72 research outputs found
Socio-cultural reflections on heat in Australia with implications for health and climate change adaptation
No full textBackground : Australia has a hot climate with maximum summer temperatures in its major cities frequently exceeding 35°C. Although ‘heat waves’ are an annual occurrence, the associated heat-related deaths among vulnerable groups, such as older people, suggest that Australians could be better prepared to deal with extreme heat. Objective : To understand ways in which a vulnerable sub-population adapt their personal behaviour to cope with heat within the context of Australians’ relationship with heat. Design : We draw upon scientific, historical and literary sources and on a set of repeat interviews in the suburbs of Western Sydney with eight older participants and two focus group discussions. We discuss ways in which this group of older people modifies their behaviour to adapt to heat, and reflect on manifestations of Australians’ ambivalence towards heat. Results : Participants reported a number of methods for coping with extreme heat, including a number of methods of personal cooling, changing patterns of daily activity and altering dietary habits. The use of air-conditioning was near universal, but with recognition that increasing energy costs may become more prohibitive over time. Conclusions : While a number of methods are employed by older people to stay cool, these may become limited in the future. Australians’ attitudes may contribute to the ill-health and mortality associated with excessive heat
Gender and the Violence(s) of War and Armed Conflict: More Dangerous to be a Woman?
No full textDrawing on historical and contemporary case studies, Gender and the Violence(s) of War and Armed Conflict delves into visual as well as text-based materials to unpack gender-based violence(s) perpetrated and experienced by both sexes within and beyond the conflict zone.
Considering examples of ‘old’ and ‘new’ wars ranging from the Holocaust, the 1971 Liberation War in Bangladesh; and the armed conflicts in the DRC, Iraq, Syria and Darfur, this book uncovers sexualized, genocidal and reproductive violence against both sexes. Crucially, the author showcases examples of male victimization, and thus redresses gaps within the literature. In particular, as part of a broader and original gendered analysis of the ‘war on terror,’ Banwell unpacks women’s involvement in sexual violence against male prisoners at Abu Ghraib.
The book makes an innovative contribution to the literature by going beyond instances of interpersonal violence, looking additionally at structural forms of gender-based violence, state violence and institutional violence. Broadening our understanding of both the causes and consequences of modern conflicts, Banwell also traces the relationship between climate variability, extreme weather events and gender-based violence(s). Through her critique of gender essentialism, she challenges gendered notions of who ‘is dangerous’ and who is ‘in danger’ during armed conflict. Eclectic in its approach, and multi-disciplinary in scope, Banwell’s text is illuminating reading for academics, students and professionals working with war-affected populations
Gender and the Violence(s) of War and Armed Conflict
No full textDrawing on historical and contemporary case studies, Gender and the Violence(s) of War and Armed Conflict delves into visual as well as text-based materials to unpack gender-based violence(s) perpetrated and experienced by both genders within and beyond the conflict zone.
Considering examples of old and new wars ranging from the Holocaust, the 1971 Liberation War in Bangladesh; and the armed conflicts in the DRC, Iraq, Syria and Darfur, this book uncovers sexualised, genocidal and reproductive violence against both genders. Crucially, the author showcases examples of male victimisation, and thus redresses gaps within the literature. In particular, as part of an original gendered analysis of the war on terror, Banwell unpacks women’s involvement in sexual violence against male prisoners at Abu Ghraib.
By going beyond instances of interpersonal violence, and looking additionally at structural forms of gender-based violence, state violence, institutional violence and climate variability, this book broadens our understanding of both the causes and consequences of modern conflicts. Through her critique of gender essentialism, the author challenges gendered notions of who ‘is dangerous’ and who is ‘in danger’ during war/armed conflict. Eclectic in its approach, and multi-disciplinary in scope, Banwell’s text is illuminating reading for academics, students and professionals working with war-affected populations
Gender and the Violence(s) of War and Armed Conflict
No full textDrawing on historical and contemporary case studies, Gender and the Violence(s) of War and Armed Conflict delves into visual as well as text-based materials to unpack gender-based violence(s) perpetrated and experienced by both genders within and beyond the conflict zone.
Considering examples of old and new wars ranging from the Holocaust, the 1971 Liberation War in Bangladesh; and the armed conflicts in the DRC, Iraq, Syria and Darfur, this book uncovers sexualised, genocidal and reproductive violence against both genders. Crucially, the author showcases examples of male victimisation, and thus redresses gaps within the literature. In particular, as part of an original gendered analysis of the war on terror, Banwell unpacks women’s involvement in sexual violence against male prisoners at Abu Ghraib.
By going beyond instances of interpersonal violence, and looking additionally at structural forms of gender-based violence, state violence, institutional violence and climate variability, this book broadens our understanding of both the causes and consequences of modern conflicts. Through her critique of gender essentialism, the author challenges gendered notions of who ‘is dangerous’ and who is ‘in danger’ during war/armed conflict. Eclectic in its approach, and multi-disciplinary in scope, Banwell’s text is illuminating reading for academics, students and professionals working with war-affected populations
Role of MicroRNA-214 in Renal Ischaemia Reperfusion injury and fibrosis
No full textOrgan transplantation is the gold standard treatment of end stage renal failure and
has been shown to be superior to dialysis in terms of quality of life and life expectancy.
