Evaluation of green public road procurement in Australia : current practices and gaps to fill

Public road authorities have a key responsibility in driving initiatives for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the road construction project lifecycle. A coherent and efficient chain of procurement processes and methods is needed to convert green policies into tangible actions that capture the potential for GHG reduction. Yet, many infrastructure clients lack developed methodologies regarding green procurement practices. Designing more efficient solutions for green procurement requires an evaluation of the current initiatives and stages of development. A mapping of the current GHG reduction initiatives in Australian public road procurement is presented in this paper. The study includes the five largest Australian state road authorities, which cover 94% of the total 817,089 km of Australian main roads (not local) and account for 96% of the total A$13 billion annual major road construction and maintenance expenditure. The state road authorities’ green procurement processes and tools are evaluated based on interviews and a review of documents. Altogether 12 people, comprising 1-3 people of each organisation, participated in the interviews and provided documents. An evaluation matrix was developed for mapping the findings across the lifecycle of road construction project delivery. The results show how Australian state road authorities drive decisions with an impact on GHG emissions on the strategic planning phase, project development phase, and project implementation phase. The road authorities demonstrate varying levels of advancement in their green procurement methodologies. Six major gaps in the current green procurement processes are identified and, respectively, six recommendations for future research and development are suggested. The greatest gaps remain in the project development phase, which has a critical role in fixing the project (GHG reduction) goals, identifying risks and opportunities, and selecting the contractor to deliver the project. Specifically, the role of mass-haul optimisation as a part of GHG minimisation was reviewed, and mass-haul management was found to be an underutilised element with GHG reduction potential.

A tissue engineering solution for segmental defect regeneration in load-bearing long bones

The reconstruction of large defects (>10 mm) in humans usually relies on bone graft transplantation. Limiting factors include availability of graft material, comorbidity, and insufficient integration into the damaged bone. We compare the gold standard autograft with biodegradable composite scaffolds consisting of medical-grade polycaprolactone and tricalcium phosphate combined with autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) or recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 7 (rhBMP-7). Critical-sized defects in sheep - a model closely resembling human bone formation and structure - were treated with autograft, rhBMP-7, or MSCs. Bridging was observed within 3 months for both the autograft and the rhBMP-7 treatment. After 12 months, biomechanical analysis and microcomputed tomography imaging showed significantly greater bone formation and superior strength for the biomaterial scaffolds loaded with rhBMP-7 compared to the autograft. Axial bone distribution was greater at the interfaces. With rhBMP-7, at 3 months, the radial bone distribution within the scaffolds was homogeneous. At 12 months, however, significantly more bone was found in the scaffold architecture, indicating bone remodeling. Scaffolds alone or with MSC inclusion did not induce levels of bone formation comparable to those of the autograft and rhBMP-7 groups. Applied clinically, this approach using rhBMP-7 could overcome autograft-associated limitations.

Response to comments on "Productivity is a poor predictor of plant species richness"

Pan et al. claim that our results actually support a strong linear positive relationship between productivity and richness, whereas Fridley et al. contend that the data support a strong humped relationship. These responses illustrate how preoccupation with bivariate patterns distracts from a deeper understanding of the multivariate mechanisms that control these important ecosystem properties.

Shear tests of lipped channel beams with stiffened web openings

Cold-formed steel lipped channel beams (LCB) are used extensively in residential, industrial and commercial buildings as load bearing structural elements. Their shear strengths are considerably reduced when web openings are included for the purpose of locating building services. Past research has shown that the shear capacities of LCBs were reduced by up to 70% due to the inclusion of these web openings. Hence there is a need to improve the shear capacities of LCBs with web openings. A cost effective way of eliminating the detrimental effects of large web openings is to attach suitable stiffeners around the web openings and restore the original shear strength and stiffness of the LCBs. Hence detailed experimental studies were undertaken to investigate the shear behaviour and strength of LCBs with stiffened web openings. Both plate and stud stiffeners with varying sizes and thicknesses were attached to the web elements of LCBs using different screw-fastening arrangements. Simply supported test specimens of LCBs with aspect ratios of 1.0 and 1.5 were loaded at mid-span until failure. Test results showed that the plate stiffeners established using AISI recommendations are inadequate to restore the shear strengths of LCBs with web openings. Hence new stiffener arrangements have been proposed for LCBs based on experimental results. This paper presents the details of this experimental study on the shear strength of lipped channel beams with stiffened web openings, and the results.

