CARDIAC-ARIA: Measuring the Accessibility to Cardiovascular Services in Rural and Remote Australia Via Applied Geographical Spatial Technology (GIS)

Background/aims: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to impose a heavy burden in terms of cost, disability and death in Australia. Recent evidence suggests that increasing remoteness, where cardiac services are scarce, is linked to an increased risk of dying from CVD. Fatal CVD events are reported to be between 20% and 50% higher in rural areas compared to major cities. Method: This project, with its extensive use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology, will rank 11,338 rural and remote population centres to identify geographical ‘hotspots’ where there is likely to be a mismatch between the demand for and actual provision of cardiovascular services. It will, therefore, guide more equitable provision of services to rural and remote communities. Outcomes: The CARDIAC-ARIA project is designed to; map the type and location of cardiovascular services currently available in Australia, relative to the distribution of individuals who currently have symptomatic CVD; determine, by expert panel, what are the minimal requirements for comprehensive cardiovascular health support in metropolitan and rural communities and derive a rating classification based on the Accessibility and Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA) for each of Australia's 11,338 rural and remote population centres. Conclusion: This unique, innovative and highly collaborative project has the potential to deliver a powerful tool to highlight and combat the burden imposed by cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Australia.

Antecedents of sustainable management support for IT-related initiatives

Having IT-related capabilities is not enough to secure value from the IT resources and survive in today’s competitive environment. IT resources evolve dynamically and organisations must sustain their existing capabilities to continue to leverage value from their IT resources. Organisations’ IT-related management capabilities are an important source of their competitive advantage. We suggest that organisations can sustain these capabilities through appropriate considerations of resources at the technology-use level. This study suggests that an appropriate organisational design relating to decision rights and work environment, and a congruent reward system can create a dynamic IT-usage environment. This environment will be a vital source of knowledge that could help organisations to sustain their IT-related management capabilities. Analysis of data collected from a field survey demonstrates that this dynamic IT-usage environment, a result of the synergy between complementary factors, helps organisations to sustain their IT-related management capabilities. This study adds an important dimension to understanding why some organisations continue to perform better with their IT resources than others. For practice, this study suggests that organisations need to consider a comprehensive approach to what constitutes their valuable resources.

One more tier, no more tears: Students’ perceptions of QUT Library’s 2nd tier learning and study support

This nuts and bolts session discusses QUT Library’s Study Solutions service which is staffed by academic skills advisors and librarians as the 2nd tier of its learning and study support model. Firstly, it will discuss the rationale behind the Study Solutions model and provide a brief profile of the service. Secondly, it will outline what distinguishes it from other modes of one-to-one learning support. Thirdly, it will report findings from a student perception study conducted to determine what difference this model of individual study assistance made to academic confidence, ability to transfer academic skills and capacity to assist peers. Finally, this session will include small group discussions to consider the feasibility of this model as best practice for other tertiary institutions and student perception as a valuable measure of the impact of learning support services.

Tax concessions in support of charitable giving: an international comparison

The Australian taxation system encourages charitable giving through tax deductibility for donations made by individuals and companies, and via tax exemption for income distributed to charities through charitable trusts. Other means of giving, such as through bequests enjoy little tax concessions...

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.

Factors influencing the adoption of information technology in a construction business

Construction firms are increasingly utilizing information technologies to better manage geographically dispersed projects. Often these technologies involve changes to existing working practices and processes and are viewed as disruptive by members of the organization. Understanding the factors that can influence individuals’ intention to utilize technology can assist managers to implement strategies to increase and improve the uptake of technologies and improve the innovation adoption process. Using a case study organization, factors identified in the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) are examined and the UTAUT is extended and by including resistance to change and top management support. The findings indicate effort expectancy, internal facilitating conditions and top management support all influence individuals’ intention to use information technology. The results also show that resistance to change or fear of change does not always play a role in innovation adoption. The findings reinforce the need to support new technologies from both a managerial and technical perspective.

