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Streetscape biodiversity and the role of bioretention swales in an Australian urban environment
No full textFor the successful development of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) or Low Impact Development (LID) as a relatively new concept for stormwater management, it is necessary to understand the effect of these systems on urban ecology. This study determined the effect of bioretention swales as a type of vegetated WSUD system on urban biodiversity. The biodiversity potential of nine bioretention swales and nine corresponding green spaces in the Melbourne area were compared. Invertebrates captured by sweep netting were used as biodiversity indicators. The number of species, species richness and diversity were higher in bioretention swales than in gardenbed and lawn-type green spaces, respectively. The invertebrate communities in these landscapes were affected by mid-stratum vegetation coverage, the number of flowering plants, pH and the slope characteristics of the bioretention swales. These effects might be a response of the invertebrate species to increased refuge and food resources available in these landscapes. Changing conventional planting strips in streets to bioretention swales has promising potential for enhancing urban biodiversity. In particular, reducing the area of lawn-type green spaces to promote sustainable development is recommended. The outcomes of this research have practical implications for landscape designers and managers whose aim is to conserve invertebrate diversity in urban settings.
Relationship between precipitant stressor and timing of clinical diagnosis in Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy
No full textPersonality predictors of behavioral self-regulation : linking behavioral self-regulation to five-factor model factors, facets, and a compound trait
No full textThis study examined relationships between a composite of several facet-level traits within the five-factor model (FFM) of personality and outcomes across 3 phases of behavioral selfregulation. The goal of this research was to investigate the potential of the compound trait approach as an alternative to predicting self-regulatory outcomes based on the full FFM, conscientiousness or other FFM factor-level traits, or any individual facet-level trait within the FFM. These relationships were investigated using a sample of 312 participants completing both goal-related questionnaires and a decision task designed to simulate aspects of selfregulated performance within organizations. Consistent with hypotheses, the collection of traits within the composite – assertiveness, activity, achievement striving, deliberation, dutifulness, self-discipline, and ideas – performed as well or better than any single factor or facet of the FFM. The future research and practice implications for goal propensity, a compound trait related to all phases of behavioral self-regulation, are discussed.
Attenuation of microglial and IL-1 signaling protects mice from acute alcohol-induced sedation and/or motor impairment
No full textAlcohol-induced proinflammatory central immune signaling has been implicated in the chronic neurotoxic actions of alcohol, although little work has examined if these non-neuronal actions contribute to the acute behavioral responses elicited by alcohol administration. The present study examined if acute alcohol-induced sedation (loss of righting reflex, sleep time test) and motor impairment (rotarod test) were influenced by acute alcohol-induced microglial-dependent central immune signaling. Inhibition of acute alcohol-induced central immune signaling, through the reduction of proinflammatory microglial activation with minocycline, or by blocking interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor signaling using IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), reduced acute alcohol-induced sedation in mice. Mice treated with IL-1ra recovered faster from acute alcohol-induced motor impairment than control animals. However, minocycline led to greater motor impairment induced by alcohol, implicating different mechanisms in alcohol-induced sedation and motor impairment. At a cellular level, IκBα protein levels in mixed hippocampal cells responded rapidly to alcohol in a time-dependent manner, and both minocycline and IL-1ra attenuated the elevated levels of IκBα protein by alcohol. Collectively these data suggest that alcohol is capable of rapid modification of proinflammatory immune signaling in the brain and this contributes significantly to the pharmacology of alcohol.
Using hydrogel microparticles to transfer hydrophilic nanoparticles and enzymes to organic media via stepwise solvent exchange
No full textWe present a simple and versatile approach of using hydrogel microparticles to transfer both inorganic hydrophilic nanoparticles (NPs) such as CdTe quantum dots and enzymes such as lipase B from Candida antarctica (CalB) to organic media and eventually encapsulate them in the gel microparticles by consecutive exchange of the water swollen in the hydrogel microparticles with water-miscible organic solvents and water-immiscible solvents. The entrapment of hydrophilic nanoparticles is due to their incompatibility with water-immiscible organic solvents soaked in the gel matrices and in the surrounding environment, so the present approach obviates the need for any chemical modification to the NP surface or to the hydrogel and furthermore does not require any size matching or chemical affinity of the NPs for the hydrogel networks. The solvent exchange process causes little change of the intrinsic properties of hydrophilic nanoparticles; CdTe quantum dots encapsulated in hydrogel microparticles, dispersed in water-immiscible organic solvents, remain strongly fluorescent, and CalB retains high catalytic activity. Of importance is that the hydrophilic nanoparticles encapsulated in the gel microparticles in organic media can be completely recovered in aqueous media via reversed solvent exchange. As a consequence, the present approach should hold immense promise for technical applications, especially in catalysis.
Assessment of five bioaccessibility assays for predicting the efficacy of petroleum hydrocarbon biodegradation in aged contaminated soils
No full textvalidation is required using soils from a range of hydrocarbon contamination sources in order to develop robust assays for predicting bioremediation endpoints in the field.
Quantum dot superluminescent diodes for optical coherence tomography : device engineering
No full textWe present a 18mWfiber-coupled single-mode superluminescent diode with 85 nm bandwidth for application in optical coherence tomography (OCT). First, we describe the effect of quantum dot (QD) growth temperature on optical spectrum and gain, highlighting the need for the optimization of epitaxy for broadband applications. Then, by incorporating this improved material into a multicontact device, we show how bandwidth and power can be controlled.We then go on to showhowthe spectral shape influences the autocorrelation function, which exhibits a coherence length of <11 μm, and relative noise is found to be 10 dB lower than that of a thermal source. Finally, we apply the optimum device to OCT of in vivo skin and show the improvement that can be made with higher power, wider bandwidth, and lower noise, respectively.
The regulation of paid care workers' wages and conditions in the non-profit sector : a Toronto case study
No full textThe paper explores the distinctive regulatory space in which care workers' wages and conditions are determined. It draws on a case study of the non-profit sector of Toronto illustrated by the experience of four social services agencies located there. In doing so it examines the intersection between industrial regulation and practice, and other regulatory constraints or mechanisms identified by Lessig (1988). In community services these mechanisms include funding models, the gendered social norms that presume and underpin the valuation of paid care work and the organization of care work in diverse care settings. It is the mix of these regulatory forces and the specific contexts within which they interact that effect particular wage and non-wage outcomes for care work.
