The impact of home loan key facts sheets on borrowers' comparisons of loan costs

This thesis evaluates the effectiveness of the prescribed design and distribution requirements of the Australian Government's home loan key facts sheets (KFS) aimed at helping borrowers compare loan costs. The findings show that despite effectively improving borrower decision-making, few borrowers were aware of their existence and function. It was also demonstrated that KFS have had limited market impact over the four year window since introduction, likely due to the requirement that KFS provision is not required unless formally requested by a borrower. Recommendations include transferring the burden of disclosure to lenders in the first instance to address this information gap.

Probabilistic load flow for distribution systems with uncertain PV generation

Large integration of solar Photo Voltaic (PV) in distribution network has resulted in over-voltage problems. Several control techniques are developed to address over-voltage problem using Deterministic Load Flow (DLF). However, intermittent characteristics of PV generation require Probabilistic Load Flow (PLF) to introduce variability in analysis that is ignored in DLF. The traditional PLF techniques are not suitable for distribution systems and suffer from several drawbacks such as computational burden (Monte Carlo, Conventional convolution), sensitive accuracy with the complexity of system (point estimation method), requirement of necessary linearization (multi-linear simulation) and convergence problem (Gram–Charlier expansion, Cornish Fisher expansion). In this research, Latin Hypercube Sampling with Cholesky Decomposition (LHS-CD) is used to quantify the over-voltage issues with and without the voltage control algorithm in the distribution network with active generation. LHS technique is verified with a test network and real system from an Australian distribution network service provider. Accuracy and computational burden of simulated results are also compared with Monte Carlo simulations.

Australian pharmacists' self-perceptions in relation to the 'Advanced Pharmacy Practice Framework'

Background The Australian Pharmacy Practice Framework was developed by the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Steering Committee and endorsed by the Pharmacy Board of Australia in October 2012. The Steering Committee conducted a study that found practice portfolios to be the preferred method to assess and credential Advanced Pharmacy Practitioner, which is currently being piloted by the Australian Pharmacy Council. Credentialing is predicted to open to all pharmacists practising in Australia by November 2015. Objective To explore how Australian pharmacists self-perceived being advanced in practice and how they related their level of practice to the Australian Advanced Pharmacy Practice Framework. Method This was an explorative, cross-sectional study with mixed methods analysis. Advanced Pharmacy Practice Framework, a review of the recent explorative study on Advanced Practice conducted by the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Framework Steering Committee and semi-structured interviews (n = 10) were utilized to create, refine and pilot the questionnaire. The questionnaire was advertised across pharmacy-organizational websites via a purposive sampling method. The target population were pharmacists currently registered in Australia. Results Seventy-two participants responded to the questionnaire. The participants were mostly female (56.9%) and in the 30–40 age group (26.4%). The pharmacists self-perceived their levels of practice as either entry, transition, consolidation or advanced, with the majority selecting the consolidation level (38.9%). Although nearly half (43.1%) of the participants had not seen the Framework beforehand, they defined Advanced Pharmacy Practice similarly to the definition outlined in the Framework, but also added specialization as a requirement. Pharmacists explained why they were practising at their level of practice, stating that not having more years of practice, lacking experience, or postgraduate/post-registration qualifications, and more involvement and recognition in practice were the main reasons for not considering themselves as an Advanced Pharmacy Practitioner. To be considered advanced by the Framework, pharmacists would need to fulfill at least 70% of the Advanced Practice competency standards at an advanced level. More than half of the pharmacists (64.7%) that self-perceived as being advanced managed to fulfill 70% or more of these Advanced Practice competency standards at the advanced level. However, none of the self-perceived entry level pharmacists managed to match at least 70% of the competencies at the entry level. Conclusion Participants' self-perception of the term Advanced Practice was similar to the definition in the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Framework. Pharmacists working at an advanced level were largely able to demonstrate and justify their reasons for being advanced practitioners. However, pharmacists practising at the other levels of practice (entry, transition, consolidation) require further guidance regarding their advancement in practice.

