The molecular structure of kaolinite–potassium acetate intercalation complexes: A combined experimental and molecular dynamic simulation study

The kaolinite (Kaol) intercalated with potassium acetate (Ac) was prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetry. Molecular dynamic simulation was performed to investigate the structure of Kaol–Ac intercalation complex and the hydrogen bonds between Kaol and intercalated Ac andwater using INTERFACE forcefield. The acetate anions andwater arranged in a bilayer structure in the interlayer space of Kaol. The potassium cations distributed in the interlayer space and strongly coordinated with acetate anions aswell aswater rather than keyed into the ditrigonal holes of tetrahedral surface of Kaol. Strong hydrogen bonds formed between the hydrogen atoms of hydroxyl on the octahedral surface and oxygen atoms of both acetate anions and water. The acetate anions andwater also weakly bonded hydrogen to the silica tetrahedral surface through their hydrogen atoms with the oxygen atoms of silica tetrahedral surface.

Turbulence and Mixing in the Environment: Multi-Device Study in a Sub-tropical Estuary

In an estuary, mixing and dispersion result from a combination of large-scale advection and smallscale turbulence, which are complex to estimate. The predictions of scalar transport and mixing are often inferred and rarely accurate, due to inadequate understanding of the contributions of these difference scales to estuarine recirculation. A multi-device field study was conducted in a small sub-tropical estuary under neap tide conditions with near-zero fresh water discharge for about 48 hours. During the study, acoustic Doppler velocimeters (ADV) were sampled at high frequency (50 Hz), while an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) and global positioning system (GPS) tracked drifters were used to obtain some lower frequency spatial distribution of the flow parameters within the estuary. The velocity measurements were complemented with some continuous measurement of water depth, conductivity, temperature and some other physiochemical parameters. Thorough quality control was carried out by implementation of relevant error removal filters on the individual data set to intercept spurious data. A triple decomposition (TD) technique was introduced to access the contributions of tides, resonance and ‘true’ turbulence in the flow field. The time series of mean flow measurements for both the ADCP and drifter were consistent with those of the mean ADV data when sampled within a similar spatial domain. The tidal scale fluctuation of velocity and water level were used to examine the response of the estuary to tidal inertial current. The channel exhibited a mixed type wave with a typical phase-lag between 0.035π– 0.116π. A striking feature of the ADV velocity data was the slow fluctuations, which exhibited large amplitudes of up to 50% of the tidal amplitude, particularly in slack waters. Such slow fluctuations were simultaneously observed in a number of physiochemical properties of the channel. The ensuing turbulence field showed some degree of anisotropy. For all ADV units, the horizontal turbulence ratio ranged between 0.4 and 0.9, and decreased towards the bed, while the vertical turbulence ratio was on average unity at z = 0.32 m and approximately 0.5 for the upper ADV (z = 0.55 m). The result of the statistical analysis suggested that the ebb phase turbulence field was dominated by eddies that evolved from ejection type process, while that of the flood phase contained mixed eddies with significant amount related to sweep type process. Over 65% of the skewness values fell within the range expected of a finite Gaussian distribution and the bulk of the excess kurtosis values (over 70%) fell within the range of -0.5 and +2. The TD technique described herein allowed the characterisation of a broader temporal scale of fluctuations of the high frequency data sampled within the durations of a few tidal cycles. The study provides characterisation of the ranges of fluctuation required for an accurate modelling of shallow water dispersion and mixing in a sub-tropical estuary.

