Optimization of medium and process parameters for the production of inulinase from a newly isolated Kluyveromyces marxianus YS-1

A newly isolated strain of Kluyveromyces marxianus YS-1 was used for the production of extra cellular inulinase in a medium containing inulin, meat extract, CaCl₂ and sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS). Fermentation medium pH 6.5, cultivation temperature 30 °C and 5% (v/v) inoculum of 12 h-old culture were optimal for enzyme production (30.8 IU/ml) with a fermentation time of 72 h at shake flask level. Raw inulin (2%, w/v) extracted from dahlia tubers by processing at 15 kg/cm² for 10 min was optimum for bioreactor studies. Maximum enzyme production (55.4 IU/ml) was obtained at an agitation rate of 200 rpm and aeration of 0.75 vvm in a stirred tank reactor with a fermentation time of 60 h.

Learning 'through' or learning 'about'? The ridiculous and extravagant medium of opera : Gardner's multiple intelligences in pre-service teacher education

In recent years, pre-service teacher education has attempted to incorporate into programs an understanding of Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences as it applies to schools. In this paper the tension between ‘learning about’ multiple intelligences and ‘learning through’ multiple intelligences supports Gardner’s (1993) distinction between ‘understanding’ and ‘coverage’. This paper examines the use of the performing arts in the professional studies component of our teacher education program. During 2002 at The University of Melbourne, a group of education students were offered the opportunity to develop an opera in order to learn about assessment and curriculum. Thirty-seven of the students volunteered to be involved and over a period of six months met this challenge. Our action research study asked two critical questions. To what extent is the understanding of multiple intelligences by pre-service teachers improved by ‘learning through’? Can pre-service teachers address fundamental issues in curriculum and assessment through the development of a performance? This experience would be of value to other teacher educators.

Learning 'through' or learning 'about'? The ridiculous and extravagant medium of opera: Gardner's multiple intelligences in pre-service teacher education

In recent years, pre-service teacher education has attempted to incorporate into programs an understanding of Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences as it applies to schools. In this paper the tension between 'learning about' multiple intelligences and 'learning through' multiple intelligences supports Gardner's (1993) distinction between 'understanding' and 'coverage'. This paper examines the use of the performing arts in the professional studies component of our teacher education program. During 2002 at The University of Melbourne, a group of primary and secondary students were offered the opportunity to develop an opera in order to learn about assessment and curriculum. Thirty-seven of the students volunteered to be involved and over a period of six months met this challenge. Our action research study asked two critical questions. To what extent is the understanding of multiple intelligences by pre-service teachers improved by 'learning through'? Can pre-service teachers address fundamental issues in curriculum and assessment through the development of a performance? This experience would be of value to other teacher educators.

Where do entrepreneurs have the best chances of success? The Asia-Pacific regulatory environment for entrepreneurial Micro And Medium Sized Enterprises (MMES)

Why do some entrepreneurs succeed while others fail in international competition? Perhaps it is better to turn the question around and ask, why is it that a particular country or economy becomes the home base for competitive globally-oriented entrepreneurs? What makes Australia a global leader in wine exports? How did New Zealand make it to global ranks in the creative industries? Why does Singapore have the most businessfriendly environment for entrepreneurs? Why is it “location, location, location”? One of the most powerful factors is the regulatory environment.

Asia-Pacific country-specific and region-specific regulations are diverse, and they seriously affect the climate for start-up entrepreneurs. They range from best-in-the world (e.g. Australia, New Zealand and Singapore) to the dreadful (Indonesia), according to the World Bank. Costs and profits can be affected as much by a government regulation as by a management decision. Fundamental entrepreneurial decisions--such as which lines of business to go into, which products and services to produce and introduce, which investments to finance, how and where to make goods and how to market them, and what prices to charge--are increasingly subject to governmental control.

In this short paper, we examine World Bank and Transparency International data on Asia-Pacific regulatory environments and make statements about how the economies compare to best practice. While I use data collected by other sources, I believe the added value comes through comparing and contrast the regulatory environments of our region in a justifiable and easily understood manner.

How do Australian small and medium enterprises communicate their corporate social responsibility activities online?

Much of the existing research on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) focuses on large firms, with comparatively little on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The SME research focuses on barriers and drivers to CSR and neglects how SMEs communicate their CSR activities. This paper addresses this gap by reporting on a content analysis of 443 Australian SME websites which identifies how they are using this channel to communicate their CSR activities.

Energy-efficient medium access control in wireless sensor networks

Medium access control for wireless sensor networks has been an active
research area in the past decade. This chapter discusses a set of important medium access control (MAC) attributes and possible design trade-offs in protocol design, with an emphasis on energy efficiency. Then we categorize existing MAC protocols into five groups, outline the representative protocols, and compare their advantages and disadvantages in the context of wireless sensor network. Finally, thoughts for practitioners are presented and open research issues are also discussed.

