Security and the War on Terror

The terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 marked a turning point in international politics, representing a new type of threat that could not easily be anticipated or prevented through state-based structures of security alone. Opening up interdisciplinary conversations between strategic, economic, ethical and legal approaches to global terrorism, this edited book recognises a fundamental issue: while major crises initially tend to reinforce old thinking and behavioural patterns, they also allow societies to challenge and overcome entrenched habits, thereby creating the foundations for a new and perhaps more peaceful future. This volume addresses the issues that are at stake in this dual process of political closure, and therefore rethinks how states can respond to terrorist threats. The contributors range from leading conceptual theorists to policy-oriented analysts, from senior academics to junior researchers. The book explores how terrorism has had a profound impact on how security is being understood and implemented, and uses a range of hitherto neglected sources of insight, such as those between political, economic, legal and ethical factors, to examine the nature and meaning of security in a rapidly changing world.

Small firms and health and safety harmonisation : potential regulatory effects of a dominant narrative

Small firms are popularly viewed as resistant to complying with regulation. Harmonisation of Australia’s state-based work health and safety regimes is a significant regulatory change. In this article, we consider the likely responses of small firms to work health and safety harmonisation and argue that a range of choices are open to small firm owner-managers. These choices are shaped by individuals’ world views and are influenced by elements in the firms’ context. A significant element is the public narrative of work health and safety harmonisation, which can be understood by using discourse and sense-making concepts. Our analysis of small firm owner-manager choices takes into account small firms’ embeddedness in their regulatory context and the influence on organisational decision-making of the narrative of work health and safety harmonisation. The dominant narrative is arguably silent on the benefits of the work health and safety regulatory change and therefore the response of small firms is likely to be avoidance or minimalism. Non-compliance could be the result due to poor awareness of opportunities arising from this regulatory change.

Going through the obstruction, the Torrens System Assurance Fund and contemporary solutions : a tale weaved from a story of a nun, a romantic triangle and sibling corruption

Private title insurance has been the subject of much debate by law reform bodies and academics. This article adds a new dimension to the discussion by analysing its role against a recent scenario where a nun was betrayed by the actions of her brother, and compensation payable from the assurance fund, after much challenge by the registrar, amounted to in excess of $4 million.We ask whether the slow burning of title insurance into the psyche of Australian home purchasers will see state-based assurance fundings looking to minismise their role in the Torrens system. We also query how the rather more immediate electronic establishment of electronic conveyancing will alter the balance between the assurance fund, private title insurance and the increasing responsibilities on stakeholdes involved in conveyancing.

Faster parameter estimation using risk-sensitive filters

In this paper, we propose a risk-sensitive approach to parameter estimation for hidden Markov models (HMMs). The parameter estimation approach considered exploits estimation of various functions of the state, based on model estimates. We propose certain practical suboptimal risk-sensitive filters to estimate the various functions of the state during transients, rather than optimal risk-neutral filters as in earlier studies. The estimates are asymptotically optimal, if asymptotically risk neutral, and can give significantly improved transient performance, which is a very desirable objective for certain engineering applications. To demonstrate the improvement in estimation simulation studies are presented that compare parameter estimation based on risk-sensitive filters with estimation based on risk-neutral filters.

The Healthy Living after Cancer Partnership Project [Conference Abstract]

There is considerable evidence for the efficacy of physical activity, diet and weight loss interventions in improving health outcomes for cancer survivors, but limited uptake into practice. Healthy Living after Cancer (HLaC) is an evidence-based, telephone-delivered lifestyle intervention targeting cancer survivors. This paper describes the translation of HLaC into practice in partnership with Australian state-based Cancer Councils.

Innovation in Road Building: Removing Obstacles for Diffusion of Novel Building Products

How can obstacles to innovation be overcome in road construction? Using a focus group methodology, and based on two prior rounds of empirical work, the analysis in this chapter generates a set of four key solutions to two main construction innovation obstacles: (1) restrictive tender assessment and (2) disagreement over who carries the risk of new product failure. The four key solutions uncovered were: 1) pre-project product certification; 2) past innovation performance assessment; 3) earlier involvement of product suppliers and road asset operators; and 4) performance-based specifications. Additional research is suggested in order to illicit deeper insights into possible solutions to construction innovation obstacles, and should emphasise furthering the theoretical interpretation of empirical phenomena.

