Recruitment of the infaunal bivalve Soletellina Alba (Lamark,1818) (Bivalvia: Psammobiidae) in response to different sediment types and water depths within the intermittently open Hopkins River estuary

Studies examining recruitment processes for soft-sediment macroinvertebrate fauna in intermittent estuaries are rare and most studies of active habitat selection have been tested in the laboratory rather than the field. The present field study examined whether recruitment of the infaunal bivalve Soletellina alba was influenced by water depth and sediment particle size in the intermittent Hopkins River estuary, southern Australia. The number of recruits in sediment trays differed between water depths, but active habitat selection was not evident across treatments of varying sediment particle size. The use of sediments with varying particle sizes also provided an opportunity to identify potential discontinuities in body-size distributions of recruits associated with varying habitat architecture. The length (mm) of recruits was converted to the same scale used to express sediment particle size (i.e. phi units: phi = − log2 of sediment particle size). The size of recruits differed across water depths, but did not differ across treatments with fine (phi = 3) versus coarse (phi = 1) sediment, and no relationships were apparent between bivalve size and sediments consisting of varying particle size. These patterns of recruitment do not correspond with the distribution of adult S. alba within the Hopkins River estuary. Previous sampling has shown that abundances of juvenile and adult S. alba are variable across time, site and water depth, but are often greater at the deeper water depth (1.05 m below the Australian Height Datum). However, recruitment during the present study was greatest at the shallower water depth (0.05 m below AHD), and the apparent absence of active habitat selection suggests that the distribution of adults is unlikely to be attributable to differences in recruitment associated with sediments of varying particle size.

Quantitative Information Flow, Relations and Polymorphic Types

This paper uses Shannon's information theory to give a quantitative definition of information flow in systems that transform inputs to outputs. For deterministic systems, the definition is shown to specialise to a simpler form when the information source and the known inputs jointly determine the inputs. For this special case, the definition is related to the classical security condition of non-interference and an equivalence is established between non-interference and independence of random variables. Quantitative information flow for deterministic systems is then presented in relational form. With this presentation, it is shown how relational parametricity can be used to derive upper and lower bounds on information flows through families of functions defined in the second order lambda calculus.

UCP3 protein regulation in human skeletal muscle fibre types I, IIa andIIx is dependent on exercise intensity.

It has been proposed that mitochondrial uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) behaves as an uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation. In a cross-sectional study, UCP3 protein levels were found to be lower in all fibre types of endurance-trained cyclists as compared to healthy controls. This decrease was greatest in the type I oxidative fibres, and it was hypothesised that this may be due to the preferential recruitment of these fibres during endurance training. To test this hypothesis, we compared the effects of 6 weeks of endurance (ETr) and sprint (STr) running training on UCP3 mRNA expression and fibre-type protein content using real-time PCR and immunofluorescence techniques, respectively. UCP3 mRNA and protein levels were downregulated similarly in ETr and STr (UCP3 mRNA: by 65 and 50 %, respectively; protein: by 30 and 27 %, respectively). ETr significantly reduced UCP3 protein content in type I, IIa and IIx muscle fibres by 54, 29 and 16 %, respectively. STr significantly reduced UCP3 protein content in type I, IIa and IIx muscle fibres by 24, 31 and 26 %, respectively. The fibre-type reductions in UCP3 due to ETr, but not STr, were significantly different from each other, with the effect being greater in type I than in type IIa, and in type IIa than in type IIx fibres. As a result, compared to STr, ETr reduced UCP3 expression significantly more in fibre type I and significantly less in fibre types IIx. This suggests that the more a fibre is recruited, the more it adapts to training by a decrease in its UCP3 expression. In addition, the more a fibre type depends on fatty acid beta oxidation and oxidative phosphorylation, the more it responds to ETr by a decrease in its UCP3 content.

