OzID for both the structural elucidation and selective detection of conjugated carbon-carbon double bond motifs within lipids. The relative reactivity trends for \[M + X](+) ions (where X = Li, Na, K) formed via electrospray ionization (ESI) of conjugated versus nonconjugated fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) were examined using two different OzID-enabled linear ion-trap mass spectrometers. Compared with nonconjugated analogues, FAMEs derived from conjugated linoleic acids were found to react up to 200 times faster and to yield characteristic radical cations. The significantly enhanced reactivity of conjugated isomers means that OzID product ions can be observed without invoking a reaction delay in the experimental sequence (i.e., trapping of ions in the presence of ozone is not required). This possibility has been exploited to undertake neutral-loss scans on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer targeting characteristic OzID transitions. Such analyses reveal the presence of conjugated double bonds in lipids extracted from selected foodstuffs. Finally, by benchmarking of the absolute ozone concentration inside the ion trap, second order rate constants for the gas phase reactions between unsaturated organic ions and ozone were obtained. These results demonstrate a significant influence of the adducting metal on reaction rate constants in the fashion Li > Na > K.

Whole-genome sequencing reveals untapped genetic potential in Africa’s indigenous cereal crop sorghum

Sorghum is a food and feed cereal crop adapted to heat and drought and a staple for 500 million of the world’s poorest people. Its small diploid genome and phenotypic diversity make it an ideal C4 grass model as a complement to C3 rice. Here we present high coverage (16–45 × ) resequenced genomes of 44 sorghum lines representing the primary gene pool and spanning dimensions of geographic origin, end-use and taxonomic group. We also report the first resequenced genome of S. propinquum, identifying 8 M high-quality SNPs, 1.9 M indels and specific gene loss and gain events in S. bicolor. We observe strong racial structure and a complex domestication history involving at least two distinct domestication events. These assembled genomes enable the leveraging of existing cereal functional genomics data against the novel diversity available in sorghum, providing an unmatched resource for the genetic improvement of sorghum and other grass species.

Mesenchymal stem cells, neural lineage potential, heparan sulfate proteoglycans and the matrix

Along with the tri-lineage of bone, cartilage and fat, human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) retain neural lineage potential. Multiple factors have been described that influence lineage fate of hMSCs including the extracellular microenvironment or niche. The niche includes the extracellular matrix (ECM) providing structural composition, as well as other associated proteins and growth factors, which collectively influence hMSC stemness and lineage specification. As such, lineage specific differentiation of MSCs is mediated through interactions including cell–cell and cell–matrix, as well as through specific signalling pathways triggering downstream events. Proteoglycans (PGs) are ubiquitous within this microenvironment and can be localised to the cell surface or embedded within the ECM. In addition, the heparan sulfate (HS) and chondroitin sulfate (CS) families of PGs interact directly with a number of growth factors, signalling pathways and ECM components including FGFs, Wnts and fibronectin. With evidence supporting a role for HSPGs and CSPGs in the specification of hMSCs down the osteogenic, chondrogenic and adipogenic lineages, along with the localisation of PGs in development and regeneration, it is conceivable that these important proteins may also play a role in the differentiation of hMSCs toward the neuronal lineage. Here we summarise the current literature and highlight the potential for HSPG directed neural lineage fate specification in hMSCs, which may provide a new model for brain damage repair.

Sulfated glycosaminoglycans mediate the effects of FGF2 on the osteogenic potential of rat calvarial osteoprogenitor cells

Fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) is a powerful promoter of bone growth. We demonstrate here that brief exposure to FGF2 enhances mineralized nodule formation in cultured rat osteoprogenitor cells due to an expansion of cells that subsequently mineralize. This mitogenic effect is mediated via sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), FGFR1, and the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway. The GAGs involved in this stimulation are chondroitin sulfates (CS) rather than heparan sulfates (HS). However, continuous FGF2 treatment reduces alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, downregulates collagen Ialpha1 (ColIalpha1) and FGFR3 expression, upregulates the expression and secretion of osteopontin (OPN) and inhibits mineralization. The inhibitory effects of FGF2 on FGFR3 expression and ALP activity are also mediated by the ERK pathway, although the effects of FGF2 on ColIalpha1 and OPN expression are mediated by GAGs and PKC activity. Thus short-term activation of FGF2/FGFR1 promotes osteoprogenitor proliferation and subsequent differentiation, while long-term activation of FGF2 signaling disrupts mineralization by modulating osteogenic marker expression. This study thus establishes the central role of sulfated GAGs in the osteogenic progression of osteoprogenitors.

