‘We’ve always cooked kangaroo. We still cook kangaroo. Although sometimes we use cookbooks now’ : Aboriginal Australians and cookbooks

Aboriginal Australians have a long history of eating native animals and plants. Food preparation techniques were handed down through the generations, without any need for cookbooks. But colonisation changed the diets of Aboriginal Australians, introducing us to a processed diet high in salt, sugar and fat, and causing a wide range of diet-related health problems. Over the years, many Aboriginal Australians lost their connections to traditional food preparation practices. In this paper, the authors provide a brief overview of Aboriginal food history and describe a newly-emerging focus on reintroducing native foods. They describe the work of an Aboriginal chef, Dale Chapman, who is actively promoting native foods and creating a native-Western food fusion. Chapman has developed native food recipes and a cookbook, in an effort to make native foods accessible to all Australians. She promotes a future when native foods are part of the identity of all Australians – both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal.

Spin-coated carbon

We describe a novel and facile approach to covalently graft molecules containing stable free radicals onto carbon surfaces including graphene, carbon nanotubes, glassy carbon and carbon fibres. The new technique employs a stable aryl nitroxide radical diazonium tetrafluoroborate salt. The salt may be isolated and added to carbon surfaces in solution, suspension or electrochemically and represents a convenient, versatile and highly efficient means to adorn graphitic materials with large numbers of free radical spin systems

Hydrogels containing silver nanoparticles for burn wounds show antimicrobial activity without cytotoxicity

This research introduces a novel dressing for burn wounds, containing silver nanoparticles in hydrogels for infected burn care. The 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid sodium salt hydrogels containing silver nanoparticles have been prepared via ultraviolet radiation. The formation of silver nanoparticles was monitored by surface plasmon bands and transmission electron microscopy. The concentration of silver nitrate loaded in the solutions slightly affected the physical properties and mechanical properties of the neat hydrogel. An indirect cytotoxicity study found that none of the hydrogels were toxic to tested cell lines. The measurement of cumulative release of silver indicated that 70%–82% of silver was released within 72 hr. The antibacterial activities of the hydrogels against common burn pathogens were studied and the results showed that 5 mM silver hydrogel had the greatest inhibitory activity. The results support its use as a potential burn wound dressing.

A randomized controlled trial of self-management programme improves health-related outcomes of older people with heart failure

Aims This paper is a report on the effectiveness of a self-management programme based on the self-efficacy construct, in older people with heart failure. Background Heart failure is a major health problem worldwide, with high mortality and morbidity, making it a leading cause of hospitalization. Heart failure is associated with a complex set of symptoms that arise from problems in fluid and sodium retention. Hence, managing salt and fluid intake is important and can be enhanced by improving patients' self-efficacy in changing their behaviour. Design Randomized controlled trial. Methods Heart failure patients attending cardiac clinics in northern Taiwan from October 2006–May 2007 were randomly assigned to two groups: control (n = 46) and intervention (n = 47). The intervention group received a 12-week self-management programme that emphasized self-monitoring of salt/fluid intake and heart failure-related symptoms. Data were collected at baseline as well as 4 and 12 weeks later. Data analysis to test the hypotheses used repeated-measures anova models. Results Participants who received the intervention programme had significantly better self-efficacy for salt and fluid control, self-management behaviour and their heart failure-related symptoms were significantly lower than participants in the control group. However, the two groups did not differ significantly in health service use. Conclusion The self-management programme improved self-efficacy for salt and fluid control, self-management behaviours, and decreased heart failure-related symptoms in older Taiwanese outpatients with heart failure. Nursing interventions to improve health-related outcomes for patients with heart failure should emphasize self-efficacy in the self-management of their disease.

Marine aerosol hygroscopicity and volatility, measured on the Chatham Rise (New Zealand)

The Surface Ocean Aerosol Production (SOAP) study was undertaken in February/March 2012 in the biologically active waters of the Chatham Rise, NZ. Aerosol hygroscopicity and volatility were examined with a volatility hygroscopicity tandem differential mobility analyser. These observations confirm results from other hygroscopicity-based studies that the dominant fraction of the observed remote marine particles were non-sea salt sulfates. Further observations are required to clarify the influences of seawater composition, meteorology and analysis techniques seasonally across different ocean basins.

