http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/services/Feed ${session.getAttribute("locale")} 5 http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:10338 Recent years have seen the flowering of "experimental" mathematics, namely the utilization of modern computer technology as an active tool in mathematical research. This development is not limited to a handful of researchers, nor to a handful of universities, nor is it limited to one particular field of mathematics. Instead, it involves hundreds of individuals, at many different institutions, who have turned to the remarkable new computational tools now available to assist in their research, whether it be in number theory, algebra, analysis, geometry or even topology. These tools are being used to work out specific examples, generate plots, perform various algebraic and calculus manipulations, test conjectures, and explore routes to formal proof. Using computer tools to test conjectures is by itself a major time saver for mathematicians, as it permits them to quickly rule out false notions. 2013-05-21T02:00:47.498Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:12906 Underpinning the rationale for this PhD study are issues regarding literacy concerns, student diversity, instructional differentiation and academic-engagement (Conway, Arthur-Kelly & Pascoe, 2004). Recent initiatives in New South Wales (NSW) primary schools have involved a focus on literacy instruction and outcomes-based learning (NSW Board of Studies, 1998; NSW Department of Education & Training, 1997). However, Australian surveys suggest up to 16% of students still have literacy problems and many students fail to learn to read by the time they leave school (Brent, Gough & Robinson, 2001; Cambourne, 2000; Masters & Forster, 1997; Prior, 1999; Rohl & Milton, 2002). 2013-05-20T06:12:43.360Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:12905 Issues underlying this PhD study involved concerns regarding literacy development, student diversity, instructional differentiation, methods used to observe teaching and learning practices and academic-engagement1 (Conway, Arthur-Kelly & Pascoe, 2004; Luke, Freebody, & Land, 2000). Even though there has been a focus on literacy in New South Wales (NSW) education, many students still fail to acquire basic literacy skills (Brent, Gough & Robinson, 2001; Masters & Forster, 1997; NSW Department of Education & Training, 1997; Rohl & Milton, 2002). 2013-05-20T03:59:40.051Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:12863 This cross-sectional study describes oxidative stress and antioxidant status in 54 pediatric oncology patients undergoing chemotherapy. Plasma 8-iso-prostaglandin-F2α(8-iso-PGF2α), vitamins A and E and β-carotene, and erythrocyte activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase levels were assessed. One-third of the patients (34%) had plasma 8-iso-PGF2α levels higher than the upper limit of the normal range (> 40 ng/mL). The majority (> 80%) had plasma levels of vitamins A and E and β-carotene within the normal range. Superoxide dismutase activity was lower than the reference range (< 2.4 U/mg Hb) in all patients, whereas erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity was lower than the reference range in 46%. Advanced-stage cancer was associated with increased lipid peroxidation but treatment-related factors or use of dietary supplements was not, suggesting that the oxidant-antioxidant balance may be disturbed in a large proportion of this group. Prospective studies would establish whether antioxidant supplementation plays a role in clinical treatment for pediatric oncology patients. 2013-05-09T06:13:02.319Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:12861 Aims: Patients with oesophageal cancer undergoing chemoradiation with curative intent are at high risk of malnutrition and its complications, including increased side effects of treatment. We have developed a nutrition pathway (NP), involving the early then periodic nutrition assessment of all patients presenting to the multidisciplinary oesophageal clinic who were planned to receive definitive chemoradiation. Materials and methods: Patients were assessed as at ‘low’, ‘moderate’ or ‘severe’ nutrition risk, and were provided with appropriate nutrition intervention ranging from preventative advice (low risk), oral nutrition support (moderate risk) to enteral feeding (severe risk). Outcomes for 24 patients treated before implementation of the NP were compared with those of 24 patients treated using the NP. Results: Patients managed using the NP experienced less weight loss (mean weight change −4.2 kg ±6.4 cf. −8.9 kg ±5.9, P = 0.03), greater radiotherapy completion rates (92% cf. 50%, P = 0.001), fewer patients had an unplanned hospital admission (46% cf. 75%, P = 0.04), and those that did had a shorter length of stay (3.2 days ±5.4 cf. 13.5 days ±14.1, P = 0.002). Conclusion: Early and regular nutrition assessment/intervention and a multidisciplinary approach to nutrition care results in improved treatment tolerance for patients with oesophageal cancer receiving chemoradiation. 2013-05-09T06:10:44.386Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:131 A national survey of 1,001 Australians found that most were concerned about a bioterrorist attack and were ill-informed about smallpox prevention and response. Since general practitioners were commonly identified as the initial point of care, they should become a focus of bioterrorism response planning in Australia. 2013-05-07T03:53:47.109Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:10969 In this article we show that the Baumslag–Solitar group BS(1, 2) is minimally almost convex, or MAC. We also show that BS(1, 2) does not satisfy Poénaru’s almost convexity condition P(2), and hence the condition P(2) is strictly stronger than MAC. Finally, we show that the groups BS(1, q) for q ≥ 7 and Stallings’ non-FP₃ group do not satisfy MAC. As a consequence, the condition MAC is not a commensurability invariant. 2013-05-07T03:36:48.767Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2317 Paul Kelly (1994), in The End of Certainty, popularised the contention that Australia’s Deakinite settlement had been largely abandoned under the neo-liberal policy changes adopted initially by the Hawke-Keating governments. Notably amongst these changes was the decline of compulsory arbitration, mainly manifest in the shift to more decentralised bargaining. Since coming to office, the Howard government has further eroded the authority and role of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC), a change which it is seeking to accelerate with the changes to the Workplace Relations Act, 1996 packaged under the highly contestable ‘WorkChoices’ moniker. 2013-05-01T01:19:40.712Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:12809 Efficient inventory management is an ongoing issue of key importance in many areas of industry. An important aspect of inventory management involves the storage of stock in a warehouse, and the effect that product location within the facility has on warehouse operations. In this talk we discuss a general procedure that allocates products to a storage location within an existing order-picking warehouse using available product order history. The aim of the procedure is to improve order-picking efficiency measured by the time it takes to fill the orders. We consider several approaches, presenting two greedy heuristic algorithms that exploit important features of an order history. Simulated annealing is used to further improve these solutions. We discuss the performance of these methods on real data from an order-picking warehouse, and evaluate them for a series of different order history timeframes. 2013-04-26T01:03:26.899Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:12761 The automated extraction of brain vessels from magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) has found its applications in vascular disease diagnosis, endovascular operation and neurosurgical planning. In this paper we first present a concise technical review on cerebral vasculature extraction from MRA. It reveals the latest development in the area of vessel extraction. Then we detail the main challenges to the researchers working in the vessel extraction and segmentation area. Based on the review and our experience in the area, we finally present our proposals on ways of developing robust vessel extracting algorithm. Examples of brain vasculature extracted with advanced hybrid approach are shown. Twenty one references are given. 2013-04-16T00:51:10.113Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:1612 An experiment was established in an area of long-grazed temperate grassland on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales to investigate individual species response to mechanical soil disturbance and nutrient enrichment. Grazing was excluded for the duration of the experiment. The total species pool available in the experiment included 56 native and 24 exotic species recorded in the plots, as well as seven exotic species that were artificially introduced (i.e. sowing treatment). Eighteen months after treatment, total species richness was significantly lower under high soil disturbance (mean of 14.7 ± 0.85 species m⁻²) than under low (21.1 ± 0.67 species m⁻²) and moderately (21.7 ± 0.77 species m⁻²) disturbed conditions. Total species richness was not significantly affected by nutrient enrichment or sowing. Most of the annuals analysed were exotic and their relative cover increased with nutrient enrichment (Aira cupaniana Guss., Briza minor L. and Vulpia spp.), but was unresponsive to soil disturbance. Perennials showed varied responses, with the abundance of most decreasing with high soil disturbance and being unaffected by moderate soil disturbance levels. All four perennials favoured by high soil disturbance were exotic (Dactylis glomerata L., Lolium perenne L., Hypochaeris radicata L. and Sanguisorba minor Scop.); three of these were sown. Most perennials showed no significant response to nutrient enrichment, although the occurrence of a small number was either reduced (Aristida ramosa R.Br., A. warburgii Mez., H. radicata and S. minor) or increased (Carex inversa R.Br., D. glomerata, Fimbristylis dichotoma (L.) Vahl., Sporobolus creber De Nardi and Tricoryne elatior R.Br.). Most interactions (i.e. species response to one experimental factor depends on another experimental factor) occurred because few individuals survived on the severely soil-disturbed plots to respond to nutrient enrichment. However, in this particular grassland, the short-term response of most species to soil disturbance was independent of the level of nutrient enrichment. 2013-04-10T06:53:03.635Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:3076 This paper attempts to examine the economic impact of liberalization of labor market in China on the aggregate welfare of the country and the rest of the world. The liberalization in labor market is characterized by the abolition of a household registration system that prohibits permanent migration from rural area to urban area in China. This migration restriction has been maintained for more than 45 years and is going to be abolished in the near future. The hypothesis tested is that the a free mobility of the rural surplus labor into China’s urban industrial sector will have a significant impact on production, employment and trade patterns both in China and in the rest of the world, particularly in the labor-intensive industries. This will result in a large-scale restructuring of the world economy in line with regional specialization and comparative advantage. Several policy scenarios are simulated by an applied general equilibrium model (the GTAP Model). These scenarios include a net increase in China’s unskilled labor force in urban labor intensive manufacturing sector, a transfer of the labor force from the agricultural sector to manufacturing sectors, a combination of both labor market liberalization and capital market liberalization. To capture the regional and sectoral impact of the change, the world economy is divided into 10 regions and 10 sectors. The net welfare effects of these liberalizations are positive for the world as a whole in general, and for China in particular. Policy implications are discussed and suggestions are offered to the Chinese authority to liberalize the Chinese labor and capital markets further. 