Swine flu, doctors and pandemics : Is there a duty to treat during a pandemic?

The swine influenza (H1N1) outbreak in 2009 highlighted the ethical and legal pressures facing general practitioners and health workers in emergency departments in determining the nature and limits of their obligations to their patients and the public. Health workers require guidance on the multiple, overlapping, and at times conflicting legal and ethical duties owed to patients and prospective patients, employers and fellow health workers, and their families. Existing sources of advice on these issues in Australia, by way of statements of medical ethics and other sources of advice, are shown to be in need of further amplification if health workers are to be provided with the certainty and guidance required. Given the complexity of the issues, Australia would therefore benefit from more extensive consultation with the variety of stakeholders involved in these questions if pandemic plans are to smoothly deal with future crises in an ethically and legally sound manner.

The IKBALS project: multi-modal reasoning in legal knowledge based systems

In attempting to build intelligent litigation support tools, we have moved beyond first generation, production rule legal expert systems. Our work integrates rule based and case based reasoning with intelligent information retrieval. When using the case based reasoning methodology, or in our case the specialisation of case based retrieval, we need to be aware of how to retrieve relevant experience. Our research, in the legal domain, specifies an approach to the retrieval problem which relies heavily on an extended object oriented/rule based system architecture that is supplemented with causal background information. We use a distributed agent architecture to help support the reasoning process of lawyers. Our approach to integrating rule based reasoning, case based reasoning and case based retrieval is contrasted to the CABARET and PROLEXS architectures which rely on a centralised blackboard architecture. We discuss in detail how our various cooperating agents interact, and provide examples of the system at work. The IKBALS system uses a specialised induction algorithm to induce rules from cases. These rules are then used as indices during the case based retrieval process. Because we aim to build legal support tools which can be modified to suit various domains rather than single purpose legal expert systems, we focus on principles behind developing legal knowledge based systems. The original domain chosen was theAccident Compensation Act 1989 (Victoria, Australia), which relates to the provision of benefits for employees injured at work. For various reasons, which are indicated in the paper, we changed our domain to that ofCredit Act 1984 (Victoria, Australia). This Act regulates the provision of loans by financial institutions. The rule based part of our system which provides advice on the Credit Act has been commercially developed in conjunction with a legal firm. We indicate how this work has lead to the development of a methodology for constructing rule based legal knowledge based systems. We explain the process of integrating this existing commercial rule based system with the case base reasoning and retrieval architecture.

The Credit Act Advisory System (CAAS) : conversion from an expert system prototype to a C++ commercial system

CAAS is a rule-based expert system, which provides advice on the Victorial Credit Act 1984. It is currently in commercial use, and has been developed in conjunction with a law firm. It uses an object-oriented hybrid reasoning approach. The system was initially prototyped using the expert system shell NExpert Object, and was then converted into the C++ language. In this paper we describe the advantages that this methodology has, for both commercial and research development.

Framework of a process laboratory for the operational control of service processes

Service processes such as financial advice, booking a business trip or conducting a consulting project have emerged as units of analysis of high interest for the business process and service management communities in practice and academia. While the transactional nature of production processes is relatively well understood and deployed, the less predictable and highly interactive nature of service processes still lacks in many areas appropriate methodological grounding. This paper proposes a framework of a process laboratory as a new IT artefact in order to facilitate the holistic analysis and simulation of such service processes. Using financial services as an example, it will be shown how such a process laboratory can be used to reduce the complexity of service process analysis and facilitate operational service process control.

The value of respect in human research ethics: A conceptual analysis and a practical guide

In order to continue to maintain public trust and confidence in human research, participants must be treated with respect. Researchers and Human Research Ethics Committee members need to be aware that modern considerations of this value include: the need for a valid consenting process, the protection of participants who have their capacity for consent compromised; the promotion of dignity for participants; and the effects that human research may have on cultures and communities. This paper explains the prominence of respect as a value when considering the ethics of human research and provides practical advice for both researchers and Human Research Ethics Committee members in developing respectful research practices.

Promoting physical activity to older adults : a preliminary evaluation of three general practice-based strategies

The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of an exercise scientist (ES) working in general practice to promote physical activity (PA) to 55 to 70 year old adults. Participants were randomised into one of three groups: either brief verbal and written advice from a general practitioner (GP) (G1, N=9); or individualised counselling and follow-up telephone calls from an ES, either with (G3, N=8) or without a pedometer (G2, N=11). PA levels were assessed at week 1, after the 12-wk intervention and again at 24 weeks. After the 12-wk intervention, the average increase in PA was 116 (SD=237) min/wk; N=28, p < 0.001. Although there were no statistically significant between-group differences, the average increases in PA among G2 and G3 participants were 195 (SD=207) and 138 (SD=315) min/wk respectively, compared with no change (0.36, SD=157) in G1. After 24 weeks, average PA levels remained 56 (SD=129) min/wk higher than in week 1. The small numbers of participants in this feasibility study limit the power to detect significant differences between groups, but it would appear that individualised counselling and follow-up contact from an ES, with or without a pedometer, can result in substantial changes in PA levels. A larger study is now planned to confirm these findings.

