Curbing paper wastage using flavoured feedback

In November 2009 the researcher embarked on a project aimed at reducing the amount of paper used by Queensland University of Technology (QUT) staff in their daily workplace activities. The key goal was to communicate to staff that excessive printing has a tangible and negative effect on their workplace and local environment. The research objective was to better understand what motivates staff towards more ecologically sustainable printing practises, whilst meeting their job’s demands. The current study is built on previous research that found that one interface does not address the needs of all users when creating persuasive Human Computer Interaction (HCI) interventions targeting resource consumption. In response, the current study created and trialled software that communicates individual paper consumption in precise metrics. Based on preliminary research data different metric sets have been defined to address the different motivations and beliefs of user archetypes using descriptive and injunctive normative information.

Comparison of human alveolar osteoblasts cultured on polymer-ceramic composite scaffolds and tissue culture plates

The effects of medical grade polycaprolactone–tricalcium phosphate (mPCL–TCP) (80:20) scaffolds on primary human alveolar osteoblasts (AOs) were compared with standard tissue-culture plates. Of the seeded AOs, 70% adhered to and proliferated on the scaffold surface and within open and interconnected pores; they formed multi-layered sheets and collagen fibers with uniform distribution within 28 days. Elevation of alkaline phosphatase activity occurred in scaffold–cell constructs independent of osteogenic induction. AO proliferation rate increased and significant decrease in calcium concentration of the medium for both scaffolds and plates under induction conditions were seen. mPCL–TCP scaffolds significantly influenced the AO expression pattern of osterix and osteocalcin (OCN). Osteogenic induction down-regulated OCN at both RNA and protein level on scaffolds (3D) by day 7, and up-regulated OCN in cell-culture plates (2D) by day 14, but OCN levels on scaffolds were higher than on cell-culture plates. Immunocytochemical signals for type I collagen, osteopontin and osteocalcin were detected at the outer parts of scaffold–cell constructs. More mineral nodules were found in induced than in non-induced constructs. Only induced 2D cultures showed nodule formation. mPCL–TCP scaffolds appear to stimulate osteogenesis in vitro by activating a cellular response in AO's to form mineralized tissue. There is a fundamental difference between culturing AOs on 2D and 3D environments that should be considered when studying osteogenesis in vitro.

Osteogenic induction of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal progenitor cells in novel synthetic polymer-hydrogel matrices

The aim of this project was to investigate the in vitro osteogenic potential of human mesenchymal progenitor cells in novel matrix architectures built by means of a three-dimensional bioresorbable synthetic framework in combination with a hydrogel. Human mesenchymal progenitor cells (hMPCs) were isolated from a human bone marrow aspirate by gradient centrifugation. Before in vitro engineering of scaffold-hMPC constructs, the adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation potential was demonstrated by staining of neutral lipids and induction of bone-specific proteins, respectively. After expansion in monolayer cultures, the cells were enzymatically detached and then seeded in combination with a hydrogel into polycaprolactone (PCL) and polycaprolactone-hydroxyapatite (PCL-HA) frameworks. This scaffold design concept is characterized by novel matrix architecture, good mechanical properties, and slow degradation kinetics of the framework and a biomimetic milieu for cell delivery and proliferation. To induce osteogenic differentiation, the specimens were cultured in an osteogenic cell culture medium and were maintained in vitro for 6 weeks. Cellular distribution and viability within three-dimensional hMPC bone grafts were documented by scanning electron microscopy, cell metabolism assays, and confocal laser microscopy. Secretion of the osteogenic marker molecules type I procollagen and osteocalcin was analyzed by semiquantitative immunocytochemistry assays. Alkaline phosphatase activity was visualized by p-nitrophenyl phosphate substrate reaction. During osteogenic stimulation, hMPCs proliferated toward and onto the PCL and PCL-HA scaffold surfaces and metabolic activity increased, reaching a plateau by day 15. The temporal pattern of bone-related marker molecules produced by in vitro tissue-engineered scaffold-cell constructs revealed that hMPCs differentiated better within the biomimetic matrix architecture along the osteogenic lineage.

