title: The major lipid cores of the archaeon Ignisphaera aggregans: implications for the phylogeny and biosynthesis of glycerol monoalkyl glycerol tetraether isoprenoid lipids

authors: Knappy, Chris S.

subjects: Ignisphaera

abstract: The lipid cores from Ignisphaera aggregans, a hyperthermophilic Crenarchaeon recently isolated from New Zealand hot springs, have been profiled by liquid chromatography– tandem mass spectrometry. The distribution revealed includes relatively high proportions of monoalkyl (also known as H-shaped) tetraether cores which have previously been implicated as kingdom-specific biomarkers for the Euryarchaeota. Such high expression ofmonoalkyl tetraether lipids is unusual in the archaeal domain and may indicate that formation of these components is an adaptive mechanism that allows I. aggregans to regulate membrane behaviour at high temperatures. The observed dialkyl tetraether and monoalkyl tetraether lipid distributions are similar but not fully concordant, showing differences in the average number of incorporated rings. The similarity supports a biosynthetic route to the ring-containing dialkyl and monoalkyl tetraether lipids via a dialkyl tetraether core containing zero rings, or a closely related structural relative, as an intermediate. Currently, however, the precise nature of the biosynthetic route to these lipids cannot be deduced.

text: The major lipid cores of the archaeon Ignisphaera aggregans: implications for the phylogeny and biosynthesis of glycerol monoalkyl glycerol tetraether isoprenoid lipids The lipid cores from Ignisphaera aggregans, a hyperthermophilic Crenarchaeon recently isolated from New Zealand hot springs, have been profiled by liquid chromatography– tandem mass spectrometry. The distribution revealed includes relatively high proportions of monoalkyl (also known as H-shaped) tetraether cores which have previously been implicated as kingdom-specific biomarkers for the Euryarchaeota. Such high expression ofmonoalkyl tetraether lipids is unusual in the archaeal domain and may indicate that formation of these components is an adaptive mechanism that allows I. aggregans to regulate membrane behaviour at high temperatures. The observed dialkyl tetraether and monoalkyl tetraether lipid distributions are similar but not fully concordant, showing differences in the average number of incorporated rings. The similarity supports a biosynthetic route to the ring-containing dialkyl and monoalkyl tetraether lipids via a dialkyl tetraether core containing zero rings, or a closely related structural relative, as an intermediate. Currently, however, the precise nature of the biosynthetic route to these lipids cannot be deduced.

year: 2011

title: Interactive definition of single-user profiles for alerting systems

authors: Jung, Doris

subjects: computer science

abstract: This paper introduces Graphical Profile Definition Language (GPDL), a language for the definition of profiles for alerting systems, and an interactive system with which users can construct and edit GPDL-based profiles. In an alerting system profiles define potentially complex conditions about which users wish to be notified. Most current approaches to supporting profile definition, such as those that require the use of XML/XPath, are unsuitable for the general user population. Others support only a limited set of possible profiles to reduce the complexity of the interface. GPDL overcomes these limitations, supporting users to graphically express arbitrarily complex profiles involving Boolean expressions and temporal constraints. The GPDL editor provides a direct manipulation environment in which profiles can be constructed in a dynamic and flexible manner.
The paper also presents the findings of a user evaluation of the GPDL language and editor. With minimal training users were able to interpret and specify profiles with high levels of accuracy and had positive subjective responses to the language and user interface. Some aspects that were not readily understood by all users, such as absolute and repetitive temporal constraints, are discussed along with suggested future work.

text: Interactive definition of single-user profiles for alerting systems This paper introduces Graphical Profile Definition Language (GPDL), a language for the definition of profiles for alerting systems, and an interactive system with which users can construct and edit GPDL-based profiles. In an alerting system profiles define potentially complex conditions about which users wish to be notified. Most current approaches to supporting profile definition, such as those that require the use of XML/XPath, are unsuitable for the general user population. Others support only a limited set of possible profiles to reduce the complexity of the interface. GPDL overcomes these limitations, supporting users to graphically express arbitrarily complex profiles involving Boolean expressions and temporal constraints. The GPDL editor provides a direct manipulation environment in which profiles can be constructed in a dynamic and flexible manner.
The paper also presents the findings of a user evaluation of the GPDL language and editor. With minimal training users were able to interpret and specify profiles with high levels of accuracy and had positive subjective responses to the language and user interface. Some aspects that were not readily understood by all users, such as absolute and repetitive temporal constraints, are discussed along with suggested future work.