2013-03-27T23:29:35.811Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2971 AIM: Drought is a chronic, recurring natural disaster. Such disasters have effects through entire communities. The impact of drought and other environmental changes on mental health are not clearly known, nor are the most effective ways of ameliorating those impacts. This study is the first phase of an in-depth, community-based research project into the effects of drought on rural Australian communities, and the development of strategies to improve the access to improve mental health facilities. METHOD: Participants in this investigation were drawn from five groups in a town in the central west of NSW: farmers (male and female), individuals from non-farm businesses, agriculture support workers, local health- and mental healthcare providers serving this population. Focus groups and individual interviews explored the mental health impact and community response to the drought within the following domains: impact of drought; availability and use of health services; psychological distress; impact on the expectations of the future of the community; individual, family and community mental health needs. RESULTS: Qualitative data analysis highlights the impact of uncertainty, farming bureaucracy, perceived restriction of lifestyle and future options, and distress caused by loss associated with prolonged drought. Analysis also identified important differences across groups in the impact, perceived mental health needs and patterns of help-seeking. CONCLUSIONS: The mental health response to drought should be carried out in conjunction with other service providers, especially front-line agricultural support workers. To enhance the mental health service capacity of rural communities and focus on improving farmers’ access to care, the Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health is conducting a research program evaluating training and primary care service development in collaboration with rural organisations and health services across NSW. 2013-03-27T02:13:33.492Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2958 The benefits of regular physical education (PE) for primary school children have been reinforced in the literature over a number of years. Unfortunately, many generalist teachers feel they lack the confidence, training and time to teach PE effectively and subsequently may avoid teaching PE altogether. A key aim of this study was to examine the relationship between generalist teachers’ curriculum preferences in the primary school and the relative value they place on PE compared to other key learning areas (KLAs) of the NSW primary curriculum. Data were collected from 422 pre-service (2nd, 3rd & 4th Year) and 63 in-service generalist primary teachers. Results suggested that most cohorts considered PE to be a relatively valuable KLA but indicated they would prefer to teach other KLAs rather than PE. Insufficient time was the most commonly cited impediment to the delivery of PE programs. Significant relationships were established between PE attitudinal variables for some cohorts and interesting findings emerged from post hoc analysis of cohort differences, particularly regarding in-service teachers. These findings will be discussed with specific recommendations made for preservice education and ideas for the professional development of generalist primary teachers. 2013-03-25T23:24:31.509Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:10161 Australia has experienced two decades of dynamic economic reform that has included deregulation, privatisation, labour market and tax reforms. These policies have resulted in various societal inequalities with almost half of the workforce now employed in jobs that are casual, part-time and/or on fixed contracts. Consequently, the contemporary workforce is divided into two groups: those in high skilled, stressful jobs who would like to work less hours, and those who have to support themselves and their families with insecure incomes. The rewards from economic growth are also very unevenly distributed. As a result, there is a need to rethink and re-conceptualise work in Australia, which has been given a narrow meaning, largely connected to market activity for the purposes of welfare policy design. Outside of the market there is much work that is neither recognised nor rewarded. Hence, this paper discusses factors relating to the reworking of work in Australia making a number of suggestions as to how this could be approached. 2013-03-20T05:05:11.335Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:10218 Over the past two decades temporary agency work has increased in relation to most sectors and countries. This growth reflects the internationalisation of the agency business which, arguably, has come about due to demands for an 'on-call just-in-time' workforce. While temporary agency work possesses several conceptual and empirical challenges for researchers, it also poses challenges for regulators. This paper considers some of those challenges concerning various definitions, classifications and measurement of temporary work while comparing the Australian and Irish experience. It is concluded that while agency work in Australia and Ireland is modest it is growing, and the conceptual and empirical problems associated with its under-recording pose difficulties for the design and implementation of a regulatory code for this sector. 2013-03-20T04:26:46.939Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:58 One way to address problems of labour shortages caused by an ageing labour force would be to increase female labour force participation. This article looks at government work and family policies, family friendly workplace arrangements, bargaining agreements, and legislative inaction in supporting work and family. 2013-03-18T06:09:28.950Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:6525 Few could seriously claim that Australians are not toiling with 'hearts and hands'. Per capita hours worked by Australians are now amongst the highest in the GECD and there is evidence that work has intensified for most (see Watson et aI, 2003). There are high levels of temporal, numerical and functional flexibility and corporate profits are booming (ABS, Catalogue 5676.0, 2005). It is, therefore, unsurprising that the Howard Government's WorkChoices industrial relations reforms have been greeted with widespread antipathy by all but fractions within the business community (Lewis, 2005). The efforts of the, Howard government to prove an impetus for these reforms seems unlikely to accord with the actual working experiences of Australians, many of whom have already traded away conditions and provided employers with considerable flexibility under previous bargaining rounds or individual contracts or through the award simplification process. The $50m. saturation advertising campaign, designed to selI the reforms to the electorate, has had little impact on public sentiment (Humphries, 2005), Nonetheless, the Coalition's slim majority in the Senate means that WorkChoices is likely to proceed into law with few concessions. In recent years the Senate has proved to be a significant check on the Coalition's more ambitious industrial relations plans, with just 15 out of 56 introduced bills passing into law between 1997 and 2004. The Coalition's remarkable victory in the October 2004 election though has secured a majority in both houses (the first time since 1981, [Singleton, 1996:2]) and the Howard Government now claims a mandate to implement wide ranging reforms to industrial relations not seen since the introduction of decentralised wage determination in 1991. Among its other reforms, the Howard Government proposes to replace the 'no disadvantage test' with a new standard against which collective agreements and individual contracts are to be measured, known as the Australian Fair Pay and Conditions Standard (AFPCS). This new standard and its likely impact in Australian Industrial Relations is the subject of this article. We begin our analysis of the AFPCS by placing its introduction in the historical context of the gradual weakening of protective regulation since decentralised bargaining was introduced. Our argument is that the AFPCS is the latest reduction in the steady decline over the last thirteen years of regulation formerly designed to protect wages and conditions from falling. Labor and Coalition governments have both contributed to the dilution of this regulation, although its declining force has been most marked under the Howard government. We contend that, although the steady decline of this regulation has been claimed to stimulate more bargaining by simplifying 'agreement making procedures', it has had adverse implications for procedural and substantive fairness. The AFPCS continues this trend of weakening protective regulation which will only exacerbate existing inequities, especially for the most vulnerable. More particularly, we argue that the impact of the AFPCS must be evaluated in the context of the other introduced reforms, especially the unfair dismissal law exemption. The following analysis also considers the development of the AFPCS in an international context. Prime Minister Howard has asserted that the passage of the WorkChoices reforms will still leave the Australian labour market more regulated than that of the UK and New Zealand. Implicit in this argument is that these are the countries we should be using as benchmarks against which to assess the legislation. So it is important to look at the evidence on the extent of regulation designed to protect wages and conditions in the decentralised bargaining environments of the United Kingdom and New Zealand Drawing together these strands of analysis, the paper concludes that, over time, the AFPCS is likely to result in deleterious bargaining outcomes, particularly for those with little bargaining power in the Australian labour market. 2013-03-18T06:08:19.139Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:9330 We investigate the achievable rate of data transmission from sources to sinks through a multiple-relay network. We study achievable rates for omniscient coding, in which all nodes are considered in the coding design at each node. We find that, when maximizing the achievable rate, not all nodes need to “cooperate” with all other nodes in terms of coding and decoding. This leads us to suggest a constrained network, whereby each node only considers a few neighboring nodes during encoding and decoding. We term this myopic coding and calculate achievable rates for myopic coding. We show by examples that, when nodes transmit at low SNR, these rates are close to that achievable by omniscient coding, when the network is unconstrained . This suggests that a myopic view of the network might be as good as a global view. In addition, myopic coding has the practical advantage of being more robust to topology changes. It also mitigates the high computational complexity and large buffer/memory requirements of omniscient coding schemes. 2013-03-18T05:39:55.181Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:9331 In this paper, we investigate achievable rates on the multiple access channel with feedback and correlated sources (MACFCS). The motivation for studying the MACFCS stems from the fact that in a sensor network, sensors collect and transmit correlated data to a common sink. We derive two achievable rate regions for the three-node MACFCS. 2013-03-18T05:38:50.704Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:9337 In this paper, we investigate achievable rates for data transmission from sources to sinks through multiple relay networks. We consider myopic coding, a constrained communication strategy in which each node has only a local view of the network, meaning that nodes can only transmit to and decode from neighboring nodes. We compare this with omniscient coding, in which every node has a global view of the network and all nodes can cooperate. Using Gaussian channels as examples, we find that when the nodes transmit at low power, the rates achievable with two-hop myopic coding are as large as that under omniscient coding in a five-node multiple relay channel and close to that under omniscient coding in a six-node multiple relay channel. These results suggest that we may do local coding and cooperation without compromising much on the transmission rate. Practically, myopic coding schemes are more robust to topology changes because encoding and decoding at a node are not affected when there are changes at remote nodes. Furthermore, myopic coding mitigates the high computational complexity and large buffer/memory requirements of omniscient coding. 2013-03-18T05:19:16.996Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:456 An important aspect of analog-to-digital conversion is the impact of quantization errors. This paper outlines how finite horizon constrained optimization methods can be utilized to design converters which minimize a weighted measure of the quantization distortion. We propose a novel converter, which can be implemented as a feedback loop. It embeds E A conversion in a more general setting and typically provides better performance. We also examine the role played by the associated design parameters in ensuring error convergence. 2013-03-17T23:52:28.811Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:1031 We show how the discrete coefficient filter design problem can be solved with a moving horizon optimization approach. The computation time of this procedure is determined by the optimization horizon and does not grow exponentially with the filter length. ΣΔ design methods are a special case of the proposed procedure. 2013-03-17T23:52:02.342Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:422 We show how the discrete coefficient filter design problem can be solved with a moving horizon optimization approach. The computation time of this procedure is determined by the optimization horizon and does not grow exponentially with the filter length. ΣΔ design methods are a special case of the proposed procedure. 2013-03-17T23:51:43.365Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:3077 Chutes are commonly used to re-direct the flow of bulk solids at interchange points in a conveyor assembly. Requirements for the efficient handling of material at high tonnage rates place constraints on chute design. Poor design can result in chute blockages, both static and dynamic plugging, spillage, and reductions in chute conveyor belt life due to uncontrolled wear. Particle attrition often occurs, leading to unwanted dust generation and degradation of material. Numerical modelling of material flow in a transfer chute can help prevent costly mistakes by identifying poor flow properties in the design or implementation of the chute prior to it being put into operation. The entire system is rarely studied as a whole. Often different models are used separately for the different stages of the flow such as discharge, sliding, impact and free-fall. An alternative is Discrete Element Modelling (DEM) which tracks the motion and interactions of all the individual particles in the bulk material and provides a powerful tool for studying such complex granular flows. This paper discusses the use of DEM to aid in the design of bulk materials handling transfer chutes and reports on 3D DEM simulation of material flow in a series of real conveyor assemblies using realistic non-spherical particle shapes. The DEM method is shown to be a useful tool allowing extraction of many selective parameters that are difficult to isolate using a continuum based approach. DEM is also a valuable visualisation tool to better understand the flows in chutes. 