In vitro characterization of natural and synthetic dermal matrices cultured with human dermal fibroblasts

The ideal dermal matrix should be able to provide the right biological and physical environment to ensure homogenous cell and extracellular matrix (ECM) distribution, as well as the right size and morphology of the neo-tissue required. Four natural and synthetic 3D matrices were evaluated in vitro as dermal matrices, namely (1) equine collagen foam, TissuFleece®, (2) acellular dermal replacement, Alloderm®, (3) knitted poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (10:90)–poly(-caprolactone) (PLGA–PCL) mesh, (4) chitosan scaffold. Human dermal fibroblasts were cultured on the specimens over 3 weeks. Cell morphology, distribution and viability were assessed by electron microscopy, histology and confocal laser microscopy. Metabolic activity and DNA synthesis were analysed via MTS metabolic assay and [3H]-thymidine uptake, while ECM protein expression was determined by immunohistochemistry. TissuFleece®, Alloderm® and PLGA–PCL mesh supported cell attachment, proliferation and neo-tissue formation. However, TissuFleece® contracted to 10% of the original size while Alloderm® supported cell proliferation predominantly on the surface of the material. PLGA–PCL mesh promoted more homogenous cell distribution and tissue formation. Chitosan scaffolds did not support cell attachment and proliferation. These results demonstrated that physical characteristics including porosity and mechanical stability to withstand cell contraction forces are important in determining the success of a dermal matrix material.

Investigating the effects of preinduction on human adipose-derived precursor cells in an athymic rat model

The osteogenic potential of human adipose-derived precursor cells seeded on medical-grade polycaprolactone-tricalcium phosphate scaffolds was investigated in this in vivo study. Three study groups were investigated: (1) induced—stimulated with osteogenic factors only after seeding into scaffold; (2) preinduced—induced for 2 weeks before seeding into scaffolds; and (3) uninduced—cells without any introduced induction. For all groups, scaffolds were implanted subcutaneously into the dorsum of athymic rats. The scaffold/cell constructs were harvested at the end of 6 or 12 weeks and analyzed for osteogenesis. Gross morphological examination using scanning electron microscopy indicated good integration of host tissue with scaffold/cell constructs and extensive tissue infiltration into the scaffold interior. Alizarin Red histology and immunostaining showed a heightened level of mineralization and an increase in osteonectin, osteopontin, and collagen type I protein expression in both the induced and preinduced groups compared with the uninduced groups. However, no significant differences were observed in these indicators when compared between the induced and preinduced groups.

Metal Contaminants in Leachate from Sanitary Landfills

The uncontrolled disposal of solid wastes poses an immediate threat to public health and a long term threat to the environmental well being of future generations. Solid waste is waste resulting from human activities that is solid and unwanted (Peavy et al., 1985). If unmanaged, dumped solid wastes generate liquid and gaseous emissions that are detrimental to the environment. This can lead to a serious form of contamination known as metal contamination, which poses a risk to human health and ecosystems. For example, some heavy metals (cadmium, chromium compounds, and nickel tetracarbonyl) are known to be highly toxic, and are aggressive at elevated concentrations. Iron, copper, and manganese can cause staining, and aluminium causes depositions and discolorations. In addition, calcium and magnesium cause hardness in water causing scale deposition and scum formation. Though not a metal but a metalloid, arsenic is poisonous at relatively high concentrations and when diluted at low concentrations causes skin cancer. Normally, metal contaminants are found in a dissolved form in the liquid percolating through landfills. Because average metal concentrations from full-scale landfills, test cells, and laboratory studies have tended to be generally low, metal contamination originating from landfills is not generally considered a major concern (Kjeldsen et al., 2002; Christensen et al., 1999). However, a number of factors make it necessary to take a closer look at metal contaminants from landfills. One of these factors relates to variability. Landfill leachate can have different qualities depending on the weather and operating conditions. Therefore, at one moment in time, metal contaminant concentrations may be quite low, but at a later time these concentrations could be quite high. Also, these conditions relate to the amount of leachate that is being generated. Another factor is biodiversity. It cannot be assumed that a particular metal contaminant is harmless to flora and fauna (including micro organisms) just because it is harmless to human health. This has significant implications for ecosystems and the environment. Finally, there is the moral factor. Because uncertainty surrounds the potential effects of metal contamination, it is appropriate to take precautions to prevent it from taking place. Consequently, it is necessary to have good scientific knowledge (empirically supported) to adequately understand the extent of the problem and improve the way waste is being disposed of

Examination of relationships between urban form, household activities, and time allocation in the Atlanta Metropolitan Region