An efficient synthesis of (±)-frondosin B using a Stille–Heck reaction sequence

A concise, convergent synthesis of (±)-frondosin B has been developed based on the application of a Stille–Heck reaction sequence of 2-chloro-5-methoxybenzo[b]furan-3-yl triflate and 2-(3-butenyl)-3-(trimethylstannyl)cyclohex-2-enone giving the racemic natural product in a 34% overall yield.

The potential of XML technology as an answer to the data interchange problems of the construction industry

The complex supply chain relations of the construction industry, coupled with the substantial amount of information to be shared on a regular basis between the parties involved, make the traditional paper-based data interchange methods inefficient, error prone and expensive. The successful information technology (IT) applications that enable seamless data interchange, such as the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) systems, have generally failed to be successfully implemented in the construction industry. An alternative emerging technology, Extensible Markup Language (XML), and its applicability to streamline business processes and to improve data interchange methods within the construction industry are analysed, as is the EDI technology to identify the strategic advantages that XML technology provides to overcome the barriers to implementation. In addition, the successful implementation of XML-based automated data interchange platforms for a large organization, and the proposed benefits thereof, are presented as a case study.

#Pontiff-Ex : the Twitter community’s reaction to the Papal resignation

In this paper, we provide an account-centric analysis of the tweeting activity of, and public response to, Pope Benedict XVI via the @pontifex Twitter account(s). We focus our investigation on the particular phase around Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation to generate insights into the use of Twitter in response to a celebrity crisis event. Through a combined qualitative and quantitative methodological approach we generate an overview of the follower-base and tweeting activity of the @pontifex account. We identify a very one-directional communication pattern (many @mentions by followers yet zero @replies from the papal account itself), which prompts us to enquire further into what the public resonance of the @pontifex account is. We also examine reactions to the resurrection of the papal Twitter account by Pope Benedict XVI’s successor. In this way, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the public response to the immediate events around the crisis event of Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation and its aftermath via the network of users involved in the @pontifex account.

Alternation of chemoselective control in Stille-Heck and Heck-Stille reaction sequences

Sequential and one-pot Stille–Heck and Heck–Stille reaction processes have been invoked to give divergent access to polycyclic ring systems. Both reaction conditions and substrate structure are important in determining the nature of the reaction products formed. The Heck–Stille reactions have involved a reversal of the usual Heck regioselectivity and both cine- and ipso-substitutions have been observed in the Stille reaction.

Developing sustainable fish farming in the Western Pacific : a viewpoint on potential reasons for why many attempts failed

Capture fisheries and aquaculture have been a major source of food and providers of economic benefits to many communities around the world for a very long time. While the history of aquaculture or fish farming can be traced back for more than 2000 years in some corners of the globe, notably in China, Japan and the Mediterranean, this is not true everywhere, where in general, fish farming is a relatively new industry. Rapid human population growth and increasing urbanisation over the last 20 to 40 years has meant that while fish consumption has doubled globally, returns from capture fisheries have remained static or have declined due to overexploitation and rising pollution levels, with some fisheries either closing or becoming economically unviable. Data from studies suggest that this trend is unlikely to be reversed unless appropriate fisheries management allows depleted wild stocks to rebuild. This has occurred during a time when demand for fish products has grown, in part due to improved purchasing power in some developing countries and changing dietary habits where fish are now considered to have a positive impact on health. Based on the projected population growth over the next two decades, Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) estimates that at least an additional 40 million tonnes of aquatic food will be required to maintain the current per capita consumption (FAO 2006).