Open access spatial data and collaboration

On 19 June 2015, representatives from over 40 Australian research institutions gathered in Canberra to launch their Open Data Collections. The one day event, hosted by the Australian National Data Service (ANDS), showcased to government and a range of national stakeholders the rich variety of data collections that have been generated through the Major Open Data Collections (MODC) project. Colin Eustace attended the showcase for QUT Library and presented a poster that reflected the work that he and Jodie Vaughan generated through the project. QUT’s Blueprint 4, the University’s five-year institutional strategic plan, outlines the key priorities of developing a commitment to working in partnership with industry, as well as combining disciplinary strengths with interdisciplinary application. The Division of Technology, Information and Learning Support (TILS) has undertaken a number of Australian National Data Service (ANDS) funded projects since 2009 with the aim of developing improved research data management services within the University to support these strategic aims. By leveraging existing tools and systems developed during these projects, the Major Open Data Collection (MODC) project delivered support to multi-disciplinary collaborative research activities through partnership building between QUT researchers and Queensland government agencies, in order to add to and promote the discovery and reuse of a collection of spatially referenced datasets. The MODC project built upon existing Research Data Finder infrastructure (which uses VIVO open source software, developed by Cornell University) to develop a separate collection, Spatial Data Finder (https://researchdatafinder.qut.edu.au/spatial) as the interface to display the spatial data collection. During the course of the project, 62 dataset descriptions were added to Spatial Data Finder, 7 added to Research Data Finder and two added to Software Finder, another separate collection. The project team met with 116 individual researchers and attended 13 school and faculty meetings to promote the MODC project and raise awareness of the Library’s services and resources for research data management.

The effects of parental illness and other ill family members on the adjustment of children

Background This study addresses limitations of prior research that have used group comparison designs to test the effects of parental illness on youth. Purpose This study examined differences in adjustment between children of a parent with illness and peers from ‘healthy’ families controlling for the effects of whether a parent or non-parent family member is ill, illness type, demographics and caregiving. Methods Based on questionnaire data, groups were derived from a community sample of 2,474 youth (‘healthy’ family, n = 1768; parental illness, n = 336; other family member illness, n = 254; both parental and other family illness, n = 116). Results The presence of any family member with an illness is associated with greater risk of mental health difficulties for youth relative to peers from healthy families. This risk is elevated if the ill family member is a parent and has mental illness or substance misuse. Conclusions Serious health problems within a household adversely impact youth adjustment.

Have you got what it takes? Nursing in a Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit

Purpose A Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and or High Dependency Unit (HDU) is a locked, intensive treatment facility available to people experiencing acute psychiatric distress. For many people who access public mental health services in Australia, the PICU/HDU is the primary point of admission, and should represent and facilitate timely assessment and an optimum treatment plan under a recovery framework. Nurses are the largest health discipline working in this specialty area of care. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative study aimed to investigate the skills, experience, and practice, of nurses working in the PICU/HDU in relation to a recovery model of care. Identifying how nurses provide care in the PICU/HDU will inform a clinical practice guideline to further support this specialty area of care. Four focus groups were facilitated with 52 registered nurses attending. Findings The nurse participants identified specific skills under four distinct themes; Storytelling, Treatment and recovery, Taking responsibility, and Safeguarding. The skills highlight the expertise and clinical standard required to support a recovery model of care in the PICU. Research limitations/implications – The research findings highlight urgency for a National PICU/HDU clinical practice guideline. Practical implications A PICU/HDU practice guideline will promote the standard of nursing care required in the PICU/HDU. The PICU/HDU needs to be recognised as a patient centred, therapeutic opportunity as opposed to a restrictive and custodial clinical area. Social implications Providing transparency of practice in the PICU/HDU and educating nurses to this specialty area of care will improve client outcome and recovery. Originality/value Very few studies have explored the skills, experience, and practice, of nurses working in the PICU/HDU in relation to a recovery model of care. A dearth of research exists on what is required to work in this specialty area of care.