A substantial body of research is focused on understanding the relationships between socio-demographics, land-use characteristics, and mode specific attributes on travel mode choice and time-use patterns. Residential and commercial densities, inter-mixing of land uses, and route directness in conjunction with transportation performance characteristics interact to influence accessibility to destinations as well as time spent traveling and engaging in activities. This study uniquely examines the activity durations undertaken for out-of-home subsistence; maintenance, and discretionary activities. Also examined are total tour durations (summing all activity categories within a tour). Cross-sectional activities are obtained from household activity travel survey data from the Atlanta Metropolitan Region. Time durations allocated to weekdays and weekends are compared. The censoring and endogeneity between activity categories and within individuals are captured using multiple equations Tobit models. The analysis and modeling reveal that land-use characteristics such as net residential density and the number of commercial parcels within a kilometer of a residence are associated with differences in weekday and weekend time-use allocations. Household type and structure are significant predictors across the three activity categories, but not for overall travel times. Tour characteristics such as time-of-day and primary travel mode of the tours also affect traveler's out-of-home activity-tour time-use patterns.

The impact of gender diversity on turnover : the moderating effect of human resource policies and practices

Demography theory suggests that high gender diversity leads to high turnover. As turnover is costly for organizations, we examined whether HR policies and practices influence the expected gender diversity-turnover relationship. Survey data were collected from 198 HR decision makers at publicly listed organizations. We found that HR policies and practices that are supportive of diversity moderate the gender diversity-turnover relationship, such that high gender diversity leads to low turnover in organizations with many diversity supportive policies and practices. Results suggest that organizations can avoid the negative consequences of high gender diversity by implementing diversity supportive HR polices and practices.

Do walking and leisure-time physical activity protect against arthritis in older women?

Objective: To examine the prospective dose–response relationships between both leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and walking with self-reported arthritis in older women. Design, setting and participants: Data came from women aged 73–78 years who completed mailed surveys in 1999, 2002 and 2005 for the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health. Women reported their weekly minutes of walking and moderate to vigorous physical activities. They also reported on whether they had been diagnosed with, or treated for, arthritis since the previous survey. General estimating equation analyses were performed to examine the longitudinal relationship between LTPA and arthritis and, for women who reported walking as their only physical activity, the longitudinal relationship between walking and arthritis. Women who reported arthritis or a limited ability to walk in 1999 were excluded, resulting in data from 3613 women eligible for inclusion in these analyses. Main results: ORs for self-reported arthritis were lowest for women who reported “moderate” levels of LTPA (OR 0.78; 95% CI 0.67 to 0.92), equivalent to 75 to <150 minutes of moderate-intensity LTPA per week. Slightly higher odds ratios were found for women who reported “high” (OR 0.81; 95% CI 0.69 to 0.95) or “very high” (OR 0.84; 95% CI 0.72 to 0.98) LTPA levels, indicating no further benefit from increased activity. For women whose only activity was walking, an inverse dose–response relationship between walking and arthritis was seen. Conclusions: The results support an inverse association between both LTPA and walking with self-reported arthritis over 6 years in older women who are able to walk.

Human optical axial length and defocus

Purpose: To investigate the short term influence of imposed monocular defocus upon human optical axial length (the distance from anterior cornea to retinal pigment epithelium) and ocular biometrics. Methods: Twenty-eight young adult subjects (14 myopes and 14 emmetropes) had eye biometrics measured before and then 30 and 60 minutes after exposure to monocular (right eye) defocus. Four different monocular defocus conditions were tested, each on a separate day: control (no defocus), myopic (+3 D defocus), hyperopic (-3 D defocus) and diffuse (0.2 density Bangerter filter) defocus. The fellow eye was optimally corrected (no defocus). Results: Imposed defocus caused small but significant changes in optical axial length (p<0.0001). A significant increase in optical axial length (mean change +8 ± 14 μm, p=0.03) occurred following hyperopic defocus, and a significant reduction in optical axial length (mean change -13 ± 14 μm, p=0.0001) was found following myopic defocus. A small increase in optical axial length was observed following diffuse defocus (mean change +6 ± 13 μm, p=0.053). Choroidal thickness also exhibited some significant changes with certain defocus conditions. No significant difference was found between myopes and emmetropes in the changes in optical axial length or choroidal thickness with defocus. Conclusions: Significant changes in optical axial length occur in human subjects following 60 minutes of monocular defocus. The bi-directional optical axial length changes observed in response to defocus implies the human visual system is capable of detecting the presence and sign of defocus and altering optical axial length to move the retina towards the image plane.

