Oxford Companion to Australian Gardens [contributions: entries S-V]

Shelton, Edward Mason; p.548 Sherwood Arboretum; p.550 Soutter, William; pp.563-564 Styles or gardens and designed landscapes; pp.575-576 Summer-house; pp.579-580 Trapnell, Walter George; p.602 Tropical Gardens; pp.604-605 Wickham Park; p.642 Wijaya, Made; p.642 Williams, George; p.644 Williams, Keith A.W.; p.644 Verandah Garadening; p.614

Batch Verification of Validity of Bids in Homomorphic E-auction

Bid opening in e-auction is efficient when a homomorphic secret sharing function is employed to seal the bids and homomorphic secret reconstruction is employed to open the bids. However, this high efficiency is based on an assumption: the bids are valid (e.g., within a special range). An undetected invalid bid can compromise correctness and fairness of the auction. Unfortunately, validity verification of the bids is ignored in the auction schemes employing homomorphic secret sharing (called homomorphic auction in this paper). In this paper, an attack against the homomorphic auction in the absence of bid validity check is presented and a necessary bid validity check mechanism is proposed. Then a batch cryptographic technique is introduced and applied to improve the efficiency of bid validity check.

Statutory protections from forfeiture of a leasehold estate following Apriaden Pty Ltd v Seacrest Pty Ltd

In Apriaden Pty Ltd v Seacrest Pty Ltd the Victorian Court of Appeal decided that termination of a lease under common law contractual principles following repudiation is an alternative to reliance upon an express forfeiture provision in the lease and that it is outside the sphere of statutory protections given against the enforcing of a forfeiture. The balance of authority supports the first aspect of the decision. This article focuses on the second aspect of it, which is a significant development in the law of leases. The article considers the implications of this decision for essential terms of clauses in leases, argues that common law termination for breach of essential terms should be subject to compliance with these statutory requirements and, as an alternative, suggests a way forward through appropriate law reform, considering whether the recent Victorian reform goes far enough.

Enhancement of DNA repair using topical T4 endonuclease V does not inhibit melanoma formation in Cdk4R24C/R24C/Tyr-NrasQ61K mice following neonatal UVR

To further investigate the use of DNA repair-enhancing agents for skin cancer prevention, we treated Cdk4R24C/R24C/NrasQ61K mice topically with the T4 endonuclease V DNA repair enzyme (known as Dimericine) immediately prior to neonatal ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure, which has a powerful effect in exacerbating melanoma development in the mouse model. Dimericine has been shown to reduce the incidence of basal-cell and squamous cell carcinoma. Unexpectedly, we saw no difference in penetrance or age of onset of melanoma after neonatal UVR between Dimericine-treated and control animals, although the drug reduced DNA damage and cellular proliferation in the skin. Interestingly, epidermal melanocytes removed cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) more efficiently than surrounding keratinocytes. Our study indicates that neonatal UVR-initiated melanomas may be driven by mechanisms other than solely that of a large CPD load and/or their inefficient repair. This is further suggestive of different mechanisms by which UVR may enhance the transformation of keratinocytes and melanocytes.

Artful determination : "state of the art" and PCME Ltd v. Goyen COntrols Co. UK Ltd

In a recent decision by Mr Justice Laddie, a patent was held anticipated by, inter alia, prior use of a device which fell within the claims of the patent in suit, even though its circuitry was enclosed in resin. The anticipating invention had been "made available to the public" within the terms of section 2 (2) of the Patents Act 1977 because its essential integers would have been revealed by an interesting character, the "skilled forensic engineer".

Locking away the mysteries of fair basis : Lockwood v Doric in the High Court

This article updates a previous article on the Lockwood v Doric fair basing case in the Full Court of the Federal Court which was recently appealed to the High Court. The High Court's decision provides a new and welcome level of clarity in this difficult area of patent law. With this new clarity we can finally lock away some of the mysteries that have plagued the area for some time. Already, indications are that Lockwood's guidelines are being usefully applied in the Patent Office and Federal Court.

