Physical, chemical, biological and ecotoxicological properties of wastewater discharged from Davis Station, Antarctica

The properties and toxicity of untreatedwastewater at Davis Station, East Antarctica,were investigated to inform decisions regarding the appropriate level of treatment for local discharge purposes and more generally, to better understand the risk associated with dispersal and impact of wastewaters in Antarctica. Suspended solids, nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus), biological oxygen demand (BOD), metals, organic contaminants, surfactants and microbiological load were measured at various locations throughout the wastewater discharge system. Wastewater quality and properties varied greatly between buildings on station, each ofwhich has separate holding tanks. Nutrients, BOD and settleable solid levelswere higher than standard municipal wastewaters. Microbiological loads were typical of untreated wastewater. Contaminants detected in the wastewater included metals and persistent organic compounds, mainly polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The toxicity of wastewater was also investigated in laboratory bioassays using two local Antarctic marine invertebrates, the amphipod Paramoera walkeri and the microgastropod Skenella paludionoides. Animals were exposed to a range of wastewater concentrations from3% to 68% (test 1) or 63% (test 2) over 21 days with survival monitored daily. Significant mortality occurred in all concentrations of wastewater after 14 to 21 days, and at higher concentrations (50–68% wastewater) mortality occurred after only one day. Results indicate that the local receiving marine environment at Davis Station is at risk from existing wastewater discharges, and that advanced treatment is required both to remove contaminants shown to cause toxicity to biota, as well as to reduce the environmental risks associated with non-native micro-organisms in wastewater.

The impact of relaxing music on insomnia-related thoughts and behaviours

Insomnia is a pervasive problem involving poor sleep quality and quantity. Previous research has suggested that music listening can help alleviate insomnia, but exactly how music helps sleep problems has not been determined. A greater understanding of these processes could help practitioners to design more effective music-based insomnia treatments. This randomised controlled trial was designed to assess the influences of nightly music listening on the sleep-related thoughts and behaviours described in Harvey’s (2002) cognitive model of insomnia maintenance. University students, including a range of good and poor sleepers, were randomly assigned to a music listening group or a control group and were assessed before and after a two-week music listening intervention. Measures included a range of self-report scales, each assessing an element of Harvey’s cognitive model. During the intervention, the music listening group was asked to listen to provided music for at least 20 minutes each night. The control group was asked to maintain their regular nightly routines. Results indicated that the music listening group significantly improved on most of the factors theorised to influence sleep quality, although their actual sleep quality did not significantly improve. The control group did not change significantly on any measures. The results of this study suggest that music listening can have positive impacts on a range of factors theorised to influence sleep quality. However, as the music was not shown to actually improve sleep quality, Harvey’s cognitive model explanation of music’s effect on sleep quality may require further investigation.

Power quality improvements in low voltage distribution networks containing distributed energy resources

In this thesis various schemes using custom power devices for power quality improvement in low voltage distribution network are studied. Customer operated distributed generators makes a typical network non-radial and affect the power quality. A scheme considering different algorithm of DSTATCOM is proposed for power circulation and islanded operation of the system. To compensate reactive power overflow and facilitate unity power factor, a UPQC is introduced. Stochastic analysis is carried out for different scenarios to get a comprehensive idea about a real life distribution network. Combined operation of static compensator and voltage regulator is tested for the optimum quality and stability of the system.

Simultaneous underwater visibility assessment, enhancement and improved stereo

Vision-based underwater navigation and obstacle avoidance demands robust computer vision algorithms, particularly for operation in turbid water with reduced visibility. This paper describes a novel method for the simultaneous underwater image quality assessment, visibility enhancement and disparity computation to increase stereo range resolution under dynamic, natural lighting and turbid conditions. The technique estimates the visibility properties from a sparse 3D map of the original degraded image using a physical underwater light attenuation model. Firstly, an iterated distance-adaptive image contrast enhancement enables a dense disparity computation and visibility estimation. Secondly, using a light attenuation model for ocean water, a color corrected stereo underwater image is obtained along with a visibility distance estimate. Experimental results in shallow, naturally lit, high-turbidity coastal environments show the proposed technique improves range estimation over the original images as well as image quality and color for habitat classification. Furthermore, the recursiveness and robustness of the technique allows implementation onboard an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle for improving navigation and obstacle avoidance performance.

