Climate variability and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome transmission in northeastern China

Background: The transmission of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is influenced by climatic variables. However, few studies have examined the quantitative relationship between climate variation and HFRS transmission. ---------- Objective: We examined the potential impact of climate variability on HFRS transmission and developed climate-based forecasting models for HFRS in northeastern China. ---------- Methods: We obtained data on monthly counts of reported HFRS cases in Elunchun and Molidawahaner counties for 1997–2007 from the Inner Mongolia Center for Disease Control and Prevention and climate data from the Chinese Bureau of Meteorology. Cross-correlations assessed crude associations between climate variables, including rainfall, land surface temperature (LST), relative humidity (RH), and the multivariate El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) index (MEI) and monthly HFRS cases over a range of lags. We used time-series Poisson regression models to examine the independent contribution of climatic variables to HFRS transmission. ----------- Results: Cross-correlation analyses showed that rainfall, LST, RH, and MEI were significantly associated with monthly HFRS cases with lags of 3–5 months in both study areas. The results of Poisson regression indicated that after controlling for the autocorrelation, seasonality, and long-term trend, rainfall, LST, RH, and MEI with lags of 3–5 months were associated with HFRS in both study areas. The final model had good accuracy in forecasting the occurrence of HFRS. ---------- Conclusions: Climate variability plays a significant role in HFRS transmission in northeastern China. The model developed in this study has implications for HFRS control and prevention.

Sodium niobate adsorbents doped with tantalum (TaV) for the removal of bivalence radioactive ions in waste waters

Sodium niobates doped with different amount of tantalum (TaV) were prepared via thermal reaction process. It was found pure nanofibril and bar-like solids can be obtained when tantalum was introduced into the reaction system. For the well-crystallized fibril solids, the Na+ ions are difficult to be exchanged, and the radioactive ions such as Sr2+ and Ra2+ ions just deposit on the surface of the fibers during the sorption process, resulting in lower sorption capacity and distribution coefficients (Kd)`. However, the bar-like solids are poorly-crystallized and have lots of exchangeable Na+ ions. They are able to remove highly hazardous bivalent radioactive isotopes such as Sr2+ and Ra2+ ions. Even in the presence of lots of Na+ ions, they also have higher Kd. More importantly, such sorption finally intelligently triggers considerable collapse of the structure, resulting in the entrapment of the toxic bivalent cations permanently in the solids so that they can be safely disposed. This study highlights new opportunities for the preparation of Nb-based adsorbents to efficiently remove the toxic radioactive ions from contaminated water.

Integrating the resource-based view and transaction cost economics in immigrant business performance

This paper presents a new integrated framework that integrates the resource-based view and transaction cost economics to explain the phenomenon of immigrant entrepreneurship. We extend the existing literature on immigrant entrepreneurship by identifying different types of ethnic network resources and demonstrating how these resources interact with transaction costs in the context of Chinese immigrants. Thus, our study contributes to the literature by providing a theoretical framework which identifies mechanisms immigrant entrepreneurs use to strategically deploy resources to minimize costs and maximize performance outcomes.

Vibration characteristics of plate elements subjected in-plane loads (axial loads)

Axial deformations resulting from in-plane loads (axial forces) of plate elements impact significantly on their vibration characteristics. Although, numerous methods have been developed to quantify axial forces and hence deformations of individual plate elements with different boundary conditions based on their natural frequencies, these methods are unable to apply to the plate elements in a structural system. This is because the natural frequency is a global parameter for the entire structure. Thus, this paper proposes a comprehensive vibration based procedure to quantify axial deformations of plate elements in a structural framing system. Unique capabilities of the proposed method present through illustrative examples. Keywords- Plate Elements, Dynamic Stiffness Matrix, Finite Element Method, Vibration Characteristics, Axial Deformation

Reduction of nitroaromatic compounds on supported gold nanoparticles by visible and ultraviolet light

Shedding light: Nitroaromatic compounds on gold nanoparticles (3 wt %) supported on ZrO2 can be reduced directly to the corresponding azo compounds when illuminated with visible light or ultraviolet light at 40 °C (see picture). The process occurs with high selectivity and at ambient temperature and pressure, and enables the selection of intermediates that are unstable in thermal reactions.

