ICT and gender issues in the higher education of entrepreneurs

Rapid technological innovations are currently occurring in higher education with differential effects on academics, students and ICT. This article, through literature review and author experiences, highlights the potential misperceptions of gender and related learning styles resulting from increased adoption of ICT in higher education. The authors emphasise the need for a collaborative approach between educators, learners, and the people and organisations that drive technological innovation, which contrasts the competitive forces that now abound. The authors also acknowledge the implied positions in dialogues about gender. One response is to initiate understanding at the strategic level and utilise the advances in ICT technologies that enhance connectedness in the educational experience. To improve the education of entrepreneurial managers and leaders, future policies must address the effects and accessibility of online education to meet employer and global technological requirements with equitable outcomes.<br />

Why do some socioeconomically disadvantaged women eat better than others? An investigation of the personal, social and environmental correlates of fruit and vegetable consumption

The purpose of this paper was to examine the contribution of individual, social and environmental factors to predicting fruit and vegetable consumption among women of low socioeconomic position (SEP). An Australian community sample of 355 women of low SEP provided survey data on sociodemographic information, diet (fruit and vegetable consumption), and various cognitive, behavioural, social and perceived environmental influences on healthy eating. Information on the availability and accessibility of major chain supermarkets and fruit and vegetable stores from participant's residence was collected through objective audits. Women who were older, dieting to lose weight, had a greater taste preference for fruit and perceived the cost of fruit to be lower were more likely to be high fruit consumers. Women who had a high BMI were more likely to be high vegetable consumers. Women who perceived a greater availability of healthy foods in their neighbourhoods were more likely to be high fruit and vegetable consumers. Strategies aimed at increasing fruit and vegetable consumption among low SEP women should focus on modifying perceptions about the cost, availability and taste of fruits and vegetables. Tailoring nutrition interventions to accommodate differences in age, weight-control practices and weight status may also prove beneficial.<br />

A family-based intervention to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in adolescents : a pilot study

<b>Objective:</b> To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a pilot family-based newsletter intervention to increase fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption among adolescents.<br /><b>Design:</b> Family-based, two-group randomised control trial with baseline, postintervention and follow-up measures. The intervention group received two FV newsletter packs over a 1 month period by postal mail. Social cognitive and behavioural choice theories provide the theoretical framework for the design and development of intervention materials. Control families were provided with all intervention materials at the end of the study. Adolescent FV consumption was assessed by an FFQ. Adolescent-reported barriers to eating FV, FV habits and preferences were the secondary outcomes, along with parent FV consumption, and parents reported knowledge, encouragement, home availability and accessibility of FV. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to detect differences in behavioural and psychosocial outcomes between groups, time and group-by-time.<br /><b>Setting:</b> East Midlands, UK.<br /><b>Subjects:</b> Forty-nine parents and adolescents aged 12&ndash;14 years.<br /><b>Results:</b> Process evaluation indicated high reach, dose acceptability and fidelity of the intervention. At post-intervention and 6 weeks later at follow-up, adolescents in the intervention group had significantly higher fruit: (P0&lt;&middot;01) and vegetable (P&lt;0&middot;05) consumption and higher preferences for vegetables (P&lt;0&middot;01), compared with the control group. At post-intervention and follow-up, parents in the intervention group had significantly higher fruit (P&lt;0&middot;001) and vegetable (P&lt;0&middot;01) consumption and reported higher accessibility of fruit and vegetables (P&lt;0&middot;001), compared with those in the control group.<br /><b>Conclusions:</b> Family-based, newsletter interventions promoting FV consumption to adolescents appear to be feasible and effective at increasing FV consumption.<br />

A cluster randomised trial of a telephone-based intervention for parents to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in their 3-to 5-year-old children : study protocol

