A simulation study of unified GPS and roadside ranging technologies for vehicle positioning

The future vehicle navigation for safety applications requires seamless positioning at the accuracy of sub-meter or better. However, standalone Global Positioning System (GPS) or Differential GPS (DGPS) suffer from solution outages while being used in restricted areas such as high-rise urban areas and tunnels due to the blockages of satellite signals. Smoothed DGPS can provide sub-meter positioning accuracy, but not the seamless requirement. A disadvantage of the traditional navigation aids such as Dead Reckoning and Inertial Measurement Unit onboard vehicles are either not accurate enough due to error accumulation or too expensive to be acceptable by the mass market vehicle users. One of the alternative technologies is to use the wireless infrastructure installed in roadside to locate vehicles in regions where the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) signals are not available (for example: inside tunnels, urban canyons and large indoor car parks). The examples of roadside infrastructure which can be potentially used for positioning purposes could include Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)/Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) based positioning systems, Ultra-wide band (UWB) based positioning systems, Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) devices, Locata’s positioning technology, and accurate road surface height information over selected road segments such as tunnels. This research reviews and compares the possible wireless technologies that could possibly be installed along roadside for positioning purposes. Models and algorithms of integrating different positioning technologies are also presented. Various simulation schemes are designed to examine the performance benefits of united GNSS and roadside infrastructure for vehicle positioning. The results from these experimental studies have shown a number of useful findings. It is clear that in the open road environment where sufficient satellite signals can be obtained, the roadside wireless measurements contribute very little to the improvement of positioning accuracy at the sub-meter level, especially in the dual constellation cases. In the restricted outdoor environments where only a few GPS satellites, such as those with 45 elevations, can be received, the roadside distance measurements can help improve both positioning accuracy and availability to the sub-meter level. When the vehicle is travelling in tunnels with known heights of tunnel surfaces and roadside distance measurements, the sub-meter horizontal positioning accuracy is also achievable. Overall, simulation results have demonstrated that roadside infrastructure indeed has the potential to provide sub-meter vehicle position solutions for certain road safety applications if the properly deployed roadside measurements are obtainable.

Demand for, and Supply of, the Services of Primary Producer Representative Bodies in Queensland

In Queensland, at least 93 bodies exist to represent the interests of, and provide other services for, their farmer members, and their industries. The bodies vary greatly in focus, roles and activities, priorities, resources, size, and affiliations with other bodies. Results from a survey of 68 producer representative bodies (PRBs), and other data and information are used to examine the demand for, and supply of, farmer representational and other services in Queensland. The main results were: 1. member demand for services varies considerably between PRBs and is influenced by numerous factors; 2. members and non-members of one PRB vary significantly in the importance attached to some services; 3. the types of activities undertaken by PRBs varies between those for emerging and established industries; and 4. PRBs with paid staff/officers undertake more activities than others. The paper concludes that PRBs must continue to evolve and adapt their operations and structures to take account of changes in member and industry needs, external environments, cost pressures, resource availability, and sources of funding/assistance.

Syntaxin 11 binds Vti1b and regulates late endosome to lysosome fusion in macrophages

Syntaxin 11 (Stx11) is a SNARE protein enriched in cells of the immune system. Loss or mutation of Stx11 results in familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis type-4 (FHL-4), an autosomal recessive disorder of immune dysregulation characterized by high levels of inflammatory cytokines along with defects in T-cell and natural killer cell function. We show here Stx11 is located on endosomalmembranes including late endosomes and lysosomes in macrophages. While Stx11 did not form a typical trans-SNARE complex, it did bind to the Q-SNARE Vti1b and was able to regulate the availability of Vti1b to form the Q-SNARE complexes Stx6/Stx7/Vtib and Stx7/Stx8/Vti1b. The mutant form of Stx11 sequestered Vti1b from forming the Q-SNARE complex that mediates late endosome to lysosome fusion. Depletion of Stx11 in activated macrophages leads to an accumulation of enlarged late endocytic compartments, increased trafficking to the cell surface and inhibition of late endosome to lysosome fusion. These phenotypes arerescued by the expression of an siRNA-resistant Stx11 construct in Stx11-depleted cells. Our results suggest that by regulating the availability of Vti1b, Stx11 regulates trafficking steps between late endosomes, lysosomes and the cell surface in macrophages.