A mixed-methods research approach to the review of competency standards for orthotist/prosthetists in Australia

Aim: The requirement for an allied health workforce is expanding as the global burden of disease increases internationally. To safely meet the demand for an expanded workforce of orthotist/prosthetists in Australia, competency based standards, which are up-to-date and evidence-based, are required. The aims of this study were to determine the minimum level for entry into the orthotic/prosthetic profession; to develop entry level competency standards for the profession; and to validate the developed entry-level competency standards within the profession nationally, using an evidence-based approach. Methods: A mixed-methods research design was applied, using a three-step sequential exploratory design, where step 1 involved collecting and analyzing qualitative data from two focus groups; step 2 involved exploratory instrument development and testing, developing the draft competency standards; and step 3 involved quantitative data collection and analysis – a Delphi survey. In stage 1 (steps 1 and 2), the two focus groups – an expert and a recent graduate group of Australian orthotist/prosthetists – were led by an experienced facilitator, to identify gaps in the current competency standards and then to outline a key purpose, and work roles and tasks for the profession. The resulting domains and activities of the first draft of the competency standards were synthesized using thematic analysis. In stage 2 (step 3), the draft-competency standards were circulated to a purposive sample of the membership of the Australian Orthotic Prosthetic Association, using three rounds of Delphi survey. A project reference group of orthotist/prosthetists reviewed the results of both stages. Results: In stage 1, the expert (n = 10) and the new graduate (n = 8) groups separately identified work roles and tasks, which formed the initial draft of the competency standards. Further drafts were refined and performance criteria added by the project reference group, resulting in the final draft-competency standards. In stage 2, the final draft-competency standards were circulated to 56 members (n = 44 final round) of the Association, who agreed on the key purpose, 6 domains, 18 activities, and 68 performance criteria of the final competency standards. Conclusion: This study outlines a rigorous and evidence-based mixed-methods approach for developing and endorsing professional competency standards, which is representative of the views of the profession of orthotist/prosthetists.

Nonparametric traversability estimation in partially occluded and deformable terrain

Terrain traversability estimation is a fundamental requirement to ensure the safety of autonomous planetary rovers and their ability to conduct long-term missions. This paper addresses two fundamental challenges for terrain traversability estimation techniques. First, representations of terrain data, which are typically built by the rover’s onboard exteroceptive sensors, are often incomplete due to occlusions and sensor limitations. Second, during terrain traversal, the rover-terrain interaction can cause terrain deformation, which may significantly alter the difficulty of traversal. We propose a novel approach built on Gaussian process (GP) regression to learn, and consequently to predict, the rover’s attitude and chassis configuration on unstructured terrain using terrain geometry information only. First, given incomplete terrain data, we make an initial prediction under the assumption that the terrain is rigid, using a learnt kernel function. Then, we refine this initial estimate to account for the effects of potential terrain deformation, using a near-to-far learning approach based on multitask GP regression. We present an extensive experimental validation of the proposed approach on terrain that is mostly rocky and whose geometry changes as a result of loads from rover traversals. This demonstrates the ability of the proposed approach to accurately predict the rover’s attitude and configuration in partially occluded and deformable terrain.

Seamless journeys : enhancing accessibility to work through digital technologies for people with mobility-related impairments

Numerous disruptions and barriers are encountered by persons with mobility-related disabilities in their daily’s experience of going to work and the pressure these exert on gaining and maintaining their employment. The nature and extent of their difficulties to workforce participation entails a requirement for extensive planning and also strategies to address problems of being stranded (for example, when the bus they are waiting for is not accessible). This paper presents the conceptualisation and methods of understanding workforce participation as a journey, and a discussion on the role digital technologies play in helping people with mobility-related disabilities in their journeys to work and mitigating disruptions when these occur. This is presented through an initial case study that helped identify the sequence of supports needed to be in place to make the work journey possible. Importantly, the paper also highlights points of intervention for the use of digital technologies and where design can potentially help to enhance accessibility to work for people with mobility-related impairments by making journeys to work seamless.