year: 2010

title: Just take a second to breathe: Empowering youth through mindfulness at Atawhai 2019

authors: McAllister, Suzanne Maree

subjects: Mindfulness

abstract: This research was an evaluation of The Kindness Institute’s 2019 Atawhai programme. It examined the effects that exposure to mindfulness-based skills, Māori cultural practices, mentoring, and the creative arts had on a cohort of marginalised youth. Specifically, the research aimed to determine (1) if learning mindfulness-based skills helped the youth to positively deal with challenges, (2) what effect learning mindfulness-based skills has on their positive and negative emotions and (3) were youth empowered to share the skills they learned within their homes, families and communities to enable a wider benefit from the mindfulness-based skills. Participants included 12 youth who attended the Atawhai programme during 2019. They all completed shortened versions of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Adolescent Self-Regulatory Inventory (ASRI), The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ), Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) and Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) at seven stages over a nine-month period from March 2019 to December 2019. Self-report debrief questionnaires and researcher observations were recorded during the October 2019 residential intensive of 5 days. Inferential statistics (repeated measures ANOVA and post-hoc paired t-tests) indicated a statistically significant increase in positive emotions (p<0.01) with a large effect 1.07 over the duration of the evaluation period from March 2019 to December 2019; the October 2019 intensive, p<0.01, d=1.37; and the April 2019 intensive, p<0.01, d=1.89. Statistically significant decreases in anxiety (p<0.01) with a large effect d=1.99 were indicated over the duration of the evaluation period from March 2019 to December 2019; the October 2019 intensive, p=0.07, d=0.57; and the April 2019 intensive, p≤0.01, d=1.19. Self-report measures indicated the youth; found the mindfulness-based skills beneficial, preferred a particular skill over others, and found their mentors supportive in helping them incorporate the skills into their daily lives. Youth reported they had continued their mindfulness-based practice outside Atawhai and were regularly sharing the skills within their homes, families and communities including their schools. These findings suggest the Atawhai programme has a profound and significant positive effect on the wellbeing of the young people it serves.

text: Just take a second to breathe: Empowering youth through mindfulness at Atawhai 2019 This research was an evaluation of The Kindness Institute’s 2019 Atawhai programme. It examined the effects that exposure to mindfulness-based skills, Māori cultural practices, mentoring, and the creative arts had on a cohort of marginalised youth. Specifically, the research aimed to determine (1) if learning mindfulness-based skills helped the youth to positively deal with challenges, (2) what effect learning mindfulness-based skills has on their positive and negative emotions and (3) were youth empowered to share the skills they learned within their homes, families and communities to enable a wider benefit from the mindfulness-based skills. Participants included 12 youth who attended the Atawhai programme during 2019. They all completed shortened versions of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Adolescent Self-Regulatory Inventory (ASRI), The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ), Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) and Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) at seven stages over a nine-month period from March 2019 to December 2019. Self-report debrief questionnaires and researcher observations were recorded during the October 2019 residential intensive of 5 days. Inferential statistics (repeated measures ANOVA and post-hoc paired t-tests) indicated a statistically significant increase in positive emotions (p<0.01) with a large effect 1.07 over the duration of the evaluation period from March 2019 to December 2019; the October 2019 intensive, p<0.01, d=1.37; and the April 2019 intensive, p<0.01, d=1.89. Statistically significant decreases in anxiety (p<0.01) with a large effect d=1.99 were indicated over the duration of the evaluation period from March 2019 to December 2019; the October 2019 intensive, p=0.07, d=0.57; and the April 2019 intensive, p≤0.01, d=1.19. Self-report measures indicated the youth; found the mindfulness-based skills beneficial, preferred a particular skill over others, and found their mentors supportive in helping them incorporate the skills into their daily lives. Youth reported they had continued their mindfulness-based practice outside Atawhai and were regularly sharing the skills within their homes, families and communities including their schools. These findings suggest the Atawhai programme has a profound and significant positive effect on the wellbeing of the young people it serves.

year: 2020