Fresh Cuttings: A Celebration of Fiction and Poetry from UQP's Black Writing Series

As the first anthology of UQP's indigenous-authored books, Fresh Cuttings represents the very best of fiction and poetry publishing from UQP's Black Australian Writing series. An introduction by the editors and a biography of each author is included.

Structural and electronic properties of layered arsenic and antimony arsenide

Layered materials exhibit intriguing electronic characteristics and the search for new types of two-dimensional (2D) structures is of importance for future device fabrication. Using state-of-art first principle calculations, we identify and characterize the structural and electronic properties of two 2D layered arsenic materials, namely, arsenic and its alloy AsSb. The stable 2D structural configuration of arsenic is confirmed to be the low-buckled two-dimensional hexagonal structure by phonon and binding energy calculations. The monolayer exhibits indirect semiconducting properties with gap around 1.5 eV (corrected to 2.2 eV by hybrid function), which can be modulated into a direct semiconductor within a small amount of tensile strain. These semiconducting properties are preserved when cutting into 1D nanoribbons, but the band gap is edge dependent. It is interesting to find that an indirect to direct gap transition can be achieved under strain modulation of the armchair ribbon. Essentially the same phenomena can be found in layered AsSb, except a weak Rashba induced band splitting is present in AsSb due to the nonsymmetric structure and spin orbit coupling. When an additional layer is added on the top, a semiconductor–metal transition will occur. The findings here broaden the family of 2D materials beyond graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides and provide useful information for experimental fabrication of new layered materials with possible application in optoelectronics.

Tailoring surface properties and structure of layered double hydroxides using silanes with different number of functional groups

Four silanes, trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS), dimethyldiethoxylsilane (DMDES), 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), were adopted to graft layered double hydroxides (LDH) via an induced hydrolysis silylation method (IHS). Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) and 29Si MAS nuclear magnetic resonance spectra (29Si MAS NMR) indicated that APTES and TEOS can be grafted onto LDH surfaces via condensation with hydroxyl groups of LDH, while TMCS and DMDES could only be adsorbed on the LDH surface with a small quantity. A combination of X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD) and 29Si MAS NMR spectra showed that silanes were exclusively present in the external surface and had little influence on the long range order of LDH. The surfactant intercalation experiment indicated that the adsorbed and/or grafted silane could not fix the interlamellar spacing of the LDH. However, they will form crosslink between the particles and affect the further surfactant intercalation in the silylated samples. The replacement of water by ethanol in the tactoids and/or aggregations and the polysiloxane oligomers formed during silylation procedure can dramatically increase the value of BET surface area (SBET) and total pore volumes (Vp) of the products.

Transition metal layered double hydroxides for energy storage

Various types of layered double hydroxides, a type of clay, were synthesised. They were then electrochemically tested to determine whether the samples would be suitable to store energy as supercapacitors. A manganese aluminium layered double hydroxide was electrochemically tested for the first time and found to have a large capacitance.

Alive SMC^2: Bayesian model selection for low-count time series models with intractable likelihoods

In this paper we present a new method for performing Bayesian parameter inference and model choice for low count time series models with intractable likelihoods. The method involves incorporating an alive particle filter within a sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) algorithm to create a novel pseudo-marginal algorithm, which we refer to as alive SMC^2. The advantages of this approach over competing approaches is that it is naturally adaptive, it does not involve between-model proposals required in reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo and does not rely on potentially rough approximations. The algorithm is demonstrated on Markov process and integer autoregressive moving average models applied to real biological datasets of hospital-acquired pathogen incidence, animal health time series and the cumulative number of poison disease cases in mule deer.

