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Mathematical formulas for some cross-B structures of human Aβ protein

  • Authors: Zhang, Jiapu
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Medicinal chemistry Vol. 6, no. 5 (2016), p. 1-7
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  • Description: For amyloid fibril cross-β structures of Aβ human protein, we find theoretical calculations are agreeing with laboratory X-ray crystallography experiments. This mini article summarized mathematical formulas of amyloid fibril cross-β structures of segments of human Aβ protein. These formulas are accurate and correct some data in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). However, more mathematical formulas for core Chains AB (PDB IDs: 3OW9, 3PZZ, 2OKZ), or ABGH (PDB IDs: 3OVJ, 2Y3J, 2Y3K, 2Y3L) (or ABCD (PDB ID: 2ONA)) are still needed to present and optimize.
  • Description: For amyloid fibril cross-

Medical students need a core curriculum based on CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages)

  • Authors: Nguyen Thi , Nguyen Van Huy , Nguyen Manh , Gallup, John , Debattista, Joseph , Hoat, Luu
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Asian Journal of Educational Research Vol. 4, no. 5 (2016), p. 14-23
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  • Description: Literature Review: The traditional approach to teaching English in Vietnamese medical schools prioritises grammar over communication skills, the effectiveness of which is increasingly under consideration. The objective of this study was to assess undergraduate medical students' satisfaction and needs with their current English training in order to evaluate the appropriateness of a training program based on CEFR. Methods: In a crosssectional survey utilizing a self-reported structured questionnaire, a sample of 487 students was selected from the students of Hanoi Medical University. Results: Forty-two percent of students reported they were not satisfied with the existing English curriculum with 77.2% and 55.4% of students identifying a disproportionate focus on medical terminology and grammar respectively, rather than on listening and communication skills. Most (83%) preferred a CEFR-based English program with extra course focusing on medical disciplines in active manners (pair work, group work, role play). All undergraduate student groups preferred CEFR-based training (ranging from 77.92% among general medical doctors up to 94.44% among bachelor of public health). The perceived need for English language skills was high with almost 60% of students wanting English courses focusing on the communication skills of reading, listening, speaking and writing. Conclusions: The results of this study highlight the need for a review and revision of the English language curriculum as taught within Vietnamese Medical Schools with an emphasis on the design of new teaching materials that meet the needs of both medical students and society. The curriculum should prioritize the communication skills of reading, listening, speaking and writing. It should cover topics related to medicine such as human anatomy, surgery and medical advances and offer learners a wide range of exercises including true/false, matching, multiple choice and gap-filling questions.

Mental health literacy and social work education

  • Authors: Martin, Jennifer
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Advances in Social Work and Welfare Education Vol. 18, no. 1 (2016), p. 103-120
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  • Description: The aim of this article is to investigate the relevance of mental health literacy for social work education by presenting the findings of a three-stage study conducted in 2014. In Stage 1, the Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) mental health literacy course was mapped against the mental health curricula required for social work degree programs accredited by the professional body, the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). During Stage 2, a scoping study was undertaken to ascertain what Mental Health First Aid courses were being taught in social work and human service programs across Australia. Survey responses from bachelor and master’s social work students commenting on the newness and relevance of the YMHFA course content are presented in Stage 3. The results of this study suggest that coursework in mental health literacy is of benefit to social work students and that the YMHFA course meets a considerable amount of the AASW required content. It is concluded that studies in mental health literacy provide social work students with a strong basic foundation in mental health knowledge, values and skills.

Metabolic profiling and in vitro assessment of anthelmintic fractions of Picria fel-terrae Lour

