Adsorption of the herbicide 2,4-D on organo-palygorskite

Among the clay minerals, montmorillonite is the most extensively studied material using as adsorbents, but palygorskite and its organically modified products have been least explored for their potential use in contaminated water remediation. In this study, an Australian palygorskite was modified with cationic surfactants octadecyl trimethylammonium bromide and dioctadecyl dimethylammonium bromide at different doses. A full structural characterization of prepared organo-palygorskite by X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, surface analysis and thermogravimetric analysis was performed. The morphological changes of palygorskite before and after modification were recorded using scanning electron microscopy, which showed the surfactant molecules can attach on the surface of rod-like crystals and thus can weaken the interactions between palygorskite single crystals. Real surfactants loadings on organo-palygorskites were also calculated based on thermogravimetric analysis. 1 CEC, 2 CEC octadecyl trimethylammonium bromide modified palygorskites, 1 CEC and 2 CEC dioctadecyl dimethylammonium bromide modified palygorskites absorbed as much as 12 mg/g, 42 mg/g, 9 mg/g and 25 mg/g of 2,4- dichlorophenoxyacetic acid respectively. This study has shown a potential on organo-palygorskites for organic herbicide adsorption especially anionic ones from waste water. In addition, equilibration time effects and the Langmuir and Freundlich models fitting were also investigated in details.

Synthesis, characterization and comparative study of thiophene- benzothiadiazole based donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) materials

The synthesis and characterization of solution processable donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) based conjugated molecules with varying ratios of thiophene as donor (D) and benzothiadiazole as acceptor (A) are reported. Optical, electrochemical, thermal, morphological and organic thin film transistor (OTFT) device properties of these materials were investigated. The thermal and polarized optical microscope analysis indicates that the materials having higher D/A ratios exhibit both liquid crystalline (LC) and OTFT behavior. AFM analysis of the materials having D/A ratios of 3 and 4 (3T1B and 4T1B) show well ordered structures, resulting from strong π-π interchain interactions compared to the other molecules in this study. A XRD patterns for 3T1B and 4T1B thin films also shows high crystalline ordering. Solution processed OTFTs of 3T1B and 4T1B have shown un-optimized charge carrier mobilities of 2 × 10 -2 cm 2 V -1 s -1 and 4 × 10 -3 cm 2 V -1 s -1, respectively on bare Si/SiO 2 substrate.

Thiophene-benzothiadiazole-thiophene (D-A-D) based polymers : Effect of donor/acceptor moieties adjacent to D-A-D segment on photophysical and photovoltaic properties

New push-pull copolymers based on thiophene (donor) and benzothiadiazole (acceptor) units, poly[4,7-bis(3-dodecylthiophene-2-yl) benzothiadiazole-co- thiophene] (PT3B1) and poly[4,7-bis(3-dodecylthiophene-2-yl) benzothiadiazole-co-benzothiadiazole] (PT2B2), are designed and synthesized via Stille and Suzuki coupling routes respectively. Gel permeation chromatography shows the number average molecular weights are 31100 and 8400 g mol-1 for the two polymers, respectively. Both polymers have shown absorption throughout a wide range of the UV-vis region, from 300 to 650 nm. A significant red shift of the absorption edge is observed in thin films compared to solution of the copolymers; the optical band gap is in the range of 1.7 to 1.8 eV. Cyclic voltammetry indicates reversible oxidation and reduction processes with HOMO energy levels calculated to be in the range of 5.2 to 5.4 eV. Upon testing both materials for organic field-effect transistors (OFETs), PT3B1 showed a hole mobility of 6.1 × 10-4 cm2 V-1 s -1, while PT2B2 did not show any field effect transport. Both copolymers displayed a photovoltaic response when combined with a methanofullerene as an electron acceptor. The best performance was achieved when the copolymer PT3B1 was blended with [70]PCBM in a 1:4 ratio, exhibiting a short-circuit current of 7.27 mA cm-2, an open circuit voltage of 0.85 V, and a fill factor of 41% yielding a power conversion efficiency of 2.54% under simulated air mass (AM) 1.5 global (1.5 G) illumination conditions (100 mW cm-2). Similar devices utilizing PT2B2 in place of PT3B1 demonstrated reduced performance with a short-circuit current of 4.8 mA cm -2, an open circuit voltage of 0.73 V, and a fill factor of 30% resulting in a power conversion efficiency of roughly 1.06%.