The structures of the isomorphous potassium and rubidium salts of 4-nitrobenzoic acid and an overview of the metal complex stereochemistries of the alkali metal salt series with this ligand

The structures of the isomorphous potassium and rubidium polymeric coordination complexes with 4-nitrobenzoic acid, poly[mu2-aqua-aqua-mu3-(4-nitrobenzoato)-potassium], [K(C7H4N2O2)(H2O)2]n, (I) and poly[mu3-aqua-aqua-mu5-(4-nitrobenzoato)-rubidium], [Rb(C7H4N2O2)(H2O)2]n, (II) have been determined. In (I) the very distorted KO6 coordination sphere about the K+ centres in the repeat unit comprise two bridging nitro O-atom donors, a single bridging carboxyl O-atom donor and two water molecules, one of which is bridging. In the the Rb complex (II), the same basic MO6 coordination is found in the repeat unit but is expanded to RbO9 through a slight increase in the accepted Rb-O bond length range and includes an additional Rb-O(carboxyl) bond, completing a bidentate O,O'-chelate interaction, and additional bridging Rb-Onitro) and Rb-O(water) bonds. The comparative K-O and Rb-O bond length ranges are 2.738(3)-3.002(3)Ang. (I) and 2.884(2)-3.182(2)Ang. (II). The structure of (II) is also isomorphous as well as isostructural with the known structure of the nine-coordinate caesium 4-nitrobenzoate analogue, [Cs(C7H4N2O~2~)(H~2~O)2]n, (III) in which the Cs---O range is 3.047(4)-3.338(4)Ang. In all three complexes, common basic polymeric extensions are found, including two different centrosymmetric bridging interactions through both water and nitro groups as well as extensions along c through the p-related carboxyl group, giving a two-dimensional structure in (I). In (II) and (III), three-dimensional structures are generated through additional bridges through the nitro and water O-atoms. In all structures, both water molecules are involved in similar intra-polymer O-H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions to both carboxyl as well as water O-atom acceptors. A comparison of the varied coordination behaviour of the full set of Li-Cs salts with 4-nitrobenzoic acid is also made.

Entering the field as a sports coordinator: Negotiating the micropolitics of the profession

The work of French sociologist, anthropologist and philosopher Pierre Bourdieu has been influential across a set of cognate disciplines that can be classified as physical culture studies. Concepts such as field, capital, habitus and symbolic violence have been used as theoretical tools by scholars and students looking to understand the nature and purpose of sport, leisure, physical education and human movement within wider society. Pierre Bourdieu and Physical Culture is the first book to focus on the significance of Bourdieu’s work for, and in, physical culture. Bringing together the work of leading and emerging international researchers, it introduces the core concepts in Bourdieu’s thought and work, and presents a series of fascinating demonstrations of the application of his theory to physical culture studies. A concluding section discusses the inherent difficulties of choosing and using theory to understand the world around us. By providing an in-depth and multi-layered example of how theory can be used across the many and varied components of sport, leisure, physical education and human movement, this book should help all serious students and researchers in physical culture to better understand the importance of social theory in their work.

Structural identification of a laboratory-based steel through truss cantilevered bridge with suspended span using a layered genetic algorithm with patternsearch step (GAPS)

Structural identification (St-Id) can be considered as the process of updating a finite element (FE) model of a structural system to match the measured response of the structure. This paper presents the St-Id of a laboratory-based steel through-truss cantilevered bridge with suspended span. There are a total of 600 degrees of freedom (DOFs) in the superstructure plus additional DOFs in the substructure. The St-Id of the bridge model used the modal parameters from a preliminary modal test in the objective function of a global optimisation technique using a layered genetic algorithm with patternsearch step (GAPS). Each layer of the St-Id process involved grouping of the structural parameters into a number of updating parameters and running parallel optimisations. The number of updating parameters was increased at each layer of the process. In order to accelerate the optimisation and ensure improved diversity within the population, a patternsearch step was applied to the fittest individuals at the end of each generation of the GA. The GAPS process was able to replicate the mode shapes for the first two lateral sway modes and the first vertical bending mode to a high degree of accuracy and, to a lesser degree, the mode shape of the first lateral bending mode. The mode shape and frequency of the torsional mode did not match very well. The frequencies of the first lateral bending mode, the first longitudinal mode and the first vertical mode matched very well. The frequency of the first sway mode was lower and that of the second sway mode was higher than the true values, indicating a possible problem with the FE model. Improvements to the model and the St-Id process will be presented at the upcoming conference and compared to the results presented in this paper. These improvements will include the use of multiple FE models in a multi-layered, multi-solution, GAPS St-Id approach.