2013-03-13T00:25:02.648Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2993 This paper is concerned with the explicit solution to constrained receding-horizon reference tracking control problems. The goal of this work is, for any scalar reference trajectory, to find the optimal control law for SISO linear systems such that a quadratic cost functional is minimised over a horizon of length N, subject to the satisfaction of input constraints, and under the assumption that the reference is known over the entire horizon. A global solution (i.e., valid in the entire data-space) for this problem, and for arbitrary horizon N, is derived analytically by using dynamic programming. The optimal solution is given by a piece-wise affine function of the data (the initial state of the system and the reference sequence), and the data-space is partitioned into a number of polyhedral regions, inside each of which a unique affine function is applied. From the dynamic programming solution, a clear relationship is exposed between input-constrained reference tracking problems and state estimation problems in the presence of constrained disturbances. 2013-03-12T23:39:49.020Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:4024 Today's design activities are usually conducted in teams of professionals who represent different design domains, e.g. architects and engineers. Within these teams clear and accurate communication of design and technical concepts and information is critical. A current trend is for the conduct and management of these teams to move towards working more in virtual environments. The use of high bandwidth Information and Communication Technologies (ICT's) is increasing and with this increase is the need to better understand those generic skills, such as communication, which contribute to the successful application of the ICT hardware and software. Communication skills have been identified as an important factor which may be affected in the transition from co-located team collaboration to the virtual environment. These issues usually manifest themselves in the ability of team members to use both visual and verbal forms of communication concurrently. Also of significance is the importance of "cues" in communication interactions during collaboration, this resulting in less effective achievement of shared understanding among team members. This paper reports on industry based research of both co-located and virtual teams involved in the activity of designing. It concentrates on the communication between team members. The results of this research identify a range of communication issues which confront these teams in their design activities which will inform, in association with other factors being researched, which are outside the scope of this paper, the development of skills auditing and mapping tools. 2013-03-11T00:57:14.009Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:5902 Increasing technology use is dramatically changing the way that education is produced and delivered, raising questions about the extent to which education should be technology-based or technology supported, the effect of delivery mode on educational outcomes, and whether bricks and mortar universities can and should continue to flourish. A service orientation was adopted for the study, and our students, as consumers, were asked to discuss (online) their perspectives on the future of on-campus programs. Content analysis was performed on 118 scripts. A strong belief was found that on-campus programs will always be necessary. This was true even of students who were currently studying online due to practical considerations related to their lifestyles. Content analysis of their responses identified eight themes that were important in assessing the relative merits of online as opposed to on-campus delivery. Key reasons for retaining on-campus education included the need for interaction to enhance the effectiveness of different teaching methods in some courses, and the extra dimension added by face-to-face interactions with fellow students. Students believe that the trend to increasing electronic delivery in most tertiary courses will provide them with more options and choices, but that fully online educational institutions may suffer from a credibility problem. 2013-03-11T00:47:36.001Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:221 This paper describes an integrated approach to teaching social policy within a unique experience-based social work education program. It argues that the teaching of social policy should not be separate within the social work curriculum and provides an example of the integration of policy and practice in teaching students about child protection. It examines the teaching of policy practice using a strengths perspective where it is seen as a bottom-up, inductive process rather than an activity carried out by social work experts with or without the participation of their client groups. (Journal abstract) 2013-03-05T03:50:04.338Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2708 The authors continue the debate about indigenous social work following on from previous work where they identified the importance of culture in the indigenisation process. They suggested that it was important to articulate African culture and the way in which it differed from Western culture. 2013-03-04T06:59:59.582Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:373 A novel data covariance model has recently been proposed for the subspace-based estimation of multiple real-valued sine wave frequencies. In this paper, we develop weighted subspace fitting approaches using this new data model. A new parameterization of the noise subspace is proposed. This parameterization is used to solve the subspace fitting problem analytically. An expression for the residual covariance matrix is derived. This covariance matrix is further used to obtain an optimally weighted Gauss-Markov estimator. A.computationally efficient suboptimal weighting is also proposed, and the associated estimator is close to the Gauss-Markov estimator in performance. The suboptimal weighting strategy is quite general and can be used in other related applications. The performance of the algorithms are illustrated using numerical simulations. The proposed subspace fitting approach shows improved resolution performance. It is also robust to additive noise. 2013-03-01T05:37:24.774Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:367 A novel extension of the Multiple Signal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm for the frequency estimation problem is proposed in this work. It is shown that the MUSIC algorithm is a data-dependent optimum notch filter design technique. When the input data are passed through this optimum notch filter, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the output is minimized. The zeros of the optimum notch filter are then used to estimate the frequencies. In the classical MUSIC algorithm, this optimization is carried out over the set of all finite impulse response (FIR) filters having a fixed order. The framework of this paper allows the use of rational notch filters. The fact that the rational filters have sharper spectral characteristics is used to obtain improved estimates, particularly at low SNR. Some interesting properties of the proposed algorithm are derived, and further perspectives on the implementation aspects are provided. The analytical predictions are substantiated using numerical simulation results. 2013-03-01T05:36:34.797Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:3073 This paper discusses theoretical and empirical foundations for a focus on pedagogy during teacher induction. Our research project for exploring this possibility, with the working title of 'the impact of quality teaching on the socialisation of early career teachers' is outlined. This study follows a group of teachers who received strong grounding in 'productive pedagogy' during their teacher education program. During this first year of employment as teachers, NSW public schools have adopted a version of productive pedagogy, 'Quality teaching', as a long term strategic priority. Through observations and semi-structured interviews, the study will explore the potential impact of Quality teaching, as a framework both in teacher education and in schools, particularly during the process of induction to professional practice. Our research reveals that while there is a neglect of pedagogy during their induction period, a substantive understanding of quality teaching has assisted a small group of early career teachers to sustain what they have learnt about 'teaching better' as they begin their teaching practice in schools. 2013-03-01T04:40:01.286Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2961 An extensive body of writing, complete with variations and controversies, embraces the study of unintelligible causes in relation to design. The philosophies of Paley, Darwin, Sartre, Alexander and Simon, amongst other thinkers, are brought to this argument. The term 'unintelligible' has been used in preference to 'unknown' or 'undiscovered' in this paper because these terms imply the potential to be found. This is not to state that design cannot be mapped, that patterns cannot be identified or that logical, intelligible systems cannot be created. However, it is stating that the intelligible – that which can be understood – is not necessarily directed by intelligence and therefore direction by unintelligible causes cannot be discounted. An intelligent design theory must be capable of harnessing both intelligible and unintelligible causes. This paper will start with Hodge's argument that evolution occurs by causes or means which are unintelligible. The idea of the purpose and use of maps will then be considered with a view to exploring the changed map of understanding inherent in Darwin's theory of evolution. The implications of the word 'design' will be discussed in relation to the positions of several scientists of the Victorian era. From this historical perspective, the paper will return to the map analogy, introducing the concept of design as an overlay to the map of nature/science. The work of Sartre will be considered, particularly his belief that "…the fundamental project of human reality is to say that man is the being whose project is to become God" (Sartre, 1953, p66), which exemplifies both his understanding of the uniqueness of our human desire to be all-knowing and his concept of 'nothingness'. This paper concludes that design as a discipline can look for a position on an existing map or seek a form of representation that works in conjunction with existing maps. Whether we desire an omniscient all-knowing control, as opposed to harnessing the unintelligible causes of an evolving future, is the question resulting from the argument of this paper. 2013-02-28T00:10:11.612Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:304 Primary health care (PHC) reforms focus on improving access to and effectiveness of general practice services, with greater emphasis on health promotion, prevention and chronic disease management, and integration with population health approaches. Currently, reforms are often based on scant evidence from the most accessible and easily known PHC domains and activities, yet most PHC is complex and poorly understood. Complexity theory is based on understanding patterns that are not predictable by traditional evidence and social knowledge, within a complex adaptive system. Complexity knowledge provides a way of understanding the general practitioner's role in PHC in self-organising local networks, with a capacity to generate new solutions integrated through historical and social connection. Complex systems provide a framework for an expanded knowledge base, debate and discussion of reforms and development of PHC goals and strategies. 2013-02-22T04:50:03.681Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:3001 At Mount Owen Mine, rehabilitation efforts aim to reconstruct a sustainable native forest ecosystem functionally similar to Ravensworth State Forest, through which the coal mine is passing. The greatest challenge is establishing native plants on foreign substrates such as spoil, chitter and subsoil or mixtures of these, as well as using stockpiled pasture topsoil. These need to be used because forest topsoil (biologically the most appropriate choice) is in short supply. Establishment issues are being tackled by choosing hardy native plant species present in the forest, or local to the region, to initiate vegetation cover for the different plant strata. Germination trials have been carried out on selected species used in the rehabilitation seed mix to determine treatments promoting germination in the laboratory, shade house and the field. Boiling, scarification, and oven heating of the seeds had different effects on different species as is to be expected. The interaction of species with the soil replacement media, to be used in the rehabilitation site, has also given some interesting results that are species dependent. 