Association of genetic vatiation within UBL5 with phenotypes of metabolic syndrome

The BEACON gene was initially identified using the differential display polymerase chain reaction on hypothalamic mRNA samples collected from lean and obese Psammomys obesus, a polygenic animal model of obesity. Hypothalamic BEACON gene expression was positively correlated with percentage of body fat, and intracerebroventricular infusion of the Beacon protein resulted in a dose-dependent increase in food intake and body weight. The human homolog of BEACON, UBL5, is located on chromosome 19p in a region previously linked to quantitative traits related to obesity. Our previous studies showed a statistically significant association between UBL5 sequence variation and several obesity- and diabetes-related quantitative physiological measures in Asian Indian and Micronesian cohorts. Here we undertake a replication study in a Mexican American cohort where the original linkage signal was first detected. We exhaustively resequenced the complete gene plus the putative promoter region for genetic variation in 55 individuals and identified five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), one of which was novel. These SNPs were genotyped in a Mexican American cohort of 900 individuals from 40 families. Using a quantitative trait linkage disequilibrium test, we found significant associations between UBL5 genetic variants and waist-to-hip ratio (p = 0.027), and the circulating concentrations of insulin (p = 0.018) and total cholesterol (p = 0.023) in fasted individuals. These data are consistent with our earlier published studies and further support a functional role for the UBL5 gene in influencing physiological traits that underpin the development of metabolic syndrome.

Health-related quality of life and metabolic control in children with type 1 diabetes : a prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE—To assess change in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children with diabetes over 2 years and determine its relationship to change in metabolic control.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—In 1998, parents of children aged 5–18 years attending a tertiary diabetes clinic reported their child’s HRQOL using the Child Health Questionnaire PF-50. Those aged 12–18 years also self-reported their HRQOL using the analogous Child Health Questionnaire CF-80. HbA_1c levels were recorded. In 2000, identical measures were collected for those who were aged ≤18 years and still attending the clinic.

RESULTS—Of 117 eligible subjects, 83 (71%) participated. Parents reported no significant difference in children’s HRQOL at baseline and follow-up. However, adolescents reported significant improvements on the Family Activities (P < 0.001), Bodily Pain (P = 0.04), and General Health Perceptions (P = 0.001) scales and worsening on the Behavior (P = 0.04) scale. HbA1c at baseline and follow-up were strongly correlated (r = 0.57). HbA_1c increased significantly (mean 7.8% in 1998 vs. 8.5% in 2000; P < 0.001), with lower baseline HbA_1c strongly predicting an increase in HbA_1c over the 2 years (r² = 0.25, P < 0.001). Lower parent-reported Physical Summary and adolescent-reported Physical Functioning scores at baseline also predicted increasing HbA_1c. Poorer parent-reported Psychosocial Summary scores were related to higher HbA_1c at both times but did not predict change in HbA_1c.

CONCLUSIONS—Changes in parent and adolescent reports of HRQOL differ. Better physical functioning may protect against deteriorating HbA_1c, at least in the medium term. While the HRQOL of children with diabetes does not appear to deteriorate over time, we should not be complacent, as it is consistently poorer than that of their healthy peers.

Regulation of metabolic transcriptional co-activators and transcription factors with acute exercise

Endurance exercise improves insulin sensitivity and increases fat oxidation, which are partly facilitated by the induction of metabolic transcription factors. Next to exercise, increased levels of FFA's also increase the gene expression of transcription factors, hence making it difficult to discern the effects from contractile signals produced during exercise, from those produced by increased circulatory FFA's. We aimed to investigate, in human skeletal muscle, whether acute exercise affects gene expression of metabolic transcriptional co-activators and transcription factors, including PGC-1α, PRC, PPARα, β/δ, and γ and RXR, SREBP-1c and FKHR, and to discern the effect of exercise per se from those of elevated levels of FFA. Two hours of endurance exercise was performed either in the fasted state, or following carbohydrate ingestion prior to and during exercise, thereby blunting the fasting-induced increase in FA availability and oxidation. Of the genes measured, PGC-1α and PRC mRNA increased immediately after, while PPARβ/δ and FKHR mRNA increased 1–4 h after exercise, irrespective of the increases in FFA's. Our results suggest that the induction in vivo of metabolic transcription factors implicated in mitochondrial biogenesis are under the control of inherent signals, (PGC-1α, PRC), while those implicated in substrate selection are under the control of associated signals (PPARβ/δ, FKHR) stimulated from the contracting skeletal muscle that are independent of circulating FFA levels.

