Hyperaccumulation of zinc by Noccaea caerulescens results in a cascade of stress responses and changes in the elemental profile

Noccaea caerulescens (J. & C. Presl) F. K. Meyer is a metal hyperaccumulating plant which can accumulate more than 2% zinc (Zn) dry tissue mass in its aerial tissues. At this concentration Zn is toxic to most plants due to inhibition of enzyme function, oxidative damage and mineral deficiencies. In this study the elemental and metabolite profiles of N. caerulescens plants grown in four different Zn concentrations were measured. This revealed broad changes in the metabolite and elemental profiles with the hyperaccumulation of Zn. The Zn treated plants exhibited no typical signs of stress such as chlorosis or reduced biomass, however, a range of metabolic stress responses, such as the modification of galactolipids and the major membrane lipids of plastids, and increases in oxylipins, which are precursors to the signalling molecules jasmonic and abscisic acids, as well as the increased synthesis of glucosinolates, was observed. Increases in particular organic acids and the ubiquitous metal cation chelator nicotianamine were also observed. The small molecule metabolite changes observed, however, did not account for the extreme Zn concentrations in the leaf tissue showing that the increase in nicotianamine production most likely negates Fe deficiency. The elemental analyses also revealed significant changes in other essential micronutrients, in particular, significantly lower Mn concentrations in the high Zn accumulating plants, yet higher Fe concentrations. This comprehensive elemental and metabolite analysis revealed novel metabolite responses to Zn and offers evidence against organic acids as metal-storage ligands in N. caerulescens. © 2014 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

First-time offender, productive offender, offender with dependents: why the profile of offenders (sometimes) matters in sentencing

Should a single mother of four young children who commits theft be sentenced to a lesser sanction than a woman who commits the same crime but has no dependents? Should a billionaire philanthropist be sentenced to a lesser penalty than the average citizen for assaulting a random bystander? Should a first-time thief receive a lighter sanction than a career thief for the same theft? The relevance of an offender’s profile to sentencing is unclear and is one of the most under-researched and least coherent areas of sentencing law. Intuitively, there is some appeal in treating offenders without a criminal record, those who have made a positive contribution to society, or who have dependents more leniently than other offenders. However, to allow these considerations to mitigate penalty potentially licenses offenders to commit crime and decouples the sanction from the severity of the offense, thereby undermining the proportionality principle. This article analyzes the relevance that an offender’s profile should have in sentencing. We conclude that a lack of prior convictions should generally reduce penalty because the empirical data shows that, in relation to most offenses, first-time offenders are less likely to reoffend than recidivist offenders. The situation is more complex in relation to offenders who have made worthy social contributions. They should not be given sentencing credit for past achievements given that past good acts have no relevance to the proper objectives of sentencing and it is normally not tenable, even in a crude sense, to make an informed assessment of an individual’s overall societal contribution. However, offenders should be accorded a sentencing reduction if they have financial or physical dependents and if imprisoning them is likely to cause harm to their dependents. Conferring asentencing discount to first-time offenders and those withdependents does not license them to commit crime or unjustifiablyencroach on the proportionality principle. Rather, it recognizes thedifferent layers of the legal system and the reality that sentencinglaw should not reflexively overwhelm broader maxims of justice,including the principle that innocent people should not suffer. Thisarticle argues that fundamental legislative reform is necessary toproperly reflect the role that the profile of offenders should have inthe sentencing regime.

Mental health service delivery : a profile of mental health non-government organisations in south-east Queensland, Australia.

Non-government organisations make a substantial contribution to the provision of mental health services; despite this, there has been little research and evaluation targeted at understanding the role played by these services within the community mental health sector. The aim of the present study was to examine the depth and breadth of services offered by these organisations in south-east Queensland, Australia, across five key aspects of reach and delivery.

A dietary guideline adherence score is positively associated with dietary biomarkers but not lipid profile in healthy children

BACKGROUND: Whether dietary indexes are associated with biomarkers of children's dietary intake is unclear. OBJECTIVE: The study aim was to examine the relations between diet quality and selected plasma biomarkers of dietary intake and serum lipid profile. METHODS: The study sample consisted of 130 children aged 4-13 y (mean ± SD: 8.6 ± 2.9 y) derived by using baseline data from an intervention study. The Dietary Guideline Index for Children and Adolescents (DGI-CA) comprises the following 11 components with age-specific criteria: 5 core food groups, whole-grain bread, reduced-fat dairy foods, discretionary foods (nutrient poor; high in saturated fat, salt, and added sugar), healthy fats/oils, water, and diet variety (possible score of 100). A higher score reflects greater compliance with dietary guidelines. Venous blood was collected for measurements of serum lipids, fatty acid composition, plasma carotenoids, lutein, lycopene, and α-tocopherol. Linear regression was used to examine the relation between DGI-CA score (independent variable) and concentrations of biomarkers by using the log-transformed variable (outcome), controlling for confounders. RESULTS: DGI-CA score was positively associated (P < 0.05) with plasma concentrations of lutein (standardized β = 0.17), α-carotene (standardized β = 0.28), β-carotene (standardized β = 0.26), and n-3 (ω-3) fatty acids (standardized β = 0.51) and inversely associated with plasma concentrations of lycopene (standardized β = -0.23) and stearic acid (18:0) (standardized β = -0.22). No association was observed between diet quality and α-tocopherol, n-6 fatty acids, or serum lipid profile (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Diet quality, conceptualized as adherence to national dietary guidelines, is cross-sectionally associated with plasma biomarkers of dietary exposure but not serum lipid profile. This trial was registered with the Australia New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry (www.anztr.org.au) as ACTRN12609000453280.