Coordinated research skills training at QUT

Universities are wanting to drive research performance to new levels to increase competitiveness and secure additional research funding. Information technology departments, libraries and research offices are being tasked with the triple role of developing infrastructure, introducing new services, and raising researchers’ awareness and skill levels in the uptake of these services and related eResearch concepts in order to achieve institutional goals. The purpose of this poster is to provide an overview of the coordinated approach to the provision of research skills workshops and seminars provided to researchers and higher degree research (HDR) students at QUT. Seminars and workshops are provided by the Library in collaboration with High Performance Computing and Research Support (HPC) and the Research Students Centre. The sessions are findable and bookable via the Library’s KickStart system. A list of session topics is provided. The Research Support services web site brings together information on a range of research support services provided by the Library and HPC. Seminars and workshops are also available via a research training calendar system into which all sessions are populated, regardless of the provider. The Library and HPC are also undertaking a train the trainer program.

Changing user behaviour using a digital repository system

Griffith University is developing a digital repository system using HarvestRoad Hive software to better meet the needs of academics and students using institutional learning and teaching, course readings, and institutional intellectual capital systems. Issues with current operations and systems are discussed in terms of user behaviour. New repository systems are being designed in such a way that they address current service and user behaviour issues by closely aligning systems with user needs. By developing attractive online services, Griffith is working to change current user behaviour to achieve strategic priorities in the sharing and reuse of learning objects, improved selection and use of digitised course readings, the development of ePrint and eScience services, and the management of a research portfolio service.

Upskilling in scholarly communication practices

As the research landscape continues to change with new technologies, advances in data management and new means, expectations and polices surrounding scholarly communication, the role of the Library and Librarian in supporting research is shifting. At the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), the Library has made a positive impact on the scholarly communication practices of QUT researchers in the last decade in several ways: � 1. A university-wide deposit mandate on self-archiving was introduced in 2003. It states that QUT authors must place the author’s accepted manuscript version of refereed research articles and conference papers in the digital repository QUT ePrints. 2. Liaison Librarians remind their researchers to self-deposit their accepted manuscript versions of peer-reviewed research outputs into QUT ePrints, and provide training and support when needed. 3. The Library pays author publication fees for true gold road open access publishers including: BioMed Central, Public Library of Science, Hindawi Press. Liaison Librarians actively assist researchers in the gold road publishing process.� Liaison Librarians play a key role in educating their researchers on university policy and the latest advances in scholarly communication. However, their knowledge and skills related to scholarly communication practices have largely been learnt on the job or self-taught. This poster presents the results of a survey where QUT Liaison Librarians rated their skills in various practices related to eResearch, including scholarly communication.

A synthesizable hardware evolutionary algorithm design for unmanned aerial system real-time path planning

The main objective of this paper is to detail the development of a feasible hardware design based on Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs) to determine flight path planning for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) navigating terrain with obstacle boundaries. The design architecture includes the hardware implementation of Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) terrain and EA population memories within the hardware, as well as the EA search and evaluation algorithms used in the optimizing stage of path planning. A synthesisable Very-high-speed integrated circuit Hardware Description Language (VHDL) implementation of the design was developed, for realisation on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) platform. Simulation results show significant speedup compared with an equivalent software implementation written in C++, suggesting that the present approach is well suited for UAV real-time path planning applications.

Getting research data ‘out there’ : collaborative solutions to identifying, describing and making research data more visible

At QUT research data refers to information that is generated or collected to be used as primary sources in the production of original research results, and which would be required to validate or replicate research findings (Callan, De Vine, & Baker, 2010). Making publicly funded research data discoverable by the broader research community and the public is a key aim of the Australian National Data Service (ANDS). Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has been innovating in this space by undertaking mutually dependant technical and content (metadata) focused projects funded by ANDS. Research Data Librarians identified and described datasets generated from Category 1 funded research at QUT, by interviewing researchers, collecting metadata and fashioning metadata records for upload to the Australian Research Data commons (ARDC) and exposure through the Research Data Australia interface. In parallel to this project, a Research Data Management Service and Metadata hub project were being undertaken by QUT High Performance Computing & Research Support specialists. These projects will collectively store and aggregate QUT’s metadata and research data from multiple repositories and administration systems and contribute metadata directly by OAI-PMH compliant feed to RDA. The pioneering nature of the work has resulted in a collaborative project dynamic where good data management practices and the discoverability and sharing of research data were the shared drivers for all activity. Each project’s development and progress was dependent on feedback from the other. The metadata structure evolved in tandem with the development of the repository and the development of the repository interface responded to meet the needs of the data interview process. The project environment was one of bottom-up collaborative approaches to process and system development which matched top-down strategic alliances crossing organisational boundaries in order to provide the deliverables required by ANDS. This paper showcases the work undertaken at QUT, focusing on the Seeding the Commons project as a case study, and illustrates how the data management projects are interconnected. It describes the processes and systems being established to make QUT research data more visible and the nature of the collaborations between organisational areas required to achieve this. The paper concludes with the Seeding the Commons project outcomes and the contribution this project made to getting more research data ‘out there’.