Electrophoretic mobility of cell nuclei (EMN index) as a biomarker of the biological aging process: Considering the association between EMN index and age

The present study examined whether a specific property of cell microstructures may be useful as a biomarker of aging. Specifically, the association between age and changes of cellular structures reflected in electrophoretic mobility of cell nuclei index (EMN index) values across the adult lifespan was examined. This report considers findings from cross sections of females (n = 1273) aged 18–98 years, and males (n = 506) aged 19–93 years. A Biotest apparatus was used to perform intracellular microelectrophoresis on buccal epithelial cells collected from each individual. EMN index was calculated on the basis of the number of epithelial cells with mobile nuclei in reference to the cells with immobile nuclei per 100 cells. Regression analyses indicated a significant negative association between EMN index value and age for men (r = −0.71, p < 0.001) and women (r = −0.60, p < 0.001); demonstrating a key requirement that must be met by a biomarker of aging. The strength of association observed between EMN index and age for both men and women was encouraging and supports the potential use of EMN index for determining a biological age of an individual (or a group). In this study, a new attempt of complex explanation of cellular mechanisms contributing to age related changes of the EMN index was made. In this study, a new attempt of complex explanation of cellular mechanisms contributing to age related changes of the EMN index was made. EMN index has demonstrated potential to meet criteria proposed for biomarkers of aging and further investigations are necessary.

Influences of Allee effects in the spreading of malignant tumours

A recent study by Korolev et al. [Nat. Rev. Cancer, 14:371–379, 2014] evidences that the Allee effect—in its strong form, the requirement of a minimum density for cell growth—is important in the spreading of cancerous tumours. We present one of the first mathematical models of tumour invasion that incorporates the Allee effect. Based on analysis of the existence of travelling wave solutions to this model, we argue that it is an improvement on previous models of its kind. We show that, with the strong Allee effect, the model admits biologically relevant travelling wave solutions, with well-defined edges. Furthermore, we uncover an experimentally observed biphasic relationship between the invasion speed of the tumour and the background extracellular matrix density.

Electronic Building Passport - Final Report: Project 2 National Energy Efficient Building Project Phase 2

The National Energy Efficient Building Project (NEEBP) Phase One report, published in December 2014, investigated “process issues and systemic failures” in the administration of the energy performance requirements in the National Construction Code. It found that most stakeholders believed that under-compliance with these requirements is widespread across Australia, with similar issues being reported in all states and territories. The report found that many different factors were contributing to this outcome and, as a result, many recommendations were offered that together would be expected to remedy the systemic issues reported. To follow up on this Phase 1 report, three additional projects were commissioned as part of Phase 2 of the overall NEEBP project. This Report deals with the development and piloting of an Electronic Building Passport (EBP) tool – a project undertaken jointly by pitt&sherry and a team at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) led by Dr Wendy Miller. The other Phase 2 projects cover audits of Class 1 buildings and issues relating to building alterations and additions. The passport concept aims to provide all stakeholders with (controlled) access to the key documentation and information that they need to verify the energy performance of buildings. This trial project deals with residential buildings but in principle could apply to any building type. Nine councils were recruited to help develop and test a pilot electronic building passport tool. The participation of these councils – across all states – enabled an assessment of the extent to which these councils are currently utilising documentation; to track the compliance of residential buildings with the energy performance requirements in the National Construction Code (NCC). Overall we found that none of the participating councils are currently compiling all of the energy performance-related documentation that would demonstrate code compliance. The key reasons for this include: a major lack of clarity on precisely what documentation should be collected; cost and budget pressures; low public/stakeholder demand for the documentation; and a pragmatic judgement that non-compliance with any regulated documentation requirements represents a relatively low risk for them. Some councils reported producing documentation, such as certificates of final completion, only on demand, for example. Only three of the nine council participants reported regularly conducting compliance assessments or audits utilising this documentation and/or inspections. Overall we formed the view that documentation and information tracking processes operating within the building standards and compliance system are not working to assure compliance with the Code’s energy performance requirements. In other words the Code, and its implementation under state and territory regulatory processes, is falling short as a ‘quality assurance’ system for consumers. As a result it is likely that the new housing stock is under-performing relative to policy expectations, consuming unnecessary amounts of energy, imposing unnecessarily high energy bills on occupants, and generating unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, Councils noted that the demand for documentation relating to building energy performance was low. All the participant councils in the EBP pilot agreed that documentation and information processes need to work more effectively if the potential regulatory and market drivers towards energy efficient homes are to be harnessed. These findings are fully consistent with the Phase 1 NEEBP report. It was also agreed that an EBP system could potentially play an important role in improving documentation and information processes. However, only one of the participant councils indicated that they might adopt such a system on a voluntary basis. The majority felt that such a system would only be taken up if it were: - A nationally agreed system, imposed as a mandatory requirement under state or national regulation; - Capable of being used by multiple parties including councils, private certifiers, building regulators, builders and energy assessors in particular; and - Fully integrated into their existing document management systems, or at least seamlessly compatible rather than a separate, unlinked tool. Further, we note that the value of an EBP in capturing statistical information relating to the energy performance of buildings would be much greater if an EBP were adopted on a nationally consistent basis. Councils were clear that a key impediment to the take up of an EBP system is that they are facing very considerable budget and staffing challenges. They report that they are often unable to meet all community demands from the resources available to them. Therefore they are unlikely to provide resources to support the roll out of an EBP system on a voluntary basis. Overall, we conclude from this pilot that the public good would be well served if the Australian, state and territory governments continued to develop and implement an Electronic Building Passport system in a cost-efficient and effective manner. This development should occur with detailed input from building regulators, the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB), councils and private certifiers in the first instance. This report provides a suite of recommendations (Section 7.2) designed to advance the development and guide the implementation of a national EBP system.

