Prosecutors’ perceptions on improving child witness interviews about abuse

This edited volume reviews the latest research on investigative interviewing in order to provide insights on the psychological processes of the person being interviewed as well as to offer guidelines for conducting credible and useful ...

The significance of northern-central Bass Strait in south-eastern Australia as habitat for burrowing seabirds

The present study provides the first complete estimate of the abundance and distribution of burrowing seabirds in northern-central Bass Strait, a key region for breeding seabirds in south-eastern Australia. The estimated total number of breeding burrows in the region in 2008-11 were 755300±32400 (s.e.) burrows of Short-tailed Shearwaters (Ardenna tenuirostris), 26700±3500 of Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor), 19100±2200 of Common Diving-Petrels (Pelecanoides urinatrix) and 4200±2700 of Fairy Prions (Pachyptila turtur). These represent substantial proportions of the total estimated Australian breeding populations of these species: 6% of the total population of Short-tailed Shearwaters, 14% of Little Penguins, 0.4% of Fairy Prions and 13% of Common Diving-Petrels. Based on the number of active burrows, the number of breeding Short-tailed Shearwaters in the region is estimated to have decreased 35% between 1978-80 and 2008-11, equivalent to a decrease of 1.4% per annum between 1980 and 2011. The regional population of Little Penguins, however, appears to have increased substantially over the same period. Identification of population trends of the other species is limited by a lack of previous data. The importance of this area for burrowing seabirds and the substantial decline in numbers of Short-tailed Shearwaters warrants more frequent monitoring of the abundance of seabirds in the region to allow a robust comparison of changes in populations over time as well as the identification of possible causative factors. © BirdLife Australia 2014.

Individual and sex-specific differences in intrinsic growth rate covary with consistent individual differences in behaviour

1.The evolutionary causes of consistent individual differences in behavior are currently a source of debate. A recent hypothesis suggests that consistent individual differences in life-history productivity (growth and/or fecundity) may covary with behavioral traits that contribute to growth-mortality trade-offs, such as risk-proneness (boldness) and foraging activity (voraciousness). It remains unclear, however, to what extent individual behavioral and life-history profiles are set early in life, or are a more flexible result of specific environmental or developmental contexts that allow bold and active individuals to acquire more resources. 2.Longitudinal studies of individually housed animals under controlled conditions can shed light on this question. Since growth and behaviour can both vary within individuals (they are labile), studying between-individual correlations in behaviour and growth rate requires repeated scoring for both variables over an extended period of time. However, such a study has not yet been done. 3.Here, we repeatedly measured individual mass 7-times each, boldness 40-times each, and voracity 8-times each during the first four months of life on 90 individually-housed crayfish (Cherax destructor). Animals were fed ad-libitum, generating a context where individuals can express their intrinsic growth rate (i.e. growth capacity), but in which bold and voracious behaviour is not necessary for high resource acquisition (crayfish can and do hoard food back to their burrow). 4.We show that individuals that were consistently bold over time during the day were also bolder at night, were more voracious, and maintained higher growth rates over time than shy individuals. Independent of individual differences, we also observed that males were faster growing, bolder, and more voracious than females. 5.Our findings imply that associations between bold behaviour and fast growth can occur in unlimited food contexts where there is no necessary link between bold behaviour and resource acquisition - offering support for the 'personality- productivity' hypothesis. We suggest future research should study links between consistent individual differences in behaviour and life-history under a wider range of contexts, in order to shed light on the role of biotic and abiotic conditions in the strength, direction and stability of their covariance. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Bone-derived soluble factors and laminin-511 cooperate to promote migration, invasion and survival of bone-metastatic breast tumor cells

Tumor intrinsic and extrinsic factors are thought to contribute to bone metastasis but little is known about how they cooperate to promote breast cancer spread to bone. We used the bone-metastatic 4T1BM2 mammary carcinoma model to investigate the cooperative interactions between tumor LM-511 and bone-derived soluble factors in vitro. We show that bone conditioned medium cooperates with LM-511 to enhance 4T1BM2 cell migration and invasion and is sufficient alone to promote survival in the absence of serum. These responses were associated with increased secretion of MMP-9 and activation of ERK and AKT signaling pathways and were partially blocked by pharmacological inhibitors of MMP-9, AKT-1/2 or MEK. Importantly, pre-treatment of 4T1BM2 cells with an AKT-1/2 inhibitor significantly reduced experimental metastasis to bone in vivo. Promotion of survival and invasive responses by bone-derived soluble factors and tumor-derived LM-511 are likely to contribute to the metastatic spread of breast tumors to bone.

