Musical commonplace book : manuscript, [approximately 1790-approximately 1810]

Contains songs, partly from English operas, and instrumental music.

Vaughan, Suzi and Armstrong, Wendy (2009) Threads of tension. In: Vaughan, Suzi and Schmidt, Christine Margaret, (eds.) Five Fashion Musings. Post Pressed, Brisbane, Qld, pp. 9-15.

five:fashion musings is an upcoming 2009 publicaton to celebrate the fashion discipline's five-year milestone at the Queensland Unviesity of Technology. it represents a body of work by fashion practitioners, aceademic and educators commissioned to explore their research in fashion theory, practice and pedogogy through five key themes.

Haplotype analysis of two recurrent CDKN2A mutations in 10 melanoma families : evidence for common founders and independent mutations

Germ-line mutations in CDKN2A have been shown to predispose to cutaneous malignant melanoma. We have identified 2 new melanoma kindreds which carry a duplication of a 24bp repeat present in the 5' region of CDKN2A previously identified in melanoma families from Australia and the United States. This mutation has now been reported in 5 melanoma families from 3 continents: Europe, North America, and Australasia. The M53I mutation in exon 2 of CDKN2A has also been documented in 5 melanoma families from Australia and North America. The aim of this study was to determine whether the occurrence of the mutations in these families from geographically diverse populations represented mutation hotspots within CDKN2A or were due to common ancestors. Haplotypes of 11 microsatellite markers flanking CDKN2A were constructed in 5 families carrying the M53I mutation and 5 families carrying the 24bp duplication. There were some differences in the segregating haplotypes due primarily to recombinations and mutations within the short tandem-repeat markers; however, the data provide evidence to indicate that there were at least 3 independent 24bp duplication events and possibly only 1 original M53I mutation. This is the first study to date which indicates common founders in melanoma families from different continents.

Review: "Transfigured Stages : Major Practitioners and Theatre Aesthetics in Australia" by Margaret Hamilton

In Transfigured Stages: Major Practitioners and Theatre Aesthetics in Australia, Margaret Hamilton traces the emergence of a postdramatic performance aesthetic in Australian theatre in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s through what she characterizes as an ‘analysis’ (p. 15) or ‘critique’ (p. 16)of a series of pivotal productions. For Hamilton, the transfigured aesthetic in the spotlight here is one typified by a focus on memory, imagination, desire, fear or disgust as facets of the human condition; by a visual, televisual or interactive dramaturgy; and, most critically, by a metatheatrical tendency to make tensions in the theatre-making process part and parcel of the tensions in the performance itself (pp.18–20)...

Van der Waals-corrected density functional theory : benchmarking for hydrogen–nanotube and nanotube–nanotube interactions

Density functional theory (DFT) is a powerful approach to electronic structure calculations in extended systems, but suffers currently from inadequate incorporation of long-range dispersion, or Van der Waals (VdW) interactions. VdW-corrected DFT is tested for interactions involving molecular hydrogen, graphite, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), and SWCNT bundles. The energy correction, based on an empirical London dispersion term with a damping function at short range, allows a reasonable physisorption energy and equilibrium distance to be obtained for H2 on a model graphite surface. The VdW-corrected DFT calculation for an (8, 8) nanotube bundle reproduces accurately the experimental lattice constant. For H2 inside or outside an (8, 8) SWCNT, we find the binding energies are respectively higher and lower than that on a graphite surface, correctly predicting the well known curvature effect. We conclude that the VdW correction is a very effective method for implementing DFT calculations, allowing a reliable description of both short-range chemical bonding and long-range dispersive interactions. The method will find powerful applications in areas of SWCNT research where empirical potential functions either have not been developed, or do not capture the necessary range of both dispersion and bonding interactions.

Interface of graphane with copper : a van der Waals density-functional study

Various forms of hydrogenated graphene have been produced to date by several groups, while the synthesis of pure graphane has not been achieved yet. The study of the interface between graphane, in all its possible hydrogenation configurations, and catalyst metal surfaces can be pivotal to assess the feasibility of direct CVD growth methods for this material. We investigated the adhesion of graphane to a Cu(111) surface by adopting the vdW-DF2-C09 exchange-correlation functional, which is able to describe dispersion forces. The results are further compared with the PBE and the LDA exchange-correlation functionals. We calculated the most stable geometrical configurations of the slab/graphane interface and evaluated how graphane's geometrical parameters are modified. We show that dispersion forces play an important role in the slab/graphane adhesion. Band structure calculations demonstrated that in the presence of the interaction with copper, the band gap of graphane is not only preserved, but also enlarged, and this increase can be attributed to the electronic charge accumulated at the interface. We calculated a substantial energy barrier at the interface, suggesting that CVD graphane films might act as reliable and stable insulating thin coatings, or also be used to form compound layers in conjunction with metals and semiconductors.

