A community nurse referral system for HMRs: Can it work?

The HMR model contains a mechanism whereby anyone who is concerned about the risk of medication misadventure can request a HMR from the patient's GP. Since nurses are widely involved in a range of triage and gatekeeping roles, utilising their primary care skills to identify patients for a HMR is a logical extension of this role. Furthermore, community nurses visit their clients in the home situation and see many difficulties the client may be experiencing at first hand. They are therefore well placed to request specialist assistance for the client. Blue Care in Brisbane, a community nursing service, approached its local Division of General practice to determine how best to request HMRs for its clients. The Division contacted The University of Queensland which initiated this study to engage the health care team to tailor the established HMR request process to the needs of community nurses and test the system developed. (non-author abstract)

Hydrogen storage of magnesium-based nanocomposites system

Hydrogen storage in traditional metallic hydrides can deliver about 1.5 to 2.0 wt pct hydrogen but magnesium hydrides can achieve more than 7 wt pct. However, these systems suffer from high temperature release drawback and chemical instability problems. Recently, big improvements of reducing temperature and increasing kinetics of hydrogenation have been made in nanostructured Mg-based composites. This paper aims to provide an overview of the science and engineering of Mg materials and their nanosized composites with nanostructured carbon for hydrogen storage. The needs in research including preparation of the materials, processing and characterisation and basic mechanisms will be explored. The preliminary experimental results indicated a promising future for chemically stable hydrogen storage using carbon nanotubes modified metal hydrides under lower temperatures.

Stakeholder concerns about Australia's mental health care system

There is growing community and professional concern that the Australian mental health care system requires substantial reform. In response to these concerns, a Senate Select Committee on Mental Health has been commissioned to conduct an inquiry into the provision of mental health services. The current study involved a content analysis of 725 submissions received by the Committee, and highlighted significant areas for reform. People with mental illness face difficulties in accessing mental health care, the care they do receive is of varying quality and poorly coordinated, and necessary services from other sectors, such as housing, are lacking. These problems may be exacerbated for particular groups with complex needs or heightened levels of vulnerability. The system requires reorienting towards the consumers and carers it is designed to serve, and needs stronger governance, higher levels of accountability and improved monitoring of quality. These findings are discussed in the context of the recent acknowledgement of mental health as an issue by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), which has called for an action plan to be prepared for its consideration by June 2006.

A real options based method for power system planning

A deregulated electricity market is characterized with uncertainties, with both long and short terms. As one of the major long term planning issues, the transmission expansion planning (TEP) is aiming at implementing reliable and secure network support to the market participants. The TEP covers two major issues: technical assessment and financial evaluations. Traditionally, the net present value (NPV) method is the most accepted for financial evaluations, it is simple to conduct and easy to understand. Nevertheless, TEP in a deregulated market needs a more dynamic approach to incorporate a project's management flexibility, or the managerial ability to adapt in response to unpredictable market developments. The real options approach (ROA) is introduced here, which has clear advantage on counting the future course of actions that investors may take, with understandable results in monetary terms. In the case study, a Nordic test system has been testified and several scenarios are given for network expansion planning. Both the technical assessment and financial evaluation have been conducted in the case study.

