Investigation into the diffusion of innovation in technical and further education : implementing e-mail through action research

This research project examined the diffusion of change within one Victorian TAFE Institute by engaging action research to facilitate implementation of e-mail technology. The theoretical framework involving the concepts of technology innovation and action research was enhanced with the aid of Rogers's (1983) model of the diffusion of the innovation process. Political and cultural factors made up the initiation phase of innovation, enabling the research to concentrate on the implementation phase of e-mail Roger's (1983) model also provided adopter categories that related to the findings of a Computer Attitude Survey that was conducted at The School of Mines and Industries Ballarat (SMB), now the University of Ballarat—TAFE Division since amalgamation on 1st January 1998. Despite management rhetoric about the need to utilise e-mail, Institute teaching staff lacked individual computers in their work areas and most were waiting to become connected to the Internet as late as 1997. According to the action research reports, many staff were resistant to the new e-mail facilities despite having access to personal computers whose numbers doubled annually. The action research project became focussed when action researchers realised that e-mail workshop training was ineffective and that staff required improved access. Improvement to processes within education through collaborative action research had earlier been achieved (McTaggart 1994), and this project actively engaged practitioners to facilitate decentralised e-mail training in the workplace through the action research spiral of planning, acting, observing and reflecting, before replanning. The action researchers * task was to find ways to improve the diffusion of e-mail throughout the Institute and to develop theoretical constructs. My research task was to determine whether action research could successfully facilitate e-mail throughout the Institute. A rich literature existed about technology use in education, technology teaching, gender issues, less about computerphobia, and none about 'e-mailphobia \ It seemed appropriate to pursue the issue of e-mailphobia since it was marginalised, or ignored in the literature. The major political and cultural influences on the technologising of SMB and e-mail introduction were complex, making it impossible to ascertain the relative degrees of influence held by Federal and State Governments, SMB's leadership or the local community, Nonetheless, with the implementation of e-mail, traditional ways were challenged as SMB's culture changed. E-mail training was identified as a staff professional development activity that had been largely unsuccessful. Action research is critical collaborative inquiry by reflective practitioners who are accountable for making the results of their inquiry public and who are self-evaluating of their practice while engaging participative problem-solving and continuing professional development (Zuber-Skerritt 1992, 1993). Action research was the methodology employed in researching e-mail implementation into SMB because it involved collaborative inquiry with colleagues as reflective practitioners. Thoughtful questions could best be explored using deconstructivist philosophy, in asking about the noise of silence, which issues were not addressed, what were the contradictions and who was being marginalised with e-mail usage within SMB. Reviewing literature on action research was complicated by its broad definition and by the variability of research (King & Lonnquist 1992), and yet action research as a research methodology was well represented in educational research literature, and provided a systematic and recognisable way for practitioners to conduct their research. On the basis of this study, it could be stated that action research facilitated the diffusion of e-mail technology into one TAFE Institute, despite the process being disappointingly slow. While the process in establishing the action research group was problematic, action researchers showed that a window of opportunity existed for decentralised diffusion of e-mail training,in preference to bureaucratically motivated 'workshops. Eight major findings, grouped under two broad headings were identified: the process of diffusion (planning, nature of the process, culture, politics) and outcomes of diffusion (categorising, e-mailphobia, the survey device and technology in education). The findings indicated that staff had little experience with e-mail and appeared not to recognise its benefits. While 54.1% did not agree that electronic means could be the preferred way to receive Institute memost some 13.7% admitted to problems with using the voice answering service on telephones. Some 43.3% thought e-mail would not improve their connectedness (how they related) to the Institute. A small percentage of staff had trouble with telephone voice-mail and a number of these were anxious computer users. Individualised tuition and peer support proved helpful to individual staff whom action researchers believed to be 'at risk', as determined from the results of a Computer Attitude Survey. An instructional strategy that fostered the development of self-regulation and peer support was valuable, but there was no measure of the effects of this action research program, other than in qualitative terms. Nevertheless, action research gave space to reflect on the nature of the underlying processes in adopting e-mail. Challenges faced by TAFE action researchers are integrally affected by the values within TAFE, which change constantly and have recently been extensive enough to be considered as a 'new paradigm'. The influence of competition policy, the training reform agenda and technologisation of training have challenged traditional TAFE values. Action research reported that many staff had little immediate professional reason to use e-mail Theoretical answers were submerged beneath practical professional concerns, which related back to how much time teachers had and whether they could benefit from e-mail. A need for the development of principles for the sound educational uses of e-mail increases with the internationalisation of education and an increasing awareness of cultural differences. The implications for conducting action research in TAFE are addressed under the two broad issues of power and pedagogy. Issues of power included gaining access, management's inability to overcome staff resistance to technology, changing TAFE values and using technology for conducting action research. Pedagogical issues included the recognition of educational above technological issues and training staff in action research. Finally, seventeen steps are suggested to overcome power and pedagogical impediments to the conduct of action research within TAFE. This action research project has provided greater insight into the difficulties of successfully introducing one culture-specific technology into one TAFE Institute. TAFE Institutes need to encourage more action research into their operations, and it is only then that -we can expect to answer the unanswered questions raised in this research project.