Towards defining semantic foundations for purpose-based privacy policies

We define a semantic model for purpose, based on which purpose-based privacy policies can be meaningfully expressed and enforced in a business system. The model is based on the intuition that the purpose of an action is determined by its situation among other inter-related actions. Actions and their relationships can be modeled in the form of an action graph which is based on the business processes in a system. Accordingly, a modal logic and the corresponding model checking algorithm are developed for formal expression of purpose-based policies and verifying whether a particular system complies with them. It is also shown through various examples, how various typical purpose-based policies as well as some new policy types can be expressed and checked using our model.

Communication and control : case studies in Australian telecommuting

This paper discusses the results of in-depth semi-structured interviews with 39 telecommuters from 12 Australian organisations. The paper serves two broad aims: firstly, it identifies current trends in telecommuting and offers a perspective on Australian developments. Secondly, it provides a focus on significant communication aspects of the Australian telecommuting experience. Findings are that the majority of interviewees reported overall satisfaction with telecommuting as an important contributor to their improved work and lifestyle outcomes. Overall, telecommuters appear to cope with communication aspects of their work environments. They also were not overreliant on advanced communications media when telecommuting. Difficulties as reported by telecommuter interviewees included: perceived discomfort over lack of management support for their telecommuting; reduced levels of interpersonal communication suggesting the likely need to adopt a ‘media mix’ approach to servicing their communication needs; problems of information access; and telecommuters’ reported levels of difficulty with their uses of some computer and communication technologies. Problems relating to telecommuters’ perceived professional and social isolation, were also identified. Finally, the paper underscores where organisational communication theorists and practitioners need to more energetically embrace the concepts of virtual work and telecommuting

Developing research data management services at QUT

QUT Library and the High Performance Computing and Research Support (HPC) Team have been collaborating on developing and delivering a range of research support services, including those designed to assist researchers to manage their data. QUT’s Management of Research Data policy has been available since 2010 and is complemented by the Data Management Guidelines and Checklist. QUT has partnered with the Australian Research Data Service (ANDS) on a number of projects including Seeding the Commons, Metadata Hub (with Griffith University) and the Data Capture program. The HPC Team has also been developing the QUT Research Data Repository based on the Architecta Mediaflux system and have run several pilots with faculties. Library and HPC staff have been trained in the principles of research data management and are providing a range of research data management seminars and workshops for researchers and HDR students.

Practical introduction to development of sage applications

Throughout this workshop session we have looked at various configurations of Sage as well as using the Sage UI to run Sage applications (e.g. the image viewer). More advanced usage of Sage has been demonstrated using a Sage compatible version of Paraview highlighting the potential of parallel rendering. The aim of this tutorial session is to give a practical introduction to developing visual content for a tiled display using the Sage libraries. After completing this tutorial you should have the basic tools required to develop your own custom Sage applications. This tutorial is designed for software developers and intermediate programming knowledge is assumed, along with some introductory OpenGL . You will be required to write small portions of C/C++ code to complete this worksheet. However if you do not feel comfortable writing code (or have never written in C or C++), we will be on hand throughout this session so feel free to ask for some help. We have a number of machines in this lab running a VNC client to a virtual machine running Fedora 12. You should all be able to log in with the username “escience”, and password “escience10”. Some of the commands in this worksheet require you to run them as the root user, so note the password as you may need to use it a few times. If you need to access the Internet, then use the username “qpsf01”, password “escience10”