  • Authors: Kumarasingha, Rasika , Karpe, Avinash , Preston, Sarah , Yeo, Tiong-Chia , Lim, Diana , Tu, Chu-Lee , Luu, Jennii , Simpson, Kaylene , Shaw, Jillian , Gasser, Robin , Beale, David , Morrison, Paul , Palombo, Enzo , Boag, Peter
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: International Journal for Parasitology: Drugs and Drug Resistance Vol. 6, no. 3 (2016), p. 171-178
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  • Description: Anthelmintic resistance is widespread in gastrointestinal nematode populations, such that there is a consistent need to search for new anthelmintics. However, the cost of screening for new compounds is high and has a very low success rate. Using the knowledge of traditional healers from Borneo Rainforests (Sarawak, Malaysia), we have previously shown that some traditional medicinal plants are a rich source of potential new anthelmintic drug candidates. In this study, Picria fel-terrae Lour. plant extract, which has previously shown promising anthelmintic activities, was fractionated via the use of a solid phase extraction cartridge and each isolated fraction was then tested on free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and the parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus. We found that a single fraction was enriched for nematocidal activity, killing ≥90% of C. elegans adults and inhibiting the motility of exsheathed L3 of H. contortus, while having minimal cytotoxic activity in mammalian cell culture. Metabolic profiling and chemometric analysis of the effective fraction indicated medium chained fatty acids and phenolic acids were highly represented. Image 1 •Chemical fractionation of Picria fel-terrae Lour. plant extract.•Anthelmintic activity against Caenorhabditis elegans and Haemonchus contortus.•Metabolic profiling and chemometric analysis of active fraction.•Active fraction has minimal mammalian cytotoxicity.

Microencapsulation of omega-3 fatty acids from flaxseed oil in flaxseed protein and flaxseed gum based matrix

  • Authors: Kaushik, Pratibha
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
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  • Description: The overarching goal of this research was to develop microencapsulated flaxseed oil as a plant based source of omega-3 fatty acids. To accomplish this, flaxseed oil was microencapsulated in a novel matrix composed of flaxseed protein isolate (FPI) and flaxseed gum (FG) and converted into a powder by freeze drying and spray drying. The primary objectives were: a) To evaluate the physicochemical and functional properties of FPI and FG; b) to optimise the process of complex coacervation between FPI and FG to maximise the yield of complex coacervates; c) to characterise the flaxseed oil microcapsules obtained through complex coacervation followed by freeze drying or spray drying. FPI and FG were extracted from whole flaxseeds at optimised temperatures to obtain 90% purity. The physicochemical and functional properties of FPI were found superior to most of the commonly used proteins. Lower extraction temperatures (30, 50 °C) of FG yielded higher levels of neutral monosaccharides and lower levels of acidic monosaccharides. The functional properties of FG, such as EAI and WAC, were negatively affected by the rise in extraction temperature. Electrostatic complexation studies between these two biopolymers showed that the optimum FPI-to-FG ratio is 3:1 and the optimum pH is 3.1. The complex coacervates of FPI-FG were used to microencapsulate flaxseed oil at different core to wall ratios (1:2, 1:3 and 1:4), and converted to powder through spray drying and freeze drying. The spray dried solid microcapsules had higher oil microencapsulation efficiency, lower surface oil content and higher oxidation stability compared to the freeze dried microcapsules. The oxidation stability obtained from spray dried microcapsules at core-to-wall ratio of 1:4 was nearly double to that of the unencapsulated flaxseed oil. This study affirms the potential of a solely plant based encapsulating matrix that returns superior nutritional outcomes to other commonly used wall materials.
  • Description: Doctor of Philosophy

Mining a rich lode : The making of the Springdallah Deep Lead Goldfield communities

  • Authors: Hunt, Joan
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
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  • Description: Although little material evidence survives other than mullock heaps and the occasional ruined building, a large body of archival documentation exists to help reveal the history of the deep lead gold mining communities at Springdallah. This thesis reconstructs the discovery, rise and progress of that goldfield, 30km south-west of Ballarat, through a study of family formation and community building, facilitated by micro-study tools including prosopographical and genealogical databases. At its prosperous and productive peak in the 1860s and 1870s, the communities relied totally on the mining industry for their existence. This thesis positions the alluvial deep lead gold mining industry firmly within the long but disparate historiography of Australian, and particularly Victorian, gold seeking. Unlike the many regional histories that celebrate the growth from goldfields to city status, it focuses on the miners who worked the deep leads of buried river beds, and how they and their families effected material and social change to benefit the communities they created. The findings of this thesis reveal that, in contrast to the strong Cornish presence on many Victorian goldfields, miners at Springdallah came mainly from northern England, south-west Ireland, and the lowlands of Scotland, often with extensive kinship networks. The study demonstrates that this network of communities attracted workers, usually with coal and lead mining experience, who had skills suited to conditions in the deep lead alluvial gold mining industry. According to the findings of this thesis, miners gained power within the Springdallah communities by becoming members of committees, councils, and boards of local and wider institutions. This study found that the Springdallah families were youthful, adapted well to their changed circumstances, were agents of change within their communities, and quickly took advantage of Victorian land legislation, particularly the 1869 Land Act, to take up farming properties both locally and in the north and east of the State.
  • Description: Doctor of Philosophy

