Offending behaviour and mental illness : characteristics of a mental health court liaison service

This paper begins with a brief review of recent literature about relationships between offending behaviour and mental illness, classifying studies by the settings within which they occurred. The establishment and role of a mental health court liaison (MHCL) service is then described, together with findings from a 3-year service audit, including an examination of relationships between clients’ characteristics and offence profiles, and comparisons with regional offence data. During the audit period, 971 clients (767 males, 204 females) were referred to the service, comprising 1139 service episodes, 35.5% of which involved a comorbid substance use diagnosis. The pattern of offences for MHCL clients was reasonably similar to the regional offence data, except that among MHCL clients there were proportionately more offences against justice procedures (e.g., breaches of apprehended violence orders [AVOs]) and fewer driving offences and “other offences”. Additionally, male MHCL clients had proportionately more malicious damage and robbery offences and lower rates of offensive behaviour and drug offences. A range of service and research issues is also discussed. Overall, the new service appears to have forged more effective links between the mental health and criminal justice systems.

Secret Millionares Club

Secret Millionaires Club is an animated series of 26 webisodes featuring Warren Buffett (CEO and largest shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway) as a secret mentor to a group of kids who learn practical life lessons during fun-filled adventures in business.

Implementation of National Rental Affordability Scheme in Queensland

In 2008 the Australian government introduced the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) to increase the supply of affordable rental in Australia. This Federal Government initiative was progressively rolled out through four different rounds over the years with fifth round to be announced some time in 2014. Although the scheme has been successful evident there have been numerous setbacks experienced. This paper focuses on understanding lessons learnt from the performance of the scheme to make recommendations for future government initiatives. This evaluation is based on the combination of document analysis, government officers as well as approved NRAS participants operating throughout Queensland. The most significant challenges for the NRAS participants is the involvement of three levels government which cause delays in the scheme approval process.

Mutations in the gene encoding IFT dynein complex component WDR34 cause jeune asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy

Bidirectional (anterograde and retrograde) motor-based intraflagellar transport (IFT) governs cargo transport and delivery processes that are essential for primary cilia growth and maintenance and for hedgehog signaling functions. The IFT dynein-2 motor complex that regulates ciliary retrograde protein transport contains a heavy chain dynein ATPase/motor subunit, DYNC2H1, along with other less well functionally defined subunits. Deficiency of IFT proteins, including DYNC2H1, underlies a spectrum of skeletal ciliopathies. Here, by using exome sequencing and a targeted next-generation sequencing panel, we identified a total of 11 mutations in WDR34 in 9 families with the clinical diagnosis of Jeune syndrome (asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy). WDR34 encodes a WD40 repeat-containing protein orthologous to Chlamydomonas FAP133, a dynein intermediate chain associated with the retrograde intraflagellar transport motor. Three-dimensional protein modeling suggests that the identified mutations all affect residues critical for WDR34 protein-protein interactions. We find that WDR34 concentrates around the centrioles and basal bodies in mammalian cells, also showing axonemal staining. WDR34 coimmunoprecipitates with the dynein-1 light chain DYNLL1 in vitro, and mining of proteomics data suggests that WDR34 could represent a previously unrecognized link between the cytoplasmic dynein-1 and IFT dynein-2 motors. Together, these data show that WDR34 is critical for ciliary functions essential to normal development and survival, most probably as a previously unrecognized component of the mammalian dynein-IFT machinery.

Mosaic PPM1D mutations are associated with predisposition to breast and ovarian cancer

Improved sequencing technologies offer unprecedented opportunities for investigating the role of rare genetic variation in common disease. However, there are considerable challenges with respect to study design, data analysis and replication. Using pooled next-generation sequencing of 507 genes implicated in the repair of DNA in 1,150 samples, an analytical strategy focused on protein-truncating variants (PTVs) and a large-scale sequencing case-control replication experiment in 13,642 individuals, here we show that rare PTVs in the p53-inducible protein phosphatase PPM1D are associated with predisposition to breast cancer and ovarian cancer. PPM1D PTV mutations were present in 25 out of 7,781 cases versus 1 out of 5,861 controls (P = 1.12 × 10-5), including 18 mutations in 6,912 individuals with breast cancer (P = 2.42 × 10-4) and 12 mutations in 1,121 individuals with ovarian cancer (P = 3.10 × 10-9). Notably, all of the identified PPM1D PTVs were mosaic in lymphocyte DNA and clustered within a 370-base-pair region in the final exon of the gene, carboxy-terminal to the phosphatase catalytic domain. Functional studies demonstrate that the mutations result in enhanced suppression of p53 in response to ionizing radiation exposure, suggesting that the mutant alleles encode hyperactive PPM1D isoforms. Thus, although the mutations cause premature protein truncation, they do not result in the simple loss-of-function effect typically associated with this class of variant, but instead probably have a gain-of-function effect. Our results have implications for the detection and management of breast and ovarian cancer risk. More generally, these data provide new insights into the role of rare and of mosaic genetic variants in common conditions, and the use of sequencing in their identification.

