Results of the Queensland 2007-2012 roadside drug testing program : the prevalence of three illicit drugs

The purpose of this investigation is to present an overview of roadside drug driving enforcement and detections in Queensland, Australia since the introduction of oral fluid screening. Drug driving is a problematic issue for road safety and investigations of the prevalence and impact of drug driving suggest that, in particular, the use of illicit drugs may increase a driver’s involvement in a road crash when compared to a driver who is drug free. In response to the potential increased crash involvement of drug impaired drivers, Australian police agencies have adopted the use of oral fluid analysis to detect the presence of illicit drugs in drivers. This paper describes the results of roadside drug testing for over 80,000 drivers in Queensland, Australia, from December 2007 to June 2012. It provides unique data on the prevalence of methamphetamine, cannabis and ecstasy in the screened population for the period. When prevalence rates are examined over time, drug driving detection rates have almost doubled from around 2.0% at the introduction of roadside testing operations to just under 4.0% in the latter years. The most common drug type detected was methamphetamine (40.8%) followed by cannabis (29.8%) and methamphetamine/cannabis combination (22.5%). By comparison, the rate of ecstasy detection was very low (1.7%). The data revealed a number of regional, age and gender patterns and variations of drug driving across the state. Younger drivers were more likely to test positive for cannabis whilst older drivers were more likely to test positive for methamphetamine. The overall characteristics of drivers who tested positive to the presence of at least one of the target illicit drugs are they are likely to be male, aged 30-39 years, be driving a car on Friday, Saturday or Sunday between 6:00PM and 6:00AM and to test positive for methamphetamine.

The apps industry

Australian apps developers typify global industry segmentation, varying in function, focus, employment situation and background. They range from freelancers contracted to build apps on demand and venture capital-backed or bootstrapped startups, to specialist app studios and full service digital agencies for whom apps are one among many services that may include web development, marketing, advertising, business strategy, branding and games development.

Cultural Policy

The development of cultural policy during the twentieth century is underscored by three key developments. First, the formation of the Arts Council of Great Britain in 1946, first headed by the Cambridge economist Lord Keynes, saw the scaffolding developed for ongoing government support for the arts. In doing so, it established the principle of an “arm’s length” relationship between the government of the day and individual artists, through the development of independent arts boards engaged in the peer review of creative works. Second, the formation of the Fifth Republic in France in 1958 saw the creation of a Ministry of Culture, headed by the writer André Malraux. Malraux and his successors have seen three major tasks for a national cultural policy: government support for the creation of new artistic and cultural works; the promotion and maintenance of cultural heritage; and enabling equitable access to creative works and creative opportunities through all segments of society. Finally, at a global level, agencies such as UNESCO have sought to promote national cultural policies as an element of national sovereignty, particularly in the developing world, and this has involved addressing sources of structural inequality in the distribution of global cultural and communications resources...

Rapid match-searching for gene silencing assessment

Motivation: Gene silencing, also called RNA interference, requires reliable assessment of silencer impacts. A critical task is to find matches between silencer oligomers and sites in the genome, in accordance with one-to-many matching rules (G-U matching, with provision for mismatches). Fast search algorithms are required to support silencer impact assessments in procedures for designing effective silencer sequences.Results: The article presents a matching algorithm and data structures specialized for matching searches, including a kernel procedure that addresses a Boolean version of the database task called the skyline search. Besides exact matches, the algorithm is extended to allow for the location-specific mismatches applicable in plants. Computational tests show that the algorithm is significantly faster than suffix-tree alternatives. © The Author 2010. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

Implementing open licensing in government open data initiatives : a review of Australian government practice

As support grows for greater access to information and data held by governments, so does awareness of the need for appropriate policy, technical and legal frameworks to achieve the desired economic and societal outcomes. Since the late 2000s numerous international organizations, inter-governmental bodies and governments have issued open government data policies, which set out key principles underpinning access to, and the release and reuse of data. These policies reiterate the value of government data and establish the default position that it should be openly accessible to the public under transparent and non-discriminatory conditions, which are conducive to innovative reuse of the data. A key principle stated in open government data policies is that legal rights in government information must be exercised in a manner that is consistent with and supports the open accessibility and reusability of the data. In particular, where government information and data is protected by copyright, access should be provided under licensing terms which clearly permit its reuse and dissemination. This principle has been further developed in the policies issued by Australian Governments into a specific requirement that Government agencies are to apply the Creative Commons Attribution licence (CC BY) as the default licensing position when releasing government information and data. A wide-ranging survey of the practices of Australian Government agencies in managing their information and data, commissioned by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner in 2012, provides valuable insights into progress towards the achievement of open government policy objectives and the adoption of open licensing practices. The survey results indicate that Australian Government agencies are embracing open access and a proactive disclosure culture and that open licensing under Creative Commons licences is increasingly prevalent. However, the finding that ‘[t]he default position of open access licensing is not clearly or robustly stated, nor properly reflected in the practice of Government agencies’ points to the need to further develop the policy framework and the principles governing information access and reuse, and to provide practical guidance tools on open licensing if the broadest range of government information and data is to be made available for innovative reuse.