Priorities for developing and evaluating data quality characteristics of road crash data in Australia

The National Road Safety Strategy 2011-2020 outlines plans to reduce the burden of road trauma via improvements and interventions relating to safe roads, safe speeds, safe vehicles, and safe people. It also highlights that a key aspect in achieving these goals is the availability of comprehensive data on the issue. The use of data is essential so that more in-depth epidemiologic studies of risk can be conducted as well as to allow effective evaluation of road safety interventions and programs. Before utilising data to evaluate the efficacy of prevention programs it is important for a systematic evaluation of the quality of underlying data sources to be undertaken to ensure any trends which are identified reflect true estimates rather than spurious data effects. However, there has been little scientific work specifically focused on establishing core data quality characteristics pertinent to the road safety field and limited work undertaken to develop methods for evaluating data sources according to these core characteristics. There are a variety of data sources in which traffic-related incidents and resulting injuries are recorded, which are collected for a variety of defined purposes. These include police reports, transport safety databases, emergency department data, hospital morbidity data and mortality data to name a few. However, as these data are collected for specific purposes, each of these data sources suffers from some limitations when seeking to gain a complete picture of the problem. Limitations of current data sources include: delays in data being available, lack of accurate and/or specific location information, and an underreporting of crashes involving particular road user groups such as cyclists. This paper proposes core data quality characteristics that could be used to systematically assess road crash data sources to provide a standardised approach for evaluating data quality in the road safety field. The potential for data linkage to qualitatively and quantitatively improve the quality and comprehensiveness of road crash data is also discussed.

Proteasome inhibitors as anti-cancer agents

The ubiquitin (Ub)-proteasome pathway is the major nonlysosomal pathway of proteolysis in human cells and accounts for the degradation of most short-lived, misfolded or damaged proteins. This pathway is important in the regulation of a number of key biological regulatory mechanisms. Proteins are usually targeted for proteasome-mediated degradation by polyubiquitinylation, the covalent addition of multiple units of the 76 amino acid protein Ub, which are ligated to 1-amino groups of lysine residues in the substrate. Polyubiquitinylated proteins are degraded by the 26S proteasome, a large, ATP-dependent multicatalytic protease complex, which also regenerates monomeric Ub. The targets of this pathway include key regulators of cell proliferation and cell death. An alternative form of the proteasome, termed the immunoproteasome, also has important functions in the generation of peptides for presentation by MHC class I molecules. In recent years there has been a great deal of interest in the possibility that proteasome inhibitors, through elevation of the levels of proteasome targets, might prove useful as a novel class of anti-cancer drugs. Here we review the progress made to date in this area and highlight the potential advantages and weaknesses of this approach.

Mammalian phylogeny

Living mammals can be divided into three subclasses (monotremes, marsupials and placentals) and within these, about 27 orders. Final resolution of the relationships between the orders is only now being achieved with the increased availability of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences. Highlights include the deep division of placental mammals into African (Afrotheria), South American (Xenarthra) and northern hemisphere (Boreoeutheria) super-orders, and the finding that the once considered primitive ‘Insectivora’ and ‘Edentata’ clades, in fact, have members distributed widely among these super-orders. Another surprise finding from DNA studies has been that whale origins lie among the even-toed ungulates (Artiodactyla). Our order, Primates is most closely related to the flying lemurs and next, the tree shrews. With the mammal phylogeny becoming well resolved, it is increasingly being used as a framework for inferring evolutionary and ecological processes, such as adaptive radiation.

