Mesoporous titania microspheres composed of exposed active faceted nanosheets and their catalytic activities for solvent-free synthesis of azoxybenzenes

Mesoporous titania microspheres composed of nanosheets with exposed active facets were prepared by hydrothermal synthesis in the presence of hexafluorosilicic acid. They exhibited superior catalytic activity in the solvent-free synthesis of azoxybenzene by oxidation of aniline and could be used for 7 cycles with slight loss of activity.

Tuning the surface structure of nitrogen-doped TiO2Nanofibres : an effective method to rnhance photocatalytic activities of visible-light-driven green synthesis and degradation

Nitrogen-doped TiO2 nanofibres of anatase and TiO2(B) phases were synthesised by a reaction between titanate nanofibres of a layered structure and gaseous NH3 at 400–700 °C, following a different mechanism than that for the direct nitrogen doping from TiO2. The surface of the N-doped TiO2 nanofibres can be tuned by facial calcination in air to remove the surface-bonded N species, whereas the core remains N doped. N-Doped TiO2 nanofibres, only after calcination in air, became effective photocatalysts for the decomposition of sulforhodamine B under visible-light irradiation. The surface-oxidised surface layer was proven to be very effective for organic molecule adsorption, and the activation of oxygen molecules, whereas the remaining N-doped interior of the fibres strongly absorbed visible light, resulting in the generation of electrons and holes. The N-doped nanofibres were also used as supports of gold nanoparticle (Au NP) photocatalysts for visible-light-driven hydroamination of phenylacetylene with aniline. Phenylacetylene was activated on the N-doped surface of the nanofibres and aniline on the Au NPs. The Au NPs adsorbed on N-doped TiO2(B) nanofibres exhibited much better conversion (80 % of phenylacetylene) than when adsorbed on undoped fibres (46 %) at 40 °C and 95 % of the product is the desired imine. The surface N species can prevent the adsorption of O2 that is unfavourable for the hydroamination reaction, and thus, improve the photocatalytic activity. Removal of the surface N species resulted in a sharp decrease of the photocatalytic activity. These photocatalysts are feasible for practical applications, because they can be easily dispersed into solution and separated from a liquid by filtration, sedimentation or centrifugation due to their fibril morphology.

Creating synergy in teacher education through robotics-based STEM activities

Robotics has created opportunities for educators to teach concepts across Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). This is one of the reasons robotics is becoming increasingly common in primary and secondary classrooms in Australia. To enable pre-service teachers to design engaging STEM activities that incorporate these technologies, robotics is part of the teaching program in the primary education degree at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). A number of pre-service teachers also choose to extend their abilities by implementing robotics activities on field studies, in schools on a voluntary basis, and in outreach activities such as the Robotics@QUT project. The Robotics@QUT project is a support network developed to build professional knowledge and capacity of classroom teachers in schools from a low SES area, engaging in robotics-based STEM activities. Professional Development (PD) workshops are provided to teachers in order to build their knowledge and confidence in implementing robotics activities in their classrooms, loan kits are provided, and pre-service teacher visits arranged to provide the teachers with on-going support. A key feature of the project is the partnerships developed between the teachers and the pre-service teachers involved in the project. The purpose of this study was to ascertain how the teachers in the project perceived the value of the PD workshops and the pre-service teachers’ involvement and what the benefits of the involvement in the project were for the pre-service teachers. Seventeen teachers completed a five-point (1-5) likert scale questionnaire regarding their involvement in the Robotics@QUT project. Teachers’ responses on the value of the project and the pre-service teacher support highlighted the benefits of the partnerships formed and provided insights into the value of the support provided by the pre-service teachers. This paper also describes one pre-service teacher’s experience with the project and the perceived benefits from being involved.

Mobility and out-of-home activities of older people living in suburban environments : ‘Because I'm a driver, I don't have a problem'

Governments are challenged by the need to ensure that ageing populations stay active and engaged as they age. Therefore, it is critical to investigate the role of mobility in older people's engagement in out-of-home activities, and to identify the experiences they have within their communities. This research investigates the use of transportation by older people and its implications for their out-of-home activities within suburban environments. The qualitative, mixed-method approach employs data collection methods which include a daily travel diary (including a questionnaire), Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking and semi-structured interviews with older people living in suburban environments in Brisbane, Australia. Results show that older people are mobile throughout the city, and their car provides them with that opportunity to access desired destinations. This ability to drive allows older people to live independently and to assist others who do not drive, particularly where transport alternatives are not as accessible. The ability to transport goods and other people is a significant advantage of the private car over other transport options. People with no access to private transportation who live in low-density environments are disadvantaged when it comes to participation within the community. Further research is needed to better understand the relationship between transportation and participation within the community environment, to assist policy makers and city and transportation planners to develop strategies for age-friendly environments within the community.