Designing a Computer Vision System for Underwater Robotic Interventions

This thesis deals with the challenging problem of designing systems able to perceive objects in underwater environments. In the last few decades research activities in robotics have advanced the state of art regarding intervention capabilities of autonomous systems. State of art in fields such as localization and navigation, real time perception and cognition, safe action and manipulation capabilities, applied to ground environments (both indoor and outdoor) has now reached such a readiness level that it allows high level autonomous operations. On the opposite side, the underwater environment remains a very difficult one for autonomous robots. Water influences the mechanical and electrical design of systems, interferes with sensors by limiting their capabilities, heavily impacts on data transmissions, and generally requires systems with low power consumption in order to enable reasonable mission duration. Interest in underwater applications is driven by needs of exploring and intervening in environments in which human capabilities are very limited. Nowadays, most underwater field operations are carried out by manned or remotely operated vehicles, deployed for explorations and limited intervention missions. Manned vehicles, directly on-board controlled, expose human operators to risks related to the stay in field of the mission, within a hostile environment. Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) currently represent the most advanced technology for underwater intervention services available on the market. These vehicles can be remotely operated for long time but they need support from an oceanographic vessel with multiple teams of highly specialized pilots. Vehicles equipped with multiple state-of-art sensors and capable to autonomously plan missions have been deployed in the last ten years and exploited as observers for underwater fauna, seabed, ship wrecks, and so on. On the other hand, underwater operations like object recovery and equipment maintenance are still challenging tasks to be conducted without human supervision since they require object perception and localization with much higher accuracy and robustness, to a degree seldom available in Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV). This thesis reports the study, from design to deployment and evaluation, of a general purpose and configurable platform dedicated to stereo-vision perception in underwater environments. Several aspects related to the peculiar environment characteristics have been taken into account during all stages of system design and evaluation: depth of operation and light conditions, together with water turbidity and external weather, heavily impact on perception capabilities. The vision platform proposed in this work is a modular system comprising off-the-shelf components for both the imaging sensors and the computational unit, linked by a high performance ethernet network bus. The adopted design philosophy aims at achieving high flexibility in terms of feasible perception applications, that should not be as limited as in case of a special-purpose and dedicated hardware. Flexibility is required by the variability of underwater environments, with water conditions ranging from clear to turbid, light backscattering varying with daylight and depth, strong color distortion, and other environmental factors. Furthermore, the proposed modular design ensures an easier maintenance and update of the system over time. Performance of the proposed system, in terms of perception capabilities, has been evaluated in several underwater contexts taking advantage of the opportunity offered by the MARIS national project. Design issues like energy power consumption, heat dissipation and network capabilities have been evaluated in different scenarios. Finally, real-world experiments, conducted in multiple and variable underwater contexts, including open sea waters, have led to the collection of several datasets that have been publicly released to the scientific community. The vision system has been integrated in a state of the art AUV equipped with a robotic arm and gripper, and has been exploited in the robot control loop to successfully perform underwater grasping operations.

Design and development of an agent-based information system for process improvement

To meet changing needs of customers and to survive in the increasingly globalised and competitive environment, it is necessary for companies to equip themselves with intelligent tools, thereby enabling managerial levels to use the tactical decision in a better way. However, the implementation of an intelligent system is always a challenge in Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Therefore, a new and simple approach with 'process rethinking' ability is proposed to generate ongoing process improvements over time. In this paper, a roadmap of the development of an agent-based information system is described. A case example has also been provided to show how the system can assist non-specialists, for example, managers and engineers to make right decisions for a continual process improvement. Copyright © 2006 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

The design of a real-time nowcasting system for localised weather

National meteorological offices are largely concerned with synoptic-scale forecasting where weather predictions are produced for a whole country for 24 hours ahead. In practice, many local organisations (such as emergency services, construction industries, forestry, farming, and sports) require only local short-term, bespoke, weather predictions and warnings. This thesis shows that the less-demanding requirements do not require exceptional computing power and can be met by a modern, desk-top system which monitors site-specific ground conditions (such as temperature, pressure, wind speed and direction, etc) augmented with above ground information from satellite images to produce `nowcasts'. The emphasis in this thesis has been towards the design of such a real-time system for nowcasting. Local site-specific conditions are monitored using a custom-built, stand alone, Motorola 6809 based sub-system. Above ground information is received from the METEOSAT 4 geo-stationary satellite using a sub-system based on a commercially available equipment. The information is ephemeral and must be captured in real-time. The real-time nowcasting system for localised weather handles the data as a transparent task using the limited capabilities of the PC system. Ground data produces a time series of measurements at a specific location which represents the past-to-present atmospheric conditions of the particular site from which much information can be extracted. The novel approach adopted in this thesis is one of constructing stochastic models based on the AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) technique. The satellite images contain features (such as cloud formations) which evolve dynamically and may be subject to movement, growth, distortion, bifurcation, superposition, or elimination between images. The process of extracting a weather feature, following its motion and predicting its future evolution involves algorithms for normalisation, partitioning, filtering, image enhancement, and correlation of multi-dimensional signals in different domains. To limit the processing requirements, the analysis in this thesis concentrates on an `area of interest'. By this rationale, only a small fraction of the total image needs to be processed, leading to a major saving in time. The thesis also proposes an extention to an existing manual cloud classification technique for its implementation in automatically classifying a cloud feature over the `area of interest' for nowcasting using the multi-dimensional signals.

