Optimal HMM processing of differentially phase modulated communication systems

This paper investigates demodulation of differentially phase modulated signals DPMS using optimal HMM filters. The optimal HMM filter presented in the paper is computationally of order N3 per time instant, where N is the number of message symbols. Previously, optimal HMM filters have been of computational order N4 per time instant. Also, suboptimal HMM filters have be proposed of computation order N2 per time instant. The approach presented in this paper uses two coupled HMM filters and exploits knowledge of ...

Reduced complexity on-line estimation of hidden Markov model parameters

In this paper we propose and study low complexity algorithms for on-line estimation of hidden Markov model (HMM) parameters. The estimates approach the true model parameters as the measurement noise approaches zero, but otherwise give improved estimates, albeit with bias. On a nite data set in the high noise case, the bias may not be signi cantly more severe than for a higher complexity asymptotically optimal scheme. Our algorithms require O(N3) calculations per time instant, where N is the number of states. Previous algorithms based on earlier hidden Markov model signal processing methods, including the expectation-maximumisation (EM) algorithm require O(N4) calculations per time instant.

Can a text message a week improve breastfeeding?

Background Breastfeeding is recognised as the optimal method for feeding infants with health gains made by reducing infectious diseases in infancy; and chronic diseases, including obesity, in childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Despite this, exclusivity and duration in developed countries remains resistant to improvement. The objectives of this research were to test if an automated mobile phone text messaging intervention, delivering one text message a week, could increase “any” breastfeeding rates and improve breastfeeding self-efficacy and coping. Methods Women were eligible to participate if they were: over eighteen years; had an infant less than three months old; were currently breastfeeding; no diagnosed mental illness; and used a mobile phone . Women in the intervention group received MumBubConnect, a text messaging service with automated responses delivered once a week for 8 weeks. Women in the comparison group received their usual care and were sampled two years after the intervention group. Data collection included online surveys at two time points, week zero and week nine, to measure breastfeeding exclusivity and duration, coping, emotions, accountability and self-efficacy. A range of statistical analyses were used to test for differences between groups. Hierarchical regression was used to investigate change in breastfeeding outcome, between groups, adjusting for co-variates. Results The intervention group had 120 participants at commencement and 114 at completion, the comparison group had 114 participants at commencement and 86 at completion. MumBubConnect had a positive impact on the primary outcome of breastfeeding behaviors with women receiving the intervention more likely to continue exclusive breastfeeding; with a 6% decrease in exclusive breastfeeding in the intervention group, compared to a 14% decrease in the comparison group (p < 0.001). This remained significant after controlling for infant age, mother’s income, education and delivery type (p = 0.04). Women in the intervention group demonstrated active coping and were less likely to display emotions-focussed coping (p < .001). There was no discernible statistical effect on self-efficacy or accountability. Conclusions A fully automated text messaging services appears to improve exclusive breastfeeding duration. The service provides a well-accepted, personalised support service that empowers women to actively resolve breastfeeding issues. Trial registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12614001091695.

Plasmon-tuned silver colloids for SERRS analysis of methemoglobin with preserved nativity

Optically tuned silver nanoparticles (AgNP's) functionalized with ω-mercaptoalkanoic acids are synthesized and used as a signal amplifier for the surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) study of heme cofactor in methemoglobin (metHb). Even though both mercaptopropionic acid (MPA)- and mercaptononanoic acid (MNA)-functionalized AgNP's exemplify vastly enhanced SERRS signal of metHb, MNA-AgNP's amplify the SERRS signal amid preservation of the nativity of the heme pocket, unlike MPA-AgNP's. The electrostatic interaction between MNA-AgNP's and metHb leads to instant signal enhancement with a Raman enhancement factor (EF(SERS)) of 4.2 × 10(3). Additionally, a Langmuir adsorption isotherm has been employed for the adsorption of metHb on the MNA-AgNP surface, which provides the real surface coverage and equilibrium constant (K) of metHb as 139 nM and 3.6 × 10(8) M(-1), respectively. The lowest detection limit of 10 nM for metHb has been demonstrated using MNA-AgNP's besides retaining the nativity of the heme pocket.