Cryptanalysis of the LAKE hash family

We analyse the security of the cryptographic hash function LAKE-256 proposed at FSE 2008 by Aumasson, Meier and Phan. By exploiting non-injectivity of some of the building primitives of LAKE, we show three different collision and near-collision attacks on the compression function. The first attack uses differences in the chaining values and the block counter and finds collisions with complexity 233. The second attack utilizes differences in the chaining values and salt and yields collisions with complexity 242. The final attack uses differences only in the chaining values to yield near-collisions with complexity 299. All our attacks are independent of the number of rounds in the compression function. We illustrate the first two attacks by showing examples of collisions and near-collisions.

The 10 Australian ecosystems most vulnerable to tipping points

We identify the 10 major terrestrial and marine ecosystems in Australia most vulnerable to tipping points, in which modest environmental changes can cause disproportionately large changes in ecosystem properties. To accomplish this we independently surveyed the coauthors of this paper to produce a list of candidate ecosystems, and then refined this list during a 2-day workshop. The list includes (1) elevationally restricted mountain ecosystems, (2) tropical savannas, (3) coastal floodplains and wetlands, (4) coral reefs, (5) drier rainforests, (6) wetlands and floodplains in the Murray-Darling Basin, (7) the Mediterranean ecosystems of southwestern Australia, (8) offshore islands, (9) temperate eucalypt forests, and (10) salt marshes and mangroves. Some of these ecosystems are vulnerable to widespread phase-changes that could fundamentally alter ecosystem properties such as habitat structure, species composition, fire regimes, or carbon storage. Others appear susceptible to major changes across only part of their geographic range, whereas yet others are susceptible to a large-scale decline of key biotic components, such as small mammals or stream-dwelling amphibians. For each ecosystem we consider the intrinsic features and external drivers that render it susceptible to tipping points, and identify subtypes of the ecosystem that we deem to be especially vulnerable. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

Mechanochemical synthesis of aluminium nanoparticles and their deuterium sorption properties to 2 kbar

A mechanochemical synthesis process has been used to synthesise aluminium nanoparticles. The aluminium is synthesised via a solid state chemical reaction which is initiated inside a ball mill at room temperature between either lithium (Li) or sodium (Na) metal which act as reducing agents with unreduced aluminium chloride (AlCl3). The reaction product formed consists of aluminium nanoparticles embedded within a by-product salt phase (LiCl or NaCl, respectively). The LiCl is washed with a suitable solvent resulting in aluminium (Al) nanoparticles which are not oxidised and are separated from the byproduct phase. Synthesis and washing was confirmed using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Nanoparticles were found to be ∼25–100nm from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and an average size of 55nm was determined fromsmall angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements. As synthesised Al/NaCl composites, washed Al nanoparticles, and purchased Al nanoparticles were deuterium (D2) absorption tested up to 2 kbar at a variety of temperatures, with no absorption detected within system resolution.

4-Methoxyanilinium 2-carboxy-4,5-dichlorobenzoate

In the structure of the title salt C7H10NO+ C8H3Cl2O4- the benzene planes of the cation and anion are essentially parallel [inter-ring dihedral angle 4.8(2)deg]. In the anion the carboxylic acid and carboxylate groups make dihedral angles of 19.0(2) and 79.5(2)\%, respectively, with the benzene ring. Aminium N-H...O, carboxylic acid O-H...O and weak aromatic C-H...O hydrogen-bonding associations with carboxyl O-atom acceptors together with cation-anion pi-pi ring interactions [minimum ring centroid separation = 3.734(3)Ang] give a two-dimensional sheet structure which lies parallel to (001).

Poly-[μ-aqua-μ5-[(2,3,6-trichlorophenyl)acetato)-caesium]

In the structure of the title complex [Cs(C8H4Cl3O2)(H2O)]n, the Cs salt of the commercial herbicide fenac [(2,3,6-trichlorophenyl)acetic acid], the irregular eight-coordination about Cs+ comprises a bidentate chelate (O:Cl) interaction involving a carboxyl O-atom and an ortho-related ring substituted Cl atom which is also bridging, a triple-bridging carboxyl O-atom and a bridging water molecule. A two-dimensional sheet polymer is generated, lying parallel to (100), within which there are water O---H...O(carboxyl) hydrogen-bonding interactions.

