Association of a Notch 3 gene polymorphism with migraine susceptibility

Introduction Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leucoencephalopathy (CADASIL) shares common symptoms with migraine. Most CADASIL causative mutations occur in exons 3 and 4 of the Notch 3 gene. This study investigated the role of C381T (rs 3815188) and G684A (rs 1043994) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in exons 3 and 4, respectively, of the Notch 3 gene in migraine. Results The first part of the study, in a population of 275 migraineurs and 275 control individuals, found a significant association between the C381T variant and migraine, specifically in migraine without aura (MO) sufferers. The G684A variant was also found to be significantly associated with migraine, specifically in migraine with aura (MA) sufferers. A follow-up study in 300 migraineurs and 300 control individuals did not show replicated association of the C381T variant with migraineurs. However, the G684A variant was again shown to be significantly associated with migraine, specifically with MA. Conclusion Further investigation of the G684A variant and the Notch 3 gene is warranted to understand their role in migraine.

Results of a phase IIa clinical trial of an anti-inflammatory molecule, chaperonin 10, in multiple sclerosis

Background Chaperonin 10 (Cpn10) is a mitochondrial molecule involved in protein folding. The aim of this study was to determine the safety profile of Cpn10 in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods A total of 50 patients with relapse-remitting or secondary progressive MS were intravenously administered 5 mg or 10 mg of Cpn10 weekly for 12 weeks in a double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled, phase II trial. Clinical reviews, including Expanded Disability Status Scale and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with Gadolinium, were undertaken every 4 weeks. Stimulation of patient peripheral blood mononuclear cells with lipopolysaccharide ex vivo was used to measure the in vivo activity of Cpn10. Results No significant differences in the frequency of adverse events were seen between treatment and placebo arms. Leukocytes from both groups of Cpn10-treated patients produced significantly lower levels of critical proinflammatory cytokines. A trend toward improvement in new Gadolinium enhancing lesions on MRI was observed, but this difference was not statistically significant. No differences in clinical outcome measures were seen. Conclusions Cpn10 is safe and well tolerated when administered to patients with MS for 3 months, however, a further extended phase II study primarily focused on efficacy is warranted.

The remediation of the personal photograph and the politics of self-representation in digital storytelling

Over the past couple of decades, the cultural field formerly known as ‘domestic’, and later ‘personal’ photography has been remediated and transformed as part of the social web, with its convergence of personal expression, interpersonal communication, and online social networks (most recently via platforms like Flickr, Facebook and Twitter). Meanwhile, the Digital Storytelling movement (involving the workshop-based production of short autobiographical videos) from its beginnings in the mid 1990s relied heavily on the narrative power of the personal photograph, often sourced from family albums, and later from online archives. This paper addresses the new issues arising for the politics of self-representation and personal photography in the era of social media, focusing particularly on the consequences of online image-sharing. It discusses in detail the practices of selection, curation, manipulation and editing of personal photographic images among a group of activist-oriented queer digital storytellers who have in common a stated desire to share their personal stories in pursuit of social change, and whose stories often aim to address both intimate and antagonistic publics.

Detecting anomalous events at railway level crossings

Collisions between pedestrians and vehicles continue to be a major problem throughout the world. Pedestrians trying to cross roads and railway tracks without any caution are often highly susceptible to collisions with vehicles and trains. Continuous financial, human and other losses have prompted transport related organizations to come up with various solutions addressing this issue. However, the quest for new and significant improvements in this area is still ongoing. This work addresses this issue by building a general framework using computer vision techniques to automatically monitor pedestrian movements in such high-risk areas to enable better analysis of activity, and the creation of future alerting strategies. As a result of rapid development in the electronics and semi-conductor industry there is extensive deployment of CCTV cameras in public places to capture video footage. This footage can then be used to analyse crowd activities in those particular places. This work seeks to identify the abnormal behaviour of individuals in video footage. In this work we propose using a Semi-2D Hidden Markov Model (HMM), Full-2D HMM and Spatial HMM to model the normal activities of people. The outliers of the model (i.e. those observations with insufficient likelihood) are identified as abnormal activities. Location features, flow features and optical flow textures are used as the features for the model. The proposed approaches are evaluated using the publicly available UCSD datasets, and we demonstrate improved performance using a Semi-2D Hidden Markov Model compared to other state of the art methods. Further we illustrate how our proposed methods can be applied to detect anomalous events at rail level crossings.

An analysis of clinical characteristics in genetically linked migraine-affected pedigrees

Migraine is a common complex disorder characterized by severe recurrent headache and usually accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Previous studies in our laboratory have utilized three large multigenerational Australian pedigrees affected with migraine to indicate that the disease is genetically heterogeneous, with linkage results implicating genomic susceptibility regions on both chromosomes 19p and Xq. The present study explores the possibility of a correlation between genetic and clinical heterogeneity in these affected pedigrees. Specifically, the clinical characteristics of migraine including subtype, age of onset, frequency, duration, and disease symptoms were compared between the migraine pedigrees, and gender differences were also assessed. Our exploratory analyses revealed no significant differences in any of the clinical characteristics tested between the chromosome 19-linked family and the two X-linked families. Also, we did not detect any differences in male vs. female clinical features for these pedigrees. In conclusion, migraine is considered to be a clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorder; however, our study provided no conclusive evidence that variation in genomic susceptibility region is related to heterogeneity at the clinical level in these migraine-affected pedigrees.