Quantitative genetic modeling of lateral ventricular shape and volume using multi-atlas fluid image alignment in twins

Despite substantial progress in measuring the 3D profile of anatomical variations in the human brain, their genetic and environmental causes remain enigmatic. We developed an automated system to identify and map genetic and environmental effects on brain structure in large brain MRI databases . We applied our multi-template segmentation approach ("Multi-Atlas Fluid Image Alignment") to fluidly propagate hand-labeled parameterized surface meshes into 116 scans of twins (60 identical, 56 fraternal), labeling the lateral ventricles. Mesh surfaces were averaged within subjects to minimize segmentation error. We fitted quantitative genetic models at each of 30,000 surface points to measure the proportion of shape variance attributable to (1) genetic differences among subjects, (2) environmental influences unique to each individual, and (3) shared environmental effects. Surface-based statistical maps revealed 3D heritability patterns, and their significance, with and without adjustments for global brain scale. These maps visualized detailed profiles of environmental versus genetic influences on the brain, extending genetic models to spatially detailed, automatically computed, 3D maps.

The relationship between appetite and food preferences in British and Australian children

Background: Appetitive traits and food preferences are key determinants of children’s eating patterns but it is unclear how these behaviours relate to one another. This study explores relationships between appetitive traits and preferences for fruits and vegetables, and energy dense, nutrient poor (noncore) foods in two distinct samples of Australian and British preschool children. Methods: This study reports secondary analyses of data from families participating in the British GEMINI cohort study (n=1044) and the control arm of the Australian NOURISH RCT (n=167). Food preferences were assessed by parent-completed questionnaire when children were aged 3-4 years and grouped into three categories; vegetables, fruits and noncore foods. Appetitive traits; enjoyment of food, food responsiveness, satiety responsiveness, slowness in eating, and food fussiness were measured using the Children’s Eating Behaviour Questionnaire when children were 16 months (GEMINI) or 3-4 years (NOURISH). Relationships between appetitive traits and food preferences were explored using adjusted linear regression analyses that controlled for demographic and anthropometric covariates. Results: Vegetable liking was positively associated with enjoyment of food (GEMINI; β=0.20 ± 0.03, p<0.001, NOURISH; β=0.43 ± 0.07, p<0.001) and negatively related to satiety responsiveness (GEMINI; β=-0.19 ± 0.03, p<0.001, NOURISH; β=-0.34 ± 0.08, p<0.001), slowness in eating (GEMINI; β=-0.10 ± 0.03, p=0.002, NOURISH; β=-0.30 ± 0.08, p<0.001) and food fussiness (GEMINI; β=-0.30 ± 0.03, p<0.001, NOURISH; β=-0.60 ± 0.06, p<0.001). Fruit liking was positively associated with enjoyment of food (GEMINI; β=0.18 ± 0.03, p<0.001, NOURISH; β=0.36 ± 0.08, p<0.001), and negatively associated with satiety responsiveness (GEMINI; β=-0.13 ± 0.03, p<0.001, NOURISH; β=-0.24 ± 0.08, p=0.003), food fussiness (GEMINI; β=-0.26 ± 0.03, p<0.001, NOURISH; β=-0.51 ± 0.07, p<0.001) and slowness in eating (GEMINI only; β=-0.09 ± 0.03, p=0.005). Food responsiveness was unrelated to liking for fruits or vegetables in either sample but was positively associated with noncore food preference (GEMINI; β=0.10 ± 0.03, p=0.001, NOURISH; β=0.21 ± 0.08, p=0.010). Conclusion: Appetitive traits linked with lower obesity risk were related to lower liking for fruits and vegetables, while food responsiveness, a trait linked with greater risk of overweight, was uniquely associated with higher liking for noncore foods.

The relationship between number of fruits, vegetables, and noncore foods tried at age 14 months and food preferences, dietary intake patterns, fussy eating behavior, and weight status at age 3.7 years