Fabrication and characterisation of microporous titanium

Microporous titanium was fabricated by a special powder metallurgy process and the microstructure and the mechanical properties of the material were characterised by scanning electron microscopy and quasi-static compression. The pore sizes and porosities of the samples are ranged of 10-50 μm and 40-65%, respectively. Macroporous Ti samples with the pore sizes ranged from 500 to 800 μm were also prepared by the similar process for comparison. The microporous Ti exhibits not only a very different deformation behaviour from the macroporous Ti but also lower flow stress than the latter, completely different from those observed in common porous metals.

The theoretical underpinnings of rural injury and its impact on prevention programs

Many observations support the concept of an entity that could be described as ‘rural injury,’ yet the nature and limits of this concept are little explored. We demonstrate the complexity through descriptions along a single dimension: place.

Rural injury may be considered as consisting of both ‘Rural specific injury’ (Farm/agricultural, Forestry and Mining related injuries and Injuries in state/national parks) and also rural instances of ‘Injury which is not location specific’. Examples of the latter category include water related (especially boating & fishing), other industrial, Road Trauma, Sporting and Domestic injuries.

On corrosion behaviour of magnesium alloy AZ31 in simulated body fluids and influence of ionic liquid pretreatments

This paper reports on the corrosion of Mg alloy AZ31 in simulated body fluid (SBF) using static immersion tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. A preliminary study on the effect of flowing SBF on the corrosion behaviour of AZ31 has also been carried out. Low toxicity ionic liquids (ILs) trimethyl(butyl)phosphonium diphenyl phosphate P1444DPP and trihexyl(tetradecyl)-phosphonium bis-2,4,4trimethylpentyl-phosphinate [P66614][ i(C8) 2PO2] have been used to provide corrosion protection for AZ31 in SBF. Time dependent immersion tests indicate that under static conditions, AZ31 suffers severe localised corrosion in SBF, with pits developing predominantly beside the Al-Mn intermetallic phase in the α matrix. At longer immersion times, the corrosion product eventually precipitates and covers the entire specimen surface. When exposed to SBF under flowing conditions with a shear stress of 0·88 Pa, more uniform corrosion was observed. The optical profilometry results and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis suggest that both P
1444DPP and [P66614][i(C8)2PO2] pretreatments can increase the corrosion resistance of AZ31 in SBF, in particular by decreasing the number of deeper pits found on the alloy surface. Cytotoxic test shows that the presence of the ILs P
1444DPP and [P66614][i(C8)2PO2] in cell culture media slightly inhibits the growth of human coronary artery endothelial cells in comparison with the good cell viability around the treated specimen. A pretreatment with IL is used in order to improve the corrosion resistance of this alloy in SBF. © 2012 Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.

Earth resources activities on Crown land: guidelines and procedures for land managers

The purposes of this document are to:
• outline some processes in relation to the administration and/or handling of earth resources activities (particularly exploration and mining for minerals) on Crown land;
• provide Crown land managers with guidelines and procedures to assist in administration of exploration and mining cases;
• provide a broad framework within which regional or localised guidelines and procedures can be developed or utilised;
• provide guidance to proponents wishing to undertake exploration or mining for minerals on Crown land.

