A NEW MOTIF FOR COGNITIVE TESTS
MAGNETIC POLYMERS IMPROVE TAINTED WINE Researchers at the ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Innovative Wine Production have found a way to remove tainted flavours of wine using a novel magnetic polymer. The discovery has the promise of improving the taste of bottles of wine that have been left open too long, as well as removing other unwanted flavours. By attaching magnetic nanoparticles to polymers and using magnets to remove the polymers, the researchers have been able to remove alkyl methoxypyrazine—which gives the aroma of green capsicum—from a Cabernet Sauvignon, a common flavour that can be out of balance in wine if fruit is picked too early. Taste testers found that the new approach removed these molecules without dampening the wine’s aroma intensity. Lead researcher, Associate Professor David Jeffery, from The University of Adelaide’s Waite campus, said that these magnetic polymers could also potentially be used to target and remove other wine faults such as smoke and ladybug taints. It may be possible to tune the polymer for other taint compounds, creating a technique which is much more selective than current methods. The researchers have found that the polymers could be regenerated and used up to five times without losing the ability to extract the targeted compound. The research team is now investigating how to best commercialise and implement the technique for use in wineries.
The Macquarie Online Test Interface (MOTIf) is an online facility designed to automatically administer, score and provide reports for cognitive tests of reading. Developed by ARC-supported researchers in the Department of Cognitive Science at Macquarie University and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders , the tests are available online at no charge to registered teachers, clinicians and researchers, with the results stored in a secure and private user database. Under the lead of Professor Genevieve McArthur, Dr Saskia Kohnen, and Professor Anne Castles, the tests on MOTIf have been developed using detailed theoretical models of reading, and so allow for precise assessment and targeted intervention, tailored to a child’s individual needs. This assists professionals in identifying and providing support for the significant proportion of children who struggle to learn to read: according to data from the Australian Council for Educational Research, one in seven 15-year-olds currently fail to meet basic reading standards. Most of the tests currently available on MOTIf are designed for primary school children. However, the researchers are working to develop high quality and free-of-charge assessments directly catering for the high school student population. These tests, which will allow detailed analysis of the reading and spelling needs of older students, are an example of how MOTIf is both powerful and flexible enough to respond to the specific needs of its users.
With over 10,000 registered users from more than 20 countries, MOTIf has become a one-stop-shop of comprehensive theoretically-based evaluations of reading, spelling and spoken language skills.
COLLABORATION AND GENERATING ECONOMIC IMPACTS 24
COLLABORATION AND GENERATING ECONOMIC IMPACTS 25
Mother helping daughter with homework. Credit: iStock.com/damircudic
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