Designing a methodology for an office communication and information system:for executives in the Malaysian public sector : the Prime Minister's office

Modern managers are under tremendous pressure in attempting to fulfil a profoundly complex managerial task, that of handling information resources. Information management, an intricate process requiring a high measure of human cognition and discernment, involves matching a manager's lack of information processing capacity against his information needs, with voluminous information at his disposal. The nature of the task will undoubtedly become more complex in the case of a large organisation. Management of large-scale organisations is therefore an exceedingly challenging prospect for any manager to be faced with. A system that supports executive information needs will help reduce managerial and informational mismatches. In the context of the Malaysian public sector, the task of overall management lies with the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. The Prime Minister's Office is presently supporting the Prime Minister's information and managerial needs, although not without various shortcomings. The rigid formalised structure predominant of the Malaysian public sector, so opposed to dynamic treatment of problematic issues as faced by that sector, further escalates the managerial and organisational problem of coping with a state of complexity. The principal features of the research are twofold: the development of a methodology for diagnosing the problem organisation' and the design of an office system. The methodological development is done in the context of the Malaysian public sector, and aims at understanding the complexity of its communication and control situation. The outcome is a viable model of the public sector. `Design', on the other hand, is developing a syntax or language for office systems which provides an alternative to current views on office systems. The design is done with reference to, rather than for, the Prime Minister's Office. The desirable outcome will be an office model called Office Communication and Information System (OCIS).

The application of computerised modelling techniques in manufacturing system design

The absence of a definitive approach to the design of manufacturing systems signifies the importance of a control mechanism to ensure the timely application of relevant design techniques. To provide effective control, design development needs to be continually assessed in relation to the required system performance, which can only be achieved analytically through computer simulation. The technique providing the only method of accurately replicating the highly complex and dynamic interrelationships inherent within manufacturing facilities and realistically predicting system behaviour. Owing to the unique capabilities of computer simulation, its application should support and encourage a thorough investigation of all alternative designs. Allowing attention to focus specifically on critical design areas and enabling continuous assessment of system evolution. To achieve this system analysis needs to efficient, in terms of data requirements and both speed and accuracy of evaluation. To provide an effective control mechanism a hierarchical or multi-level modelling procedure has therefore been developed, specifying the appropriate degree of evaluation support necessary at each phase of design. An underlying assumption of the proposal being that evaluation is quick, easy and allows models to expand in line with design developments. However, current approaches to computer simulation are totally inappropriate to support the hierarchical evaluation. Implementation of computer simulation through traditional approaches is typically characterized by a requirement for very specialist expertise, a lengthy model development phase, and a correspondingly high expenditure. Resulting in very little and rather inappropriate use of the technique. Simulation, when used, is generally only applied to check or verify a final design proposal. Rarely is the full potential of computer simulation utilized to aid, support or complement the manufacturing system design procedure. To implement the proposed modelling procedure therefore the concept of a generic simulator was adopted, as such systems require no specialist expertise, instead facilitating quick and easy model creation, execution and modification, through simple data inputs. Previously generic simulators have tended to be too restricted, lacking the necessary flexibility to be generally applicable to manufacturing systems. Development of the ATOMS manufacturing simulator, however, has proven that such systems can be relevant to a wide range of applications, besides verifying the benefits of multi-level modelling.

Adapting an apprenticeship model to the needs of English-medium education at the tertiary level in Turkey

Despite the difficulties that we have regarding the use of English in tertiary education in Turkey, we argue that it is necessary for those involved to study in the medium of English. Furthermore, significant advances have been made on this front. These efforts have been for the most part language-oriented, but also include research into needs analysis and the pedagogy of team-teaching. Considering the current situation at this level of education, however, there still seems to be more to do. And the question is, what more can we do? What further contribution can we make? Or, how can we take this process further? The purpose of the study reported here is to respond to this last question. We test the proposition that it is possible to take this process further by investigating the efficient management of transition from Turkish-medium to English-medium at the tertiary level of education in Turkey. Beyond what is achieved by only the language orientation of the EAP approach, and moving conceptually deeper than what has been achieved by the team-teaching approach, the research undertaken for the purpose of this study focuses on the idea of the discourse community that people want to belong to. It then pursues an adaptation of the essentially psycho-social approach of apprenticeship, as people become aspirants and apprentices to that discourse community. In this thesis, the researcher recognises that she cannot follow all the way through to the full implementation of her ideas in a fully-taught course. She is not in a position to change the education system. What she does here is to introduce a concept and sample its effects in terms of motivation, and thereby of integration and of success, for individuals and groups of learners. Evaluation is provided by acquiring both qualitative and quantitative data concerning mature members' perceptions of apprenticed-neophytes functioning as members in the new community, apprenticed-neophytes' perceptions of their own membership and of the preparation process undertaken, and the comparison of these neophytes' performance with that of other neophytes in the community. The data obtained provide strong evidence in support of the potential usefulness of this apprenticeship model towards the declared purpose of improving the English-medium tertiary education of Turkish students in their chosen fields of study.