Mitigating ventilation air methane cost-effectively from a colliery in Australia

  • Authors: Holmes, Robert
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Journal of Applied Engineering Sciences Vol. 6, no. 19 (2016), p. 41-50
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  • Description: Methane has been controlled in collieries in the past only for safety and statutory compliance reasons; however concerns over greenhouse gas emissions mean that this is now changing. About 65% of greenhouse emissions associated with underground coal mining come from ventilation air methane (VAM). The machinery to mitigate these fugitive emissions once the VAM exits the mine fans is expensive, has safety concerns and is not widely used at present. Consider these factors; more collieries are mining lower seams, methane content increases with depth, VAM mitigation plants are not widely used, most mine emissions are VAM, and widespread concern over greenhouse gases mean that it is desirable to lower VAM emissions now. One solution would be a method to prevent more methane from entering the mine airstream and becoming VAM in the first place. Recently, in a colliery in the Hunter Valley, this mitigation method underwent a 12-month trial, and involved six different measures. Measurements were taken to assess the emissions mitigation which was achieved, and the cost of the works; all the results are detailed herein. A reduction in fugitive emissions of 80,307 t/CO2-e below that which was projected for the next 12-month period was quantified, at an average cost of A$1.28c t/CO2-e. The mitigation measure outlined here represent a first attempt to the author’s knowledge, in an operating mine, to lower a collieries’ environmental footprint by preventing methane from entering the mine airstream and becoming VAM gas by the deliberate use of mitigation measures.

Mobile crowd sensing for traffic prediction in internet of vehicles

  • Authors: Wan, Jiafu , Liu, Jianqi , Shao, Zehui , Vasilakos, Athanasios , Imran, Muhammad , Zhou, Keliang
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Sensors (Switzerland) Vol. 16, no. 1 (2016), p.
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  • Description: The advances in wireless communication techniques, mobile cloud computing, automotive and intelligent terminal technology are driving the evolution of vehicle ad hoc networks into the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) paradigm. This leads to a change in the vehicle routing problem from a calculation based on static data towards real-time traffic prediction. In this paper, we first address the taxonomy of cloud-assisted IoV from the viewpoint of the service relationship between cloud computing and IoV. Then, we review the traditional traffic prediction approached used by both Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I) and Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) communications. On this basis, we propose a mobile crowd sensing technology to support the creation of dynamic route choices for drivers wishing to avoid congestion. Experiments were carried out to verify the proposed approaches. Finally, we discuss the outlook of reliable traffic prediction. © 2016 by the authors, licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Modeling induction and routing to monitor hospitalized patients in multi-hop mobility-aware body area sensor networks

  • Authors: Javaid, Nadeem , Ahmad, Ashfaq , Tauqir, Anum , Imran, Muhammad , Guizani, Mohsen , Khan, Zahoor , Qasim, Umar
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Eurasip Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking Vol. 2016, no. 1 (2016), p.
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  • Description: In wireless body area sensor networks (WBASNs), energy efficiency is an area of extreme significance. At first, we present a mathematical model for a non-invasive inductive link which is used to recharge the battery of an implanted biomedical device (pacemaker). Afterwards, we propose a distance-aware relaying energy-efficient (DARE) and mutual information-based DARE (MI-DARE) routing protocols for multihop mobility-aware body area sensor networks (MM-BASNs). Both the routing protocols and the non-invasive inductive link model are tested with the consideration of eight patients in a hospital unit under different topologies, where the vital signs of each patient are monitored through seven on-body sensors and an implanted pacemaker. To reduce energy consumption of the network, the sensors communicate with a sink via an on-body relay which is fixed on the chest of each patient. The behavior (static/mobile) and position of the sink are changed in each topology, and the impact of mobility due to postural changes of the patient(s) arms, legs, and head is also investigated. The MI-DARE protocol further prolongs the network lifetime by minimizing the number of transmissions. Simulation results show that the proposed techniques outperform contemporary schemes in terms of the selected performance metrics. © 2016, Javaid et al.