<b>Background:</b> Inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption in childhood increases the risk of developing chronic disease. Despite this, a substantial proportion of children in developed nations, including Australia, do not consume sufficient quantities of fruits and vegetables. Parents are influential in the development of dietary habits of young children but often lack the necessary knowledge and skills to promote healthy eating in their children. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of a telephone-based intervention for parents to increase the fruit and vegetable consumption of their 3- to 5-year-old children.<br /><b>Methods/Design:</b> The study, conducted in the Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia, employs a cluster randomised controlled trial design. Two hundred parents from 15 randomly selected preschools will be randomised to receive the intervention, which consists of print resources and four weekly 30-minute telephone support calls delivered by trained telephone interviewers. The calls will assist parents to increase the availability and accessibility of fruit and vegetables in the home, create supportive family eating routines and role-model fruit and vegetable consumption. A further two hundred parents will be randomly allocated to the control group and will receive printed nutrition information only. The primary outcome of the trial will be the change in the child's consumption of fruit and vegetables as measured by the fruit and vegetable subscale of the Children's Dietary Questionnaire. Pre-intervention and post-intervention parent surveys will be administered over the telephone. Baseline surveys will occur one to two<br />weeks prior to intervention delivery, with follow-up data collection calls occurring two, six, 12 and 18 months following baseline data collection.<br /><b>Discussion:</b> If effective, this telephone-based intervention may represent a promising public health strategy to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in childhood and reduce the risk of subsequent chronic disease.<br /><b>Trial registration:</b> Australian Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12609000820202<br />

Enriching student experience and inter-professional learning of inclusive design with Second Life

This position paper reflects rapid advances in immersive 2D and 3D eLearning technologies and the expanding pool of ideas and applications in higher education across two professions. Inspiration has been drawn from examples in design learning, and various multidisciplinary collaborative projects through developmental research in Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVEs). Linden Lab's Second Life (SL) is the most mature and popular of the &lsquo;persistent&rsquo; virtual worlds. The study described in this paper aims to increase the authenticity of student learning through a range of SL simulated &lsquo;life experiences&rsquo; relating to accessibility and mobility in the built environment. Significantly, the successes of such initiatives lie in several elements: teaching champions with vision and courage; detailed scripting of precise role-play encounters for first-time users to provide supportive &lsquo;blended learning&rsquo; contexts; careful and vigilant strategic management of facilities and resources, and a robust design program. This paper focuses on the crucial alignment of these elements to the specific challenges of designing and navigating conception and development processes, to enable the execution and delivery of a tightly defined script for meaningful and memorable learning outcomes. This innovative pedagogical approach lacks time-tested outcomes, but is recognised equally as opportunity and challenge; risk and reward.<br />

Provision of the emergency contraceptive pill without prescription : attitudes and practices of pharmacists in Australia

<b>Background :</b> As 5 years have elapsed since the emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) was made available without prescription in Australia, information was sought about the current attitudes and practices of pharmacists in relation to their increased role in ECP provision.<b><br /><br />Study Design : </b>A mail survey was implemented; questionnaires were distributed to 750 pharmacies across Australia during 2008-2009. Descriptive statistics were calculated and multiple logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with declining to dispense ECP.<br /><b><br />Results : </b>Response rate was 29%. Most pharmacists used a protocol to guide ECP dispensing (77.3%) and the majority had declined ECP provision (75.1%) in certain circumstances. Many usually counselled where confidentiality could be assured (62.8%), and agreed that it is a pharmacist's role to counsel on regular contraception (81.9%). Factors significantly associated (p&le;.05) with dispensing practices included pharmacists' attitudes towards acceptability of advance prescription, their age, gender and pharmacy accessibility.<br /><b><br />Conclusions : </b>New information about Australian pharmacists' current attitudes and practices towards ECP dispensing was identified. Pharmacists had stronger, more conservative attitudes than overseas pharmacists; however, the issues that emerged were similar to those reported overseas. To address these, revised training for local pharmacists is recommended.<br />

Provision of artificial shelter on beaches is associated with improved shorebird fledging success

Artificial chick shelters might improve productivity of beach-nesting birds threatened by anthropogenic disturbance. We investigated the efficacy of three different chick shelter designs against four criteria: accessibility to chicks over time, thermal insulation, conspicuousness to beach-goers, and practicality (cost and ease of transport). One design (&lsquo;A-frame&rsquo;) was selected because it offered the greatest thermal insulation, was the least conspicuous, most cost effective, and performed equally well in terms of accessibility. We deployed these artificial shelters on Hooded Plover <i>Thinornis rubricollis </i>territories where broods were present (n 5 11), and compared the behaviour and survival rate of chicks to that at control sites (n 5 10). We were unable to discern any difference in the behaviour of broods when artificial shelters were available. However, the survival rate of chicks to fledging was 71.8% higher where an artificial shelter was provided (n 5 21 broods). This was validated by analysing data from a larger sample of broods monitored as part of an active volunteer-based management programme; shelters conferred a 42.8%increase in survival to fledging (n 5 81 broods). Thus, artificial shelters have the potential to increase survival rates of threatened shorebird chicks, though the mechanisms through which survival is increased require further investigation.

