A stress and coping approach to organisational change: Evidence from three field studies

In this paper, a stress and coping perspective is used to outline the processes that determine employee adaptation to organisational change. A theoretical framework that simultaneously considers the effects of event characteristics, situational appraisals, coping strategies, and coping resources is reviewed. Three empirical investigations of organisational change that have tested various components of the model are then presented. In the first study, there was evidence linking event characteristics, situational appraisals, coping strategies and coping resources to levels of employee adjustment in a sample of pilots employed in a newly merged airline company. In a more focused test of the model with a sample of employees experiencing a restructuring process in their organisation it was found that the provision of change-related information enhanced levels of efficacy to deal with the change process which, in turn, predicted psychological wellbeing, client engagement, and job satisfaction. In a study of managers affected by a new remuneration scheme, there was evidence to suggest that managers who received change-specific information and opportunities to participate in the change process reported higher levels of change readiness. Managers who reported higher levels of readiness for change also reported higher levels of psychological wellbeing and job satisfaction. These studies highlight ways in which managers and change agents can help employees to cope during times of organisational change.

Eye-safe UV stand-off Raman spectroscopy for the ranged detection of explosives in the field

Increasing worldwide terrorist attacks involving explosives presents a growing need for a rapid and ranged explosive detection method that can safely be deployed in the field. Stand-off Raman spectroscopy shows great promise; however, the radiant exposures of lasers required for adequate signal generation are often much greater than what is safe for the eye or the skin, restricting use of the technique to un-populated areas. Here, by determining the safe exposure levels for lasers typically used in Raman spectroscopy, optimal parameter values are identified, which produce the largest possible detection range using power densities that do not exceed the eye-safe limit. It is shown that safe ultraviolet pulse energies can be more than three orders of magnitude greater than equivalent safe visible pulse energies. Coupling this to the 16-fold increase in Raman signal obtained in the ultraviolet at 266 nm over that at 532 nm results in a 131 times larger detection range for the eye-safe 266-nm system over an equivalent eye-safe 532-nm laser system. For the Raman system described here, this translates to a maximum range of 42 m for detecting Teflon with a 266-nm laser emitting a 100-mm diameter beam of 23.5-mJ nanosecond pulses.

Effect of different surface profile on wear of rail steel (AS1085.1) used in Australian heavy-haul railways

The extreme diversity of conditions acting on railways necessitates a variety of experimental approaches to study the critical wear mechanisms that present themselves at the contact interface. This work investigates the effects of contact pressure and geometry in rolling-contact wear tests by using discs with different radii of curvature to simulate the varying contact conditions that may be typically found in the field. It is commonly adapted to line contact interface as it has constant contact pressure. But practical scenario of the rail wheel interface, the contact area increase and contact pressure change as tracks worn off. The tests were conducted without any significant amount of traction, but micro slip was still observed due to contact deformation. Moreover, variation of contact pressure was observed due to contact patch elongation and diameter reduction. Rolling contact fatigue, adhesive and sliding wear were observed on the curved contact interface. The development of different wear regimes and material removal phenomena were analysed using microscopic images in order to broaden the understanding of the wear mechanisms occurring in the rail-wheel contact.

Mathematical modelling of gas production and compositional shift of a CSG (coal seam gas) field: Local model development

In this work we discuss the development of a mathematical model to predict the shift in gas composition observed over time from a producing CSG (coal seam gas) well, and investigate the effect that physical properties of the coal seam have on gas production. A detailed (local) one-dimensional, two-scale mathematical model of a coal seam has been developed. The model describes the competitive adsorption and desorption of three gas species (CH4, CO2 and N2) within a microscopic, porous coal matrix structure. The (diffusive) flux of these gases between the coal matrices (microscale) and a cleat network (macroscale) is accounted for in the model. The cleat network is modelled as a one-dimensional, volume averaged, porous domain that extends radially from a central well. Diffusive and advective transport of the gases occurs within the cleat network, which also contains liquid water that can be advectively transported. The water and gas phases are assumed to be immiscible. The driving force for the advection in the gas and liquid phases is taken to be a pressure gradient with capillarity also accounted for. In addition, the relative permeabilities of the water and gas phases are considered as functions of the degree of water saturation.

Efficient and bright polymer light emitting field effect transistors

Light emitting field effect transistors (LEFETs) are emerging as a multi-functional class of optoelectronic devices. LEFETs can simultaneously execute light emission and the standard logic functions of a transistor in a single architecture. However, current LEFET architectures deliver either high brightness or high efficiency but not both concurrently, thus limiting their use in technological applications. Here we show an LEFET device strategy that simultaneously improves brightness and efficiency. The key step change in LEFET performance arises from the bottom gate top-contact device architecture in which the source/drain electrodes are semitransparent and the active channel contains a bi-layer comprising of a high mobility charge-transporting polymer, and a yellow-green emissive polymer. A record external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 2.1% at 1000cd/m2 is demonstrated for polymer based bilayer LEFETs.

