Regulation of HSL serine phosphorylation in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue

Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) is important for the degradation of triacylglycerol in adipose and muscle tissue, but the tissue-specific regulation of this enzyme is not fully understood. We investigated the effects of adrenergic stimulation and AMPK activation in vitro and in circumstances where AMPK activity and catecholamines are physiologically elevated in humans in vivo (during physical exercise) on HSL activity and phosphorylation at Ser⁵⁶³ and Ser⁶⁶⁰, the PKA regulatory sites, and Ser⁵⁶⁵, the AMPK regulatory site. In human experiments, skeletal muscle, subcutaneous adipose and venous blood samples were obtained before, at 15 and 90 min during, and 120 min after exercise. Skeletal muscle HSL activity was increased by ~80% at 15 min compared with rest and returned to resting rates at the cessation of and 120 min after exercise. Consistent with changes in plasma epinephrine, skeletal muscle HSL Ser⁵⁶³ and Ser⁶⁶⁰ phosphorylation were increased by 27% at 15 min (P < 0.05), remained elevated at 90 min, and returned to preexercise values postexercise. Skeletal muscle HSL Ser⁵⁶⁵ phosphorylation and AMPK signaling were increased at 90 min during, and after, exercise. Phosphorylation of adipose tissue HSL paralleled changes in skeletal muscle in vivo, except HSL Ser⁶⁶⁰ was elevated 80% in adipose compared with 35% in skeletal muscle during exercise. Studies in L6 myotubes and 3T3-L1 adipocytes revealed important tissue differences in the regulation of HSL. AMPK inhibited epinephrine-induced HSL activity in L6 myotubes and was associated with reduced HSL Ser660 but not Ser563 phosphorylation. HSL activity was reduced in L6 myotubes expressing constitutively active AMPK, confirming the inhibitory effects of AMPK on HSL activity. Conversely, in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, AMPK activation after epinephrine stimulation did not prevent HSL activity or glycerol release, which coincided with maintenance of HSL Ser660 phosphorylation. Taken together, these data indicate that HSL activity is maintained in the face of AMPK activation as a result of elevated HSL Ser660 phosphorylation in adipose tissue but not skeletal muscle.

Palaeontology, the biogeohistory of Victoria

The broad-scale distribution of fossils within Victoria is controlled by general global patterns in the biological evolution of life on Earth, the local development and environmental evolution of habitats, and the occurrence of geological processes conducive to the preservation of fossil floras and faunas. Early Palaeozoic fossils are mostly marine in origin because of the predominance of marine sedimentary rocks in Victoria and because life on land was not significant during most of this time interval. Middle Palaeozoic sequences have both terrestrial and marine fossil records. Within Victoria, marine rocks are only very minor components of strata deposited during the late Palaeozoic, so that few marine fossils are known from this time period. A similar situation existed during most of the Mesozoic except towards the end of this era when marine conditions began to prevail in the Bass Strait region. During long intervals in the Cainozoic, large areas of Victoria were flooded by shallow-marine seas, particularly in the southern basins of Bass Strait, as well as in the northwest of the State (Murray Basin). Cainozoic sediments contain an extraordinary range of animal and plant fossils. During the Quaternary, the landscape of Victoria became, and continues to be, dominated by continental environments including, at times, extensive freshwater lake systems. Fossil floras and faunas from sediments deposited in these lake systems and from other continental sediments, as well as from Quaternary sediments deposited in marginal marine environments, collectively record a history of rapid fluctuations in climate and sea level.

Anzac day commemorations at Gallipoli and the economic effects of attendance

Battlefield tourism is a growth sector of the tourism industry. This type of tourism is encouraged by the host countries due to its positive economic impact. For Australians, Gallipoli is the most visited battlefield site, in particular on Anzac Day. The attendance at Gallipoli is anticipated to reach a phenomenal number of 50,000 participants at the centenary of the campaign in 2015. It is important to understand the economic impact of the event to justify to the policy makers of the host country Turkey that holding such an event is in their national interest.

To elucidate the above matters, a methodology which relied upon a questionnaire based survey was utilized. The questionnaires were distributed and collected on buses going to Gallipoli on the eve of the Anzac Day in 2007. The respondents were travelling to Gallipoli to partake in the Anzac Day ceremonies. The 482 responses collected were then analysed for expenditure and duration of the visit which provided the basic data for economic impact estimation. From these responses it was possible to estimate the economic impact of the event.

Knowledge-in-practice in the caring professions : multidisciplinary perspectives

Contents:  Ideas of knowledge in practice / Struan Jacobs -- Information, knowledge, and wisdom in medical practice / P. B. Greenberg -- The practice of the psychiatrist / Alex Holmes -- Social work knowledge-in-practice / Heather D'Cruz -- Disability : a personal approach / Lisa Chaffey -- Knowledge in the making : an analytical psychology perspective / Joy Norton -- Knowledge to action in the practice of nursing / Alison Hutchinson, Tracey Bucknall -- The risky business of birth / Frances Sheean and Jennifer M. Cameron -- Skills for person-centred care : health professionals supporting chronic condition prevention and self-management / Sharon Lawn and Malcolm Battersby -- Knowledge and reasoning in practice : an example from physiotherapy and occupational therapy / Megan Smith ... [et al.] -- Using knowledge in the practice of dealing with addiction : an ideal worth aiming for / Peter Miller.

Real interest rates, inflation and the open economy : a regime-switching perspective on Australia and New Zealand

We investigate the time-series properties of Australian and New Zealand real interest rates within a Markov-switching framework. This enables us to identify characteristics in real interest rate behavior hitherto unacknowledged. We find that rates switch between alternative stationary regimes characterized by differing means, speeds of mean-reversion and volatility. For New Zealand, high rates of inflation increase the probability of remaining in a regime characterized by a faster speed of adjustment. Further application of this methodology considers the real interest rate differential between Australia and New Zealand and points to differing regimes based on volatility rather than persistence.

Stardom and celebrity : a reader

Contents :

* Introduction: what' in a reader? / S. Redmond and S. Holmes<br />* Star and celebrity culture : theoretical antecedents
* The analysis of fame : understanding stardom
* Fame
* remember my name? : histories of stardom and celebrity
* Producing fame : 'Because I'm worth it'
* Made in culture : star and celebrity representations
* Consuming fame/becoming famous : celebrity and its audience