Partial agonists of the [alpha]3[beta]4[ast] neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor reduce ethanol consumption and seeking in rats

Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) impact millions of individuals and there remain few effective treatment strategies. Despite evidence that neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) have a role in AUDs, it has not been established which subtypes of the nAChR are involved. Recent human genetic association studies have implicated the gene cluster CHRNA3-CHRNA5-CHRNB4 encoding the α3, α5, and β4 subunits of the nAChR in susceptibility to develop nicotine and alcohol dependence; however, their role in ethanol-mediated behaviors is unknown due to the lack of suitable and selective research tools. To determine the role of the α3, and β4 subunits of the nAChR in ethanol self-administration, we developed and characterized high-affinity partial agonists at α3β4 nAChRs, CP-601932, and PF-4575180. Both CP-601932 and PF-4575180 selectively decrease ethanol but not sucrose consumption and operant self-administration following long-term exposure. We show that the functional potencies of CP-601932 and PF-4575180 at α3β4 nAChRs correlate with their unbound rat brain concentrations, suggesting that the effects on ethanol self-administration are mediated via interaction with α3β4 nAChRs. Also varenicline, an approved smoking cessation aid previously shown to decrease ethanol consumption and seeking in rats and mice, reduces ethanol intake at unbound brain concentrations that allow functional interactions with α3β4 nAChRs. Furthermore, the selective α4β2(*) nAChR antagonist, DHβE, did not reduce ethanol intake. Together, these data provide further support for the human genetic association studies, implicating CHRNA3 and CHRNB4 genes in ethanol-mediated behaviors. CP-601932 has been shown to be safe in humans and may represent a potential novel treatment for AUDs.

N-Aryl stilbazolium dyes as sensitizers for solar cells

Eight new N-arylstilbazolium chromophores with electron donating –NR2 (R = Me or Ph) substituents have been synthesized via Knoevenagel condensations and isolated as their PF6− salts. These compounds have been characterized by using various techniques including 1H NMR and IR spectroscopies and electrospray mass spectrometry. UV–vis absorption spectra recorded in acetonitrile are dominated by intense, low energy π → π* intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) bands, and replacing Me with Ph increases the ICT energies. Cyclic voltammetric studies show irreversible reduction processes, together with oxidation waves that are irreversible for R = Me, but reversible for R = Ph. Single crystal X-ray structures have been determined for three of the methyl ester-substituted stilbazolium salts and for the Cl− salts of their picolinium precursors. Time-dependent density functional theory calculations afford reasonable predictions of ICT energies, but greater rigour is necessary for –NPh2 derivatives. The four new acid-functionalized dyes give moderate sensitization efficiencies (ca. 0.2%) when using TiO2-based photoanodes, with relatively higher values for R = Ph vs Me, while larger efficiencies (up to 0.8%) are achieved with ZnO substrates.

Doing blog research

Blogs and other online platforms for personal writing such as LiveJournal have been of interest to researchers across the social sciences and humanities for a decade now. Although growth in the uptake of blogging has stalled somewhat since the heyday of blogs in the early 2000s, blogging continues to be a major genre of Internet-based communication. Indeed, at the same time that mass participation has moved on to Facebook, Twitter, and other more recent communication phenomena, what has been left behind by the wave of mass adoption is a slightly smaller but all the more solidly established blogosphere of engaged and committed participants. Blogs are now an accepted part of institutional, group, and personal communications strategies (Bruns and Jacobs, 2006); in style and substance, they are situated between the more static information provided by conventional Websites and Webpages and the continuous newsfeeds provided through Facebook and Twitter updates. Blogs provide a vehicle for authors (and their commenters) to think through given topics in the space of a few hundred to a few thousand words – expanding, perhaps, on shorter tweets, and possibly leading to the publication of more fully formed texts elsewhere. Additionally, they are also a very flexible medium: they readily provide the functionality to include images, audio, video, and other additional materials – as well as the fundamental tool of blogging, the hyperlink itself. Indeed, the role of the link in blogs and blog posts should not be underestimated. Whatever the genre and topic that individual bloggers engage in, for the most part blogging is used to provide timely updates and commentary – and it is typical for such material to link both to relevant posts made by other bloggers, and to previous posts by the present author, both to background material which provides readers with further information about the blogger’s current topic, and to news stories and articles which the blogger found interesting or worthy of critique. Especially where bloggers are part of a larger community of authors sharing similar interests or views (and such communities are often indicated by the presence of yet another type of link – in blogrolls, often in a sidebar on the blog site, which list the blogger’s friends or favourites), then, the reciprocal writing and linking of posts often constitutes an asynchronous, distributed conversation that unfolds over the course of days, weeks, and months. Research into blogs is interesting for a variety of reasons, therefore. For one, a qualitative analysis of one or several blogs can reveal the cognitive and communicative processes through which individual bloggers define their online identity, position themselves in relation to fellow bloggers, frame particular themes, topics and stories, and engage with one another’s points of view. It may also shed light on how such processes may differ across different communities of interest, perhaps in correlation with the different societal framing and valorisation of specific areas of interest, with the socioeconomic backgrounds of individual bloggers, or with other external or internal factors. Such qualitative research now looks back on a decade-long history (for key collections, see Gurak, et al., 2004; Bruns and Jacobs, 2006; also see Walker Rettberg, 2008) and has recently shifted also to specifically investigate how blogging practices differ across different cultures (Russell and Echchaibi, 2009). Other studies have also investigated the practices and motivations of bloggers in specific countries from a sociological perspective, through large-scale surveys (e.g. Schmidt, 2009). Blogs have also been directly employed within both K-12 and higher education, across many disciplines, as tools for reflexive learning and discussion (Burgess, 2006).