Bug reproduction : a collaborative practice within software maintenance activities

Software development settings provide a great opportunity for CSCW researchers to study collaborative work. In this paper, we explore a specific work practice called bug reproduction that is a part of the software bug-fixing process. Bug re-production is a highly collaborative process by which software developers attempt to locally replicate the ‘environment’ within which a bug was originally encountered. Customers, who encounter bugs in their everyday use of systems, play an important role in bug reproduction as they provide useful information to developers, in the form of steps for reproduction, software screenshots, trace logs, and other ways to describe a problem. Bug reproduction, however, poses major hurdles in software maintenance as it is often challenging to replicate the contextual aspects that are at play at the customers’ end. To study the bug reproduction process from a human-centered perspective, we carried out an ethnographic study at a multinational engineering company. Using semi-structured interviews, a questionnaire and half-a-day observation of sixteen software developers working on different software maintenance projects, we studied bug reproduction. In this pa-per, we present a holistic view of bug reproduction practices from a real-world set-ting and discuss implications for designing tools to address the challenges developers face during bug reproduction.

Ethnography of software maintenance activities in an industrial engineering setup

New technical and procedural interventions are less likely to be adopted in industry, unless they are smoothly integrated into the existing practices of professionals. In this paper, we provide a case study of the use of ethnographic methods for studying software bug-fixing activities at an industrial engineering conglomerate. We aimed at getting an in-depth understanding of software developers' everyday practices in bug-fixing related projects and in turn inform the design of novel productivity tools. The use of ethnography has allowed us to look at the social side of software maintenance practices. In this paper, we highlight: 1) organizational issues that influence bug-fixing activities; 2) social role of bug tracking systems, and; 3) social issues specific to different phases of bug-fixing activities.

Venous leg ulcer recurrence : deciphering long term patient adherence to preventive treatments and activities

To better understand long term adherence to self-care activities to prevent the recurrence of venous leg ulcers, participants (n=80) were recruited to a prospective longitudinal study after experiencing healing of a venous leg ulcer. Data on demographics, health, psychosocial measures and adherence to prevention strategies (compression therapy, leg elevation and lower leg exercise) were collected every three months for one year after healing. Multivariable regression modelling was used to identify the factors that were independently associated with adherence. Over the year, a significant decline in adherence to all three strategies was observed, predominantly between 6–12 months after healing (p<0.01). Several factors were associated with adherence to more than one preventive activity. Regular follow-up care and a history of multiple previous ulcers were related to improved adherence (p<0.05), while scoring at higher risk for depression and restricted mobility were related to decreasing adherence over time (p<0.05). Patients with osteoarthritis had significantly reduced adherence to compression hosiery (p=0.026). These results provide information to assist care providers plan strategies for prevention of recurrent venous leg ulcers; and suggest a need for regular follow-up care which addresses both the physical and mental health of this population.

Enzyme activities and biotechnological applications of cold-active microfungi

Fungi are eukaryotic organisms and considered to be less adaptable to extreme environments when compared to bacteria. While there are no thermophilic microfungi in a strict sense, some fungi have adapted to life in the cold. Cold-active microfungi have been isolated from the Antarctic and their enzyme activities explored with a view to finding new candidates for industrial use. On another front, environmental pollution by petroleum products in the Antarctic has led to a search for, and the subsequent discovery of, fungal isolates capable of degrading hydrocarbons. The work has paved the way to developing a bioremedial approach to containing this type of contamination in cold climates. Here we discuss our efforts to map the capability of Antarctic microfungi to degrade oil and also introduce a novel cold-active fungal lipase enzyme.