Are organisations prepared for e-health implementation to respond to pandemic influenza?

E-health can facilitate communication and interactions among stakeholders involved in pandemic responses. Its implementation, nevertheless, represents a disruptive change in the healthcare workplace. Organisational preparedness assessment is an essential requirement prior to e-health implementation; including this step in the planning process can increase the chances of programme success. The objective of this study is to develop an e-health preparedness assessment model for pandemic influenza (EHPM4P). Following the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), 20 contextual interviews were conducted with domain experts from May to September 2010. We examined the importance of all preparedness components within a fivedimensional hierarchical framework that was recently published. We also calculated the relative weight for each component at all levels of the hierarchy. This paper presents the hierarchical model (EHPM4P) that can be used to precisely assess healthcare organisational and providers' preparedness for e-health implementation and potentially maximise e-health benefits in the context of an influenza pandemic. Copyright © 2013 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Antigen-specific CD4 cells assist CD8 T-effector cells in eliminating keratinocytes

Keratinocytes expressing tumor or viral antigens can be eliminated by antigen-primed CD8 cytotoxic T cells. CD4 T-helper cells help induction of CD8 cytotoxic T cells from naive precursors and generation of CD8 T-cell memory. In this study, we show, unexpectedly, that CD4 cells are also required to assist primed CD8 effector T cells in rejection of skin expressing human growth hormone, a neo-self-antigen, in keratinocytes. The requirement for CD4 cells can be substituted by CD40 costimulation. Rejection of skin expressing ovalbumin (OVA), a non-self-antigen, by primed CD8 cytotoxic T cells can in contrast occur without help from antigen-specific CD4 T cells. However, rejection of OVA expressing keratinocytes is helped by antigen-specific CD4 T cells if only low numbers of primed or naive OVA-specific CD8 T cells are available. Effective immunotherapy directed at antigens expressed in squamous cancer may therefore be facilitated by induction of tumor antigen-specific CD4 helper T cells, as well as cytotoxic CD8 T cells.

