A loss of bioscience knowledge in nursing students

Background: Knowledge of the human biosciences is fundamental to the development of competent nurse practitioners (Smales, 2010) with the requisite knowledge and skills, necessary for high quality patient care and good patient outcomes (Logan and Angel, 2011). Many of these students study bioscience units which cover topics in anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology and microbiology. Studies of science recall in general and medical education, report up to 33% loss of knowledge in the first year which declines to 50% in the subsequent year (Custers, 2010). Objectives: The objectives were to test the recall of bioscience knowledge by nursing students and to ascertain their perceptions of the testing. Questions explored: What would the results be for multiple choice questions in fundamental microbiology and gastrointestinal anatomy and physiology (A&P) undertaken by nursing students 4, 9 and 16 months after their first bioscience exam on these topics? Would pre-warning the students of a microbiology quiz and not a gastrointestinal A&P quiz affect the findings? How would the students respond to the testing when surveyed? Recall results: The nursing students performed better in the final exam on gastrointestinal A&P than on fundamental microbiology. There was an approximate 20% loss in knowledge of gastrointestinal A&P after 4 months and this did not change significantly over the next 12 months. Although there was an improved performance in microbiology quizzes after 4 months, there was no significant difference in results over the next 12 months. Survey results: More than 50% of students thought the testing helped them focus for the lectures and made them aware they had some pre-knowledge of the lecture topics. Discussion: Although there was a loss of knowledge of gastrointestinal A&P, it appears that warning the students about the microbiology quiz may have helped their recall. The majority of students valued the testing as a useful learning exercise. References: Custers, E. J. F. M. (2010). Long-term retention of basic science knowledge: a review study. Advances in Health Science Education, 15, 109-128. Smales, K. (2010). Learning and applying biosciences to clinical practice in nursing. Nursing Standard, 24(33), 35-39. Logan, P.A., & Angel, L. (2011). Nursing as a scientific undertaking and the intersection with science in undergraduate studies: implications for nursing management. Journal of Nursing Management, 19(3), 407-417.

Industry based rehabilitation and closure knowledge management system : scoping study

The Central Queensland Mine Rehabilitation Group (CQMRG) has hosted mine site rehabilitation inspections combined with technical workshops for more than 20 years. It was recognised at CQMRG's anniversary meeting in April 2013 that the vast body of knowledge held by rehabilitation and closure planning practitioners was being lost as senior rehabilitation experts retire from the industry. It was noted that even more knowledge could be readily lost unless a knowledge management platform was developed to capture, store and enable retrieval of this information. This loss of knowledge results in a significant cost to industry. This project was therefore undertaken to review tools which have the capability to gather the less formal knowledge as well as to make links to existing resources and bibliographic material. This scoping study evaluated eight alternative knowledge management systems to provide guidance on the best method of providing the industry with an up-to-date, good practice, knowledge management system for rehabilitation and closure practices, with capability for information sharing via a portal and discussion forum. This project provides guidance for a larger project which will implement the knowledge management system to meet the requirements of the CQMRG and be transferrable to other regions if applicable. It will also provide the opportunity to identify missing links between existing tools and their application. That is, users may not be aware of how these existing tools can be used to assist with mine rehabilitation planning and implementation and the development of a new platform will help to create those linkages. The outcomes of this project are directed toward providing access to a live repository of rehabilitation practice information which is Central Queensland coal mine-specific, namely: highlighting best practice activities, results of trials and innovative practices; updated legislative requirements; links to practices elsewhere; and informal anecdotal information relevant to particular sites which may be of assistance in the development of rehabilitation of new areas. Solutions to the rehabilitation of challenging spoils/soils will also be provided. The project will also develop a process which can be applied more broadly within the mining sector to other regions and other commodities. Providing a platform for uploading information and holding discussion forums which can be managed by a regional practitioner network enables the new system to be kept alive, driven by users and information needs as they evolve over time. Similar internet-based platforms exist and are managed successfully. The preferred knowledge management system will capture the less formal and more difficult to access knowledge from rehabilitation and mine closure practitioners and stakeholders through the CQMRG and other contributors. It will also provide direct links, and greater accessibility, to more formal sources of knowledge with anticipated cost savings to the industry and improved rehabilitation practices with successful transitioning to closure and post-mining land use.

Branding and planning urban knowledge precincts : insights from Brisbane, Australia

Purpose: The paper aims to investigate urban knowledge precincts from the angle of urban planning and place branding. Scope: The paper focuses on urban knowledge precinct development experiences of Brisbane, Australia. Method: The paper uses literature review, policy and content analyses and field observation methods to explore Brisbane’s urban knowledge precincts. Results: The paper reveals insights from Brisbane’s urban knowledge precincts development journey. Recommendations: The paper suggests further research on the topic of branding and planning urban knowledge precincts. Conclusions: The paper reveals that urban knowledge precincts are the nexus of knowledge-based urban development and Brisbane’s precincts potentially provide a competitive edge to the city in the global knowledge economy era.