Molecular dynamics studies on the buffalo prion protein

  • Authors: Zhang, Jiapu , Wang, Feng , Chatterjee, Subhojyoti
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics Vol. 34, no. 4 (2016), p. 762-777
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  • Description: It was reported that buffalo is a low susceptibility species resisting to transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) (same as rabbits, horses, and dogs). TSEs, also called prion diseases, are invariably fatal and highly infectious neurodegenerative diseases that affect a wide variety of species (except for rabbits, dogs, horses, and buffalo), manifesting as scrapie in sheep and goats; bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or "mad-cow" disease) in cattle; chronic wasting disease in deer and elk; and Creutzfeldt-Jakob diseases, Gerstmann-Straüssler-Scheinker syndrome, fatal familial insomnia, and Kulu in humans etc. In molecular structures, these neurodegenerative diseases are caused by the conversion from a soluble normal cellular prion protein (PrPC), predominantly with α-helices, into insoluble abnormally folded infectious prions (PrPSc), rich in β-sheets. In this article, we studied the molecular structure and structural dynamics of buffalo PrPC (BufPrPC), in order to understand the reason why buffalo is resistant to prion diseases. We first did molecular modeling of a homology structure constructed by one mutation at residue 143 from the NMR structure of bovine and cattle PrP(124-227); immediately we found that for BufPrPC(124-227), there are five hydrogen bonds (HBs) at Asn143, but at this position, bovine/cattle do not have such HBs. Same as that of rabbits, dogs, or horses, our molecular dynamics studies also revealed there is a strong salt bridge (SB) ASP178-ARG164 (O-N) keeping the β2-α2 loop linked in buffalo. We also found there is a very strong HB SER170-TYR218 linking this loop with the C-terminal end of α-helix H3. Other information, such as (i) there is a very strong SB HIS187-ARG156 (N-O) linking α-helices H2 and H1 (if mutation H187R is made at position 187, then the hydrophobic core of PrPC will be exposed (L.H. Zhong (2010). Exposure of hydrophobic core in human prion protein pathogenic mutant H187R. Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics 28(3), 355-361)), (ii) at D178, there is a HB Y169-D178 and a polar contact R164-D178 for BufPrPC instead of a polar contact Q168-D178 for bovine PrPC (C.J. Cheng, & V. Daggett. (2014). Molecular dynamics simulations capture the misfolding of the bovine prion protein at acidic pH. Biomolecules 4(1), 181-201), (iii) BufPrPC owns three 310 helices at 125-127, 152-156, and in the β2-α2 loop, respectively, and (iv) in the β2-α2 loop, there is a strong π-π stacking and a strong π-cation F175-Y169-R164.(N)NH2, has been discovered. © 2015 Taylor and Francis.

Monotreme glucagon-like peptide-1 in venom and gut : One gene - Two very different functions

  • Authors: Tsend-Ayush, Enkhjargal , He, Chuan , Myers, Mark , Andrikopoulos, Sof , Wong, Nicole , Sexton, Patrick , Wootten, Denise , Forbes, Briony , Grutzner, Frank
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 6, no. (2016), p. 1-12
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  • Description: The importance of Glucagon like peptide 1 (GLP-1) for metabolic control and insulin release sparked the evolution of genes mimicking GLP-1 action in venomous species (e.g. Exendin-4 in Heloderma suspectum (gila monster)). We discovered that platypus and echidna express a single GLP-1 peptide in both intestine and venom. Specific changes in GLP-1 of monotreme mammals result in resistance to DPP-4 cleavage which is also observed in the GLP-1 like Exendin-4 expressed in Heloderma venom. Remarkably we discovered that monotremes evolved an alternative mechanism to degrade GLP-1. We also show that monotreme GLP-1 stimulates insulin release in cultured rodent islets, but surprisingly shows low receptor affinity and bias toward Erk signaling. We propose that these changes in monotreme GLP-1 are the result of conflicting function of this peptide in metabolic control and venom. This evolutionary path is fundamentally different from the generally accepted idea that conflicting functions in a single gene favour duplication and diversification, as is the case for Exendin-4 in gila monster. This provides novel insight into the remarkably different metabolic control mechanism and venom function in monotremes and an unique example of how different selective pressures act upon a single gene in the absence of gene duplication. © The Author(s) 2016.