Aqueous/micellar peroxyoxalate chemiluminescent detection for ion chromatography

This thesis covers the development of the traditionally fluorescent bis(8-quinolinol-5-sulfonic acid) magnesium (II) fluorophore as a chemiluminescent emitter. A brief description of luminescence spectroscopy and its application to analytical chemistry lays the foundation to the discussion of the results obtained herein. This includes the synthesis and identification of two so called ‘water soluble’ aryl oxamides 2,2’-oxalyl-bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imino] ethylene-bis(N- methylpyridinium) trifluoromethane sulfonate (PETQ) and 2,2’-oxalyl-bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imino]ethylene-bis(N-pyridinium) chloride (PETH), previously developed for the US navy as a possible emergency light source, yet the synthetic methodology were incomplete. The inconsistencies of the synthetic methods for PETQ and PETH were overcome with yields satisfactory for their preliminary analytical evaluation. The evaluation of these aryl oxamides, including 4,4’-oxalyI- bis[(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imino]ethylene-bis(l-methyM-benzylpiperidinium) trifluoromethanesulfonate (BPTQ), 4,4’-oxalyl-bis [(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imino] ethylene-bis(N-methylmorpholinium)trifluoromethanesulfonate (METQ) and the oxalate bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl) oxalate (TCPO) were performed with the peroxyoxalate chemiluminescent reaction using bis(8-quinolinol-5-sulfonic acid) magnesium (II) as the fluorophore. A univariate optimisation of this system resulted in 0,0082 mol 1-1 the detection limit of magnesium in the absence of cationic surfactants and 0.0041 mol 1-1 in their presence for the majority of these compounds. The oxamides were found to be insoluble in water with long ulrasonication periods required to dissolve the compound, with solvents such as acetonitrile preferred. The determination of other chemiluminescent metal-8HQS chelates to replace magnesium -8HQS in the peroxyoxalate were limited to Al (III), Cd (II), Ca (II), In (II) and Zn (II), unfortunately these metals all possessed poorer detection limits than those obtained using magnesium The base reaction conditions used for the flow injection system with chemiluminescent detection were transferred to an ion chromatographic configuration for the separation of magnesium from other cations on an exchange column. After a univariate and simplex optimisation of these conditions, the detection limit of magnesium was found to be 0.0411 mol 1-1 which was less than the limits that could be achieved with fluorescent detection, The further development of this reaction to incorporate the displacement of magnesium from Mg-EDTA by other metals that possessed a higher conditional stability constant than magnesium also proved to be problematic with interferences from not only EDTA but from the eluant (lactic acid) from the cation column. Using this system the detection limits of the displacing metals were found to be in the order of 10 mg 1-1 which was substantially less that what was observed when exactly the same configuration was used with fluorescent detection. The final component of the thesis entails the discussion of the background emission that results from the reaction of oxamides/oxalates with hydrogen peroxide. A detailed investigation into the reaction of TCPO and hydrogen peroxide in the presence of various additives, such as imidazole , heavy atoms and triethylamine illustrated the existence of a further intermediate in fee mechanism for this reaction. The species responsible for this emission was attributed to the degradation product 2,4,6-trichlorophenyi of TCPO, which was supported by the non-existent background present with the oxamides that do not contain this degradation product.

Using site as the medium of image-making at Tower Hill

[No Abstract]

Leadership, organisational climate and workplace innovation: a study of factors that enhance workplace innovation in small to medium enterprise

Innovation is a valued organisational asset that may asssist the creation and maintenance of competitive advantage. A number of authors have proposed links between leadership, organisational climate and innovation, and these constructs appear to converge. This convergence led researchers to produce models of the interaction between the three constructs within organisations. It has generally been reported that leadership effects innovation and organisational climate or vise versa. However, to date there is no substantial, direct nor robust empirical evidence to informt his view. This book and detailed study addresses the relationship between leadership, organisational climate and innovation simultaneously. 

The Australian small to medium enterprise E-business Security Methodology (ASME-EBSM)

This research investigated Australian SMEs (small to medium enterprises), E-business and strategies for security management. Limitations of current approaches and empirical survey results produced the Australian SME E-business Security Methodology. This new approach delivers recommendations to provide e-business security management strategies for micro, small and medium SME e-business systems.

Fish and fisheries of large and medium-sized reservoirs in Vietnam

The study was undertaken in view of the importance of reservoir fisheries for Vietnam, and to fill gaps in the current knowledge in order to introduce affective management measures to optimise the fish yields from the reservoirs. Eight large and medium sized reservoirs , representing a cross section of reservoirs in Vietnam in the different climatic zones were studied.

Establishing information security culture in Australian small and medium enterprises

This thesis develops a framework of key influences that must be considered in order to enable development of an information security culture in Australian small and medium enterprises. The study argues that, by ensuring that key influences are in place, an effective information security culture will evolve.

Effects of a fox removal program on small and medium-sized mammal population dynamics within the Anglesea Heathlands, Victoria

This thesis assessed the diet of foxes within the ALCOA lease area of Anglesea to determine which native and introduced species foxes were eating. Results showed that Swamp Wallaby was regularly eaten but many other mammals, birds, insects and reptiles were also consumed. The response of native mammals to seasonal fox removal was also determined.