An urban design perspective to classify knowledge precincts : a typological analysis of global best practices

Purpose: The paper seeks to investigate emerging knowledge precincts under the urban design lens in order to identify recurrent spatial patterns of urban forms and functions to gather an understanding of physical aspects that contribute to the creation of place quality. Scope: This paper focuses on the physical design and layout of specific precincts. Although socio-economic and other factors come into play imparting the distinctiveness; this paper only focuses on the spatial dimensions. Method: The research first develops a design typology framework through the lead of literature, and then utilizes it to identify recurrent elements in knowledge precinct design in order to develop taxonomy of patterns and layouts. Results: The research reported in this paper provides preliminary insights into the various form and functional factors playing role in the design of knowledge precincts and evaluates the elements that contribute to the success of these urban interventions. Recommendations: The paper recommends the use of particular design-based solutions in order to enhance the place making in knowledge precincts. Conclusions: The study concludes that despite the locational, regulatory and other contextual differences, the underlying driving principle of providing place quality to people leads to the emergence of identifiable spatial patterns across the knowledge precincts.

A biomechanical study of spherical grip

Use of the hand is vital in working life due to the grabbing and pinching it performs. Spherical grip is the most commonly used, due to similarity to the gripping of a computer mouse. Knowledge of its execution and the involved elements is essential. Analysis of this exertion with surface electromyography devices (to register muscular activity) and accelerometer devices (to register movement values ) can provide multiple variables. Six subjects performed ball gripping and registered real-time electromyography (thenar region, hypothenar region, first dorsal interosseous, flexors of the wrist, flexor carpi ulnaris and extensors of the wrist muscles) and accelerometer (thumb, index, middle, ring, pinky and palm) values. The obtained data was resampled “R software” and processed “Matlab Script” based on an automatic numerical sequence recognition program. Electromyography values were normalized on the basis of maximum voluntary contraction, whilst modular values were calculated for the acceleration vector. After processing and analysing the obtained data and signal, it was possible to identify five stages of movement in accordance with the module vector from the palm. The statistical analysis of the variables was descriptive: average and standard deviations. The outcome variables focus on the variations of the modules of the vector (between the maximum and minimum values of each module and phase) and the maximum values of the standardized electromyography of each muscle. Analysis of movement through accelerometer and electromyography variables can give us an insight into the operation of spherical grip. The protocol and treatment data can be used as a system to complement existing assessments in the hand.

The knowledge: a project by Boxcopy at Post-Museum, Singapore

‘The Knowledge’ was part of the Next Wave/Asialink project 'Invisible Structures: Australian artist collectives in Tokyo, Singapore and Yogyakarta' in January 2011. For this project, Brisbane ARI Boxcopy undertook a two-week residency at Post Musuem in Singapore. In this project, the Boxcopy artists Channon Goodwin, Joseph Breikers, Timothy P Kerr, Daniel McKewen, Raymonde Rajkowski, Tim Woodward, attempted to acquire an intimate knowledge of the city of Singapore by forming a free delivery company, The Boxcopy Publics Carriage Office of Singapore (BPCOS), which provided services around the city by foot, bike and public transport. In addition to committing to memory and documenting the streets and sites of Singapore, the BPCOS team also performed tasks such as delivering goods or messages, travel a particular route or visit a site, as requested by the people of Singapore. The project comprised this process of public interaction as well as an exhibition and website.

Misleading conduct arising from public statements : establishing the knowledge base of the target audience

Despite the very substantial body of primary sources and secondary literature on Australia’s much-litigated statutory provisions proscribing misleading or deceptive conduct, the courts have provided little in the way of assistance about how to establish the knowledge base of the target audience at whom the public statement was directed. The purpose of this case note is to compare and contrast two recent decisions of the High Court of Australia that highlight the difficulties faced by applicants in attempting to establish a contravention of the relevant legislation where conduct is directed at a segment of the public or the public as a whole.

Exploring the impact of shared domain knowledge on strategic alignment in the Australian public sector

In this age of ever-increasing information technology (IT) driven environments, governments/or public sector organisations (PSOs) are expected to demonstrate the business value of the investment in IT and take advantage of the opportunities offered by technological advancements. Strategic alignment (SA) emerged as a mechanism to bridge the gap between business and IT missions, objectives, and plans in order to ensure value optimisation from investment in IT and enhance organisational performance. However, achieving and sustaining SA remains a challenge requiring even more agility nowadays to keep up with turbulent organisational environments. The shared domain knowledge (SDK) between the IT department and other diverse organisational groups is considered as one of the factors influencing the successful implementation of SA. However, SDK in PSOs has received relatively little empirical attention. This paper presents findings from a study which investigated the influence of SDK on SA within organisations in the Australian public sector. The developed research model examined the relationship of SDK between business and IT domains with SA using a survey of 56 public sector professionals and executives. A key research contribution is the empirical demonstration that increasing levels of SDK between IT and business groups leads to increased SA.