Fasting activates the gene expression of UCP3 independent of genes necessary for lipid transport and oxidation in skeletal muscle

Fasting triggers a complex array of adaptive metabolic and hormonal responses including an augmentation in the capacity for mitochondrial fatty acid (FA) oxidation in skeletal muscle. This study hypothesized that this adaptive response is mediated by increased mRNA of key genes central to the regulation of fat oxidation in human skeletal muscle. Fasting dramatically increased UCP3 gene expression, by 5-fold at 15 h and 10-fold at 40 h. However the expression of key genes responsible for the uptake, transport, oxidation, and re-esterification of FA remained unchanged following 15 and 40 h of fasting. Likewise there was no change in the mRNA abundance of transcription factors. This suggests a unique role for UCP3 in the regulation of FA homeostasis during fasting as adaptation to 40 h of fasting does not require alterations in the expression of other genes necessary for lipid metabolism.

Public transport and pedestrian access, the impact of suburban planning on adolescence

The following paper discusses the impact of suburban life for adolescents in relation to public transport and pedestrian access. The research compares the morphology and level of connectivity of two planning models, cul-de-sac and regular grid, with respect to two suburbs which share a similar socio-economic profile, Rowville and Caulfield. These are subsequently evaluated in terms of ABS statistics, in particular year 12 or equivalent levels of education, and transport statistics. The results of the investigation are discussed in reference to the four key tasks of adolescence (Carr-Greg & Shale 2002)', in order to establish the degree to which morphology and access levels of suburbs impact on adolescent development.

Relational ethics, global business and information and communications technology: interconnections explored

This paper explores, through practitioner experience and literature review, the impact of increased use of information technology in a global business environment on relational ethics. These three variables interact in a dynamic field that supports and challenges global managers in entrepreneurial endeavors. While information and communication technology (ICT) is rapidly expanding, the opportunities for global business and relational ethics affects, and is affected by, the interconnections. Drawing on experiences from daily practice, current literature, and insights gained from a relational approach to ethics, readers are invited to reflect on the ways that relationships influence ethical actions—and outcomes—and how they can be improved. This analysis exposes the critical issues, develops a general framework and makes recommendations for ways to work with and further develop the interconnections between global business, ICT and relational ethics.

The impact of information and communications technology on teaching and design of flexible, online and distance education courses at Deakin University

This paper describes the use of an online learning environment which has been established for postgraduate students studying at Master’s level in Professional Education and Training Deakin University. A detailed evaluation of the use of computer conferences in an Open and Distance Education specialism was undertaken during 2000 as part of a CUTSD funded project, Learner Centred Evaluation of Computer Facilitated Learning Projects in Higher Education. As the Open and Distance Education specialism is being revised and new units are written, the information gathered in this evaluation is being integrated into the pedagogical planning and the technological decisions being made about the design of the new master’s program.

History of contact and change in the Goroka Valley, Central Highlands of New Guinea, 1934-1949

The thesis traces the interaction of the Goroka Valley people with European and coastal New Guinean intruders during the pacification stage of contact and change. In this 15 year period the people moved from a traditional subsistence culture to the threshold of a modern, European-influenced technological society. The contact experiences of the inhabitants of the Valley and the outsiders who influenced them are examined, using both oral and documentary sources. A central theme of this study is the attempts by Europeans and their coastal New Guinean collaborators to achieve the pacification of a people for whom warfare has been described as 'the dominant orientation'. The newcomers saw pacification as being inextricably linked with social, economic and religious transformation, and consequently it was pursued by patrol officers, missionaries and soldiers alike. Following an introductory chapter outlining the pre-contact and early-contact history of the Goroka Valley people, there is a discussion of the causes of tribal fighting in Highlands communities and two case studies of violent events which, although occurring beyond the Goroka Valley, had important consequences for those who lived within its bounds. The focus then shifts to the first permanent settlement of the agents of change -initially these were coastal New Guinean evangelists and policemen - and their impact on the local people. A period of consolidation is then described, as both government and missions established a permanent 'European presence in the Valley'. This period was characterised by vigorous pacification coupled with the introduction of innovations in health and education, agriculture, technology, law and religion. The gradual transformation of Goroka Valley society as a result of the people's interaction with the newcomers was abruptly accelerated in 1943, when many hundreds of Allied soldiers occupied the Valley in anticipation of a threatened Japanese invasion. Village life was disrupted as men were conscripted as carriers and labourers and whole communities were obliged to grow food to assist the Allied war effort. Those living close to military airfields-and camps were subject to Japanese aerial attacks and the entire population was exposed to an epidemic of bacillary dysentery introduced by the combatants. However the War also brought some positive effects, including paradoxically, the almost total cessation of tribal fighting, the construction of an ail-weather airstrip at Goroka which ensured its future as a town and administrative and commercial centre, and the compulsory growing of vegetables, coffee, etc, which laid the foundations for a cash economy and material prosperity. The final chapter examines the aftermath of military occupation, the return of civil administration and the implementation of social and economic policies which brought the Goroka Valley people into the rapid-development phase of contact. By 1949 Gorokans were ready to channel their aggressive energies into commercial competitiveness and adopt a cash-crop economy, to accept the European rule of law, to take advantage of Western innovations in medicine, education, transport and communications, to seek employment opportunities at home and in other parts of the country and to modify their primal world view with European religious and secular values. A Stone Age people was in process of being transformed into a modern society.