Bushfire sustainability : Strategies for reconciling bushfire and biodiversity with daily life

This exhibition and catalogue provides a visual record of student work exhibited at the Australian Institute of Architects offices in Brisbane from November 15 to 29, 2010. The exhibition features the final design outcomes of the inaugural Bushfire Sustainability unit conducted at QUT in semester two, 2010. The core objective of this unit was to develop our students’ skills in collaborative practice in design, research and presentation. The theme of ‘bushfire sustainability’ was chosen because living sustainably in bushfire prone landscapes presents a number of problems, the nature of which might only be resolved via multidisciplinary collaboration among the design disciplines. The students involved represent the disciplines of Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Industrial Design, Architecture and Sustainability – all from within the School of Design at QUT. 55 students, mostly in their third year of study, worked in teams of five (one from each discipline) to design one of a number of homes in highly bushfire prone sites in either Western Australia or SE Queensland. This year level and the interdisciplinary mix are perhaps the best placed to resolve these problems: being unrestrained from the burdens of professional practice and technical overload they retain the potential for innovative, lateral thinking across the range of spatial scales and philosophical perspectives associated with inhabitation of bushfire prone landscapes. It is envisaged that, through the ‘vehicle’ of this design research, that the students’ work will contribute to understandings of how creative design disciplines might respond to this significant national problem, which hitherto has been attended to primarily by engineering and the sciences.

Development of an online condition monitoring system for slow speed machinery

One of the main challenges of slow speed machinery condition monitoring is that the energy generated from an incipient defect is too weak to be detected by traditional vibration measurements due to its low impact energy. Acoustic emission (AE) measurement is an alternative for this as it has the ability to detect crack initiations or rubbing between moving surfaces. However, AE measurement requires high sampling frequency and consequently huge amount of data are obtained to be processed. It also requires expensive hardware to capture those data, storage and involves signal processing techniques to retrieve valuable information on the state of the machine. AE signal has been utilised for early detection of defects in bearings and gears. This paper presents an online condition monitoring (CM) system for slow speed machinery, which attempts to overcome those challenges. The system incorporates relevant signal processing techniques for slow speed CM which include noise removal techniques to enhance the signal-to-noise and peak-holding down sampling to reduce the burden of massive data handling. The analysis software works under Labview environment, which enables online remote control of data acquisition, real-time analysis, offline analysis and diagnostic trending. The system has been fully implemented on a site machine and contributing significantly to improve the maintenance efficiency and provide a safer and reliable operation.

Preparation of porous calcium phosphate ceramic scaffold in bone tissue engineering

Calcium Phosphate ceramic has been widely used in bone tissue engineering due to its excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability. However, low mechanical properties and biodegradability limit their potential applications. In this project, hydroxyapatite (HA) and calcium phosphate bioglass were used to produce porous tri-calcium phosphate (TCP) bio-ceramic scaffolds. It was found that porous TCP bioceramic could be obtained when 20wt percent bioglass addition and sintered in 1400 degrees celsius for 3 h. Significantly higher compressive strength (9.98 MPa) was achieved in the scaffolds as compared to those produced from tCP power (<3 MPa). The biocompatibility of the scaffold was also estimated.

Preparation of mesoporous bioglass coated zirconia scaffold for bone tissue engineering

Porous yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) has been regarded as a potential candidate for bone substitute due to its high mechanical strength. However, porous YSZ is biologically inert to bone tissue. It is therefore necessary to introduce bioactive coatings onto the walls of the porous structures to enhance its bioactivity. In this study, porous YSZ scaffolds were prepared using a replication technique and then coated with mesoporous bioglass due to its excellent bioactivity. The microstructures were examined using scanning electron microscopy and the mechanical strength was evaluated via compression test. The biocompatibility and bioactivity were also evaluated using bone marrow stromal cell (BMSC) proliferation test and simulated body fluid test.

Thermal analysis and infrared emission spectroscopic study of kaolinite-potassium acetate intercalate complex

The thermal behavior and decomposition of kaolinite-potassium acetate intercalation complex was investigated through a combination of thermogravimetric analysis and infrared emission spectroscopy. Three main changes were observed at 48, 280, 323 and 460 °C which were attributed to (a) the loss of adsorbed water (b) loss of the water coordinated to acetate ion in the layer of kaolinite (c) loss of potassium acetate in the complex and (d) water through dehydroxylation. It is proposed that the KAc intercalation complex is stability except heating at above 300 °C. The infrared emission spectra clearly show the decomposition and dehydroxylation of the kaolinite intercalation complex when the temperature is raised. The dehydration of the intercalation complex is followed by the loss of intensity of the stretching vibration bands at region 3600-3200 cm-1. Dehydroxylation is followed by the decrease in intensity in the bands between 3695 and 3620 cm-1. Dehydration is completed by 400 °C and partial dehydroxylation by 650 °C. The inner hydroxyl group remained until around 700 °C.