2013-02-21T05:17:44.011Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:3015 This paper will present program developers and institutional administrators with a program delivery model suitable for cross cultural international delivery developing students from industry through to master’s level tertiary qualifications. The model was designed to meet the needs of property professionals from an industry where technical qualifications are the norm and tertiary qualifications are emerging. A further need was to develop and deliver a program that enhanced the University’s current program profile in both the domestic and international arenas. Early identification of international educational partners, industry need and the ability to service the program were vital to the successful development of Master of Property program. The educational foundations of the program rest in educational partners, local tutorial support, international course management, cultural awareness of and in content, online communication fora, with a delivery focus on problem-based learning, self-directed study, teamwork and the development of a global understanding and awareness of the international property markets. In enrolling students from a diverse cultural background with technical qualifications and/or extensive work experience there are a number of educational barriers to be overcome for all students to successfully progress and complete the program. These barriers disappear when the following mechanisms are employed: individual student pathways, tutorial support by qualified peers, enculturation into tertiary practice, assessment tasks that recognise cultural norms and values, and finally that value is placed on the experiential knowledge, cultural practices and belief systems of the students. 2013-02-07T00:50:05.674Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2158 Due to the availability of rapidly improving computer speeds, industry is increasingly using nonlinear process models in calculations that appear further down the control hierarchy. Indeed, nonlinear models are now frequently used for real-time control calculations. This trend means that there is growing interest in the availability of high speed state and parameter estimation algorithms for nonlinear models. One family of algorithms that can be used for this purpose is based on the, so called, Expectation Maximization Scheme. Unfortunately, in its basic form, this algorithm requires large computational resources. In this paper we review the EM algorithm and propose several approximate schemes aimed at retaining the essential flavour of this class of algorithm whilst ensuring that the computations are tractable. We will also compare the EM algorithm with several simpler schemes via a number of examples and comment on the trade-offs that occur. 2013-02-06T23:56:29.408Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:549 Objective: To analyse the reviews of medical news articles posted on media doctor, a medical news-story monitoring website. Design and setting: A descriptive summary of operating the media doctor website between 1 February and 1 September 2004. Main outcome measures: Consensus scores for 10 assessment criteria for the medical intervention described in the article (novelty, availability in Australia, alternative treatment options given, evidence of "disease mongering", objective supportive evidence given, quantification of benefits, coverage of harms, coverage of costs, independent sources of information, and excessive reliance on a press release); cumulative article rating scores for major media outlets. Results: 104 news articles were featured on media doctor in the study period. Both online and print media scored poorly, although the print media were superior: mean total scores 56.1% satisfactory for print and 40.1% for online; percentage points difference 15.9 (95% CI, 8.3-23.6). The greatest differences were seen for the use of independent information sources, quantification of benefits and coverage of potential harms. Conclusions: Australian lay news reporting of medical advances, particularly by the online news services, is poor. This might improve if journals and researchers became more active in communicating with the press and the public. 2013-02-04T05:40:03.289Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:562 2013-02-04T05:30:05.122Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:12451 This manual describes how to use the catchment evolution model SIBERIA developed by the author, beginning in 1986. SIBERIA is a computer model for simulating the evolution of landscapes under the action of runoff and erosion over long times scales (typically more than a few years). SIBERIA is both a very simple model and a very sophisticated one. The hydrology and erosion models are based on ones that are simple and widely accepted in the hydrology and agricultural communities since the 1960’s. These models are based on widely accepted physics and have been successfully calibrated in a range of environments. The sophistication of SIBERIA lies in (1) its use of digital terrain maps for the determination of drainage areas and geomorphology and (2) its ability to efficiently adjust the landform with time in response to the erosion that occurs on it. The basic theory underlying the model and the approximations required or computer solution are described in this manual. The parameters that the models uses are described together with the process involved in running SIBERIA. The standard file formats used for input to the model and for transfer to other data analysis and visualisation packages are described and sample code is provided for input of these files. Finally, details are provided on the standard procedures that are available in the model to extend various components of the model if the standard ones should fail to meet the purposes of the user. For further information about the details of the theory underlying SIBERIA or results from the model the publications in the references should be consulted. 2013-01-22T04:20:29.280Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:106 Background: Aprotinin has been shown to be effective in reducing peri-operative blood loss and the need for re-operation due to continued bleeding in cardiac surgery. The lysine analogues tranexamic acid (TXA) and epsilon aminocaproic acid (EACA) are cheaper, but it is not known if they are as effective as aprotinin. Methods: Studies were identified by searching electronic databases and bibliographies of published articles. Data from head-to-head trials were pooled using a conventional (Cochrane) metaanalytic approach and a Bayesian approach which estimated the posterior probability of TXA and EACA being equivalent to aprotinin; we used as a non-inferiority boundary a 20% increase in the rates of transfusion or re-operation because of bleeding. Results: Peri-operative blood loss was significantly greater with TXA and EACA than with aprotinin: weighted mean differences were 106 mls (95% CI 37 to 227 mls) and 185 mls (95% CI 134 to 235 mls) respectively. The pooled relative risks (RR) of receiving an allogeneic RBC transfusion with TXA and EACA, compared with aprotinin, were 1.08 (95% CI 0.88 to 1.32) and 1.14 (95% CI 0.84 to 1.55) respectively. The equivalent Bayesian posterior mean relative risks were 1.15 (95% Bayesian Credible Interval [BCI] 0.90 to 1.68) and 1.21 (95% BCI 0.79 to 1.82) respectively. For transfusion, using a 20% non-inferiority boundary, the posterior probabilities of TXA and EACA being non-inferior to aprotinin were 0.82 and 0.76 respectively. For re-operation the Cochrane RR for TXA vs. aprotinin was 0.98 (95% CI 0.51 to 1.88), compared with a posterior mean Bayesian RR of 0.63 (95% BCI 0.16 to 1.46). The posterior probability of TXA being non-inferior to aprotinin was 0.92, but this was sensitive to the inclusion of one small trial. Conclusions: The available data are conflicting regarding the equivalence of lysine analogues and aprotinin in reducing peri-operative bleeding, transfusion and the need for re-operation. Decisions are sensitive to the choice of clinical outcome and non-inferiority boundary. The data are an uncertain basis for replacing aprotinin with the cheaper lysine analogues in clinical practice. Progress has been hampered by small trials and failure to study clinically relevant outcomes. 2012-12-07T00:39:49.862Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:12141 Review of: Coredon, Christopher and Williams, Ann, A Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases (Cambridge, D S Brewer, 2004) 308 pages; RRP £25 paperback and £39.95 hardback; ISBN 1843840235. 2012-11-28T23:39:02.399Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:12140 Review of: Orchard, Andy, Pride and Prodigies: Studies in the Monsters of the Beowulf-Manuscript (Toronto, University of Toronto Press, 2003) paperback; 352 pages; RRP $C35; ISBN 080208583. 2012-11-28T23:38:08.336Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:12100 This paper employs the Labour Market Accounts framework to explore how employment growth and commuting patterns interacted to determine changes in the spatial distribution of unemployment in Statistical Local Areas within the Sydney MSR over the period 1996-2001. Employment change over time is resolved by a combination of: (a) changes in the local employment of residents, which can incorporate net in or out-migration; and (b) changes in the level of net in- or out-commuting. Labour force changes are also decomposed. Separate regression models (including control variables) for men and women are estimated to estimate the relative strength of the relationships between these labour market adjustment responses and the percentage local employment change. The results show that employment growth between 1996 and 2001 has elicited substantial changes in commuting behaviour. Men reveal relatively greater in commuting and migration responsiveness to employment growth. Unemployment changes in local areas are swamped by commuting responses. 2012-11-22T04:57:40.080Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:10158 Commuting is the manifestation of spatial imbalance between the location of jobs and housing. This imbalance can limit the capacity of workers to take up certain jobs, due the constraints of information, time and income. There is evidence that workers in higher status occupations commute further whereas disadvantaged groups and some women face spatial entrapment due to competing family demands and employment in casual jobs with limited working hours. Extensive commuting imposes high social and economic costs from congestion and demands for the provision of adequate transport infrastructure which is generally under-utilised. In this paper we analyse the determinants of commuting behaviour by occupation across NSW Statistical Local Areas. The extent to which the pattern of commuting is linked to measures of the spatial imbalance between residents and jobs, relative wages, occupational status and access to different forms of transportation is explored. 2012-11-21T01:48:54.877Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:12055 Within many of the great Gothic cathedrals such as Chartres Cathedral, San Michele Maggiore, Pavia, and San Vitale, Ravenna, lay large floor labyrinths. Most of these face the altar as the dominant feature of the nave, and are either round or octagonal in shape. They vary in size from cathedral to cathedral. In France, some measure a massive twelve and half meters in diameter, large enough to walk on, following the path into the center. (Figure 1) The geometric structure that appears in the architectural labyrinths also appears in computus manuscripts, which feature calendar computations, astronomical computation, and cosmological texts. This article will examine how pilgrimage became embodied in the concept of the labyrinth, beginning with the earliest known use of these medieval floor labyrinths, the Auxerre pelota ritual and its possible predecessors, then it will investigate its connection to Easter and its embodiment in ecclesiastical dance that reflected the harmony of the spheres and the tripartite dance of the angels. 2012-11-20T06:20:56.463Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:4052 2012-11-19T01:10:05.786Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:11924 We prove multiple-series representations for positive integer powers of the series L(z; α) = [formula could not be replicated], |z| < 1, α ≥ 0, and ℓ_q(z) = [formula could not be replicated], |z| ≤ 1, |q| < 1. The results generalize a known formula for powers of the series for the ordinary logarithm -log(1-z) = L(z;0). 2012-11-06T01:11:16.678Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:10330 We obtain lower estimates for the absolute values of linear forms of the values of generalized Heine series at non-zero points of an imaginary quadratic field I, in particular of the values of q-exponential function. These estimates depend on the individual coefficients, not only on the maximum of their absolute values. The proof uses a variant of classical Siegel’s method applied to a system of functional Poincar´e-type equations and the connection between the solutions of these functional equations and the generalized Heine series. 2012-11-05T23:20:06.934Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:11925 The idea to use classical hypergeometric series and, in particular, well-poised hypergeometric series in diophantine problems of the values of the polylogarithms has led to several novelties in number theory and neighbouring areas of mathematics. Here, we present a systematic approach to derive second-order polynomial recursions for approximations to some values of the Lerch zeta function, depending on the fixed (but not necessarily real) parameter α satisfying the condition Re(α)<1. Substituting α=0 into the resulting recurrence equations produces the famous recursions for rational approximations to ζ(2), ζ(3) due to Apéry, as well as the known recursion for rational approximations to ζ(4). Multiple integral representations for solutions of the constructed recurrences are also given. 