Identification of 15 new psoriasis susceptibility loci highlights the role of innate immunity

To gain further insight into the genetic architecture of psoriasis, we conducted a meta-analysis of 3 genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and 2 independent data sets genotyped on the Immunochip, including 10,588 cases and 22,806 controls. We identified 15 new susceptibility loci, increasing to 36 the number associated with psoriasis in European individuals. We also identified, using conditional analyses, five independent signals within previously known loci. The newly identified loci shared with other autoimmune diseases include candidate genes with roles in regulating T-cell function (such as RUNX3, TAGAP and STAT3). Notably, they included candidate genes whose products are involved in innate host defense, including interferon-mediated antiviral responses (DDX58), macrophage activation (ZC3H12C) and nuclear factor (NF)-κB signaling (CARD14 and CARM1). These results portend a better understanding of shared and distinctive genetic determinants of immune-mediated inflammatory disorders and emphasize the importance of the skin in innate and acquired host defense. © 2012 Nature America, Inc. All rights reserved.

A genome-wide asociation study identifies new psoriasis susceptibility loci and an interaction betwEn HLA-C and ERAP1

To identify new susceptibility loci for psoriasis, we undertOk a genome-wide asociation study of 594,224 SNPs in 2,622 individuals with psoriasis and 5,667 controls. We identified asociations at eight previously unreported genomic loci. Seven loci harbored genes with recognized iMune functions (IL28RA, REL, IFIH1, ERAP1, TRAF3IP2, NFKBIA and TYK2). These asociations were replicated in 9,079 European samples (six loci with a combined P < 5-10 -8 and two loci with a combined P < 5-10-7). We also report compeLing evidence for an interaction betwEn the HLA-C and ERAP1 loci (combined P = 6.95-10-6). ERAP1 plays an important role in MHC claS I peptide proceSing. ERAP1 variants only influenced psoriasis susceptibility in individuals carrying the HLA-C risk aLele. Our findings implicate pathways that integrate epidermal barrier dysfunction with iNate and adaptive iMune dysregulation in psoriasis pathogenesis.

Genome-wide association study of CNVs in 16,000 cases of eight common diseases and 3,000 shared controls

Copy number variants (CNVs) account for a major proportion of human genetic polymorphism and have been predicted to have an important role in genetic susceptibility to common disease. To address this we undertook a large, direct genome-wide study of association between CNVs and eight common human diseases. Using a purpose-designed array we typed 19,000 individuals into distinct copy-number classes at 3,432 polymorphic CNVs, including an estimated 50% of all common CNVs larger than 500 base pairs. We identified several biological artefacts that lead to false-positive associations, including systematic CNV differences between DNAs derived from blood and cell lines. Association testing and follow-up replication analyses confirmed three loci where CNVs were associated with diseaseIRGM for Crohns disease, HLA for Crohns disease, rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes, and TSPAN8 for type 2 diabetesalthough in each case the locus had previously been identified in single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based studies, reflecting our observation that most common CNVs that are well-typed on our array are well tagged by SNPs and so have been indirectly explored through SNP studies. We conclude that common CNVs that can be typed on existing platforms are unlikely to contribute greatly to the genetic basis of common human diseases. © 2010 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

Current treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection and peptic ulcer disease

