Linking human behaviour to environmental effects using a case study of urban rodent control

Pest control is common in many land use activities and can affect non‐target species. Our objectives were to evaluate, among chemical rodent control product (rodenticide) users, awareness of non‐target effects on wildlife and willingness to change rodent control behaviour given knowledge of possible local non‐target effects. Approximately half of respondents to a resident survey in California (USA) practised rodent control; of these, approximately 45% were chemical rodenticide users. Few (10%) were aware of possible non‐target effects. Then, we asked subjects about their potential to pursue each of four rodent control behaviours: continue current use, change product use, reduce use, or stop use. Most respondents indicated that they were most likely to change their rodent control behaviour given the knowledge that rodenticides were possibly affecting non‐target wildlife. Among the four behaviours, the greatest frequency of respondents indicated a potential change of product(s) used. Concern about rodenticides affecting wildlife was the most consistent predictor of potential to change or not change behaviour. Our results highlight importance of awareness about environmental effects of personal actions, and promotion of stewardship may be most effective if efforts focus on development of long‐term personal value in the environment.     

Social outcomes in the construction industry: the case of the Western Australian ‘Percent for Art’ policy

Social outcomes, in particular intangible social outcomes, are generally difficult to achieve in the construction industry due to the predominantly episodic, fragmented and heavily regulated nature of construction that presupposes a tendency towards mainstream construction processes and design. The Western Australian ‘Percent for Art’ policy is recognized for stimulating social outcomes, by creating richer and more aesthetically pleasing social environments through the incorporation of artwork into public buildings. A case study of four Percent for Art projects highlights the role of the Artwork Selection Committee in incorporating artwork into construction. A total of 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted with committee members and policy officers. Data analysis involved a combination of pattern coding and matrix categorization, and resulted in the identification of the committee’s three key elements of collaborative communication, democratic decision-making and project champions. The findings suggest these key elements foster the interaction, communication and relationships needed to facilitate feedback, enhance relationships, create cross-functional teams and lower project resistance, which are all necessary to overcome constraints to social outcomes in construction. The findings provide greater insight into the mechanisms for achieving social outcomes and a basis for future discussion about the processes for achieving social outcomes in the construction industry.     

H-bonding driven assembly of colloidal Au nanoparticles on nanostructured poly(styrene-b-ethylene oxide) block copolymer templates

A facile, cost-effective, and general solution-based “bottom-up” method for nanopatterning dense arrays of colloidal Au nanoparticles (NPs) has been developed. The organization of the NPs has been successfully achieved onto a microphase-separated poly(styrene-block-ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO) block copolymer (BCP) thin film which acts as structural template. The NP assembly process occurs by incubating the BCP films in dispersions of the ex situ synthesized Au NPs, not requiring any chemical pre-treatment or activation step of the copolymer surface, and has demonstrated to be distinctively controlled by multiple, cooperative, and selective hydrogen bonding interactions between hydroxyl functionalities of the capping molecules coating the Au NP surface and the hydrophilic PEO block. The effect of incubation time and concentration of NPs on the selectivity of the assembly has been investigated by atomic force and scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the BCP pattern is preserved after decoration with the Au NPs. The fabricated nanopatterns are good candidates for nanostructure integration in sensing and optoelectronic applications, as well as in memory devices and photonic systems. Moreover, the proposed immobilization protocol represents a model system that can be extended to other NPs having different compositions and surface chemistries.     

Integration of binding peptide selection and multifunctional particles as tool-box for capture of soluble proteins in serum

In this paper, we report on a general approach for the detection of a specific tumoural biomarker directly in serum. Such detection is made possible using a protein-binding peptide selected through an improved phage display technique and then conjugated to engineered microparticles (MPs). Protein biomarkers represent an unlimited source of information for non-invasive diagnostic and prognostic tests; MP-based assays are becoming largely used in manipulation of soluble biomarkers, but their direct use in serum is hampered by the complex biomolecular environment. Our technique overcomes the current limitations as it produces a selective MP—engineered with an antifouling layer—that ‘captures’ the relevant protein staying impervious to the background. Our system succeeds in fishing-out the human tumour necrosis factor alpha directly in serum with a high selectivity degree. Our method could have great impact in soluble protein manipulation and detection for a wide variety of diagnostic applications.     

