Australians' Well-Being and Resilience During COVID-19: The Role of Trust, Misinformation, Intolerance of Uncertainty, and Locus of Control.

: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Australian state and federal governments enacted boarder closures, social distancing measures, and lockdowns. By the end of October 2020, the 112-day lockdown in the Australian state of Victoria was the longest continuous lockdown period internationally. Previous studies have examined how the COVID-19 pandemic and government restrictions have affected Australians' mental health and well-being; however, less is known about the relationship between psychological variables and well-being.

Tunable intramolecular multicenter H-bonding interactions in first-row metal complexes bearing bidentate redox-active ligands.

In this research article, we report the synthesis and structural characterization of a family of first-row metal complexes bearing redox-active ligands with tunable H-bonding donors. We observed that these coordination complexes can adopt three different geometries and that they are stabilized by intramolecular multicenter H-bonding interactions, which are systematically modified by changing the metal ion (Co, Ni, Cu, Zn), the ligand scaffold (variations in the diamine and ureanyl substituents used) and the solvent of crystallization.

Catalytic Aerobic Oxidation of Alcohols by Copper Complexes Bearing Redox-Active Ligands with Tunable H-Bonding Groups.

In this research article, we describe the structure, spectroscopy, and reactivity of a family of copper complexes bearing bidentate redox-active ligands that contain H-bonding donor groups. Single-crystal X-ray crystallography shows that these tetracoordinate complexes are stabilized by intramolecular H-bonding interactions between the two ligand scaffolds. Interestingly, the Cu complexes undergo multiple reversible oxidation-reduction processes associated with the metal ion (Cu, Cu, Cu) and/or the o-phenyldiamido ligand (L, L, L).

Toward Computationally Designed Self-Reporting Biosensors Using Leave-One-Out Green Fluorescent Protein.

Leave-one-out green fluorescent protein (LOOn-GFP) is a circularly permuted and truncated GFP lacking the nth β-strand element. LOO7-GFP derived from the wild-type sequence (LOO7-WT) folds and reconstitutes fluorescence upon addition of β-strand 7 (S7) as an exogenous peptide. Computational protein design may be used to modify the sequence of LOO7-GFP to fit a different peptide sequence, while retaining the reconstitution activity.

Exploring the folding pathway of green fluorescent protein through disulfide engineering.

We have introduced two disulfide crosslinks into the loop regions on opposite ends of the beta barrel in superfolder green fluorescent protein (GFP) in order to better understand the nature of its folding pathway. When the disulfide on the side opposite the N/C-termini is formed, folding is 2× faster, unfolding is 2000× slower, and the protein is stabilized by 16 kJ/mol. But when the disulfide bond on the side of the termini is formed we see little change in the kinetics and stability.

THink: Inferring Cognitive Status from Subtle Behaviors.

The Digital Clock Drawing Test is a fielded application that provides a major advance over existing neuropsychological testing technology. It captures and analyzes high precision information about both outcome and process, opening up the possibility of detecting subtle cognitive impairment even when test results appear superficially normal. We describe the design and development of the test, document the role of AI in its capabilities, and report on its use over the past seven years.

THink: Inferring Cognitive Status from Subtle Behaviors.

The Digital Clock Drawing Test is a fielded application that provides a major advance over existing neuropsychological testing technology. It captures and analyzes high precision information about both outcome and process, opening up the possibility of detecting subtle cognitive impairment even when test results appear superficially normal. We describe the design and development of the test, document the role of AI in its capabilities, and report on its use over the past seven years.

Improving computational efficiency and tractability of protein design using a piecemeal approach. A strategy for parallel and distributed protein design.

Motivation: Accuracy in protein design requires a fine-grained rotamer search, multiple backbone conformations, and a detailed energy function, creating a burden in runtime and memory requirements. A design task may be split into manageable pieces in both three-dimensional space and in the rotamer search space to produce small, fast jobs that are easily distributed. However, these jobs must overlap, presenting a problem in resolving conflicting solutions in the overlap regions.

Comparative void-volume analysis of psychrophilic and mesophilic enzymes: Structural bioinformatics of psychrophilic enzymes reveals sources of core flexibility.

Background: Psychrophiles, cold-adapted organisms, have adapted to live at low temperatures by using a variety of mechanisms. Their enzymes are active at cold temperatures by being structurally more flexible than mesophilic enzymes. Even though, there are some indications of the possible structural mechanisms by which psychrophilic enzymes are catalytic active at cold temperatures, there is not a generalized structural property common to all psychrophilic enzymes.

Experience with physician assistants in a Canadian arthroplasty program.

Background: Recent increases in orthopedic surgical services in Canada have added further demand to an already stretched orthopedic workforce. Various initiatives have been undertaken across Canada to meet this demand. One successful model has been the use of physician assistants (PAs) within the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA).

Understanding the molecular epidemiology of the footrot pathogen Dichelobacter nodosus to support control and eradication programs.

The Gram-negative anaerobe Dichelobacter nodosus is the primary etiologic agent of ovine footrot. Few studies of the genetic diversity and epidemiology of D. nodosus have been done, despite the economic cost and welfare implications of the disease.

A novel approach to medicine training for psychiatry residents.