Since the initial report by Warren and Marshall in 1984, Helicobacter pylori has assumed an increasingly important role in the pathogenesis of peptic ulcer disease and gastric carcinoma in all ages. A recent National Institutes of Health Consensus Development conference acknowledges the relationship between H. pylori infection and peptic ulcer disease and recommends that the medical community treat H. pylori infection in all patients with Helicobacter pylori and peptic ulcer. Although the same organism, the response to Helicobacter pylori infection in childhood differs somewhat from that seen in adults. The paediatric patient mounts a different inflammatory response, has different macroscopic appearances and has a markedly diminished peptic ulcer disease frequency compared with their adult counterparts. The appearances of antral nodularity appear to be characteristic of Helicobacter pylori infections. The appearances, however, are unrelated to symptoms and the underlying cause for this nodularity remains obscure. Younger children with peptic ulcer diseases are more likely to be Helicobacter pylori negative. This may suggest an increased susceptibility to gastric acid or possibly a very transient Helicobacter pylori infection rather than the well described lifelong infection without treatment. It is well known that the epidemiology of Helicobacter pylori would suggest that the incidence of infection increases with age. There is also geographical variations with the incidence being higher in countries of a third world background. These epidemiological observations fly in the face of all other infections where the major period of acquisition is in childhood. There has been recent evidence to suggest that in fact the incidence in childhood is decreasing in developed countries which could support the observation that there is a decreasing positive serology with successive decades in some countries. It is felt that the most likely mode of transmission of Helicobacter pylori is faecal to oral or oral to oral route. These are similar modes of transmission to Hepatitis A infections. It is obvious that most infections in childhood remain asymptomatic. It is also clear that there is no relationship between chronic recurrent abdominal pain of childhood syndrome and the presence of Helicobacter pylori infections. It remains to be seen as to who should be treated, what with and when. All of these issues will be discussed in the paper.

An automated emergency landing system for fixed-wing aircraft: Planning and control

A number of hurdles must be overcome in order to integrate unmanned aircraft into civilian airspace for routine operations. The ability of the aircraft to land safely in an emergency is essential to reduce the risk to people, infrastructure and aircraft. To date, few field-demonstrated systems have been presented that show online re-planning and repeatability from failure to touchdown. This paper presents the development of the Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) component of an Automated Emergency Landing System (AELS) intended to address this gap, suited to a variety of fixed-wing aircraft. Field-tested on both a fixed-wing UAV and Cessna 172R during repeated emergency landing experiments, a trochoid-based path planner computes feasible trajectories and a simplified control system executes the required manoeuvres to guide the aircraft towards touchdown on a predefined landing site. This is achieved in zero-thrust conditions with engine forced to idle to simulate failure. During an autonomous landing, the controller uses airspeed, inertial and GPS data to track motion and maintains essential flight parameters to guarantee flyability, while the planner monitors glide ratio and re-plans to ensure approach at correct altitude. Simulations show reliability of the system in a variety of wind conditions and its repeated ability to land within the boundary of a predefined landing site. Results from field-tests for the two aircraft demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed GNC system in live operation. Results show that the system is capable of guiding the aircraft to close proximity of a predefined keyhole in nearly 100% of cases.

Engineering cellulose nanofibre suspensions to control filtration resistance and sheet permeability

This study examines and quantifies the effect of adding polyelectrolytes to cellulose nanofibre suspensions on the gel point of cellulose nanofibre suspensions, which is the lowest solids concentration at which the suspension forms a continuous network. The lower the gel point, the faster the drainage time to produce a sheet and the higher the porosity of the final sheet formed. Two new techniques were designed to measure the dynamic compressibility and the drainability of nanocellulose–polyelectrolyte suspensions. We developed a master curve which showed that the independent variable controlling the behaviour of nanocellulose suspensions and its composite is the structure of the flocculated suspension which is best quantified as the gel point. This was independent of the type of polyelectrolyte used. At an addition level of 2 mg/g of nanofibre, a reduction in gel point over 50 % was achieved using either a high molecular weight (13 MDa) linear cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM, 40 % charge), a dendrimer polyethylenimine of high molecular weight of 750,000 Da (HPEI) or even a low molecular weight of 2000 Da (LPEI). There was no significant difference in the minimum gel point achieved, despite the difference in polyelectrolyte morphology and molecular weight. In this paper, we show that the gel point controls the flow through the fibre suspension, even when comparing fibre suspensions with solids content above the gel point. A lower gel point makes it easier for water to drain through the fibre network,reducing the pressure required to achieve a given dewatering rate and reducing the filtering time required to form a wet laid sheet. We further show that the lower gel point partially controls the structure of the wet laid sheet after it is dried. Halving the gel point increased the air permeability of the dry sheet by 37, 46 and 25 %, when using CPAM, HPEI and LPEI, respectively. The resistance to liquid flow was reduced by 74 and 90 %, when using CPAM and LPEI. Analysing the paper formed shows that sheet forming process and final sheet properties can be engineered and controlled by adding polyelectrolytes to the nanofibre suspension.