Sleep-related eye symptoms and their potential for identifying driver sleepiness

The majority of individuals appear to have insight into their own sleepiness, but there is some evidence that this does not hold true for all, for example treated patients with obstructive sleep apnoea. Identification of sleep-related symptoms may help drivers determine their sleepiness, eye symptoms in particular show promise. Sixteen participants completed four motorway drives on two separate occasions. Drives were completed during daytime and night-time in both a driving simulator and on the real road. Ten eye symptoms were rated at the end of each drive, and compared with driving performance and subjective and objective sleep metrics recorded during driving. ‘Eye strain’, ‘difficulty focusing’, ‘heavy eyelids’ and ‘difficulty keeping the eyes open’ were identified as the four key sleep-related eye symptoms. Drives resulting in these eye symptoms were more likely to have high subjective sleepiness and more line crossings than drives where similar eye discomfort was not reported. Furthermore, drivers having unintentional line crossings were likely to have ‘heavy eyelids’ and ‘difficulty keeping the eyes open’. Results suggest that drivers struggling to identify sleepiness could be assisted with the advice ‘stop driving if you feel sleepy and/or have heavy eyelids or difficulty keeping your eyes open’.

LexisNexis Questions and Answers : Medical Law

LexisNexis Questions and Answers: Medical Law is designed to facilitate both continuous review and preparation for assignments and examinations. This book provides a clear and concise revision guide for each of the major topics covered in the typical health law course. It provides an understanding of medical law in each Australian jurisdiction and gives a clear and systematic approach to analysing and answering problem and essay questions. Each chapter commences with an identification of the key issues, including a summary of the relevant cases and legislation. Each question is followed by a suggested answer plan, a sample answer and comments on how the answer might be assessed by an examiner. The author also offers advice on common errors to avoid and practical hints and tips on how to achieve higher marks.

Promoting physical activity to older adults in general practice

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a general practice based intervention to increase physical activity (PA) levels among 50-70 year old adults. One hundred and thirty-six inactive patients (50-70 years) were randomised into three groups. All participants received brief advice and a written prescription from a GP. Group one received this 'usual care' only (GP, n=46); group two received individualised counselling and follow-up contact from an Exercise Scientist (ES, n=45); group three received a pedometer to supplement the ES counselling (PED, n=45). The Active Australia Survey was administered at baseline, after the 12- week intervention and at a 24-week follow-up. One-way ANOVA showed no significant group differences at baseline in self-reported PA. Average time spent walking increased in all three groups at the 24-week follow-up (GP, 68158min/wk, p=0.006; ES, 83160min/wk, p=0.001; PED, 87132min/wk, p<0.001). Total time in PA (weighted min/wk) also increased significantly in all three groups (GP, 98 213min/wk, p=0.003; ES, 108 182min/wk, p<0.001; PED, 158 229min/wk, p<0.001 ). The proportion of participants who initially did not meet National PA Guidelines (150 minutes and 5 sessions/week) but who met the Guidelines at the 12 and 24-week follow-up was 15% (12 weeks) and 20% (24 weeks) in the GP group compared with 36% and 24% in the ES group and 20% and 42% in the PED group. All three intervention strategies were effective in increasing PA, but the ES intervention resulted in a higher proportion of active participants after 12 weeks and the PED group resulted in a higher proportion of active participants after 24 weeks.

Promoting physical activity to older adults through general practice

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a general practice based intervention to increase physical activity (PA) levels among 50-70 year old adults. One hundred and thirty-six inactive patients (50-70 years) were randomised into three groups. All participants received brief advice and a written prescription from a GP. Group one received this 'usual care' only (GP, n=46); group two received individualised counselling and follow-up contact from an Exercise Scientist (ES, n=45); group three received a pedometer to supplement the ES counselling (PED, n=45). The Active Australia Survey was administered at baseline, after the 12- week intervention and at a 24-week follow-up. One-way ANOVA showed no significant group differences at baseline in self-reported PA. Average time spent walking increased in all three groups at the 24-week follow-up (GP, 68158min/wk, p=0.006; ES, 83160min/wk, p=0.001; PED, 87132min/wk, p<0.001). Total time in PA (weighted min/wk) also increased significantly in all three groups (GP, 98 213min/wk, p=0.003; ES, 108 182min/wk, p<0.001; PED, 158 229min/wk, p<0.001 ). The proportion of participants who initially did not meet National PA Guidelines (150 minutes and 5 sessions/week) but who met the Guidelines at the 12 and 24-week follow-up was 15% (12 weeks) and 20% (24 weeks) in the GP group compared with 36% and 24% in the ES group and 20% and 42% in the PED group. All three intervention strategies were effective in increasing PA, but the ES intervention resulted in a higher proportion of active participants after 12 weeks and the PED group resulted in a higher proportion of active participants after 24 weeks.