2012-11-05T02:15:53.469Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:11810 Coastal saltmarsh distribution in Australia appears to be following a global trend of decline. In the estuaries of NSW, saltmarsh is often squeezed between landward encroachment of mangrove forest and urban/industrial development of foreshore land. Efforts to maintain and rehabilitate saltmarsh are complicated by an incomplete understanding of the hydraulic drivers for estuarine vegetation distribution. Our research is focused on the hydraulic and geomorphologic conditions required to sustain saltmarsh in a rehabilitated wetland, comprised of tidal creeks, mangrove forest, saltmarsh and tidal pools, in the Hunter estuary, NSW. The wetland is an important roost site for migratory shorebirds and is part of the Kooragang Wetlands, which are recognised as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. The area is hydraulically complex, with a number of culverts and roads that compartmentalise flow. At a local scale (of the order of m²), vegetation morphology influences the flow field by creating drag, which acts to slow flow through friction losses. Modelling of these fine scale interactions is both numerically and theoretically demanding, requiring solution of the Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes equations. An alternate approach is to develop a simplified hydrodynamic model of the wetland based primarily on water level. This method, which requires fewer input variables and considerably less computational effort, is appropriate for modelling wetlands where hydraulic controls (e.g. inlet configuration and internal culverts) affect the macro-scale flow field (of the order of ha) to a greater extent than local scale effects such as vegetation roughness. A hydrodynamic model of the study area is required to investigate the effects of various flow control scenarios on habitat distribution. In order to determine the most efficient modelling approach, a statistical review of the sensitivity of the flow field to vegetation type, site location, hydroperiod, elevation, tidal range and suspended particulate matter (SPM) was undertaken. This included comparison of mean velocity and vegetation community, to identify whether vegetation morphology was a significant determinant of mean velocity at the community scale; comparison of mean velocity in each vegetation community at each site, to test whether vegetation morphology was important at the site scale; comparison of mean velocity at each site with distance from the Hunter River, to test the assumption that hydraulic controls drive mean velocity to a greater extent than surface roughness in attenuated wetlands; and multi-variate analysis of hydraulic and SPM variables to identify similarities between sites. Data collection involved measurement of vegetation morphological characteristics; water level monitoring using pressure transducers; flow field measurement by acoustic Doppler velocimeters; and gravimetric analysis of suspended particulate matter. The hydraulic configuration of flow conveyance conduits, such as culverts, in estuarine wetlands was found to be critical to the distribution of the velocity flow field, tidal range, hydroperiod and SPM. Due to the low topographic relief in tidal wetlands, even relatively minor changes in hydraulic control can effect rapid and dramatic changes to vegetation distribution. In areas of tidal attenuation due to constructed flow conduits, vegetation morphology and inlet distance was found not to significantly affect mean velocity. In these areas, a simplified hydrodynamic modelling approach based on hydraulic control configuration, particularly invert level and discharge capacity, may be adopted. In areas of unattenuated flow, a more complex modelling approach is required to simulate the effect of vegetation on the flow field and sediment transport. 2012-10-30T00:38:00.558Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2587 It is essential for construction professionals to be able to work in teams. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has significantly influenced the ways in which team members interact. The School of Architecture and Built Environment at the University of Newcastle is currently investigating the extent to which the three domains of People, Processes and Technology contribute to the effectiveness of virtual teams as part of a CRC Construction Innovation project. This project is in the process of identifying the attributes practised by construction professionals which contribute to the successful outcome of construction projects. These attributes, or skills and attitudes, fall outside the domain of ICT competencies normally associated with working in the virtual environment. Teamwork is not confined to industry. Many professional degree programs seek to replicate industry practice in as realistic a manner as practicable. Third year Bachelor of Construction Management distance-learning students at the University of Newcastle work in virtual teams to prepare an estimate, tender, tender construction program and cashflow forecast for a high-rise structure. The problems they experience in working in teams electronically mirror many of those encountered by their real-life colleagues. This paper explores the extent to which educational virtual teamwork can benefit from industry-based research. 2012-10-21T22:57:43.248Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2588 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is becoming more comprehensive and more integrated into the design and management phases of the construction industry. Not only are increasingly sophisticated electronic tools being widely used to assist construction professionals design and manage buildings - ICT is making significant contributions by assisting these people to work in virtual, electronic environments. As a result of the application of these enhanced ICT tools there is a trend to move away from co-located teams to virtual team collaboration. The operational differences which result from the use of different electronic communication media and its impact on generic skills on design and construction professionals have been the basis for the research reported in this Cooperative Research Centre Construction Innovation (CRC-CI) paper. The outcomes of this research include the development and mapping of generic skills profiles for virtual design teams. The research findings also describe changes in generic skills profiles between different operational states (low bandwidth-high bandwidth). The paper links our research findings with literature relating to design teams and processes, virtual teams and the generic skills required to effectively participate in these teams. The conclusions of our research indicate that design team participants require ‘appropriate skills’ to function efficiently and effectively, and that the introduction of ICT reinforces the need for ongoing skills mapping and measurement. 2012-10-21T22:56:28.739Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:777 This paper proposes a stochastic framework for dynamic modeling and analysis of turbo decoding. By modeling the input and output signals of a turbo decoder as random processes, we prove that these signals become ergodic when the block size of the code becomes very large. This basic result allows us to easily model and compute the statistics of the signals in a turbo decoder. Using the ergodicity result and the fact that a sum of lognormal distributions is well approximated using a lognormal distribution, we show that the input-output signals in a turbo decoder, when expressed using log-likelihood ratios (LLRs), are well approximated using Gaussian distributions. Combining the two results above, we can model a turbo decoder using two input parameters and two output parameters (corresponding to the means and variances of the input and output signals). Using this model, we are able to reveal the whole dynamics of a decoding process. We have discovered that a typical decoding process is much more intricate than previously known, involving two regions of attraction, several fixed points, and a stable equilibrium manifold at which all decoding trajectories converge. Some applications of the stochastic framework are also discussed, including a fast decoding scheme. 2012-10-07T23:10:02.929Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:776 Cyclic prefix (CP) is commonly used for channel equalization of discrete multitone (DMT) and orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. This is often done in conjunction with a time-domain equalizer (TEQ) for reducing the capacity overhead caused by the CP. However, the use of TEQ greatly increases the computational cost, and is unable to eliminate the need for the CP. In this paper, we propose a subband approach to channel estimation and channel equalization for DMT and OFDM systems. This approach involves splitting the received signals into a number of frequency bands (called subbands), and estimating a constant parameter in each subband. The subband approach is conceptually simple, requires no CP, is much more numerically efficient than the TEQ method, and gives compatible or better estimation errors than the CP-based methods. 2012-10-07T23:10:02.871Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:778 This paper studies a number of quantized feedback design problems for linear systems. We consider the case where quantizers are static (memoryless). The common aim of these design problems is to stabilize the given system or to achieve certain performance with the coarsest quantization density. Our main discovery is that the classical sector bound approach is nonconservative for studying these design problems. Consequently, we are able to convert many quantized feedback design problems to well-known robust control problems with sector bound uncertainties. In particular, we derive the coarsest quantization densities for stabilization for multiple-input-multiple-output systems in both state feedback and output feedback cases; and we also derive conditions for quantized feedback control for quadratic cost and H/sub /spl infin// performances. 2012-10-07T23:00:06.117Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:11537 We recount problems, questions and conjectures that arose during a problem session of the Third International Conference on Permutation Patterns, University of Florida, March 7-11, 2005. 2012-09-17T06:21:30.449Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:3594 One facet of contemporary debates surrounding international development and humane governance is the growing attention being focused on participatory governance as a method of reducing poverty and increasing social rights. The article evaluates the evolutionary forms of participatory governance in the Philippines since the mid-1990s. Various administrations have attempted to introduce participatory programs concerned with poverty reduction and agrarian reform in the Philippines. Various institutional obstacles and the failure of many non-government organisations to engage with these processes at an adequately strategic level, however, have hampered these attempts. The rhetoric of participation has often been contradicted by a commitment to forms of neo-liberal governance that facilitate the exclusion of public scrutiny and debate over issues of development strategy and security. The article concludes by arguing that real progress on establishing participatory forms of governance requires taking measures that challenge embedded power relations. Non-government organisations are better served by maintaining more oppositional political stance. 2012-08-30T00:53:30.503Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:484 Many interesting design problems encountered in signal processing and control turn out to depend on a set of decision variables that can only take a finite number of values, i.e., they are quantized. For example, in power distribution networks there are only a finite number (typically small) of generators and possible transmission options. Other examples abound in many fields, e.g., on-off control problems, quantization of audio signals for CD-production, filter banks for audio and video compression, switch-mode power supplies used, e.g., in laptop computers, and so on. All of these problems share the common feature that the decision space is quantized. The associated design problems require special attention since they are inherently "nonconvex" in a technical sense. This paper gives an overview of quantization issues in signal processing and control and points to recent research aimed at providing designs that can be utilized in practice. 2012-08-14T03:00:05.084Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:9971 We give a language of unique geodesic normal forms for the Baumslag–Solitar group BS(1,2) that is context-free and 1-counter. We discuss the classes of context-free, 1-counter and counter languages, and explain how they are inter-related. 2012-06-25T02:46:45.650Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:9973 We furnish an example of a finite generating set for a group that does not enjoy the falsification by fellow traveler property, while the full language of geodesics is regular. 2012-06-25T02:40:45.573Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:4160 For every Aboriginal child taken away by the state governments in Australia, there was at least one white family intimately involved in their life. One Bright Spot is about one of these families--about "Ming", a Sydney wife and mother who hired Aboriginal domestic servants in the 20s and 30s, and became an activist against the Stolen Generations policy--the removal of Aboriginal children by the Australian government. Her story, reconstructed by her great-granddaughter, tells of a remarkable, yet forgotten, shared history. 2012-06-18T01:40:02.163Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:4285 Background: The Australian general practice workforce increasingly comprises international medical graduates. These doctors come from a range of professional backgrounds. Aim: This project aimed to document the current education, training and support needs of the general practice workforce, including international medical graduates, who currently train and/or practise in northwestern New South Wales. Method: Cross sectional survey of all 66 registrars and all 149 GPs who work in this area. Results: Irrespective of doctors’ origin or gender, priority information needs were related to indigenous health, rural health, and key community issues. Training and pre-employment opportunities, and continuing professional development were high priority areas for all participants. Discussion: Educational initiatives are best targeted at identified groups but not necessarily reserved for international medical graduates only. Supporting the professional careers of doctors in a region requires the provision of integrated educational programs that focus on specific information and skills deficits, as well as requested programs. 