Optical characterization of porous alumina from vacuum ultraviolet to mid-infrared

Porous alumina was fabricated and optically characterized over a wide spectral range. Layers were formed electrochemically in oxalic acid solution from 10-μm-thick aluminum films evaporated onto silicon wafers. The layer formation was monitored with in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry in the visible and near-infrared wavelength range to accurately determine the thickness and dielectric functions. Anisotropy due to the columnar nature of the porous structure was determined using optical modeling. The porous alumina layer was found to have a small but significant absorption tail throughout the visible region. Atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used throughout the process to assess the quality of pore formation. The mean pore center-to-center spacing was approximately 100 nm with thicknesses up to 5 μm. The infrared spectra revealed absorption peaks previously seen in ceramic alumina and peaks not associated with bulk alumina

Life! in Australia : translating prevention research into a large scale intervention

The increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes is of great public health concern. In the state of Victoria, Australia, a group-based lifestyle intervention programme, Life! &ndash; Taking Action on Diabetes, was developed for people over the age of 50 years who are at high risk of diabetes. It aims to reduce the risk of diabetes by providing practical skills, including goal setting and problem solving, to encourage participants to adopt a healthy diet and active lifestyle. The programme is delivered by specially trained facilitators who have undergone an accredited three-stage training programme. A quality assurance process is also in place to ensure that it is delivered to a consistently high standard. The Life! programis a direct progression from the Finnish randomised controlled trial and the Greater Green Triangle Diabetes Prevention Project implementation trial. This paper describes how a diabetes prevention programme was implemented at a state-wide level and the training of facilitators to conduct the group sessions. Future studies are needed to examine the cost effectiveness and development of specific programmes for diverse population groups.<br /

Sustaining modified behaviours learnt in a diabetes prevention program in regional Australia : the role of social context

BackgroundThe Greater Green Triangle diabetes prevention program was conducted in primary health care setting of Victoria and South Australia in 2004--2006. This program demonstrated significant reductions in diabetes risk factors which were largely sustained at 18 month follow-up. The theoretical model utilised in this program achieved its outcomes through improvements in coping self-efficacy and planning. Previous evaluations have concentrated on the behavioural components of the intervention. Other variables external to the main research design may have contributed to the success factors but have yet to be identified. The objective of this evaluation was to identify the extent to which participants in a diabetes prevention program sustained lifestyle changes several years after completing the program and to identify contextual factors that contributed to sustaining changes.MethodsA qualitative evaluation was conducted. Five focus groups were held with people who had completed a diabetes prevention program, several years later to assess the degree to which they had sustained program strategies and to identify contributing factors.ResultsParticipants value the recruitment strategy. Involvement in their own risk assessment was a strong motivator. Learning new skills gave participants a sense of empowerment. Receiving regular pathology reports was a means of self-assessment and a motivator to continue. Strong family and community support contributed to personal motivation and sustained practice.ConclusionsFamily and local community supports constitute the contextual variables reported to contribute to sustained motivation after the program was completed. Behaviour modification programs can incorporate strategies to ensure these factors are recognised and if necessary, strengthened at the local level.<br /

Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes by lifestyle intervention in an Australian primary health care setting: Greater Green Triangle (GGT) Diabetes Prevention Project

BackgroundRandomised controlled trials demonstrate a 60% reduction in type 2 diabetes incidence through lifestyle modification programmes. The aim of this study is to determine whether such programmes are feasible in primary health care.MethodsAn intervention study including 237 individuals 40&ndash;75 years of age with moderate or high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. A structured group programme with six 90 minute sessions delivered during an eight month period by trained nurses in Australian primary health care in 2004&ndash;2006. Main outcome measures taken at baseline, three, and 12 months included weight, height, waist circumference, fasting plasma glucose and lipids, plasma glucose two hours after oral glucose challenge, blood pressure, measures of psychological distress and general health outcomes. To test differences between baseline and follow-up, paired t-tests and Wilcoxon rank sum tests were performed.ResultsAt twelve months participants\u27 mean weight reduced by 2.52 kg (95% confidence interval 1.85 to 3.19) and waist circumference by 4.17 cm (3.48 to 4.87). Mean fasting glucose reduced by 0.14 mmol/l (0.07 to 0.20), plasma glucose two hours after oral glucose challenge by 0.58 mmol/l (0.36 to 0.79), total cholesterol by 0.29 mmol/l (0.18 to 0.40), low density lipoprotein cholesterol by 0.25 mmol/l (0.16 to 0.34), triglycerides by 0.15 mmol/l (0.05 to 0.24) and diastolic blood pressure by 2.14 mmHg (0.94 to 3.33). Significant improvements were also found in most psychological measures.ConclusionThis study provides evidence that a type 2 diabetes prevention programme using lifestyle intervention is feasible in primary health care settings, with reductions in risk factors approaching those observed in clinical trials.Trial NumberCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN38031372<br /