Objective We examined whether exposure to a greater number of fruits, vegetables, and noncore foods (ie, nutrient poor and high in saturated fats, added sugars, or added salt) at age 14 months was related to children’s preference for and intake of these foods as well as maternal-reported food fussiness and measured child weight status at age 3.7 years. Methods This study reports secondary analyses of longitudinal data from mothers and children (n=340) participating in the NOURISH randomized controlled trial. Exposure was quantified as the number of food items (n=55) tried by a child from specified lists at age 14 months. At age 3.7 years, food preferences, intake patterns, and fussiness (also at age 14 months) were assessed using maternal-completed, established questionnaires. Child weight and length/height were measured by study staff at both age points. Multivariable linear regression models were tested to predict food preferences, intake patterns, fussy eating, and body mass index z score at age 3.7 years adjusting for a range of maternal and child covariates. Results Having tried a greater number of vegetables, fruits, and noncore foods at age 14 months predicted corresponding preferences and higher intakes at age 3.7 years but did not predict child body mass index z score. Adjusting for fussiness at age 14 months, having tried more vegetables at age 14 months was associated with lower fussiness at age 3.7 years. Conclusions These prospective analyses support the hypothesis that early taste and texture experiences influence subsequent food preferences and acceptance. These findings indicate introduction to a variety of fruits and vegetables and limited noncore food exposure from an early age are important strategies to improve later diet quality.

The opportunity for implementing Islamic project financing to the Indonesian infrastructure development

Purpose: This chapter discusses the opportunity of Islamic project financing implementation for public infrastructure development in Indonesia. Design/Methodology/Approach: This chapter, firstly, reviewed existing literature on Islamic finance to explore the applicability of Islamic financing in infrastructure development. Interviews were conducted as the first stage of Delphi method approach. This was then followed by reviewing Indonesia’s government policies and regulations in infrastructure industry and Islamic financing. Findings: This chapter enlightens the implementation of Islamic financing on infrastructure project financing in Indonesia. The findings indicate that the government policies and regulations on both infrastructure investment and Islamic financing support the implementation of Islamic project financing, whereas, an improvement is still needed in order to overarch infrastructure business and Islamic financing investment. Research: Financing framework development for Indonesia infrastructure projects. Limitations/Implications: The result reported comprises the preliminary study of Islamic project paper written based on published research papers and interviews. Furthermore, the data collected for the study are limited to the case of Indonesian infrastructure projects. Practical Implication: Islamic financing in Indonesia infrastructure projects development has not been optimally implemented. Therefore, this chapter serves as a catalyst to explore alternative financial scheme such as Islamic financing for infrastructure development. Originality/Value: This chapter highlights possibilities and obstacles in applying Islamic scheme to infrastructure project financing. This provides a framework to analyse the steps to implement Islamic financing successfully in infrastructure development.

Review and future options for computer modelling in the sugar industry

Computer modelling has been used extensively in some processes in the sugar industry to achieve significant gains. This paper reviews the investigations carried out over approximately the last twenty five years, including the successes but also areas where problems and delays have been encountered. In that time the capability of both hardware and software have increased dramatically. For some processes such as cane cleaning, cane billet preparation, and sugar drying, the application of computer modelling towards improved equipment design and operation has been quite limited. A particular problem has been the large number of particles and particle interactions in these…

Trialling a technopulp belt press filter at Pioneer Mill

Wilmar’s Pioneer Sugar mill has a need to replace some small rotary vacuum filters (RVFs) due to the condition of existing aged plant. A vacuum belt press filter (VBPF) manufactured by Technopulp of Brazil was purchased and installed at Pioneer Mill in September/October 2012 and commissioning trials undertaken over a five week period commencing in early November. There are no vacuum belt press filters currently in use in Australian sugar mills for mud processing. The Technopulp filter is a relatively common and well accepted technology with over 600 units installed. The main attractions for the VBPF to Pioneer Mill were…

Adult total wellness: group differences based on sitting time and physical activity level