Road safety knowledge exchange and capacity building between China and Australia

Road traffic injuries are one of the major public health burdens worldwide. The United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020) implores all nations to work to reduce this burden. This decade represents a unique and historic period of time in the field of road safety. Information exchange and co-operation between nations is an important step in achieving the goal. The burden of road crashes, fatalities and injuries is not equally distributed. We know that low and middle-income countries experience the majority of the road trauma burden. Therefore it is imperative that these countries learn from the successes of others that have developed and implemented road safety laws, public education campaigns and countermeasures over many years and have achieved significant road trauma reductions as a result. China is one of the countries experiencing a large road trauma burden. Vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists make up a large proportion of fatalities and injuries in China. Speeding, impaired/drug driving, distracted driving, vehicle overloading, inadequate road infrastructure, limited use of safety restraints and helmets, and limited road safety training have all been identified as contributing to the problem. Some important steps have been taken to strengthen China’s approach, including increased penalties for drunk driving in May 2011 and increased attention to school bus safety in 2011/12. However, there is still a large amount of work needed to improve the current road safety position in China. This paper provides details of a program to assist with road safety knowledge exchange between China and Australia that was funded by the Australian Government which was undertaken in the latter part of 2012. The four month program provided the opportunity for the first author to work closely with key agencies in Australia that are responsible for policy development and implementation of a broad range of road safety initiatives. In doing so, an in-depth understanding was gained about key road safety strategies in Australia and processes for developing and implementing them. Insights were also gained into the mechanisms used for road safety policy development, implementation and evaluation in several Australian jurisdictions. Road traffic law and enforcement issues were explored with the relevant jurisdictional transport and police agencies to provide a greater understanding of how Chinese laws and practices could be enhanced. Working with agencies responsible for public education and awareness campaigns about road safety in Australia also provided relevant information about how to promote road safety at the broader community level in China. Finally, the program provided opportunities to work closely with several world-renowned Australian research centres and key expert researchers to enhance opportunities for ongoing road safety research in China. The overall program provided the opportunity for the first author to develop knowledge in key areas of road safety strategy development, implementation and management which are directly relevant to the current situation in China. This paper describes some main observations and findings from participation in the program.

The distribution of absorptive capacity among construction supply chain participants

The absorptive capacity of organisations is one of the key drivers of innovation performance in any industry. This research seeks to refine our understanding of the relationship between absorptive capacity and innovation performance, with a focus on characterising the absorptive capacity of the different participant groups within the Australian road industry supply chain. One of the largest and most comprehensive surveys ever undertaken of innovation in road construction was completed in 2011 by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), based on the Australian road industry. The survey of over 200 construction industry participants covered four sectors, comprising suppliers (manufacturers and distributors), consultants (engineering consultants), contractors (head and subcontractors) and clients (state government road agencies). The survey measured the absorptive capacity and innovation activity exhibited by organisations within each of these participant groups, using the perceived importance of addressing innovation obstacles as a proxy for innovation activity. One of the key findings of the survey is about the impact of participant competency on product innovation activity. The survey found that the absorptive capacity of industry participants had a significant and positive relationship with innovation activity. Regarding the distribution of absorptive capacity, the results indicate that suppliers are more likely to have high levels of absorptive capacity than the other participant groups, with 32% of suppliers showing high absorptive capacity, ahead of contractors (18%), consultants (11%), and clients (7%). These results support the findings of previous studies in the literature and suggest the importance of policies to enhance organisational learning, particularly in relation to openness to new product ideas.

