Testing the design for Web-based electronic services acceptance model (E-SAM)

This paper reports on the design and testing of a model, which evaluates the relationship components of a Web-based EServices Acceptance Model (E-SAM). The paper proposes that user experience, user motivation, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use that may determine user acceptance of web-based eServices. The model is tested in a university environment where students and staff use services that have moved from an old paper-based to Web-based eService system. The results of data analysis highlight that user experience is strongly related to perceived ease of use; and perceived usefulness to user motivation in user acceptance of Web-based eServices. The strength of these relationships and the lack of strong relationships between other components suggest that the model's application to eServices is able to highlight the complexity of the eService process and the need for researchers to seek additional components in studying technology acceptance on the World Wide Web.

Play it again, Sam : How journalists cashed in on Youtube's favourite koala

The world was captivated when footage of a badly burnt koala drinking water from a Victorian firefighter's bottle was uploaded to You Tube in February 2009. When the story of "Sam the Koala" was adopted by the mainstream media, recombinant themes were used to construct her story - from heroism and patriotism to villain vs victim and romance. While scholars have examined the changing role of the journalist in a converged world and the rise of "soft" news, this paper focuses on the way journalists create disjointed narratives around You Tube footage to extend a story s lifespan. We call these new narrative forms "fractured fairy tale news" to describe this emerging phenomenon of convergence culture. Further, we suggest that news media exploit the YouTube community for their own commercial gain and conclude that the fractured fairy tale style is a poor vehicle for the future of news.

Study on thermooxidative degradation of poly(vinyl alcohol)/silica nanocomposite prepared with SAM technique

The thermooxidative degradation of poly (vinyl alcohol)/silica (PVA/SiO2) nanocomposite prepared with self-assembly monolayer (SAM) technique is investigated by using a thermogravimetry (TG) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy coupled thermogravimetry (FTIR/TG). The results show that although the thermooxidative degradation process of prepared nanocomposite is similar to that of the pure PVA, its thermooxidative stability has been greatly improved.

In the tracks of Blinky Bill : How Sam the koala led news journalists into an Australian literary tradition

The world was captivated when footage of a badly burnt koala taking water from a Victorian Country Fire Authority volunteer was taken with a mobile phone and broadcast to the world on YouTube in February 2009. When the story of ‘Sam the Koala’ was subsequently adopted by traditional broadcast and print media, recombinant themes were used to construct her story – from heroism, patriotism, villain v victim - even romance was incorporated to entertain and create audience appeal. This paper explores how ‘Sam the Koala’ became a defining news story in the coverage of Victoria’s Black Saturday bushfires and examines the power of narrative when cross pollination occurs between new and traditional media in the production of news. It is argued that Sam’s story is evidence of journalists adopting new approaches to storytelling in a bid to retain their legitimacy as the authoritative voice of news and information in an increasingly technologically driven society.

Controlled amine functionalization and hydrophilicity of a poly(lactic acid) fabric

The surface of PLA fabric has been successfully modified by pulsed plasma polymerization of heptylamine (PPHA) giving increased hydrophilicity and achieving a sufficient level of primary amine functionality (3.5%) for practical application in biotechnology. This is the first report that the density of primary amine (-NH2) in PPHA, quantified by chemical derivatization, can be controlled by selection of pulsed plasma conditions. The duty cycle and the average RF power were the key parameters for achieving both a higher density of primary amine and increased hydrophilicity.

Exploring the use of the tripeptide Gly–Gly–His as a selective recognition element for the fabrication of electrochemical copper sensors

The modification of electrodes with the tripeptide Gly–Gly–His for the detection of copper in water samples is described in detail. The tripeptide modified electrode was prepared by first self-assembling 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) onto the gold electrode followed by covalent attachment of the tripeptide to the self-assembled monolayer using carbodiimide coupling. The electrodes were characterized using electrochemistry, a newly developed mass-spectrometry method and quantum mechanical calculations. The mass spectrometry confirmed the modification to proceed as expected with peptide bonds formed between the carboxylic acids of the MPA and the terminal amine of the peptide. Electrochemical measurements indicated that approximately half the MPA molecules in a SAM are modified with the peptide. The peptide modified electrodes exhibited high sensitivity to copper which is attributed to the stable 4N coordinate complex the peptide formed around the metal ion to give copper the preferred tetragonal coordination. The formation of a 4 coordinate complex was predicted using quantum mechanical calculation and confirmed using mass spectrometry. The adsorption of the copper to the peptide modified electrode was consistent with a Langmuir isotherm with a binding constant of (8.1 ± 0.4) 1010 M−1 at 25 °C.

Practical amine functionalization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes for effective interfacial bonding

 Improved methods of functionalizing the surfaces of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been investigated. It is shown that a level of primary amines of 2.3%, higher than previously reported for any nitrogen-containing gas plasma treatment, can be achieved using a mixture of N2 and H2, which is preferable to using NH3. Even higher levels (3.5%) of primary amines can be achieved by coating the MWCNTs with a thin layer of plasma polymerized heptylamine. In both cases, the highest levels were achieved using a combined continuous plus pulsed plasma mode which was superior to either continuous wave or pulsed wave alone. The integrity of the MWCNT structure is maintained by the plasma treatments, and the functionalized surface improves the dispersion of the MWCNTs and their interfacial bonding with epoxy, giving superior nanoindentation performance of the composites.