User preferences for text message-delivered skin cancer prevention and early detection

Evidence is needed for the acceptability and user preferences of receiving skin cancer-related text messages. We prepared 27 questions to evaluate attitudes, satisfaction with program characteristics such as timing and spacing, and overall satisfaction with the Healthy Text program in young adults. Within this randomised controlled trial (age 18-42 years), 546 participants were assigned to one of three Healthy Text message groups; sun protection, skin self-examination, or attention-control. Over a 12-month period, 21 behaviour-specific text messages were sent to each group. Participants’ preferences were compared between the two interventions and control group at the 12-month follow-up telephone interview. In all three groups, participants reported the messages were easy to understand (98%), provided good suggestions or ideas (88%), and were encouraging (86%) and informative (85%) with little difference between the groups. The timing of the texts was received positively (92%); however, some suggestions for frequency or time of day the messages were received from 8% of participants. Participants in the two intervention groups found their messages more informative, and triggering behaviour change compared to control. Text messages about skin cancer prevention and early detection are novel and acceptable to induce behaviour change in young adults.

A Few Best Men

Like most of Stephan Elliott’s movies, A Few Best Men is difficult to discuss without focusing on the director himself. A wedding-gone-wrong comedy, A Few Best Men is Elliott’s first Australian feature film in seventeen years. After directing the low-budget crime-thriller Frauds (1993), Elliott achieved worldwide success as writer-director of the Oscar-winning road movie Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994). A quirky and visually striking film about two drag-queens and a transsexual’s journey across the harsh Australian outback in a bus named Priscilla, the movie earned over US$70 million at the international box-office and became an instant Australian classic. Elliott’s career, however, self-destructed soon after...

Restraint in the age of speed: Protecting vulnerable news sources in the 24/7 global news cycle

As news communication speeds up, investigative journalists have an increasing responsibility to minimise the risk of harm to vulnerable news sources. In addition, the increased longevity and instant global search-ability of news coverage and investigative journalism outputs such as documentaries, places upon journalists an increased responsibility for accuracy since online coverage cannot be easily corrected or retracted. This paper will examine how the risks to a news source and her family were considered and mitigated during the production of a radio documentary and newspaper story about an intended victim of child sacrifice. Pre-publication considerations included the possible risks to the mental health of the news source, the potential physical risk to her children and the risk to future family relationships. To hear the ABC Radio National documentary, A living sacrifice, on 360 Documentaries prior to the conference, see http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/360/a-living-sacrifice/5359744. To read the Sunday Mail newspaper coverage of the story see http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/susannah-birch-talks-about-her-throat-being-slit-by-her-mother-when-she-was-a-baby/story-fnihsrf2-1226881911465.

Randomized controlled trial of an improved version of MobileMums, an intervention for increasing physical activity in women with young children

Background Women with young children (<5 years) are an important group for physical activity intervention. Purpose To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and efficacy of MobileMums- a physical activity intervention for women with young children. Methods Women were randomized to MobileMums (n=133) or a control group (n=130). MobileMums was delivered primarily via individually-tailored text messages. Moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was measured by self-report and accelerometer at baseline, end of the intervention (13-weeks) and 6-months later (9-months). Changes were analyzed using repeated measures models. Results MobileMums was feasible to deliver and acceptable to women. Self-reported MVPA duration (minutes/week) and frequency (days/week) increased significantly post intervention (13-week intervention effect 48.5 min/week, 95%CI [13.4, 82.9] and 1.6 days/week, 95%CI [0.6, 2.6]). Intervention effects were not maintained 6-months later. No effects observed in accelerometer-derived MVPA. Conclusions MobileMums increased women’s self-reported MVPA immediately post intervention. Future investigations need to target sustained physical activity improvements.

Effective communication during disasters: What effects community decision making & action?

Study/Objective This paper describes a program of research examining emergency messaging during the response and early recovery phases of natural disasters. The objective of this suite of studies is to develop message construction frameworks and channels that maximise community compliance with instructional messaging. The research has adopted a multi-hazard approach and considers the impact of formal emergency messages, as well as informal messages (e.g., social media posts), on community compliance. Background In recent years, media reports have consistently demonstrated highly variable community compliance to instructional messaging during natural disasters. Footage of individuals watching a tsunami approaching from the beach or being over-run by floodwaters are disturbing and indicate the need for a clearer understanding of decision making under stress. This project’s multi-hazard approach considers the time lag between knowledge of the event and desired action, as well as how factors such as message fatigue, message ambiguity, and the interplay of messaging from multiple media sources are likely to play a role in an individual’s compliance with an emergency instruction. Methods To examine effective messaging strategy, we conduct a critical analysis of the literature to develop a framework for community consultation and design experiments to test the potential for compliance improvement. Results Preliminary results indicate that there is, as yet, little published evidence on which to base decisions about emergency instructional messages to threatened communities. Conclusion The research described here will contribute improvements in emergency instructional message compliance by generating an evidence-based framework that takes into account behavioural compliance theory, the psychology of decision making under stress, and multiple channels of communication including social media.