Urban dynamic origin-destination matrices estimation

The aim of this paper is to explore a new approach to obtain better traffic demand (Origin-Destination, OD matrices) for dense urban networks. From reviewing existing methods, from static to dynamic OD matrix evaluation, possible deficiencies in the approach could be identified: traffic assignment details for complex urban network and lacks in dynamic approach. To improve the global process of traffic demand estimation, this paper is focussing on a new methodology to determine dynamic OD matrices for urban areas characterized by complex route choice situation and high level of traffic controls. An iterative bi-level approach will be used, the Lower level (traffic assignment) problem will determine, dynamically, the utilisation of the network by vehicles using heuristic data from mesoscopic traffic simulator and the Upper level (matrix adjustment) problem will proceed to an OD estimation using optimization Kalman filtering technique. In this way, a full dynamic and continuous estimation of the final OD matrix could be obtained. First results of the proposed approach and remarks are presented.

Recent developments : loss of chance in medical litigation : Tabet v Gett [2010] HCA 12.

Following the judgement of the High Court in Tabet v Gett [2010]HCA 12 handed down on 21 April 2010 it appears that in Australia there is now very limited scope for recovery in negligence for the loss of a chance of a better medical outcome.

A myosin from a higher plant has structural similarities to class V myosins

In plant cells, myosin is believed to be the molecular motor responsible for actin-based motility processes such as cytoplasmic streaming and directed vesicle transport. In an effort to characterize plant myosin, a cDNA encoding a myosin heavy chain was isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana. The predicted product of the MYA1 gene is 173 kDa and is structurally similar to the class V myosins. It is composed of the highly-conserved NH2-terminal "head" domain, a putative calmodulin-binding "neck" domain an alpha-helical coiled-coil domain, and a COOH-terminal domain. Northern blot analysis shows that the Arabidopsis MYA1 gene is expressed in all the major plant tissues (flower, leaf, root, and stem). We suggest that the MYA1 myosin may be involved in a general intracellular transport process in plant cells.

Contribution of transmembrane domain V amino acids to β1l-adrenoceptor activity and affinity

Introduction. There are two binding sites on the β1-adrenoceptor (AR), β1H and β1L corresponding to high and low affinity binding sites respectively, which can be activated to cause cardiostimulation. Some β-blockers that block β1AR and β2ARs can activate β1LARs at higher concentrations than those required to cause blockade. The β2AR does not form a corresponding low affinity binding site and therefore we postulated that heterologous amino acids are responsible for the formation of β1LAR. Aim. To investigate whether heterologous amino acids of transmembrane domain V (TMDV) of β1AR and β2ARs contribute to β1LAR. Methods. β1ARs, β2ARs and mutant β1ARs containing all (β1(β2TMDV)AR) or single amino acids of TMDV of the β2AR were prepared and stably expressed in Chinese Hamster Ovary cells. Concentration-effect curves for cyclicAMP accumulation were carried out for (-)-CGP12177 in the absence or presence of (-)-bupranolol. Results. The potencies (pEC50) of (-)-CGP12177 were β2AR (9.24 ± 0.14, n = 5), β1(V230I)AR (9.07 ± 0.07, n = 10), β1(β2TMDV)AR (8.86 ± 0.10, n = 15), β1(R222Q)AR (8.09 ± 0.29, n = 6), β1AR (8.00 ± 0.11, n = 11). The affinities (pKB) of (-)-bupranolol were β2AR (9.82 ± 0.52, n = 5), β1(V230I)AR (7.64 ± 0.12, n = 8), β1(β2TMV)AR (8.06 ± 0.17, n = 8), β1(R222Q)AR (7.33 ± 0.23, n = 5), β1AR (7.23 ± 0.23, n = 5). Discussion. The potency of (-)-CGP12177 was higher at β2AR than at β1AR consistent with activation through a low affinity site at the β1AR (β1LAR). The presence of V230 in β1AR accounted for the lower potency of (-)-CGP 12177. The affinity of (-)-bupranolol was lower at β1AR compared to β2AR. The presence of V230 in β1AR accounted in part for the lower affinity. In conclusion TMDV of the β1AR contributes in part to the low affinity binding site of β1AR.