Root cause analysis with enriched process logs

In the field of process mining, the use of event logs for the purpose of root cause analysis is increasingly studied. In such an analysis, the availability of attributes/features that may explain the root cause of some phenomena is crucial. Currently, the process of obtaining these attributes from raw event logs is performed more or less on a case-by-case basis: there is still a lack of generalized systematic approach that captures this process. This paper proposes a systematic approach to enrich and transform event logs in order to obtain the required attributes for root cause analysis using classical data mining techniques, the classification techniques. This approach is formalized and its applicability has been validated using both self-generated and publicly-available logs.

Developing a framework for planning healthy communities : the Logan Beaudesert health decision support system

In the last few decades, the focus on building healthy communities has grown significantly (Ashton, 2009). There is growing evidence that new approaches to planning are required to address the challenges faced by contemporary communities. These approaches need to be based on timely access to local information and collaborative planning processes (Murray, 2006; Scotch & Parmanto, 2006; Ashton, 2009; Kazda et al., 2009). However, there is little research to inform the methods that can support this type of responsive, local, collaborative and consultative health planning (Northridge et al., 2003). Some research justifies the use of decision support systems (DSS) as a tool to support planning for healthy communities. DSS have been found to increase collaboration between stakeholders and communities, improve the accuracy and quality of the decision-making process, and improve the availability of data and information for health decision-makers (Nobre et al., 1997; Cromley & McLafferty, 2002; Waring et al., 2005). Geographic information systems (GIS) have been suggested as an innovative method by which to implement DSS because they promote new ways of thinking about evidence and facilitate a broader understanding of communities. Furthermore, literature has indicated that online environments can have a positive impact on decision-making by enabling access to information by a broader audience (Kingston et al., 2001). However, only limited research has examined the implementation and impact of online DSS in the health planning field. Previous studies have emphasised the lack of effective information management systems and an absence of frameworks to guide the way in which information is used to promote informed decisions in health planning. It has become imperative to develop innovative approaches, frameworks and methods to support health planning. Thus, to address these identified gaps in the knowledge, this study aims to develop a conceptual planning framework for creating healthy communities and examine the impact of DSS in the Logan Beaudesert area. Specifically, the study aims to identify the key elements and domains of information that are needed to develop healthy communities, to develop a conceptual planning framework for creating healthy communities, to collaboratively develop and implement an online GIS-based Health DSS (i.e., HDSS), and to examine the impact of the HDSS on local decision-making processes. The study is based on a real-world case study of a community-based initiative that was established to improve public health outcomes and promote new ways of addressing chronic disease. The study involved the development of an online GIS-based health decision support system (HDSS), which was applied in the Logan Beaudesert region of Queensland, Australia. A planning framework was developed to account for the way in which information could be organised to contribute to a healthy community. The decision support system was developed within a unique settings-based initiative Logan Beaudesert Health Coalition (LBHC) designed to plan and improve the health capacity of Logan Beaudesert area in Queensland, Australia. This setting provided a suitable platform to apply a participatory research design to the development and implementation of the HDSS. Therefore, the HDSS was a pilot study examined the impact of this collaborative process, and the subsequent implementation of the HDSS on the way decision-making was perceived across the LBHC. As for the method, based on a systematic literature review, a comprehensive planning framework for creating healthy communities has been developed. This was followed by using a mixed method design, data were collected through both qualitative and quantitative methods. Specifically, data were collected by adopting a participatory action research (PAR) approach (i.e., PAR intervention) that informed the development and conceptualisation of the HDSS. A pre- and post-design was then used to determine the impact of the HDSS on decision-making. The findings of this study revealed a meaningful framework for organising information to guide planning for healthy communities. This conceptual framework provided a comprehensive system within which to organise existing data. The PAR process was useful in engaging stakeholders and decision-making in the development and implementation of the online GIS-based DSS. Through three PAR cycles, this study resulted in heightened awareness of online GIS-based DSS and openness to its implementation. It resulted in the development of a tailored system (i.e., HDSS) that addressed the local information and planning needs of the LBHC. In addition, the implementation of the DSS resulted in improved decision- making and greater satisfaction with decisions within the LBHC. For example, the study illustrated the culture in which decisions were made before and after the PAR intervention and what improvements have been observed after the application of the HDSS. In general, the findings indicated that decision-making processes are not merely informed (consequent of using the HDSS tool), but they also enhance the overall sense of ‗collaboration‘ in the health planning practice. For example, it was found that PAR intervention had a positive impact on the way decisions were made. The study revealed important features of the HDSS development and implementation process that will contribute to future research. Thus, the overall findings suggest that the HDSS is an effective tool, which would play an important role in the future for significantly improving the health planning practice.

