Osteoinductive PolyHIPE Foams as Injectable Bone Grafts

We have recently fabricated biodegradable polyHIPEs as injectable bone grafts and characterized the mechanical properties, pore architecture, and cure rates. In this study, calcium phosphate nanoparticles and demineralized bone matrix (DBM) particles were incorporated into injectable polyHIPE foams to promote osteoblastic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Upon incorporation of each type of particle, stable monoliths were formed with compressive properties comparable to control polyHIPEs. Pore size quantification indicated a negligible effect of all particles on emulsion stability and resulting pore architecture. Alizarin red calcium staining illustrated the incorporation of calcium phosphate particles at the pore surface, while picrosirius red collagen staining illustrated collagen-rich DBM particles within the monoliths. Osteoinductive particles had a negligible effect on the compressive modulus (∼30 MPa), which remained comparable to human cancellous bone values. All polyHIPE compositions promoted human MSC viability (∼90%) through 2 weeks. Furthermore, gene expression analysis indicated the ability of all polyHIPE compositions to promote osteogenic differentiation through the upregulation of bone-specific markers compared to a time zero control. These findings illustrate the potential for these osteoinductive polyHIPEs to promote osteogenesis and validate future in vivo evaluation. Overall, this work demonstrates the ability to incorporate a range of bioactive components into propylene fumarate dimethacrylate-based injectable polyHIPEs to increase cellular interactions and direct specific behavior without compromising scaffold architecture and resulting properties for various tissue engineering applications

High speed railway ground dynamics: a multi-model analysis

High speed railway track and earthwork structures experience varied levels of displacement amplification depending upon train speed. Protecting against amplified track deflections is challenging due to the complexity of deep wave propagation within both the track and supporting soil structures. Therefore it is challenging to derive design guidelines that encompass the full range of influential variables. As a solution, this paper uses a novel multi-model framework where 4 complimentary modelling strategies are combined, and thus able to generate new insights into railway ground dynamics and ‘critical velocity’. The four types of model are: 1) analytical, 2) hybrid analytical-numerical, 3) 2.5D numerical, 4) 3D numerical. They are used to explore subgrade layering, track type, train type, soil non-linearity, shakedown and ground improvement. The findings provide new insights into railway track-ground geodynamics and are useful when considering the design or upgrade of railroad lines

Estudo de caso : avaliação do impacto no desempenho e satisfação da força de trabalho com a reestruturação organizacional do departamento de gestão integrada (DGI) - UFRGS

A administração pública no Brasil é um tema bastante estudado e criticado por diversos autores, pois ainda está imersa em dúvidas acerca das melhores governanças, práticas de gestão e estruturas organizacionais que impactem positivamente o desempenho e, consequentemente, promova o crescimento e vigor dessas instituições. O setor da administração pública em nosso país é constantemente criticado pela disfunção da burocracia pertinente ao sistema, bem como a dificuldade de acompanhar as mudanças que são vivenciadas pelo setor privado, por exemplo. No presente trabalho, é realizado um estudo de caso no Departamento de Gestão Integrada (DGI) da PROPLAN – UFRGS (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), que passou por mudanças na sua atuação e função como departamento perante a instituição. As modificações que foram propostas ao departamento podem ser divididas em dois campos. O primeiro em relação à orientação e função do departamento como um todo, que também influenciou uma mudança de mesmo teor em suas divisões internas. O segundo campo, pelo qual as modificações passaram, é o da força de trabalho, ou seja, pessoas. Em outras palavras, uma realocação de funções que promovesse um melhor aproveitamento das competências dos membros foi promovida. O presente estudo traça um paralelo entre o período anterior as modificações em contraste com o período após as modificações, verificando, junto ao departamento, questões ligadas ao desempenho e satisfação das pessoas que trabalham nesse espaço. Com os resultados, foi possível concluir que houve um aumento na satisfação geral dos membros, bem como aspectos relativos ao desempenho foram impactados positivamente pelas mudanças promovidas no DGI.Public administration in Brazil is a theme widely studied and criticized by authors in this area, because it stills immerged in doubts concerning the best managing practices, governance and organizational structures that impact positively the performance and, as a result, generate growth in this kind of institutions. The public administration sector in Brazil is constantly criticized by its burocracy disfunction related to the system it is involved, as well as a strong effort to be up to date with the changes that happen in the private sector of the economy. In this study, its presented a case study in the “Departamento de Gestão Integrada - (DGI)” which can be understood as the department responsible for the strategy deployment in the institution, that has been under several changes in its function an operation towards the university (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul – UFRGS). The changes on the department can be split in two, in order to be easily understood. The first is related to the orientation and function of the entire department, that influenced changes in its intern divisions. The second point in which the changes went through is people functions in the department. In other words, shifts in personal roles in the department aiming a better exploitation of each ones capacities and competences was implemented. This case study draws a parallel between the period before the changes and after them, verifying issues linked to the department’s overall performance and personal satisfaction with the role each person has in the organization. Analyzing the results, it was possible to conclude an increase in people satisfaction and aspects related to the department’s performance