Exploring barriers in expertise seeking : why don't they ask an expert?

This paper reports findings from a research project that explores reasons why some employees prefer to seek expertise to resolve work-related problems from direct colleagues rather than designated internal experts. Several studies suggest that while an expert generally provides a higher quality solution in a shorter time, workers tend to ask friendly or proximate colleagues to help with knowledge-based problems at work. Prior research provides only fragmented insights into understanding the barriers to asking a designated internal expert for help at work. To address this gap, we asked post-graduate students enrolled in a knowledge management subject at a large Australian university to share their perspectives in an online discussion forum. Content analysis of the collected perspectives enabled identification of twenty-one factors that may limit the seeking of expertise from a designated internal expert. The factors are grouped in four categories: environment, accessibility, communication and personality. In addition one context variable is described, determining the extent to which the barriers are influential in a specific situation. By synthesising the results, we have proposed two models of expertise-seeking barriers. A literature review helps validate the barriers identified by the study. Key theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.<br />

Análise da acessibilidade urbana para o planejamento da urbanização de interesse social

An analysis of housing issues in the city of Canela (RS, Brazil) has been made in 2008 as part of the development of the Master Plan for Housing. The present paper deals with one component of this analysis, which is the assessment of urban accessibility for low-income population, and its consequences on the treatment of the problem of current shortage of low-income housing and the future demand from population growth until 2020. A three steps method is applied: (i) urban mobility is assessed and mapped on the basis of the road system and the routes of public transport; (ii) accessibility to different urban services, such as public education and health, recreation, consumption and jobs are measured and mapped considering the location of urban facilities, population distribution divided by income and age, and urban mobility; (iii) one map for urban accessibility is produced as a result of the weighted combination of accessibility to different urban facilities. This final urban accessibility map is then overlayed to empty urban lots with size and land value appropriate to low-income housing, and a simulation of their development over the future has been made. The lots with higher accessibility were selected, and the impact of urban development was assessed on the capacity of education facilities. Based on this study, we made some preliminary suggestions for widening places in some schools, the need for a new education facility (location and size) and the extension of public transport for an area with low accessibility.<br />

Comparative effectiveness report : online survey tools

<b>Purpose.</b> A group of Australian researchers seeking an accessible online survey tool discovered to their concern that most commercially available survey tools are not actually &lsquo;useable&rsquo; by a significant number of assistive technology users.<br /><b>Method.</b> Comparative effectiveness analysis of 11 popular survey tools. A bespoke survey tool was subsequently created to meet all accessibility guidelines and useability criteria as determined by the wide range of assistive technology users with whom the research team was working.<br /><b>Results.</b> Many survey tools claim accessibility status but this does not reflect the actual situation. Only one survey met all compliance points; however, it was limited by inflexible layout and few options for question types; some surveys proved unusable by screen reader. All surveys reviewed represented a compromise between accessibility and breadth of functionality.<br /><b>Conclusion.</b> It would appear the voices of a proportion of people living with disability are absent from the data collected by surveys, and that current accessibility guidelines, even where implemented, still fall short of assuring useable survey tools. This article describes one online solution created to successfully survey a broad population, and outlines a design approach to encompass user diversity.<br />

Knowledge transfer : a model framework for construction knowledge integration

Managing information and knowledge in the construction industry is an important focus for research. The goal is to expedite better integration of construction knowledge amongst the stakeholders. Better use of this knowledge could allow the building industry to achieve quality outputs making best use of resources &ndash; the linked goals of time, cost and quality. Information networks and knowledge transfer are central to this and are recognized as integral to an industry strategy to improve productivity. However, poor delivery of information to those at the construction site and lack of effective methods of transferring knowledge between parties involved in construction become major challenges. Based on a critical review of literature and an interview survey, this paper identifies the information networks adopted in the Malaysian construction industry and models these using four knowledge transfer components classified as &lsquo;control&rsquo;, &lsquo;innovation&rsquo;, &lsquo;best practice&rsquo; and &lsquo;audit&rsquo; element. Knowledge integration practices - attitude, communication, skills, commitment and monitoring; and factors related to information barriers including accessibility, service delivery, information updates and publication, were identified as critical features for the success of knowledge integration in the Malaysian construction industry. A framework for knowledge transfer is proposed to promote better practices in the Malaysian construction industry.

