Improving ecological performance of industrialized building systems in Malaysia

For construction stakeholders to fully embrace sustainability, its long-term benefits and associated risks need to be identified through holistic approaches. Consensus among key stakeholders is very important to the improvement of the ecological performance of industrialized building systems (IBS), a building construction method gaining momentum in Malaysia. A questionnaire survey examines the relative significance of 16 potentially important sustainability factors for IBS applications. To present possible solutions,semi-structured interviews solicit views from experienced IBS practitioners, representing the professions involved. Three most critical factors agreed by key stakeholders are material consumption, waste generation and waste disposal. Using SWOT analysis, the positive and negative aspects of these factors are investigated, with action plans formulated for IBS design practitioners. The SWOT analysis based guidelines have the potential to become part of IBS design briefing documents against which sustainability solutions are contemplated, selected and implemented. Existing knowledge on ecological performance issues is extended by considering the unique characteristics of IBS and identifying not only the benefits, but also the potential risks and challenges of pursuing sustainability. This is largely missing in previous research efforts. Findings to date focus on providing much-needed assistance to IBS designers, who are at the forefront of decision-making with a significant level of project influence. Ongoing work will be directed towards other project development phases and consider the inherent linkage between design decisions and subsequent sustainability deliverables in the project life cycle.

Improved ultra-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization quadrupole-time-of-flight high-definition mass spectrometry method for the rapid analysis of the chemical constituents of a typical medical formula: Liuwei Dihuang Wan

Liuwei Dihuang Wan (LWD), a classic Chinese medicinal formulae, has been used to improve or restore declined functions related to aging and geriatric diseases, such as impaired mobility, vision, hearing, cognition and memory. It has attracted increasingly much attention as one of the most popular and valuable herbal medicines. However, the systematic analysis of the chemical constituents of LDW is difficult and thus has not been well established. In this paper, a rapid, sensitive and reliable ultra-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight high-definition mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS) method with automated MetaboLynx analysis in positive and negative ion mode was established to characterize the chemical constituents of LDW. The analysis was performed on a Waters UPLCTM HSS T3 using a gradient elution system. MS/MS fragmentation behavior was proposed for aiding the structural identification of the components. Under the optimized conditions, a total of 50 peaks were tentatively characterized by comparing the retention time and MS data. It is concluded that a rapid and robust platform based on UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS has been successfully developed for globally identifying multiple-constituents of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions. This is the first report on systematic analysis of the chemical constituents of LDW. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Illustrating outcomes for Australian nascent and young firm entrepreneurial activity

This paper examines the outcomes of nascent and young entrepreneurial firms in Australia. Findings of interest in this paper include: • After three years similar proportions of nascent firms reach an operational state (31 per cent), i.e. sales regularly exceed costs, compared with those that have terminated (35 per cent), and those who are still trying to achieve venture creation (34 per cent). This outcome closely mirrors the outcomes in the US PSED study. • The young firm sample shows that these new ventures remain more robust to firm closure. The vast majority of young firms (78 per cent) continue to be active in the market the last time they participated in CAUSEE. • The annual termination rate for young firms is 9 per cent at most, and 14 per cent cumulatively, while cumulatively only 8 per cent of young firms experience a drop-off in activity to be considered as having uncertain status. • The average number of employees in Nascent Firms is one person, the average number of Young Firm employees increases from two at first sampling to three after three years. • While the founders of exiting Nascent Firms are more likely to return to their old job upon termination of their business, Young Firm founders move on to new jobs. Regardless the majority of exiting firm founders rate their experience as positive and are prepared to attempt business creation in the future.

Simultaneous determination of aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, and p,p'-DDT in medicinal plant extracts using a novel high performance liquid chromatography method

A high performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of five organochlorine pesticides (aldrin, p,p’-DDT, dieldrin, endrin, and heptachlor) was developed. The method was used to determine the levels of these pesticides in medicinal plant samples. Analysis was carried out using a Merck LiChrospher 100 RP C18 (5 μm) column with a gradient solvent system of acetonitrile-water and PDA UV detection (224 nm). Quantification was carried out by the external standard method. The limit of detection for the utilized method was below the local legal limits (ANZFA) for similar plant materials for all 5 pesticides excepting endrin. Medicinal plant extracts were further analyzed by conventional GC-ECD and GC-NPD means using SPE and GPC cleanup as required.