Inactivation of the antibacterial and cytotoxic properties of silver ions by biologically relevant compounds

There has been a recent surge in the use of silver as an antimicrobial agent in a wide range of domestic and clinical products, intended to prevent or treat bacterial infections and reduce bacterial colonization of surfaces. It has been reported that the antibacterial and cytotoxic properties of silver are affected by the assay conditions, particularly the type of growth media used in vitro. The toxicity of Ag+ to bacterial cells is comparable to that of human cells. We demonstrate that biologically relevant compounds such as glutathione, cysteine and human blood components significantly reduce the toxicity of silver ions to clinically relevant pathogenic bacteria and primary human dermal fibroblasts (skin cells). Bacteria are able to grow normally in the presence of silver nitrate at >20-fold the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) if Ag+ and thiols are added in a 1:1 ratio because the reaction of Ag+ with extracellular thiols prevents silver ions from interacting with cells. Extracellular thiols and human serum also significantly reduce the antimicrobial activity of silver wound dressings Aquacel-Ag (Convatec) and Acticoat (Smith & Nephew) to Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli in vitro. These results have important implications for the deployment of silver as an antimicrobial agent in environments exposed to biological tissue or secretions. Significant amounts of money and effort have been directed at the development of silver-coated medical devices (e.g. dressings, catheters, implants). We believe our findings are essential for the effective design and testing of antimicrobial silver coatings

Spectroscopy of ultrathin epitaxial rutile TiO[sub 2](110) films grown on W(100)

Epitaxial ultrathin titanium dioxide films of 0.3 to similar to 7 nm thickness on a metal single crystal substrate have been investigated by high resolution vibrational and electron spectroscopies. The data complement previous morphological data provided by scanned probe microscopy and low energy electron diffraction to provide very complete characterization of this system. The thicker films display electronic structure consistent with a stoichiometric TiO2 phase. The thinner films appear nonstoichiometric due to band bending and charge transfer from the metal substrate, while work function measurements also show a marked thickness dependence. The vibrational spectroscopy shows three clear phonon bands at 368, 438, and 829 cm(-1) (at 273 K), which confirms a rutile structure. The phonon band intensity scales linearly with film thickness and shift slightly to lower frequencies with increasing temperature, in accord with results for single crystals. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics

Cost impacts to motorists of discounted registration fees in the presence of distance-based charges and implications for government revenue

The call for a congestion charge is getting louder and more frequent in many countries as major metropolitan areas experience increasing levels of road congestion. Although reform of road pricing is almost certain to occur at some time in the future, a key challenge is in selling the idea to the community of road users as well as a whole raft of interest groups that influence the views of society and politicians. What is required is a carefully structured demonstration of what might be done to progressively introduce adjustments in road user charges that are seen as reducing the costs to motorists while ensuring no loss of revenue to government. In this paper we show this can be achieved by the reform of registration fees in the presence of a distance-based charging regime (either for the peak or all day), that can deliver financial gains to motorists with prospects of revenue growth to the State Treasury of Sydney (Australia). The reform package assessed is predicted to result in changes to total annual kilometres of travel (especially in the peak) and flow through gains in travel time that deliver reductions in traffic congestion. We see this as an essential first stage in gaining community support for road pricing reform – proof of cost reductions associated with improvements in traffic congestion can then be used to continue the reform process

Complementing Distance based Charges with Discounted Registration Fees in the Reform of Road User Charges: the Impact for Motorists and Government Revenue

The call for a congestion charge is getting louder and more frequent in many countries as major metropolitan areas experience increasing levels of road congestion. This is often accompanied by a recognition that governments need to find new sources of revenue to maintain existing road networks and to invest in new transport infrastructure. Although reform of road pricing is almost certain to occur at some time in the future in a number of countries, a key challenge is in selling the idea to the community of road users as well as a whole raft of interest groups that influence the views of society and politicians. Simply announcing a need for a congestion charge (often misleadingly called a tax) does little to progress the reform agenda. What is required is a carefully structured demonstration of what might be done to progressively introduce adjustments in road user charges that are seen as reducing the costs to motorists while ensuring no loss of revenue to government. In this paper we show, in the context of Sydney (Australia), that this can be achieved by the reform of registration fees in the presence of a distance-based charging regime that can deliver financial gains to motorists, with prospects of revenue growth to the State Treasury.Australian Research Council Discovery Program Gran

