A societal knowledge management system : harnessing indigenous wisdom to build sustainable predictors for adaptation to climate change

As the climate changes globally time-honoured climate in a region may change and shift to another region. Consequently, local predictors of climate may no longer apply to the area where they were born, but may be invaluable in new regions where previously reliable predictors have become outmoded This paper is set on the proposition thaI traditional (indigenous) know/edge can be a strategic source in adapting to climate change, in these changing times. The research reported in this paper takes the Societal Knowledge Management approach where knowledge that rests within local communities, is harnessed to inform local communities and scientists regarding climate change impacts, so as to adapt to them accurately. A phased study was conducted that aimed at acquiring, synthesising and disseminating traditional knowledge regarding change in monsoon patterns in India. Traditional wisdom prevalent among fhe myriad communities of India, was collected, collated and classified into knowledge spheres such as Bio-Indicators, Wind Movement, Atmospheric Pal/ems, Astrological Methods, Festivals and Rituals, Direction, Characteristics of the Rain, Characteristics of Celestial Bodies etc and incorporaled into a knowledge portal, which is the basis for building the Societal Knowledge Management System (SKM). Subsequently, the SKM is to be harmonised with scientific predictors on seasonal weather patterns will allow researchers to identify if the existing indicators and monsoon pattems are subject to change, and if so how. Research in progress is aimed at integrating the knowledge with modern science and disseminating this knowledge through local knowledge centres, at village levels. Furthermore, this study is to be replicated in Australia, by harnessing indigenous knowledge, to build the SKM for Australia that could assist in building a better understanding of the factors that impact the environment, methods of building sustainable predictors for climate and approaches for adapting the climate changes. The research reported is expected to inform policy makers, scientists, governance institutions as well as researchers regarding the applicability of indigenous knowledge in building sustainable predictors for adaptation to climate change in the two countries cited and can be extended into other countries.

Indigenous research ethics : new modes of information gathering and storytelling in journalism

Veteran Indigenous affairs reporter Tony Koch emphasises the importance of respect, trust and listening in his journalism practice. This paper draws on Koch’s insights as well as recent scholarship on the policies and value of listening to support the proposal that Indigenous research ethics provide a concrete framework for improving media representations of Indigenous people and their access to news media. The university ethics process cannot replicate the understanding Koch has gained from 25 years of interacting with Indigenous people and their communities. However, this paper argues it provides a pathway along which journalism academics and their students can learn to engage with Indigenous people, navigate Indigenous public spheres and produce high-quality reporting that reflects Indigenous people’s aspirations. Journalists within the academy, who are not subject to the commercial or organizational pressures of the news industry, are especially well placed to collaborate with Indigenous people to deliver new ways of conducting research and telling stories that privilege their perspectives. Koch’s newsgathering practice demonstrates that many principals of this progressive approach are also achievable in mainstream journalism.

Synthesis and growth of hematite nanodiscs through a facile hydrothermal approach

This study reports a facile hydrothermal method for the synthesis of monodispersed hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanodiscs under mild conditions. The method has features such as no use of surfactants, no toxic precursors, and no requirements of high-temperature decomposition of iron precursors in non-polar solvents. By this method, α-Fe2O3 nanodiscs were achieved with diameter of 50 ± 10 nm and thickness of ~6.5 nm by the hydrolysis of ferric chloride. The particle characteristics (e.g., shape, size, and distribution) and functional properties (e.g., magnetic and catalytic properties) were investigated by various advanced techniques, including TEM, AFM, XRD, BET, and SQUID. Such nanodiscs were proved to show unique magnetic properties, i.e., superparamagnetic property at a low temperature (e.g., 20 K) but ferromagnetic property at a room temperature (~300 K). They also exhibit low-temperature (<623 K) catalytic activity in CO oxidation because of extremely clean surfaces due to non-involvement of surfactants, compared with those spheres and ellipsoids capped by PVP molecules.

Implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software in a major construction contracting organization in Hong Kong

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to summarize the scope, methodology and main findings of a doctoral thesis about the implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software in a major construction contracting organization in Hong Kong. This research is taken from a leadership and power and project management (PM) perspective.

Design/methodology/approach – The project adopted a case study approach in which the candidate was an employee/observer, who was embedded as a member of the business transformation team taking an action learning approach to study the ERP adoption. The research used the soft system methodology to identify gaps in the observed maturity level which exists in the organization. Data was gathered using public and private documentation, semi-structured interviews, observation and was validated through review of evidence with participants.

Findings – The results identified the importance of leadership and cultural issues in implementation of the business strategy. This research includes a contribution in two spheres: PM and construction procurement. The first implication for PM theory was to illustrate how knowledge has been efficiently managed within a construction organization by using information communication technology (ICT). It can be represented by the ladder of ICT>ERP>KM>PM. The second implication was to pave the way for the use of partnering strategies in PM practice. It can be represented by the ladder of National Culture>Organizational Culture>Leadership>Partnering Strategy>PM.