Predictors of re-epithelialization in pediatric burn

INTRODUCTION An important treatment goal for burn wounds is to promote early wound closure. This study identifies factors associated with delayed re-epithelialization following pediatric burn. METHODS Data were collected from August 2011 to August 2012, at a pediatric tertiary burn center. A total of 106 burn wounds were analyzed from 77 participants aged 4-12 years. Percentage of wound re-epithelialization at each dressing change was calculated using Visitrak. Mixed effect regression analysis was performed to identify the demographic factors, wound and clinical characteristics associated with delayed re-epithelialization. RESULTS Burn depth determined by laser Doppler imaging, ethnicity, pain scores, total body surface area (TBSA), mechanism of injury and days taken to present to the burn center were significant predictors of delayed re-epithelialization, accounting for 69% of variance. Flame burns delayed re-epithelialization by 39% compared to all other mechanisms (p=0.003). When initial presentation to the burn center was on day 5, burns took an average of 42% longer to re-epithelialize, compared to those who presented on day 2 post burn (p<0.000). Re-epithelialization was delayed by 14% when pain scores were reported as 10 (on the FPS-R), compared to 4 on the first dressing change (p=0.015) for children who did not receive specialized preparation/distraction intervention. A larger TBSA was also a predictor of delayed re-epithelialization (p=0.030). Darker skin complexion re-epithelialized 25% faster than lighter skin complexion (p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS Burn depth, mechanism of injury and TBSA are always considered when developing the treatment and surgical management plan for patients with burns. This study identifies other factors influencing re-epithelialization, which can be controlled by the treating team, such as effective pain management and rapid referral to a specialized burn center, to achieve optimal outcomes.

Implications of comorbidity for clinical practice

In the past, people with comorbidity have often received inadequate care. The ethical principle of equal access to quality services has important implications for agencies, when combined with knowledge about comorbidity and its management, and about diffusion of innovations across organizations. Comorbidity is common, and often has profound impacts on individuals and families. Tobacco smoking in particular is endemic and affects morbidity, mortality, and functioning. This implies that screening for co-occurring problems should be routine, and that a boutique comorbidity service is impractical. Large numbers mean that universal screening and intervention must be capable of large-scale implementation. Since multiple, closely linked problems are often present, treatments should address these multiple issues, and closely interrelated problems will require well-integrated treatment. Involvement of a single health agency is typically needed. Numbers and severity of problems can blind practitioners and patients to strengths and unaffected areas; these should be assessed and fostered. Better policies and practices for co-occurring disorders will require organizational change. Co-occurring disorders must become core business for organizations and practitioners, so that effective comorbidity practice is rewarded, required skills are present or taught, cues to use the practices are provided, and a culture supporting their application is established.

Ocular surface health with contact lens wear

Eye care practitioners (ECPs) would tend to agree that wearing contact lenses increases the risk for infection, but millions of patients are still fitted with lenses every year because ECPs feel that the risk is manageable and that their patients' eye health can be protected. The Fusarium and Acanthamoeba keratitis outbreaks of years past were a wake-up call to manufacturers, ECPs, and regulatory agencies that risk cannot be managed without diligence, and that the complex relationship between contact lens materials, contact lens solutions, and compliance needs to be better understood in order to optimize the efficacy of contact lens care and improve care guidelines.

International survey of rigid contact lens fitting

Purpose To determine the extent of rigid contact lens fitting worldwide and to characterize the associated demographics and fitting patterns. Methods Survey forms were sent to contact lens fitters in up to 40 countries between January and March every year for five consecutive years (2007 to 2011). Practitioners were asked to record data relating to the first 10 contact lens fits or refits performed after receiving the survey form. Survey data collected between 1996 and 2011 were also analyzed to assess rigid lens fitting trends in seven nations during this period. Results Data were obtained for 12,230 rigid and 100,670 soft lens fits between 2007 and 2011. Overall, rigid lenses represented 10.8% of all contact lens fits, ranging from 0.2% in Lithuania to 37% in Malaysia. Compared with soft lens fits, rigid lens fits can be characterized as follows: older age (rigid, 37.3 ± 15.0 years; soft, 29.8 ± 12.4 years); fewer spherical and toric fits; more bifocal/multifocal fits; less frequent replacement (rigid, 7%; soft, 85%); and less part-time wear (rigid, 4%; soft, 10%). High-Dk (contact lens oxygen permeability) (36%) and mid-Dk (42%) materials are predominantly used for rigid lens fitting. Orthokeratology represents 11.5% of rigid contact lens fits. There has been a steady decline in rigid lens fitting between 1996 and 2011. Conclusions Rigid contact lens prescribing is in decline but still represents approximately 10% of all contact lenses fitted worldwide. It is likely that rigid lenses will remain as a viable, albeit increasingly specialized, form of vision correction.