Evidence for presence of female produced pheromone components in male scent brush extract of castor semi-looper moth <i>Achaea</i><i> janata </i>L.

335-341Hexane extract of male terminalia (along with scent brushes) of castor semi-looper moth, Achaea janata L, elicited significant olfactory responses in both male and female insects by electroantennogram recording technique. However, male extract in the wind tunnel evoked noticeable behaviour responses in the female insects only. Orientation response of the males to the male extract was not evident in wind tunnel experiments. Two electrophysiologically-active compounds were identified from the male extract. Based on GC retention times and mass spectrometry the two compounds were confirmed as (Z, Z)-9, 12-octadecadienal and (Z, Z, Z)-3, 6, 9-heneicosatriene. These two compounds are also constituents of female produced four component blend of A. janata.</i

Development of indigenous pheromone technology for monitoring of spotted bollworm, Earias vittella fab (Lepidoptera Noctuidae) on cotton

Abstract The present investigation reports the development of an indigenous pheromone technology for monitoring of the spotted bollworm, Earias vittella (Fabricius) on cotton. The female produced pheromone blend, comprising of the three components i.e., (E,E)-10,12-hexadecadienal (10), (Z)-11-hexadecenal (2.0) and (Z)-11-octadecenal (2.0), were synthesized in the laboratory by developing economically viable synthetic routes. The results obtained by electroantennography and Y -tube olfactometer bioassays proved the attractiveness of the three component pheromone blend on E. vittella males confirming the laboratory bio-efficacy of the indigenously synthesized blend. The field performance of indigenously developed pheromone lures of E.vittella were initially evaluated in farmers&apos; fields in Kisan nagar village of Mahaboobnagar district in Andhra Pradesh for optimization of effective trap type, dispenser and pheromone lure dosage. Traps baited with the pheromone blend dosage of 3 mg / dispenser were significantly more effective in terms of efficient catching and persistence than dispensers loaded with 1 mg. There was no significant difference between the trap catches in locally manufactured green rubber septa / plastic vial dispensers in comparison to imported rubber septa (Aldrich chemicals). Funnel traps caught significantly more number of males compared to delta sticky traps capturing 3.7 times more males. Based on the results obtained in these study plots, pheromone monitoring trials were conducted in farmers&apos; fields at Dhule, covering 8 ha cotton of crop in collaboration with Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyalaya (MPKV), Maharashtra. Five traps per hectare were installed in cotton fields and the trapped population of E. vittella was monitored every alternate day. The results obtained from the monitoring experiments indicated that maximum moths of E. vittella were caught between 45 th and 46 th M.W in dry land cotton during the kharif season

Electrophysiological responses of both sexes of groundnut leaf miner, Aproaerema modicella (Lepidoptera :Gelechiidae) to synthetic female sex pheromone blend

The efficacy of female-produced three-component pheromone blend of groundnut leaf miner (GLM) indigenously synthesized at the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, was bioassayed by Electroantennogram Recording (EAG) and Coupled Gas Chromatographic-Electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) techniques. The female sex pheromone blend of GLM consists of (Z)-7,9-decadienyl acetate, (E)-7-decenyl acetate and (Z)-7-decenyl acetate in the ratio 10:2.0:1.4. EAG recordings of male antennae indicated significant responses to different doses of female-produced synthetic pheromone blend. Female antennae were found to be non-responsive to their conspecific pheromone blend by both EAG and GC- EAD techniques. However, characteristic positive, positive negative deflections were recorded in EAG with female antennae. When the three-component synthetic blend was subjected to GC-EAD analysis, strong EAD response was elicited from the major component, (Z)-7,9-decadienyl acetate at retention time 13.6 min, and two smaller bioactive peaks from (Z)-7-decenyl acetate and (E)-7-decenyl acetate at the retention times 12.0 and 12.6 min respectively