Seasonal Minimum and Maximum Solar Ultraviolet Exposure Measurements of Classroom Teachers Residing in Tropical North Queensland,Australia

The risk of keratinocyte skin cancer, malignant melanoma and ultraviolet radiation (UVR)‐induced eye disease is disproportionately higher in Australia and New Zealand compared to equivalent northern hemisphere latitudes. While many teachers are aware of the importance of reinforcing sun safety messages to students, many may not be aware of the considerable personal exposure risk while performing outdoor duties in locations experiencing high to extreme ambient UVR year‐round. Personal erythemally effective exposure of classroom teachers in tropical Townsville (19.3°S) was measured to establish seasonal extremes in exposure behavior. Mean daily personal exposure was higher in winter (91.2 J m^‐2, 0.91 Standard Erythema Dose [SED]) than summer (63.3 J m^?2, 0.63 SED). The range of exposures represents personal exposures that approximate current national guidelines for Australian workers at the study latitude of approximately 1.2 SED (30 J m^?2 effective to the International Commission on Non‐Ionizing Radiation Protection). Similar proportions of teachers spent more than 1 h outdoors per day in winter (28.6%) and summer (23.6%) as part of their teaching duties with seasonal differences having little effect on the time of exposure. Personal exposures for teachers peaked during both seasons near school meal break times at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm, respectively.     

Supported liquid extraction in combination with LC‐MS/MS for high‐throughput quantitative analysis of hydrocortisone in mouse serum

A high‐throughput LC–MS/MS bioanalytical method was developed and validated for the determination of hydrocortisone in mouse serum via supported liquid extraction (SLE) in a 96‐well plate format. Although sample extracts from SLE result in similar matrix effects compared with conventional liquid–liquid extraction (LLE), greater analyte extraction recovery and much higher analysis throughput for the quantitative analysis of hydrocortisone in mouse serum were obtained. The current LC‐MS/MS method was validated for a concentration range of 2.00–2000 ng/mL for hydrocortisone using a 0.100 mL volume of mouse serum. The intra‐ and inter‐day precision and accuracy of the quality control samples at low, medium and high concentration levels showed ≤12.9% CV and ?3.4–6.2% bias for the analyte in mouse serum. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cleavability over ordinals

In this paper we show that if X is an infinite compactum cleavable over an ordinal, then X must be homeomorphic to an ordinal. X must also therefore be a LOTS. This answers two fundamental questions in the area of cleavability. We also leave it as an open question whether cleavability of an infinite compactum X over an ordinal λ implies X is embeddable into λ.     

Articulatory and acoustic adaptation to palatal perturbation

Previous work has established that speakers have difficulty making rapid compensatory adjustments in consonant production (especially in fricatives) for structural perturbations of the vocal tract induced by artificial palates with thicker-than-normal alveolar regions. The present study used electromagnetic articulography and simultaneous acoustic recordings to estimate tongue configurations during production of [s s? t k] in the presence of a thin and a thick palate, before and after a practice period. Ten native speakers of English participated in the study. In keeping with previous acoustic studies, fricatives were more affected by the palate than were the stops. The thick palate lowered the center of gravity and the jaw was lower and the tongue moved further backwards and downwards. Center of gravity measures revealed complete adaptation after training, and with practice, subjects' decreased interlabial distance. The fact that adaptation effects were found for [k], which are produced with an articulatory gesture not directly impeded by the palatal perturbation, suggests a more global sensorimotor recalibration that extends beyond the specific articulatory target.     

A Comparison of One-Dimensional and Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography for Decomposition Odour Profiling Using Inter-Year Replicate Field Trials

Decomposition odour analysis involves the chemical profiling of volatile organic compounds produced by decomposing remains. This is important for areas of forensic science that rely on the detection of decomposition odour such as insect attraction to carrion, positive alerts of cadaver dogs to decomposing remains, and the development of field instrumentation for search and recovery procedures. Traditionally decomposition odour analysis has been performed using gas chromatography–quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC–qMS); however, the use of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC–TOFMS) is rapidly becoming more prevalent. The objective of this study was to compare GC–qMS and GC×GC–TOFMS for decomposition odour profiling based on inter-year replicate field studies using decomposing porcine remains. The increased peak capacity, sensitivity and selectivity afforded by GC×GC–TOFMS allowed peak co-elutions, chromatographic artefacts, and dynamic range to be more easily addressed and managed. Furthermore, the software associated with GC×GC–TOFMS provided several additional benefits including improved peak alignment between samples and increased consistency of reported results, overall allowing for additional statistical tests to be applied following data processing. Future GC–qMS results could be improved by implementing some of these software-associated procedures, potentially reducing the magnitude of variation observed between GC–qMS and GC×GC–TOFMS studies. One-dimensional GC analysis may also benefit substantially from coupling with TOFMS detection to provide an indirect increase in peak capacity using deconvolution. However, the wealth of information gained by using GC×GC–TOFMS in decomposition odour profiling is undoubtedly an asset in this field of research.

     

Copper(II) complexes of 6-methyl-2-formylpyridine 4N-substituted thiosemicarbazones

Summary Copper(II) complexes of 6-methyl-2-formylpyridine thiosemicarbazone, and its ⁴N-methyl-, ⁴N-ethyl-, ⁴N-phenyl-,⁴ N-dimethyl-, ⁴N-diethyl-, ⁴N-dipropyl-, 3-pyrrolidinyl, 3-piperidinyl- and 3-hexamethyleneiminylthiosemicarbazone derivatives were prepared and characterized. I.r., electronic and e.s.r. spectra of the complexes, as well as ¹H and ¹³C n.m.r. spectra of the thiosemicarbazones, were obtained. The thiosemicarbazones and their copper(II) complexes show either modest or no growth inhibitory activity against Aspergillus niger, but the ⁴N-dialkyl- and 3-azacyclo-derivatives exhibit considerable activity against Paecilomyces variotii.     

Development and validation of a high school STEM self-assessment inventory

The development of inclusive STEM high schools that have no academic admission requirements has been a national goal in the United States. However, there is no umbrella organization that gives guidance for structuring such schools. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a self-assessment using critical components of successful inclusive STEM high schools for school personnel and educational researchers who wish to better understand their STEM programs and identify areas of strength. A multi-phase methodology was employed. In the first step, eight in-depth case studies were generated, and common themes were identified. In the second step, inventory items were iteratively generated and tested for reliability and validity, using a sample of 78 teachers and researchers in five schools. In the third step, the inventory was field-tested in a single school. The OSPRI inventory demonstrates strong content validity and reliability. Teachers and researchers generally responded similarly, although some differences emerged that are indicative of their respective experiences and perspectives. School stakeholders and educational researchers can use this inventory, in whole or in part, to better understand their STEM programs and establish a future agenda that best capitalizes on their strengths.