A Guide to Applying Road Safety within a Workplace : A Bilateral Approach to Organisational Road Safety in Australia and New Zealand

Corporate and organisational fleet and road safety is of strong interest to government and government agencies in Australia and New Zealand. It has been identified that there is great opportunity to engage and assist organisations and corporations in the delivery of road safety and road safety measures to achieve nationally significant road related trauma reductions. This guide has therefore been developed through public sector funding for use by any workplace within Australia and New Zealand. Significant road safety benefits can be achieved by road safety government agencies (Australia and New Zealand) that engage with private and public sectors at their workplaces to address work related road safety issues. It has also been noted that organisational road safety advancement creates effective and sustainable outcomes, safer places of employment, and safer communities. This can be achieved without totally relying upon traditional and often lengthy processes such as further public legislation and/ or community attitudinal and behavioural change programs. Currently, there is little in the way of robust guides or support for those organisations that are wishing to adopt road safety within their places of employment, supply chain and/ or community. Due to this identified gap in available resource and support, it has been recommended that a practical organisational road safety guide be produced; hence the development of this guide. A guide, or supporting documentation, that bridges the gap between government and road safety research knowledge, internationally endorsed road safety methodology, and assists industry as the end user. To achieve this, the guide is designed to be non-specific to any industry sector and usable for small or large organisations, public or private, and engaging for senior executives and the personnel on the ground responsible for its implementation. Therefore, this guide is based on methodology and principles so that it can be applicable in a scalable way to the greatest number of public and private organisations while providing enough detail and ‘how to’ advice to enable organisations to generate their own solutions to road safety issues.

Ad hoc radiometric calibration of a thermal-infrared camera

Many applications can benefit from the accurate surface temperature estimates that can be made using a passive thermal-infrared camera. However, the process of radiometric calibration which enables this can be both expensive and time consuming. An ad hoc approach for performing radiometric calibration is proposed which does not require specialized equipment and can be completed in a fraction of the time of the conventional method. The proposed approach utilizes the mechanical properties of the camera to estimate scene temperatures automatically, and uses these target temperatures to model the effect of sensor temperature on the digital output. A comparison with a conventional approach using a blackbody radiation source shows that the accuracy of the method is sufficient for many tasks requiring temperature estimation. Furthermore, a novel visualization method is proposed for displaying the radiometrically calibrated images to human operators. The representation employs an intuitive coloring scheme and allows the viewer to perceive a large variety of temperatures accurately.

Contact lens prescribing : USA vs the world

Along with other facets of commericialization, the contact lens market has become globalized during the past 30 years. The major international companies have worldwide distribution networks and supply lenses of the same product names and replacement frequencies to all nations, with a few minor adjustments for marketing and regulatory reasons. Small and medium-sized companies, often producing more specialized lenses, are also active in markets across the world.

Localization of glucocorticoid receptors at postsynaptic membranes in the lateral amygdala

Glucocorticoids, released in high concentrations from the adrenal cortex during stressful experiences, bind to glucocorticoid receptors in nuclear and peri-nuclear sites in neuronal somata. Their classically known mode of action is to induce gene promoter receptors to alter gene transcription. Nuclear glucocorticoid receptors are particularly dense in brain regions crucial for memory, including memory of stressful experiences, such as the hippocampus and amygdala. While it has been proposed that glucocorticoids may also act via membrane bound receptors, the existence of the latter remains controversial. Using electron microscopy, we found glucocorticoid receptors localized to non-genomic sites in rat lateral amygdala, glia processes, presynaptic terminals, neuronal dendrites, and dendritic spines including spine organelles and postsynaptic membrane densities. The lateral nucleus of the amygdala is a region specifically implicated in the formation of memories for stressful experiences. These newly observed glucocorticoid receptor immunoreactive sites were in addition to glucocorticoid receptor immunoreactive signals observed using electron and confocal microscopy in lateral amygdala principal neuron and GABA neuron soma and nuclei, cellular domains traditionally associated with glucocorticoid immunoreactivity. In lateral amygdala, glucocorticoid receptors are thus also localized to non-nuclear-membrane translocation sites, particularly dendritic spines, where they show an affinity for postsynaptic membrane densities, and may have a specialized role in modulating synaptic transmission plasticity related to fear and emotional memory.