Contribution of transmembrane domain V amino acids to β1l-adrenoceptor activity and affinity

There are two binding sites on the β1-adrenoceptor (AR), β1H and β1L corresponding to high and low affinity binding sites respectively, which can be activated to cause cardiostimulation (reviewed Kaumann and Molenaar, 2008). Some β-blockers that block β1AR and β2ARs can activate β1LARs at higher concentrations than those required to cause blockade. The β2AR does not form a corresponding low affinity binding site (Baker et al 2002) and therefore we postulated that heterologous amino acids are responsible for the formation of β1LAR. Our aim was to investigate whether heterologous amino acids of transmembrane domain V (TMDV) of β1AR and β2ARs contribute to β1LAR. β1ARs, β2ARs and mutant β1ARs containing all (β1(β2TMDV)AR) or single amino acids of TMDV of the β2AR were prepared and stably expressed in Chinese Hamster Ovary cells. Concentration-effect curves for cyclicAMP accumulation were carried out for (-)-CGP12177 or (-)-isoprenaline in the absence or presence of (-)-bupranolol. _______________________________________________________________________ (-)-CGP 12177 (-)-Bupranolol affinity (pKB) pEC50 vs (-)-CGP 12177 vs (-)-isoprenaline _______________________________________________________________________ β1AR 8.00 ± 0.11 (11) 7.23 ± 0.23 (5) 9.52 ± 0.28 (5) β2AR (high density) 9.24 ± 0.14 (5) 9.82 ± 0.52 (8) xPaulxxxxxxx β2AR (low density) no effect β1(β2TMV)AR 8.86 ± 0.10 (15) 8.06 ± 0.17 (8) 9.08 ± 0.22 (6) β1(V230I)AR 9.07 ± 0.07 (10) 7.64 ± 0.12 (8) 9.36 ± 0.28 (9) β1(R222Q)AR 8.09 ± 0.29 (6) 7.33 ± 0.23 (5) 9.36 ± 0.08 (6) β1(V230A)AR 7.59 ± 0.09 (6) 7.32 ± 0.24 (4) 8.62 ± 0.18 (5) _______________________________________________________________________ The potency of (-)-CGP12177 was higher at β2AR than at β1AR consistent with activation through a low affinity site at the β1AR (β1LAR) but not β2AR. The presence of V230 in β1AR accounted for the lower potency of (-)-CGP 12177. The affinity of (-)-bupranolol at β1AR and mutants was higher when determined with (-)-isoprenaline than with (-)-CGP 12177. The affinity of (-)-bupranolol determined against (-)-CGP 12177 was lower at β1AR compared to β2AR. The presence of V230 in β1AR accounted in part for the lower affinity. In conclusion V230 of the β1AR contributes in part to the low affinity binding site of β1AR. Baker JG, Hall IP, Hill SJ (2002). Pharmacological characterization of CGP12177 at the human β2-adrenoceptor. Br J Pharmacol 137, 400−408 Kaumann AJ, Molenaar P (2008) The low-affinity site of the β1-adrenoceptor and its relevance to cardiovascular pharmacology. Pharmacol Ther 118, 303-336

Channel plasmon-polariton modes in V grooves filled with dielectric

We investigated the effect of dielectric filling in a V groove on the propagation parameters of channel plasmon-polariton (CPP) modes. In particular, existence conditions and critical groove angles, mode localization, field structure, dispersion, and propagation distances of CPP modes are analyzed as functions of dielectric permittivity inside the groove. It is demonstrated that increasing dielectric permittivity in the groove results in a rapid increase of mode localization near the tip of the groove and increase of both the critical angles that determine a range of groove angles for which CPP modes can exist. Detailed analysis of the field structure has demonstrated that the maximum of the field in a CPP mode is typically reached at a small distance from the tip of the groove. The effect of rounded tip is also investigated.