Towards a simplified payment formula as a reference point for bus contract negotiation or assessment

The burgeoning commitment to contracting the delivery of bus services through competitive tendering or negotiated performance-based contracts has been accompanied by as many contract payments schemes as there are contracts. With the accumulation of experiences throughout the world, we are now in a position to identify a few key features of the diverse suite of payment formulae, in order to propose a simplified payment formula that has the potential to capture the majority of ‘desirable’ characteristics from a social and a commercial perspective. This formula may then be the basis for a reference point in contract negotiation or assessment. Setting aside the myriad of caveats and variations of existing contracts, this paper reasonably assumes that there are substantive common elements which capture the majority of variations in total cost per bus kilometre and cost per passenger, and can be used to establish a starting position to implement a simplified contract. We illustrate how a simplified reference payment formula might be calibrated and applied to calculate gross cost per passenger which incorporates gross cost per bus km, per hour and per peak bus, as well as passengers per bus kilometre. The paper overall offers a way forward to move towards an objective way of assessing the costs of delivering bus services with a simplified payment formula in the contract

Emerging transport technologies and the modal efficiency framework: A case for mobility as a service (MaaS)

The land passenger transport sector lies on the cusp of a major transformation, guided by collaborative consumption, next generation vehicles, demographic change and digital technologies. Whilst there is widespread enthusiasm across the community for this nexus of disruptors, the wholescale implications on road capacity, traffic congestion, land use and the urban form remains unclear, and by extension, whether this emerging transport paradigm will bring a net benefit to the transport system and our communities. Some issues include the proliferation of point-to-point transportation, a continuation of universal vehicle ownership, and the demise of fixed route public transport—all envisaged by various industry leaders in technology and transportation. In this paper, we develop the modal efficiency framework, with axes representing spatial and temporal efficiency to illustrate why some of these developments may be geometrically incompatible with dense urban environments. We then investigate three potential scenarios likely to emerge and explain why they may be problematic with reference to this framework. Mobility as a service (MaaS) based on shared mobility and modal integration is then introduced as a sustainable alternative which accounts for the realities of spatial and temporal efficiency. Various models for implementing MaaS are evaluated including the distinction between commercially-motivated models (presently well advanced in research and development), and systems which incorporate an institutional overlay. The latter, government-led MaaS, is recommended for implementation given the opportunity for incorporating road pricing as an input into package price, defined by time of day, geography and modal efficiency. In amidst the hype of this emerging transport paradigm, a critical assessment of the realm of possibilities can better inform government policy and ensure that digital disruption occurs to our advantage

Mode-agnostic mobility contracts: identifying broker/aggregator models for delivering mobility as a service (MaaS)

Mobility as a service (MaaS) promises a bold new future where bundled public transport and shared mobility options will provide consumers with seamless mobility on par with and exceeding that of private vehicle ownership. Whilst there is a growing body of work examining the market and end user demand for MaaS, there remains a limited understanding of the supply-side around new business models for delivering these integrated mobility services. Mobility broker/aggregator models have been proposed, but to date there exists no quantitative evidence to empirically test the conditions around which interested businesses might invest or supply in this new entrepreneurial model. In this paper, we propose the idea of mode-agnostic mobility contracts as the interface for bringing together specialised businesses as part of the new MaaS ecosystem. We identify the relevant attributes and attribute levels defining these contracts through an extensive interview and participatory research program with key stakeholders including MaaS operators, conventional transport operators, public transport authorities and consultancies, with a focus in the Nordic countries where such schemes are presently well advanced. These mobility contracts were then incorporated as part of a stated choice survey, and we document the face-to-face pilot used to finesse the survey instrument prior to the main survey. A preliminary mixed logit choice model based on collected data (n=202) is presented to showcase the potential of our stated preference survey to reveal what the market is willing to deliver in terms of MaaS and how the future service delivery ecosystem might look