Using information and communications technology in higher education

A folio-based doctoral study comprising a dissertation, a major literature review, and a website. The dissertation identified key dimensions of blended learning environments created by the teachers in the study. These environments were characterised by different media blends and learning activities underpinned by resource-based learning approaches to teaching and learning.

Solid state ion transport and phase behaviour in composites of N,N-methyl propylpyrrolidinium tetrafluoroborate and amorphous polyethylene oxide

The binary and ternary addition of 2 wt.% LiBF₄ and 2 wt.% amorphous polyethylene oxide (aPEO) respectively to the plastic crystal forming salt P₁₃BF₄ (where P₁₃⁺=methylpropyl pyrrolidinium cation) was investigated with specific focus on the phase behaviour and evaluation of transport characteristics. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), optical thermomicroscopy, solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and AC impedance spectroscopy were used to develop an understanding of the conduction process in the pure and mixed systems. The morphology of the ternary compound appeared as hexagonal spherulites upon solidification. Multinuclear NMR Pulsed Field Gradient measurements (¹H,¹⁹F,⁷Li) to probe both cation and anion diffusion coefficients are reported. The anion is shown to be the most diffusive (at 320 K:¹⁹F=2.5×10⁻¹¹ m² s⁻¹; 1H: 1.8×10⁻¹¹ m² s⁻¹; ⁷Li: 1.1×10⁻¹¹ m² s⁻¹) in the ternary compound, with enhanced conductivity (2.7×10⁻⁵ S cm⁻¹ at 310 K) just below the melt.

Transport and phase dynamics of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) doped plastically crystalline N-methyl-N-propylpyrrolidinium tetrafluoroborate

The plastic crystal phase forming N-methyl-N-propylpyrrolidinium tetrafluoroborate organic salt (P₁₃BF₄) was combined with 2, 5 and 10 wt.% poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP). The ternary 2 wt.% PVP/2 wt.% LiBF₄/P₁₃BF₄ was also investigated. Thermal analysis, conductivity, optical thermomicroscopy, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹¹B, ¹⁹F, ¹H, ⁷Li) were used to probe the fundamental transport processes. Both the onset of phase I and the final melting temperature were reduced with increasing additions of PVP. Conductivity in phase I was 2.6 × 10^{− 4} S cm^{− 1} 5.2 × 10^{− 4} S cm^{− 1} 1.1 × 10^{− 4} S cm^{− 1} and 3.9 × 10− 5 S cm− 1 for 0, 2, 5 and 10 wt.%PVP/P₁₃BF₄, respectively. Doping with 2 wt.% LiBF₄ increased the conductivity by up to an order of magnitude in phase II. Further additions of 2 wt.% PVP slightly reduced the conductivity, although it remained higher than for pure P₁₃BF₄.

Associations between intrapersonal and neighborhood environmental characteristics and cycling for transport and recreation in adults : baseline results from the RESIDE study

Background: This study investigated the relationship between individual and neighborhood environmental factors and cycling for transport and for recreation among adults living in Perth, Western Australia.
Methods: Baseline cross-sectional data from 1813 participants (40.5% male; age range 18 to 78 years) in the Residential Environment (RESIDE) project were analyzed. The questionnaire included information on cycling behavior and on cycling-specific individual, social environmental, and neighborhood environmental attributes. Cycling for transport and recreation were dichotomized as whether or not individuals cycled in a usual week.
Results: Among the individual factors, positive attitudes toward cycling and perceived behavioral control increased the odds of cycling for transport and for recreation. Among the neighborhood environmental attributes, leafy and attractive neighborhoods, access to bicycle/walking paths, the presence of traffic slowing devices and having many 4-way street intersections were positively associated with cycling for transport. Many alternative routes in the local area increased the odds of cycling for recreation.
Conclusions: Effective strategies for increasing cycling (particularly cycling for transport) may include incorporating supportive environments such as creating leafy and attractive neighborhood surroundings, low traffic speed, and increased street connectivity, in addition to campaigns aimed at strengthening positive attitudes and confidence to cycle.