Feasibility of using telecommunications technology in a Cardiac-Diabetes Self-Management Program

Background: Evidence demonstrates self-management programs are an effective approach to assist patients with chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes or cardiac conditions to modify their lifestyle for better managing their conditions. Using information technology (IT) has great potential to support self-management programs and assist patients to fulfill their goals in managing their conditions more efficiently and effectively. Examples of different types of technology used in self-management programs that have limited research support include: text messages, telephone followup, web-based programs, and other internet-assisted education. But little is known about the applicability and feasiability of different forms of technology for patients with chronic diseases such as those with type 2 diabetes and critical cardiac conditions. Furthermore, although there is some evidence of the benefits of using IT in supporting self-management programs, further research on the use of IT in such programs is recommended. Objective: To develop and pilot test an integrated Cardiac- Diabetes Self-Management Program (CDSMP) incorporating telephone and text-message follow-up. Methods: A pilot study using randomised controlled trial is conducted in the coronary care unit (CCU) in a Brisbane metropolitan hospital in Australia to collect data on patients with type 2 diabetes admitted to CCU. The main outcomes included self-efficacy levels, knowledge, and quality of life. Results: Initial results reveal that patients with diabetes admitted to the CCU in the experimental group did improve their self-efficacy, and knowledge levels. Acknowledgements: This Project is funded by QUT Early Career Researcher Research Grant

Effect of rehydration on structure and surface properties of thermally treated palygorskite

Palygorskite has a fibrous like morphology with a distinctive layered appearance. The simplified formula of palygorskite (Mg5Si8O20(OH)2(OH2)4 nH2O) indicates that two different types of water are present. The dehydration and rehydration of palygorskite have been studied using thermogravimetry and H2O-tem- perature programmed desorption. X-ray diffractograms, NH3 adsorption profiles, and NH3 desorption profiles were obtained for thermally treated palygorskite as a function of temperature. The results proved water molecules were mainly derived from Si–OH units. In addition, five kinds of acid sites were found for palygorskite. The number of acid sites of external surfaces was larger than that of the internal sur- faces. Bonding on the internal surface acid sites was stronger than the bonding of the external surfaces. Rehydration restored the folded structure of palygorskite when thermal treatment temperature was lower than 300 oC.

The molecular structure of matioliite – NaMgAl5(PO4)4(OH)6·2(H2O) : a pegmatite mineral from Minas Gerais, Brazil

Detailed spectroscopic and chemical investigation of matioliite, including infrared and Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electron probe microanalysis has been carried out on homogeneous samples from the Gentil pegmatite, Mendes Pimentel, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The chemical composition is (wt.%): FeO 2.20, CaO 0.05, Na2O 1.28, MnO 0.06, Al2O3 39.82, P2O5 42.7, MgO 4.68, F 0.02 and H2O 9.19; total 100.00. The mineral crystallize in the monoclinic crystal system, C2/c space group, with a = 25.075(1) Å, b = 5.0470(3) Å, c = 13.4370(7) Å, β = 110.97(3)°, V = 1587.9(4) Å3, Z = 4. Raman spectroscopy coupled with infrared spectroscopy supports the concept of phosphate, hydrogen phosphate and dihydrogen phosphate units in the structure of matioliite. Infrared and Raman bands attributed to water and hydroxyl stretching modes are identified. Vibrational spectroscopy adds useful information to the molecular structure of matioliite.