Prospective decrease in progesterone concentrations in female lightweight rowers during the competition season compared with the off-season: A controlled study examining weight loss and intensive exercise

The purpose of this study was to monitor ovarian hormone function response to intense exercise and body weight changes in female athletes. Ovarian hormone function was evaluated in 12 female lightweight rowers and 10 age-height-weight matched sedentary controls. Ovarian hormone function was assessed during consecutive competition season and off season, by measurement of peak and average alternative day overnight urinary oestrone glucuronide (E1G) and pregnanediol glucuronide (PdG) excretion. Competition season was associated with a 5.8 kg (9.3%) body weight loss in the lightweight rowers. Significantly lower competition season peak and average urinary excretion of PdG were found in the lightweight rowers compared with the controls. Lower competition season peak and average urinary excretion of E1G were also found in the lightweight rowers compared with the controls, but the difference did not reach significance. The number of rowing training hours was a significant determinant of peak PdG excretion in the rowers (R2 = 0.40; p<0.02). The seasonal suppression of PdG excretion was associated with degree of weight loss (R2 = 0.46; p<0.01). The competition related decrease in E1G and PdG excretion for the lightweight rowers was predominantly restored during the off season when exercise intensity and duration were decreased and body weight increased. These results showed a significant (p<0.05) reduction in progesterone metabolite excretion and a non-significant decrease in oestrone metabolite excretion associated with intensive competition season training loads and body weight reduction in female lightweight rowers.

Guaiac versus immunochemical tests: Faecal occult blood test screening for colorectal cancer in a rural community

Objective: To describe patient participation and clinical performance in a colorectal cancer (CRC) screening program utilising faecal occult blood test (FOBT). Methods: A community-based intervention was conducted in a small, rural community in north Queensland, 2000/01. One of two FOBT kits – guaiac (Hemoccult-ll) or immunochemical (Inform) – was assigned by general practice and mailed to participants (3,358 patients aged 50–74 years listed with the local practices). Results: Overall participation in FOBT screening was 36.3%. Participation was higher with the immunochemical kit than the guaiac kit (OR=1.9, 95% Cl 1.6-2.2). Women were more likely to comply with testing than men (OR=1.4, 95% Cl 1.2-1.7), and people in their 60s were less likely to participate than those 70–74 years (OR=0.8, 95% Cl 0.6-0.9). The positivity rate was higher for the immunochemical (9.5%) than the guaiac (3.9%) test (χ2=9.2, p=0.002), with positive predictive values for cancer or adenoma of advanced pathology of 37.8% (95% Cl 28.1–48.6) for !nform and 40.0% (95% Cl 16.8–68.7) for Hemoccult-ll. Colonoscopy follow-up was 94.8% with a medical complication rate of 2–3%. Conclusions: An immunochemical FOBT enhanced participation. Higher positivity rates for this kit did not translate into higher false-positive rates, and both test types resulted in a high yield of neoplasia. Implications: In addition to type of FOBT, the ultimate success of a population-based screening program for CRC using FOBT will depend on appropriate education of health professionals and the public as well as significant investment in medical infrastructure for colonoscopy follow-up.

Evaluation of the Red Light Camera Program and the Owner Onus Legislation

Red light cameras were introduced in Victoria in August 1983, with the intention of reducing the number of accidents that result from motorists disobeying red traffic signals at signalised intersections. Accident data from 46 treated and 46 control sites from 1981 to 1986 were analysed. The analysis indicated that red light camera use resulted in a reduction in the incidence of right angle accidents, and in the number of accident casualties. Legislation was introduced in March 1986 to place the onus for red light camera offences onto the vehicle owner. This legislation was intended to improve Police efficiency and therefore increase the number of red light cameras in operation. Data supplied by the Police indicated that these aims have beneficial road safety effects.