Assimilating cell sheets and hybrid scaffolds for dermal tissue engineering

Cell sheets can be used to produce neo-tissue with mature extracellular matrix. However, extensive contraction of cell sheets remains a problem. We devised a technique to overcome this problem and applied it to tissue engineer a dermal construct. Human dermal fibroblasts were cultured with poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-collagen meshes and collagen-hyaluronic acid foams. Resulting cell sheets were folded over the scaffolds to form dermal constructs. Human keratinocytes were cultured on these dermal constructs to assess their ability to support bilayered skin regeneration. Dermal constructs produced with collagen-hyaluronic acid foams showed minimal contraction, while those with poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-collagen meshes curled up. Cell proliferation and metabolic activity profiles were characterized with PicoGreen and AlamarBlue assays, respectively. Fluorescent labeling showed high cell viability and F-actin expression within the constructs. Collagen deposition was detected by immunocytochemistry and electron microscopy. Transforming Growth Factor-alpha and beta1, Keratinocyte Growth Factor and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor were produced at various stages of culture, measured by RT-PCR and ELISA. These results indicated that assimilating cell sheets with mechanically stable scaffolds could produce viable dermal-like constructs that do not contract. Repeated enzymatic treatment cycles for cell expansion is unnecessary, while the issue of poor cell seeding efficiency in scaffolds is eliminated.

Feasibility of "subjective" engineering assessments of road safety improvements : Bayesian analysis development

Regional safety program managers face a daunting challenge in the attempt to reduce deaths, injuries, and economic losses that result from motor vehicle crashes. This difficult mission is complicated by the combination of a large perceived need, small budget, and uncertainty about how effective each proposed countermeasure would be if implemented. A manager can turn to the research record for insight, but the measured effect of a single countermeasure often varies widely from study to study and across jurisdictions. The challenge of converting widespread and conflicting research results into a regionally meaningful conclusion can be addressed by incorporating "subjective" information into a Bayesian analysis framework. Engineering evaluations of crashes provide the subjective input on countermeasure effectiveness in the proposed Bayesian analysis framework. Empirical Bayes approaches are widely used in before-and-after studies and "hot-spot" identification; however, in these cases, the prior information was typically obtained from the data (empirically), not subjective sources. The power and advantages of Bayesian methods for assessing countermeasure effectiveness are presented. Also, an engineering evaluation approach developed at the Georgia Institute of Technology is described. Results are presented from an experiment conducted to assess the repeatability and objectivity of subjective engineering evaluations. In particular, the focus is on the importance, methodology, and feasibility of the subjective engineering evaluation for assessing countermeasures.

Digital constitutionalism and the role of the rule of law in the governance of virtual communities

This project proposes a new conceptual framework for the regulation of social networks and virtual communities. By applying a model based upon the rule of law, this thesis addresses the growing tensions that revolve around the public use of private networks. This research examines the shortcomings of traditional contractual governance models and cyberlaw theory and provides a reconstituted approach that will allow public constitutional-type interests to be recognised in the interpretation and enforcement of contractual doctrine.

Stakeholder perspectives regarding the mandatory notification of Australian data breaches

The advent of data breach notification laws in the United States (US) has unearthed a significant problem involving the mismanagement of personal information by a range of public and private sector organisations. At present, there is currently no statutory obligation under Australian law requiring public or private sector organisations to report a data breach of personal information to law enforcement agencies or affected persons. However, following a comprehensive review of Australian privacy law, the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) has recommended the introduction of a mandatory data breach notification scheme. The issue of data breach notification has ignited fierce debate amongst stakeholders, especially larger private sector entities. The purpose of this article is to document the perspectives of key industry and government representatives to identify their standpoints regarding an appropriate regulatory approach to data breach notification in Australia.