Practical implications – This model could be adapted to other large and complex organisational contexts. The research project also has implications as opening up a PM perspective on business transformation.

Originality/value – The contribution of this research is proving the success of adopting KM in a construction company by using an ERP system. The importance of culture in the traditionally collectivistic construction industry, and the issues senior management should take into account when formulating business strategies.

Major grass pollen allergen Lol p 1 binds to diesel exhaust particles : implications for asthma and air pollution

Background Grass pollen allergens are known to be present in the atmosphere in a range of particle sizes from whole pollen grains (approx. 20 to 55 μim in diameter) to smaller size fractions < 2.5 μ (fine particles, PM2.5). These latter particles are within the respirable range and include allergen-containing starch granules released from within the grains into the atmosphere when grass pollen ruptures in rainfall and are associated with epidemics of thunderstorm asthma during the grass pollen season. The question arises whether grass pollen allergens can interact with other sources of fine particles, particularly those present during episodes of air pollution.

Objective We propose the hypothesis that free grass pollen allergen molecules, derived from dead or burst grains and dispersed in microdroplets of water in aerosols, can bind to fine particles in polluted air.

Methods We used diesel exhaust carbon particles (DECP) derived from the exhaust of a stationary diesel engine, natural highly purified Lol p 1, immunogold labelling with specific monoclonal antibodies and a high voltage transmission electron -microscopic imaging technique

Results DECP are visualized as small carbon spheres, each 30–60 nm in diameter, forming fractal aggregates about 1–2μ in diameter. Here we test our hypothesis and show by in vitro experiments that the major grass pollen allergen, Lol p I. binds to one defined class of fine particles, DECP.

Conclusion DECP are in the respirable size range, can bind to the major grass pollen allergen Lol p I under in vitro conditions and represent a possible mechanism by which allergens can become concentrated in polluted air and thus trigger attacks of asthma.

From Masterchef to the Arab spring via Wikileaks : social media and political change

This comparison between Bahrain and Australia shows how the main impact of social and mobile media has been in the form of facilitators of rapid political mobilization, as well as tools for everyday socializing and entertainment. Social media are both contributors to, and symptomatic of, a blurring of the boundaries between politics and entertainment, and public and private spheres, whether their users are in Australia or Bahrain, but they are not in themselves the makers of material sites of democracy or even agency.

A class of optimal fault tolerant Jacobian for minimal redundant manipulators based on symmetric geometries

Design of locally optimal fault tolerant manipulators has been recently addressed via using the constraints of the desired null space for the Jacobian matrix of the manipulators. In the present paper the Jacobian matrices for optimal fault tolerance are presented based on geometric properties of column vectors instead of the null space. They are equally fault tolerant to a single joint failure from the worst-case relative manipulability and worst-case dexterity points of view. The optimality is achieved through a symmetric distribution of points on spheres.

Sensing and using social context

We present online algorithms to extract social context: Social spheres are labeled locations of significance, represented as convex hulls extracted from GPS traces. Colocation is determined from Bluetooth and GPS to extract social rhythms, patterns in time, duration, place, and people corresponding to real-world activities. Social ties are formulated from proximity and shared spheres and rhythms. Quantitative evaluation is performed for 10+ million samples over 45 man-months. Applications are presented with assessment of perceived utility: Socio-Graph, a video and photo browser with filters for social metadata, and Jive, a blog browser that uses rhythms to discover similarity between entries automatically.

Photoreactive azido-containing silica nanoparticle/polycation multilayers : durable superhydrophobic coating on cotton fabrics

In this study, we report the functionalization of silica nanoparticles with highly photoreactive phenyl azido groups and their utility as a negatively charged building block for layer-by-layer (LbL) electrostatic assembly to produce a stable silica nanoparticle coating. Azido-terminated silica nanoparticles were prepared by the functionalization of bare silica nanoparticles with 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane followed by the reaction with 4-azidobenzoic acid. The azido functionalization was confirmed by FTIR and XPS. Poly(allylamine hydrochloride) was also grafted with phenyl azido groups and used as photoreactive polycations for LbL assembly. For the photoreactive silica nanoparticle/polycation multilayers, UV irradiation can induce the covalent cross-linking within the multilayers as well as the anchoring of the multilayer film onto the organic substrate, through azido photochemical reactions including C–H insertion/abstraction reactions with surrounding molecules and dimerization of azido groups. Our results show that the stability of the silica nanoparticle/polycation multilayer film was greatly improved after UV irradiation. Combined with a fluoroalkylsilane post-treatment, the photoreactive LbL multilayers were used as a coating for superhydrophobic modification of cotton fabrics. Herein the LbL assembly method enables us to tailor the number of the coated silica nanoparticles through the assembly cycles. The superhydrophobicity of cotton fabrics was durable against acids, bases, and organic solvents, as well as repeated machine wash. Because of the unique azido photochemistry, the approach used here to anchor silica nanoparticles is applicable to almost any organic substrate.

