Development and properties of multifunctional biomedical nanocomposites（多機能生体医療用ナノコンポジットの創成およびその特性に関する研究）

信州大学(Shinshu university)博士（工学)ThesisYU JUHONG. Development and properties of multifunctional biomedical nanocomposites（多機能生体医療用ナノコンポジットの創成およびその特性に関する研究）. 信州大学, 2018, 博士論文. 博士（工学), 甲第680号, 平成30年03月20日授与.doctoral thesi

Bacteriophage-Based Colorimetric Detection of Escherichia Coli in Drinking Water

One of the major safety causes in drinking water is from the bacteria contamination, especially in developing countries and resource-limited settings. Although many of these Escherichia coli (E. coli) strains in drinking water are nonpathogenic, they sever as the indicator for bacterial contamination. And, the more widely used method to detect E. coli in drinking water is to determine the activity of β-galactosidase (β-gal), which is released by E. coli. Rapid, sensitive and inexpensive detection of E. coli in drinking water can reduce the risk of food-borne bacteria infection and stop the disease widely spreading. In this degree research, phage-based colorimetric methods were developed to detect viable Escherichia coli (E. coli) concentration in drinking water. During the phage infection cycle, phages can specifically recognize target E. coli cells and release intracellular β-gal enzyme. Using our proposed novel biosensor strategies, the β-gal enzymatic activity as the indictor for the presence of E. coli in drinking water was measured. Firstly, T7 phage covalently conjugated to magnetic beads were used to capture, separate, and purity E. coli cells from drinking water. The released β-gal was determined using commercial colorimetric substrates. Due to the specific chemical and physical properties of nanomaterials, T7 phage were immobilized on magnetic nanoparticle to improve the capture efficiency of bacteria separation. Next, a novel enzyme-induced metallization multi-colorimetric assay was developed to monitor and measure β-gal activity, which was further employed for high-resolution colorimetric phage-enabled detection of E. coli. In order to improve the limit of detection and decrease the effect of the β-gal vary of in different E. coli strains, engineered phage (T7lacZ) carrying lacZ gene was furthermore built to force overexpression of β-gal in E. coli cells during phage infection. The uses of T7lacZ phage have been demonstrated to become a rapid, sensitive, and reliable colorimetric detection of viable E. coli

Factors Affecting Faculty Use of Video Conferencing in Teaching: A Mixed-method Study

Teaching and learning can now utilize a variety of real-time technologies to build online social presence and learning interactions. However, teachers and students must effectively prepare for this experience; and the identification of contextual and perceptual influences become evolving and necessary (Lehman & Conceição, 2010; Liu & Kaye, 2016). In this paper, the authors explore factors that impact faculty use of synchronous video conferencing (VC) in teaching. The two-phase mixed-method study spanned a year, converging qualitative and quantitative approaches through observations and recordings during a 6-week faculty professional development program, a campus-wide survey, and focus groups. Thematic analysis was used for coding qualitative data (Guest, MacQueen, & Namey, 2012). Descriptive statistics, cross tabulation, logistic regression, and standard multiple regression were used to analyze quantitative data. A model with faculty demographic factors and perceived importance of technology features and quality for teaching was initially developed and tested, which explained 69.1% of the variance in predicting faculty use of VC technologies in teaching. The perceived importance of VC features and quality scale generated Cronbach’s Alpha .866. The study then provides meaningful process and recommendations to define institutional support to the VC adoption in teaching

Water Resource Utilization Efficiency (WRUE) for Prefecture-Level Cities of Jiangxi, China: A Three-Stage DEA and Bootstrap DEA Approach

In the present study, For China’s prefecture-level cities of Jiangxi, their respective Water Resource Utilization Efficiency (WRUE) from 2006 to 2015 was evaluated in this study, by applying a three-stage DEA and bootstrap DEA model. The results revealed that a comprehensive efficiency of water resources utilization in prefecture-level cities of Jiangxi remained at a relatively low level. The scale of investment in these prefecture-level cities is a key factor restricting their WRUE. However, we found that external environmental variables greatly influenced this efficiency. The spatial changes of DEA effective cities presented the evolution character of change from clear contiguous to complicated scattered. Moreover, our results suggest the bootstrap method can provide more accurate results for WRUE than those from a three-stage DEA. Finally, based on these results, corresponding policy recommendations are put forward in this study

“What If You Don’t Have a Library School?” Ethical Considerations for a Summer Internship at an Academic Library

Enabling professional working experiences for library and information science (LIS) graduate students is always rewarding. With this chapter, the authors will reflect on the operation, collaborative processes, and results of an academic library’s summer internship program. Ethical aspects related to ensuring intern pay, along with individual goal-based learning in a real workplace and the integrity of professional status, will provide insights for others looking to plan or implement similar programs

Design Variables for Self-Directed Learning in MOOC Environment

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) can meet education needs from diverse social, cultural, and access backgrounds and require a minimal cost of resources from learners. To successfully scaffold large and distributed populations to learn effectively in these MOOCs, the design needs to optimize self-directed learning. In this paper, the researchers investigated the design variables for MOOCs\u27 learning environment that allowed learning choices made by learners. With this study, the researchers developed a 21-item questionnaire based on a review of the literature and their MOOC design and implementation practices, Massive Online Open Course Learning Environment Design Questionnaire (MOOC-LED). The researchers used the quantitative survey study and developed an initial examination of the MOOC-LED factor structure, validity, and internal reliability. The analyses were based on the anonymous data of 162 participants’ perception of learning in MOOCs. The scholarly significance of the 21-item MOOC-LED questionnaire is discussed with its limitations, implications, and future directions

Factor Decomposition Analysis of Industrial Wastewater Discharge: A Case of China’s Jiangxi Province

Industrial wastewater discharge is a serious problem for the environmental management of water in Jiangxi, China. In order to analyze the drivers of industrial wastewater discharge in 2004-2015, we used a Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) method to examine four effects including scale , structure , discharge intensity, and technology on the discharges. In 2004-2015, the wastewater discharge from Jiangxi’s industrial sectors increased by 2348.918 ×104 tons. The expansions of production scale and discharge intensity were the main factors leading to increases in industrial wastewater discharges, by1.392-fold and 1.028-fold, respectively. Improvements in abatement technology and adjustment of industrial structure was most important role in decreasing industrial wastewater discharge by 0.659-fold and 0.996-fold, respectively. The main industries that led to increased wastewater discharge during 2004-2015 were WC, MPNFMO, PFAP, Mte, MPPP, MRCMCP, MM, and MCCOEE. We showed that if control of wastewater discharge in Jiangxi’s industrial sectors is to be achieved in future, the industrial sectors should continue to rely on advanced technology to improve efficiency of water use in the short term, and should simultaneously limit expansion of energy-intensive and highly polluting industries. This may help accelerate restructuring and upgrading of the industrial sector in China in the long run. Keywords: decomposition factors, wastewater discharge, Jiangxi, industrial sectors, LMD