New approaches to measurement and management for high integrity health systems

Healthcare economies across the globe are in crisis. High income countries—whether their healthcare economies are market driven like the US or tax funded like the UK—are struggling with relentless demand for more services that are increasingly costly to deliver. Low and middle income countries are struggling to provide better and more equitable access to potentially lifesaving interventions while wisely allocating scarce resources across all sectors that affect human and social development. In rich and poor countries alike, policy makers, citizens, and health professionals are drawn to technology but are not learning how to use it most effectively or from mistakes made when its limits go unrecognised or unheeded.1 Variation in regional rates of therapeutic and diagnostic interventions and hospital based care exists globally with no measurable benefit in populations receiving more services.2345 At the same time effective primary healthcare and social services that can have a greater effect on health and wellbeing are being underused.467 The failure to deliver the right care at the right time in the right place contributes to the waste of as much as 40% of healthcare expenditures.48 Recognition of this waste, which is often associated with harm to patients, has spurred health policy reforms across the globe. One common objective is people centred care, which focuses on the needs and wants of individuals and engages them in management of their own care, including behaviours that promote and sustain health and wellbeing. A policy forum held earlier this year, which included health ministers and other representatives from members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and seven other countries, advocated a shift from “a system centred on providers to one centred on people’s individual needs and preferences.” The same shift has been advocated in China and for other countries investing heavily in developing healthcare economies.91011 Reform has been successful in some settings, but nowhere has the scale of reform been sufficient to allay concerns about personalised care or about system sustainability. A high integrity health system is one dedicated to providing services that people need and want—no less but no more—and that puts the interests of patients and the public above those of all other stakeholders.12 In this analysis, we discuss how next generation reforms towards a high integrity health system will need to move from the “what” to the “how” of change, to reflect a greater understanding of the sources of resistance, and to take new approaches to measurement and management to guide system performance and innovation

The North West Rail Link: Winners and losers in the locality of the north west area

The appraisal of large scale transport infrastructure projects by governments tends to focus on the costs and benefits to society as a whole or to broad communities affected by the project. In so doing, it is often believed by members of these communities that the greatest benefits of a scheme are likely to accrue in the immediate environs of the project. This paper examines one specific project (the NSW State Government’s proposed North West Rail Link in Metropolitan Sydney) to examine how this project impacts on different spatial areas in the environs of the project in terms of travel times and fares. Following the election of a new state government in 2011, an extension of the CityRail network into the Hills District of Sydney was announced. Known as the North-West Rail Line (NWRL), it will link Epping to Cudgegong Road beyond Rouse Hill. The project will provide rail access for the first time from the centre of the growing North West region to major employment centres in the North-West and to major centres located between the North-west and Sydney CBD. Currently there are a number of public transport options available for travel to the CBD of Sydney, the most popular being a service that operates from various locations in the NW Hills area and connects directly onto the M2 toll road; with a substantial amount of bus lane priority along its routes into the CBD of Sydney. The available information suggests existing bus services will be re-directed to the NWRL. This paper examines changes in door to door travel times for different spatial areas in the environs of the proposed new line, comparing existing services with services directed via the NWRL. The paper concludes that there are winners and losers thus challenging the belief that communities close to new infrastructure are the main beneficiaries

Emerging transport technologies and the modal efficiency framework: A case for mobility as a service (MaaS)

The land passenger transport sector lies on the cusp of a major transformation, guided by collaborative consumption, next generation vehicles, demographic change and digital technologies. Whilst there is widespread enthusiasm across the community for this nexus of disruptors, the wholescale implications on road capacity, traffic congestion, land use and the urban form remains unclear, and by extension, whether this emerging transport paradigm will bring a net benefit to the transport system and our communities. Some issues include the proliferation of point-to-point transportation, a continuation of universal vehicle ownership, and the demise of fixed route public transport—all envisaged by various industry leaders in technology and transportation. In this paper, we develop the modal efficiency framework, with axes representing spatial and temporal efficiency to illustrate why some of these developments may be geometrically incompatible with dense urban environments. We then investigate three potential scenarios likely to emerge and explain why they may be problematic with reference to this framework. Mobility as a service (MaaS) based on shared mobility and modal integration is then introduced as a sustainable alternative which accounts for the realities of spatial and temporal efficiency. Various models for implementing MaaS are evaluated including the distinction between commercially-motivated models (presently well advanced in research and development), and systems which incorporate an institutional overlay. The latter, government-led MaaS, is recommended for implementation given the opportunity for incorporating road pricing as an input into package price, defined by time of day, geography and modal efficiency. In amidst the hype of this emerging transport paradigm, a critical assessment of the realm of possibilities can better inform government policy and ensure that digital disruption occurs to our advantage.Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies. Faculty of Economics and Business. The University of Sydne