Risk factors for severe injury in cyclists involved in traffic crashes in Victoria,Australia

This study examines the impact of cyclist, road and crash characteristics on the injury severity of cyclists involved in traffic crashes reported to the police in Victoria, Australia between 2004 and 2008. Logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify predictors of severe injury (serious injury and fatality) in cyclist crashes reported to the police. There were 6432 cyclist crashes reported to the police in Victoria between 2004 and 2008 with 2181 (33.9%) resulting in severe injury of the cyclist involved. The multivariate analysis found that factors that increase the risk of severe injury in cyclists involved in traffic crashes were age (50 years and older), not wearing a helmet, riding in the dark on unlit roads, riding on roads zoned 70 km/h or above, on curved sections of the road, in rural locations and being involved in head-on collisions as well as off path crashes, which include losing control of vehicle, and on path crashes which include striking the door of a parked vehicle. While this study did not test effectiveness of preventative measures, policy makers should consider implementation of programs that address these risk factors including helmet programs and environmental modifications such as speed reduction on roads that are frequented by cyclists.     

Project training evaluation: Reshaping boundary objects and assumptions

Training evaluation is an important component of personal development which has received insufficient attention by project managers, members of project teams and their organisations, making training a target for cut-back at times of tightening budgets. Assessing training has historically been operationally oriented, emphasising financial justification, content and quality of the training rather than the potential of improved project performance or organisational transformation. This qualitative, multi-case study demonstrates the limitations of normative boundary objects (the processes, artefacts, documents or technical language or vocabulary in common use within the project community) such as ‘best practise’ models and ‘bodies of knowledge’ as the driver and basis for training. The paper proposes using alternate boundary objects to incorporate reflective practises which can increase the utilisation of learning by embedding it in specific contexts. Study findings are of relevance to project workers by helping them think differently about the purpose and outcome of training attendance, and for managers charged with developing the project and programme talent pool within the organisation.     

基于语义搜索的语音交互系统模型研究

本文探讨了基于语义搜索的语音识别,比较了文本搜索和语义搜索的差别,并构建了分布式语义模型,建立了基于语义搜索的语音识别本体库,我们的研究说明基于语义搜索的语音识别具有很大的理论价值和实际作用。     

Extrusion of polypropylene/chitosan/poly(lactic-acid) films: Chemical,mechanical, and thermal properties

Development of extruded films composed of biopolymers blended with synthetic polymers aims to minimize the environmental impact of plastic waste-materials and lead to the sustainable plastic industry. To produce biodegradable polymeric blends, the weight content of biopolymers must be maximum without compromising the performance properties of the extruded films. Using a solvent-free extrusion method, films composed of polypropylene, poly(lactic-acid), and Chitosan, can be obtained with the use of polypropylene-graft-maleic anhydride and glycerol as compatibilizer and plasticizer, respectively. Extruded films with up to a 50 wt% content of biopolymers show acceptable thermal and mechanical properties, where the use of compatibilizer improves the processing characteristics and homogeneous distribution of chitosan throughout the films. Therefore, the extruded films can be considered as alternatives to conventional synthetic-polymer films, due to their acceptable mechanical and thermal properties with direct potential applications in extrusion-method mass production of biodegradable polymers.     

Using SERS Tags to Image the Three‐Dimensional Structure of Complex Cell Models

Methods to image complex 3D cell cultures are limited by issues such as fluorophore photobleaching and decomposition, poor excitation light penetration, and lack of complementary techniques to verify the 3D structure. Although it remains insufficiently demonstrated, surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) imaging is a promising tool for the characterization of biological complex systems. To this aim, a controllable 3D cell culture model which spans nearly 1 cm² in surface footprint is designed. This structure is composed of fibroblasts containing SERS‐encoded nanoparticles (i.e., SERS tags), arranged in an alternating layered structure. This “sandwich” type structure allows monitoring of the SERS signals in the z‐axis and with mm dimensions in the xy‐axis. Taking advantage of correlative microscopy techniques such as electron microscopy, it is possible to corroborate nanoparticle positioning and distances in z‐depths of up to 150 µm. This study reveals a proof‐of‐concept method for detailed 3D SERS imaging of a complex, dense 3D cell culture model.     

Encapsulation of Noble Metal Nanoparticles through Seeded Emulsion Polymerization as Highly Stable Plasmonic Systems

The implementation of plasmonic nanoparticles in vivo remains hindered by important limitations such as biocompatibility, solubility in biological fluids, and physiological stability. A general and versatile protocol is presented, based on seeded emulsion polymerization, for the controlled encapsulation of gold and silver nanoparticles. This procedure enables the encapsulation of single nanoparticles as well as nanoparticle clusters inside a protecting polymer shell. Specifically, the efficient coating of nanoparticles of both metals is demonstrated, with final dimensions ranging between 50 and 200 nm, i.e., sizes of interest for bio‐applications. Such hybrid nanocomposites display extraordinary stability in high ionic strength and oxidizing environments, along with high cellular uptake, and low cytotoxicity. Overall, the prepared nanostructures are promising candidates for plasmonic applications under biologically relevant conditions.