Investigations of an electrochemical platform based on the layered MoS2-graphene and horseradish peroxidase nanocomposite for direct electrochemistry and electrocatalysis

The self-assembly of layered molybdenum disulfide–graphene (MoS2–Gr) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) by electrostatic attraction into a novel hybrid nanomaterial (HRP–MoS2–Gr) is reported. The properties of the MoS2–Gr were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). UV–vis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) indicate that the native structure of the HRP is maintained after the assembly, implying good biocompatibility of MoS2–Gr nanocomposite. Furthermore, the HRP–MoS2–Gr composite is utilized as a biosensor, which displays electrocatalytic activity to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) with high sensitivity (679.7 μA mM−1 cm−2), wide linear range (0.2 μM–1.103 mM), low detection limit (0.049 μM), and fast amperometric response. In addition, the biosensor also exhibits strong anti-interference ability, satisfactory stability and reproducibility. These desirable electrochemical properties are attributed to the good biocompatibility and electron transport efficiency of the MoS2–Gr composite, as well as the high loading of HRP. Therefore, this biosensor is potentially suitable for H2O2 analysis in environmental, pharmaceutical, food or industrial applications.

Separate or simultaneous removal of radioactive cations and anions from water by layered sodium vanadate-based sorbents

Nanofibers of sodium vanadate, consisting of very thin negatively charged layers and exchangeable sodium ions between the layers, are efficient sorbents for the removal of radioactive 137Cs+ and 85Sr2+ cations from water. The exchange of 137Cs+ or 85Sr2+ ions with the interlayer Na+ ions eventually triggered structural deformation of the thin layers, trapping the 137Cs+ and 85Sr2+ ions in the nanofibers. Furthermore, when the nanofibers were dispersed in a AgNO3 solution at pH >7, well-dispersed Ag2O nanocrystals formed by firmly anchoring themselves on the fiber surfaces along planes of crystallographic similarity with those of Ag2O. These nanocrystals can efficiently capture I– anions by forming a AgI precipitate, which was firmly attached to the substrates. We also designed sorbents that can remove 137Cs+ and 125I– ions simultaneously for safe disposal by optimizing the Ag2O loading and sodium content of the vanadate. This study confirms that sorbent features such as fibril morphology, negatively charged thin layers and readily exchangeable Na+ ions between the layers, and the crystal planes for the formation of a coherent interface with Ag2O nanocrystals on the fiber surface are very important for the simultaneous uptake of cations and anions.

Multifractal analyses of daily rainfall time series in Pearl River basin of China

The multifractal properties of daily rainfall time series at the stations in Pearl River basin of China over periods of up to 45 years are examined using the universal multifractal approach based on the multiplicative cascade model and the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA). The results from these two kinds of multifractal analyses show that the daily rainfall time series in this basin have multifractal behavior in two different time scale ranges. It is found that the empirical multifractal moment function K(q)K(q) of the daily rainfall time series can be fitted very well by the universal multifractal model (UMM). The estimated values of the conservation parameter HH from UMM for these daily rainfall data are close to zero indicating that they correspond to conserved fields. After removing the seasonal trend in the rainfall data, the estimated values of the exponent h(2)h(2) from MF-DFA indicate that the daily rainfall time series in Pearl River basin exhibit no long-term correlations. It is also found that K(2)K(2) and elevation series are negatively correlated. It shows a relationship between topography and rainfall variability.

Association between the interleukin 23 receptor and ankylosing spondylitis is confirmed by a new UK case-control study and meta-analysis of published series

Objectives. It has been shown previously that IL-23R variants are associated with AS. We conducted an extended analysis in the UK population and a meta-analysis with the previously published studies, in order to refine these IL-23R associations with AS. Methods. The UK case-control study included 730 new cases and 1331 healthy controls. In the extended study, the 730 cases were combined with 1088 published cases. Allelic associations were analysed using contingency tables. In the meta-analysis, 3482 cases and 3150 controls from four different published studies and the new UK cases were combined. DerSimonian-Laird test was used to calculate random effects pooled odds ratios (ORs). Results. In the UK case-control study with new cases, four of the eight SNPs showed significant associations, whereas in the extended UK study, seven of the eight IL-23R SNPs showed significant associations (P < 0.05) with AS, maximal with rs11209032 (P < 10-5, OR 1.3), when cases with IBD and/or psoriasis were excluded. The meta-analysis showed significant associations with all eight SNPs; the strongest associations were again seen not only with rs11209032 (P = 4.06 × 10-9, OR ∼1.2) but also with rs11209026 (P < 10-10, OR ∼0.6). Conclusions. IL-23R polymorphisms are clearly associated with AS, but the primary causal association(s) is(are) still not established. These polymorphisms could contribute either increased or decreased susceptibility to AS; functional studies will be required for their full evaluation. Additionally, observed stronger associations with SNPs rs11209026 and rs11465804 upon exclusion of IBD and/or psoriasis cases may represent an independent association with AS. © The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