Objective: A unique rotation was developed to address limited outpatient internal medicine training in psychiatric residency by the University of California, Davis, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, which provides medical care to patients with mental illness.

Methods: The number of patients seen by the service and the number of psychiatric consults was determined from electronic records for the 2005-2006 academic year. Evaluations by psychiatry residents completing the rotation were reviewed.

Percolation on fitness landscapes: effects of correlation, phenotype, and incompatibilities.

We study how correlations in the random fitness assignment may affect the structure of fitness landscapes, in three classes of fitness models. The first is a phenotype space in which individuals are characterized by a large number n of continuously varying traits. In a simple model of random fitness assignment, viable phenotypes are likely to form a giant connected cluster percolating throughout the phenotype space provided the viability probability is larger than 1/2(n).

Distinct cellular functions of MK2.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-activated protein kinase 2 (MK2) is activated upon stress by p38 MAPK alpha and -beta, which bind to a basic docking motif in the C terminus of MK2 and which subsequently phosphorylate its regulatory sites. As a result of activation MK2 is exported from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and cotransports active p38 MAPK to this compartment. Here we show that the amount of p38 MAPK is significantly reduced in cells and tissues lacking MK2, indicating a stabilizing effect of MK2 for p38.

Clinical practice and the UK Human Rights Act 1998: protecting individual rights in the interest of the wider community.

Health professionals have expressed concern that the UK Human Rights Act 1988, which came into force in 2000, may threaten their autonomy in clinical practice/decision-making and resource allocation by health authorities. Although healthcare-related cases have so far been slow to emerge under the Act, it seems clear that in clinical practice the transition from duty to legal obligation will involve a degree of change for health professionals, in attitude if not in behaviour. With regard to resource allocation, it appears that the UK courts are likely to consider challenges to health authorities' decisions in a way that takes into account the need to set priorities, so long as these decisions do not discriminate unfairly and can be shown to have been made in the best interest of the wider community.

Eradication of ovine footrot by repeated daily footbathing in a solution of zinc sulphate with surfactant.

Objective: To investigate the effect on ovine footrot of repeated daily footbathing in a solution of zinc sulphate with surfactant.

Design: Merino sheep were allocated to control and treatment groups of 119 sheep each at week 0. The sheep had a history of S1, U1, T and/or U6 types of Dichelobacter nodosus in interdigital and underrunning footrot lesions.

Occurrence of different strains of Dichelobacter nodosus in new clinical lesions in sheep exposed to footrot associated with multi-strain infections.

Objective: To investigate the occurrence of S1, U1 and T strains of Dichelobacter nodosus in new clinical lesions in sheep exposed to footrot associated with multi-strain infections.

Design: Seventy-seven donor sheep were grazed with 84 recipients for 33 weeks. The donor sheep were Merinos with a history of clinically virulent footrot associated with protease type S1, U1 and T strains of D nodosus that hybridised with gene sequences pJIR314B, pJIR318 and/or pB645-335.

Severity and persistence of footrot in Merino sheep experimentally infected with a protease thermostable strain of Dichelobacter nodosus at five sites.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that ovine footrot associated with a thermostable protease strain of Dichelobacter nodosus undergoes self cure or is sustained as an annually recurring disease, depending on the environment.

Design And Procedure: Forty Merino sheep from a single blood line were infected with a protease thermostable strain of D nodosus at each of five sites in Western Australia. Footrot lesions and microscopic evidence of D nodosus were recorded every fortnight for 2.

Comparison of gene probe and conventional methods for the differentiation of ovine footrot isolates of Dichelobacter nodosus.

In a collaborative study that involved four Australian veterinary diagnostic laboratories a gene probe test based on the recombinant plasmids pJIR318, pJIR314B, and pJIR313, which contain genomic vap or vrl regions, was compared with conventional tests used for the differential diagnosis of ovine footrot. A total of 771 clinical dichelobacter nodosus isolates were tested and designated as belonging to one of several gene probe categories. The results showed that 87% of the virulent isolates belonged to gene probe category 1, compared to only 6% of the benign isolates.

Effects of exposure to stressors of varying predictability on adrenal function in rats.

For 5 days, rats were exposed to shocks that were signalled by a light 0, 33, 66, or 100% of the time. Basal hormone levels and responses to a light-shock pair were measured daily. Greater predictability was associated with higher basal plasma corticosterone and norepinephrine levels indicative of chronic stress.

The laboratory culture of Dichelobacter nodosus in a footrot eradication program.

As part of a program to eradicate virulent footrot from Western Australia, 2745 isolates of Dichelobacter nodosus were isolated from 5263 specimens from 1883 submissions. The virulence of each isolate was assessed using protease thermostability and isoenzyme zymogram. We describe changes to the materials and methods required to handle these specimens and to reduce the interval between submission and report to 8 days.

Ridge augmentation using a subepithelial connective tissue pedicle graft.

The deficient labial ridge can present aesthetic problems for the patient and technical problems for the restorative dentist. The learning objective of this report is a technique for obtaining connective tissue from an adjacent donor site in the form of a pedicle and positioning it beneath a partial thickness flap. The technique offers advantages over previous methods in terms of patient comfort, vascularization of the graft, and specific placement of the grafted connective tissue.