Ischaemia is an inevitable consequence of renal transplantation and in particular,
prolonged ischaemia is an independent risk factor for poor short- and long-term graft
function and is associated with a higher rate of graft attrition. Chronic allograft
damage is characterised by interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy and is the leading
cause of late graft failure. At present this accounts for 5% of all kidney grafts lost
annually and there are no treatments available. MicroRNAs (miRs) are short non-coding single strands of RNA that can inhibit gene expression by post-transcriptional
repression or degradation of target mRNAs. MiR synthesis is tightly regulated under
physiological conditions but can rapidly become dysregulated in injury. MiRs have
been shown to play an important role in native renal disease and in particular miR-214 is associated with renal injury and fibrosis but its role in early injury and transition
towards fibrosis remained unclear.
The aim of this project was to investigate the role of miR-214 in early ischaemia
reperfusion injury (IRI) and transition towards fibrosis using a murine model of IRI.
There are various models of IRI that can be adopted: in this thesis a unilateral model
of IRI was adopted in order for the animal to survive beyond the early phase of renal
failure. 18 minutes of unilateral renal ischaemia induced significant fibrosis within the
kidney after 14 days and peaked at 21 days.
Following characterisation of the model, miR-214 expression from whole kidney tissue
was examined at 2, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days to test the hypothesis that miR-214 was
associated with early injury and fibrosis following IRI. 18 minutes of IRI resulted in
significant acute kidney injury and upregulation of pro-inflammatory markers. Kidneys
demonstrated rapid progression towards fibrosis as assessed by histology and
confirmed by upregulation of pro-fibrotic gene expression. Importantly, miR-214 was
increased during the early phase of injury and remained elevated at later time points,
peaking at 5.5 fold increase in expression at 21 days (p<0.0001). Furthermore, miR-214 was upregulated 3.6 fold in CD3+ T-cell populations at 7 days (p<0.01) and 15
fold in F4/80hi macrophages at 21 days (p<0.001).
Having shown that miR-214 was significantly upregulated at both early injury and later
fibrosis, the effect of miR-214 ablation was examined by comparing outcomes of IRI
in miR-214-/- and miR-214+/+ mice at 2 and 21 days to test the hypothesis that miR-214 blockade was protective against injury. MiR-214 deletion did not result in
significant improvement in early injury markers at 2 days however there was a
significant reduction in pro-inflammatory gene expression. At 21 days, there was
evidence of improved tubular recovery and a 79% reduction in fibrosis on histology
along with significant reduction of pro-fibrotic and pro-inflammatory gene expression
in miR-214-/- mice. Flow cytometry showed no difference in CD3+ T-cell populations
but a significant reduction in CD4+ T-cells from whole kidney tissue in miR-214-/- mice
at 21 days potentially suggesting a role of miR-214 in T-cell populations in the kidney
Studies of Some Strained-Ring Systems: Tricyclo-Octanes
No full textThe present study has been directed towards the synthesis and base promoted rearrangements of some saturated and unsaturated halogenotricyclo-octanes. The preparation of a number of previously unknown 4,4,8- and 4,4,8,8-tetra-halogeno-anti-tricyclo[5,1,0,03,5]- octanes and the corresponding 3,3,8-tri- and 3,3,8,8-tetra-halogeno-anti-tricyclo[5,1,0,02,4] octanes has been accomplished and the stereo-chemistries of their ring systems established. The former tricyclo-octanes are base sensitive and on treatment with potassium t-butoxide give rise to mixtures of (E) - and (Z) -Beta-t-butoxystyrenes. However, the anti-tricyclo[5,1,0,02,4] octanes give no characterisable products on treatment with base. The mechanistic implications of the tricycle-octane - styrene conversion have been studied in some detail and halogenocyclo-octatetraenes and phenylacetylenes have been eliminated as intermediates. The behaviour of several methoxy-substituted 4,4,8,8-tetrahalogeno-anti-tricyclo[5,1,0,03,5] octanes with the same base has been studied, and it has been found that homotropilidenes are formed regiospecifically by 1,4-elimination. These conversions constitute the first known examples of such elimination experienced by ring-fused halogenocyclopropanes. From these studies, evidence is presented which implicates homotropilidenes and bicyclo[4,2,0]octa-2,4-dienes as intermediates in the production of styrenes, and a mechanism for the tricyclo-octane - styrene rearrangement has been proposed. A new and potentially versatile synthesis of 3,3-dihalogeno-anti tricyclo[5,1,0,02,4] oct-5-enes (anti-bishomobenzenes) has been developed. The new route employs readily available starting materials, involves sequential introduction of the cyclopropyl, gem-dihalogenocyclopropyl, and olefinic moieties and proceeds in an overall yield of about 14%. This represents a five-fold increase over the previously reported yields
Radical additions to some strained organic molecules
No full textThe existence of a cyclopropabenzyl radical has not been established. Reactions between cyclopropabenzene Breslow, R., Groves, J.T., and Ryan, G., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1967, 89, 5048; Breslow, R., and Groves, J.T., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1970, 92, 984. and radical species result in opening of the three-membered ring. The present study employed 1H-cyclopropa[b]naphthalene Banwell, M.G., Battner, R., Browne, A.R., Craig, J.T., and Halton, B., J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans.1, 1977, 1, 2165. and its 1 -phenylmethylene- and 1 -diphenylmethylene derivatives (70a) and (70b), respectively, as substrates for reactions with a variety of radicals with a view to gaining evidence for the existence of the C1 cycloproparenyl radical.