Characterization of tight gas reservoir pore structure using USANS/SANS and gas adsorption analysis

Small-angle and ultra-small-angle neutron scattering (SANS and USANS) measurements were performed on samples from the Triassic Montney tight gas reservoir in Western Canada in order to determine the applicability of these techniques for characterizing the full pore size spectrum and to gain insight into the nature of the pore structure and its control on permeability. The subject tight gas reservoir consists of a finely laminated siltstone sequence; extensive cementation and moderate clay content are the primary causes of low permeability. SANS/USANS experiments run at ambient pressure and temperature conditions on lithologically-diverse sub-samples of three core plugs demonstrated that a broad pore size distribution could be interpreted from the data. Two interpretation methods were used to evaluate total porosity, pore size distribution and surface area and the results were compared to independent estimates derived from helium porosimetry (connected porosity) and low-pressure N2 and CO2 adsorption (accessible surface area and pore size distribution). The pore structure of the three samples as interpreted from SANS/USANS is fairly uniform, with small differences in the small-pore range (<2000 Å), possibly related to differences in degree of cementation, and mineralogy, in particular clay content. Total porosity interpreted from USANS/SANS is similar to (but systematically higher than) helium porosities measured on the whole core plug. Both methods were used to estimate the percentage of open porosity expressed here as a ratio of connected porosity, as established from helium adsorption, to the total porosity, as estimated from SANS/USANS techniques. Open porosity appears to control permeability (determined using pressure and pulse-decay techniques), with the highest permeability sample also having the highest percentage of open porosity. Surface area, as calculated from low-pressure N2 and CO2 adsorption, is significantly less than surface area estimates from SANS/USANS, which is due in part to limited accessibility of the gases to all pores. The similarity between N2 and CO2-accessible surface area suggests an absence of microporosity in these samples, which is in agreement with SANS analysis. A core gamma ray profile run on the same core from which the core plug samples were taken correlates to profile permeability measurements run on the slabbed core. This correlation is related to clay content, which possibly controls the percentage of open porosity. Continued study of these effects will prove useful in log-core calibration efforts for tight gas.

Dots versus antidots : computational exploration of structure, magnetism, and half-metallicity in boron−nitride nanostructures

Triangle-shaped nanohole, nanodot, and lattice antidot structures in hexagonal boron-nitride (h-BN) monolayer sheets are characterized with density functional theory calculations utilizing the local spin density approximation. We find that such structures may exhibit very large magnetic moments and associated spin splitting. N-terminated nanodots and antidots show strong spin anisotropy around the Fermi level, that is, half-metallicity. While B-terminated nanodots are shown to lack magnetism due to edge reconstruction, B-terminated nanoholes can retain magnetic character due to the enhanced structural stability of the surrounding two-dimensional matrix. In spite of significant lattice contraction due to the presence of multiple holes, antidot super lattices are predicted to be stable, exhibiting amplified magnetism as well as greatly enhanced half-metallicity. Collectively, the results indicate new opportunities for designing h-BNbased nanoscale devices with potential applications in the areas of spintronics, light emission, and photocatalysis.

Conserved and variable features of gag structure and arrangement in immature retrovirus particles

The assembly of retroviruses is driven by oligomerization of the Gag polyprotein. We have used cryo-electron tomography together with subtomogram averaging to describe the three-dimensional structure of in vitro-assembled Gag particles from human immunodeficiency virus, Mason-Pfizer monkey virus, and Rous sarcoma virus. These represent three different retroviral genera: the lentiviruses, betaretroviruses and alpharetroviruses. Comparison of the three structures reveals the features of the supramolecular organization of Gag that are conserved between genera and therefore reflect general principles of Gag-Gag interactions and the features that are specific to certain genera. All three Gag proteins assemble to form approximately spherical hexameric lattices with irregular defects. In all three genera, the N-terminal domain of CA is arranged in hexameric rings around large holes. Where the rings meet, 2-fold densities, assigned to the C-terminal domain of CA, extend between adjacent rings, and link together at the 6-fold symmetry axis with a density, which extends toward the center of the particle into the nucleic acid layer. Although this general arrangement is conserved, differences can be seen throughout the CA and spacer peptide regions. These differences can be related to sequence differences among the genera. We conclude that the arrangement of the structural domains of CA is well conserved across genera, whereas the relationship between CA, the spacer peptide region, and the nucleic acid is more specific to each genus.