On the ecology, distribution and conservation status of Vittadinia blackii (Asteraceae) in Australia

Distribution records of Vittadinia blackii (family Asteraceae) across southern Australia show the species has a strong and moderately common presence across a broad range of climate zones and sites in South Australia, but a much more restricted occurrence in other mainland state’s. Using the IUCN criteria, adopted by the separate state regulatory authorities vested with listing threatened species, Vittadinia blackii is considered to be not threatened in South Australia, but endangered in Western Australia, Victoria and New South Wales

Introduction to the issue on heterogeneous data access and use for geospatial user communities - part II

The four papers in this second part of this special issue focus on heterogeneous data access and use for geospatial user communities. The first two papers relate to satellite remote sensing data and the second two are from the hydro-meteorological domain

Relating Teaching Qualifications and Basic Need Satisfaction in Medical Teaching

Contains fulltext : 182164.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)INTRODUCTION: Teaching Qualifications (TQs) have been implemented in University Medical Centers, but their relation to teachers’ motivation for medical teaching is unknown. Because teacher motivation influences important outcomes, it is crucial to study how TQs are related to promoting teacher motivation, by fulfilling the basic needs of feeling autonomous, competent, and related towards medical teaching. AIMS: To explore relations between TQs and feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness towards medical teaching. METHODS: An online questionnaire was used to collect data about teaching at a university hospital. We measured feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness towards medical teaching using the Teaching-related Basic Need Satisfaction scale (T-BNS). We applied multivariate regression analysis to examine relations between TQs and basic need satisfaction in teaching. RESULTS: A total of 767 medical teachers participated. TQs appear to be related to feeling competent in teaching. Higher TQ levels are not related to higher feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness towards medical teaching. CONCLUSIONS: The results imply that appealing to non-qualified teachers’ feelings of competence towards medical teaching may stir up their enthusiasm for TQ policy. They also call for robust teaching positions to build teaching experience, preferably as early as possible, and for assessing the importance applicants attach to education in job interviews

Valorization of sweet corn (Zea mays) cob by extraction of valuable compounds

The main objective of this study was to investigate the proximate, mineral and phytochemical compositions of sweet corn cob (SCC), often neglected and regarded as agricultural waste. Compositional analysis showed that more than 60% of SCC was composed of insoluble dietary fibre, with cellulose being the major constituent. Results also showed that SCC can be a good source of non-essential protein and minerals (phosphorus,potassium and manganese). SCC had a total phenolic content of 6.74 g GAE kg-1 dry weight DW), of which bound phenolics were predominant. The bound phenolics fraction showed the highest antioxidant capacity in all three antioxidant capacity assays (TEAC, FRAP and DPPH) and contained the highest amount of ferulic and p-coumaric acid. The main carotenoids present in SCC were β-carotene, zeaxanthin and lutein. This investigation shows that SCC can be a potential source of natural colorant (carotenoids), antioxidants (phenolics)and nutritional supplements (proteins and phytochemicals)

Hybrid expansions for local structural relaxations

A model is constructed in which pair potentials are combined with the cluster expansion method in order to better describe the energetics of structurally relaxed substitutional alloys. The effect of structural relaxations away from the ideal crystal positions, and the effect of ordering is described by interatomic-distance dependent pair potentials, while more subtle configurational aspects associated with correlations of three- and more sites are described purely within the cluster expansion formalism. Implementation of such a hybrid expansion in the context of the cluster variation method or Monte Carlo method gives improved ability to model phase stability in alloys from first-principles.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figur

First-principles equation of state and phase stability for the Ni-Al system under high pressures

The equation of state (EOS) of alloys at high pressures is generalized with the cluster expansion method. It is shown that this provides a more accurate description. The low temperature EOSs of Ni-Al alloys on FCC and BCC lattices are obtained with density functional calculations, and the results are in good agreement with experiments. The merits of the generalized EOS model are confirmed by comparison with the mixing model. In addition, the FCC phase diagram of the Ni-Al system is calculated by cluster variation method (CVM) with both spin-polarized and non-spin-polarized effective cluster interactions (ECI). The influence of magnetic energy on the phase stability is analyzed. A long-standing discrepancy between ab initio formation enthalpies and experimental data is addressed by defining a better reference state. This aids both evaluation of an ab initio phase diagram and understanding the thermodynamic behaviors of alloys and compounds. For the first time the high-pressure behavior of order-disorder transition is investigated by ab initio calculations. It is found that order-disorder temperatures follow the Simon melting equation. This may be instructive for experimental and theoretical research on the effect of an order-disorder transition on shock Hugoniots.Comment: 27 pages, 12 figure

First principles based design and experimental evidence for a ZnO-based ferromagnet at room temperature

The introduction of ferromagnetic order in ZnO results in a transparent piezoelectric ferromagnet and further expands its already wide range of applications into the emerging field of spintronics. Through an analysis of density functional calculations we determine the nature of magnetic interactions for transition metals doped ZnO and develop a physical picture based on hybridization, superexchange, and double exchange that captures chemical trends. We identify a crucial role of defects in the observed weak and preparation sensitive ferromagnetism in ZnO:Mn and ZnO:Co. We predict and explain codoping of Li and Zn interstitials to both yield ferromagnetism in ZnO:Co, in contrast with earlier insights, and verify it experimentally