Project 2.7 Leveraging R&D Investment for the Australian built environment : Phase 2 Case Study Reports Part 1 - Overview of Findings

This report provides an overview of findings of qualitative research comprising three case studies undertaken as a part of the retrospective analysis component of Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre (SBEnrc) Project 2.7 Leveraging R&D investment for the Australian Built Environment. These case studies (see Parts 2, 3 and 4 of this suite of reports) were undertaken to illustrate the nature of past R&D investments in Australia. This was done to complement: (i) the audit and analysis of past R&D investment undertaken by Thomas Barlow (2011); and (ii) the Construction 2030 roadmap being developed by Swinburne University of Technology and Professor Göran Roos from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. These documents will be the basis for the final phase of the present project - developing policy guidelines for future R&D investment in the Australian built environment. Refer also Parts 1, 2 and 3 for detail findings.

Project 2.7 Leveraging R&D Investment for the Australian built environment : Phase 2 Case Study Report Part 4 - CADD, BIM and IPD

This report discusses findings of a case study into "CADD, BIM and IPD" undertaken as a part of the retrospective analysis component of Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre (SBEnrc) Project 2.7 Leveraging R&D investment for the Australian Built Environment. This case study investigated the evolution that has taken place in the Queensland Department of Public Works Division of Project Services during the last 20 years from: the initial implementation of computer aided design and documentation(CADD); to the experimentation with building information modelling (BIM) from the mid 2000’s; embedding integrated practice (IP); to current steps towards integrated project delivery (IPD) with the integration of contractors in the design/delivery process. This case study should be read in conjunction with Part 1 of this suite of reports.

Project 2.7 Leveraging R&D Investment for the Australian built environment : Phase 2 Case Study Report Part 2 - Road Construction Safety

This report discusses findings of a case study into "Road Construction Safety" undertaken as a part of the retrospective analysis component of Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre (SBEnrc) Project 2.7 Leveraging R&D investment for the Australian Built Environment. The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (QTMR) has taken a leadership role in developing a safer working environment for road construction workers. In the past decades, a range of initiatives have been introduced to contribute to improved performance in this area. Several initiatives have been undertaken by QTMR as part of their overarching commitment to safety. Three such initiatives form the basis for this case study investigation, in order to better illustrate the nature of R&D investment and its impact on day-to-day operations and the supply chain. These are the development and implementation of: (i) the Mechanical Traffic Aid: (ii) the Thermal Imaging Camera; and (iii) the Trailer-based CCTV (camera). This case study should be read in conjunction with Part 1 of this suite of reports.

Project 2.7 Leveraging R&D Investment for the Australian built environment : Phase 2 Case Study Report Part 3 - Green Buildings

This report discusses findings of a case study into "Green Buildings" undertaken as a part of the retrospective analysis component of Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre (SBEnrc) Project 2.7 Leveraging R&D investment for the Australian Built Environment. The Western Australian Government (WAG) has taken a leadership role for a number of decades in developing more environmentally responsive buildings. In the past decade, considerable initiatives have been introduced to contribute to: (i) greening the stock of government buildings; and (ii) providing leadership in the development of other non-residential buildings developed commercially. This role has been informed by global, national and internal initiatives and research in this area. This case study investigates: (i) the nature of this leadership; and (ii) the role of R&D policy development; and (iii) the dissemination and impact of outcomes in the broader industry. This case study should be read in conjunction with Part 1 of this suite of reports.

Alternating direction implicit numerical method for the space and time fractional Bloch-Torrey equation in 3-D

Recently, some authors have considered a new diffusion model–space and time fractional Bloch-Torrey equation (ST-FBTE). Magin et al. (2008) have derived analytical solutions with fractional order dynamics in space (i.e., _ = 1, β an arbitrary real number, 1 < β ≤ 2) and time (i.e., 0 < α < 1, and β = 2), respectively. Yu et al. (2011) have derived an analytical solution and an effective implicit numerical method for solving ST-FBTEs, and also discussed the stability and convergence of the implicit numerical method. However, due to the computational overheads necessary to perform the simulations for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in three dimensions, they present a study based on a two-dimensional example to confirm their theoretical analysis. Alternating direction implicit (ADI) schemes have been proposed for the numerical simulations of classic differential equations. The ADI schemes will reduce a multidimensional problem to a series of independent one-dimensional problems and are thus computationally efficient. In this paper, we consider the numerical solution of a ST-FBTE on a finite domain. The time and space derivatives in the ST-FBTE are replaced by the Caputo and the sequential Riesz fractional derivatives, respectively. A fractional alternating direction implicit scheme (FADIS) for the ST-FBTE in 3-D is proposed. Stability and convergence properties of the FADIS are discussed. Finally, some numerical results for ST-FBTE are given.

R&D investment in green building initiatives in Western Australia

This paper reports on a current case study of green building initiatives implemented by the Western Australian government in the past decade. The intent is to provide a qualitative understanding of past R&D investments in the Australian built environment. The case method was selected to illustrate three sector-based investments, one of which is reported on here. The conceptual framework underpinning interview design and data analysis uses dynamic capability, absorptive capacity and open innovation theories to better understand the organisational environment in which these initiatives were implemented. Data has been thematically coded to criteria identified from the literature to illustrate organisational characteristics which may have contributed to dissemination and impact. The results will be combined with two further case studies (construction safety and digital modelling), to inform this research. This industry supported project will conclude by developing policy guidelines for future R&D investment in the built environment.