On the efficacy of Fourier series approximations for pricing European options

This paper investigates several competing procedures for computing the prices of vanilla European options, such as puts, calls and binaries, in which the underlying model has a characteristic function that is known in semi-closed form. The algorithms investigated here are the half-range Fourier cosine series, the half-range Fourier sine series and the full-range Fourier series. Their performance is assessed in simulation experiments in which an analytical solution is available and also for a simple affine model of stochastic volatility in which there is no closed-form solution. The results suggest that the half-range sine series approximation is the least effective of the three proposed algorithms. It is rather more difficult to distinguish between the performance of the halfrange cosine series and the full-range Fourier series. However there are two clear differences. First, when the interval over which the density is approximated is relatively large, the full-range Fourier series is at least as good as the half-range Fourier cosine series, and outperforms the latter in pricing out-of-the-money call options, in particular with maturities of three months or less. Second, the computational time required by the half-range Fourier cosine series is uniformly longer than that required by the full-range Fourier series for an interval of fixed length. Taken together,these two conclusions make a case for pricing options using a full-range range Fourier series as opposed to a half-range Fourier cosine series if a large number of options are to be priced in as short a time as possible.

Standardised antibacterial Manuka honey in the management of persistent post-operative corneal oedema: A case series

Background Corneal oedema is a common post-operative problem that delays or prevents visual recovery from ocular surgery. Honey is a supersaturated solution of sugars with an acidic pH, high osmolarity and low water content. These characteristics inhibit the growth of micro-organisms, reduce oedema and promote epithelialisation. This clinical case series describes the use of a regulatory approved Leptospermum species honey ophthalmic product, in the management of post-operative corneal oedema and bullous keratopathy. Methods A retrospective review of 18 consecutive cases (30 eyes) with corneal oedema persisting beyond one month after single or multiple ocular surgical procedures (phacoemulsification cataract surgery and additional procedures) treated with Optimel Antibacterial Manuka Eye Drops twice to three times daily as an adjunctive therapy to conventional topical management with corticosteroid, aqueous suppressants, hypertonic sodium chloride five per cent, eyelid hygiene and artificial tears. Visual acuity and central corneal thickness were measured before and at the conclusion of Optimel treatment. Results A temporary reduction in corneal epithelial oedema lasting up to several hours was observed after the initial Optimel instillation and was associated with a reduction in central corneal thickness, resolution of epithelial microcysts, collapse of epithelial bullae, improved corneal clarity, improved visualisation of the intraocular structures and improved visual acuity. Additionally, with chronic use, reduction in punctate epitheliopathy, reduction in central corneal thickness and improvement in visual acuity were achieved. Temporary stinging after Optimel instillation was experienced. No adverse infectious or inflammatory events occurred during treatment with Optimel. Conclusions Optimel was a safe and effective adjunctive therapeutic strategy in the management of persistent post-operative corneal oedema and warrants further investigation in clinical trials.

Optimal designs for evaluating a series of treatments

Several articles in this journal have studied optimal designs for testing a series of treatments to identify promising ones for further study. These designs formulate testing as an ongoing process until a promising treatment is identified. This formulation is considered to be more realistic but substantially increases the computational complexity. In this article, we show that these new designs, which control the error rates for a series of treatments, can be reformulated as conventional designs that control the error rates for each individual treatment. This reformulation leads to a more meaningful interpretation of the error rates and hence easier specification of the error rates in practice. The reformulation also allows us to use conventional designs from published tables or standard computer programs to design trials for a series of treatments. We illustrate these using a study in soft tissue sarcoma.