High resolution tiled display walls

Scalable high-resolution tiled display walls are becoming increasingly important to decision makers and researchers because high pixel counts in combination with large screen areas facilitate content rich, simultaneous display of computer-generated visualization information and high-definition video data from multiple sources. This tutorial is designed to cater for new users as well as researchers who are currently operating tiled display walls or 'OptiPortals'. We will discuss the current and future applications of display wall technology and explore opportunities for participants to collaborate and contribute in a growing community. Multiple tutorial streams will cover both hands-on practical development, as well as policy and method design for embedding these technologies into the research process. Attendees will be able to gain an understanding of how to get started with developing similar systems themselves, in addition to becoming familiar with typical applications and large-scale visualisation techniques. Presentations in this tutorial will describe current implementations of tiled display walls that highlight the effective usage of screen real-estate with various visualization datasets, including collaborative applications such as visualcasting, classroom learning and video conferencing. A feature presentation for this tutorial will be given by Jurgen Schulze from Calit2 at the University of California, San Diego. Jurgen is an expert in scientific visualization in virtual environments, human-computer interaction, real-time volume rendering, and graphics algorithms on programmable graphics hardware.

Ebook readers : separating the hype from the reality

Academic libraries have been acquiring ebooks for their collections for a number of years, but the uptake by some users has been curtailed by the limitations of screen reading on a traditional PC or laptop. Ebook readers promise to take us into a new phase of ebook development. Innovations include: wireless connectivity, electronic paper, increased battery life, and customisable displays. The recent rapid take-up of ebook readers in the United States, particularly Amazon’s Kindle, suggests that they may about to gain mass-market acceptance. A bewildering number of ebook readers are being promoted by companies eager to gain market share. In addition, each month seems to bring a new ebook reader or a new model of an existing device. Library administrators are faced with the challenge of separating the hype from the reality and deciding when the time is right to invest in and support these new technologies. The Library at QUT, in particular the QUT Library Ebook Reference Group (ERG) has been closely following developments in ebooks and ebook reader technologies. During mid 2010 QUT Library undertook a trial of a range of ebook readers available to Australian consumers. Each of the ebook readers acquired was evaluated by members of the QUT Library ERG and two student focus groups. Major criteria for evaluation included usability, functionality, accessibility and compatibility with QUT Library’s existing ebook collection. The two student focus groups evaluated the ebook readers mostly according to the criteria of usability and functionality. This paper will discuss these evaluations and outline a recommendation about which type (or types) of ebook readers could be acquired and made available for lending to students.

Australian ePortfolio Project–Stage 2 ePortfolio use by university students in Australia : Developing a sustainable community of practice Case studies extracted from the final project report December 2009

Fourteen sase studies extracted from the final project report - December 2009 Australian Flexible Learning Framework: E-portfolios Community of Practice (Aus) Personal learning plans and ePortfolio (Aus) RMIT University: Introducing ePortfolios (Aus) ePortfolio Practice: ALTC Exchange (Aus) Australian PebblePad User Group (APpUG) (Aus) ePortfolios in the library and information services sector (Aus) PDP and ePortfolios UK (UK) SURF NL Portfolio (Netherlands) University of Canterbury ePortfolio (NZ) AAEEBL: Association for Authentic, Experiential and Evidence-Based Learning (USA) Midlands Eportfolio Group, West Midlands(UK) EPAC: Electronic Portfolio Action and Communication (USA) Scottish Higher Education PDP Forum (UK) Centre for Recording Achievement (CRA)(UK)

Note on similarity solutions for viscous flow over an impermeable and non-linearly (quadratic) stretching sheet

Similarity solutions for flow over an impermeable, non-linearly (quadratic) stretching sheet were studied recently by Raptis and Perdikis (Int. J. Non-linear Mech. 41 (2006) 527–529) using a stream function of the form ψ=αxf(η)+βx2g(η). A fundamental error in their problem formulation is pointed out. On correction, it is shown that similarity solutions do not exist for this choice of ψ