Novel loci affecting iron homeostasis and their effects in individuals at risk for hemochromatosis

Variation in body iron is associated with or causes diseases, including anaemia and iron overload. Here, we analyse genetic association data on biochemical markers of iron status from 11 European-population studies, with replication in eight additional cohorts (total up to 48,972 subjects). We find 11 genome-wide-significant (P<5 × 10−8) loci, some including known iron-related genes (​HFE, ​SLC40A1, ​TF, ​TFR2, ​TFRC, ​TMPRSS6) and others novel (​ABO, ​ARNTL, ​FADS2, ​NAT2, ​TEX14). SNPs at ​ARNTL, ​TF, and ​TFR2 affect iron markers in ​HFE C282Y homozygotes at risk for hemochromatosis. There is substantial overlap between our iron loci and loci affecting erythrocyte and lipid phenotypes. These results will facilitate investigation of the roles of iron in disease.

Author's reply to: Ankylosing spondylitis: evidence for a non-HLA-B*27 protective effect, Sjef Van Der Linden, Desieree Van Der Heijde

As mentioned in the letter by van der Linden and van der Heijde, Jurgen Braun’s excellent recent paper describing a survey of blood donors by questionnaire, clinical, and magnetic resonance imaging examinations revealed a prevalence of ankylosing spondylitis in B27 positive blood donors (6.4%)1-1 very similar to that reported by Gran et al(6.7%).1-2 It is probable that some of the differences in reported prevalence of ankylosing spondylitis by the various studies are because of methodological differences.

Altered nociceptive, endocrine, and dorsal horn neuron responses in rats following a neonatal immune challenge

Summary The neonatal period is characterized by significant plasticity where the immune, endocrine, and nociceptive systems undergo fine-tuning and maturation. Painful experiences during this period can result in long-term alterations in the neurocircuitry underlying nociception, including increased sensitivity to mechanical or thermal stimuli. Less is known about the impact of neonatal exposure to mild inflammatory stimuli, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS), on subsequent inflammatory pain responses. Here we examine the impact of neonatal LPS exposure on inflammatory pain sensitivity and HPA axis activity during the first three postnatal weeks. Wistar rats were injected with LPS (0.05 mg/kg IP, Salmonella enteritidis) or saline on postnatal days (PNDs) 3 and 5 and later subjected to the formalin test at PNDs 7, 13, and 22. One hour after formalin injection, blood was collected to assess corticosterone responses. Transverse spinal cord slices were also prepared for whole-cell patch clamp recording from lumbar superficial dorsal horn neurons (SDH). Brains were obtained at PND 22 and the hypothalamus was isolated to measure glucocorticoid (GR) and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) transcript expression using qRT-PCR. Behavioural analyses indicate that at PND 7, no significant differences were observed between saline- or LPS-challenged rats. At PND 13, LPS-challenged rats exhibited enhanced licking (p < .01), and at PND 22, increased flinching in response to formalin injection (p < .05). LPS-challenged rats also displayed increased plasma corticosterone at PND 7 and PND 22 (p < .001) but not at PND 13 following formalin administration. Furthermore, at PND 22 neonatal LPS exposure induced decreased levels of GR mRNA and increased levels of MR mRNA in the hypothalamus. The intrinsic properties of SDH neurons were similar at PND 7 and PND 13. However, at PND 22, ipsilateral SDH neurons in LPS-challenged rats had a lower input resistance compared to their saline-challenged counterparts (p < .05). These data suggest neonatal LPS exposure produces developmentally regulated changes in formalin-induced behavioural responses, corticosterone levels, and dorsal horn neuron properties following noxious stimulation later in life. These findings highlight the importance of immune activation during the neonatal period in shaping pain sensitivity later in life. This programming involves both spinal cord neurons and the HPA axis.

Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks in 188 countries, 1990–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013

Background The Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor study 2013 (GBD 2013) is the first of a series of annual updates of the GBD. Risk factor quantification, particularly of modifiable risk factors, can help to identify emerging threats to population health and opportunities for prevention. The GBD 2013 provides a timely opportunity to update the comparative risk assessment with new data for exposure, relative risks, and evidence on the appropriate counterfactual risk distribution. Methods Attributable deaths, years of life lost, years lived with disability, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) have been estimated for 79 risks or clusters of risks using the GBD 2010 methods. Risk–outcome pairs meeting explicit evidence criteria were assessed for 188 countries for the period 1990–2013 by age and sex using three inputs: risk exposure, relative risks, and the theoretical minimum risk exposure level (TMREL). Risks are organised into a hierarchy with blocks of behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks at the first level of the hierarchy. The next level in the hierarchy includes nine clusters of related risks and two individual risks, with more detail provided at levels 3 and 4 of the hierarchy. Compared with GBD 2010, six new risk factors have been added: handwashing practices, occupational exposure to trichloroethylene, childhood wasting, childhood stunting, unsafe sex, and low glomerular filtration rate. For most risks, data for exposure were synthesised with a Bayesian meta-regression method, DisMod-MR 2.0, or spatial-temporal Gaussian process regression. Relative risks were based on meta-regressions of published cohort and intervention studies. Attributable burden for clusters of risks and all risks combined took into account evidence on the mediation of some risks such as high body-mass index (BMI) through other risks such as high systolic blood pressure and high cholesterol. Findings All risks combined account for 57·2% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 55·8–58·5) of deaths and 41·6% (40·1–43·0) of DALYs. Risks quantified account for 87·9% (86·5–89·3) of cardiovascular disease DALYs, ranging to a low of 0% for neonatal disorders and neglected tropical diseases and malaria. In terms of global DALYs in 2013, six risks or clusters of risks each caused more than 5% of DALYs: dietary risks accounting for 11·3 million deaths and 241·4 million DALYs, high systolic blood pressure for 10·4 million deaths and 208·1 million DALYs, child and maternal malnutrition for 1·7 million deaths and 176·9 million DALYs, tobacco smoke for 6·1 million deaths and 143·5 million DALYs, air pollution for 5·5 million deaths and 141·5 million DALYs, and high BMI for 4·4 million deaths and 134·0 million DALYs. Risk factor patterns vary across regions and countries and with time. In sub-Saharan Africa, the leading risk factors are child and maternal malnutrition, unsafe sex, and unsafe water, sanitation, and handwashing. In women, in nearly all countries in the Americas, north Africa, and the Middle East, and in many other high-income countries, high BMI is the leading risk factor, with high systolic blood pressure as the leading risk in most of Central and Eastern Europe and south and east Asia. For men, high systolic blood pressure or tobacco use are the leading risks in nearly all high-income countries, in north Africa and the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. For men and women, unsafe sex is the leading risk in a corridor from Kenya to South Africa. Interpretation Behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks can explain half of global mortality and more than one-third of global DALYs providing many opportunities for prevention. Of the larger risks, the attributable burden of high BMI has increased in the past 23 years. In view of the prominence of behavioural risk factors, behavioural and social science research on interventions for these risks should be strengthened. Many prevention and primary care policy options are available now to act on key risks.

Cuticular Hydrocarbons of Buffalo Fly, Haematobia exigua, and Chemotaxonomic Differentiation from Horn Fly, H.irritans

We determined the quantity and chemical composition of cuticular hydrocarbons of different strains, sex and age of buffalo flies, Haematobia exigua. The quantity of cuticular hydrocarbons increased from less than 1 µg/fly for newly-emerged flies to over 11 µg/fly in 13 d-old flies. The hydrocarbon chain length varied from C21 to C29, with unbranched alkanes and monounsaturated alkenes the major components. Newly emerged flies produced almost exclusively C27 hydrocarbons. Increasing age was accompanied by the appearance of hydrocarbons with shorter carbon chains and an increase in the proportion of alkenes. 11 Tricosene and 7-tricosene were the most abundant hydrocarbons in mature buffalo flies. Cuticular hydrocarbons of buffalo flies are distinctly different from those of horn flies. The most noticeable differences were in the C23 alkenes, with the major isomers 11- and 7-tricosene in buffalo flies and (Z)-9- and (Z)-5-tricosene in horn flies, respectively. Cuticular hydrocarbon analysis provides a reliable method to differentiate buffalo and horn fly, which are difficult to separate morphologically. The differences in cuticular hydrocarbons also support their recognition as separate species, H. exigua and H. irritans, rather than as subspecies.