Poly[μ-aqua-aqua-μ5-(4-nitrobenzoato)-caesium]

In the structure of the title complex [Cs(C7H4N2O2)(H2O)2]n, the Cs salt of 4-nitrobenzoic acid, the irregular CsO9 coordination sphere comprises three bridging nitro O-donors, a bidentate carboxyl (O,O')-chelate interaction, a triple-bridging water molecule and a monodentate water molecule. A three-dimensional framework polymer is generated, within which there are water O-H...Ocarboxyl and water O-H...O(water) hydrogen-bonding interactions.

Poly[μ-aqua-bis(μ5-2,4-dichlorobenzoato)dipotassium

In the title compound, [K2(C7H3Cl2O2)2(H2O)]n, the potassium salt of 2,4-dichlorobenzoic acid, the repeating unit in the polymeric structure consists of two identical irregular KO6Cl complex units related by twofold rotational symmetry, linked by a bridging water molecule lying on the twofold axis. The coordination polyhedron about each K+ comprises a carboxyl O-atom and a Cl-atom donor from a bidentate chelate ligand interaction, four O-atom donors from a doubly bridging bidentate carboxyl (O,O')-chelate interaction and the water molecule. A two-dimensional layered coordination polymer structure lying parallel to (100) is generated through a series of conjoined cyclic bridges between K centres and is stabilized by water O-H...O(carboxyl) hydrogen-bonding interactions.

4-(4-Aminophenylsulfonyl)anilinium toluene-4-sulfonate

In the title p-toluenesulfonate salt of the drug dapsone, C12H13N2O2S+ C7H7O3S-, the dihedral angle between the two aromatic rings of the dapsone monocation is 70.19(17)deg. and those between these rings and that of the p-toluenesulfonate anion are 72.34(17) and 46.43(17)deg. All amine and aminium H-atoms are involved in intermolecular N-H...O hydrogen-bonding associations with sulfonyl O-atom acceptors as well as one of the sulfone O-atoms, giving a three-dimensional structure.

Poly[mu5-{hydrogen bis[(E)-cinnamato]}-caesium

In the structure of the title polymeric complex [Cs2(C9H7O2)(C9H8O2)]n, the Cs salt-adduct of trans-cinnamic acid, the Cs+ ions of the two individual irregular CsO8 coordination polyhedra lie on a twofold rotation axis and are linked by four bridging carboxyl O-donors from the two cinnamate ligand species. These two ligand components are inter-linked through a delocalized H atom within a short O...H...O hydrogen bond. Structure extension gives a two-dimensional coordination polymer which lies parallel to (001). The crystal was determined from a crystal twinned by non-merohedry, with a twin component ratio of approximately 1:1.

Distamycin A affects the stability of NF-kappaB p50-DNA complexes in a sequence-dependent manner

The effect of two different DNA minor groove binding molecules, Hoechst 33258 and distamycin A, on the binding kinetics of NF-κB p50 to three different specific DNA sequences was studied at various salt concentrations. Distamycin A was shown to significantly increase the dissociation rate constant of p50 from the sequences PRDII (5′-GGGAAATTCC-3′) and Ig-κ B (5′-GGGACTTTCC-3′) but had a negligible effect on the dissociation from the palindromic target-κB binding site (5′-GGGAATTCCC-3′). By comparison, the effect of Hoechst 33258 on binding of p50 to each sequence was found to be minimal. The dissociation rates for the protein–DNA complexes increased at higher potassium chloride concentrations for the PRDII and Ig-κB binding motifs and this effect was magnified by distamycin A. In contrast, p50 bound to the palindromic target-κB site with a much higher intrinsic affinity and exhibited a significantly reduced salt dependence of binding over the ionic strength range studied, retaining a KD of less than 10 pM at 150 mM KCl. Our results demonstrate that the DNA binding kinetics of p50 and their salt dependence is strongly sequence-dependent and, in addition, that the binding of p50 to DNA can be influenced by the addition of minor groove-binding drugs in a sequence-dependent manner.