Low cost on-line non-invasive sewer flow monitoring

A novel acoustic sensor has been developed, capable of remotely monitoring the free surface 'fingerprint' of shallow flows. Temporal and spatial properties of this pattern are shown to contain information regarding the nature of the flow itself. The remote measurement can thereby be used to infer the bulk flow properties such as depth, velocity, and the hydraulic roughness of the pipe. The instrument is non-invasive and is also low cost, low maintenance, and low power. Such a device will allow for widespread monitoring of flow conditions in drainage networks, enabling pro-active maintenance and reliable real-time control. © IWA Publishing 2013

Internuclear gene silencing in Phytophthora infestans is established through chromatin remodelling

In the plant pathogen Phytophthora infestans, nuclear integration of inf1 transgenic DNA sequences results in internuclear gene silencing of inf1. Although silencing is regulated at the transcriptional level, it also affects transcription from other nuclei within heterokaryotic cells of the mycelium. Here we report experiments exploring the mechanism of internuclear gene silencing in P. infestans. The DNA methylation inhibitor 5-azacytidine induced reversion of the inf1-silenced state. Also, the histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin-A was able to reverse inf1 silencing. inf1-expression levels returned to the silenced state when the inhibitors were removed except in non-transgenic inf1-silenced strains that were generated via internuclear gene silencing, where inf1 expression was restored permanently. Therefore, inf1-transgenic sequences are required to maintain the silenced state. Prolonged culture of non-transgenic inf1-silenced strains resulted in gradual reactivation of inf1 gene expression. Nuclease digestion of inf1-silenced and non-silenced nuclei showed that inf1 sequences in silenced nuclei were less rapidly degraded than non-silenced inf1 sequences. Bisulfite sequencing of the endogenous inf1 locus did not result in detection of any cytosine methylation. Our findings suggest that the inf1-silenced state is based on chromatin remodelling

Yb:YAG planar waveguide lasers grown by pulsed laser deposition: 70% slope efficiencies at 16 W of output power

We present our recent advances in the use of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) to fabricate active gain elements for use as amplifiers and laser oscillators. Record output powers exceeding 16 W and slope efficiencies of 70% are reported for optimized epitaxial growth of Yb(7.5%):YAG on to YAG substrates. We show for the first time that the performance of PLD material can meet or even exceed that of materials grown by more established methods such as the Czochralski technique. Details of fabrication, characterization and laser performance are presented in addition to outlining expected future improvements

“Cultural security is an on-going journey…” Exploring views from staff members on the quality and cultural security of services for Aboriginal families in Western Australia

Cultural security is a key element of accessible services for Indigenous peoples globally, although few studies have examined this empirically. We explored the scope, reach, quality, and cultural security of health and social services available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander families in Western Australia (WA), from the point of view of staff from the services. We recruited staff from health and social services for Aboriginal people in the Perth, Kalgoorlie, Great Southern, and South West regions of WA between December 2015 and September 2017 to complete online surveys. We examined the proportions of participants that responded saying the service was culturally secure, the reasons for the response, and perceived factors related to a high-quality service. Sixty participants from 21 services responded to the survey. Seventy-three percent stated the service was culturally secure; however, only 36% stated that the staff employed at the service had sufficient knowledge on cultural security. Participants suggested having Aboriginal staff and better cultural awareness training as methods to improve cultural security within the service. Participants highlighted that staffing, funding for resources, and patient financial difficulties in accessing care as key areas for quality improvement. Much greater effort is required in improving knowledge through on-going training of staff in the practice of culturally safe care. Organisations must also be required to meet specific standards in cultural safety

Comparative study of rare-earth doped sesquioxides grown by pulsed laser deposition and their performance as planar waveguide lasers

The sesquioxides yttria, scandia and lutetia have been identified as promising host materials for high power lasers due to their excellent thermal properties, their ability to incorporate RE-ions and their resulting spectroscopic properties [1]. However, the melting points of these materials exceed 2400°C and are therefore problematic to grow from the melt. Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is an alternative method of growing thin crystalline films of these materials, avoiding the requirement for such high temperature growth

Adsorption of phenol and chromium (VI) pollutants in wastewater using exfoliated graphite