Napping, development and health from 0 to 5 years : a systematic review

Background Duration and quality of sleep affect child development and health. Encouragement of napping in preschool children has been suggested as a health-promoting strategy. Objectives The aim of this study is to assess evidence regarding the effects of napping on measures of child development and health. Design This study is a systematic review of published, original research articles of any design. Subjects Children aged 0–5 years. Method Electronic database search was performed following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and assessment of research quality was carried out following a Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) protocol. Results Twenty-six articles met inclusion criteria. These were of heterogeneous quality; all had observational designs (GRADE-low). Development and health outcomes included salivary cortisol, night sleep, cognition, behaviour, obesity and accidents. The findings regarding cognition, behaviour and health impacts were inconsistent, probably because of variation in age and habitual napping status of the samples. The most consistent finding was an association between napping and later onset, shorter duration and poorer quality of night sleep, with evidence strongest beyond the age of 2 years. Limitations Studies were not randomised. Most did not obtain data on the children's habitual napping status or the context of napping. Many were reliant on parent report rather than direct observation or physiological measurement of sleep behaviour. Conclusions The evidence indicates that beyond the age of 2 years napping is associated with later night sleep onset and both reduced sleep quality and duration. The evidence regarding behaviour, health and cognition is less certain. There is a need for more systematic studies that use stronger designs. In preschool children presenting with sleep problems clinicians should investigate napping patterns.

Numerical investigation of case hardening of plant tissue during dying and its influence on the cellular level shrinkage

Dried plant food materials are one of the major contributors to the global food industry. Widening the fundamental understanding on different mechanisms of food material alterations during drying assists the development of novel dried food products and processing techniques. In this regard, case hardening is an important phenomenon, commonly observed during the drying processes of plant food materials, which significantly influences the product quality and process performance. In this work, a recent meshfree-based numerical model of the authors is further improved and used to simulate the influence of case hardening on shrinkage characteristics of plant tissues during drying. In order to model fluid and wall mechanisms in each cell, Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) and the Discrete Element Method (DEM) are used. The model is fundamentally more capable of simulating large deformation of multiphase materials, when compared with conventional grid-based modelling techniques such as Finite Element Methods (FEM) or Finite Difference Methods (FDM). Case hardening is implemented by maintaining distinct moisture levels in the different cell layers of a given tissue. In order to compare and investigate different factors influencing tissue deformations under case hardening, four different plant tissue varieties (apple, potato, carrot and grape) are studied. The simulation results indicate that the inner cells of any given tissue undergo limited shrinkage and cell wall wrinkling compared to the case hardened outer cell layers of the tissues. When comparing unique deformation characteristics of the different tissues, irrespective of the normalised moisture content, the cell size, cell fluid turgor pressure and cell wall characteristics influence the tissue response to case hardening.

Patient engagement: What and who is it good for?

A huge and diverse literature emphasises that patient engagement is a key factor in: effective health service delivery; quality and safety; responsive health services; patient satisfaction; improved health outcomes; and reduced health care costs. Yet there are also cautionary caveats regarding this discourse. Additionally, although contemporary recommendations regarding good practice and National Health Standards point to the importance of patient engagement and health service providers are striving to implement them in practice, on the ground patient engagement is ‘all things to all people’ with widespread confusion about what patient engagement is and how it could be facilitated. In terms of scholarship, there is a dearth of theoretical and critical examination of what patient engagement constitutes, its application and effects. This analysis aims to contribute to scholarly debate and increased understanding of the use of patient engagement in health policy and practice.

A theoretical approach to conceptualize information quality in social media

While organizations strive to leverage the vast information generated daily from social media platforms, and decision makers are keen to identify and exploit its value, the quality of this information remains uncertain. Past research on information quality criteria and evaluation issues in social media is largely disparate, incomparable and lacking any common theoretical basis. In attention to this gap, this study adapts existing guidelines and exemplars of construct conceptualization in information systems research, to deductively define information quality and related criteria in the social media context. Building on a notion of information derived from semiotic theory, this paper suggests a general conceptualization of information quality in the social media context that can be used in future research to develop more context specific conceptual models.

Comparing the effect of inadequate documentation to the cost management and tendering processes in managing contractor and fixed lump sum contracts in Australia

Purpose of this paper This research aims to examine the effects of inadequate documentation to the cost management & tendering processes in Managing Contractor Contracts using Fixed Lump Sum as a benchmark. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey was conducted with industry practitioners to solicit their views on documentation quality issues associated with the construction industry. This is followed by a series of semi-structured interviews with a purpose of validating survey findings. Findings and value The results showed that documentation quality remains a significant issue, contributing to the industries inefficiency and poor reputation. The level of satisfaction for individual attributes of documentation quality varies. Attributes that do appear to be affected by the choice of procurement method include coordination, build ability, efficiency, completeness and delivery time. Similarly the use and effectiveness of risk mitigation techniques appears to vary between the methods, based on a number of factors such as documentation completeness, early involvement, fast tracking etc. Originality/value of paper This research fills the gap of existing body of knowledge in terms of limited studies on the choice of a project procurement system has an influence on the documentation quality and the level of impact. Conclusions Ultimately research concludes that the entire project team including the client and designers should carefully consider the individual projects requirements and compare those to the trade-offs associated with documentation quality and the procurement method. While documentation quality is definitely an issue to be improved upon, by identifying the projects performance requirements a procurement method can be chosen to maximise the likelihood that those requirements will be met. This allows the aspects of documentation quality considered most important to the individual project to be managed appropriately.