2012-06-05T02:10:02.692Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:10869 Research in Australia into the management of innovation in multidisciplinary patient care teams in palliative care organisations is reported with regard to the application and management of technologies. Results of interviews in three palliative care case study organisations are combined with results of data analysis to provide a picture of the management and use of technologies in these organisations. A sometimes ambiguous environment is described, where the technologies acquired and applied to enhance or maintain a patient’s quality of life during the end of life can at the some time provide stressors and uncertainty to the process. In this environment there is at the one time an implicit understanding of the broad view of technology as including a human aspect in application and a view of technology as applied science; as technological “things”. Access to technologies has to be managed along with the application of technologies as the case study organisations do not own some of the sophisticated technologies, for example scanners, that they utilise and so they must schedule and transport patients into a queue at another location. High frequencies of ad hoc communications regarding patients’ situations, required by persistent uncertainty about many aspects of those situations, drive an anthropocentric rather than technocentric view of care provision. This view is supported in the ethos of palliative care, which helps to ensure that “the technology is attached to the patient and not vice-versa”. 2012-06-04T04:20:07.135Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:10867 Research in Australia on the management of innovative practices in multidisciplinary palliative care teams reveals the central role of knowledge as an enabler of holistic care in an environment where sometimes little, apart from the result of the end of life process, is operationally predictable. While palliative care organisations provide, and regulators require, opportunities for formal exchange, recording and review of patient-based information and patient care processes; the members of care teams require and construct more frequent opportunities for the exchange of information and the generation and application of knowledge. Multidisciplinary patient care teams are resourced to and capable of constructing real-time temporary communication infrastructures between the team’s different disciplinary representatives, between teams as necessary and between teams and the organisation, for individual patient situations. This chapter describes the organisational capabilities and levers necessary for providing an environment within which these infrastructures can be created and the individual behaviours and team tools that are used in the process, based on a wide ranging literature review and the results of research interviews. 2012-06-04T04:20:05.164Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:1619 Various members of the canonical family of transient receptor potential channels (TRPCs) exhibit increased cation influx following receptor stimulation or Ca²⁺ store depletion. Tyrosine phosphorylation of TRP family members also results in increased channel activity; however, the link between the two events is unclear. We report that two tyrosine residues in the C terminus of human TRPC4 (hTRPC4), Tyr-959 and Tyr-972, are phosphorylated following epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor stimulation of COS-7 cells. This phosphorylation was mediated by Src family tyrosine kinases (STKs), with Fyn appearing to be the dominant kinase. In addition, EGF receptor stimulation induced the exocytotic insertion of hTRPC4 into the plasma membrane dependent on the activity of STKs and was accompanied by a phosphorylation-dependent increase in the association of hTRPC4 with Na⁺/H⁺ exchanger regulatory factor. Furthermore, this translocation and association was defective upon mutation of Tyr-959 and Tyr-972 to phenylalanine. Significantly, inhibition of STKs was concomitant with a reduction in Ca²⁺ influx in both native COS-7 cells and hTRPC4-expressing HEK293 cells, with cells expressing the Y959F/Y972F mutant exhibiting a reduced EGF response. These findings represent the first demonstration of a mechanism for phosphorylation to modulate TRPC channel function. 2012-05-29T02:40:05.995Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2745 Calsequestrin, the major calcium sequestering protein in the sarcoplasmic reticulum of muscle, forms a quaternary complex with the ryanodine receptor calcium release channel and the intrinsic membrane proteins triadin and junctin. We have investigated the possibility that calsequestrin is a luminal calcium concentration sensor for the ryanodine receptor. We measured the luminal calcium concentration at which calsequestrin dissociates from the ryanodine receptor and the effect of calsequestrin on the response of the ryanodine receptor to changes in luminal calcium. We provide electrophysiological and biochemical evidence that: 1), luminal calcium concentration of ≥4 mM dissociates calsequestrin from junctional face membrane, whereas in the range of 1–3 mM calsequestrin remains attached; 2), the association with calsequestrin inhibits ryanodine receptor activity, but amplifies its response to changes in luminal calcium concentration; and 3), under physiological calcium conditions (1 mM), phosphorylation of calsequestrin does not alter its ability to inhibit native ryanodine receptor activity when the anchoring proteins triadin and junctin are present. These data suggest that the quaternary complex is intact in vivo, and provides further evidence that calsequestrin is involved in the sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium signaling pathway and has a role as a luminal calcium sensor for the ryanodine receptor. 2012-05-29T02:20:02.599Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:305 Recent satellite and conjugate observations of Pc 1 electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves have cast doubt on the validity of the long-standing bouncing wave packet (BWP) model that describes their propagation in the magnetosphere. A study was undertaken using the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES) E and B field data to further the understanding of the propagation characteristics of Pc 1 EMIC waves in the middle magnetosphere. CRRES covered the region L = 3.5-8.0, magnetic latitude up to +/-30 degrees, and magnetic local time 1400-0800. From 6464 hours of observation a total of 248 EMIC wave events were identified. For the first time the Poynting vector for Pc 1 EMIC waves is presented in the dynamic spectral domain permitting the study of energy propagation of simultaneous waves located in different frequency bands. The maximum wave energy flux for the events was 25 mu W/m(2), averaging range 1.3 mu W/m(2), with the direction of wave energy propagation independent of wave frequency but dependent on magnetic latitude. EMIC wave energy propagation was bidirectional both away and toward the equator, for events observed below 11 degrees \MLat\. Unidirectional wave energy propagation away from the equator was observed for all events located above 11 degrees \MLat\. This supports the concept of unidirectional EMIC wave energy propagation away from a broad source region centered on the geomagnetic equator. No measurable energy was observed propagating equatorward beyond the source region, in contradiction to the BWP paradigm. 2012-05-29T00:33:27.097Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:1389 This paper examines three interrelated questions: the transmission history of Pansies; the character of the Home Office censorship implemented by Joynson-Hicks; and the impact this censorship had on Lawrence’s pensées. 2012-05-29T00:10:47.534Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2653 This paper examines the problem of estimating linear time-invariant state-space system models. In particular it addresses the parametrization and numerical robustness concerns that arise in the multivariable case. These difficulties are well recognised in the literature, resulting (for example) in extensive study of subspace based techniques, as well as recent interest in ``data driven'' local co-ordinate approaches to gradient search solutions. The paper here proposes a different strategy that employs the Expectation Maximisation (EM) technique. The consequence is an algorithm that is iterative, and locally convergent to stationary points of the (Gaussian) Likelihood function. Furthermore, theoretical and empirical evidence presented here establishes additional attractive properties such as numerical robustness, avoidance of difficult parametrization choices, the ability to estimate unstable systems, the ability to naturally and easily estimate non-zero initial conditions, and moderate computational cost. Moreover, since the methods here are Maximum-Likelihood based, they have associated known and asymptotically optimal statistical properties. 2012-05-28T22:29:54.202Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:468 It has been argued that the frequency domain accuracy of high model-order estimates obtained on the basis of closed-loop data is largely invariant to whether direct or indirect approaches are used. The analysis underlying this conclusion has employed variance expressions that are asymptotic both in the data length and the model order, and hence are approximations when either of these are finite. However, recent work has provided variance expressions that are exact for finite (possibly low) model order, and hence can potentially deliver more accurate quantification of estimation accuracy. This paper, and a companion one, revisits the study of identification from closed-loop data in light of these new quantifications and establishes that, under certain assumptions, there can be significant differences in the accuracy of frequency response estimates. These discrepencies are established here and in the companion paper to be dependent on what type of direct, indirect or joint input-output identification strategy is pursued. 2012-05-28T22:24:01.915Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:240 This paper addresses the problem of estimating the parameters in a multivariable bilinear model on the basis of observed input-output data. The main contribution is to develop, analyze, and empirically study new techniques for computing a maximum-likelihood based solution. In particular, the emphasis here is on developing practical methods that are illustrated to be numerically reliable, robust to choice of initialization point, and numerically efficient in terms of how computation and memory requirements scale relative to problem size. This results in new methods that can be reliably deployed on systems of nontrivial state, input and output dimension. Underlying these developments is a new approach (in this context) of employing the expectation-maximization method as a means for robust and gradient free computation of the maximum-likelihood solution. 2012-05-28T22:21:47.118Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:485 It has been recently established that, when estimating parametric models on the basis of closed loop data, the frequency domain variability of direct and various indirect methods may significantly differ from one another. This paper continues this work by analysing the performance of certain common joint input-output estimation methods. 2012-05-28T22:21:08.429Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:71 Most models of choice response time base decisions on evidence accumulated over time. A fundamental distinction among these models concerns whether each piece of evidence is equally weighted (lossless accumulation) or unequally weighted (leaky accumulation). The authors tested a hypothesis derived from A. Heathcote and S. Brown's (2002) self-exciting expert competitor (SEEXC) model of skill acquisition: that evidence accumulation becomes less leaky with practice. The hypothesis was supported by observation that the effects of prime stimuli increased with practice. The authors used metacontrast masked primes, which could not be consciously discriminated by most participants, to avoid methodological problems associated with conscious strategy changes. The form of the law of practice in the data is also shown to be consistent with the SEEXC model. 2012-05-28T04:15:45.345Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:1452 Almost all models of response time (RT) use a stochastic accumulation process. To account for the benchmark RT phenomena, researchers have found it necessary to include between-trial variability in the starting point and/or the rate of accumulation, both in linear (R. Ratcliff & J. N. Rouder, 1998) and nonlinear (M. Usher & J. L. McClelland, 2001) models. The authors show that a ballistic (deterministic within-trial) model using a simplified version of M. Usher and J. L. McClelland's (2001) nonlinear accumulation process with between-trial variability in accumulation rate and starting point is capable of accounting for the benchmark behavioral phenomena. The authors successfully fit their model to R. Ratcliff and J. N. Rouder's (1998) data, which exhibit many of the benchmark phenomena. 