Exploring Retinal Markers of Diabetic Neuropathy

Purpose : To investigate the application of retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness as a marker for severity of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in people with Type 2 diabetes. Methods : This was a cross-sectional study whereby 61 participants (mean age 61 [41-75 years], mean duration of diabetes 14 [1-40 years], 70% male) with Type 2 diabetes and DPN underwent optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans. Global and 4 quadrant (TSNI) RNFL thicknesses were measured at 3.45mm around the optic nerve head of one eye. Neuropathy disability score (NDS) was used to assess the severity of DPN on a 0 to 10 scale. Participants were divided into three age-matched groups representing mild (NDS=3-5), moderate (NDS=6-8) and severe (NDS=9-10) neuropathy. Two regression models were fitted for statistical analysis: 1) NDS scores as co-variate for global and quadrant RNFL thicknesses, 2) NDS groups as a factor for global RNFL thickness only. Results : Mean (SD) RNFL thickness (µm) was 103(9) for mild neuropathy (n=34), 101(10) for moderate neuropathy (n=16) and 95(13) in the group with severe neuropathy (n=11). Global RNFL thickness and NDS scores were statistically significantly related (b=-1.20, p=0.048). When neuropathy was assessed across groups, a trend of thinner mean RNFL thickness was observed with increasing severity of neuropathy; however, this result was not statistically significant (F=2.86, p=0.065). TSNI quadrant analysis showed that mean RNFL thickness reduction in the inferior quadrant was 2.55 µm per 1 unit increase in NDS score (p=0.005). However, the regression coefficients were not statistically significant for RNFL thickness in the superior (b=-1.0, p=0.271), temporal (b=-0.90, p=0.238) and nasal (b=-0.99, p=0.205) quadrants. Conclusions : RNFL thickness was reduced with increasing severity of DPN and the effect was most evident in the inferior quadrant. Measuring RNFL thickness using OCT may prove to be a useful, non-invasive technique for identifying severity of DPN and may also provide additional insight into common mechanisms for peripheral neuropathy and RNFL damage.

Author response to : Brough et al. in response to the recently published article : Lottering,N., MacGregor,D.M.,Barry,M.D.,Reynolds,M.S., Gregory,L.S., 2014. Introducing standardized protocols for anthropological measurement of virtual sub-adult crania using computed tomography 2(1),34–38

Firstly, we would like to thank Ms. Alison Brough and her colleagues for their positive commentary on our published work [1] and their appraisal of our utility of the “off-set plane” protocol for anthropometric analysis. The standardized protocols described in our manuscript have wide applications, ranging from forensic anthropology and paleodemographic research to clinical settings such as paediatric practice and orthopaedic surgical design. We affirm that the use of geometrically based reference tools commonly found in computer aided design (CAD) programs such as Geomagic Design X® are imperative for more automated and precise measurement protocols for quantitative skeletal analysis. Therefore we stand by our recommendation of the use of software such as Amira and Geomagic Design X® in the contexts described in our manuscript...

What Next? Future Directions for R&D Investment

Professor Peter Barrett at the 2013 CIB World Building Congress1 (WBC13) presented a timely context for the future of research and development (R&D) investment in the global construction industry (Barrett, 2013). He called for a shift in the focus from lessons learned and doing things better to what is the right thing to do and developing a new paradigm for achieving this. This shift requires empathy with industry and users; a desire to generate and transmit knowledge; an opportunity to study deeply and over the long term; and with an objective stance towards fJositive and negative findings. This shift includes the creation of sta11dards for the holistic impact of spaces through exemplary pilot projects creating evidence for policy makers and clients (Barrett, 2013)...

Quantification of D-dimer levels in human saliva

Background: Plasma D-dimer tests are currently used to exclude deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Human saliva has numerous advantages over blood as a diagnostic sample. The aims of our study were to develop a reliable immunoassay to detect D-dimer levels in saliva, and to determine the correlation between salivary and blood D-dimer levels. Results/methodology: Saliva and blood samples were collected from 40 healthy volunteers. We developed a AlphaLISA((R)) immunoassay with acceptable analytical performances to quantify D-dimer levels in the samples. The median salivary D-dimer levels were 138.1 ng/ml (morning) and 140.7 ng/ml (afternoon), and the plasma levels were 75.0 ng/ml. Salivary D-dimer levels did not correlate with plasma levels (p = 0.61). Conclusion: For the first time, we have quantified D-dimer levels and found twofold increase in saliva (p < 0.05) than in plasma. Further studies are required to demonstrate the clinical relevance/utility of salivary D-dimer in patients with confirmed deep vein thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism.