Worthless and undeserving? : problematising the subjectivities of single parenthood

A considerable body of knowledge has been constructed perpetuating the notion single parenthood is a significant problem for society, and while this is supported by specific research designs and sampling practices, it is also maintained by two key discourses. The first constitutes single parenthood as a deficit, while the second identifies it as a risk. In both cases, these discourses are operationalised by the philosophy of neo-liberalism, which envisions good citizenship as economic autonomy. Historically, it has been the convergence of the risk and deficit discourses that has constituted single parenthood as a social problem. More recently, however, risk discourses have come to dominate thinking about single parenthood. As a result, this thesis terms risk discourses as dominant discourses. As dominant discourses, risk sidelines or discounts other ways of thinking about single parenthood. While a few exceptions are notable, including some feminist, poststructural and family resilience scholars, most researchers appear unable to see past the positioning of these discourses and envision another way of being for parents who are single. This means that alternative subjectivities are obscured and have limited influence in this field of research. Because this thesis aimed to problematise dominant subjectivities of single parenthood, a poststructural Foucauldian framework has been utilized in order to document the discursive constructions of single parenthood through literature, insider discourses, and outsider discourses. For the purposes of this thesis, outsider discourses are constituted as those outside the subjectivities of single parenthood, such as media and research discourses. An examination of the Australian media has been undertaken over a one year period, the results of which form the basis for the analysis of media discourses of single parenthood. Parents who are single were also targeted for self selection into this project to provide insider discourses about single parenthood. This analysis explored how respondents negotiated the discourses of single parenthood and how they themselves used or rejected the subjectivities constructed for them via these discourses to constitute their own subjectivities. This thesis aimed to explore the role of discourses in the construction of individuals' subjectivities. Specifically, it draws attention to the way in which knowledge and power work through discourses to emphasize what is allowable, both publicly and privately, in relation to single parenthood. Most importantly, this thesis offers alternative subjectivities for single parenthood to facilitate new ways of thinking about parents who are single.

Ruthenium(II) dichloro or dithiocyanato complexes with 4,4′:2′,2″:4″,4‴-quaterpyridinium ligands : towards photosensitisers with enhanced low-energy absorption properties

Fourteen new complexes of the form cis-\[RuIIX2(R2qpy2+)2]4+ (R2qpy2+ = a 4,4′:2′,2″:4″,4‴-quaterpyridinium ligand, X = Cl− or NCS−) have been prepared and isolated as their PF6− salts. Characterisation involved various techniques including 1H NMR spectroscopy and +electrospray or MALDI mass spectrometry. The UV–Vis spectra display intense intraligand π → π∗ absorptions, and also metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) bands with two resolved maxima in the visible region. Red-shifts in the MLCT bands occur as the electron-withdrawing strength of the pyridinium groups increases, while replacing Cl− with NCS− causes blue-shifts. Cyclic voltammograms show quasi-reversible or reversible RuIII/II oxidation waves, and several ligand-based reductions that are irreversible. The variations in the redox potentials correlate with changes in the MLCT energies. A single-crystal X-ray structure has been obtained for a protonated form of a proligand salt, \[(4-(CO2H)Ph)2qpyH3+]\[HSO4]3·3H2O. Time-dependent density functional theory calculations give adequate correlations with the experimental UV–Vis spectra for the two carboxylic acid-functionalised complexes in DMSO. Despite their attractive electronic absorption spectra, these dyes are relatively inefficient photosensitisers on electrodes coated with TiO2 or ZnO. These observations are attributed primarily to weak electronic coupling with the surfaces, since the DFT-derived LUMOs include no electron density near the carboxylic acid anchors.

