From surfboard wax to salient health inequity : School programs to develop globally aware and active citizens

During the past century, significant improvements in the prevention, detection and treatment of infectious disease have positively impacted upon quality and quantity of life for many people worldwide. Despite this progress, there are large numbers of people currently living in developing regions of the world where infectious disease continues unabated. SurfAid International is a humanitarian organisation that has brought significant health improvements to the people living on the Mentawai and Nias islands of Indonesia. The SurfAid International Schools Program aims to develop global citizenship and social responsibility by providing a bridge between school settings and the critical work of SurfAid International. This paper provides a rationale for the development of contextualised school based programs and identifies potential impact upon the thoughts and actions of young people in schools.

Female greater wax moths reduce sexual display behavior in relation to the potential risk of predation by echolocating bats

Female greater wax moths Galleria mellonella display by wing fanning in response to bursts of ultrasonic calls produced by males. The temporal and spectral characteristics of these calls show some similarities with the echolocation calls of bats that emit frequency-modulated (FM) signals. Female G. mellonella therefore need to distinguish between the attractive signals of male conspecifics, which may lead to mating opportunities, and similar sounds made by predatory bats. We therefore predicted that (1) females would display in response to playbacks of male calls; (2) females would not display in response to playbacks of the calls of echolocating bats (we used the calls of Daubenton's bat Myotis daubentonii as representative of a typical FM echolocating bat); and (3) when presented with male calls and bat calls during the same time block, females would display more when perceived predation risk was lower. We manipulated predation risk in two ways. First, we varied the intensity of bat calls to represent a nearby (high risk) or distant (low risk) bat. Second, we played back calls of bats searching for prey (low risk) and attacking prey (high risk). All predictions were supported, suggesting that female G. mellonella are able to distinguish conspecific male mating calls from bat calls, and that they modify display rate in relation to predation risk. The mechanism (s) by which the moths separate the calls of bat and moth must involve temporal cues. Bat and moth signals differ considerably in duration, and differences in duration could be encoded by the moth's nervous system and used in discrimination.

Three-dimensional reconstruction of an ancient Egyptian mummy

A complete series of cross-sectional computed tomography (CT) scans were obtained of a mummy of an Egyptian priestess, Tjenmutengebtiu, (Jeni), who lived in the twenty-second Dynasty (c. 945-715 BC). The purpose of this joint British Museum and St. Thomas’ Hospital project was effectively to ‘unwrap’ a mummy using cross-sectional X-rays. Jeni is encased in a beautifully decorated anthropomorphic cartonnage coffin. The head and neck were scanned with 2mm slices, the teeth with 1mm slices and the rest of the body with 4 mm slices, a 512 x 512 matrix was used. The 2D CT images, and 3D surface reconstruction’s, demonstrate many features of the embalming techniques and funerary customs of the XXII Dynasty. The presence of cloth protruding from the nasal cavities into the otherwise empty cranial cavity indicates that the brain was extracted via the nose. The remains of the heart can be seen as well as four organ packs corresponding to the mummified and repackaged lungs, intestines, stomach and liver. Each of the organ packs encloses a wax figurine representing one of the four sons of Horus. The teeth are in very good condition with little signs of wear, which, considering the gritty diet of the Egyptians, indicates that Jeni must have been very young when she died. A young age of death is also suggested by analysis of the shape of the molar teeth. The body is generally in very good condition demonstrating the consummate skill of the twenty-second Dynasty embalmers.

Independent Brisbane: Four Plays [BOOK REVIEW]

Independent Brisbane: Four Plays is, as the title suggests, a collection of plays by independent theatre-makers and theatre-making collectives in Brisbane in the 2002– 07 period, including Marcel Dorney’s Harriers (6–51), the nest’s The Knowing of Mary Poppins (52–102), Linda Hassall’s Post Office Rose (103–71) and Maxine Mellor’s Magda’s Fascination with Wax Cats (172–216). According to the contextualising information on the book’s back cover, these plays are ‘distinctive’ in content, story and style, ‘[y]et carry with them what is characteristic of the city they come from – a preoccupation with landscape, creation in tightly knit collaborative teams and brave, often unexpected, theatrical choices’.

Towards human and social innovation: not wanting to know in order to create

The formation of a venture relies, in part, upon the participants reaching a shared understanding of purpose and process. Yet in circumstances of great complexity and uncertainty how can such a shared understanding be created? If the response to complexity and uncertainty is to seek simplicity in order to find commonality then what is lost and what is at risk? Can shared understandings of purpose and process be arrived at by embracing complexity and uncertainty and if so how? These questions led us to explore the process of dialogue and communication of a team in its formative stages. Our interests were not centred upon the behavioural characteristics of the individuals in the 'forming' stage of group dynamics but rather the process of cognitive and linguistic turns, the wax and wan of ideas and, the formation of shared meaning. This process of cognitive and linguistic turns was focused thematically on the areas of foresight, innovation, entrepreneurship, and public policy. This cross disciplinary exploration sought to explore potential synergies between these domains, in particular in developing a conceptual basis for long term thinking that can inform wiser public policy.