This study has provided no evidence to support the existence of a cycloproparenyl radical. 1H-Cyclopropa[b]naphthalene Banwell, M.G., Battner, R., Browne, A.R., Craig, J.T., reacts with N-bromo-succinimide, sulfuryl chloride, and iodine to give the 2-substituted 3-(substituted-methyl)naphthalenes Gover, and Willard, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1960, 82, 3816., March, J., Advanced Organic Chemistry - Reaction, Mechanisms, and Structure, 4th Ed., John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1992, 691. Cook, E.S., and Hill, A.J., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1940, 62, 1995., At this point in the reaction, mixture was found to react very vigorously and escape the containing vessel. Extreme caution should be taken here. ,(137). Arylthiols produce compounds March, J., Advanced Organic Chemistry - Reaction, Mechanisms and Structure, 4th Ed., John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1992, 691.- Krafft, F., and Vorster, W. Ber., 1893, 26, 2831., and tributyltin hydride gives (131) from highly regioselective opening of the three membered ring of Banwell, M.G., Battner, R., Browne, A.R.,Craig, J.T., and Halton, B., J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 1977, 1, 2165. Similar radical reactions with 1 -phenylmethylene-and 1-diphenylmethylene-1H-cyclopropa[b]naphthalene, (70a) and (70b), failed to provide characterisable products
Oxygen concentration during mouse oocyte in vitro maturation affects embryo and fetal development
No full text© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved.BackgroundLittle is known of how the oxygen environment in the ovarian follicle affects oocyte and embryo development, but this has an important impact on the conditions used for in vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes. We investigated the effect of varying oxygen concentrations during IVM on subsequent pre and post-implantation development.MethodsIVM of mouse cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) was performed under 2, 5, 10 or 20% O(2) (6% CO(2), balance N(2)). In vivo-matured COCs were collected post ovulation. Embryos were generated by IVF and culture. Blastocyst development, cell number and apoptosis were assessed, and fetal and placental outcomes analysed following embryo transfer at day 18 of pregnancy.ResultsOxygen concentration during IVM did not affect oocyte maturation or subsequent fertilization, cleavage and blastocyst development rates. Maturation of oocytes under 2% O(2) increased blastocyst trophectoderm cell number compared with all groups and numbers at 5% were higher than 20% (both P ConclusionsLevel of O(2) exposure during oocyte maturation can alter the cellular composition of blastocysts, but these changes in cell number do not correlate with the altered fetal and placental outcomes after transfer.K.M. Banwell, M. Lane, D.L. Russell, K.L. Kind and J.G. Thompso
The design and operation of a heat flow probe for use in shallow water
No full textOf all geophysical properties, the temperature distribution within the earth is perhaps the moat fundamental, because so many properties are temperature dependent. To solve the boundary value problem of temperature distribution within the earth, both the initial and boundary conditions must be known, together with such parameters as density, thermal capacity, etc. The only directly measurable quantity is the boundary condition which is obtained by measuring the heat flux through the earth's surface - this is termed the 'Terrestrial Heat Flow'. On a world-wide scale the measurement of terrestrial heat flow enables the boundary condition to be specified and also gives an order of magnitude to the thermal energy available for geophysical processes. The thermal energy available has become important in recent years as a mechanism to perpetuate continental drift via the process of mantle convection. The distribution of heat flow has verified the existance of convectional cells by revealing regions of high and low heat flow corresponding to upwellings and downwellings. These appear to be large scale features, and closely follow the ocean ridges and trenches. However the small scale variation of heat flow is also important, although to date the regions investigated are very few. For economic reasons the regions studied have been those with active geothermal properties, such as Wairakei in New Zealand and the Tuscan thermal district in Italy. (Banwell 1963; Elder in 'Terrestrial Heat Flow' 1965). These regions thus can not be representative of a 'normal' region, but as yet this so called 'normal’ region has not been defined because of lack of measurements. Measurements on land have been confined to regions where boreholes have been drilled for some other purpose, such as oil exploration etc. and thus detailed surveys have only been carried out in regions which are geologically interesting
Pleasure and poison: the meanings and practices of alcohol use in women's everyday lives
No full textDeposited with permission of the author. © 1997 Dr. Catherine L. Banwell.Within Australia, research on women and alcohol has been predominantly focussed on either large scale surveys of women’s consumption or on alcohol problems studies within treatment populations. Such research mainly draws upon the biomedical understandings of the body and the disease model of alcoholism. In contrast, this study examines the meanings and practices of alcohol use within the social contexts of women’s everyday lives. Alcohol is viewed as a part of life rather than as an excess or problem
- …