Effective communication during disasters

This paper describes a program of research examining emergency messaging during the response and early recovery phases of natural disasters. The objective of this suite of studies is to develop message construction frameworks and channels that maximise community compliance with instructional messaging. The research has adopted a multi-hazard approach and considers the impact of formal emergency messages, as well as informal messages (e.g., social media posts), on community compliance. In recent years, media reports have consistently demonstrated highly variable community compliance to instructional messaging during natural disasters. Footage of individuals watching a tsunami approaching from the beach or being over-run by floodwaters are disturbing and indicate the need for a clearer understanding of decision making under stress. This project’s multi-hazard approach considers the time lag between knowledge of the event and desired action, as well as how factors such as message fatigue, message ambiguity, and the interplay of messaging from multiple media sources are likely to play a role in an individual’s compliance with an emergency instruction. To examine effective messaging strategy, we conduct a critical analysis of the literature to develop a framework for community consultation and design experiments to test the potential for compliance improvement. Preliminary results indicate that there is, as yet, little published evidence on which to base decisions about emergency instructional messages to threatened communities. The research described here will contribute improvements in emergency instructional message compliance by generating an evidence-based framework that takes into account behavioural compliance theory, the psychology of decision making under stress, and multiple channels of communication including social media.

The sweet aroma of success: Modification of products for new markets in the case of TORQ by Di Bella Coffee

In 2002, Phillip Di Bella’s childhood passion for coffee and keen entrepreneurial spirit led him to establish a small coffee roasting warehouse in in the inner suburbs of Brisbane (Di Bella, 2012). With a keen sense of direction and passion for his coffee products and providing unparalleled customer service, Di Bella Coffee quickly grew to become a key player in the coffee roasting scene. This passion for the ultimate coffee experience is evident in the firm’s logo ‘Di Bella Coffee Inspires Passion’. Phillip Di Bella stated that ‘the common denominator of this company is about inspiration and passion. We are not a coffee company, we are a people company. You know, are we inspiring you from the moment you walk in the door to the moment you leave. If you are not feeling inspired then we haven’t done our job properly as a company’. Fundamentally, providing the ultimate coffee experience, as detailed in the following case is one in which focuses on the coffee consumption experience, not the coffee itself. Over that last 10 years Di Bella Coffee has constantly strived for the ultimate coffee, while expanding business operations into the booming Asian coffee market, establishing headquarters in Shanghai in 2010. In 2011, Di Bella Coffee commenced their second international venture with the launch of operations in India (Di Bella Coffee, 2012); followed shortly by the creation of a new category of coffee, set to revolutionise to coffee industry. The fusion of two traditional forms of coffee; espresso coffee and instant coffee, to create a third category- espresso instant, led to the development of TORQ by Di Bella.

Adopting healthcare big data in Sri Lankan healthcare sector

The concept of big data has already outperformed traditional data management efforts in almost all industries. Other instances it has succeeded in obtaining promising results that provide value from large-scale integration and analysis of heterogeneous data sources for example Genomic and proteomic information. Big data analytics have become increasingly important in describing the data sets and analytical techniques in software applications that are so large and complex due to its significant advantages including better business decisions, cost reduction and delivery of new product and services [1]. In a similar context, the health community has experienced not only more complex and large data content, but also information systems that contain a large number of data sources with interrelated and interconnected data attributes. That have resulted in challenging, and highly dynamic environments leading to creation of big data with its enumerate complexities, for instant sharing of information with the expected security requirements of stakeholders. When comparing big data analysis with other sectors, the health sector is still in its early stages. Key challenges include accommodating the volume, velocity and variety of healthcare data with the current deluge of exponential growth. Given the complexity of big data, it is understood that while data storage and accessibility are technically manageable, the implementation of Information Accountability measures to healthcare big data might be a practical solution in support of information security, privacy and traceability measures. Transparency is one important measure that can demonstrate integrity which is a vital factor in the healthcare service. Clarity about performance expectations is considered to be another Information Accountability measure which is necessary to avoid data ambiguity and controversy about interpretation and finally, liability [2]. According to current studies [3] Electronic Health Records (EHR) are key information resources for big data analysis and is also composed of varied co-created values [3]. Common healthcare information originates from and is used by different actors and groups that facilitate understanding of the relationship for other data sources. Consequently, healthcare services often serve as an integrated service bundle. Although a critical requirement in healthcare services and analytics, it is difficult to find a comprehensive set of guidelines to adopt EHR to fulfil the big data analysis requirements. Therefore as a remedy, this research work focus on a systematic approach containing comprehensive guidelines with the accurate data that must be provided to apply and evaluate big data analysis until the necessary decision making requirements are fulfilled to improve quality of healthcare services. Hence, we believe that this approach would subsequently improve quality of life.

