Polycaprolactone scaffold and reduced rhBMP-7 dose for the regeneration of critical-sized defects in sheep tibiae

The transplantation of autologous bone graft as a treatment for large bone defects has the limitation of harvesting co-morbidity and limited availability. This drives the orthopaedic research community to develop bone graft substitutes. Routinely, supra-physiological doses of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are applied perpetuating concerns over undesired side effects and cost of BMPs. We therefore aimed to design a composite scaffold that allows maintenance of protein bioactivity and enhances growth factor retention at the implantation site. Critical-sized defects in sheep tibiae were treated with the autograft and with two dosages of rhBMP-7, 3.5 mg and 1.75 mg, embedded in a slowly degradable medical grade poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffold with β-tricalcium phosphate microparticles (mPCL-TCP). Specimens were characterised by biomechanical testing, microcomputed tomography and histology. Bridging was observed within 3 months for the autograft and both rhBMP-7 treatments. No significant difference was observed between the low and high rhBMP-7 dosages or between any of the rhBMP-7 groups and autograft implantation. Scaffolds alone did not induce comparable levels of bone formation compared to the autograft and rhBMP-7 groups. In summary, the mPCL-TCP scaffold with the lower rhBMP-7 dose led to equivalent results to autograft transplantation or the high BMP dosage. Our data suggest a promising clinical future for BMP application in scaffold-based bone tissue engineering, lowering and optimising the amount of required BMP.

Money ruins everything

In the economy of the 21st century, economic and technical innovation is increasingly based on developments that don't rely on economic incentive or public provision. Unlike 20th century innovation, the most important developments in innovation have been driven not by research funded by governments or developed by corporations but by the collaborative interactions of individuals. In most cases, this modality of innovation has not been motivated by economic concerns or the prospect of profit. This raises the possibility of a world in which some of the sectors of the economy particularly the ones dealing with innovation and creativity are driven by social interactions of various kinds, rather than by profit-oriented investment. This Article examines the development of this amateur modality of creative production, and explains how it came to exist. It then deals with why this modality is different from and potentially inconsistent with the typical modalities of production that are at the heart of modern views of innovation policy. It provides a number of policy prescriptions that should be used by governments to recognize the significance of amateur innovation, and to further the development of amateur productivity.

Dark Cartographies

‘Dark Cartographies’ is a slowly evolving meditation upon seasonal change, life after light and the occluding shadows of human influence. Through creating experiences of the many ‘times of a night’ the work allows participants to experience deep engagement with rich spectras of hidden place and sound. By amplifying and shining light upon a myriad of lives lived in blackness, ‘Dark Cartographies’ tempts us to re-understand seasonal change as actively-embodied temporality, inflected by our climate-changing disturbances. ‘Dark Cartographies’ uses custom interactive systems, illusionary techniques and real time spatial audio that draw upon a rich array of media, including seasonal, nocturnal field recordings sourced in the Far North Queensland region and detailed observations of foliage & flowering phases. By drawing inspiration from the subtle transitions between what Europeans named ‘Summer’ and ‘Autumn’, and by including the body and its temporal disturbances within the work, ‘Dark Cartographies’ creates compellingly immersive environments that wrap us in atmospheres beyond sight and hearing. ‘Dark Cartographies’ is a dynamic new installation directed & choreographed by environmental cycles; alluding to a new framework for making works that we call ‘Seasonal’. This powerful, responsive & experiential work draws attention to that which will disappear when biodiverse worlds have descended into an era of permanent darkness – an ‘extinction of human experience’. By tapping into the deeply interlocking seasonal cycles of environments that are themselves intimately linked with social, geographical & political concerns, participating audiences are therefore challenged to see the night, their locality & ecologies in new ways through extending their personal limits of perception, imagery & comprehension.