Moral distinctions and structural inequality : homeless youth salvaging the self

  • Authors: Farrugia, David , Smyth, John , Harrison, Tim
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Sociological Review Vol. 64, no. 2 (2016), p. 238-255
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  • Description: This paper explores the construction and contestation of moral distinctions as a dimension of contemporary structural inequality through a focus on the subjectivities constructed by young people who have experienced homelessness. Empirical material from two research projects shows that in young people's narratives of homelessness, material insecurity intertwines with the moral economies at work in neoliberal capitalist societies to construct homelessness as a state of moral disgrace, in which an ungovernable experience is experienced as a moral failure. When young people gain access to secure housing, the increasing stability and security of their lives is narrated in terms of a moral adherence to personal responsibility and disciplined conduct. Overall the paper describes an economy of worth organized around distinctions between order and chaos, self-governance and unruliness, morality and disgrace, which structures the experience of homelessness. As young people's position in relation to these moral ideals reflects the material conditions of their lives, their experiences demonstrate the way that moral hierarchies contribute to the existence and experience of structural inequalities in neoliberal capitalist societies. © 2016 The Editorial Board of The Sociological Review.

More indecomposable polyhedra

  • Authors: Przesławski, Krzysztof , Yost, David
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Extracta Mathematicae Vol. 31, no. 2 (2016), p. 169-188
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  • Description: We apply combinatorial methods to a geometric problem: the classification of polytopes, in terms of Minkowski decomposability. Various properties of skeletons of polytopes are exhibited, each sufficient to guarantee indecomposability of a significant class of polytopes. We illustrate further the power of these techniques, compared with the traditional method of examining triangular faces, with several applications. In any dimension d 6= 2, we show that of all the polytopes with d2 + 1 2 d or fewer edges, only one is decomposable. In 3 dimensions, we complete the classification, in terms of decomposability, of the 260 combinatorial types of polyhedra with 15 or fewer edges.
  • Description: We apply combinatorial methods to a geometric problem: the classification of polytopes, in terms of Minkowski decomposability. Various properties of skeletons of polytopes are exhibited, each sufficient to guarantee indecomposability of a significant class of polytopes. We illustrate further the power of these techniques, compared with the traditional method of examining triangular faces, with several applications. In any dimension $d\neq 2$, we show that of all the polytopes with $d^2+\frac{d}{2}$ or fewer edges, only one is decomposable. In 3 dimensions, we complete the classification, in terms of decomposability, of the 260 combinatorial types of polyhedra with 15 or fewer edges.

Motion picture production : A micro-budget model

  • Authors: Owen, Richard
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
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  • Description: The film industry plays an important cultural and economic role in Australia. However, the film industry in Australia has struggled for many years under a subsidy-driven government intervention process that creates a high degree of dependence on a subsidy-centric model. Motion picture production costs worldwide have risen dramatically over the last decade with Hollywood production budgets commonly exceeding $100 million. Australia as a nation has a proven capability to produce respectable motion pictures at varying production budgets, although this capacity has become entrenched with taxpayers’ money. Historically, subsidy-driven industries in Australia trend towards collapse due primarily to cyclical fiscal deficits and changing funding imperatives at the Commonwealth level. As a PhD by exegesis, the focus of this research was to create, as well as evaluate, a new model of film production that would not be dependent on subsidies. This study evaluated a number of factors that were relevant to establishing a viable micro-budget model. Micro-budget films have received little research attention, with the focus being on major films. This research examined an alternative model, through the creation of a feature-length micro-budget film, called Stakes, and assessed it across a range of criterion to determine whether Australia’s film industry could be strengthened and potentially become self-sufficient. The resulting motion picture premièred in Australian cinemas on October 29th 2015. The justification, methods and results are discussed in detail throughout this exegesis providing strong evidence in favour of the viability for a micro-budget segment in the Australian film industry. Such a model could reduce the risk of Australia’s film industry collapsing if subsidies are reduced or abolished. Thus, this research has significant implications for Australia’s film industry and also contributes strongly to scholarship through providing crucial information on micro-budget films.
  • Description: Doctor of Philosophy