The maternity journey in an organisational context : a case study

The transition to motherhood is a significant life event impacting on all spheres of a woman's life. In an organisational context, changes to women's relationships with their employer and to their social identity occur as they adjust to their new role. A case study was undertaken to describe and compare the workplace experiences of three female employees from one health organisation who were either preparing to commence, currently on or recently returned to work from maternity leave. At all stages of the maternity journey, women expected flexibility from their employer in negotiating their return to work and managing parenting responsibilities. Women's obligations to their employer included being open about their capacity to work and parenting situations which may interfere with their work, as well as maintaining their work performance. Within a supportive work environment that included a shared identity with managers who were also mothers, women's social identity as a worker was not significantly threatened and did not change. Social identity change may be most apparent during the transition to first-time motherhood.

Feminist geography 30 years on : they came, they saw but did they conquer?

Feminist geography emerged in Australia in the 1980s, spurred on by the local Women’s Liberation Movement and inspired by the academic activism emanating from England, Canada and the United States. Producing critical evaluations of male-dominated geography departments, curriculum and journals, feminist geographers proceeded to stake claims in each of these spheres while also substantially revising the content of geographical research. There were significant interventions into urban, social, cultural and economic geography, in environmental discourses as well as into the gendered research process. Having arrived, identified and addressed these issues, the discipline was critiqued and transformed over the 1980s and 1990s. Crucial to the strength of this critique were key individuals, the Gender and Geography Group within the Institute of Australian Geographers and the role played by journals such as Geographical Research and the Australian Geographer in providing spaces for feminist work. However, as the new century dawned, the agenda changed and the anger and urgency dissipated as the broader and university contexts altered. It was a period of consolidation, as feminist insights and approaches were focused on key subject areas – such as the home, identity and sexuality – and became more mainstream. But is this work and the presence of women in the academy an indication of success or of co-option? This paper will trace these various shifts – from the arrival to the mainstreaming of feminist geography - and analyse what might be read as a retreat from feminist politics and practice within the discipline in Australia. I will conclude by re-stating the case to advance a new feminist agenda in the face of continuing gender inequality within the academy, in Australia and across the globe.

Media gets its mojo on

People everywhere have the means to create and publish mobile content, but as mainstream media begins its catch up the possibilities of a mobile led communications revolutions has never been greater. This articel discusse a new form of creating user genereted stories (UGS) using mobiles. Whether it's in remote communities or being used by frontline journalists, mojo is an accessible technology and skill set that closes the  gap between the three major spheres of communication: community, education and professional media.

A hybrid approach for multiple particle tracking microrheology

Geometric object detection has many applications, such as in tracking. Particle tracking microrheology is a technique for studying mechanical properties by accurately tracking the motion of the immersed particles undergoing Brownian motion. Since particles are carried along by these random undulations of the medium, they can move in and out of the microscope's depth of focus, which results in halos (lower intensity). Two-point particle tracking microrheology (TPM) uses a threshold to find those particles with peak, which leads to the broken trajectory of the particles. The halos of those particles which are out of focus are circles and the centres can be accurately tracked in most cases. When the particles are sparse, TPM will lose certain useful information. Thus, it may cause inaccurate microrheology. An efficient algorithm to detect the centre of those particles will increase the accuracy of the Brownian motion. In this paper, a hybrid approach is proposed which combines the steps of TPM for particles in focus with a circle detection step using circular Hough transform for particles with halos. As a consequence, it not only detects more particles in each frame but also dramatically extends the trajectories with satisfactory accuracy. Experiments over a video microscope data set of polystyrene spheres suspended in water undergoing Brownian motion confirmed the efficiency of the algorithm.

Nanofibrillar micelles and entrapped vesicles from biodegradable block copolymer/polyelectrolyte complexes in aqueous media

Here we report a viable route to fibrillar micelles and entrapped vesicles in aqueous solutions. Nanofibrillar micelles and entrapped vesicles were prepared from complexes of a biodegradable block copolymer poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(lactide) (PEO-b-PLA) and a polyelectrolyte poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) in aqueous media and directly visualized using cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). The self-assembly and the morphological changes in the complexes were induced by the addition of PAA/water solution into the PEO-b-PLA in tetrahydrofuran followed by dialysis against water. A variety of morphologies including spherical wormlike and fibrillar micelles, and both unilamellar and entrapped vesicles, were observed, depending on the composition, complementary binding sites of PAA and PEO, and the change in the interfacial energy. Increasing the water content in each [AA]/[EO] ratio led to a morphological transition from spheres to vesicles, displaying both the composition- and dilution-dependent micellar-to-vesicular morphological transitions.