Peripartum management of glycemia in women with type 1 diabetes

OBJECTIVE We aimed to 1) describe the peripartum management of type 1 diabetes at an Australian teaching hospital and 2) discuss factors influencing the apparent transient insulin independence postpartum. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of women with type 1 diabetes delivering singleton pregnancies from 2005 to 2010. Information was collected regarding demographics, medical history, peripartum management and outcome, and breast-feeding. To detect a difference in time to first postpartum blood glucose level (BGL) >8 mmol/L between women with an early (<4 h) and late (>12 h) requirement for insulin postpartum, with a power of 80% and a type 1 error of 0.05, at least 24 patients were required. RESULTS An intravenous insulin infusion was commenced in almost 95% of women. Univariate analysis showed that increased BMI at term, lower creatinine at term, longer duration from last dose of long- or intermediate-acting insulin, and discontinuation of an insulin infusion postpartum were associated with a shorter time to first requirement of insulin postpartum (P = 0.005, 0.026, 0.026, and <0.001, respectively). There was a correlation between higher doses of insulin commenced postpartum and number of out-of-range BGLs (r[36] = 0.358, P = 0.030) and hypoglycemia (r[36] = 0.434, P = 0.007). Almost 60% had at least one BGL <3.5 mmol/L between delivery and discharge. CONCLUSIONS Changes in the pharmacodynamic profile of insulin may contribute to the transient insulin independence sometimes observed postpartum in type 1 diabetes. A dose of 50–60% of the prepregnancy insulin requirement resulted in the lowest rate of hypoglycemia and glucose excursions. These results require validation in a larger, prospective study.

Automated feature engineering for HTTP tunnel detection

Generating discriminative input features is a key requirement for achieving highly accurate classifiers. The process of generating features from raw data is known as feature engineering and it can take significant manual effort. In this paper we propose automated feature engineering to derive a suite of additional features from a given set of basic features with the aim of both improving classifier accuracy through discriminative features, and to assist data scientists through automation. Our implementation is specific to HTTP computer network traffic. To measure the effectiveness of our proposal, we compare the performance of a supervised machine learning classifier built with automated feature engineering versus one using human-guided features. The classifier addresses a problem in computer network security, namely the detection of HTTP tunnels. We use Bro to process network traffic into base features and then apply automated feature engineering to calculate a larger set of derived features. The derived features are calculated without favour to any base feature and include entropy, length and N-grams for all string features, and counts and averages over time for all numeric features. Feature selection is then used to find the most relevant subset of these features. Testing showed that both classifiers achieved a detection rate above 99.93% at a false positive rate below 0.01%. For our datasets, we conclude that automated feature engineering can provide the advantages of increasing classifier development speed and reducing development technical difficulties through the removal of manual feature engineering. These are achieved while also maintaining classification accuracy.

Credentialing of Australian and New Zealand infection control professionals: An exploratory study

Background Despite evidence from overseas that certification and credentialing of infection control professionals (ICPs) is important to patient outcomes, there are no standardized requirements for the education and preparation of ICPs in Australia. A credentialing process (now managed by the Australasian College of Infection Prevention and Control) has been in existence since 2000; however, no evaluation has occurred. Methods A cross-sectional study design was used to identify the perceived barriers to credentialing and the characteristics of credentialed ICPs. Results There were 300 responses received; 45 (15%) of participants were credentialed. Noncredentialed ICPs identified barriers to credentialing as no employer requirement and no associated remuneration. Generally credentialed ICPs were more likely to hold higher degrees and have more infection control experience than their noncredentialed colleagues. Conclusions The credentialing process itself may assist in supporting ICP development by providing an opportunity for reflection and feedback from peer review. Further, the process may assist ICPs in being flexible and adaptable to the challenging and ever-changing environment that is infection control.

Determinants of online sperm donor success: How women choose

Because the worldwide demand for sperm donors is much higher than the actual supply available through fertility clinics, an informal online market has emerged for sperm donation. Very little empirical evidence exists, however, on this newly formed market and even less on the characteristics that lead to donor success. This article therefore explores the determinants of online sperm donors’ selection success, which leads to the production of offspring via informal donation. We find that donor age and income play a significant role in donor success as measured by the number of times selected, even though there is no requirement for ongoing paternal investment. Donors with less extroverted and lively personality traits who are more intellectual, shy and systematic are more successful in realizing offspring via informal donation. These results contribute to both the economic literature on human behaviour and on large-scale decision-making.