Removal of ametryn through nanofiltration and reverse osmosis

 This study focused on the performance of nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) in the removal of ametryn. Here, we investigated the effects of the applied pressure and ionic conditions on the removal of ametryn from water. It was found that the adsorption of ametryn onto NF membrane to decrease with the increase in ionic strength. Increased interaction between the NaCl electrolyte and the membrane surface is considered as the reason for the reduction in the adsorption. However, adsorption of ametryn onto the RO membrane did not show any trend. The removal of ametryn by NF and RO found to increase with the increase in the ionic strength. Retention of electrolyte salt (NaCl) on the membrane surface tends to decrease the membrane pore size which in turn increases the removal of ametryn at higher ionic strengths. It was found that up to 92% of ametryn could be removed using RO.

Flipper beat frequency and amplitude changes in diving green turtles, Chelonia mydas

Using a turtle-borne camera system, changing flipper beat frequency and amplitude were measured in five diving green turtles (Chelonia mydas Linnaeus 1758) in the Bahía de los Angeles, Mexico (28°58′N, 113°33′W). These observations were made between June and August 2002. Turtles worked hardest (i.e., had the highest flipper beat frequency and amplitude) at the start of descents when positive buoyancy is predicted to oppose their forward motion. During the later part of descents, turtles worked less hard in line with opposing buoyancy forces being reduced. For example, flipper beat frequency declined from about 60–80 beats min−1 at the start of descent to around 25–40 beats min−1 after 30 s of the descent. At the start of ascents the flipper beat frequency was around 30 beats min−1, lower than on descent, and declined as the ascent progressed with often passive gliding for the final few meters to the surface. This pattern of effort during diving appears to apply across a range of marine reptiles, birds and mammals suggesting that graded effort during descent and ascent is an optimum solution to minimising the cost of transport during diving.

The Virtualopolis archipelago: creatively interconnecting work-based virtual scenarios

One of the key elements of a quality student experience in higher education, outlined in the 2008 Bradley Report on the review of Australian higher education, is access to well-designed and engaging courses that lead to good vocational outcomes. 1 The Virtualopolis project concerns the development of a virtual city or platform which can encompass a community or vocational context for learning resources, linking these to engaging course delivery across disciplines and faculties. It is a virtual community with great potential to scaffold the imaginative immersion of the modem net generation learner. It was designed to incorporate virtual scenarios which were already in use, such as the country town of Bilby and the Pacific-style island of Newlandia, and has expanded to provide a virtual city of Virtualopolis across faculties and disciplines. One of the key strengths of this form of virtual environment is its capacity to focus on graduate attributes across disciplines. Virtualopolis provides access and a virtual city context to an interactive teamwork scenario, to develop attributes related to working with others, interrelating virtual business entities across all faculties. The teamwork scenario has multiple applications, with capacity to be a hurdle requirement, assessment item or training activity depending on the needs of the faculty's Work-integrated Leaming (WIL) policy. By developing the online virtual framework or platform of Virtualopolis, work-integrated team assessment can be used as skills preparation for experiential learning units such as internships, professional experience and workplace-based projects university-wide. It also provides the opportunity to repeatedly reuse the virtual city context for resources to support other courses. The Virtualopolis city and its interactive team scenario will be transferable for future cross-faculty and interdisciplinary virtual developments. Plans are already made for content areas as diverse as community health, nursing, creative arts, international relations and management.

Scaling up diabetes prevention in Victoria, Australia: policy development, implementation and evaluation

Objective
The Australian lifestyle intervention program Life! is only the second reported, large-scale diabetes prevention program. This paper describes the genesis and the successful establishment of Life! and its key outcomes for participants and implementation.

Research
Design and Methods Life!, a behavior change intervention, comprises six group sessions over eight months. The Victorian Department of Health funded Diabetes Australia-Victoria to implement the program. Experience of the Greater Green Triangle diabetes prevention implementation trial was used for intervention design, workforce development, training and infrastructure. Clinical and anthropometric data from participants, used for program evaluation, was recorded on a central database.

Results
Life! has a state-wide workforce of 302 trained facilitators within 137 organizations. 29,000 Victorians showed interest in Life! and 15,000 individuals have been referred to the program. In total, 8,412 participants commenced a Life! program between October 2007 and June 2011. 37% of the original participants completed the eight month program. Participants completing sessions one to five lost an average of 1·4 kg weight (p<0·001) and waist circumference of 2·5cm (p<0.001). Those completing six sessions lost an average of 2·4 kg weight (p<0·001) and waist circumference of 3·8 cm (p<0·001). The weight loss of 2.4 kg represents 2.7% of participants’ starting body weight.

Conclusion
The impact of Life! is attributable to applying available evidence for the systems design of the intervention, and collaboration between policy makers, implementers and evaluators using the principles of continuous quality improvement to support successful, large scale recruitment and implementation.

Activity patterns of free-ranging koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) revealed by accelerometry

An understanding of koala activity patterns is important for measuring the behavioral response of this species to environmental change, but to date has been limited by the logistical challenges of traditional field methodologies. We addressed this knowledge gap by using tri-axial accelerometer data loggers attached to VHF radio collars to examine activity patterns of adult male and female koalas in a high-density population at Cape Otway, Victoria, Australia. Data were obtained from 27 adult koalas over two 7-d periods during the breeding season: 12 in the early-breeding season in November 2010, and 15 in the late-breeding season in January 2011. Multiple 15 minute observation blocks on each animal were used for validation of activity patterns determined from the accelerometer data loggers. Accelerometry was effective in distinguishing between inactive (sleeping, resting) and active (grooming, feeding and moving) behaviors. Koalas were more active during the early-breeding season with a higher index of movement (overall dynamic body acceleration [ODBA]) for both males and females. Koalas showed a distinct temporal pattern of behavior, with most activity occurring from mid-afternoon to early morning. Accelerometry has potential for examining fine-scale behavior of a wide range of arboreal and terrestrial species.

Cognitive function in young people with chronic fatigue syndrome

The study was designed to investigate cognitive function in adolescents and young adults with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). CFS patients performed less well on measures of executive function, attention, and memory compared to participants without CFS. Processing speed was similar for both groups and CFS patients achieved higher academic scores.

Book review : Disposed to learn: schooling, ethnicity and the scholarly habitus

Book review of: Disposed to learn: schooling, ethnicity and the scholarly habitus, by Megan Watkins and Greg Noble