Ion exchange treatment of saline solutions using lanxess S108H strong acid cation resin

Common to many types of water and wastewater is the presence of sodium ions which can be removed by desalination technologies, such as reverse osmosis and ion exchange. The focus of this investigation was ion exchange as it potentially offered several advantages compared to competing methods. The equilibrium and column behaviour of a strong acid cation (SAC) resin was examined for the removal of sodium ions from aqueous sodium chloride solutions of varying normality as well as a coal seam gas water sample. The influence of the bottle-point method to generate the sorption isotherms was evaluated and data interpreted with the Langmuir Vageler, Competitive Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin-Astakhov models. With the constant concentration bottle point method, the predicted maximum exchange levels of sodium ions on the resin ranged from 61.7 to 67.5 g Na/kg resin. The general trend was that the lower the initial concentration of sodium ions in the solution, the lower the maximum capacity of the resin for sodium ions. In contrast, the constant mass bottle point method was found to be problematic in that the isotherm profiles may not be complete, if experimental parameters were not chosen carefully. Column studies supported the observations of the equilibrium studies, with maximum sodium loading of ca. 62.9 g Na/kg resin measured, which was in excellent agreement with the predictions of the data from the constant concentration bottle point method. Equilibria involving coal seam gas water were more complex due to the presence of sodium bicarbonate in solution, albeit the maximum loading capacity for sodium ions was in agreement with the results from the more simple sodium chloride solutions.

What happens on the field stays on the field? – Battery in sport

This article provides an overview of battery, with a particular focus on the role that consent plays in contact sports. The limits of implied consent in sport will also be discussed, followed by a brief overview of other relevant defences. Finally, issues of damages and vicarious liability will be addressed.

Polymorphisms in the receptor tyrosine kinase MERTK gene are associated with Multiple Sclerosis susceptibility

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating, chronic demyelinating disease of the central nervous system affecting over 2 million people worldwide. The TAM family of receptor tyrosine kinases (TYRO3, AXL and MERTK) have been implicated as important players during demyelination in both animal models of MS and in the human disease. We therefore conducted an association study to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within genes encoding the TAM receptors and their ligands associated with MS. Analysis of genotype data from a genome-wide association study which consisted of 1618 MS cases and 3413 healthy controls conducted by the Australia and New Zealand Multiple Sclerosis Genetics Consortium (ANZgene) revealed several SNPs within the MERTK gene (Chromosome 2q14.1, Accession Number NG_011607.1) that showed suggestive association with MS. We therefore interrogated 28 SNPs in MERTK in an independent replication cohort of 1140 MS cases and 1140 healthy controls. We found 12 SNPs that replicated, with 7 SNPs showing p-values of less than 10-5 when the discovery and replication cohorts were combined. All 12 replicated SNPs were in strong linkage disequilibrium with each other. In combination, these data suggest the MERTK gene is a novel risk gene for MS susceptibility. © 2011 Ma et al.

Learning Chinese as a Heritage Language: An Australian Perspective

Summary: This book explores the fascinating topic of heritage language learning, looking in particular at Chinese Australians' learning of Chinese. The author studies the investment, challenges and benefits of heritage language learning across varied contexts including school, work, home and in the community. The book investigates how Chinese Australians navigate and negotiate their Chineseness and how resources are used to support their learning. The book is based on a mixed methods study which uses Bourdieu's sociological theory, and offers implications for sociologists of language and education, Chinese heritage language learners and teachers, as well as language and cultural policy makers. Review: This book is a compelling account of the habitus of Chineseness in a world of mobility. It offers up a plethora of insights into the implication of heritage language learning in the constitution of Chinese identity; it makes available a sophisticated mixed methods approach for using the thinking tools of Pierre Bourdieu; it adds to these tools a nuanced cultural dimension. Karen Dooley, Queensland University of Technology, Australia In our increasingly trans-migratory world, language can be central to cultural identity. Dr Mu’s research breaks new ground by adapting Bourdieu’s insights to examine how cultural identity (‘Chinese-ness’) is linguistically learned and practiced in Australia. His remarkable book will interest educators and researchers grappling with how language pertains to identity. Tom Strong, University of Calgary, Canada A thought-provoking, highly engaging work that has deftly shown how Bourdieusian framework can be applied in the research field of literacy education and Heritage Language learning. A must-read for those interested in overseas Chinese communities and Heritage Language learning across various immigrant communities in general! Liang Du, Beijing Normal University, China

Adding paths to resilience and daily accounts to an already rich field of inquiry: A brief commentary on James Jackson's "Social structure and health disparities"

In absolute terms, there have been improvements in social resources for all racial and ethnic groups in the United States. The rise in education levels among blacks and Hispanics, for instance, suggests a lessening of the gap between classes, beginning in the later part of the 1960’s (Kao & Thompson, 2003). Yet the divide in income and to a lesser extent education between peoples who differ in gender, skin color and ethnic origin continues and in many ways is greater now than ever (Danziger & Gottschalk, 1997); (Gottschalk, 1997). The psychological distance between those high and those low in social-economic status continues unabated and threatens to undermine the capacity of communities to foster the positive architecture of hope, optimism and equal opportunity that holds us together as a nation...