CD8+ T cells from a novel T cell receptor transgenic mouse induce liver-stage immunity that can be boosted by blood-stage infection in rodent malaria

To follow the fate of CD8+ T cells responsive to Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA) infection, we generated an MHC I-restricted TCR transgenic mouse line against this pathogen. T cells from this line, termed PbT-I T cells, were able to respond to blood-stage infection by PbA and two other rodent malaria species, P. yoelii XNL and P. chabaudi AS. These PbT-I T cells were also able to respond to sporozoites and to protect mice from liver-stage infection. Examination of the requirements for priming after intravenous administration of irradiated sporozoites, an effective vaccination approach, showed that the spleen rather than the liver was the main site of priming and that responses depended on CD8α+ dendritic cells. Importantly, sequential exposure to irradiated sporozoites followed two days later by blood-stage infection led to augmented PbT-I T cell expansion. These findings indicate that PbT-I T cells are a highly versatile tool for studying multiple stages and species of rodent malaria and suggest that cross-stage reactive CD8+ T cells may be utilized in liver-stage vaccine design to enable boosting by blood-stage infections.

Great 'app-eal' but not there yet: a review of iPhone nutrition applications relevant to child weight management

Aims: There is increasing interest in the use of smartphone applications (apps) for delivering child obesity management interventions and supporting lifestyle behaviour change; however, there has been very little academic research on their development. Our aim is to review nutrition-related apps designed for children currently available in Australia for their usefulness in education or support behavioural interventions for child obesity. Methods: Apps available for download in iTunes Australia between 2 April and 3 June 2013 which were suitable for children >12 years were identified. Key words were chosen to identify apps applicable to children, focusing on nutrition. Results: A total of 27 apps were included. Most apps (24/27) were not based on evidence-informed recommendations. A third of apps were developed in the USA (n = 10; 37%) and were free (67%), nine apps required upfront payment, with a mean cost of $A2.80 (range $A0.99-$A7.49). The most common nutrition features were the promotion of energy balance (n = 12 apps) and guidance on appropriate portion size (n = 15). The most common behaviour change feature was goal setting (n = 15). The five apps that scored most highly against the characteristics reviewed were: Calorie Counter Pro by My Net Diary, Weight Watchers, Swap It Don't Stop It, Control My Weight by CalorieKing and Rate What I Ate-Photo Diet Tracker. Conclusions: Very few apps were identified that could be used in education or support behavioural interventions for child obesity. There is a need to harness this technology and evaluate the applicability and use within childhood obesity research interventions.

Healthy weight regulation and eating disorder prevention in high school students: a universal and targeted web-based intervention

Background: Given the rising rates of obesity in children and adolescents, developing evidence-based weight loss or weight maintenance interventions that can be widely disseminated, well implemented, and are highly scalable is a public health necessity. Such interventions should ensure that adolescents establish healthy weight regulation practices while also reducing eating disorder risk.

Objective: This study describes an online program, StayingFit, which has two tracks for universal and targeted delivery and was designed to enhance healthy living skills, encourage healthy weight regulation, and improve weight/shape concerns among high school adolescents.

Methods: Ninth grade students in two high schools in the San Francisco Bay area and in St Louis were invited to participate. Students who were overweight (body mass index [BMI] >85th percentile) were offered the weight management track of StayingFit; students who were normal weight were offered the healthy habits track. The 12-session program included a monitored discussion group and interactive self-monitoring logs. Measures completed pre- and post-intervention included self-report height and weight, used to calculate BMI percentile for age and sex and standardized BMI (zBMI), Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) nutrition data, the Weight Concerns Scale, and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale.

Results: A total of 336 students provided informed consent and were included in the analyses. The racial breakdown of the sample was as follows: 46.7% (157/336) multiracial/other, 31.0% (104/336) Caucasian, 16.7% (56/336) African American, and 5.7% (19/336) did not specify; 43.5% (146/336) of students identified as Hispanic/Latino. BMI percentile and zBMI significantly decreased among students in the weight management track. BMI percentile and zBMI did not significantly change among students in the healthy habits track, demonstrating that these students maintained their weight. Weight/shape concerns significantly decreased among participants in both tracks who had elevated weight/shape concerns at baseline. Fruit and vegetable consumption increased for both tracks. Physical activity increased among participants in the weight management track, while soda consumption and television time decreased.