The Conceptual Basis of Personal Information in Australian Privacy Law

Australian privacy law regulates how government agencies and private sector organisations collect, store and use personal information. A coherent conceptual basis of personal information is an integral requirement of information privacy law as it determines what information is regulated. A 2004 report conducted on behalf of the UK’s Information Commissioner (the 'Booth Report') concluded that there was no coherent definition of personal information currently in operation because different data protection authorities throughout the world conceived the concept of personal information in different ways. The authors adopt the models developed by the Booth Report to examine the conceptual basis of statutory definitions of personal information in Australian privacy laws. Research findings indicate that the definition of personal information is not construed uniformly in Australian privacy laws and that different definitions rely upon different classifications of personal information. A similar situation is evident in a review of relevant case law. Despite this, the authors conclude the article by asserting that a greater jurisprudential discourse is required based on a coherent conceptual framework to ensure the consistent development of Australian privacy law.

Student perceptions of the quality of property education in Australia : 1994 – 2009

Using the Graduate Careers Australia’s Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ), the students’ perceptions of the quality of property education in Australia is assessed over 1994-2009. Analyses are presented for the major property universities in Australia regarding good teaching and overall satisfaction, as well as the property discipline benchmarked against the property-related disciplines of accounting, building, business, economics, law and planning. The link between good teaching and overall satisfaction, and the delivery of added value by property programs are also assessed. Changes over this 16-year period are highlighted in terms of student perceptions of the quality of property education in Australia.

The role of the rule of law in virtual communities

There is a severe tendency in cyberlaw theory to delegitimize state intervention in the governance of virtual communities. Much of the existing theory makes one of two fundamental flawed assumptions: that communities will always be best governed without the intervention of the state; or that the territorial state can best encourage the development of communities by creating enforceable property rights and allowing the market to resolve any disputes. These assumptions do not ascribe sufficient weight to the value-laden support that the territorial state always provides to private governance regimes, the inefficiencies that will tend to limit the development utopian communities, and the continued role of the territorial state in limiting autonomy in accordance with communal values. In order to overcome these deterministic assumptions, this article provides a framework based upon the values of the rule of law through which to conceptualise the legitimacy of the private exercise of power in virtual communities. The rule of law provides a constitutional discourse that assists in considering appropriate limits on the exercise of private power. I argue that the private contractual framework that is used to govern relations in virtual communities ought to be informed by the values of the rule of law in order to more appropriately address the governance tensions that permeate these spaces. These values suggest three main limits to the exercise of private power: that governance is limited by community rules and that the scope of autonomy is limited by the substantive values of the territorial state; that private contractual rules should be general, equal, and certain; and that, most importantly, internal norms be predicated upon the consent of participants.

Work integrated learning as a component of the capstone experience in undergraduate law

Background: The “Curriculum renewal in legal education” project has been funded by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council with the core objectives being the articulation of a set of final year curriculum design principles, and the development of a model of a transferable final year program. Through these principles and the development of the model, it is anticipated that the final year experience for law students will provide greater opportunity for them to understand the relevance of their learning, and will enhance their capacity to make decisions regarding their career path. Discussion / Argument: This paper reports on the project’s progress to date, and presents an argument for the inclusion of work integrated learning (WIL) as a component of the final year experience in undergraduate law programs. The project has identified that the two principal objectives of capstone experiences are to provide closure and to facilitate transition to post-university life. Reflective practice and Bruner’s spiral curriculum model are the central theoretical foundations by which these objectives can be achieved. Experiential learning is also increasingly seen as an essential element of a capstone experience. WIL is consistent with the objectives of capstones in focusing on the transition to professional practice and providing opportunities for reflection. However, the ability of WIL to meet all of the objectives of capstones, particularly closure and integration, may be limited. Conclusions / Implications: The paper posits that while WIL should be considered as a potential component of a capstone experience, educators should ensure that WIL is not equated with a capstone experience unless it is carefully designed to ensure that all of the objectives of capstones are met. Keywords: Work-integrated learning, capstone, final year experience, law

Invention and business performance in the tissue-engineering industry

Tissue engineering is a young and interdisciplinary scientific discipline but it offers exciting opportunities to improve the quality of health care for hundreds of thousands of patients. Lured by its potential, several start-up companies, pharmaceutical corporations, and medical device enterprises alike are investing heavily in this sector. Invention is a key driver of competition in this sector. In this study, we aim to explain the variation in inventive output across the different firms in the sector. Our major premise is that firms that forge alliances will be able to tap into the expertise of their partners and thus improve their chances of inventive output. We further argue that alliances that enable technology acquisition or learning will enhance the inventive output of firms more than other kinds of alliances. We measure the inventive output of a company by the number of patents filed. On the basis of a preliminary analysis of seven companies, we find support for the hypotheses. We also argue that, to achieve commercial success, firms need to manage time to market (through alliances or otherwise), have a global outlook, nurture their financial resources, and attain critical mass through mergers.