Multiple types of dieting prospectively predict weight gain during the freshman year of college.

The freshman year of college is a period of heightened risk for weight gain. This study examined measures of restrained eating, disinhibition, and emotional eating as predictors of weight gain during the freshman year. Using Lowe's multi-factorial model of dieting, it also examined three different types of dieting as predictors of weight gain. Sixty-nine females were assessed at three points during the school year. Weight gain during the freshman year averaged 2.1 kg. None of the traditional self-report measures of restraint, disinhibition, or emotional eating were predictive of weight gain. However, both a history of weight loss dieting and weight suppression (discrepancy between highest weight ever and current weight) predicted greater weight gain, and these effects appeared to be largely independent of one another. Individuals who said they were currently dieting to lose weight gained twice as much (5.0 kg) as former dieters (2.5 kg) and three times as much as never dieters (1.6 kg), but the import of this finding was unclear because there was only a small number of current dieters (N=7). Overall the results indicate that specific subtypes of dieting predicts weight gain during the freshman year better than more global measures of restraint or overeating.

Chemerin is a novel adipokine associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome

Soluble protein hormones are key regulators of a number of metabolic processes, including food intake and insulin sensitivity. We have used a signal sequence trap to identify genes that encode secreted or membrane-bound proteins in Psammomys obesus, an animal model of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Using this signal sequence trap, we identified the chemokine chemerin as being a novel adipokine. Gene expression of chemerin and its receptor, chemokine-like receptor 1 (CMKLR1), was significantly higher in adipose tissue of obese and type 2 diabetic P. obesus compared with lean, normoglycemic P. obesus. Fractionation of P. obesus adipose tissue confirmed that chemerin was predominantly expressed in adipocytes, whereas CMKLR1 was expressed in both adipocytes and stromal-vascular cells of adipose tissue. In 3T3-L1 adipocytes, chemerin was markedly induced during differentiation, whereas CMKLR1 was down-regulated during differentiation. Serum chemerin levels were measured by ELISA in human plasma samples from 114 subjects with T2D and 142 normal glucose tolerant controls. Plasma chemerin levels were not significantly different between subjects with T2D and normal controls. However, in normal glucose tolerant subjects, plasma chemerin levels were significantly associated with body mass index, circulating triglycerides, and blood pressure. Here we report, for the first time, that chemerin is an adipokine, and circulating levels of chemerin are associated with several key aspects of metabolic syndrome.

Influence of preexercise muscle glycogen content on transcrptional activity of metabolic and myogenic genes in well-trained humans

To determine whether preexercise muscle glycogen content influences the transcription of several early-response genes involved in the regulation of muscle growth, seven male strength-trained subjects performed one-legged cycling exercise to exhaustion to lower muscle glycogen levels (Low) in one leg compared with the leg with normal muscle glycogen (Norm) and then the following day completed a unilateral bout of resistance training (RT). Muscle biopsies from both legs were taken at rest, immediately after RT, and after 3 h of recovery. Resting glycogen content was higher in the control leg (Norm leg) than in the Low leg (435 ± 87 vs. 193 ± 29 mmol/kg dry wt; P < 0.01). RT decreased glycogen content in both legs (P < 0.05), but postexercise values remained significantly higher in the Norm than the Low leg (312 ± 129 vs. 102 ± 34 mmol/kg dry wt; P < 0.01). GLUT4 (3-fold; P < 0.01) and glycogenin mRNA abundance (2.5-fold; not significant) were elevated at rest in the Norm leg, but such differences were abolished after exercise. Preexercise mRNA abundance of atrogenes was also higher in the Norm compared with the Low leg [atrogin: 14-fold, P < 0.01; RING (really interesting novel gene) finger: 3-fold, P < 0.05] but decreased for atrogin in Norm following RT (P < 0.05). There were no differences in the mRNA abundance of myogenic regulatory factors and IGF-I in the Norm compared with the Low leg. Our results demonstrate that 1) low muscle glycogen content has variable effects on the basal transcription of select metabolic and myogenic genes at rest, and 2) any differences in basal transcription are completely abolished after a single bout of heavy resistance training. We conclude that commencing resistance exercise with low muscle glycogen does not enhance the activity of genes implicated in promoting hypertrophy.