Moving forward with dignity : exploring health awareness in an isolated deaf community of Australia

  • Authors: Terry, Daniel , Lê, Quynh , Nguyen, Hoang
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Disability and Health Journal Vol. 9, no. 2 (2016), p. 281-288
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  • Description: Background Those within the Deaf community are disadvantaged in a number of aspects of day-to-day life including their access to health care. At times, they may encounter barriers to health care even before they reach the consultation room. As a consequence, they may receive insufficient and inappropriate health care which may lead to poorer health outcomes. Objective A study was conducted to explore health awareness and access to health information and services of Deaf people living in Tasmania, Australia and identify ways of enhancing the interaction between the Deaf and the wider community. Methods A questionnaire was administered, including a number of demographic, health awareness and health service usage questions. In addition, semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with service providers and the Deaf community between March and August 2014. An interpreter was present to translate the questions into Auslan and who then translated the Deaf participant's discussion into English for the researcher. Data were then analyzed using research software SPSS v20.0 and NVivo 10.0. Results Health as a concept was poorly understood, including mental health, sexual health and health concerning alcohol and drug abuse. Regarding health care resources, due to a sense of security, trust and confidence, the family physician or general practitioner was the single most important health care provider among the Deaf. Conclusions The Deaf remain underserved by the current health care system; however, through resourcefulness and life experiences, the Deaf have developed coping and management strategies to move forward with dignity in education, meaningful employment and health access. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multi-modal reliability analysis of slope stability

  • Authors: Reale, Cormac , Gavin, Kenneth , Prendergast, Luke , Xue, Jianfeng
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Conference proceedings
  • Relation: 6th Transport Research Arena; Warsaw, Poland; 18th-21st April 2016; published inTransportation Research Procedia Vol. 14, p. 2468-2476
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  • Description: Probabilistic slope stability analysis typically requires an optimisation technique to locate the most probable slip surface. However, for many slopes particularly those containing many different soil layers or benches several distinct critical slip surfaces may exist. Furthermore, in large slopes these critical slip surfaces may be located at significant distances from each other. In such circumstances, finding and rehabilitating the most probable failure surface is of little merit, as rehabilitating that surface does not improve the safety of the slope as a whole. Unfortunately, existing slip surface search techniques were developed to converge on one global minimum. Therefore, to implement such methods to evaluate the stability of a slope with multiple failure mechanisms requires the user to define probable slip locations prior to calculation. This requires extensive engineering experience and places undue responsibility on the engineer in question. This paper proposes the use of a locally informed particle swarm optimisation method which is able to simultaneously converge to multiple critical slip surfaces. This optimisation model when combined with a reliability analysis is able to define all areas of concern within a slope. A case study of a railway slope is presented which highlights the benefits of the model over single objective optimisation models. The approach is of particular benefit when evaluating the stability of large existing slopes with complicated stratigraphy as these slopes are likely to contain multiple viable slip surfaces. © 2016 The Authors.

Muscle-enriched MicroRNAs isolated from whole blood are regulated by exercise and are potential biomarkers of cardiorespiratory fitness

  • Authors: Denham, Joshua , Prestes, Priscilla
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Frontiers in Genetics Vol. 7, no. NOV (2016), p. 1-8
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  • Description: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally. Evidence indicating miRNAs influence exercise-induced health and performance adaptations is mounting. Circulating miRNAs are responsible for intercellular communication and could serve as biomarkers for disease and exercise-related traits. Such biomarkers would contribute to exercise screening, monitoring, and the development of personalized exercise prescription. Accordingly, we investigated the impact of long-term strenuous aerobic exercise training and a single bout of maximal aerobic exercise on five muscle-enriched miRNAs implicated in exercise adaptations (miR-1, miR-133a, miR-181a, miR-486, and miR-494). We also determined linear correlations between miRNAs, resting heart rate, and maximum oxygen uptake (V˙O2 max). We used TaqMan assay quantitative polymerase chain reaction to analyze the abundance of miR-1, miR-133a, miR-181a, miR-486, and miR-494 in resting whole blood of 67 endurance athletes and 61 healthy controls. Relative to controls, endurance athletes exhibited increased miR-1, miR-486, and miR-494 content (1.26- to 1.58-fold change, all p < 0.05). miR-1, miR-133a, and miR-486 were decreased immediately after maximal aerobic exercise (0.64- to 0.76-fold change, all p < 0.01) performed by 19 healthy, young men (20.7 ± 2.4 years). Finally, we observed positive correlations between miRNA abundance and V˙ O2 max (miR-1 and miR-486) and an inverse correlation between miR-486 and resting heart rate. Therefore, muscle-enriched miRNAs isolated from whole blood are regulated by acute and long-term aerobic exercise training and could serve as biomarkers of cardiorespiratory fitness. © 2016 Denham and Prestes.