Crop Updates 2005 Oilseeds

This session covers fifteen papers from different authors: 1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, Douglas Hamilton, FARMING SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER CROP AGRONOMY AND NUTRITION 2. Canola workshop at Crop Updates 2005, Oilseeds WA, John Duff, EXECUTIVE OFFICER OILSEEDS WA 3. Comparison of IT and TT canola varieties in geographic zones of WA, 2003-4, Graham Walton and Hasan Zaheer, Department of Agriculture 4. Farmer scale canola variety trials in WA, 2004, Graham Walton, John Duff, Neil Harris and Heather Cosgriff, Oilseeds WA 5. Oilseed crops for industrial uses, Margaret C. Campbell, Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA), Graham Walton,Department of Agriculture 6. Weed control opportunities with GM canola, Bill Crabtree, Independent Consultant, Northam 7. Soil and tissue tests for the sulfur requirements of canola, R.F. Brennan and M.D.A. Bolland, Department of Agriculture 8. Tests to predict the potassium requirements of canola, R.F. Brennan and M.D.A. Bolland, Department of Agriculture 9. Genotypic variation in potassium efficiency of canola, P.M. Damon and Z. Rengel, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, UWA 10. Atrazine contamination of groundwater in the agricultural region of Western Australia, Russell Speed1, Neil Rothnie2, John Simons1, Ted Spadek2 and John Moore1;1Department of Agriculture, 2Chemistry Centre (WA) PESTS AND DISEASES 11. Controlling aphids and Beet western yellows virus in canola using imidacloprid seed dressing, Brenda Coutts and Roger Jones; Department of Agriculture 12. Managing sclerotinia in canola, Neil Harris, Dovuro Seeds Western Australia 13. Slugs, the trail of destruction in canola, Neil Harris, Dovuro Seeds Western Australia 14. Blackleg risk assessment and strategies for risk management in canola during 2005 and beyond, Moin Salam, Ravjit Khanguraand Art Diggle, Department of Agriculture 15. Modelling: BRAT – Blackleg Risk Appraisal Tool, Moin Salam, Ravjit KhanguraDepartment of Agricultur

Interactive Water Resources Modeling and Model Use: An Overview

This serves as an introduction for the following sequence of five papers on interactive water resources and environmental management, policy modeling, and model use. We review some important shortcomings of many management and policy models and argue for improved human-computer-model interaction and communication. This interaction can lead to more effective model use which in turn should facilitate the exploration, analysis, and synthesis of alternative designs, plans, and policies by those directly involved in the planning, management, or policy making process. Potential advantages of interactive modeling and model use, as well as some problems and research needs, are discussed

Chemotactic and Inflammatory Responses in the Liver and Brain Are Associated with Pathogenesis of Rift Valley Fever Virus Infection in the Mouse

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a major human and animal pathogen associated with severe disease including hemorrhagic fever or encephalitis. RVFV is endemic to parts of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, but there is significant concern regarding its introduction into non-endemic regions and the potentially devastating effect to livestock populations with concurrent infections of humans. To date, there is little detailed data directly comparing the host response to infection with wild-type or vaccine strains of RVFV and correlation with viral pathogenesis. Here we characterized clinical and systemic immune responses to infection with wild-type strain ZH501 or IND vaccine strain MP-12 in the C57BL/6 mouse. Animals infected with live-attenuated MP-12 survived productive viral infection with little evidence of clinical disease and minimal cytokine response in evaluated tissues. In contrast, ZH501 infection was lethal, caused depletion of lymphocytes and platelets and elicited a strong, systemic cytokine response which correlated with high virus titers and significant tissue pathology. Lymphopenia and platelet depletion were indicators of disease onset with indications of lymphocyte recovery correlating with increases in G-CSF production. RVFV is hepatotropic and in these studies significant clinical and histological data supported these findings; however, significant evidence of a pro-inflammatory response in the liver was not apparent. Rather, viral infection resulted in a chemokine response indicating infiltration of immunoreactive cells, such as neutrophils, which was supported by histological data. In brains of ZH501 infected mice, a significant chemokine and pro-inflammatory cytokine response was evident, but with little pathology indicating meningoencephalitis. These data suggest that RVFV pathogenesis in mice is associated with a loss of liver function due to liver necrosis and hepatitis yet the long-term course of disease for those that might survive the initial hepatitis is neurologic in nature which is supported by observations of human disease and the BALB/c mouse model

The Osteology of the Basal Archosauromorph Tasmaniosaurus triassicus from the Lower Triassic of Tasmania, Australia

Proterosuchidae are the most taxonomically diverse archosauromorph reptiles sampled in the immediate aftermath of the Permo-Triassic mass extinction and represent the earliest radiation of Archosauriformes (archosaurs and closely related species). Proterosuchids are potentially represented by approximately 15 nominal species collected from South Africa, China, Russia, Australia and India, but the taxonomic content of the group is currently in a state of flux because of the poor anatomic and systematic information available for several of its putative members. Here, the putative proterosuchid Tasmaniosaurus triassicus from the Lower Triassic of Hobart, Tasmania (Australia),is redescribed. The holotype and currently only known specimen includes cranial and postcranial remains and the revision of this material sheds new light on the anatomy of the animal, including new data on the cranial endocast. Several bones are re-identified or reinterpreted, contrasting with the descriptions of previous authors. The new information provided here shows that Tasmaniosaurus closely resembles the South African proterosuchid Proterosuchus, but it differed in the presence of, for example, a slightly downturned premaxilla, a shorter anterior process of maxilla, and a diamond-shaped anterior end of interclavicle. Previous claims for the presence of gut contents in the holotype of Tasmaniosaurus are considered ambiguous. The description of the cranial endocast of Tasmaniosaurus provides for the first time information about the anatomy of this region in proterosuchids. The cranial endocast preserves possibly part of the vomero-nasal (= Jacobson's) system laterally to the olfactory bulbs. Previous claims of the absence of the vomero-nasal organs in archosaurs, which is suggested by the extant phylogenetic bracket, are questioned because its absence in both clades of extant archosaurs seems to be directly related with the independent acquisition of a non-ground living mode of life