Out of control : Emergent cultural landscapes and political change in urban Vietnam

This paper plots the recent changes in the uses of public space in Hanoi, Vietnam. It is argued that the economic and social changes in contemporary Vietnam have paved the way for a dramatic transformation in the ways in which streets, pavements and markets are experienced and imagined by the populace. The efflorescence of individual mobility, street-trading and public crowding around certain popular events has led to the emergence of a distinct public sphere, one which is not immune from state control and censure but which is a flagrant rebuttal of the state's appeal. The immediate struggles over space herald a new discursive arena for the contest over Vietnamese national imagery as represented in cultural heritage and public space, memorials and state-controlled events which the public are rapidly deserting. The paper concludes by suggesting that the everyday cultural practices that have created a bustling streetlife in urban Vietnam will inevitably provide the vitality and spectacle for the destabilisation of state control in a struggle for meanings in public space.

Migraine association and linkage analyses of the human 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT2A) receptor gene

5-Hydroxytryptamine (5HT), commonly known as serotonin, which predominantly serves as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, has long been implicated in migraine pathophysiology. This study tested an Mspl polymorphism in the human 5HT2A receptor gene (HTR2A) and a closely linked microsatellite marker (D13S126), for linkage and association with common migraine. In the association analyses, no significant differences were found between the migraine and control populations for both the Mspl polymorphism and the D13S126 microsatellite marker. The linkage studies involving three families comprising 36 affected members were analysed using both parametric (FASTLINK) and non-parametric (MFLINK and APM) techniques. Significant close linkage was indicated between the Mspl polymorphism and the D13S126 microsatellite marker at a recombination fraction (θ) of zero (lod score=7.15). Linkage results for the Mspl polymorphism were not very informative in the three families, producing maximum and minimum lod scores of only 0.35 and 0.39 at recombination fractions (θ) of 0.2 and 0.00, respectively. However, linkage analysis between the D13S126 marker and migraine indicated significant non-linkage (lod2) up to a recombination fraction (θ) of 0.028. Results from this study exclude the HTR2A gene, which has been localized to chromosome 13q14-q21, for involvement with common migraine.

In their own words : adolescents strategies to prevent friend's risk taking

Injury is a significant public health problem among youth. A primary cause of adolescent injury is risk-taking behavior, including alcohol use, interpersonal violence and road-related risks. A novel approach to prevention is building on friendships by encouraging adolescents to intervene into their friends’ risk taking. Fifty-one early adolescents (13-14 years) and 44 older adolescents (16-17 years) from two Australian schools participated in focus groups, aiming to explore stories of intervening. Findings showed preference for talking to friends; however, participants also spoke to adults, monitored friends’ behavior and planned ahead. Close friendships, perceived harm, and self-efficacy influenced the likelihood of intervening. These findings have implications for the design of risk and injury prevention programs, by suggesting strategies to promote adolescents’ communicative ability for risk reduction. The findings also highlight the language and dialogue of adolescents and suggest that methods for increasing intervening behavior should focus on building social connectedness and increasing self-efficacy.

Association of oestrogen-receptor gene (ESR1) polymorphisms with migraine in the large Norfolk Island pedigree

BACKGROUND: Oestrogen receptor 1 ( ESR1) is located in region 6q25.1 and encodes a ligand-activated transcription factor composed of several domains important for hormone binding and transcription activation. Progesterone receptor ( PGR) is located in 11q22-23 and mediates the role of progesterone interacting with different transcriptional co-regulators. ESR1 and PGR have previously been implicated in migraine susceptibility. Here, we report the results of an association study of these genes in a migraine pedigree from the genetic isolate of Norfolk Island, a population descended from a small number of Isle of Man "Bounty Mutineer" and Tahitian founders.

To what extent is the Mayer and Salovey (1997) model of emotional intelligence a useful predictor of leadership style and perceived leadership outcomes in Australian educational institutions?

Researchers have found that transformational leadership is related to positive outcomes in educational institutions. Hence, it is important to explore constructs that may predict leadership style in order to identify potential transformational leaders in assessment and selection procedures. Several studies in non-educational settings have found that emotional intelligence is a useful predictor of transformational leadership, but these studies have generally lacked methodological rigor and contextual relevance. This project, set in Australian educational institutions, employed a more rigorous methodology to answer the question: to what extent is the Mayer and Salovey (1997) model of emotional intelligence a useful predictor of leadership style and perceived leadership outcomes? The project was designed to move research in the field forward by using valid and reliable instruments, controlling for other predictors, obtaining an adequately sized sample of current leaders and collecting multiple ratings of their leadership behaviours. The study (N = 144 leaders and 432 raters) results indicated that emotional intelligence was not a useful predictor of leadership style and perceived leadership outcomes. In contrast, several of the other predictors in the study were found to predict leadership style.