Variation in health care-associated infection surveillance practices in Australia

In the absence of a national health care-associated infection surveillance program in Australia, differences between existing state-based programs were explored using an online survey. Only 51% of respondents who undertake surveillance have been trained, fewer than half perform surgical site infection surveillance prospectively, and only 41% indicated they risk adjust surgical site infection data. Wide- spread variation of surveillance methods highlights future challenges when considering the development and implementation of a national program in Australia.

Specialisation versus special interest: The Australian podiatry experience

Background Ensuring efficient and effective delivery of health care to an ageing population has been a major driver for a review of the health workforce in Australia. As part of this process a National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS) has evolved with one goal being to improve workforce flexibility within a nationally consistent model of governance. In addition to increased flexibility, there have been discussions about maintaining standards and the role of specialisation. This study aims to explore the association between practitioners’ self-perceptions about their special interest in musculoskeletal, diabetes related and podopaediatric foot care and the actual podiatry services they deliver in Australia. Methods A cross sectional on-line survey was administered on behalf of the Australasian Podiatry Council and its’ state based member associations. Self-reported data were collected over a 3-week interval and captured information about the practitioners by gender, years of clinical experience, area of work by state, work setting, and location. For those participants that identified with an area of special interest or specialty, further questions were asked regarding support for the area of special interest through education, and activities performed in treating patients in the week prior to survey completion. Queensland University of Technology Human Research Ethics approval was sought and confirmed exemption from review. Results 218 podiatrists participated in the survey. Participants were predominately female and worked in private practices. The largest area of personal interest by the podiatrists was related to the field of musculoskeletal podiatry (n = 65), followed closely by diabetes foot care (n = 61), and a third area identified was in the management of podopaediatric conditions (n = 26). Conclusions Health workforce reform in Australia is in part being managed by the federal government with a goal to meet the health care needs of Australians into the future. The recognition of a specialty registration of podiatric surgery and endorsement for scheduled medicines was established with this workforce reform in mind. Addition of new subspecialties may be indicated based on professional development, to maintain high standards and meet community expectations.

Grey Mackerel (Scomberomorus semifasciatus) microsatellite genotypes (nine loci) representing twelve regions along Australia's northern coastline from the eastern coast of Queensland to the western coast of Western Australia.

Scomberomorus semifasciatus is an Australian endemic found in tropical, coastal waters from eastern to western Australia. Commercial and recreational exploitation is common and regulated by state-based authorities. This study used mitochondrial DNA sequence and microsatellite markers to elucidate the population structure of Scomberomorus semifasciatus collected from twelve, equidistant sampling locations. Samples (n=544) were genotyped with nine microsatellite loci, and 353 were sequenced for d-loop (384 bp) and ATP (800bp) mitochondrial DNA gene regions. Combined interpretation of microsatellite and mtDNA data identified four genetic stocks of S. semifasciatus: Western Australia, northwest coast of the Northern Territory, Gulf of Carpentaria and the east coast of Queensland. Connectivity among stocks across northern Australia from the Northern Territory to the east coast of Queensland was high, but in contrast, there was a clear genetic break between populations in Western Australia compared to the rest of northern Australia. This indicates a restriction to gene flow possibly associated with suboptimal habitat along the Kimberley coast (northwestern Australia). The appropriate scale of management for this species corresponds to the jurisdictions of the three Australian states, except that the Gulf of Carpentaria stock should be co-managed by authorities in Queensland and Northern Territory.