Time, place and space – student group collaboration using Google Drive

Virtual working environments are intrinsic to the contemporary workplace and collaborative skills are a vital graduate capability. To develop students’ collaborative skills, first year medical laboratory science students undertake a group poster project, based on a blended learning model. Learning is scaffolded in lectures, workshops in collaborative learning spaces, practitioner mentoring sessions, and online resources. Google Drive provides an online collaborative space for students to realise tangible outcomes from this learning. A Google Drive document is created for each group and shared with members. In this space, students assign tasks and plan workflow, share research, progressively develop poster content, reflect and comment on peer contributions and use the messaging functions to ‘talk’ to group members. This provides a readily accessible, transparent record of group work, crucial in peer assessment, and a communication channel for group members and the lecturer, who can support groups if required. This knowledge creation space also augments productivity and effectiveness of face-to-face collaboration. As members are randomly allocated to groups and are often of diverse backgrounds and unknown to each other, resilience is built as students navigate the uncertainties and complexities of group dynamics, learning to focus on the goal of the team task as they constructively and professionally engage in team dialogue. Students are responsible and accountable for individual and group work. The use of Google Drive was evaluated in a survey including Likert scale and open ended qualitative questions. Statistical analysis was carried out. Results show students (79%) valued the inclusion of online space in collaborative work and highly appreciated (78%) the flexibility provided by Google Drive, while recognising the need for improved notification functionality. Teaching staff recognised the advantages in monitoring and moderating collaborative group work, and the transformational progression in student collaborative as well as technological skill acquisition, including professional dialogue.

Theorising the impacts of digitally mediated social interaction on diasporic identity formation: A case of Chinese diaspora in Australia

With the scope of Chinese diaspora in Australia, this paper theorises the impacts of digitally mediated social interaction on diasporic identity formation in the new media landscape. People’s identity is the outcome of their social interactions with other individuals. In the new media landscape, digital media technologies are changing the way in which people communicate with others. On one hand, space and time are unprecedentedly compressed by media technologies so people can maintain more frequent and instant connections with others than before. On the other hand, the digital media technologies have constructed a virtual social space that might withdraw people from their physical social interactions. As we witness today, our social interactions are increasing digitally mediated, in the forms of posts and comments in social network sites, as well as the messages in social apps. As to the diasporic groups, this new media landscape is presenting a challenge to their identity formation. They physically live in the host countries but still keep close social and cultural connections with their homelands. Facilitated by digital media technologies, they are facing two platforms in which they can practice different identity performances: one is the digitally mediated social network; the other is the physical social network. In the case of Chinese diaspora, the situation is more complex due to the language factor and media censorship in Mainland China, which will be articulated in the main text. This paper aims to fill a gap between media studies and diaspora research. Most of existing research on the relationship between diasporic identity and media primarily focuses on the development of ethnic media institutions, and the production and consumption of ethnic media in the pre-digital media context. However, the process of globalisation and digital media technologies are increasing the homogeneity and hybridity of media content worldwide. In this new context, attributing the formation of different identities to the consumption of media content is arguable to some extent. Therefore, the overlapped area of new media studies and diaspora research still has space deserves further investigation.

T chart to evaluate consolidation test results

Using Terzaghi's degree of consolidation, U, and the time factor, T, relationship, if M-U1 and M-U2 (M-U1 not equal M-U2) are slopes of the U-root T curve at any two time factors T-U1 and T-U2, then it can be shown that a unique relationship exists between T-U2/T-U1, M-U1/M-U2, and TU, (or TU2), and knowing any two of these, the third can be uniquely determined. A chart, called the T chart, has been plotted using these three variables for quickly determining T and U at any experimental time, t, to determine the coefficient of consolidation, c(v), corrected zero settlement, delta(o), and ultimate primary settlement, delta(100). The chart can be used even in those cases where settlement and time, at the instant of load increment, are not known.