Physical activities and sedentary pursuits in African American and Caucasian girls

The purposes of this study were to describe and compare the specific physical activity choices and sedentary pursuits of African American and Caucasian American girls. Participants were 1,124 African American and 1,068 Caucasian American eighth grade students from 31 middle schools. The 3-Day Physical Activity Recall (3DPAR) was used to measure participation in physical activities and sedentary pursuits. The most frequently reported physical activities were walking, basketball, jogging or running, bicycling, and social dancing. Differences between groups were found in 11 physical activities and 3 sedentary pursuits. Participation rates were higher in African American girls (p<.001)for social dancing, basketball, watching television, and church attendance but lower in calisthenics, ballet and other dance, jogging or running, rollerblading, soccer, softball or baseball, using an exercise machine, swimming, and homework. Cultural differences of groups should be considered when planning interventions to promote physical activity.

Glutathione transferase activities in renal carcinomas and adjacent normal renal tissues : factors influencing renal carcinogenesis induced by xenobiotics

In general, the biological activation of nephrocarcinogenic chlorinated hydrocarbons proceeds via conjugatiton with glutathione. It has mostly been assamed that the main site of initial conjugation is the liver, followed by a mandatory transfer of intermediates to the kidney. It was therefore of interest to study the enzyme activities of subgroups of glutathione transferases (GSTs) in renal cancers and the surrounding normal renal tissues of the same individuals (n = 21). For genotyping the individuals with respect to known polymorphic GST isozymes the following substrates with differential specificity were used: 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene for overall GST activity (except GST θ); 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole for GST α; 1,2-dichloro-4-nitro-benzene for GST μ; ethacrynic acid and 4-vinylpyridine for GST π; and methyl chloride for GST θ. In general, the normal tissues were able to metabolize the test substrates. A general decrease in individual GST enzyme activities was apparent in the course of cancerization, and in some (exceptional) cases individual activities, expressed in the normal renal tissue, were lost in the tumour tissue. The GST enzyme activities in tumours were independent of tumour stage, or the age and gender of the patients. There was little influence of known polymorphisms of GSTM1, GSTM3 and GSTP1 upon the activities towards the test substrates, whereas the influence of GSTT1 polymorphism on the activity towads methyl chloride was straightforward. In general, the present findings support the concept that the initial GST-dependent bioactivation step of nephrocarcinogenic chlorinated hydrocarbons may take place in the kidney itself. This should be a consideration in toxicokinetic modelling.

Determination of glutathione transferase (GSTT1-1) activities in different tissues based on formation of radioactive metabolites using 35S-glutathione

A new system has been developed to determine enzyme activities of glutathione transferase θ (GSTT1-1) based on radiometric product detection resulting from the enzymic reaction of methyl chloride with 35S-labelled glutathione. In principle, the method is universally applicable for determination of glutathione transferase activities towards a multiplicity of substrates. The method distinguishes between erythrocyte GSTT1-1 activities of human 'non-conjugators', 'low conjugators' and 'high conjugators'. Application to cytosol preparations of livers and kidneys of male and female Fischer 344 and B6C3F1 mice reveals differential GSTT1-1 activities in hepatic and renal tissues. These ought to be considered in species-specific modellings of organ toxicities of chlorinated hydrocarbons.

Detoxification enzyme activities (CYP1A1 and GST) in the skin of humpback whales as a function of organochlorine burdens and migration status

The activities of glutathione-s-transferase (GST) and cytochrome P-450 1A1 (CYP1A1) enzymes were measured in freshly extracted epidermis of live-biopsied, migrating, southern hemisphere humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). The two quantified enzyme activities did not correlate strongly with each other. Similarly, neither correlated strongly with any of the organochlorine compound groups previously measured in the superficial blubber of the sample biopsy core, likely reflecting the anticipated low levels of typical aryl-hydrocarbon receptor ligands. GST activity did not differ significantly between genders or between northward (early migration) or southward (late migration) migrating cohorts. Indeed, the inter-individual variability in GST measurements was relatively low. This observation raises the possibility that measured activities were basal activities and that GST function was inherently impacted by the fasting state of the sampled animals, as seen in other species. These results do not support the implementation of CYP1A1 or GST as effective biomarkers of organochlorine contaminant burdens in southern hemisphere populations of humpback whales as advocated for other cetacean species. Further investigation of GST activity in feeding versus fasting cohorts may, however, provide some insight into the fasting metabolism of these behaviourally adapted populations.