Estimation Of Properties Of Rare-Gas Solids From Compression Characteristics Of Closed-Shell Ions

We present a unified approach to repulsion in ionic and van der Waals solids based on a compressible-ion/atom model. Earlier studies have shown that repulsion in ionic crystals can be viewed as arising from the compression energy of ions, described by two parameters per ion. Here we obtain the compression parameters of the rare-gas atoms Ne. Ar. Kr and Xe by interpolation using the known parameters of related equi-electronic ions (e.g. Ar from S2-. Cl-, K- and Ca2-). These parameters fit the experimental zero-temperature interatomic distances and compressibilities of the rare-gas crystals satisfactorily. A hightemperature equation of state based on an Einstein model of thermal motions is used to calculate the thermal expansivities, compressibilities and their temperature derivatives for Ar. Kr and Xe. It is argued that an instability at higher temperatures represents the limit to which the solid can be superheated. beyond which sublimation must occur.

Evaluation of a workplace alcohol and other drug policy

BACKGROUND The current impetus for developing alcohol and/or other drugs (AODs) workplace policies in Australia is to reduce workplace AOD impairment, improve safety, and prevent AOD-related injury in the workplace. For these policies to be effective, they need to be informed by scientific evidence. Evidence to inform the development and implementation of effective workplace AOD policies is currently lacking. There does not currently appear to be conclusive evidence for the effectiveness of workplace AOD policies in reducing impairment and preventing AOD-related injury. There is also no apparent evidence regarding which factors facilitate or impede the success of an AOD policy, or whether, for example, unsuccessful policy outcomes were due to poor policy or merely poor implementation of the policy. It was the aim of this research to undertake a process, impact, and outcome evaluation of a workplace AOD policy, and to contribute to the body of knowledge on the development and implementation of effective workplace AOD policies. METHODS The research setting was a state-based power-generating industry in Australia between May 2008 and May 2010. Participants for the process evaluation study were individuals who were integral to either the development or the implementation of the workplace AOD policy, or both of these processes (key informants), and comprised the majority of individuals who were involved in the process of developing and/or implementing the workplace AOD policy. The sample represented the two main groups of interest—management and union delegates/employee representatives—from all three of the participating organisations. For the impact and outcome evaluation studies, the population included all employees from the three participating organisations, and participants were all employees who consented to participate in the study and who completed both the pre-and post-policy implementation questionnaires. Qualitative methods in the form of interviews with key stakeholders were used to evaluate the process of developing and implementing the workplace AOD policy. In order to evaluate the impact of the policy with regard to the risk factors for workplace AOD impairment, and the outcome of the policy in terms of reducing workplace AOD impairment, quantitative methods in the form of a non-randomised single group pre- and post-test design were used. Changes from Time 1 (pre) to Time 2 (post) in the risk factors for workplace AOD impairment, and changes in the behaviour of interest—(self-reported) workplace AOD impairment—were measured. An integration of the findings from the process, impact, and outcome evaluation studies was undertaken using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. RESULTS For the process evaluation study Study respondents indicated that their policy was developed in the context of comparable industries across Australia developing workplace AOD policies, and that this was mainly out of concern for the deleterious health and safety impacts of workplace AOD impairment. Results from the process evaluation study also indicated that in developing and implementing the workplace AOD policy, there were mainly ‗winners', in terms of health and safety in the workplace. While there were some components of the development and implementation of the policy that were better done than others, and the process was expensive and took a long time, there were, overall, few unanticipated consequences to implementing the policy and it was reported to be thorough and of a high standard. Findings also indicated that overall the policy was developed and implemented according to best-practice in that: consultation during the policy development phase (with all the main stakeholders) was extensive; the policy was comprehensive; there was universal application of the policy to all employees; changes in the workplace (with regard to the policy) were gradual; and, the policy was publicised appropriately. Furthermore, study participants' responses indicated that the role of an independent external expert, who was trusted by all stakeholders, was integral to the success of the policy. For the impact and outcome evaluation studies Notwithstanding the limitations of pre- and post-test study designs with regard to attributing cause to the intervention, the findings from the impact evaluation study indicated that following policy implementation, statistically significant positive changes with regard to workplace AOD impairment were recorded for the following variables (risk factors for workplace AOD impairment): Knowledge; Attitudes; Perceived Behavioural Control; Perceptions of the Certainty of being punished for coming to work impaired by AODs; Perceptions of the Swiftness of punishment for coming to work impaired by AODs; and Direct and Indirect Experience with Punishment Avoidance for workplace AOD impairment. There were, however, no statistically significant positive changes following policy implementation for Behavioural Intentions, Subjective Norms, and Perceptions of the Severity of punishment for workplace AOD impairment. With regard to the outcome evaluation, there was a statistically significant reduction in self-reported workplace AOD impairment following the implementation of the policy. As with the impact evaluation, these findings need to be interpreted in light of the limitations of the study design in being able to attribute cause to the intervention alone. The findings from the outcome evaluation study also showed that while a positive change in self-reported workplace AOD impairment following implementation of the policy did not appear to be related to gender, age group, or employment type, it did appear to be related to levels of employee general alcohol use, cannabis use, site type, and employment role. Integration of the process, impact, and outcome evaluation studies There appeared to be qualitative support for the relationship between the process of developing and implementing the policy, and the impact of the policy in changing the risk factors for workplace AOD impairment. That is, overall the workplace AOD policy was developed and implemented well and, following its implementation, there were positive changes in the majority of measured risk factors for workplace AOD impairment. Quantitative findings lend further support for a relationship between the process and impact of the policy, in that there was a statistically significant association between employee perceived fidelity of the policy (related to the process of the policy) and positive changes in some risk factors for workplace AOD impairment (representing the impact of the policy). Findings also indicated support for the relationship between the impact of the policy in changing the risk factors for workplace AOD impairment and the outcome of the policy in reducing workplace AOD impairment: positive changes in the risk factors for workplace AOD impairment (impact) were related to positive changes in self reported workplace AOD impairment (representing the main goal and outcome of the policy). CONCLUSIONS The findings from the research indicate support for the conclusion that the policy was appropriately implemented and that it achieved its objectives and main goal. The Doctoral research findings also addressed a number of gaps in the literature on workplace AOD impairment, namely: the likely effectiveness of AOD policies for reducing AOD impairment in the workplace, which factors in the development and implementation of a workplace AOD policy are likely to facilitate or impede the effectiveness of the policy to reduce workplace AOD impairment, and which employee groups are less likely to respond well to policies of this type. The findings from this research not only represent an example of translational, applied research—through the evaluation of the study industry's policy—but also add to the body of knowledge on workplace AOD policies and provide policy-makers with evidence which may be useful in the development and implementation of effective workplace AOD policies. Importantly, the findings espouse the importance of scientific evidence in the development, implementation, and evaluation of workplace AOD policies.