Unsupervised multi-label text classification using a world knowledge ontology

The development of text classification techniques has been largely promoted in the past decade due to the increasing availability and widespread use of digital documents. Usually, the performance of text classification relies on the quality of categories and the accuracy of classifiers learned from samples. When training samples are unavailable or categories are unqualified, text classification performance would be degraded. In this paper, we propose an unsupervised multi-label text classification method to classify documents using a large set of categories stored in a world ontology. The approach has been promisingly evaluated by compared with typical text classification methods, using a real-world document collection and based on the ground truth encoded by human experts.

Modified texture menu analysis

Lower energy and protein intakes are well documented in patients on texture modified diets. In acute hospital settings, the provision of appropriate texture modified foods to meet industry standards is essential for patient safety and nutrition outcomes. The texture modified menu at an acute private hospital was evaluated in accordance with their own nutritional standards (NS) and Australian National Standards (Dietitians Association of Australia and Speech Pathology Australia, 2007). The NS documents portion sizes and nutritional requirements for each menu. Texture B and C menus were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively over 9 days of a 6 day cyclic menu for breakfast (n=4), lunch (n=34) and dinner (n=34). Results indicated a lack of portion control, as specified by the NS, across all meals including breakfast (65–140%), soup (55–115%), meat (45–165%), vegetables (55–185%) and desserts (30–300%). Dilution factors and portion sizes influenced the protein and energy availability of Texture B & C menus. While the Texture B menu provided more energy, neither menu met the NS. Limited dessert options on the Texture C menu restricted the ability of this menu to meet protein NS. A lack of portion control and menu items incorrectly modified can compromise protein and energy intakes. Strategies to correct serving sizes and provision of alternate protein sources were recommended. Suggestions included cost-effectively increasing the variety of foods to assist protein and energy intake and the procurement of standardised equipment and visual aids to assist food preparation and presentation in accordance with texture modified guidelines and the NS.

Differential effects of ERP systems on user outcomes : a longitudinal investigation

Adopting a model of job enrichment we report on a longitudinal case investigating the perceived impact of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system on user job design characteristics. Our results indicated that in the context of an ERP geared towards centralisation and standardisation the extent to which users perceived an increase or decrease in job enrichment was associated with aspects such as formal authority and the nature of their work role. Experienced operational employees proficient in the original legacy system perceived ERP system protocols to constrain their actions, limit training and increase dependence on others in the workflow. Conversely, managerial users reported a number of benefits relating to report availability, improved organisational transparency and increased overall job enrichment. These results supported our argument concerning the relationship between ERPs with a standardisation intent and positive job enrichment outcomes for managerial users and negative job-related outcomes for operational users.