The future of sustainable building assessment tools : a case study in Australia

Sustainability issues in built environment have attracted an increasingly level of attention from both the general public and the industry. As a result, a number of green building assessment tools have been developed such as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), etc. This paper critically reviewed the assessment tools developed in Australian context, i.e. the Green Star rating tools developed by the Green Building Council of Australia. A particular focus is given to the recent developments of these assessment tools. The results showed that the office buildings take the biggest share of Green Star rated buildings. Similarly, sustainable building assessments seem to be more performance oriented which focuses on the operation stage of buildings. In addition, stakeholder engagement during the decision making process is encouraged. These findings provide useful references to the development of next generation of sustainable building assessment tools.

Improved treatment of nicotine addiction and emerging pulmonary drug delivery

Nicotine addiction remains the leading cause of death and disease in developed and developing nations and a major cause of mortality around the world. Currently, nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs), bupropion, and varenicline are approved by the regulatory agencies as first-line treatments for nicotine addiction. Emerging evidence indicates that varenicline and bupropion have some therapeutic limitations for treating nicotine addiction with oral route of administration. Thus, continued investigation of innovative drug delivery for nicotine addiction remains a critical priority. This review will discuss some novel strategies and future directions for pulmonary drug delivery, an emerging route of administration for smoking cessation. It is anticipated that the advancement of knowledge on pulmonary drug delivery will provide better management for nicotine addiction and other addictive disorders.

The Socratic classroom : reflective thinking through collaborative inquiry

This book was written to serve two functions. First it is an exploration of what I have called Socratic pedagogy, a collaborative inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning suitable not only to formal educational settings such as the school classroom but to all educational settings. The term is intended to capture a variety of philosophical approaches to classroom practice that could broadly be described Socratic in form. The term ‘philosophy in schools’ is ambiguous and could refer to teaching university style philosophy to high school students or to the teaching of philosophy and logic or critical reasoning in senior years of high school. It is also used to describe the teaching of philosophy in schools generally. In the early and middle phases of schooling the term philosophy for children is often used. But this too is ambiguous as the name was adopted from Matthew Lipman’s Philosophy for Children curriculum that he and his colleagues at the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children developed. In Britain the term ‘philosophy with children’ is sometimes employed to mark two methods of teaching that have Socratic roots but have distinct differences, namely Philosophy for Children and Socratic Dialogue developed by Leonard Nelson. The use of the term Socratic pedagogy and its companion term Socratic classroom (to refer to the kind of classroom that employs Socratic teaching) avoids the problem of distinguishing between various approaches to philosophical inquiry in the Socratic tradition but also separates it from the ‘study of philosophy’, such as university style philosophy or other approaches which place little or no emphasis on collaborative inquiry based teaching and learning. The second function builds from the first. It is to develop an effective framework for understanding the relationship between what I call the generative, evaluative and connective aspects of communal dialogue, which I think are necessary to the Socratic notion of inquiry. In doing so it is hoped that this book offers some way to show how philosophy as inquiry can contribute to educational theory and practice, while also demonstrating how it can be an effective way to approach teaching and learning. This has meant striking a balance between speaking to philosophers and to teachers and educators together, with the view that both see the virtues of such a project. In the strictest sense this book is not philosophy of education, insofar as its chief focus is not on the analysis of concepts or formulation of definitions specific to education with the aim of formulating directives that guide educational practice. It relinquishes the role of philosopher as ‘spectator’, to one of philosopher ‘immersed in matter’ – in this case philosophical issues in education, specifically those related to philosophical inquiry, pedagogy and classroom practice. Put another way, it is a book about philosophical education.