Infrared spectroscopic study of halloysite-potassium acetate intercalation complex

Mid-infrared (MIR) and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy have been used to study the molecular structure of halloysite and potassium acetate intercalated halloysite and to determine the structural changes of halloysite through intercalation. The MIR spectra show all fundamental vibrations including the hydroxyl units, basic aluminosilicate framework and water molecules in the structure of halloysite and its intercalation complex. Comparison between halloysite and halloysite-potassium acetate intercalation complex shows almost all bands observed for halloysite are also observed for halloysite-potassium acetate intercalation complex apart from bands observed in the 1700-1300 cm-1 region, but with differences in band intensity. However, NIR, based on MIR spectra, provide sufficient evidence to analyze the structural changes of halloysite through intercalation. There are obvious differences between halloysite and halloysite-potassium acetate intercalation complex in the all spectral ranges. Therefore, the reproducibility of measurement and richness of qualitative information should be simultaneously considered for proper selection of a spectroscopic method for molecular structural analysis.

Motivational Interviewing changes the treatment trajectory of group Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for anxiety

Anxiety disorders have been viewed as manifestations of broad underlying predisposing personality constructs such as neuroticism combined with more specific individual differences of unhelpful information processing styles. Given the high prevalence of anxiety and the significant impairment that it causes, there is an important need to continue to explore successful treatments for this disorder. Research indicates that there is still room for significantly improving attrition rates and treatment adherence. Traditionally Motivational Interviewing (MI) has been used to facilitate health behaviour change. Recently MI has been applied to psychotherapy and has been shown to improve the outcome of CBT. However, these studies have been limited to only considering pre- and post-treatment measures and neglected to consider when changes occur along the course of therapy. This leaves the unanswered question of what is the impact of pre-treatment MI on the treatment trajectory of therapy. This study provides preliminary research into answering this question by tracking changes on a weekly basis along the course of group CBT. Prior to group CBT, 40 individuals with a principal anxiety disorder diagnosis were randomly assigned to receive either 3 individual sessions of MI or placed on a waitlist control group. All participants then received the same dosage of 10 weekly 2 hour sessions of group CBT. Tracking treatment outcome trajectory over the course of CBT, the pre-treatment MI group, compared to the control group, experienced a greater improvement early on in the course of therapy in their symptom distress, interpersonal relationships and quality of life. This early advantage over the control group was then maintained throughout therapy. These results not only demonstrate the value of adding MI to CBT, but also highlight the immediacy of MI effects. Further research is needed to determine the robustness of these effects to inform clinical implications of how to best apply MI to improve treatment adherence to CBT for anxiety disorders.

Thermal behavior and decomposition of kaolinite-potassium acetate intercalation composite

A series of kaolinite-potassium acetate intercalation composite was prepared. The thermal behavior and decomposition of these composites were investigated by simultaneous differential scanning calorimetry-thermogravimetric analysis (DSC-TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transformation infrared (FT-IR). The XRD pattern at room temperature indicated that intercalation of potassium acetate into kaolinite causes an increase of the basal spacing from 0.718 to 1.428nm. The peak intensity of the expanded phase of the composite decreased with heating above 300°C, and the basal spacing reduced to 1.19nm at 350°C and 0.718nm at 400°C. These were supported by DSC-TGA and FT-IR measurements, where the endothermic reactions are observed between 300 and 600°C. These reactions can be divided into two stages: 1) Removal of the intercalated molecules between 300-400°C. 2) Dehydroxylation of kaolinite between 400-600°C. Significant changes were observed in the infrared bands assigned to outer surface hydroxyl, inner surface hydroxyl, inner hydroxyl and hydrogen bands.

Using reputation management in participatory sensing for data classification

Participatory sensing enables collection, processing, dissemination and analysis of environmental sensory data by ordinary citizens, through mobile devices. Researchers have recognized the potential of participatory sensing and attempted applying it to many areas. However, participants may submit low quality, misleading, inaccurate, or even malicious data. Therefore, finding a way to improve the data quality has become a significant issue. This study proposes using reputation management to classify the gathered data and provide useful information for campaign organizers and data analysts to facilitate their decisions.