Determining the optimal proportion of design in design-build request for proposals (RFPs)

The design-build (DB) system is a popular and effective delivery method of construction projects worldwide. After owners decide to procure their projects through the DB system, they may wish to determine the optimal proportion of design to be provided in the DB request for proposals (RFPs), which serve as solicitations for design-builders and describe the scope of work. However, this presents difficulties to DB owners and there is little, if any, systematic research in this area. This paper reports on an empirical study in the USA entailing both an online questionnaire survey and Delphi survey to identify and evaluate the factors influencing owners’ decisions in determining the proportion of design to include in DB RFPs. Eleven factors are identified, i.e. (1) clarity of project scope; (2) applicability of performance specifications; (3) desire for design innovation; (4) site constraints; (5) availability of competent design-builders; (6) project control requirements; (7) user group involvement level; (8) third party requirements; (9) owner experience with DB; (10) project complexity; and (11) schedule constraints. A statistically significant agreement on the eleven factors was also obtained from the (mainly non-owner) Delphi experts. Although some of the experts hold different opinions on how these factors affect the proportion of design, these findings furnish various stakeholders with a better understanding of the delivery process of DB projects and the appropriate provision of project information in DB RFPs. As the result is mainly industry opinion concerning the optimal proportion of design, in addition and for completeness, future studies should be conducted to obtain a big picture of the optimal proportion of design by means of seeking owners’ inputs.

Validation of de-identified record linkage to ascertain hospital admissions in a cohort study

Background Cohort studies can provide valuable evidence of cause and effect relationships but are subject to loss of participants over time, limiting the validity of findings. Computerised record linkage offers a passive and ongoing method of obtaining health outcomes from existing routinely collected data sources. However, the quality of record linkage is reliant upon the availability and accuracy of common identifying variables. We sought to develop and validate a method for linking a cohort study to a state-wide hospital admissions dataset with limited availability of unique identifying variables. Methods A sample of 2000 participants from a cohort study (n = 41 514) was linked to a state-wide hospitalisations dataset in Victoria, Australia using the national health insurance (Medicare) number and demographic data as identifying variables. Availability of the health insurance number was limited in both datasets; therefore linkage was undertaken both with and without use of this number and agreement tested between both algorithms. Sensitivity was calculated for a sub-sample of 101 participants with a hospital admission confirmed by medical record review. Results Of the 2000 study participants, 85% were found to have a record in the hospitalisations dataset when the national health insurance number and sex were used as linkage variables and 92% when demographic details only were used. When agreement between the two methods was tested the disagreement fraction was 9%, mainly due to "false positive" links when demographic details only were used. A final algorithm that used multiple combinations of identifying variables resulted in a match proportion of 87%. Sensitivity of this final linkage was 95%. Conclusions High quality record linkage of cohort data with a hospitalisations dataset that has limited identifiers can be achieved using combinations of a national health insurance number and demographic data as identifying variables.

Compressive behaviour of nanocrystalline Mg-5Al alloys

Magnesium alloys are attracting increasing research interests due to their low density, high specific strength, good machinability and availability as compared to other structural materials. However, the deformation and failure mechanisms of nanocrystalline (nc) Mg alloys have not been well understood. In this work, the deformation behaviour of nc Mg-5Al alloys was investigated using compression test, with focus on the effects of grain size. The average grain size of the Mg- Al alloy was changed from 13 to 50 nm via mechanical milling. The results showed that grain size had a significant influence on the yield stress and ductility of the Mg alloys, and the materials exhibited increased strain rate sensitivity with a decrease in grain size. The deformation mechanisms were also strongly dependent on the grain sizes.

Impact of region-of-interest video coding on perceived quality in mobile video

Effective streaming of video can be achieved by providing more bits to the most important region in the frame at the cost of reduced bits in the less important regions. This strategy can be beneficial for delivering high quality videos in mobile devices, especially when the availability of bandwidth is usually low and limited. While the state-of-the-art video codecs such as H.264 may have been optimised for perceived quality, it is hypothesised that users will give more attention to interesting region/object when watching videos. Therefore, giving a higher quality to region of interest (ROI)while reducing quality of other areas may result in improving the overall perceived quality without necessarily increasing the bitrate. In this paper, the impact of ROI-based encoded video on perceived quality is investigated by conducting a user study for varous target bitrates. The results from the user study demonstrate that ROI-based video coding has superior perceived quality compared to normal encoded video at the same bitrate in the lower bitrate range.