Nitrogen fixation and nifH diversity in human gut microbiota

  • Authors: Igai, Katsura , Itakura, Manabu , Nishijima, Suguru , Tsurumaru, Hirohito , Suda, Wataru , Tsutaya, Takumi , Tomitsuka, Eriko , Tadokoro, Kiyoshi , Baba, Jun , Odani, Shingo , Natsuhara, Kazumi , Morita, Ayako , Yoneda, Minoru , Greenhill, Andrew , Horwood, Paul , Inoue, Jun-ichi , Ohkuma, Moriya , Hongoh, Yuichi , Yamamoto, Taro , Siba, Peter , Hattori, Masahira , Minamisawa, Kiwamu , Umezaki, Masahiro
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 6, no. (2016), p. 1-11
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  • Description: It has been hypothesized that nitrogen fixation occurs in the human gut. However, whether the gut microbiota truly has this potential remains unclear. We investigated the nitrogen-fixing activity and diversity of the nitrogenase reductase (NifH) genes in the faecal microbiota of humans, focusing on Papua New Guinean and Japanese individuals with low to high habitual nitrogen intake. A 15 N 2 incorporation assay showed significant enrichment of 15 N in all faecal samples, irrespective of the host nitrogen intake, which was also supported by an acetylene reduction assay. The fixed nitrogen corresponded to 0.01% of the standard nitrogen requirement for humans, although our data implied that the contribution in the gut in vivo might be higher than this value. The nifH genes recovered in cloning and metagenomic analyses were classified in two clusters: one comprising sequences almost identical to Klebsiella sequences and the other related to sequences of Clostridiales members. These results are consistent with an analysis of databases of faecal metagenomes from other human populations. Collectively, the human gut microbiota has a potential for nitrogen fixation, which may be attributable to Klebsiella and Clostridiales strains, although no evidence was found that the nitrogen-fixing activity substantially contributes to the host nitrogen balance. © The Author(s) 2016.

Nonlinear metric subregularity

  • Authors: Kruger, Alexander
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications Vol. 171, no. 3 (2016), p. 820-855
  • Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP110102011
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  • Description: In this article, we investigate nonlinear metric subregularity properties of set-valued mappings between general metric or Banach spaces. We demonstrate that these properties can be treated in the framework of the theory of (linear) error bounds for extended real-valued functions of two variables developed in Kruger (Error bounds and metric subregularity. Optimization 64(1):49-79, 2015). Several primal and dual space local quantitative and qualitative criteria of nonlinear metric subregularity are formulated. The relationships between the criteria are established and illustrated.

Nonmeasurable subgroups of compact groups

  • Authors: Hernández, Salvador , Hofmann, Karl , Morris, Sidney
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Journal of Group Theory Vol. 19, no. 1 (2016), p. 179-189
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  • Description: In 1985 S. Saeki and K. Stromberg published the following question: Does every infinite compact group have a subgroup which is not Haar measurable? An affirmative answer is given for all compact groups with the exception of some metric profinite groups which are almost perfect and strongly complete. In this spirit it is also shown that every compact group contains a non-Borel subgroup. © 2016 by De Gruyter 2016 Generalitat Valenciana PROMETEO/2014/062 We are grateful for our referee's useful comments. In particular, the suggestion that originally we had overlooked [Pacific J. Math. 116 (1985), 217-241] shortened the proof of Theorem 4.3 considerably.