Experimental investigation of wear modes of hardened rail material used in Australian heavy-haul railways

This work investigates the effects of contact pressure and geometry in rolling-contact wear tests by using discs with different radii of curvature to simulate the varying contact conditions that may be typically found in the field. The tests were conducted without any significant amount of traction, but micro slip was still observed due to contact deformation. Moreover, variation of contact pressure was observed due to contact patch elongation and diameter reduction. Rolling contact fatigue, adhesive and sliding wear were observed on the curved contact interface. The development of different wear regimes and material removal phenomena were analyzed using microscopic images in order to broaden the understanding of the wear mechanisms occurring in the rail-wheel contact.

Non-major-histocompatibility-complex genetics of ankylosing spondylitis

There is strong evidence from twin and family studies indicating that a substantial proportion of the heritability of susceptibility to ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and its clinical manifestations is encoded by non-major-histocompatibility-complex genes. Efforts to identify these genes have included genomewide linkage studies and candidate gene association studies. One region, the interleukin (IL)-1 gene complex on chromosome 2, has been repeatedly associated with AS in both Caucasians and Asians. It is likely that more than one gene in this complex is involved in AS, with the strongest evidence to date implicating IL-1A. Identifying the genes underlying other linkage regions has been difficult due to the lack of obvious candidates and the low power of most studies to date to identify genes of the small to moderate magnitude that are likely to be involved. The field is moving towards genomewide association analysis, involving much larger datasets of unrelated cases and controls. Early successes using this approach in other diseases indicates that it is likely to identify genes in common diseases like AS, but there remains the risk that the common-variant, common-disease hypothesis will not hold true in AS. Nonetheless, it is appropriate for the field to be cautiously optimistic that the next few years will bring great advances in our understanding of the genetics of this condition.

Genetics and the pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis

Purpose of review The field of genetic research in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is advancing rapidly. The purpose of this review is to outline recent findings, particularly, in regard to genetic studies of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and the non-MHC genes IL23R, ERAP1, and killer cell immunologlobulin-like receptor (KIR) complex, in AS. Recent findings: Convincing evidence has been reported for the existence of further non-B27 MHC genes involved in AS. Strong, replicated association has been reported with IL23R and ERAP1 and AS. The IL23R finding strongly implicates the TH17 lymphocyte system in AS aetiopathogenesis. Suggestive evidence of a role for KIR gene polymorphism in AS exists, but definitive findings are awaited. Summary: The findings suggest that further genome-wide studies in large case-control cohorts are likely to be very productive in this disease. The IL23R findings and subsequent immunological investigations suggest that targeted intervention in the TH17 system is likely to have major therapeutic benefit, as it does in the genetically related diseases, inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis.

Genetics of ankylosing spondylitis

Purpose of Review Over the past 3 years, several new genes and gene deserts have been identified that are associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The purpose of this review is to discuss the major findings of these studies, and the answers they provide and questions they raise about the pathogenesis of this common condition. Recent Findings: Five genes/genetic regions have now definitively been associated with AS [the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), IL23R, ERAP1, 2p15 and 21q22]. Strong evidence to support association with the disease has been demonstrated for the genes IL1R2, ANTXR2, TNFSF15, TNFR1 and a region on chromosome 16q including the gene TRADD. There is an overrepresentation of genes involved in Th17 lymphocyte differentiation/activation among genes associated with AS and the related diseases inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis, pointing strongly to this pathway as playing a major causative role in the disease. Increasing information about differential association of HLA-B27 subtypes with disease suggests a hierarchy of strength of association of those alleles with AS, providing a useful test as to the validity of different potential mechanisms of association of HLA-B27 with AS. The mechanism underlying the association of the gene deserts, 2p15 and 21q22, suggests the involvement of noncoding RNA in AS etiopathogenesis. Summary: The increasing list of genes identified as being definitely involved in AS provides a useful platform for hypothesis-driven research in the field, providing a potential alternative route to determining the underlying mechanisms involved in the disease to research focusing on HLA-B27 alone.

Plasmon nanofocusing with negative refraction in a high-index dielectric wedge

Here, we describe a metal-insulator-insulator nanofocusing structure formed by a high-permittivity dielectric wedge on a metal substrate. The structure is shown to produce nanofocusing of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) in the direction opposite to the taper of the wedge, including a range of nanoplasmonic effects such as nanofocusing of SPPs with negative refraction, formation of plasmonic caustics within a nanoscale distance from the wedge tip, mutual transformation of SPP modes, and significant local field enhancements in the adiabatic and strongly nonadiabatic regimes. A combination of approximate analytical and rigorous numerical approaches is used to analyze the strength and position of caustics in the structure. In particular, it is demonstrated that strong SPP localization within spatial regions as small as a few tens of nanometers near the caustic is achievable in the considered structures. Contrary to other nanofocusing configurations, efficient nanofocusing is shown to occur in the strongly nonadiabatic regime with taper angles of the dielectric wedge as large as ∼40° and within uniquely short distances (as small as a few dozens of nanometers) from the tip of the wedge. Physical interpretations of the obtained results are also presented and discussed.