Regulating precarious employment : the case of young Australian retail workers

Young workers are highly susceptible to the precarities of external labour markets. They are more likely to be employed in precarious, part-time and insecure work and to lose their jobs in an economic downturn. For young people, the process of transitioning between education and employment includes periods in and out of further education and in and out of employment, and in underemployment. The underemployment of youth is the global norm (Roberts 2009). The policy orthodoxy in industrialised nations normalises these transitions as ‘natural’ and as a ‘stage’ through which young people must pass. Here, the state plays a vital role in providing both welfare support and regulatory protection for young people in precarious work and transitioning from it.

Study protocol : Screening and treatment of alcohol-related trauma (START): a randomised controlled trial

Background: The incidence of mandibular fractures in the Northern Territory of Australia is very high, especially among Indigenous people. Alcohol intoxication is implicated in the majority of facial injuries, and substance use is therefore an important target for secondary prevention. The current study tests the efficacy of a brief therapy, Motivational Care Planning, in improving wellbeing and substance misuse in youth and adults hospitalised with alcohol-related facial trauma. Methods and design: The study is a randomised controlled trial with 6 months of follow-up, to examine the effectiveness of a brief and culturally adapted intervention in improving outcomes for trauma patients with at-risk drinking admitted to the Royal Darwin Hospital maxillofacial surgery unit. Potential participants are identified using AUDIT-C questionnaire. Eligible participants are randomised to either Motivational Care Planning (MCP) or Treatment as Usual (TAU). The outcome measures will include quantity and frequency of alcohol and other substance use by Timeline Followback. The recruitment target is 154 participants, which with 20% dropout, is hoped to provide 124 people receiving treatment and follow-up. Discussion: This project introduces screening and brief interventions for high-risk drinkers admitted to the hospital with facial trauma. It introduces a practical approach to integrating brief interventions in the hospital setting, and has potential to demonstrate significant benefits for at-risk drinkers with facial trauma.

The complementary potential of multimedia and science demonstrations

Science is often considered as one of the cornerstones of human advancement. Despite its importance in our society, science as a subject in schools appears to be losing ground. Lack of relevance, the nature of the curriculum and the pedagogical approach to teaching are some of the reasons which researchers believe are causing a “swing” away from science. This paper will argue for the effectiveness of simple science demonstrations as a feasible pedagogical option with a high task value and which has the potential to reengage and reinvigorate student interest in the subject. This paper describes a case study (N = 25) in which the Integrative problem based learning model for science was implemented in a year nine science class. The study was conducted at a secondary school in Australia. Teacher demonstrations were situated in classroom activities in a “Why is it so?” problem/question format. Qualitative data gathered from students demonstrated a number of benefits of this approach. This paper then explores ways in which Web 2.0 technologies could be incorporated to enhance the value of science demonstrations

BSTA Promotes mTORC2-Mediated Phosphorylation of Akt1 to Suppress Expression of FoxC2 and Stimulate Adipocyte Differentiation

Phosphorylation and activation of Akt1 is a crucial signaling event that promotes adipogenesis. However, neither the complex multistep process that leads to activation of Akt1 through phosphorylation at Thr308 and Ser473 nor the mechanism by which Akt1 stimulates adipogenesis is fully understood. We found that the BSD domain–containing signal transducer and Akt interactor (BSTA) promoted phosphorylation of Akt1 at Ser473 in various human and murine cells, and we uncovered a function for the BSD domain in BSTA-Akt1 complex formation. The mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) facilitated the phosphorylation of BSTA and its association with Akt1, and the BSTA-Akt1 interaction promoted the association of mTORC2 with Akt1 and phosphorylation of Akt1 at Ser473 in response to growth factor stimulation. Furthermore, analyses of bsta gene-trap murine embryonic stem cells revealed an essential function for BSTA and phosphorylation of Akt1 at Ser473 in promoting adipocyte differentiation, which required suppression of the expression of the gene encoding the transcription factor FoxC2. These findings indicate that BSTA is a molecular switch that promotes phosphorylation of Akt1 at Ser473 and reveal an mTORC2-BSTA-Akt1-FoxC2–mediated signaling mechanism that is critical for adipocyte differentiation.