Federal Court Rules 027 r 11 - Subpoena to give evidence

In Australian Prudential Regulation Authority v Rural and General Insurance Let [2004] FCA 933, Gyles J considered what he described as "a novel question", namely, whether taking steps to prepare to give oral evidence when subpoenaed to attend for that purpose, including the obtaining of legal advice and assistance, could be recovered by the witness under O 27 r 11 of the Federal Court Rules

Creative Work Beyond the Creative Industries: An Introduction

Creative occupations exist across the entire economy. The creative worker’s habitus cannot be discovered by looking only in film studios, games companies or artist’s garrets. Work practices, evolved through the traditions of the creative and performing arts, are now deployed to create new services and products across all sectors, to develop process innovations, and to change the distribution thereof. Yet the bulk of academic study of creative work (both functionalist and critical), as well as the content of higher/further professional education programs and everyday understanding of creative workers, focuses on one subset of the Creative Industries: those involved in the production of cultural goods or services (film, television, music etc.) for consumption by the general public. And further, the bulk of existing academic work focuses on those creative workers employed in cultural production industries. However, as recent work has shown, this focus misses both the large (and increasing) number of creative workers embedded in industries beyond the core Creative Industries (for example, manufacturing, banking, mining) and those creative workers and firms that supply services to business as well as to the general public, such as architects, technical writers, and graphic designers (see Cunningham 2013; Potts and Cunningham 2008; Potts, Cunningham, Hartley and Omerod 2008). This book focuses on this subset of very important, and yet under-recognized creative workers: embedded creative workers and providers of creative services into other sectors of the economy, as indicated in the following taxonomy (Figure 1.1), which juxtaposes occupation and industry sector...

Ten principles of good business process management

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to foster a common understanding of business process management (BPM) by proposing a set of ten principles that characterize BPM as a research domain and guide its successful use in organizational practice. Design/methodology/approach The identification and discussion of the principles reflects our viewpoint, which was informed by extant literature and focus groups, including 20 BPM experts from academia and practice. Findings We identify ten principles which represent a set of capabilities essential for mastering contemporary and future challenges in BPM. Their antonyms signify potential roadblocks and bad practices in BPM. We also identify a set of open research questions that can guide future BPM research. Research limitation/implication Our findings suggest several areas of research regarding each of the identified principles of good BPM. Also, the principles themselves should be systematically and empirically examined in future studies. Practical implications – Our findings allow practitioners to comprehensively scope their BPM initiatives and provide a general guidance for BPM implementation. Moreover, the principles may also serve to tackle contemporary issues in other management areas. Originality/value This is the first paper that distills principles of BPM in the sense of both good and bad practice recommendations. The value of the principles lies in providing normative advice to practitioners as well as in identifying open research areas for academia, thereby extending the reach and richness of BPM beyond its traditional frontiers.

Limitation of Actions - incorrect date of accident advised to solicitor

The decision of the Queensland Court of Appeal in Cormie v Orchard [2003] QCA 236 involved consideration of whether the respondent solicitor was liable in negligence for failing to commence proceedings within the applicable limitation period in circumstances where the solicitor had relied on the advice as to the date of injury nominated incorrectly but unequivocally by the client.

Follow the leader if you can, hedge if you must

Follow-the-Leader (FTL) is an intuitive sequential prediction strategy that guarantees constant regret in the stochastic setting, but has poor performance for worst-case data. Other hedging strategies have better worst-case guarantees but may perform much worse than FTL if the data are not maximally adversarial. We introduce the FlipFlop algorithm, which is the first method that provably combines the best of both worlds. As a stepping stone for our analysis, we develop AdaHedge, which is a new way of dynamically tuning the learning rate in Hedge without using the doubling trick. AdaHedge refines a method by Cesa-Bianchi, Mansour, and Stoltz (2007), yielding improved worst-case guarantees. By interleaving AdaHedge and FTL, FlipFlop achieves regret within a constant factor of the FTL regret, without sacrificing AdaHedge’s worst-case guarantees. AdaHedge and FlipFlop do not need to know the range of the losses in advance; moreover, unlike earlier methods, both have the intuitive property that the issued weights are invariant under rescaling and translation of the losses. The losses are also allowed to be negative, in which case they may be interpreted as gains.