Conclusions: Results suggest that an Internet-based, universally delivered, targeted intervention may support healthy weight regulation, improve weight/shape concerns among participants with eating disorders risk, and increase physical activity in high school students. Tailored content and interactive features to encourage behavior change may lead to sustainable improvements in adolescent health.

A glycosyl hydrolase family 16 gene is responsible for the endogenous production of β-1,3-glucanases within decapod crustaceans

To identify the gene responsible for the production of a β-1,3-glucanase (laminarinase) within crustacea, a glycosyl hydrolase family 16 (GHF16) gene was sequenced from the midgut glands of the gecarcinid land crab, Gecarcoidea natalis and the freshwater crayfish, Cherax destructor. An open reading frame of 1098bp for G. natalis and 1095bp for C. destructor was sequenced from cDNA. For G. natalis and C. destructor respectively, this encoded putative proteins of 365 and 364 amino acids with molecular masses of 41.4 and 41.5kDa. mRNA for an identical GHF16 protein was also expressed in the haemolymph of C. destructor. These putative proteins contained binding and catalytic domains that are characteristic of a β-1,3-glucanase from glycosyl hydrolase family 16. The amino acid sequences of two short 8-9 amino acid residue peptides from a previously purified β-1,3-glucanase from G. natalis matched exactly that of the putative protein sequence. This plus the molecular masses of the putative proteins matching that of the purified proteins strongly suggests that the sequences obtained encode for a catalytically active β-1,3-glucanase. A glycosyl hydrolase family 16 cDNA was also partially sequenced from the midgut glands of other amphibious (Mictyrisplatycheles and Paragrapsus laevis) and terrestrial decapod species (Coenobita rugosus, Coenobita perlatus, Coenobita brevimanus and Birgus latro) to confirm that the gene is widely expressed within this group. There are three possible hypothesised functions and thus evolutionary routes for the β-1,3-glucanase: 1) a digestive enzyme which hydrolyses β-1,3-glucans, 2) an enzyme which cleaves β-1,3-glycosidic bonds within cell walls to release cell contents or 3) an immune protein which can hydrolyse the cell walls of potentially pathogenic micro-organisms.

Linking and sharing data in the humanities and creative arts: building the HuNI Virtual Laboratory

The Humanities Networked Infrastructure (HuNI) is one of the national Virtual Laboratories that are being developed as part of the Australian government's National e-Research Collaboration Tools and Resources (NeCTAR) programme. This paper examines the methodologies and technical architecture being deployed by HuNI to link and share Australian data in the humanities and creative arts.

Habitat selection and energetics of the fiddler crab (Uca tangeri)

We tried to unravel the possible links between the skewed predation risk in Uca tangeri (where large individuals are more at risk from avian predators) and size-dependent changes in the physiology and habitat choice of this fiddler crab species. Over a transect running from low to high in the tidal zone of a beach in Mauritania, the temperature profile at various depths in the substrate, the water-table level of seep water, salt concentration of seep water, depth of the aerobic level, operative temperatures on the surface, and size distribution of crabs were assessed. In addition, resting metabolic rates, Q10 and thermal and starvation tolerances were estimated. Going from low to high in the tidal zone, crab size and burrow depth increased. At the preferred burrowing depth, microclimatological conditions appeared to be equally favourable at all sites. At the surface, conditions were more favourable low in the tidal zone, where also food availability is sufficient to enable small crabs to forage in the vicinity of their burrows. Large crabs have higher energy requirements and are thereby forced to forage in flocks low in the tidal zone where food is probably more abundant. Low in the tidal zone, digging deeply is impossible as the aerobic layer is rather thin. Large crabs prefer living high in the tidal zone as (1) deep burrows ensure better protection against predators, (2) more time is available for digging holes and (3) the substrate is better suited for reproduction. Energy reserves in late summer ensured an average of 34 days of survival. It is argued that the allotment of energy to growth must be considerable even in reproducing animals; the rewards of growth being the disproportional increase in reproductive output with size.