Selective Dispersion of Large‐Diameter Semiconducting Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes with Pyridine‐Containing Copolymers

The purity of single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) is a key parameter for their integration in electronic, optoelectronic and photonic devices. Samples of pristine SWNTs are inhomogeneous in terms of electric behavior and diameter and contain a variety of amorphous carbon and catalyst residues. To obtain high performance devices, purification of SWNTs is required. Conjugated polymers have emerged as efficient solubilizing and sorting agents for small diameter SWNTs (HiPco tubes, 0.7 nm<Ø<1.1 nm). Nevertheless, reports on polymers able to efficiently sort large diameter SWNTs with Ø>1.1 nm are lacking. Several pyridine‐containing copolymers were synthesized for this purpose and showed efficient and selective extraction of semiconducting large diameter SWNTs (PLV tubes, Ø>1.1 nm). High concentration and high purity suspensions are obtained without the use of ultracentrifugation, which gives an up‐scaling potential of the method. The emission wavelength is in near infrared region around 1550 nm and fits with broadly used telecommunication wavelength window. The processes taking place at the interface were simulated by a newly designed hybrid coarse‐grain model combining density functional theory and geometrical calculation to yield insights into the wrapping processes with an unprecedented level of details for such large diameter SWNTs.     

Short-term assessment of burn severity using the inversion of PROSPECT and GeoSail models

Accurate estimations of burn severity and its distribution in post fire scenarios are critical for short-term mitigation and rehabilitation treatments. The use of remote sensing techniques, coupled with radiative transfer models (RTMs) can improve the accuracy, precision (in terms of number of classes) and cost-effectiveness of burn severity assessment. In this paper, an improved simulation model that combines PROSPECT and GeoSail to estimate burn severity from satellite data was tested in three Mediterranean forest fires. The determination of burn severity was based on a new version of the CBI index (named GeoCBI), that takes into account the vegetation fraction cover (FCOV) to compute burn severity of the total plot. Model inversion results showed accurate estimations of GeoCBI values (RMSE between 0.18 and 0.21) and a uniform performance in all three sites (107 field plots in total) throughout the full GeoCBI range (0-3).     

Aggression in adolescent girls: Implications for policy, prevention, and treatment.

This review of literature focuses on aggression and adolescent girls. Official crime statistics from Statistics Canada show an increase in violent offenses by girls. This statistic has created considerable interest in a heretofore largely ignored area of childhood maladjustment. Differences regarding the development and expression of aggression with girls in contrast to boys is provided. The authors argue that, in the context of what is acknowledged to be a limited literature, there are important themes for human service-providers and policy-makers to consider in examining assessment, treatment, and prevention strategies for aggressive adolescent girls. Finally, an orientation towards furthering a research agenda in the area of aggression with adolescent girls is provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conjoint analysis of enhanced English Medium Instruction for college students

The importance of English Medium Instruction (EMI) has greatly increased in non-English speaking countries, including Korea, due to the trend of globalization. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of EMI has been questioned in most of the universities in Korea where EMI has been rapidly adopted. This paper explores the optimal design of EMI in order to maximize students’ achievement. Additionally, regression analysis and choice simulation based on scenario analysis are used to suggest more effective EMI programs.     

Antioxidant phytochemical and quality changes associated with hot water immersion treatment of mangoes (Mangifera indica L.)

Mangoes are an important tropical fruit crop worldwide and are best noted for their vibrant flesh colour, juicy texture, and sweet flavour, along with important nutrient contributions from their phytochemical constituents. Mangoes imported to the US must be exposed to thermal quarantine treatments, such as irradiation and hot water treatment (HWT), to eradicate invasive pests, yet limited data exist regarding polyphenolic changes to the fruit following hot water immersion treatment. Although the water temperature remains constant, the duration of treatment depends on fruit size. Therefore, these investigations focused on polyphenolic and antioxidant changes to mature, green mangoes following varying times of HWT and their changes during short-term storage. Experimentally, fruit were immersed in 46.1 °C water from 70 to 110 min; half evaluated within 2 h of treatment, while the remainder was evaluated after 4 days of storage at 25 °C for changes in polyphenolics, antioxidant capacity and fruit quality. Free gallic acid and four gallotannins were tentatively identified as the major polyphenolics present by HPLC analysis against authentic standards. Two major polyphenolics in mango, gallic acid and gallotannins, as well as total soluble phenolics, decreased as a result of prolonged HWT, while the antioxidant capacity remained unchanged in all heat-treated mangoes immediately after HWT. However, during 4 days storage, only minor changes were observed in gallic acid and gallotannin concentrations whereas total soluble phenolics and antioxidant capacity in all hot water-treated fruits decreased. The optimum hot water immersion times did not affect the external quality and polyphenolics of mangoes but all heat treatments reduced total soluble phenolics and antioxidant capacity, regardless of the duration of treatment times, during 4 days storage.