Silk purse, sow’s ear : transforming second-Hand clothing into luxury fashion through craft practice

There is more apparel being created than ever before in history. The unsustainable production of materials and the clothing and textile waste that contributes annually to landfill, an estimated 500 000 tonnes of clothing per year in the UK (Gray, 2012) are significant issues inspiring the practice of Australian fashion designers, Carla van Lunn and Carla Binotto. While the contemporary fashion industry is built upon a production and consumption model that is younger than the industrial revolution, the traditions of costume, craft, and bodily adornment are ancient practices. Binotto and van Lunn believe that the potential for sustainable fashion practice lies outside the current industrial manufacturing model. This case study will discuss their fashion label, Maison Briz Vegas, and examine how recycling and traditional craft practices can be used to address the problem of clothing waste and offer an alternative idea of value in fashion and materials, addressing the indicative conference theme, Craft as Sustainability Activism in Practice. “Maison Briz Vegas”, a play on the notion of French luxury and the designers’ new world and sub-tropical home town, Brisbane, is an experimental and craft-based fashion label that uses second-hand cotton T-shirts and wool sweaters as primary materials to create designer fashion. The first collection, titled “The Wasteland”, was conceived and created in Paris in 2011, where designer Carla van Lunn had been living and working for several years. The collection was inspired by the precariousness of the global economy and concerns about climate change. The mountains of discarded clothing found at flea markets provided a textile resource from which van Lunn created a recycled hand-crafted fashion collection with an activist message and was shown to buyers and press during Paris Fashion Week. The label has since become a collaboration with fellow Australian designer Carla Binotto. The craft processes employed in Maison Briz Vegas’ up-cycled fashion collections include original hand block-printing, hand embroidery, quilting and patchwork. Taking an artisanal and slow approach, the designers work to create a hand touched imperfect style in a fashion market flooded with digital printing and fast mass-produced garments. The recycling extends to garment fastenings and embellishments, with discarded jar lids and bottle tops being used as buttons and within embroidery. This process transforms the material and aesthetic value of cheap and generic second-hand clothing and household waste. Maison Briz Vegas demonstrates the potential for craft and design to be an interface for environmental activism within the world of fashion. Presenting garments that are both high-design and thoughtfully recycled in a significant fashion context, such as Paris Fashion Week, Maison Briz Vegas has been able to engage a high-profile luxury fashion audience which has not traditionally considered sustainable or eco practices as relevant or desirable in themselves. The designers are studying how to apply their production model on a greater scale in order to fill commercial orders and reach a wider audience whilst maintaining the element of bespoke, limited edition, and slow hand-craft within their work.

Introduction - research ethics : women, sex, and gender in biomedical research

The ethical governance of biomedical research is an area of intense international debate. Scholars argue about who should regulate and how, the appropriate role for ethics committees, what kind of research should be included, and who should be involved in monitoring compliance. A particular aspect of these debates concerns the inclusion of women as research participants and the efforts to ensure that researchers consistently investigate questions of sex and gender in health research. There is increasing evidence of the role of sex in the manifestation and course of some illnesses and their treatment. Moreover, evidence suggests that gendered expectations also affect health outcomes. This special issue investigates how researchers are addressing these issues and debates the appropriate roles of policy makers, ethicists, and lawyers in ensuring that sex and gender differences are taken into account in the development, conduct, and reporting of health research.

Review : "Genetic Privacy: A challenge to Medico-Legal Norms" by Laurie, G

The discovery by Watson and Crick of the structure of DNA is one of the great scientific discoveries. In the period since that discovery new areas of genetic research have opened up which hold out the hope of developing treatments or cures for many illnesses and diseases. Yet with these discoveries have also come an array of ethical and legal dilemmas about the use of genetic information and concerns about the potential for those with genetic diseases or conditions to be stigmatised and discriminated against. The discussion about the developments in genetic science has become increasingly, a debate about the use of genetic information within our society. Graeme Laurie’s book, Genetic Privacy: A Challenge to Medico-Legal Norms, guides the reader through the complexities of these debates by considering what we mean by privacy and asking whether our existing concepts are adequate to meet the challenges posed by the new genetics.