Informed consent : the review of the law of negligence and the utility of reference to NHMRC guidelines

Although rarely referred to in litigation in the years that have followed the Ipp Review Report, there may well be some merit in more frequent judicial reference to the NHMRC guidelines for medical practitioners on providing information to patients 2004.

Research and application of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry : a review and direction for future research

With an increasing level of collaboration amongst researchers, software developers and industry practitioners in the past three decades, building information modelling (BIM) is now recognized as an emerging technological and procedural shift within the architect, engineering and construction (AEC) industry. BIM is not only considered as a way to make a profound impact on the professions of AEC, but is also regarded as an approach to assist the industry to develop new ways of thinking and practice. Despite the widespread development and recognition of BIM, a succinct and systematic review of the existing BIM research and achievement is scarce. It is also necessary to take stock on existing applications and have a fresh look at where BIM should be heading and how it can benefit from the advances being made. This paper first presents a review of BIM research and achievement in AEC industry. A number of suggestions are then made for future research in BIM. This paper maintains that the value of BIM during design and construction phases is well documented over the last decade, and new research needs to expand the level of development and analysis from design/build stage to postconstruction and facility asset management. New research in BIM could also move beyond the traditional building type to managing the broader range of facilities and built assets and providing preventative maintenance schedules for sustainable and intelligent buildings

Using Enterprise 2.0 tools to facilitate knowledge transfer in complex engineering environments

An essential challenge for organizations wishing to overcome informational silos is to implement mechanisms that facilitate, encourage and sustain interactions between otherwise disconnected groups. Using three case examples, this paper explores how Enterprise 2.0 technologies achieve such goals, allowing for the transfer of knowledge by tapping into the tacit and explicit knowledge of disparate groups in complex engineering organizations. The paper is intended to be a timely introduction to the benefits and issues associated with the use of Enterprise 2.0 technologies with the aim of achieving the positive outcomes associated with knowledge management

Proceedings of the 21st Australian Software Engineering Conference (ASWEC 2010) : 6-9 April 2010, Auckland, New Zealand.

ASWEC is a joint conference of Engineers Australia and the Australian Computer Society reporting through the Engineers Australia/ACS Joint Board on Software Engineering.

Railway engineering research in Hong Kong

Railways in Hong Kong have been one of the few successful stories in the major metropolitan cities around the world, not only for their profit-making operation but also the efficiency in dealing with the astonishingly high traffic demands every day. While railway operations require a chain of delicate systems working in harmony all the time, there are numerous engineering problems arising and jeopardising the quality of services. Research in various railway engineering problems is therefore a must to tackle these problems. This paper highlights the railway research works in Hong Kong and discusses their relevance to Mainland China.

Fumaric acid monoethyl ester-functionalized poly(D,L-Lactide)/N-vinyl-2- pyrrolidone Resins for the preparation of tissue engineering scaffolds by stereolithography

Polymer networks were prepared by photocross-linking fumaric acid monoethyl ester (FAME) functionalized, three-armed poly(D,L-lactide) oligomers using Af-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (NVP) as diluent and comonomer. The use of NVP together with FAME-functionalized oligomers resulted in copolymerization at high rates, and networks with gel contents in excess of 90 were obtained. The hydrophilicity of the poly(D,L-lactide) networks increases with increasing amounts of NVP, networks containing 50 wt of NVP absorbed 40 of water. As the amount of NVP was increased from 30 to 50 wt , the Young's modulus after equilibration in water decreased from 0.8 to 0.2 GPa, as opposed to an increase from 1.5 to 2.1 GPa in the dry state. Mouse preosteoblasts readily adhered and spread onto all prepared networks. Using stereolithography, porous structures with a well-defined gyroid architecture were prepared from these novel materials. This allows the preparation of tissue engineering scaffolds with optimized pore architecture and tunable material properties.