Corvids congregate to breeding colonies of a burrow-nesting seabird

Egg predation is a major cause of reproductive failure among birds, and can compromise the viability of affected populations. Some egg predators aggregate near colonially breeding birds to exploit the seasonal increase of prey resources. We investigated spatial and temporal variations in the abundance of an egg predator (little raven Corvus mellori; Corvidae) to identify whether ravens aggregate spatially or temporally to coincide with any of three potential prey species: burrow-nesting little penguin (Eudyptula minor; Spheniscidae), short-tailed shearwater (Ardenna tenuirostris; Procellariidae), and surface-nesting silver gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae; Laridae). We derived spatially explicit density estimates of little ravens using distance sampling along line transects throughout a calendar year, which encompassed little penguin, short-tailed shearwater and silver gull breeding and non-breeding seasons. High raven abundance coincided temporally with penguin and gull egg laying periods but not with that of shearwaters. The spatial distribution of raven density corresponded with the little penguin colony but not with shearwater or gull colonies. Thus, the presence of little penguin eggs in burrows correlated strongly with little raven activity, and this implies that little ravens may have learnt to exploit the plentiful subsurface food resource of little penguin eggs. Corvid management may be required to maintain the viability of this socially and economically important penguin colony.

Aggregating cultural heritage data for research use: The humanities networked infrastructure (HuNI)

This paper looks at the Humanities Networked Infrastructure (HuNI), a service which aggregates data from thirty Australian data sources and makes them available for use by researchers across the humanities and creative arts. We discuss the methods used by HuNI to aggregate data, as well as the conceptual framework which has shaped the design of HuNI’s Data Model around six core entity types. Two of the key functions available to users of HuNI – building collections and creating links – are discussed, together with their design rationale.

Out of sight but not out of mind: corvids prey extensively on eggs of burrow-nesting penguins

Context Egg depredation is a major cause of reproductive failure among birds and can drive population declines. In this study we investigate predatory behaviour of a corvid (little raven; Corvus mellori) that has only recently emerged, leading to widespread and intense depredation of eggs of a burrow-nesting seabird (little penguin; Eudyptula minor). Aims The main objective of this study was to measure the rate of penguin egg depredation by ravens to determine potential threat severity. We also examined whether penguin burrow characteristics were associated with the risk of egg depredation. Ravens generally employ two modes of predatory behaviour when attacking penguin nests; thus we examined whether burrow characteristics were associated with these modes of attack. Methods Remote-sensing cameras were deployed on penguin burrows to determine egg predation rates. Burrow measurements, including burrow entrance and tunnel characteristics, were measured at the time of camera deployment. Key results Overall, clutches in 61% of monitored burrows (n≤203) were depredated by ravens, the only predator detected by camera traps. Analysis of burrow characteristics revealed two distinct types of burrows, only one of which was associated with egg depredation by ravens. Clutches depredated by ravens had burrows with wider and higher entrances, thinner soil or vegetation layer above the egg chamber, shorter and curved tunnels and greater areas of bare ground and whitewash near entrances. In addition, 86% were covered by bower spinach (Tetragonia implexicoma), through which ravens could excavate. Ravens used two modes to access the eggs: they attacked through the entrance (25% of burrow attacks, n≤124); or dug a hole through the burrow roof (75% of attacks, n≤124). Burrows that were subject to attack through the entrance had significantly shorter tunnels than burrows accessed through the roof. Conclusions The high rates of clutch loss recorded here highlight the need for population viability analysis of penguins to assess the effect of egg predation on population growth rates. Implications The subterranean foraging niche of a corvid described here may have implications for burrow-nesting species worldwide because many corvid populations are increasing, and they exhibit great capacity to adopt new foraging strategies to exploit novel prey. Journal compilation

Fishing directly selects on growth rate via behaviour: implications of growth-selection that is independent of size

Size-selective harvest of fish and crustacean populations has reduced stock numbers, and led to reduced growth rates and earlier maturation. In contrast to the focus on size-selective effects of harvest, here, we test the hypothesis that fishing may select on life-history traits (here, growth rate) via behaviour, even in the absence of size selection. If true, then traditional size-limits used to protect segments of a population cannot fully protect fast growers, because at any given size, fast-growers will be more vulnerable owing to bolder behaviour. We repeatedly measured individual behaviour and growth of 86 crayfish and found that fast-growing individuals were consistently bold and voracious over time, and were subsequently more likely to be harvested in single- and group-trapping trials. In addition, there was some indication that sex had independent effects on behaviour and trappability, whereby females tended to be less active, shyer, slower-growing and less likely to be harvested, but not all these effects were significant. This study represents, to our knowledge, the first across-individual support for this hypothesis, and suggests that behaviour is an important mechanism for fishing selectivity that could potentially lead to evolution of reduced intrinsic growth rates.