A comparison of patient matched meibum and tear lipidomes

Purpose. To quantify the molecular lipid composition of patient-matched tear and meibum samples and compare tear and meibum lipid molecular profiles. Methods. Lipids were extracted from tears and meibum by bi-phasic methods using 10:3 tertbutyl methyl ether:methanol, washed with aqueous ammonium acetate, and analyzed by chipbased nanoelectrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Targeted precursor ion and neutral loss scans identified individual molecular lipids and quantification was obtained by comparison to internal standards in each lipid class. Results. Two hundred and thirty-six lipid species were identified and quantified from nine lipid classes comprised of cholesterol esters, wax esters, (O-acyl)-x-hydroxy fatty acids, triacylglycerols, phosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, sphingomyelin, and phosphatidylserine. With the exception of phospholipids, lipid molecular profiles were strikingly similar between tears and meibum. Conclusions. Comparisons between tears and meibum indicate that meibum is likely to supply the majority of lipids in the tear film lipid layer. However, the observed higher mole ratio of phospholipid in tears shows that analysis of meibum alone does not provide a complete understanding of the tear film lipid composition.

The role of biological extracellular matrix scaffolds in vascularized three-dimensional tissue growth in vivo

An in vivo murine vascularized chamber model has been shown to generate spontaneous angiogenesis and new tissue formation. This experiment aimed to assess the effects of common biological scaffolds on tissue growth in this model. Either laminin-1, type I collagen, fibrin glue, hyaluronan, or sea sponge was inserted into silicone chambers containing the epigastric artery and vein, one end was sealed with adipose tissue and the other with bone wax, then incubated subcutaneously. After 2, 4, or 6 weeks, tissue from chambers containing collagen I, fibrin glue, hyaluronan, or no added scaffold (control) had small amounts of vascularized connective tissue. Chambers containing sea sponge had moderate connective tissue growth together with a mild "foreign body" inflammatory response. Chambers containing laminin-1, at a concentration 10-fold lower than its concentration in Matrigel™, resulted in a moderate adipogenic response. In summary, (1) biological hydrogels are resorbed and gradually replaced by vascularized connective tissue; (2) sponge-like matrices with large pores support connective tissue growth within the pores and become encapsulated with granulation tissue; (3) laminin-containing scaffolds facilitate adipogenesis. It is concluded that the nature and chemical composition of the scaffold exerts a significant influence on the amount and type of tissue generated in this in vivo chamber model.

Identification of the sources of primary organic aerosols at urban schools : a molecular marker approach

Children are particularly susceptible to air pollution and schools are examples of urban microenvironments that can account for a large portion of children’s exposure to airborne particles. Thus this paper aimed to determine the sources of primary airborne particles that children are exposed to at school by analyzing selected organic molecular markers at 11 urban schools in Brisbane, Australia. Positive matrix factorization analysis identified four sources at the schools: vehicle emissions, biomass burning, meat cooking and plant wax emissions accounting for 45%, 29%, 16% and 7%, of the organic carbon respectively. Biomass burning peaked in winter due to prescribed burning of bushland around Brisbane. Overall, the results indicated that both local (traffic) and regional (biomass burning) sources of primary organic aerosols influence the levels of ambient particles that children are exposed at the schools. These results have implications for potential control strategies for mitigating exposure at schools.

Closed Systems

Closed Systems was an exhibition of sculptural works held at MetroArts, Brisbane in the group exhibition 'Platform 2012' curated by Jan Manton. My contribution to the group show was a series of 13 bronze sculptures, produced using a lost-wax casting process. Each form was derived from a sapling that had been manipulated so that branches and roots were interconnected. The resulting 'looped' forms evoked notions on narcissism, self-absorption and introversion. The works were subsequently exhibited at the National Arts School in Sydney as part of the Kodak Minolta Art Prize (2013).

Drying characteristics and quality of grape under physical pretreatment

Grape drying is a slow and energy intensive process because the waxy peel has low permeability to moisture. Therefore, peel chemical and physical pretreatments are considered before drying in order to facilitate water diffusion. However, they cause heterogeneity in the waxes removal and problems during shelf-life. In this paper an alternative abrasive pretreatment of grape peel, for enhancing the drying rate and preserving the samples, was applied to Red Globe grapes. Convective drying experiments were carried out at 40-70 Centigrade and at 2.3 m/s air velocity. The effect of wax abrasive pretreatment on the drying kinetics and quality parameters of raisins was investigated. The results were compared with those of samples pretreated by dipping in alkaline ethyl oleate solution and untreated grapes. All the dried samples are darker than fresh one and shrunked. The samples pretreated by peel abrasion and dried at 50 centigrade showed the lowest color changes, less shrinkage and the best rehydration capacity. The drying kinetics and shrinkage curves were also analyzed using some commonly available empirical models.

15 Artists 2014

15 Artists 2014 was a group exhibition of 2D and 3D works held at the Redcliffe City Art Gallery between October 23 - December 6, 2014. My contribution to the group show was a collective series of 10 soft sculptures entitled Organs Without Bodies. These works were composed of latex, plaster, wool, thread, wax and rosin. I seek through my art practice to transform bodily affect into concrete knowledge. My primary motivation can be described as a relational and ethical attempt to find balance between the erotic and the aggressive. These objects are outcomes from an ongoing creative meditation of the simultaneity of dichotomies: inside and outside, cognition and emotion, past and present, connection and differentiation, the erotic and the aggressive. Each of these can be perceived separately with a penetrating focus of attention, yet all are contained within the 'space' of an expansive bodily-felt sense of awareness.