Phenol and Cr(VI) are two of the most common organic and heavy metal-based pollutants found in industrial effluents. Both pollutants pose considerable health risks if left untreated. Activated carbon adsorption is generally used for the physical removal of these types of pollutants during wastewater treatment. This work investigates the use of thermally exfoliated graphite as an alternative adsorbent material for the removal of phenol and Cr(VI) in wastewater. The well-developed surface pore structure and high adsorption capacities reported in literature make this material an ideal candidate for investigation. The effectiveness of the exfoliation process was characterised using x-ray diffraction whilst the particle morphology, surface structure and adsorption surface area were determined using scanning electron microscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) specific surface area measurements. Upon expansion, the particle morphology of expandable graphite changed from flakes to worm-like, accordion structures. This change was accompanied by an increase in BET surface area from 2.4 to 22.4 g/m2. Batch experiments using simulated wastewater revealed that expandable graphite had negligible adsorption affinity towards both pollutants. However, exfoliated graphite had adsorption capacities of 0.73 mg/g and 0.55 mg/g for Cr(VI) and phenol. The equilibrium adsorption isotherms for both pollutants were best described by the Langmuir adsorption model and had adsorption constants of 0.84 and 0.32 L/mg for the two pollutants. The adsorption capacities obtained were much lower than those reported for the same pollutants when using activated carbon as an adsorbent. This is most likely due to the high BET surface areas recorded for activated carbon. Additional modification of the exfoliated graphite is required before satisfactory adsorption capacities can be achieved for large-scale wastewater treatment applications.http://www.aidic.it/cetam2019Chemical Engineerin

Identifying young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in linked administrative data: A comparison of methods

Background In the ongoing debate on optimum methods for identification of Indigenous people within linked administrative data, few studies have examined the impacts of method on population counts and outcomes in family-based linkage studies of Aboriginal children. Objective To quantify differences between three validated algorithms in ascertaining Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in linked administrative data. Methods Linked administrative health data for children born in WA from 2000-2013, were used to examine the cohorts identified by three methods: A) the Indigenous Status Flag (ISF, derived by the WA Data Linkage Branch using a multistage-median approach) for the children alone; B) the ISF of the children, their parents and grandparents; and C) Indigenous status of the child, mother or father on either of the child’s perinatal records (Midwives or birth registration), to determine differing characteristics of each cohort. Results Method B established a larger cohort (33,697) than Method C (33,510) and Method A (27,482), with all methods identifying a core group of 26,993 children (80-98%). Compared with children identified by Method A, additional children identified by Methods B or C, were from less-disadvantaged and more urban areas, and had better perinatal outcomes (e.g. lower proportions of small-for-gestational age, 10% vs 16%). Differences in demographics and health outcomes between Methods C and B were minimal. Conclusions Demographic and perinatal health characteristics differ by Indigenous identification method. Using perinatal records or the ISF of parents and grandparents (in addition to the ISF of the child) appear to be more inclusive methods for identifying young Indigenous children in administrative datasets

Removal of chromium (VI) from aqueous solution using exfoliated graphite/polyaniline composite

Exfoliated graphite/polyaniline (EG/PANI) composites were successfully prepared via in situ polymerization of aniline monomer in the presence of exfoliated graphite. The PANI precipitated into the interlayer space of the graphite flake significantly improving physiochemical properties of EG. The particle morphology and interaction of the EG and PANI was determined using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM images clearly showed the formation of PANI and EG/PANI composite with PANI greatly covering the EG flake. The presence of polyaniline and its major functional groups were confirmed using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) between 3,500 – 3,000 cm-1 and 1,500 - 500 cm-1 . A 68 % change in Brunauer- Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area was observed in the 0.35 g PANI/g EG after the in situ polymerization of the PANI. The effectiveness of the composite adsorbent on the removal of Cr (VI) from aqueous solutions was evaluated by evaluating the effects of parameters such as EG to PANI ratio and initial concentration. The optimum composite loading was found to be 0.35 g PANI/g EG and removed more than 99 % of Cr (VI) from an initial concentration of 100 ppm was removed at 20 g/L loading within 4 h. The Freundlich adsorption isotherm model best described the adsorption of Cr (VI) with a regression coefficient, r 2 of 0.99 showing the heterogeneous adsorption at the surface of the composite. The maximum capacity of the composite was 38.20 mg/g.The National Research Foundation of South Africahttp://www.cetjournal.itpm2021Chemical Engineerin

Ion-implanted Nd:MgO:LiNbO₃ planar waveguide laser

Laser oscillation in an ion-implanted planar Nd:MgO:LiNbO3 waveguide is demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge. Details of the waveguide structure, spectroscopic properties, photorefractive effects. and laser performance are given. A simple calculation of the absorbed power threshold gives ~8mW, in fair agreement with the experimental value of ~17mW