Geographic co-distribution of influenza virus subtypes H7N9 and H5N1 in humans, China

Human infection with a novel low pathogenicity influenza A(H7N9) virus in eastern China has recently raised global public health concerns (1). The geographic sources of infection have yet to be fully clarified, and confirmed human cases from 1 province have not been linked to those from other provinces. While some studies have identified epidemiologic characteristics of subtype H7N9 cases and clinical differences between these cases and cases of highly pathogenic influenza A(H5N1), another avian influenza affecting parts of China (2–4), the spatial epidemiology of human infection with influenza subtypes H7N9 and H5N1 in China has yet to be elucidated. To test the hypothesis of co-distribution of high-risk clusters of both types of infection, we used all available data on human cases in mainland China and investigated the geospatial epidemiologic features...

Smart resource control in distribution network to improve the integration level of PV

This project was an innovative approach in developing smart coordination of available energy resources to improve the integration level of PV in distribution network. Voltage and loading issues are considered as the main concerns for future electricity grid which need to be avoided using such resources. A distributed control structure was proposed for the resources in distribution network to avoid noted power quality issues.

Predicting positive and negative impacts of cancer among long-term endometrial cancer survivors

OBJECTIVE Although the survival outcomes among women diagnosed with endometrial cancer are very favorable, little is known about the long-term impact of their cancer experience. This study identifies the extent of positive and negative impacts of cancer and factors associated with this, amongst long-term survivors of endometrial cancer. METHODS Australian women diagnosed with endometrial cancer (N=632) were sent questionnaires at the time of diagnosis and 3-5 years later. Hierarchical multiple regression models were used to examine whether a range of variables at diagnosis/treatment predicted subsequent scores on the Impact of Cancer Scale, which examines positive (e.g. health awareness) and negative (e.g. appearance concerns) impacts amongst cancer survivors. RESULTS Overall, women had a higher mean score for the positive than negative impact scales (M=3.5 versus M=2.5, respectively). An intermediate grade of endometrial cancer, a prior diagnosis of cancer and lower levels of education were significant, but weak, predictors of higher scores on the positive impact scale. Higher scores on the negative impact scale were predicted by a higher grade of cancer, poor physical and mental health, a younger age, being single or having lower levels of education. CONCLUSIONS The study demonstrates that factors that predict positive impact in cancer survivors differ to those that predict negative impact, suggesting that interventions to optimize cancer survivors' quality of life will need to be multi-dimensional, and this supports the need for tailored intervention.

Validity and reliability of the 3-day physical activity recall in Singaporean adolescents

Childhood obesity and physical inactivity are major health concerns for the Singaporean government (Ministry of Health, Singapore [MOH], 2001). Data from the 1998 Singaporean National Health Survey indicate that 10.8–14.7% of Singaporean children ages 6–16 years are either overweight or obese (MOH, 2001). Although true population estimates of youth physical activity are not available, descriptive epidemiological studies conducted in the 1990s suggest that a large percentage of school-aged children in Singapore fail to meet established guidelines for participation in physical activity...

Coal seam gas water : potential hazards and exposure pathways in Queensland

The extraction of coal seam gas (CSG) produces large volumes of potentially contaminated water. It has raised concerns about the environmental health impacts of the co-produced CSG water. In this paper, we review CSG water contaminants and their potential health effects in the context of exposure pathways in Queensland’s CSG basins. The hazardous substances associated with CSG water in Queensland include fluoride, boron, lead and benzene. The exposure pathways for CSG water are: (1) water used for municipal purposes, (2) recreational water activities in rivers, (3) occupational exposures, (4) water extracted from contaminated aquifers, and; (5) indirect exposure through the food chain. We recommend mapping of exposure pathways into communities in CSG regions to determine the potentially exposed populations in Queensland. Future efforts to monitor chemicals of concern and consolidate them into a central database will build the necessary capability to undertake a much needed environmental health impact assessment.