The judgments of Justice Lionel Murphy

Member of High Court Bench; includes references to Aboriginal voting rights; protection of Aboriginal sites in Franklin Dam Case; authors statements from cases - Onus v Alcoa of Australia Ltd, Portland; Neal v Queen, Yarrabah, Koowarta v BjelkePeterson, and Racial Discrimination Act 1975, Archer River; Queen v Toohey (Kenbi, Cox Peninsula); Coe v Commonwealth; Veen v Queen.

The Service Portfolio of a BPM Center of Excellence

A key concept for the centralized provision of Business Process Management (BPM) is the Center of Excellence (CoE). Organizations establish a CoE (aka BPM Support Office) as their BPM maturity increases in order to ensure a consistent and cost-effective way of offering BPM services. The definition of the offerings of such a center and the allocation of roles and responsibilities play an important role within BPM Governance. In order to plan the role of such a BPM CoE, this chapter proposes the productization of BPM leading to a set of fifteen distinct BPM services. A portfolio management approach is suggested to position these services. The approach allows identifying specific normative strategies for each BPM service, such as further training or BPM communication and marketing. A public sector case study provides further insights into how this approach has been used in practice. Empirical evidence from a survey with 15 organizations confirms the coverage of this set of BPM services and shows typical profiles for such BPM Centers of Excellence.

Investigating a model of mentoring for effective teaching

This paper investigates a five-factor model of mentoring for effective teaching. A survey was administered to 218 student teachers after student teaching to provide insights into their mentoring experience. Results indicated the five factors, namely, personal attributes, system requirements, pedagogical knowledge, modeling, and feedback, had Cronbach alpha scores of .93, .81, .95, .91, and .91, respectively with mean scale scores ranging from 4.20 to 4.60 (p< .001). Items associated with each factor were analyzed; the lowest percentage response was reviewing lesson plans (71%) and the highest percentage was modeling effective teaching practices (96%). Triangulated data from the survey results suggested that the practices implemented by the mentor teachers were perceived to have supported the student teachers’ development during student teaching. Implications of this study suggest that actively engaging mentor teachers who apply the principles outlined by the five factor areas will serve to ensure highly effective support for the development of student teachers.

Child protection training for professionals to improve reporting of child abuse and neglect (Protocol)

Child abuse and neglect results in significant costs for children and communities. As a core public health strategy, diverse professional groups are required by law and policy in many jurisdictions to report suspected cases. Numerous different training initiatives appear to have been developed and implemented for professionals but there is little evidence regarding the precise training components and mechanisms that improve reporting of child abuse and neglect both generally, for specific professions, and for distinct types of child abuse and neglect. To enhance reporting practice, designers of training programmes require detailed information about what programme features will offer greatest benefit. A systematic review which identifies the effectiveness of different training approaches will advance the evidence base and develop a clearer understanding of optimal training content and methods. In addition, it will provide policymakers with a means by which to assess whether current training interventions are congruent with what is demonstrated to be effective. It will also inform future research, public policy, and professional practice in this field.

Insolvency specialists and government enquiries: A unique opportunity to contribute to the public good

This lecture addresses the contribution of research by insolvency specialists to the development of insolvency law and practice, in particular to the (re-)design of insolvency systems. It draws on examples from Australia of government enquiries to reform insolvency law as well as other areas of law with which it intersects. It comments on the role that insolvency specialists can play in such policy debates – not only insolvency academics but also scholarly practitioners – for the public good.

Estate contestation in Australia: An empirical study of a year of case law

This article reports on a study which reviewed all publicly available succession law judgments in Australia during a 12-month period. The article begins with a brief overview of the relevant Australian law and the method adopted for the case review to provide some context for the analysis that follows. It then shifts to its primary objective: to provide an overview of Australian estate litigation during this period with a particular focus on analysing the family provision contests, which comprised over half the cases in the sample. The article examines how many estates were subject to family provision claims, who were contesting them, and to what extent those challenges were successful. The article also considers variation in estate litigation across Australian states and the impact of estate size on contests. It concludes by identifying the themes that emerged from these judicial cases and outlines their significance for law and practice reform.