Integrated literacies : every online player wins a prize

QUT Library’s model of learning support brings together academic literacy (study skills) and information literacy (research skills). The blended portfolio enables holistic planning and development, seamless services, connected learning resources and more authentic curriculum-embedded education. The model reinforces the Library’s strategic focus on learning service innovation and active engagement in teaching and learning. ----- ----- ----- The online learning strategy is a critical component of the broader literacies framework. This strategy unifies new and existing online resources (e.g.: Pilot, QUT cite|write and IFN001|AIRS Online) to augment learner capability. Across the suite, prudent application of emerging technologies with visual communications and learning design delivers a wide range of adaptive study tools. Separately and together, these resources meet the learning needs and styles of a diverse cohort providing positive and individual learning opportunities. Deliberate articulation with strategic directions regarding First Year Experience, assessment, retention and curriculum alignment assures that the Library’s initiatives move in step with institutional objectives relating to enhancing the student experience and flexible blended learning. ----- ----- ----- The release of Studywell in 2010 emphasises the continuing commitment to blended literacy education. Targeting undergraduate learners (particularly 1st year/transition), this online environment provides 24/7 access to practical study and research tools. Studywell’s design and application of technology creates a “discovery infrastructure” [1] which facilitates greater self-directed learning and interaction with content. ----- ----- ----- This paper presents QUT Library’s online learning strategy within the context of the parent “integrated literacies” framework. Highlighting the key online learning resources, the paper describes the inter-relationships between those resources to develop complementary literacies. The paper details broad aspects of the overarching learning and study support framework as well as the online strategy, including strategic positioning, quality and evaluation processes, maintenance, development, implementation, and client engagement and satisfaction with the learning resources.

Improved salinity management for the Nebine / Mungallala / Wallam catchment

The low stream salinity naturally in the Nebine-Mungallala Catchment, extent of vegetation retention, relatively low rainfall and high evaporation indicates that there is a relatively low risk of rising shallow groundwater tables in the catchment. Scalding caused by wind and water erosion exposing highly saline sub-soils is a more important regional issue, such as in the Homeboin area. Local salinisation associated with evaporation of bore water from free flowing bore drains and bores is also an important land degradation issue particularly in the lower Nebine, Wallam and Mungallala Creeks. The replacement of free flowing artesian bores and bore drains with capped bores and piped water systems under the Great Artesian Basin bore rehabilitation program is addressing local salinisation and scalding in the vicinity of bore drains and preventing the discharge of saline bore water to streams. Three principles for the prevention and control of salinity in the Nebine Mungallala catchment have been identified in this review: • Avoid salinity through avoiding scalds – i.e. not exposing the near-surface salt in landscape through land degradation; • Riparian zone management: Scalding often occurs within 200m or so of watering lines. Natural drainage lines are most likely to be overstocked, and thus have potential for scalding. Scalding begins when vegetation is removed, and without that binding cover, wind and water erosion exposes the subsoil; and • Monitoring of exposed or grazed soil areas. Based on the findings of the study, we make the following recommendations: 1. Undertake a geotechnical study of existing maps and other data to help identify and target areas most at risk of rising water tables causing salinity. Selected monitoring should then be established using piezometers as an early warning system. 2. SW NRM should financially support scald reclamation activity through its various funding programs. However, for this to have any validity in the overall management of salinity risk, it is critical that such funding require the landholder to undertake a salinity hazard/risk assessment of his/her holding. 3. A staged approach to funding may be appropriate. In the first instance, it would be reasonable to commence funding some pilot scald reclamation work with a view to further developing and piloting the farm hazard/risk assessment tools, and exploring how subsequent grazing management strategies could be incorporated within other extension and management activities. Once the details of the necessary farm level activities have been more clearly defined, and following the outcomes of the geotechnical review recommended above, a more comprehensive funding package could be rolled out to priority areas. 4. We recommend that best-practice grazing management training currently on offer should be enhanced with information about salinity risk in scald-prone areas, and ways of minimising the likelihood of scald formation. 5. We recommend that course material be developed for local students in Years 6 and 7, and that arrangements be made with local schools to present this information. Given the constraints of existing syllabi, we envisage that negotiations may have to be undertaken with the Department of Education in order for this material to be permitted to be used. We have contact with key people who could help in this if required. 6. We recommend that SW NRM continue to support existing extension activities such as Grazing Land Management and the Monitoring Made Easy tools. These aids should be able to be easily expanding to incorporate techniques for monitoring, addressing and preventing salinity and scalding. At the time of writing staff of SW NRM were actively involved in this process. It is important that these activities are adequately resourced to facilitate the uptake by landholders of the perception that salinity is an issue that needs to be addressed as part of everyday management. 7. We recommend that SW NRM consider investing in the development and deployment of a scenario-modelling learning support tool as part of the awareness raising and education activities. Secondary salinity is a dynamic process that results from ongoing human activity which mobilises and/or exposes salt occurring naturally in the landscape. Time scales can be short to very long, and the benefits of management actions can similarly have immediate or very long time frames. One way to help explain the dynamics of these processes is through scenario modelling.