Encouragement of physical activity for weight loss may lead to negative psychological outcomes among girls

PURPOSE To examine correlates and consequences of parents' encouragement of girls' physical activity (PA) for weight loss (ENCLOSS). METHODS Data were collected for 181 girls, mothers and fathers when girls were 9, 11, and 13 years old. Mothers and fathers completed a self-report questionnaire of ENCLOSS (e.g., “I have talked to my daughter about how to exercise to lose weight”). Correlates of ENCLOSS that were assessed include girls' Body Mass Index (BMI) z-score and parents' modeling of and logistic support for PA. Dependent variables assessed at age 13 include girls' self-reported and objectively-measured PA, enjoyment of physical activity, and weight concerns. Associations between ENCLOSS, girls' BMI, and parent's support for PA were assessed using spearman rank correlations. To examine links between ENCLOSS and the outcome variables, scores for ENCLOSS were divided into tertiles at each age. Three groups were created including girls who were in the highest tertile at each age (high ENCLOSS), girls who were in the lowest tertile at each age (low ENCLOSS), and girls who varied in their tertile ranking (mid ENCLOSS). Group differences in the outcome variables were assessed using regression analysis (referent group: low ENCLOSS), controlling for girls' BMI and the outcome variable at age 9. RESULTS Girls' with higher BMI had mothers and fathers who reported higher ENCLOSS (r = .61-. 69, p<. 0001). Parents'reports of ENCLOSS were not associated with modeling of or logistic support for PA. Girls in the high ENCLOSS group reported significantly lower enjoyment of PA and higher weight concerns at age 13, independent of covariates. No differences in PA were noted. CONCLUSION Parents who encourage their daughters to be active for weight loss do not model PA or facilitate girls' PA. Persistent encouragement of PA for weight loss may lead to low enjoyment of PA and higher weight concerns among adolescent girls.

An analysis of dispute review boards and settlement mediation as used in the Australian construction industry

If there is a silver lining to the adversarial, dispute-prone nature of the building and construction industry, it can be found in the concomitant rise of innovative dispute resolution mechanisms. Time, cost and relationship concerns have meant that the formal adversarial system holds little appeal for disputing parties. As these alternative forms of dispute avoidance/resolution have matured in Australia over the last 20 years, attention has turned to the key characteristics of each process and their suitability to the building and construction industry. This article considers the role of dispute review boards (DRBs) and mediation as two alternative methods for avoiding/resolving disputes in the construction industry. Criteria are established for evaluating the efficacy of these procedures and their sensitivity to the needs of construction industry disputants. The ultimate conclusion reached is that DRBs represent a powerful, yet underutilised dispute resolution tool in Australia, and possess many industry-specific advantages that more traditional forms of alternative dispute resolution (particularly mediation) do not provide.

A framework for identifying associations in digital evidence using metadata

Digital forensics concerns the analysis of electronic artifacts to reconstruct events such as cyber crimes. This research produced a framework to support forensic analyses by identifying associations in digital evidence using metadata. It showed that metadata based associations can help uncover the inherent relationships between heterogeneous digital artifacts thereby aiding reconstruction of past events by identifying artifact dependencies and time sequencing. It also showed that metadata association based analysis is amenable to automation by virtue of the ubiquitous nature of metadata across forensic disk images, files, system and application logs and network packet captures. The results prove that metadata based associations can be used to extract meaningful relationships between digital artifacts, thus potentially benefiting real-life forensics investigations.

Embedded creatives in the Australian manufacturing industry

According to 2011 Australian Census figures, embedded creative employees (creative employees not working in the core Creative Industries) make up 2 per cent (or a total of 17 635) of manufacturing industry employees. The average for all industries is 1.6 per cent. In the 2011–2012 financial year the manufacturing industry formed 7.3 per cent of Australia’s gross domestic product (GDP), contributing approximately AU$106.5 billion to the economy (Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education 2013). Manufacturing is central to innovation, accounting for over one-quarter of all business expenditure in R&D in 2010–2011, representing around AU$4.8 billion invested in R&D (ibid.). Facing challenges such as sustainability concerns, ever-increasing offshore production and the global financial crisis, the Australian manufacturing industry needs to remain relevant and competitive to succeed. Innovation is one way to do this. Given the contribution of the manufacturing industry to the Australian economy, and the above-average portion of embedded creatives in manufacturing, it is important to consider what exactly embedded creatives add to the industry. This chapter, inspired by the Getting Creative in Healthcare report (Pagan, Higgs and Cunningham 2008), examines the contribution of embedded creatives to innovation in the manufacturing industry via case studies and supplemental data.