A systematic review of interventions to enhance medication adherence in children and adolescents with chronic illness

Introduction Poor medication adherence is common in children and adolescents with chronic illness, but there is uncertainty about the best way to enhance medication adherence in this group. The authors conducted a systematic review of controlled trials examining interventions that aim to improve medication adherence. Method A comprehensive literature search was undertaken to locate controlled trials that described specific interventions aiming to improve adherence to long-term medication, where participants were aged 18 years and under, medication adherence was reported as an outcome measure, and which could be implemented by individual health practitioners. Studies were reviewed for quality and outcome. Results 17 studies met inclusion criteria: seven studies examined educational strategies, seven studies examined behavioural interventions and three studies examined educational intervention combined with other forms of psychological therapies. Only two of seven studies reported a clear benefit for education on medication adherence, whereas four of seven trials indicated a benefit of behavioural approaches on medication adherence. One trial reported that combining education with behavioural management may be more effective than education alone. Studies which combined education with other non-medication specific psychological interventions failed to demonstrate a beneficial effect on medication adherence. Only two studies examined adherence-promoting interventions in young people with established adherence problems. Conclusion These findings suggest that education interventions alone are insufficient to promote adherence in children and adolescents, and that incorporating a behavioural component to adherence interventions may increase potential efficacy. Future research should examine interventions in high-risk groups.

Submission to KPMG review of the Federal Government Initiative to “analyse dementia program and services funded by the Department of Social Services"

The comments I make are based on my nearly twenty years involvement in the dementia cause at both a national and international level. In preparation, I read two papers namely the Ministerial Dementia Forum – Option Paper produced by KPMG Management Consultants (2014) and Analysis of Dementia Programmes and Services Funded by the Department of Social Services: Conversation Starter prepared by KPMG as a preparation document for those attending a workshop in Brisbane on April 22nd 2015. Dementia is a complex “syndrome” and as is often said, “when you meet one person with dementia, you have met one” meaning that no two persons with dementia are the same. Even in dementia care, Australia is a “lucky country” and there is much to be said for the quality and diversity of dementia care available for people living with dementia. Despite this, I agree with the many views expressed in the material I read that there is scope for improvement, especially in the way that services are coordinated. In saying that, I do not purport to have all the solutions nor claim to have the knowledge required to comment on all the programs covered by this review. If I appear to be a “biased” advocate for Alzheimer’s Australia across the States and Territories, it is because I have seen constant evidence of ordinary people doing extraordinary things with inadequate resources. Dementia care is not cheap and if those funding dementia services are primarily only interested in economic outcomes and benefits, the real purpose of this consultation will be defeated. In addition, nowhere in the material I have read is there any recognition that in many instances program funding is a complex mix of government (at all levels) and private funding. This makes reviewing those programs more complex and less able to be coordinated at a Departmental level. It goes without saying therefore that the Federal Government is not” the only player in this game”. Of all those participating in this review, Alzheimer’s Australia is best placed to comment on programs as it is more connected to people living with dementia and has probably the best record of consulting with them. It would appear however that their role has been reduced to that of a “bit player”. Without wanting to be critical, the Forum Report which deals with the comments made at a gathering of 70 individuals and organisations, only three (3) or 4.28% were actual carers of people living with dementia. Even if it is argued that a number of organisations present represented consumers, the percentage goes up only marginally to 8.57% which is hardly an endorsement of the forum being “consumer driven”. The predominance of those present were service providers, each with their own agenda and each seeking advantage for their “business”. The final point I want to make before commenting on more specific, program related issues, is that many programs being reviewed have a much longer history than is reflected in the material I have read. Their growth and development was pioneered by Alzheimer’s Australia organisations across the country often with no government funding. Attempts to bring about better coordination of programs were often at the behest of Alzheimer’s Australia but in the main were ignored. The opportunity to now put this right is long overdue.

Mobile app rating scale: A new tool for assessing the quality of health mobile apps

Background The use of mobile apps for health and well being promotion has grown exponentially in recent years. Yet, there is currently no app-quality assessment tool beyond “star”-ratings. Objective The objective of this study was to develop a reliable, multidimensional measure for trialling, classifying, and rating the quality of mobile health apps. Methods A literature search was conducted to identify articles containing explicit Web or app quality rating criteria published between January 2000 and January 2013. Existing criteria for the assessment of app quality were categorized by an expert panel to develop the new Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) subscales, items, descriptors, and anchors. There were sixty well being apps that were randomly selected using an iTunes search for MARS rating. There were ten that were used to pilot the rating procedure, and the remaining 50 provided data on interrater reliability. Results There were 372 explicit criteria for assessing Web or app quality that were extracted from 25 published papers, conference proceedings, and Internet resources. There were five broad categories of criteria that were identified including four objective quality scales: engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information quality; and one subjective quality scale; which were refined into the 23-item MARS. The MARS demonstrated excellent internal consistency (alpha = .90) and interrater reliability intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC = .79). Conclusions The MARS is a simple, objective, and reliable tool for classifying and assessing the quality of mobile health apps. It can also be used to provide a checklist for the design and development of new high quality health apps.