Complimentary collaborations: Teachers and researchers co-developing best practices in art education

Australia is currently experiencing a huge cultural shift as it moves from a State-based curriculum, to a national education system. The Australian State-based bodies that currently manage teacher registration, teacher education course accreditation, curriculum frameworks and syllabi are often complex organisations that hold conflicting ideologies about education and teaching. The development of a centralised system, complete with a single accreditation body and a national curriculum can be seen as a reaction to this complexity. At the time of writing, the Australian Curriculum is being rolled out in staggered phases across the states and territories of Australia. Phase one has been implemented, introducing English, Mathematics, History and Science. Subsequent phases (Humanities and Social Sciences, the Arts, Technologies, Health and Physical Education, Languages, and year 9-10 work studies) are intended to follow. Forcing an educational shift of this magnitude is no simple task; not least because the States and Territories have and continue to demonstrate varying levels of resistance to winding down their own curricula in favour of new content with its unfamiliar expectations and organisations. The full implementation process is currently far from over, and far from being fully resolved. The Federal Government has initiated a number of strategies to progress the implementation, such as the development of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) to aid professional educators to implement the new curriculum. AITSL worked with professional and peak specialist bodies to develop Illustrations of Practice (hereafter IoP) for teachers to access and utilise. This paper tells of the building of one IoP, where a graduate teacher and a university lecturer collaborated to construct ideas and strategies to deliver visual arts lessons to early childhood students in a low Socio- Economic Status [SES] regional setting and discusses the experience in terms of its potential for professional learning in art education.