En sjukdom af högst elakt släckte : Återfallsfebern på Sveaborg och i Karlskrona 1788-1790

Sommaren 1788 drabbades den svenska flottan av en svårartad febersjukdom. Febern, som senare definierats som febris recurrens el. återfallsfeber, hade sitt ursprung i den ryska flottan. Besättningen ombord skeppet Vladislav, krigsbytet från slaget vid Hogland, bar på ett stort antal smittade klädlöss. Efter flottans ankomst till Sveaborg spred sig sjukdomen snabbt bland manskapet, men även bland fästningens garnison. Förhållandena inom militären, både inom lantarmén och framför allt inom flottan, var gynnsamma för epidemiers spridning. De trånga utrymmena, den ensidiga kosten, det undermåliga dricksvattnet, den bristande hygienen: allt gynnade uppkomsten och spridningen av olika epidemier. Manskapets försämrade allmäntillstånd gjorde, att sjukdomarna blev mera förödande än vad de i andra förhållanden skulle ha varit. Bristen på manskap och material under Gustav III:s ryska krig var enormt, bl.a. var bristen på medicinsk personal och -utrustning skriande. Då flottan och armén drabbades av en epidemi av katastrofala dimensioner stod myndigheterna hjälplösa. Epidemin visaqr tydligt hur illa förberett hela kriget var och hur misskött flottans sjukvård var. På Sveaborg var förhållandena fruktansvärda. Halva garnisonen uppges ha avlidit, och det låg travar av lik överallt. Kaserner m.fl. byggnader adapterades till provisoriska lasarett och det rådde brist på allt. De medicinska myndigheterna representerades av den till fästningen skickade andra fältläkaren, som tillsammans med läkarna på fästningen gjorde sitt bästa i enlighet med tidens vårdmetoder. Då den svenska örlogsflottan i november seglat över tilll Karlskrona spred sig epidemin i staden. Sjukdomen grasserade också bland de civila. Då sjukdomens orsak och utbredningssätt var okända, kunde man varken hindra epidemin från att spridas eller genomföra adekvata vårdmetoder. Tvärtom, med de hemförlovade båtsmännen spred sig sjukdomen även till de övriga delarna av riket. Under 1789 var flottan p.g.a. de många sjukdomsfallen närmast operationsoduglig. Under vårvintern och våren 1790 avtog epidemin. Epidemin var ett svårt medicinskt problem. För att utreda situationen i Karlskrona skickade den tillförordnade regeringen, utredningskommissionen och Collegium medicum sina egna representanter till staden. De olika läkarnas sjukdomssyner grundade sig främst på tron om sjukdomars uppkomst genom miasma och förbättrandet av luftkvaliteten sågs som en väsentlig vårdform. I arbetet jämförs de olika myndigheternas och några av de på platsen varande läkarnas syn på sjukdomens art, dess orsaker och ursprung. De flesta härleder sjukdomen till den ryska flottan, och nämner någon form av smitta. Som främsta sjukdomsorsak nämns dock miasma och de rekommenderade vårdformerna representerade den humoralpatologiska synen. Förste amiralitetsläkaren Arvid Faxe representerar dock en annan åsikt, i det att han enbart tror på sjukdomens överföring via smitta. Epidemin var också ett politiskt problem. Epidemin var en lokal angelägenhet ända till dess att flottans operationer hämmades av manskapsbristen, varefter den blev ett ärende på högsta nivå. Kungen ingrep sommaren 1789 genom att grunda en kommision med rätt vidsträckta befogenheter. I Karlskrona verkar de militära myndigheterna och läkarna ha misstrott och skuldsatt varandra för katastrofen, och förhållandet mellan de till staden sända utredarna och militärerna var likaså inflammerat. Genom källorna återspeglas rivalitet, avund och inbördes konkurrens. Personalbristen var svår, och den skyldiga söktes utanför den egna kretsen. Den danskfödde apotekaren med sina påstott otjänliga mediciner blev en ypperlig syndabock. Örlogsflottan beräknas i sjukdomar ha förlorat omkring 10.000 man i döda, huvudsakligen i Karlskrona (civila inberäknade). Armén och Skärgårdsflottan uppges likadeles ha mist omkring 10.000 man, medan antalet i strid stupade armésoldater endast var ca 1500. Sammanlagt antas alltså ca 20.000 människor ha mist livet; både i återfallsfeber, men även i andra, samtidigt grasserande farsoter. I denna siffra är inte de övriga delarna av riket inberäknade. Epidemin i fråga kan alltså på goda grunder anses vara det svenska 1700-talets största medicinska katastrof.