Static vertical displacement measurement of bridges using Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors

Vertical displacements are one of the most relevant parameters for structural health monitoring of bridges in both the short and long terms. Bridge managers around the globe are always looking for a simple way to measure vertical displacements of bridges. However, it is difficult to carry out such measurements. On the other hand, in recent years, with the advancement of fiber-optic technologies, fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors are more commonly used in structural health monitoring due to their outstanding advantages including multiplexing capability, immunity of electromagnetic interference as well as high resolution and accuracy. For these reasons, using FBG sensors is proposed to develop a simple, inexpensive and practical method to measure vertical displacements of bridges. A curvature approach for vertical displacement measurements using curvature measurements is proposed. In addition, with the successful development of FBG tilt sensors, an inclination approach is also proposed using inclination measurements. A series of simulation tests of a full- scale bridge was conducted. It shows that both of the approaches can be implemented to determine vertical displacements for bridges with various support conditions, varying stiffness (EI) along the spans and without any prior known loading. These approaches can thus measure vertical displacements for most of slab-on-girder and box-girder bridges. Besides, the approaches are feasible to implement for bridges under various loading. Moreover, with the advantages of FBG sensors, they can be implemented to monitor bridge behavior remotely and in real time. A beam loading test was conducted to determine vertical displacements using FBG strain sensors and tilt sensors. The discrepancies as compared with dial gauges reading using the curvature and inclination approaches are 0.14mm (1.1%) and 0.41mm (3.2%), respectively. Further recommendations of these approaches for developments will also be discussed at the end of the paper.

The structures of COPI-coated vesicles reveal alternate coatomer conformations and interactions

Transport between compartments of eukaryotic cells is mediated by coated vesicles. The archetypal protein coats COPI, COPII, and clathrin are conserved from yeast to human. Structural studies of COPII and clathrin coats assembled in vitro without membranes suggest that coat components assemble regular cages with the same set of interactions between components. Detailed three-dimensional structures of coated membrane vesicles have not been obtained. Here, we solved the structures of individual COPI-coated membrane vesicles by cryoelectron tomography and subtomogram averaging of in vitro reconstituted budding reactions. The coat protein complex, coatomer, was observed to adopt alternative conformations to change the number of other coatomers with which it interacts and to form vesicles with variable sizes and shapes. This represents a fundamentally different basis for vesicle coat assembly.

Characterizing multi-agent team behavior from partial team tracings : evidence from the English Premier League

Real-world AI systems have been recently deployed which can automatically analyze the plan and tactics of tennis players. As the game-state is updated regularly at short intervals (i.e. point-level), a library of successful and unsuccessful plans of a player can be learnt over time. Given the relative strengths and weaknesses of a player’s plans, a set of proven plans or tactics from the library that characterize a player can be identified. For low-scoring, continuous team sports like soccer, such analysis for multi-agent teams does not exist as the game is not segmented into “discretized” plays (i.e. plans), making it difficult to obtain a library that characterizes a team’s behavior. Additionally, as player tracking data is costly and difficult to obtain, we only have partial team tracings in the form of ball actions which makes this problem even more difficult. In this paper, we propose a method to overcome these issues by representing team behavior via play-segments, which are spatio-temporal descriptions of ball movement over fixed windows of time. Using these representations we can characterize team behavior from entropy maps, which give a measure of predictability of team behaviors across the field. We show the efficacy and applicability of our method on the 2010-2011 English Premier League soccer data.

A prototype system dynamic model for assessing the sustainability of construction projects

There is a worldwide demand for an increasingly sustainable built environment. This has resulted in the need for a more accurate evaluation of the level of sustainability of construction projects. To do this it involves the development of better measurement and benchmarking methods. One approach is to use a theoretical model to assess construction projects in terms of their sustainable development value (SDV) and sustainable development ability (SDA) for implementation in the project life cycle, where SDA measures the contribution of a project to development sustainability and as a major criterion for assessing its feasibility. This paper develops an improved SDA prototype model that incorporates the effects of dynamical factors on project sustainability. This involves the introduction of two major factors concerning technological advancement and changes in people's perceptions. A case study is used to demonstrate the procedures involved in simulation and modeling, one outcome of which is to demonstrate the greater influence of technological advancement on project sustainability than changes in perception.