2012-05-28T04:15:14.028Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:10788 Purpose: To begin a process of understanding how palliative care organisations are configured to enable innovative multidisciplinary patient care teams and their management in an uncertain, complex and dynamic environment. Design/methodology/approach: A range of literature was reviewed to suggest configuration and characteristics that were tested using semi-structured interviews with the senior medical staff member at each of three Australian case study organisations. Data gathered from these interviews was supplemented with data gathered from semi-structured interviews with multidisciplinary management teams and patient care teams dealing with inpatients and home-care patients. Findings: A hybrid configuration is suggested, based on Mintzberg's typology of organisations. Responses from interviews modify some characteristics of the suggested configuration, though generally appearing to support it. Characteristics of the external and internal environments are described. Research limitations/implications: Palliative care is rarely written off outside the healthcare literature and comparatively infrequently within it. Configuration is used to suggest the characteristics of innovative teams in an uncertain, dynamic, complex environment. The use and management of multidisciplinary patient care teams in palliative care offers interesting insights for a broad range of organisations. Practical implications: A contribution to the discourse on the relationship between configuration and innovation based in organisations without commercial imperative, delivering multi-level care for and by people involved in the end-of-life process. Originality/value: The paper continues a line of publications, beginning in 2002, describing the management of innovation in multidisciplinary palliative care teams. The originality and value of this paper and this line of research is in taking a management view of a unique environment that offers insights and lessons to a broad range of organisations. 2012-05-25T06:30:48.931Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:10787 Purpose: This paper aims to investigate whether an organisation's configuration, with regard to its operating environment, could have a bearing on the learning that occurs within the organisation because the configuration can be considered an artefact capable of enabling learning and capable of facilitating the storage and utilisation of the results of learning. This raises an interesting question about the ability of organisations to shape the configuration that enables and facilitates them, which in turn would shape the learning itself. Design/methodology/approach: Reported in this paper is research in healthcare organisations in Brazil and Australia that use a multidisciplinary model of care delivery which test these relationships. Findings: The paper's findings indicate that in the Brazilian case learning has to do with the formal acquisition of knowledge for use within professions, by professionals who are in practice and teaching. In the Australian case learning has to do with the flexible acquisition of knowledge across professions, within and between teams. Originality/approach: This paper is useful to those wishing to facilitate learning in an organisation. 2012-05-25T06:28:09.594Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:10786 Two case studies from markedly different environments, cartography and healthcare, are presented to elucidate two major issues in the development and implementation of knowledge management systems for multidisciplinary teams in uncertain contexts; a tendency in developers to impose their mental models, making the environment appear less uncertain and more manageable, thus reducing the range of options apparently available to users; and contemporary mental models of knowledge management systems preventing a model suitable for a diverse team in an uncertain environment being developed. It is argued that there are two imperatives to consider. The acceptance of uncertainty linked to a willingness to put aside personal and technical mental models held by analysts and a readiness to understand the generation of collective team-based mental models which will reflect stakeholder perspectives and needs. 2012-05-25T06:24:02.910Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:10785 Purpose: This paper aims to explore the role of mental models in knowledge development in order to demonstrate how the type and strength of the mental models held by a team contribute to its success in general and to innovation in particular. Design/methodology/approach: Two cases are analysed (a successful and an unsuccessful team) which were developed via observation and interviews. The mental models in each case were analysed to map them to the success or otherwise of the teams. Findings: The first case demonstrates that mental models in a multidisciplinary team can provide opportunity for a shared generation of knowledge for process innovation while open to external influence. The second case demonstrates that, where there are strongly shared mental models that prevent the team from constructing an accurate picture of their present by closing out external influences and pre-selecting desired knowledge, opportunities for innovation are shut down. Practical implications: Where mental models provide a sharing framework without closing out the networks and systems that sustain them, they can foster and support innovation. Managing team openness becomes a priority for supporting innovation. Team leaders will need to consider what types of mental models are developing and foster a focus on innovative outcomes and not processes. A concentration on understanding the current context via challenging given assumptions is recommended. Originality/value: The paper offers clear, practical examples of the results of teams being encouraged to utilise open and closed systems of mental models. 2012-05-25T05:54:24.091Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:48 This paper will present a new type of passive vibration control technique based on the concept of electromagnetic shunt damping. The proposed technique is similar to piezoelectric shunt damping, as an appropriately designed impedance is shunted across the terminals of the transducer. Theoretical and experimental results are presented for a simple electromagnetic mass spring damper system. 2012-05-22T06:00:03.436Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:158 In this paper, a charge amplifier adapted for piezoelectric tube scanners is presented. Previous problems involved with the implementation of such amplifiers are resolved to provide dc accurate performance with zero voltage drift. In our experiment, hysteresis was reduced by 89% when compared to a voltage amplifier. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics. 2012-05-22T05:48:08.538Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:168 Piezoelectric transducers are commonly used as strain actuators in the control of mechanical vibration. One control strategy, termed piezoelectric shunt damping, involves the connection of an electrical impedance to the terminals of a structurally bonded transducer. When, subject to deflection, charge generated in the transducer flows through the external impedance developing a counteractive voltage across the terminals. Many passive, nonlinear, and semiactive impedance designs have been proposed that maximize this counteractive effect. This paper introduces a new technique for the design and implementation of piezoelectric shunt impedances. By considering the transducer voltage and charge as inputs and outputs, the design problem is reduced to a standard linear regulator problem enabling the application of standard synthesis techniques such as LQG, H-2, and H-infinity. The resulting impedance is extensible to multitransducer systems, is unrestricted in structure, and is capable of minimizing an arbitrary performance objective. Experimental comparison to a resonant shunt circuit is carried out on a cantilever beam. Previous problems such as ad hoe tu ning, limited performance, and sensitivity to variation in structural resonance frequencies are significantly alleviated. 2012-05-22T05:40:05.430Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:3002 Microarray technologies introduced the ability to monitor gene expression for tens of thousands of genes in different conditions. This relatively new tool has transformed genomic research because of the quantity of data that can be collected. However, the amount of data available from microarray data sets is huge and the development of useful tools for its analysis has become one of the major challenges for the utilization of this technology. We present a powerful multi-populational Memetic Algorithm metaheuristic with an embedded Tabu Search, which improves our original algorithm introduced in 2003 for the Gene Ordering problem. We then compare the performance of our method with the well-known hierarchical clustering algorithm developed by the European Bioinformatics Initiative. The evaluation of different approaches using instances from microarray data is one of the challenges in clustering/ordering problems, since it is done mostly visually. To this end, we have evaluated the performance of the methods using images as a way of having a controlled setting. This approach allows a direct visual comparison of the results and provides a workbench for computational experiments that address the sensitivity of the algorithms to noisy measurements. 2012-05-22T04:51:45.934Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:5901 Dimicolo (2003) recently made note of two paradoxical findings in the literature on doctoral assessment: that there is little cross-institutional agreement as to what actually constitutes a doctorate, and very few submitted doctorates fail to achieve the award. We argue that a major explanation of the paradox may lie in the implicit understandings of supervisors. We begin with the conceptions of the doctorate and the doctoral process expressed by supervisors through interview. We then address the issue of defining "doctoral level" through the application of the SOLO Taxonomy (Biggs & Collis, 1982). Additionally, we draw on the work of Shaw (cited in Powell & McCaulay (2002) to flesh out within the SOLO framework attributes that discriminate doctoral from non-doctoral levels of outcome. Our analysis of the interview data indicated an implicit awareness on the part of supervisors, regardless of discipline, of the desired modality of thinking underlying doctoral research (which we define as a Formal-2 modality) and of the need for explicit coherence within the thesis (defined by us as a "relational" outcome within mode). We see our analysis as providing a useful insight into the development of an explicit understanding of what constitutes a "doctoral level" of outcome. 2012-05-17T06:48:30.461Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:10583 In 2004 we made a significant move to blended course delivery in 1st year Biology at the University of Newcastle. Innovations included electronic delivery of course notes, laboratory instructions and other support material including interactive templates, instructional & background videos, step by step guides for data analysis and some online laboratories. Students also submitted reports electronically and used email along with peer review to provide guided feedback to each other. Online discussion boards were used to interact with students and to assist students outside of class time. We also used some automatically marked online assessment. Feedback on the implementation of a blended learning approach in Semester 1 during and after the completion of the semester showed that, although grades were strong, student and staff satisfaction levels were the lowest on record. Key issues identified were workload, quality and quantity of feedback and collusion. In the light of this feedback changes were made to the delivery in Semester 2 to reduce workload, improve feedback and minimise collusion. At the conclusion of Semester 2 overall course grades and the results of student surveys showed that grades and satisfaction were the highest on record. All this with a 40% reduction in part time teaching costs for Semester 2. We believe that our experience shows that the blended learning environment can produce an improved quality learning environment at reduced cost, although only when that environment is matched with skilled and motivated teaching staff. 2012-04-12T03:10:34.720Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:10588 International accounting standards are deliberately designed to be principles-based (ie. “substance-over-form”). With Australia’s recent adoption of international accounting standards a relevant question is, do substance-over-form accounting standards lead to biased financial reporting? The paper describes a study which analysed the consolidation judgments of senior accounting officials from Australian listed companies. Subjects made consolidation judgments based on AASB 1024 Consolidated Accounts. While AASB1024 is not identical to IAS 127 Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements, there are many similarities and both follow a substance-over-form approach. In aggregate, the study found that substance-over-form accounting standards do not necessarily lead to biased financial reporting. 