Identification of two proteins, S14 and UIP1, that interact with UCH37

By the use of the yeast two-hybrid screen we have identified two proteins that interacted with UCH37: S14, which is a subunit of PA700 and a novel protein, UIP1 (UCH37 interacting protein 1). The interaction of UCH37 with S14 or UIP1 was confirmed by in vitro binding assay and in vivo co-immunoprecipitation analysis. The C-terminal extension of UCH37 is essential for interaction with S14 or UIP1 as shown by the yeast two-hybrid assay and the in vitro binding assay. Furthermore, UIP1 blocked the interaction between UCH37 and S14 in vitro.

Identification of proteins that interact with the copper transporter ATP7B

In this study proteins were identified that interact with the key liver enzyme, ATP7B that is affected in the copper toxicity disorder Wilson disease. Detailed characterisation of the interaction with glutaredoxin and dynactin subunit p62 contributes significantly towards our understanding of the mechanisms that regulate copper balance in the body.

COMT Val158Met and 5HTTLPR functional loci interact to predict anxiety across adolescence : results from the Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study (1992-2006)

We investigated whether a composite genetic factor, based on the combined actions of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) (Val158Met) and serotonin transporter (5HTTLPR) (Long-Short) functional loci, has a greater capacity to predict persistence of anxiety across adolescence than either locus in isolation. Analyses were performed on DNA collected from 962 young Australians participating in an eight-wave longitudinal study of mental health and well-being (Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study). When the effects of each locus were examined separately, small dose–response reductions in the odds of reporting persisting generalized (free-floating) anxiety across adolescence were observed for the COMT Met158 [odds ratio (OR) = 0.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.76–0.95, P = 0.004] and 5HTTLPR Short alleles (OR = 0.88, CI = 0.79–0.99, P = 0.033). There was no evidence for a dose–response interaction effect between loci. However, there was a double-recessive interaction effect in which the odds of reporting persisting generalized anxiety were more than twofold reduced (OR = 0.45, CI = 0.29–0.70, P < 0.001) among carriers homozygous for both the COMT Met158 and the 5HTTLPR Short alleles (Met158Met + Short-Short) compared with the remaining cohort. The double-recessive effect remained after multivariate adjustment for a range of psychosocial predictors of anxiety. Exploratory stratified analyses suggested that genetic protection may be more pronounced under conditions of high stress (insecure attachments and sexual abuse), although strata differences did not reach statistical significance. By describing the interaction between genetic loci, it may be possible to describe composite genetic factors that have a more substantial impact on psychosocial development than individual loci alone, and in doing so, enhance understanding of the contribution of constitutional processes in mental health outcomes.

Estimating the disease burden of alcohol : the problems arising when data and policy interact

While the risk of many disease or injury conditions is raised by the presence of health risk factors, it is usually impossible to identify individual risk-factor caused cases. However, the overall burden of disease and injury attributable to various health risks can be estimated if we know the prevalence of exposure to the risk factor in the community and the relative risk of each causally associated disease or injury for those exposed to the risk factor. This paper describes the estimation of the total number of deaths and hospital episodes attributable to alcohol consumption. It also describes how some methodologically trivial variations to the estimation methods raised some major issues in interpreting the results for the development of public policy.

Translating evidence-based guidelines to improve feedback practices: the interACT case study

BACKGROUND: There has been a substantial body of research examining feedback practices, yet the assessment and feedback landscape in higher education is described as 'stubbornly resistant to change'. The aim of this paper is to present a case study demonstrating how an entire programme's assessment and feedback practices were re-engineered and evaluated in line with evidence from the literature in the interACT (Interaction and Collaboration via Technology) project. METHODS: Informed by action research the project conducted two cycles of planning, action, evaluation and reflection. Four key pedagogical principles informed the re-design of the assessment and feedback practices. Evaluation activities included document analysis, interviews with staff (n = 10) and students (n = 7), and student questionnaires (n = 54). Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the questionnaire data. Framework thematic analysis was used to develop themes across the interview data. RESULTS: InterACT was reported by students and staff to promote self-evaluation, engagement with feedback and feedback dialogue. Streamlining the process after the first cycle of action research was crucial for improving engagement of students and staff. The interACT process of promoting self-evaluation, reflection on feedback, feedback dialogue and longitudinal perspectives of feedback has clear benefits and should be transferable to other contexts. CONCLUSIONS: InterACT has involved comprehensive re-engineering of the assessment and feedback processes using educational principles to guide the design taking into account stakeholder perspectives. These principles and the strategies to enact them should be transferable to other contexts.

Kinect with ROS, interact with oculus: towards dynamic user interfaces for robotic teleoperation

Teleoperation remains an important aspect for robotic systems especially when deployed in unstructured environments. While a range of research strives for robots that are completely autonomous, many robotic applications still require some level of human-in-The-loop control. In any situation where teleoperation is required an effective User Interface (UI) remains a key component within the systems design. Current advancements in Virtual Reality (VR) software and hardware such as the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Google Cardboard combined with greater transparency to robotic systems afforded by middleware such as the Robot Operating System (ROS) provides an opportunity to rapidly improve traditional teleoperation interfaces. This paper uses a System of System (SoS) approach to present the concept of a Virtual Reality Dynamic User Interface (VRDUI) for the teleoperation of heterogeneous robots. Different geometric virtual workspaces are discussed and a cylindrical workspace aligned with interactive displays is presented as a virtual control room. A presentation mode within the proposed VRDUI is also detailed, this shows how point cloud information obtained from the Microsoft Kinect can be incorporated within the proposed virtual workspace. This point cloud data is successfully processed into an OctoMap utilizing the octree data structure to create a voxelized representation of the 3D scanned environment. The resulting OctoMap is then displayed to an operator as a 3D point cloud using the Oculus Rift Head Mounted Display (HMD).

Priorities in policy and management when existing biodiversity stressors interact with climate-change

There are three key drivers of the biodiversity crisis: (1) the well known existing threats to biodiversity such as habitat loss, invasive pest species and resource exploitation; (2) direct effects of climate-change, such as on coastal and high elevation communities and coral reefs; and (3) the interaction between existing threats and climate-change. The third driver is set to accelerate the biodiversity crisis beyond the impacts of the first and second drivers in isolation. In this review we assess these interactions, and suggest the policy and management responses that are needed to minimise their impacts. Renewed management and policy action that address known threats to biodiversity could substantially diminish the impacts of future climate-change. An appropriate response to climate-change will include a reduction of land clearing, increased habitat restoration using indigenous species, a reduction in the number of exotic species transported between continents or between major regions of endemism, and a reduction in the unsustainable use of natural resources. Achieving these measures requires substantial reform of international, national and regional policy, and the development of new or more effective alliances between scientists, government agencies, non-government organisations and land managers. Furthermore, new management practices and policy are needed that consider shifts in the geographic range of species, and that are responsive to new information acquired from improved research and monitoring programs. The interactions of climate-change with existing threats to biodiversity have the potential to drive many species to extinction, but there is much that can be done now to reduce this risk.