Environmental, personal, and genetic determinants of response to vitamin D supplementation in older adults

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Suboptimal vitamin D status can be corrected by vitamin D supplementation, but individual responses to supplementation vary. We aimed to examine genetic and nongenetic determinants of change in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) after supplementation. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: We used data from a pilot randomized controlled trial in which 644 adults aged 60 to 84 years were randomly assigned to monthly doses of placebo, 30 000 IU, or 60 000 IU vitamin D3 for 12 months. Baseline characteristics were obtained from a self-administered questionnaire. Eighty-eight single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 41 candidate genes were genotyped using Sequenom MassArray technology. Serum 25(OH)D levels before and after the intervention were measured using the Diasorin Liaison platform immunoassay. We used linear regression models to examine associations between genetic and nongenetic factors and change in serum 25(OH)D levels. RESULTS: Supplement dose and baseline 25(OH)D level explained 24% of the variability in response to supplementation. Body mass index, self-reported health status, and ambient UV radiation made a small additional contribution. SNPs in CYP2R1, IRF4, MC1R, CYP27B1, VDR, TYRP1, MCM6, and HERC2 were associated with change in 25(OH)D level, although only CYP2R1 was significant after adjustment for multiple testing. Models including SNPs explained a similar proportion of variability in response to supplementation as models that included personal and environmental factors. CONCLUSION: Stepwise regression analyses suggest that genetic variability may be associated with response to supplementation, perhaps suggesting that some people might need higher doses to reach optimal 25(OH)D levels or that there is variability in the physiologically normal level of 25(OH)D.

How innovation and R&D happen in the upstream oil & gas industry : insights from a global survey

Few would disagree that the upstream oil & gas industry has become more technology-intensive over the years. But how does innovation happen in the industry? Specifically, what ideas and inputs flow from which parts of the sector׳s value network, and where do these inputs go? And how do firms and organizations from different countries contribute differently to this process? This paper puts forward the results of a survey designed to shed light on these questions. Carried out in collaboration with the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), the survey was sent to 469 executives and senior managers who played a significant role with regard to R&D and/or technology deployment in their respective business units. A total of 199 responses were received from a broad range of organizations and countries around the world. Several interesting themes and trends emerge from the results, including: (1) service companies tend to file considerably more patents per innovation than other types of organization; (2) over 63% of the deployed innovations reported in the survey originated in service companies; (3) neither universities nor government-led research organizations were considered to be valuable sources of new information and knowledge in the industry׳s R&D initiatives, and; (4) despite the increasing degree of globalization in the marketplace, the USA still plays an extremely dominant role in the industry׳s overall R&D and technology deployment activities. By providing a detailed and objective snapshot of how innovation happens in the upstream oil & gas sector, this paper provides a valuable foundation for future investigations and discussions aimed at improving how R&D and technology deployment are managed within the industry. The methodology did result in a coverage bias within the survey, however, and the limitations arising from this are explored.

Evaluation of Indigenous justice programs.: final report / Project D, Safe Aboriginal Youth Patrol Programs in New South Wales and Northbridge Policy and Juvenile Aid Group in Western Australia

The Australian Government has provided funding to evaluate the effectiveness of Indigenous law and justice programs across five subject areas to identify the best approaches to tackling crime and justice issues and better inform government funding decisions in the future. This report presents the findings of subject area "D", which examined two different approaches to delivering community and night patrol services for young people: the Safe Aboriginal Youth Patrol programs in New South Wales, and the Northbridge Policy project (the Young People in Northbridge project), in Western Australia. Night patrols can address crime either directly or indirectly, by prevention work or by addressing the social causes of crime through community development.

Editorial - Assessment of EAL/D learners : the validity of teachers' professional judgements

Assessment is a recurring theme in this issue of TESOL in Context. It is the focus of a themed section; addressed in some of the award-winning thesis research we feature; and one of several topics in an article on EFL teacher preparation in an Australian university. In the first section of the issue we are pleased to publish précis of the theses produced by the joint winners of the Penny McKay Memorial Award for Best Thesis in Language Education. Penny was a major figure in the development of EAL/D education in Australia (see Dooley & Moore, 2009). Her work is remembered and continued through an Award established by the Australian Council of TESOL Associations (ACTA) and the Applied Linguistics Association of Australia (ALAA). The award recognises doctoral research which makes an outstanding contribution to second/additional language education in Australian schools (http://www.tesol.org.au/About-ACTA/PENNY-MCKAY-MEMORIAL-FUND)...