2012-04-05T04:10:02.754Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:1385 In examining the history of migrating ideas through the decoration of artefacts it is often the style of the drawing that is examined. For example, in Carolingian Europe the distribution and usage of objects that have been characterized by labyrinthine patterns and zoomorphic features have been classified as Insular style. The classification infers that the influence of these artefacts has come from Ireland and Britain. However, this form of classification can be deceptive as it fails to note the major changes in the construction of the patterns from the Insular style. The Insular style of labyrinthine patterns has a very rigid structure designed to very strict and distinct geometrical rules. In turn these patterns are influenced by ancient literate sources. Many of the zoomorphic and labyrinthine patterned artefacts of Carolingian Europe lacked this important geometrical structure, inferring that the influence was not directly from Ireland and Britain. Using a more multidisciplinarily approach to history of art allows for the development of a clearer picture of migrating ideas. This paper examines a more holistic approach to the mapping of the transference of designs and patterns across cultures. 2012-04-02T00:53:02.977Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2998 Over the past four years the University of Newcastle, in conjunction with the Clay Brick and Paver Institute, has embarked on a research program to study the thermal performance of masonry construction under Australian climatic conditions. This has led to the construction of a guarded hot box apparatus and the instrumentation of three purpose-built modules on the university campus. This paper presents results for the third module which features a large north-facing window with the walls being constructed using cavity brickwork. The results indicate that the window becomes the dominant factor in the thermal performance with the exterior heavy mass walls being subjected to bi-directional heat flows. This report gives an overview of the instrumentation and data collection and describes typical results obtained during the six months of monitoring under free-floating internal conditions. 2012-04-02T00:51:49.232Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:3081 The workshop is a place where poems and stories are tested for artistic originality and technical coherence, and their problems fixed in a collaborative effort. But it is not just that. In its intense sessions of scrutiny and questioning, and with nervous sidelong glances at exemplars and masters, it is also a place where the students are posed the question which Rilke would have his young poet confront: 'Must I write?' The students either embrace their writing as a mission or keep it separate in an outer compartment of their lives, as a hobby. I see the role of the teacher-writer as a sort of priest-confessor, one who will direct the students to the inner place of writing, where they ask themselves the deepest questions of life and art. For this to happen, there must be what Martin Buber calls an I-Thou relationship to evolve between the teacher and the students, a connection of mutual respect and listening. Only then can the teacher point the students to the place where the poems and stories are waiting to be found. The paper proposes some writing exercises to enable this creative process to take place and turn the workshop into a place of sacramental encounter, where students discover the life of writing in the writing of their lives. 2012-04-02T00:48:25.567Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:821 In the history of political thought there has been a reluctance to accord Emma Goldman the status of a serious political thinker. Even within the anarchist tradition she is rarely acknowledged as a political theorist. However, Goldman’s contribution to political thought was both original and pivotal. Three specific areas of her thought are examined (a) her view of emancipation, (b) her critique of patriarchy and insight that personal relations were power relations, and (c) her analysis of political violence. In each Goldman contributed to our political understanding and therefore should be regarded as a political theorist in her own right. 2012-04-02T00:46:00.737Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2970 In the notion of design is hidden the notion of designer, just as inside the notion of the created world there is the notion of a creator. Designers tell stories of what they design, how they design, why they design and what it is to design. Along with their personal and existential stories, many designers offer explicit accounts of what it is to work (undertake socially significant tasks) and what it is to produce works (socially and possibly spiritually significant outcomes). These stories, from designers, offer general accounts of the uses of designing as a human project; they also offer insights into the larger possible significance of design as a social activity for an evolving society. As Ettore Sottsass asks: "And what else?". Neither I nor the others [as children] considered ourselves designers, artists, craftsmen, or engineers for the public, and even less in any way distinguished from the public: we were not looking for consumers or observers, nor did we seek any approval or disapproval beyond that we all found in ourselves. Whatever we did was rewarded by the very act of doing it, by the desire to do it; and anything that was done was, after all, part of one extraordinary sphere only: life. Design was life itself: it was the day from dawn to dusk, it was the night-time vigil, the awareness of the world that surrounded us, of its matter, lights, distances, weights, resistances, fragility, use and consumption, birth and death. And what else? (Sottsass, 1973, p. 284). 2012-04-02T00:37:36.202Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:289 The field of software agents is a broad and rapidly developing area of research, which encompasses a diverse range of topics and interests. In order to study the various methodologies for agent design, a comprehensive classification scheme is required. This paper identifies the key aspects of software agents, then provides an overview of existing ontologies, and combines the best aspects of these schemes to propose a new all-inclusive classification scheme. In order to illustrate the classifications, the JACK Intelligent Agents architecture is described in the context of the scheme. 2012-04-02T00:37:00.451Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:4020 Over the last few decades, philosophers such as Althusser, Negri, Balibar, and Macherey have turned to the works of Spinoza as a means for re-invigorating radical political theory and practice. As Montag argues, rather than being conceived as a theory or a doctrine Spinoza’s materialist philosophy of immanence is more a mode of strategic manoeuvrer through the philosophical field, rooting out all vestiges of idealism. At the same time, Spinoza is seen to anticipate The German Ideology in his notion that erroneous beliefs have an objective, determinate existence, are intelligible, and ultimately can be overcome. Moreover, in attacking Hobbesian notions of treaty on the basis of a unique theory of power, Spinoza’s political philosophy already contains the seeds of a critique of the Liberal theories of contract that have yet to appear. Although Foucault’s major works were also published over this same period it is hard to find the trace of any influence over them that could be sourced directly or indirectly from Spinoza. Yet Gilles Deleuze, a close friend and sympathetic traveller with Foucault through many of these years has highlighted a common concern with the notion of immanence, manifest in a shared determination to overcome the transcendental illusions of thought, including those reflected in theories of subjective intentionality and contract-based theories of State power. The objective of this paper is to highlight these shared concerns. 2012-04-02T00:14:54.467Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:3679 This case series presents two general practice cases where HIV testing occurred, or results suggestive of HIV were received, before informed consent was obtained. Bioethical and professional principles are used to explore these dilemmas. 2012-04-02T00:13:13.272Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:1384 Bede's The Reckoning of Time is about computus, the science of measuring time and constructing a Christian calendar. The Reckoning of Time is the earliest comprehensive treatment of computus that has survived. All earlier calendar literature was both fragmented and partisan in character. The Reckoning of Time begins with the representation of numbers for the purpose of calculation. This is achieved through finger signs, computus digitorum. Bede claimed that the hand was used to represent numbers up to 9999 while other parts of the body were used to represent numbers beyond 10 000. Exactly how these calculations were executed with these hand and body signs is not explained in the book. However, ancient and medieval authors gave hints as to the form of these calculations. This paper first discusses the problem of dating Easter. Second, it examines Bede's representation of numbers through hand and body gestures. Third, it considers some of the hints to the method of calculation using these gestures for the purposes of calculating the dates for Easter, and finally the paper explains how Bede formulated the calculations that were needed to date Easter. 2012-03-26T22:00:05.150Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:10523 Objectives: To identify and summarize the existing literature on domains/items of health-relatedquality of life (HRQoL) that are important for patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis (OA) in various sociocultural contexts and critically evaluate existing OA-specific HRQoL instruments based on the importantdomains/items identified. Methods: A qualitative systematic literature review was performed using (1) an electronic search of Medline, PsycINFO, ISI Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane Library (using 29 relevant keywords), and (2) a manual search of relevant journals, textbooks, and bibliographies. Titles and abstracts were reviewed using predefined criteria to select potential articles for full text review. Results: From 20,768 reviewed references, 77 articles were selected for full text review, of which 15 articles fulfilled inclusion criteria. Studies were conducted in English (4 each in the United States and Canada, 2 in the United Kingdom, and 1 in Ireland), French (n = 2), and Swedish (n = 2). Important HRQoL domains in 1 or more countries included pain, physical disability, sports/recreational activities, other symptoms of OA, mental health, social health, and knee/hip-relatedquality of life. Items within each domain varied from country to country except some physical disability items. The paucity of available information did not allow adequate assessment of OA-specific instruments’ coverage of important domains/items in various sociocultural contexts. Conclusions: A surprisingly sparse literature reports the important HRQoL domains/items from the perspective of patients with knee or hip OA. Additional studies are needed to determine the importantdomains/items for these patients and to confirm that OA-specific measures are truly accurate and comprehensive when applied in various sociocultural contexts. 2012-03-26T04:20:07.718Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:10517 Gastroenterologists mainly deal with chronic organic and functional illnesses that are not life threatening but can be expensive to treat. How this compares with the management of other diseases that cause significant mortality is an important question to answer if health-care resources are to be allocated appropriately. Comparing health care in terms of cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY) gained is one approach to this problem although there are concerns about whose values should be elicited and how QALYs are measured. 2012-03-26T04:10:19.120Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:6360 The album, Afro No-Clash, contains eleven compositions which explore the distinct types of syncretism identified in the analytical frameworks and demonstrate the results of using the frameworks in compositional invention and decision making. They explore modes of integrating Western and African musical techniques including ostinati in unusual periodicities, hocketing, polyrhythms and antiphony. A significant contribution to the research is its the capacity to communicate to Western and Africanist audiences. 2012-03-26T01:40:00.634Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:246 Background. The study aimed to (1) determine the current routine smoking care that smoke-free public hospitals in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, provide to inpatients who are smokers; (2) determine current strategies supporting such care; and (3) examine the association between smoking care provision and hospital characteristics and support strategies. Method. A cross-sectional survey of 169 senior hospital managers was undertaken. Survey items included smoking care practices such as identification of smoking status and provision of nicotine replacement therapy as well as hospital activities such as existence of policies and staff training. Hospital characteristics such as size and geographic location were also collected. Results. Twenty percent of respondents reported provision of minimally 'adequate' smoking care, defined as providing five or more smoking care items to 80% or more of patients. Larger hospitals were significantly less likely to provide adequate smoking care. Nurse training, the existence of signs indicating a smoke-free site and signs indicating location of designated smoking areas were also associated with smoking care provision. The existence of three or more support strategies was associated with smoking care provision. Conclusion. Even in the context of a smoke-free hospital site, the majority of inpatients who are smokers receive inadequate smoking care. Considered investment is required for hospitals to implement strategies to institutionalise the routine provision of appropriate smoking care. (c) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 2012-03-26T01:01:18.936Z ]]>