The impact of Porter's strategy types on the role of market research and customer relationship management

Purpose – This paper seeks to investigate the influence of Porter’s strategy types on the use of customer relationship management (CRM) techniques and traditional market research, against theoretical and empirical evidence that differences in strategy types may result in variation in favoured marketing information sources and procedure.

Design/methodology/approach – Depth interviews generated a series of scale items, which were combined with others derived from the literature in a questionnaire measuring strategy types, the roles of market research, and the characteristics of CRM systems. Responses were obtained from 240 senior marketing managers in Australia, and applied to the testing of five research propositions.

Findings – ANOVA found no differences in CRM usage among the strategy types. Variation was widespread, however, in four roles of traditional market research: enhancing strategic decision making, increasing usability of existing data, presenting plans to senior management, and achieving productivity and political outcomes.

Research limitations/implications – Future researchers using the Porter strategic types should separate “marketing differentiators” from “product differentiators” because they function and compete differently.

Practical implications – All organisations can benefit from CRM systems, but “marketing differentiators” exhibit a relatively higher usage of traditional market research. This is likely to be because they compete by creating softer product differences, while others do so on harder characteristics such as price or product functionality.

Originality/value – This is the first study to use the Porter types to explain differences between the roles and uses of market research and CRM within organisations.

Overweight, obesity and metabolic syndrome in rural southeastern Australia

OBJECTIVE: To measure the prevalence of overweight, obesity and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in rural Australia.

DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional surveys were conducted in two rural areas in Victoria and South Australia in 2004-2005. A stratified random sample of men and women aged 25-74 years was selected from the electoral roll. Data were collected by a self-administered questionnaire, physical measurements and laboratory tests.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of overweight and obesity, as defined by body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference; prevalence of MetS and its components.

RESULTS: Data on 806 participants (383 men and 423 women) were analysed. Based on BMI, the prevalence of overweight and obesity combined was 74.1% (95% CI, 69.7%-78.5%) in men and 64.1% (95% CI, 59.5%-68.7%) in women. Based on waist circumference, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was higher in women (72.4%; 95% CI, 68.1%-76.7%) than men (61.9%; 95% CI, 57.0%-66.8%). The overall prevalence of obesity was 30.0% (95% CI, 26.8%-33.2%) based on BMI (> or = 30.0 kg/m(2)) and 44.7% (95% CI, 41.2%-48.1%) based on waist circumference (> or = 102 cm [men] and > or= 88 cm [women]). The prevalence of MetS as defined by the US National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III 2005 criteria was 27.1% (95% CI, 22.7%-31.6%) in men and 28.3% (95% CI, 24.0%-32.6%) in women; based on International Diabetes Federation criteria, prevalences for men and women were 33.7% (95% CI, 29.0%-38.5%) and 30.1% (95% CI, 25.7%-34.5%), respectively. Prevalences of MetS, central (abdominal) obesity, hyperglycaemia, hypertension and hypertriglyceridaemia increased with age.

CONCLUSIONS: In rural Australia, prevalences of MetS, overweight and obesity are very high. Urgent population-wide action is required to tackle the problem.