Intercultural residential care in New Zealand

Along with other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, New Zealand’s society is aging such that an increase in the number of older people requiring residential care is predicted. What cannot be foreseen is how culturally defined health beliefs affect the care given to older people in residential care. In this article, the authors describe and discuss the culturally based health beliefs of some Pacific Islands caregivers and predominately European (Pakeha) older people resident at one long-term care facility in Auckland, New Zealand. The delivery of care is influenced by culturally related beliefs about “being old.” Racism is evident in residential care, and the authors discuss the reactions of caregivers, residents, and management. This research extends the discussion of caregiving and receiving into the cross-cultural setting, and the findings highlight a number of elements in cultural differences between carer and cared-for that might affect care practices at the residential facility studied.

Validity and reliability of nutrition screening administered by nurses

Background: Nutrition screening is usually administered by nurses. However, most studies on nutrition screening tools have not used nurses to validate the tools. The 3-Minute Nutrition Screening (3-MinNS) assesses weight loss, dietary intake and muscle wastage, with the composite score of each used to determine risk of malnutrition. The aim of the study was to determine the validity and reliability of 3-MinNS administered by nurses, who are the intended assessors. Methods: In this cross sectional study, three ward-based nurses screened 121 patients aged 21 years and over using 3-MinNS in three wards within 24 hours of admission. A dietitian then assessed the patients’ nutritional status using Subjective Global Assessment within 48 hours of admission, whilst blinded to the results of the screening. To assess the reliability of 3-MinNS, 37 patients screened by the first nurse were re-screened by a second nurse within 24 hours, who was blinded to the results of the first nurse. The sensitivity, specificity and best cutoff score for 3-MinNS were determined using the Receiver Operator Characteristics Curve. Results: The best cutoff score to identify all patients at risk of malnutrition using 3-MinNS was three, with sensitivity of 89% and specificity of 88%. This cutoff point also identified all (100%) severely malnourished patients. There was strong correlation between 3-MinNS and SGA (r=0.78, p<0.001). The agreement between two nurses conducting the 3-MinNS tool was 78.3%. Conclusion: 3-Minute Nutrition Screening is a valid and reliable tool for nurses to identify patients at risk of malnutrition.

The Arab Spring and social media audiences : English and Arabic Twitter users and their networks

Although popular media narratives about the role of social media in driving the events of the 2011 “Arab Spring” are likely to overstate the impact of Facebook and Twitter on these uprisings, it is nonetheless true that protests and unrest in countries from Tunisia to Syria generated a substantial amount of social media activity. On Twitter alone, several millions of tweets containing the hashtags #libya or #egypt were generated during 2011, both by directly affected citizens of these countries and by onlookers from further afield. What remains unclear, though, is the extent to which there was any direct interaction between these two groups (especially considering potential language barriers between them). Building on hashtag data sets gathered between January and November 2011, this article compares patterns of Twitter usage during the popular revolution in Egypt and the civil war in Libya. Using custom-made tools for processing “big data,” we examine the volume of tweets sent by English-, Arabic-, and mixed-language Twitter users over time and examine the networks of interaction (variously through @replying, retweeting, or both) between these groups as they developed and shifted over the course of these uprisings. Examining @reply and retweet traffic, we identify general patterns of information flow between the English- and Arabic-speaking sides of the Twittersphere and highlight the roles played by users bridging both language spheres.

The health information practices of people living with chronic health conditions: Implications for health literacy

The reduction of the health literacy concept to a functional relationship with text, does not acknowledge the range of information sources that people draw from in order to make informed decision about their health and treatment. Drawing from two studies that explored how people with two different but complex and life-threatening chronic health conditions, chronic kidney disease and HIV, a socio-cultural understanding of the practise of health literacy is described. Health information is experienced by patients as a chronic health condition landscape, and develops from three information sources; namely epistemic, social and corporeal sources. Participants in both studies used activities that involved orienting, sharing and creating information to map this landscape which was used to inform their decision-making. These findings challenge the traditional conceptions of health literacy and suggest an approach that views the landscape of chronic illness as being socially, physically and contextually constructed. This approach necessitates a recasting of health literacy away from a sole interest in skills and towards understanding how information practices facilitate people becoming health literate.

Experiments with cooperative control of underwater robots

In this paper we describe cooperative control algorithms for robots and sensor nodes in an underwater environment. Cooperative navigation is defined as the ability of a coupled system of autonomous robots to pool their resources to achieve long-distance navigation and a larger controllability space. Other types of useful cooperation in underwater environments include: exchange of information such as data download and retasking; cooperative localization and tracking; and physical connection (docking) for tasks such as deployment of underwater sensor networks, collection of nodes and rescue of damaged robots. We present experimental results obtained with an underwater system that consists of two very different robots and a number of sensor network modules. We present the hardware and software architecture of this underwater system. We then describe various interactions between the robots and sensor nodes and between the two robots, including cooperative navigation. Finally, we describe our experiments with this underwater system and present data.