A methodology for implementing a decision support system:a small company case study

The importance of non-technical factors in the design and implementation of information systems has been increasingly recognised by both researchers and practitioners, and recent literature highlights the need for new tools and techniques with an organisational, rather than technical, focus. The gap between what is technically possible and what is generally practised, is particularly wide in the sales and marketing field. This research describes the design and implementation of a decision support system (DSS) for marketing planning and control in a small, but complex company and examines the nature of the difficulties encountered. An intermediary with functional, rather than technical, expertise is used as a strategy for overcoming these by taking control of the whole of the systems design and implementation cycle. Given the practical nature of the research, an action research approach is adopted with the researcher undertaking this role. This approach provides a detailed case study of what actually happens during the DSS development cycle, allowing the influence of organisational factors to be captured. The findings of the research show how the main focus of the intermediary's role needs to be adapted over the systems development cycle; from coordination and liaison in the pre-design and design stages, to systems champion during the first part of the implementation stage, and finally to catalyst to ensure that the DSS is integrated into the decision-making process. Two practical marketing exercises are undertaken which illustrate the nature of the gap between the provision of information and its use. The lack of a formal approach to planning and control is shown to have a significant effect on the way the DSS is used and the role of the intermediary is extended successfully to accommodate this factor. This leads to the conclusion that for the DSS to play a fully effective role, small firms may need to introduce more structure into their marketing planning, and that the role of the intermediary, or Information Coordinator, should include the responsibility for introducing new techniques and ideas to aid with this.

Decision support system for spare parts warehousing

Spare parts warehousing decision-making plays an important role in today's manufacturing industry as it derives an optimum inventory policy for the organizations. Previous research on spare parts warehousing decision-making did not deal with the problem holistically considering all the subjective and objective criteria of operational and strategic needs of the manufacturing companies in the process industry. This study reviews current relevant literature and develops a conceptual framework (an integrated group decision support system) for selecting the most effective warehousing option for the process industry using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The framework has been applied to a multinational cement manufacturing company in the UK. Three site visits, eight formal interviews, and several discussions have been undertaken with personnel of the organization, many of which have more than 20 years of experience, in order to apply the proposed decision support system (DSS). Subsequently, the DSS has been validated through a questionnaire survey in order to establish its usefulness, effectiveness for warehousing decision-making, and the possibility of adoption. The proposed DSS is an integrated framework for selecting the best warehousing option for business excellence in any manufacturing organization.

Low-cost fully integrated fiber Bragg grating interrogation system

Fiber Bragg gratings can be used for monitoring different parameters in a wide variety of materials and constructions. The interrogation of fiber Bragg gratings traditionally consists of an expensive and spacious peak tracking or spectrum analyzing unit which needs to be deployed outside the monitored structure. We present a dynamic low-cost interrogation system for fiber Bragg gratings which can be integrated with the fiber itself, limiting the fragile optical in- and outcoupling interfaces and providing a compact, unobtrusive driving and read-out unit. The reported system is based on an embedded Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) which is tuned dynamically at 1 kHz and an embedded photodiode. Fiber coupling is provided through a dedicated 45° micromirror yielding a 90° in-the-plane coupling and limiting the total thickness of the fiber coupled optoelectronic package to 550 µm. The red-shift of the VCSEL wavelength is providing a full reconstruction of the spectrum with a range of 2.5 nm. A few-mode fiber with fiber Bragg gratings at 850 nm is used to prove the feasibility of this low-cost and ultra-compact interrogation approach.

A strategic activity model of Enterprise System implementation and use:scaffolding fluidity

This paper builds on a Strategic Activity Framework (Jarzabkowski, 2005) and activity based theories of development (Vygotsky, 1978) to model how Enterprise Systems are used to support emerging strategy. It makes three contributions. Firstly, it links fluidity and extensiveness of system use to patterns of strategising. Fluidity - the ability to change system use as needs change - is supported by interactive strategising, where top managers communicate directly with the organisation. Extensiveness requires procedural strategising, embedding system use in structures and routines. Secondly, it relates interactive and procedural strategising to the importance of the system - procedural strategising is more likely to occur if the system is strategically important. Thirdly, using a scaffolding metaphor it identifies patterns in the activities of top managers and Enterprise System custodians, who identify process champions within the organisational community, orient them towards system goals, provide guided support, and encourage fluidity through pacing implementation with learning.© 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.