New directions: Air pollution challenges for developing megacities like Delhi

Most major cities around the world experience periods of elevated air pollution levels, which exceed international health-based air quality standards (Kumar et al., 2013). Although it is a global problem, some of the highest air pollution levels are found in rapidly expanding cities in India and China. The sources, emissions, transformations and broad effects of meteorology on air pollution are reasonably well accounted in air quality control strategies in many developed cities; however these key factors remain poorly constrained in the growing cities of countries with emerging economies. We focus here on Delhi, one of the largest global population centres, which faces particular air pollution challenges, now and in the future.

Análisis de costos de producción ganadera según el tamaño de los hatos

Este estudio esta basado en una encuesta de 160 explotaciones ganaderas efectuadas por la unidad de análisis sectorial del Comité Nacional Agropecuario. Las explotaciones fueron agrupadas en cinco categorías según el tamaño de los hatos que corresponden a explotaciones con menos de 10 cabezas, 10 a 50, 51 a 100, 101 a 500 y mas de 500 cabezas. Los datos obtenidos se analizaron para determinar si había alguna economía de escala y eficiencia adicional al aumentar el tamaño de los hatos ganaderos. Los resultados obtenidos indican que existe una economía de escala bien definida en el costo de la mano de obra y en el numero de días-hombre empleados por cabeza. Las explotaciones de mayor tamaño también tienen tierras y pastos de calidad superior, alquilan menos tierras para su ganado y usan mas asistencia técnica. Los otros costos en que incurre el productor no tiene una tendencia definida. Los costos totales por categoría de tamaño no muestran una tendencia pero los ingresos brutos, beneficios netos y retornos a la inversión son generalmente mayores en las explotaciones de mayor tamaño lo que indica que estas hacen un uso mas eficiente de sus recursos. Las explotaciones de mayor tamaño tienen mas recursos propios y mayor capacidad de pago mientras que las explotaciones mas pequeñas que tienen que adquirir de terceros una mayor proporción de los recursos usados en la producción tienen menor capacidad de pago.

Guidelines for the Provision of Garbage Reception Facilities at Ports Under MARPOL Annex V

This report offers guidelines for the provision of adequate port reception facilities for vessel-generated garbage under the requirements of Annex V of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973 (MARPOL 73/78), Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships. MARPOL Annex V prohibits at-sea disposal of plastic materials from vessels, and specifies the distance from shore at which other materials may be dumped. Annex V also requires the provision of port reception facilities for garbage, but it does not specify these facilities or how they are to be provided. Since the at-sea dumping restrictions apply to all vessels, the reception facility requirement applies to all ports, terminals, and marinas that serve vessels. These guidelines were prepared to assist port owners and operators in meeting their obligation to provide adequate reception facilities for garbage. The report synthesizes available information and draws upon experience from the first years ofimplementation of MARPOL Annex V. (PDF file contains 55 pages.)

Guidelines for reducing porpoise mortality in tuna purse seining

More than a decade has passed since the passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. During that time the U.S. tuna purse seine neet reduced its incidental porpoise mortality rate more than 10-fold. This was made possible through the development of gear and techniques aimed at reducing the frequency of many low probability events that contribute to the kill. Porpoise are killed by becoming entangled or entrapped in folds and canopies of the net and suffocating. The configuration of the net, both before and during the backdown release procedure, is a major determinant of the number of porpoise killed. Speedboats can be used to tow on the corkllne to prevent net collapse and also to adjust the net configuration to reduce net canopies prior to backdown. Deepening a net can reduce the probability of porpoise being killed by prebackdown net collapse. The effects of environmental conditions and mechanical failures on net configuration can result in high porpoise mortality unless mitigated by skilled vessel maneuvers or prevented by the timely use of speedboats to adjust the net. The backdown procedure is the only means to effectively release captured porpoise from a purse seine. It is also the time during the set when most of the mortality occurs. The use of small mesh safety panels and aprons in the backdown areas of nets reduces porpoise entanglement, and Increases the probability of an effective release. The tie-down points on the net for preparing the backdown channel must be properly located in order to optimize porpoise release. A formula uses the stretched depth of the net to calculate one of these points, making it a simple matter to locate the other. Understanding the dynamics of the backdown procedure permits a thorough troubleshooting of performance, thus preventing the repetition of poorly executed backdowns and thereby reducing mortality. Porpoise that cannot be released must be rescued by hand. A rescuer in a rigidly inflated raft can rescue porpoise effectively at any time during a net set. Hand rescue can make the difference between above average kill and zero kill sets. In all circumstances, the skill and motivation of the captain and his crew are the final determinants in the prevention of incidental porpoise mortality in tuna seining. (PDF file contains 22 pages.)