Decision support for the safe design and operation of unmanned aircraft systems

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) describe a diverse range of aircraft that are operated without a human pilot on-board. Unmanned aircraft range from small rotorcraft, which can fit in the palm of your hand, through to fixed wing aircraft comparable in size to that of a commercial passenger jet. The absence of a pilot on-board allows these aircraft to be developed with unique performance capabilities facilitating a wide range of applications in surveillance, environmental management, agriculture, defence, and search and rescue. However, regulations relating to the safe design and operation of UAS first need to be developed before the many potential benefits from these applications can be realised. According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a Risk Management Process (RMP) should support all civil aviation policy and rulemaking activities (ICAO 2009). The RMP is described in International standard, ISO 31000:2009 (ISO, 2009a). This standard is intentionally generic and high-level, providing limited guidance on how it can be effectively applied to complex socio-technical decision problems such as the development of regulations for UAS. Through the application of principles and tools drawn from systems philosophy and systems engineering, this thesis explores how the RMP can be effectively applied to support the development of safety regulations for UAS. A sound systems-theoretic foundation for the RMP is presented in this thesis. Using the case-study scenario of a UAS operation over an inhabited area and through the novel application of principles drawn from general systems modelling philosophy, a consolidated framework of the definitions of the concepts of: safe, risk and hazard is made. The framework is novel in that it facilitates the representation of broader subjective factors in an assessment of the safety of a system; describes the issues associated with the specification of a system-boundary; makes explicit the hierarchical nature of the relationship between the concepts and the subsequent constraints that exist between them; and can be evaluated using a range of analytic or deliberative modelling techniques. Following the general sequence of the RMP, the thesis explores the issues associated with the quantified specification of safety criteria for UAS. A novel risk analysis tool is presented. In contrast to existing risk tools, the analysis tool presented in this thesis quantifiably characterises both the societal and individual risk of UAS operations as a function of the flight path of the aircraft. A novel structuring of the risk evaluation and risk treatment decision processes is then proposed. The structuring is achieved through the application of the Decision Support Problem Technique; a modelling approach that has been previously used to effectively model complex engineering design processes and to support decision-making in relation to airspace design. The final contribution made by this thesis is in the development of an airworthiness regulatory framework for civil UAS. A novel "airworthiness certification matrix" is proposed as a basis for the definition of UAS "Part 21" regulations. The outcome airworthiness certification matrix provides a flexible, systematic and justifiable method for promulgating airworthiness regulations for UAS. In addition, an approach for deriving "Part 1309" regulations for UAS is presented. In contrast to existing approaches, the approach presented in this thesis facilitates a traceable and objective tailoring of system-level reliability requirements across the diverse range of UAS operations. The significance of the research contained in this thesis is clearly demonstrated by its practical real world outcomes. Industry regulatory development groups and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority have endorsed the proposed airworthiness certification matrix. The risk models have also been used to support research undertaken by the Australian Department of Defence. Ultimately, it is hoped that the outcomes from this research will play a significant part in the shaping of regulations for civil UAS, here in Australia and around the world.

Is there an inverted U-shape relationship between job demands and work engagement : the moderating role of social support

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the possibility of an inverted U-shaped relationship between job demands and work engagement, and whether social support moderates this relationship. Design/methodology/approach – This study uses 307 technical and information technology (IT) managers who responded to an online survey. Multiple regressions are employed to examine linear and curvilinear relationship among variables. Findings – Overall, results support the applicability of the quadratic effect of job demands on employee engagement. However, only supervisor support, not colleague support, moderated the relationship between job demands and work engagement. Originality/value – The paper is the first to shed light on the quadratic effect of job demands on work engagement. The findings have noteworthy implications for managers to design optimal job demands that increase employee engagement.

Multiple distribution static synchronous compensators for distribution feeder voltage support

The potential of multiple distribution static synchronous compensators (DSTATCOMs) to improve the voltage profile of radial distribution networks has been reported in the literature by few authors. However, the operation of multiple DSTATCOMs across a distribution feeder may introduce control interactions and/or voltage instability. This study proposes a control scheme that alleviates interactions among controllers and enhances proper reactive power sharing among DSTATCOMs. A generalised mathematical model is presented to analyse the interactions among any number of DSTATCOMs in the network. The criterion for controller design is developed by conducting eigenvalue analysis on this mathematical model. The proposed control scheme is tested in time domain on a sample radial distribution feeder installed with multiple DSTATCOMs and test results are presented.

Automated support for versioning compliance checking between workflow management and product lifecycle management (in Chinese)

With the development of enterprise informatisation, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems have been widely deployed and applied in enterprises. This paper analyzes the requirement that conducting version operations on business objects as specified in process models should be compliant with the versioning policies imposed by product lifecycles. This leads to the introduction of the concept of versioning compliance, and the approach of compliance checking that we proposed in our earlier work, which comprises both syntactical compatibility and behavioural compatibility checking. The paper then focuses on the tool implementation for providing automated support to the versioning compliance checking. An empirical evaluation of the tool was also performed with industrial partners using the well-known questionnaire-based method. The evaluation and feedback from practitioners further evidence the practical significance of this research question in the PLM field and demonstrate that the proposed solution with its automated tool support possesses a high application potential.