Fabrication, characterization and modelling of functionally graded nanocomposites

This research introduced the innovative concept of controlling the composition in nanocomposites for optimizing the mechanical performance; as well as tailoring the thermal and electrical properties for multi-functional applications. It led to the development of novel lighter stronger materials for use in engineering applications such as automotive body and mining equipment.

A survey on differential privacy and applications

Privacy preserving in data release and mining is a hot topic in the information security field currently. As a new privacy notion, differential privacy (DP) has grown in popularity recently due to its rigid and provable privacy guarantee. After analyzing the advantage of differential privacy model relative to the traditional ones, this paper surveys the theory of differential privacy and its application on two aspects, privacy preserving data release (PPDR) and privacy preserving data mining (PPDM). In PPDR, we introduce the DP-based data release methodologies in interactive/non-interactive settings and compare them in terms of accuracy and sample complexity. In PPDM, we mainly summarize the implementation of DP in various data mining algorithms with interface-based/fully access-based modes as well as evaluating the performance of the algorithms. We finally review other applications of DP in various fields and discuss the future research directions.

Adult education and radical habitus in an environmental campaign: learning in the coal seam gas protests in Australia

Summary: This paper examines the adult learning dimensions of protestors as they participate in a campaign to stop coal seam gas exploration in Gippsland in Central Victoria, Australia. On a global level, the imposition of coal seam gas exploration by governments and mining companies has been the trigger for movements of resistance from environmental groups. They are concerned about the impact of mining on their land, food and water supplies. In central Gippsland a group of ‘circumstantial activists’ comprised of farmers, tree changers and other local residents are campaigning against coal seam gas exploration. This unlikely coalition of environmental action groups has made effective use of a variety of community education strategies. This paper commences by outlining some of the key literature on learning and activism drawing on the education tradition of adult learning. We then draw on key concepts from Bourdieu’s writing on ‘habitus’ and ‘field’ to analyse the data from this research. We outline some of the learning practices of activists; through their involvement in this campaign, and the knowledge and skills they gain as they develop a feel for the game of protest. We argue circumstantial activists learn both formally and informally in the social environment of campaigning. Of particular interest is the role of more experienced activists from Friends of the Earth (FOE), a non-government organisation (NGO), as they pass on knowledge, experience, tactics and strategies to the novice and less experienced activists in this community campaign. We explore some of the contradictions of the protestors’ identification as activists using Bourdieu’s concepts of ‘doxa’ and ‘Ilusio’. The paper concludes by arguing learning in activism is a rich tradition of adult education and practice. However, Bourdieu’s writing on field and habitus makes an added contribution to interpreting the learning that occurs in the social space of a campaign or social movement.

LNA aptamer based multi-modal, Fe3O4-saturated lactoferrin (Fe3O4-bLf) nanocarriers for triple positive (EpCAM, CD133, CD44) colon tumor targeting and NIR, MRI and CT imaging

This is the first ever attempt to combine anti-cancer therapeutic effects of emerging anticancer biodrug bovine lactoferrin (bLf), and multimodal imaging efficacy of Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) together, as a saturated Fe3O4-bLf. For cancer stem cell specific uptake of nanocapsules/nanocarriers (NCs), Fe3O4-bLf was encapsulated in alginate enclosed chitosan coated calcium phosphate (AEC-CP) NCs targeted (Tar) with locked nucleic acid (LNA) modified aptamers against epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) and nucleolin markers. The nanoformulation was fed orally to mice injected with triple positive (EpCAM, CD133, CD44) sorted colon cancer stem cells in the xenograft cancer stem cell mice model. The complete regression of tumor was observed in 70% of mice fed on non-targeted (NT) NCs, with 30% mice showing tumor recurrence after 30 days, while only 10% mice fed with Tar NCs showed tumor recurrence indicating a significantly higher survival rate. From tumor tissue analyses of 35 apoptotic markers, 55 angiogenesis markers, 40 cytokines, 15 stem cell markers and gene expression studies of important signaling molecules, it was revealed that the anti-cancer mechanism of Fe3O4-bLf was intervened through TRAIL, Fas, Fas-associated protein with death domain (FADD) mediated phosphorylation of p53, to induce activation of second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases (SMAC)/DIABLO (inhibiting survivin) and mitochondrial depolarization leading to release of cytochrome C. Induction of apoptosis was observed by inhibition of the Akt pathway and activation of cytokines released from monocytes/macrophages and dendritic cells (interleukin (IL) 27, keratinocyte chemoattractant (KC)). On the other hand, the recurrence of tumor in AEC-CP-Fe3O4-bLf NCs fed mice mainly occurred due to activation of alternative pathways such as mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) and Wnt signaling leading to an increase in expression of survivin, survivin splice variant (survivin 2B) and other anti-apoptotic proteins Bad, Bcl-2 and XIAP. Apart from the promising anti-cancer efficacy and the exceptional tumor targeting ability observed by multimodal imaging using near-infrared (NIR) imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computerized tomographic (CT) techniques, these NCs also maintained the immunomodulatory benefits of bLf as they were able to increase the RBC, hemoglobin, iron calcium and zinc levels in mice.