The effect of Tenofovir on vitamin D metabolism in HIV-infected adults is dependent on sex and ethnicity

Background: Tenofovir has been associated with renal phosphate wasting, reduced bone mineral density, and higher parathyroid hormone levels. The aim of this study was to carry out a detailed comparison of the effects of tenofovir versus non-tenofovir use on calcium, phosphate and, vitamin D, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and bone mineral density. Methods: A cohort study of 56 HIV-1 infected adults at a single centre in the UK on stable antiretroviral regimes comparing biochemical and bone mineral density parameters between patients receiving either tenofovir or another nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor. Principal Findings: In the unadjusted analysis, there was no significant difference between the two groups in PTH levels (tenofovir mean 5.9 pmol/L, 95% confidence intervals 5.0 to 6.8, versus non-tenofovir; 5.9, 4.9 to 6.9; p = 0.98). Patients on tenofovir had significantly reduced urinary calcium excretion (median 3.01 mmol/24 hours) compared to non-tenofovir users (4.56; p,0.0001). Stratification of the analysis by age and ethnicity revealed that non-white men but not women, on tenofovir had higher PTH levels than non-white men not on tenofovir (mean difference 3.1 pmol/L, 95% CI 5.3 to 0.9; p = 0.007). Those patients with optimal 25-hydroxyvitamin D (.75 nmol/L) on tenofovir had higher 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] (median 48 pg/mL versus 31; p = 0.012), fractional excretion of phosphate (median 26.1%, versus 14.6;p = 0.025) and lower serum phosphate (median 0.79 mmol/L versus 1.02; p = 0.040) than those not taking tenofovir. Conclusions: The effects of tenofovir on PTH levels were modified by sex and ethnicity in this cohort. Vitamin D status also modified the effects of tenofovir on serum concentrations of 1,25(OH)2D and phosphate.

Going public : do risk and choice explain differences in caesarean birth rates between public and private places of birth in Australia?

Background: Women who birth in private facilities in Australia are more likely to have a caesarean birth than women who birth in public facilities and these differences remain after accounting for sector differences in the demographic and health risk profiles of women. However, the extent to which women’s preferences and/or freedom to choose their mode of birth further account for differences in the likelihood of caesarean birth between the sectors remains untested. Method: Women who birthed in Queensland, Australia during a two-week period in 2009 were mailed a self-report survey approximately three months after birth. Seven hundred and fifty-seven women provided cross-sectional retrospective data on where they birthed (public or private facility), mode of birth (vaginal or caesarean) and risk factors, along with their preferences and freedom to choose their mode of birth. A hierarchical logistic regression was conducted to determine the extent to which maternal risk and freedom to choose one’s mode of birth explain sector differences in the likelihood of having a caesarean birth. Findings: While there was no sector difference in women’s preference for mode of birth, women who birthed in private facilities had higher odds of feeling able to choose either a vaginal or caesarean birth, and feeling able to choose only a caesarean birth. Women had higher odds of having caesarean birth if they birthed in private facilities, even after accounting for significant risk factors such as age, body mass index, previous caesarean and use of assisted reproductive technology. However, there was no association between place of birth and odds of having a caesarean birth after also accounting for freedom to choose one’s mode of birth. Conclusions: These findings call into question suggestions that the higher caesarean birth rate in the private sector in Australia is attributable to increased levels of obstetric risk among women birthing in the private sector or maternal preferences alone. Instead, the determinants of sector differences in the likelihood of caesarean births are complex and are linked to differences in the perceived choices for mode of birth between women birthing in the private and public systems.

Identification of long intergenic region sequences involved in maize streak virus replication

The main cis-acting control regions for replication of the single-stranded DNA genome of maize streak virus (MSV) are believed to reside within an approximately 310 nt long intergenic region (LIR). However, neither the minimum LIR sequence required nor the sequence determinants of replication specificity have been determined experimentally. There are iterated sequences, or iterons, both within the conserved inverted-repeat sequences with the potential to form a stem-loop structure at the origin of virion-strand replication, and upstream of the rep gene TATA box (the rep-proximal iteron or RPI). Based on experimental analyses of similar iterons in viruses from other geminivirus genera and their proximity to known Rep-binding sites in the distantly related mastrevirus wheat dwarf virus, it has been hypothesized that the iterons may be Rep-binding and/or -recognition sequences. Here, a series of LIR deletion mutants was used to define the upper bounds of the LIR sequence required for replication. After identifying MSV strains and distinct mastreviruses with incompatible replication-specificity determinants (RSDs), LIR chimaeras were used to map the primary MSV RSD to a 67 nt sequence containing the RPI. Although the results generally support the prevailing hypothesis that MSV iterons are functional analogues of those found in other geminivirus genera, it is demonstrated that neither the inverted-repeat nor RPI sequences are absolute determinants of replication specificity. Moreover, widely divergent mastreviruses can trans-replicate one another. These results also suggest that sequences in the 67 nt region surrounding the RPI interact in a sequence-specific manner with those of the inverted repeat.