A mixed-method study to investigate the relationship between the number of social support people present during labour, women’s perceptions and birth outcomes

The birth of a baby is a significant event for women and their families, with the event being influenced by the prevailing social and cultural context. Historically, women throughout the world have given birth at home assisted by other women who helped them cope with the stress of labour and birth. In the middle of the twentieth century, the togetherness, caring and support that were provided within the social and cultural context of childbirth began to change; women in most developed countries, and to some extent in developing countries, laboured and gave birth in institutions that isolated them from the support of family and friends. This practice is referred to as the medical model of childbirth and, over time, birthing within this model has come to be viewed by women as a dehumanising experience. In an attempt to secure a more supportive experience, women began to demand the presence of a supportive companion; namely their partner. This event became the catalyst for a number of studies focusing on different types of support providers and their contribution to the phenomenon of social support during labour. More recently, it has become a common practice for some women to be supported during labour by a number of people from their social network. However, research on the influence of such supportive people on women’s experience of labour and birth and on birth outcomes is scarce. The aim of this study is to examine the influence of various support arrangements from a woman’s family and social network on her experience of labour and birth and on birth outcomes. The mixed-method study was conducted to answer three research questions: 1. Do women with more than one support person present during labour and birth have similar perceptions and experiences of support compared to women with one support person? 2. Do women with more than one support person present during labour and birth have similar birth outcomes compared to women with one support person? 3. Do women with different types of support providers during labour and birth have similar birth outcomes? Methods Phase one of this study developed, pilot tested and administered a newly developed instrument designed to measure women’s perceptions of supportive behaviours provided during labour. Specific birth outcome data were extracted from the medical records. Phase two consisted of in-depth interviews with a sample of women who had completed the survey. Results: The results identified a statistically significant relationship between women’s perceptions of social support and the number of support providers: women supported by one person only rated the supportive behaviours of that person more highly compared to women who were supported by a number of people. The results also identified that women supported by one person used less analgesia. An additional qualitative finding was that some women sacrificed the support of female relatives at the request of their partners. Conclusion: By using a mixed-method approach, this study found that women were selective in their choice of support providers, as they chose individuals with whom they had an enduring affectionate attachment. Women place more emphasis on a support person’s ability to fulfil their attachment needs of close proximity and a sense of security and safety, rather than their ability to provide the expected functional supportive behaviours.

An ingenious decision support system for remote health monitoring of pregnant women

Maternal deaths have been a critical issue for women living in rural and remote areas. The need to travel long distances, the shortage of primary care providers such as physicians, specialists and nurses, and the closing of small hospitals have been problems identified in many rural areas. Some research work has been undertaken and a few techniques have been developed to remotely measure the physiological condition of pregnant women through sophisticated ultrasound equipment. There are numerous ways to reduce maternal deaths, and an important step is to select the right approaches to achieving this reduction. One such approach is the provision of decision support systems in rural and remote areas. Decision support systems (DSSs) have already shown a great potential in many health fields. This thesis proposes an ingenious decision support system (iDSS) based on the methodology of survey instruments and identification of significant variables to be used in iDSS using statistical analysis. A survey was undertaken with pregnant women and factorial experimental design was chosen to acquire sample size. Variables with good reliability in any one of the statistical techniques such as Chi-square, Cronbach’s á and Classification Tree were incorporated in the iDSS. The decision support system was developed with significant variables such as: Place of residence, Seeing the same doctor, Education, Tetanus injection, Baby weight, Previous baby born, Place of birth, Assisted delivery, Pregnancy parity, Doctor visits and Occupation. The ingenious decision support system was implemented with Visual Basic as front end and Microsoft SQL server management as backend. Outcomes of the ingenious decision support system include advice on Symptoms, Diet and Exercise to pregnant women. On conditional system was sent and validated by the gynaecologist. Another outcome of ingenious decision support system was to provide better pregnancy health awareness and reduce long distance travel, especially for women in rural areas. The proposed system has qualities such as usefulness, accuracy and accessibility.

Start Smart : QUT’s trial support program for commencing undergraduate students who have not completed year 12 in the past two years

Commencing students in undergraduate degrees who identify as mature age students experience particular issues when faced with enrolment into university as an adult learner (Bird & Morgan, 2003). In line with QUT’s commitment to “supporting all commencing students to adjust successfully to study at QUT by providing a strong transition experience” (QUT, 2008, 6.2.1), the Start Smart trial program was developed and implemented for Semester 1, 2012. The Start Smart trial program consists of an orientation event, wrapped around and supported by existing First Year Experience (FYE) and Retention strategies within QUT, namely the Student Success Program (SSP) and the Peer Programs Strategy (PPS). This report examines the motivations for designing a program as a response to the needs of a cohort that are unique amongst all commencing undergraduate students. Participants will be asked to consider the implications of delivering special and unique orientation events to specific cohorts, and the long term sustainability of such programs within their own university structures.