Dramatic character development personas to tailor apartment designs for different residential lifestyles

This chapter reports on research work that aims to overcome some limitations of conventional community engagement for urban planning. Adaptive and human-centred design approaches that are well established in human-computer interaction (such as personas and design scenarios) as well as creative writing and dramatic character development methods (such as the Stanislavsky System and the Meisner Technique) are yet largely unexplored in the rather conservative and long-term design context of urban planning. Based on these approaches, we have been trialling a set of performance based workshop activities to gain insights into participants’ desires and requirements that may inform the future design of apartments and apartment buildings in inner city Brisbane. The focus of these workshops is to analyse the behaviour and lifestyle of apartment dwellers and generate residential personas that become boundary objects in the cross-disciplinary discussions of urban design and planning teams. Dramatisation and embodied interaction of use cases form part of the strategies we employed to engage participants and elicit community feedback.

Working time arrangements and recreation : making time for weekends when working long hours

Work time spread across the entire week, rather than the conventional five day working week, has meant that workers are now less able to utilise longer stretches of recreation time especially in gaining access to a full two-day break over a weekend. This paper explores the issues contributing to workers' acquisition of longer recreation time. It seeks to determine the effects of this acquisition on the quality of working and non-working time for the employee through a study of work-life balance in the construction industry. It finds that weekends are more important to achieving work-life balance than shorter days over a six-day week when working long hours. Further, 'personal time' is a key element in achieving satisfactory work-life balance for employees, and this type of 'time' is often forgone in trying to integrate the necessary and desired non-work activities in the shorter time available to workers.

Characterization of particle number concentrations and PM2.5 in a school : influence of outdoor air pollution on indoor air

Background, Aim and Scope The impact of air pollution on school children’s health is currently one of the key foci of international and national agencies. Of particular concern are ultrafine particles which are emitted in large quantities, contain large concentrations of toxins and are deposited deeply in the respiratory tract. Materials and methods In this study, an intensive sampling campaign of indoor and outdoor airborne particulate matter was carried out in a primary school in February 2006 to investigate indoor and outdoor particle number (PN) and mass concentrations (PM2.5), and particle size distribution, and to evaluate the influence of outdoor air pollution on the indoor air. Results For outdoor PN and PM2.5, early morning and late afternoon peaks were observed on weekdays, which are consistent with traffic rush hours, indicating the predominant effect of vehicular emissions. However, the temporal variations of outdoor PM2.5 and PN concentrations occasionally showed extremely high peaks, mainly due to human activities such as cigarette smoking and the operation of mower near the sampling site. The indoor PM2.5 level was mainly affected by the outdoor PM2.5 (r = 0.68, p<0.01), whereas the indoor PN concentration had some association with outdoor PN values (r = 0.66, p<0.01) even though the indoor PN concentration was occasionally influenced by indoor sources, such as cooking, cleaning and floor polishing activities. Correlation analysis indicated that the outdoor PM2.5 was inversely correlated with the indoor to outdoor PM2.5 ratio (I/O ratio) (r = -0.49, p<0.01), while the indoor PN had a weak correlation with the I/O ratio for PN (r = 0.34, p<0.01). Discussion and Conclusions The results showed that occupancy did not cause any major changes to the modal structure of particle number and size distribution, even though the I/O ratio was different for different size classes. The I/O curves had a maximum value for particles with diameters of 100 – 400 nm under both occupied and unoccupied scenarios, whereas no significant difference in I/O ratio for PM2.5 was observed between occupied and unoccupied conditions. Inspection of the size-resolved I/O ratios in the preschool centre and the classroom suggested that the I/O ratio in the preschool centre was the highest for accumulation mode particles at 600 nm after school hours, whereas the average I/O ratios of both nucleation mode and accumulation mode particles in the classroom were much lower than those of Aitken mode particles. Recommendations and Perspectives The findings obtained in this study are useful for epidemiological studies to estimate the total personal exposure of children, and to develop appropriate control strategies for minimizing the adverse health effects on school children.