Building economic capability to improve the management of marine resources in Australia: Final report

FRDC project 2008/306 Building economic capability to improve the management of marine resources in Australia was developed and approved in response to the widespread recognition and acknowledgement of the importance of incorporating economic considerations into marine management in Australia and of the persistent undersupply of suitably trained and qualified individuals capable of providing this input. The need to address this shortfall received broad based support and following widespread stakeholder consultation and building on previous unsuccessful State-based initiatives, a collaborative, cross-jurisdictional cross-institutional capability building model was developed. The resulting project sits within the People Development Program as part of FRDC’s ‘investment in RD&E to develop the capabilities of the people to whom the industry entrusts its future’, and has addressed its objectives largely through three core activities: 1. The Fisheries Economics Graduate Research Training Program which provides research training in fisheries/marine economics through enrolment in postgraduate higher degree studies at the three participating Universities; 2. The Fisheries Economics Professional Training Program which aims to improve the economic literacy of non-economist marine sector stakeholders and was implemented in collaboration with the Seafood Cooperative Research Centre through the Future Harvest Masterclass in Fisheries Economics; and, 3. The Australian Fisheries Economics Network (FishEcon) which aims to strengthen research in the area of fisheries economics by creating a forum in which fisheries economists, fisheries managers and Ph.D. students can share research ideas and results, as well as news of upcoming research opportunities and events. These activities were undertaken by a core Project team, comprising economic researchers and teachers from each of the four participating institutions (namely the University of Tasmania, the University of Adelaide, Queensland University of Technology and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation), spanning three States and the Commonwealth. The Project team reported to and was guided by a project Steering Committee. Commensurate with the long term nature of the project objectives and some of its activities the project was extended (without additional resources) in 2012 to 30th June 2015.

Kinetics and the Mechanism of Interaction of the Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone, Calreticulin, with Monoglucosylated (Glc1Man9GlcNAc2) Substrate

Calreticulin is a lectin-like molecular chaperone of the endoplasmic reticulum in eukaryotes. Its interaction with N-glycosylated polypeptides is mediated by the glycan, Glc(1)Man(9)GlcNAc(2), present on the target glycoproteins. In this work, binding of monoglucosyl IgG (chicken) substrate to calreticulin has been studied using real time association kinetics of the interaction with the biosensor based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR). By SPR, accurate association and dissociation rate constants were determined, and these yielded a micromolar association constant. The nature of reaction was unaffected by immobilization of either of the reactants. The Scatchard analysis values for K-a agreed web crith the one obtained by the ratio k(1)/k(-1). The interaction was completely inhibited by free oligosaccharide, Glc(1)Man(9)GlcNAc(2), whereas Man(9)GlcNAc(2) did not bind to the calreticulin-substrate complex, attesting to the exquisite specificity of this interaction. The binding of calreticulin to IgG was used for the development of immunoassay and the relative affinity of the lectin-substrate association was indirectly measured. The values are in agreement with those obtained with SPR. Although the reactions are several orders of magnitude slower than the diffusion controlled processes, the data are qualitatively and quantitatively consistent with single-step bimolecular association and dissociation reaction. Analyses of the activation parameters indicate that reaction is enthalpically driven and does not involve a highly ordered transition state. Based on these data, the mechanism of its chaperone activity is briefly discussed.

Two bracketing schemes for the Penn Treebank

The trees in the Penn Treebank have a standard representation that involves complete balanced bracketing. In this article, an alternative for this standard representation of the tree bank is proposed. The proposed representation for the trees is loss-less, but it reduces the total number of brackets by 28%. This is possible by omitting the redundant pairs of special brackets that encode initial and final embedding, using a technique proposed by Krauwer and des Tombe (1981). In terms of the paired brackets, the maximum nesting depth in sentences decreases by 78%. The 99.9% coverage is achieved with only five non-top levels of paired brackets. The observed shallowness of the reduced bracketing suggests that finite-state based methods for parsing and searching could be a feasible option for tree bank processing.