Conserving koalas: A review of the contrasting regional trends, outlooks and policy challenges

The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), one of the world's most iconic faunal species, was recently listed under Australian government legislation as vulnerable in the northern states of Queensland and New South Wales and in the Australian Capital Territory, but not in the southern states of Victoria and South Australia. This review synthesises empirical evidence of regional koala population trends, their conservation outlook, and associated policy challenges. Population declines are common in the northern half of the koala's range, where habitat loss, hotter droughts, disease, dog attacks and vehicle collisions are the major threats. In contrast, some southern populations are locally overabundant and are now subject to managed declines. The koala presents the problem of managing a wide-ranging species that now primarily occurs in human-modified landscapes, some of which are rapidly urbanising or subject to large-scale agricultural and mining developments. Climate change is a major threat to both northern and southern populations. The implementation of policy to conserve remaining koala habitat and restore degraded habitat is critical to the success of koala conservation strategies, but habitat conservation alone will not resolve the issues of koala conservation. There needs to be concerted effort to reduce the incidence of dog attack and road-related mortality, disease prevalence and severity, and take into account new threats of climate change and mining. Many of the complex conservation and policy challenges identified here have broader significance for other species whose population trends, and the nature of the threatening processes, vary from region to region, and through time.

Biodegradable Eri silk nanoparticles as a delivery vehicle for bovine lactoferrin against MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells

This study used the Eri silk nanoparticles (NPs) for delivering apo-bovine lactoferrin (Apo-bLf) (~2% iron saturated) and Fe-bLf (100% iron saturated) in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines. Apo-bLf and Fe-bLf-loaded Eri silk NPs with sizes between 200 and 300 nm (±10 nm) showed a significant internalization within 4 hours in MDA-MB-231 cells when compared to MCF-7 cells. The ex vivo loop assay with chitosan-coated Fe-bLf-loaded silk NPs was able to substantiate its future use in oral administration and showed the maximum absorption within 24 hours by ileum. Both Apo-bLf and Fe-bLf induced increase in expression of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 and lactoferrin receptor in epidermal growth factor (EGFR)-positive MDA-MB-231 cells, while transferrin receptor (TfR) and TfR2 in MCF-7 cells facilitated the receptor-mediated endocytosis of NPs. Controlled and sustained release of both bLf from silk NPs was shown to induce more cancer-specific cytotoxicity in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells compared to normal MCF-10A cells. Due to higher degree of internalization, the extent of cytotoxicity and apoptosis was significantly higher in MDA-MB-231 (EGFR+) cells when compared to MCF-7 (EGFR-) cells. The expression of a prominent anticancer target, survivin, was found to be downregulated at both gene and protein levels. Taken together, all the observations suggest the potential use of Eri silk NPs as a delivery vehicle for an anti-cancer milk protein, and indicate bLf for the treatment of breast cancer.

Caracterização do concentrado de ilmenita produzido na Mina do Guaju, Paraíba, visando identificar inclusões de monazita e outros contaminantes