Aged care, Warrnambool and Bendigo, 2021 ,estimating land-use, connectivity

Ratios which correlate aged care places with Land-use requirements are developed by analysing the existing aged care facilities in the regional Victorian Local Government Areas of Greater Bendigo and Warrnambool. These ratios are used in conjunction with the government's population based measures to model scenarios of future aged care infrastructure requirements for Greater Bendigo and Warrnambool. Strategies correlating additional residential aged care facilities with at-home based aged care are explored using a Land-use and accessibility matrix governed by size and configuration. Variations in these two aspects appear to have a significant influence on location options for future facilities as well as case load demands and staffing requirements for community support teams.

Robust-diagnostic regression : a prelude for inducing reliable knowledge from regression

Regression lies heart in statistics, it is the one of the most important branch of multivariate techniques available for extracting knowledge in almost every field of study and research. Nowadays, it has drawn a huge interest to perform the tasks with different fields like machine learning, pattern recognition and data mining. Investigating outlier (exceptional) is a century long problem to the data analyst and researchers. Blind application of data could have dangerous consequences and leading to discovery of meaningless patterns and carrying to the imperfect knowledge. As a result of digital revolution and the growth of the Internet and Intranet data continues to be accumulated at an exponential rate and thereby importance of detecting outliers and study their costs and benefits as a tool for reliable knowledge discovery claims perfect attention. Investigating outliers in regression has been paid great value for the last few decades within two frames of thoughts in the name of robust regression and regression diagnostics. Robust regression first wants to fit a regression to the majority of the data and then to discover outliers as those points that possess large residuals from the robust output whereas in regression diagnostics one first finds the outliers, delete/correct them and then fit the regular data by classical (usual) methods. At the beginning there seems to be much confusion but now the researchers reach to the consensus, robustness and diagnostics are two complementary approaches to the analysis of data and any one is not good enough. In this chapter, we discuss both of them under the unique spectrum of regression diagnostics. Chapter expresses the necessity and views of regression diagnostics as well as presents several contemporary methods through numerical examples in linear regression within each aforesaid category together with current challenges and possible future research directions. Our aim is to make the chapter self-explained maintaining its general accessibility.

A pilot study of a telephone-based parental intervention to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in 3-5 year old children

<b>Objective : </b>To examine the potential efficacy of a brief telephone-based parental intervention in increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in children aged 3&ndash;5 years and to examine the feasibility of intervention delivery and acceptability to parents.<br /><b><br />Design : </b>A pre&ndash;post study design with no comparison group. Telephone surveys were conducted approximately 1 week before and following intervention delivery.<br />Setting Participants were recruited through pre-schools in the Hunter region, New South Wales, Australia.<br /><b><br />Subjects : </b>Thirty-four parents of 3&ndash;5-year-olds received four 30-min interventional telephone calls over 4 weeks administered by trained telephone interviewers. The scripted support calls focused on fruit and vegetable availability and accessibility within the home, parental role modelling of fruit and vegetable consumption and on implementing supportive family eating routines.<br /><b><br />Results : </b>Following the intervention, the frequency and variety of fruit and vegetable consumption increased (P = 0&middot;027), as measured by a subscale of the children's dietary questionnaire. The intervention was feasible to be delivered to parents, as all participants who started the intervention completed all four calls, and all aspects of the interventional calls, including the number, length, content, format and relevance, were considered acceptable by more than 90 % of parents.<br /><b><br />Conclusions : </b>A brief telephone-based parental intervention to encourage fruit and vegetable consumption in pre-school-aged children may be effective, feasible and acceptable. Further investigation is warranted in a randomised controlled trial.<br />