A snapshot of Australian nurse practitioners’ extended practice activities

Introduction The Australian Nurse Practitioner Project (AUSPRAC) was initiated to examine the introduction of nurse practitioners into the Australian health service environment. The nurse practitioner concept was introduced to Australia over two decades ago and has been evolving since. Today, however, the scope of practice, role and educational preparation of nurse practitioners is well defined (Gardner et al, 2006). Amendments to specific pre-existing legislation at a State level have permitted nurse practitioners to perform additional activities including some once in the domain of the medical profession. In the Australian Capital Territory, for example 13 diverse Acts and Regulations required amendments and three new Acts were established (ACT Health, 2006). Nurse practitioners are now legally authorized to diagnose, treat, refer and prescribe medications in all Australian states and territories. These extended practices differentiate nurse practitioners from other advanced practice roles in nursing (Gardner, Chang & Duffield, 2007). There are, however, obstacles for nurse practitioners wishing to use these extended practices. Restrictive access to Medicare funding via the Medicare Benefit Scheme (MBS) and the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme (PBS) limit the scope of nurse practitioner service in the private health sector and community settings. A recent survey of Australian nurse practitioners (n=202) found that two-thirds of respondents (66%) stated that lack of legislative support limited their practice. Specifically, 78% stated that lack of a Medicare provider number was ‘extremely limiting’ to their practice and 71% stated that no access to the PBS was ‘extremely limiting’ to their practice (Gardner et al, in press). Changes to Commonwealth legislation is needed to enable nurse practitioners to prescribe medication so that patients have access to PBS subsidies where they exist; currently patients with scripts which originated from nurse practitioners must pay in full for these prescriptions filled outside public hospitals. This report presents findings from a sub-study of Phase Two of AUSPRAC. Phase Two was designed to enable investigation of the process and activities of nurse practitioner service. Process measurements of nurse practitioner services are valuable to healthcare organisations and service providers (Middleton, 2007). Processes of practice can be evaluated through clinical audit, however as Middleton cautions, no direct relationship between these processes and patient outcomes can be assumed.

The provision of patient personal hygiene in the intensive care unit : a descriptive exploratory study of bed-bathing practice

Background/objectives The provision of the patient bed-bath is a fundamental nursing care activity yet few quantitative data and no qualitative data are available on registered nurses’ (RNs) clinical practice in this domain in the intensive care unit (ICU). The aim of this study was to describe ICU RNs current practice with respect to the timing, frequency and duration of the patient bed-bath and the cleansing and emollient agents used. Methods The study utilised a two-phase sequential explanatory mixed method design. Phase one used a questionnaire to survey RNs and phase two employed semi-structured focus group (FG) interviews with RNs. Data was collected over 28 days across four Australian metropolitan ICUs. Ethical approval was granted from the relevant hospital and university human research ethics committees. RNs were asked to complete a questionnaire following each episode of care (i.e. bed-bath) and then to attend one of three FG interviews: RNs with less than 2 years ICU experience; RNs with 2–5 years ICU experience; and RNs with greater than 5 years ICU experience. Results During the 28-day study period the four ICUs had 77.25 beds open. In phase one a total of 539 questionnaires were returned, representing 30.5% of episodes of patient bed-baths (based on 1767 bed occupancy and one bed-bath per patient per day). In 349 bed-bath episodes 54.7% patients were mechanically ventilated. The bed-bath was given between 02.00 and 06.00 h in 161 episodes (30%), took 15–30 min to complete (n = 195, 36.2%) and was completed within the last 8 h in 304 episodes (56.8%). Cleansing agents used were predominantly pH balanced soap or liquid soap and water (n = 379, 71%) in comparison to chlorhexidine impregnated sponges/cloths (n = 86, 16.1%) or other agents such as pre-packaged washcloths (n = 65, 12.2%). In 347 episodes (64.4%) emollients were not applied after the bed-bath. In phase two 12 FGs were conducted (three FGs at each ICU) with a total of 42 RN participants. Thematic analysis of FG transcripts across the three levels of RN ICU experience highlighted a transition of patient hygiene practice philosophy from shades of grey – falling in line for inexperienced clinicians to experienced clinicians concrete beliefs about patient bed-bath needs. Conclusions This study identified variation in process and products used in patient hygiene practices in four ICUs. Further study to improve patient outcomes is required to determine the appropriate timing of patient hygiene activities and cleansing agents used to improve skin integrity.