O presente estudo tem como proposta, identificar o modo como o mineral monazita se encontra no concentrado final de ilmenita. Este concentrado é o produto resultante do beneficiamento do minério extraído de depósitos do tipo pláceres, conhecidos como depósitos de areias pretas. Estes depósitos são formados por dunas litorâneas pertencentes à jazida do Guaju, no município de Mataraca-PB. Todo o processo de lavra e beneficiamento deste minério ocorre na Mina do Guaju, a qual é operada pela empresa Millennium Inorganic Chemicals do Brasil S/A, pertencente a Lyondell Chemical Company. A ilmenita é um mineral composto por óxido de ferro e titânio, FeTiO3. Quase toda a ilmenita produzida na mina é transferida para o processo de fabricação de pigmento. A exigência para o uso na fabricação de pigmento é de que o concentrado final de ilmenita tenha um teor mínimo de 53% de TiO2 e um teor máximo de 0,1% de P2O5, entre outras substâncias. A monazita é o principal mineral fonte de óxido de tório, que é radioativo. No processo de fabricação de pigmento, a monazita é um contaminante indesejado. De acordo com a proposta de trabalho, foi feito um estudo de caracterização mineralógica de amostras do concentrado final de ilmenita fornecidas pela empresa. Inicialmente foram feitas análises em lupa, onde muitos grãos de leucoxeno foram identificados. O leucoxeno é uma alteração da ilmenita que permanece com as mesmas características magnéticas e eletrostáticas, tornando impossível, assim, a sua separação no processo de concentração. Também foi verificada a existência de grãos de monazita liberados em pequenas quantidades neste concentrado, indicando uma provável ineficiência no processo de separação. Numa segunda etapa foram realizadas análises dos grãos de ilmenita com o uso de um Microscópio Eletrônico de Varredura (MEV) acoplado a um Espectrômetro de Dispersão de Energia (EDS), para permitir a determinação de elementos químicos na amostra. Esta análise teve como objetivo verificar a existência de inclusões de monazita nos grãos de ilmenita. Porém, o que se observou foi a existência de algumas inclusões de quartzo e de alguns vazios deixados, provavelmente, por inclusões arrancadas durante o processo de preparação das amostras. Alguns destes vazios apresentaram formas semelhantes a de cristais de monazita, indicando a possibilidade da existência de inclusões deste mineral. Entretanto, a quantidade de grãos com possíveis inclusões de monazita é muito pequena, sendo insignificante como contaminante do concentrado final. Embora alguns vazios se assemelhem à forma da monazita, nenhum dos resultados do EDS identificou vestígios de sua presença. Ao final deste estudo ficou evidente que a principal fonte de contaminação do concentrado final de ilmenita corresponde à monazita, a qual se encontra liberada neste concentrado. Desta forma, há a necessidade de se melhorar o processo de separação dos minerais, de modo que a quantidade de monazita no concentrado final seja a menor possível, não prejudicando o rendimento da recuperação de ilmenita.

Total gastrectomy with substitution of stomach by jejunal pouch with and without duodenal passage. Study in rats

A comparison was done between the F. Paulino jejunal pouch (FP) and a jejunal pouch (JP) as esophagusduodenum interpositional graft, for replacing the stomach after total gastrectomy. It was investigated the effect of the two procedures on esophagus histology, nutritional state and serum gastrin in rats. Methods: Male Wistar rats weighing 282±17g were randomly submitted to sham operation (S), FP and JP after total gastrectomy. After eight weeks the rats were killed with overdose of anesthetic and tissue was taken from the distal esophagus for histology. Serum levels of total proteins, albumin, iron, transferring, folate, cobalamine, calcium, as well as serum gastrin were determined. Survival was considered. Results: Fourty six rats were operated and thirty survived for eight weeks. Five (33.3%) died after FP and 11 (52.3%) after JP (p<0.05). Postoperative esophagitis occurred in 6 JP rats. At 8th week, no difference was observed on body weight when compared FP and JP rats (p>0.05). The JP rats had a significant decrease in serum albumin, glucose, transferrin, iron, folate and calcium, compared to sham (p<0.05). Serum gastrin, iron and calcium were significantly higher in JP rats than in FP rats (p<0.05). In FP rats, transferrin and cobalamine showed significant decrease comparing the preoperative with 8th week levels (p<0.05). Conclusion: F. Paulino pouch in rats had lower mortality than JP, and esophagitis was not detected in it. JP rats had serum gastrin, iron and calcium unaffected, possibly because of preservation of duodenal passage

Evidence for Reductive Genome Evolution and Lateral Acquisition of Virulence Functions in Two Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis Strains

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Evidence for conformational changes in the yeast deoxyhypusine hydroxylase Lia1 upon iron displacement from its active site

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)