Background An increasing body of evidence associates a high level of sitting time with poor health outcomes. The benefits of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activities to various aspects of health are now well documented; however, individuals may engage in moderate-intensity physical activity for at least 30 minutes on five or more days of the week and still exhibit a high level of sitting time. This purpose of this study was to examine differences in total wellness among adults relative to high/low levels of sitting time combined with insufficient/sufficient physical activity (PA). The construct of total wellness incorporates a holistic approach to the body, mind and spirit components of life, an approach which may be more encompassing than some definitions of health. Methods Data were obtained from 226 adult respondents (27 ± 6 years), including 116 (51%) males and 110 (49%) females. Total PA and total sitting time were assessed with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) (short-version). The Wellness Evaluation of Lifestyle Inventory was used to assess total wellness. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was utilised to assess the effects of the sitting time/physical activity group on total wellness. A covariate was included to partial out the effects of age, sex and work status (student or employed). Cross-tabulations were used to show associations between the IPAQ derived high/low levels of sitting time with insufficient/sufficient PA and the three total wellness groups (i.e. high level of wellness, moderate wellness and wellness development needed). Results The majority of the participants were located in the high total sitting time and sufficient PA group. There were statistical differences among the IPAQ groups for total wellness [F (2,220) = 32.5 (p <0.001)]. A Chi-square test revealed a significant difference in the distribution of the IPAQ categories within the classification of wellness [χ2 (N = 226) = 54.5, p < .001]. One-hundred percent (100%) of participants who self-rated as high total sitting time/insufficient PA were found in the wellness development needed group. In contrast, 72% of participants who were located in the low total sitting time/sufficient PA group were situated in the moderate wellness group. Conclusion Many participants who meet the physical activity guidelines, in this sample, sit for longer periods of time than the median Australian sitting time. An understanding of the effects of the enhanced PA and reduced sitting time on total wellness can add to the development of public health initiatives. Keywords: IPAQ; The Wellness Evaluation of Lifestyle (WEL); Sedentary lifestyle

Analysis of solar desalination system using heat pump

This paper investigates a pilot desalination system which consists of a direct expansion solar assisted heat pump (DXSAHP) coupled to a single-effect evaporator unit. The working fluid used is R134a and distillate is obtained via falling film evaporation and flashing in the unit. Experiments have been conducted in both day and night meteorological conditions in Singapore and the effects of solar irradiation and compressor speed have been studied against the system performance. From the experiments, the Performance Ratio (PR) obtained ranges from 0.43 to 0.88, the average Coefficient of Performance (COP) was 8 and the highest distillate production recorded was 1.38 kg/h

Spatially explicit perceptions of ecosystem services and land cover change in forested regions of Borneo

Spatially explicit information on local perceptions of ecosystem services is needed to inform land use planning within rapidly changing landscapes. In this paper we spatially modelled local people's use and perceptions of benefits from forest ecosystem services in Borneo, from interviews of 1837 people in 185 villages. Questions related to provisioning, cultural/spiritual, regulating and supporting ecosystem services derived from forest, and attitudes towards forest conversion. We used boosted regression trees (BRTs) to combine interview data with social and environmental predictors to understand spatial variation of perceptions across Borneo. Our results show that people use a variety of products from intact and highly degraded forests. Perceptions of benefits from forests were strongest: in human-altered forest landscapes for cultural and spiritual benefits; in human-altered and intact forests landscapes for health benefits; intact forest for direct health benefits, such as medicinal plants; and in regions with little forest and extensive plantations, for environmental benefits, such as climatic impacts from deforestation. Forest clearing for small scale agriculture was predicted to be widely supported yet less so for large-scale agriculture. Understanding perceptions of rural communities in dynamic, multi-use landscapes is important where people are often directly affected by the decline in ecosystem services.

Enhancing perceived fit on competitive settings

A common finding in the brand ex tension literature is that perceived fit has a directionally consistent impact on the extension evaluation. However, most of the literature ignores a more common marketplace reality, namely, competition. Drawing on categorization theory and on the notion t hat consumers evaluate brand extensions by a category - based processing, this research argues that consumers not only transfer quality perceptions about parent brand products from one category to another but also its competitive context and links. Results s how that when perceived rivalry between two brands in the parent category is transferred to the extension category, perceived favourability increases, regardless of the perceived fit between the parent brand and the extension category.