Right to trial by jury - construction of Uniform Civil Procedure r474

In Smit v Chan [2001] QSC 493 (Supreme Court of Queensland, S1233 of 1995, Mullins J, 21.12.2001) the sixth defendant successfully obtained an order that a complex medical negligence action be tried without a jury. This was the first application to be decided under r474 of UCPR 1999, and the decision is a significant precedent for defendants in similar cases who want to avoid the unpredictability of outcome and the inflated damages awards sometimes associated with jury trials.

Practice and procedure : solicitors' liens for costs

In Patterson v Cohen [2005] NSWSC 635 Hamilton J examined the authorities in relation to what are commonly called 'fruits of litigation' liens. The judgment provides a very useful summary of the principles which apply.

Practice and procedure : Personal Injuries Proceedings Act 2002 s56

In Amos v Brisbane City Council [2005] QCA 433 the Queensland Court of Appeal was called upon to determine the scope of s56 of the Personal Injuries Proceedings Act 2002. The decision makes it clear that the section does not provide a complete code governing awards of damages and does not deprive the court of power to award costs against a plaintiff who fails to succeed on liability.

Practice and Procedure - Proceedings claiming damages for personal injuries commenced before June 18, 2002

In Inglis v Connell [2003] QDC 029 the court considered s6(3) of the Personal Injuries Proceedings Act 2002 in relation to the application of the Act. The conclusion reached was that the provision should be interpreted as providing that the requirements of the Act do not apply in respect of personal injury the subject of any proceeding commenced before June 18, 2002.

Analysis of simplified variants of SHA-256

In this paper we analyse the role of some of the building blocks of SHA-256. We show that the disturbance-correction strategy is applicable to the SHA-256 architecture and we prove that functions Σ, σ are vital for the security of SHA-256 by showing that for a variant without them it is possible to find collisions with complexity 2^64 hash operations. As a step towards an analysis of the full function, we present the results of our experiments on Hamming weights of expanded messages for different variants of the message expansion and show that there exist low-weight expanded messages for XOR-linearised variants.

Nonlinear electromagnetic fields in 0.5 MHz inductively coupled plasmas

Radial profiles of magnetic fields in the electrostatic (E) and electromagnetic (H) modes of low-frequency (∼500) inductively coupled plasmas (ICP) were measured using miniature magnetic probes. A simplified plasma fluid model explaining the generation of the second harmonics of the azimuthal magnetic field in the plasma source was proposed. Because of apparent similarity in the procedure of derivation of the pondermotive force-caused nonlinear terms, pronounced generation of the nonlinear static azimuthal magnetic field could be expected.

An enhanced procedure for the rapid digestion of high silicate archeological specimens followed by ICP-MS determination of traces of rare earth elements (REE's)

A straightforward procedure for the acid digestion of geological samples with SiO2 concentrations ranging between about 40 to 80%, is described. A powdered sample (200 mesh) of 500 mg was used and fused with 1000 mg spectroflux at about 1000 degreesC in a platinum crucible. The molten was subsequently digested in an aqueous solution of HNO3 at 100 degreesC. Several systematic digestion procedures were followed using various concentrations of HNO3. It was found that a relationship could be established between the dissolution-time and acid concentration. For an acid concentration of 15% an optimum dissolution-time of under 4 min was recorded. To verify that the dissolutions were complete, they were subjected to rigorous quality control tests. The turbidity and viscosity were examined at different intervals and the results were compared with that of deionised water. No significant change in either parameter was observed. The shelf-life of each solution lasted for several months, after which time polymeric silicic acid formed in some solutions, resulting in the presence of a gelatinous solid. The method is cost effective and is clearly well suited for routine applications on a small scale, especially in laboratories in developing countries. ICP-MS was applied to the determination of 13 Rare Earth Elements and Hf in a set of 107 archaeological samples subjected to the above digestion procedure. The distribution of these elements was examined and the possibility of using the REE's for provenance studies is discussed.

The effectiveness of information-sharing interventions to reduce anxiety in families waiting for surgical patients undergoing an elective surgical procedure: A systematic review

Background Whilst waiting for patients undergoing surgery, a lack of information regarding the patient’s status and the outcome of surgery, can contribute to the anxiety experienced by family members. Effective strategies for providing information to families are therefore required. Objectives To synthesize the best available evidence in relation to the most effective information-sharing interventions to reduce anxiety for families waiting for patients undergoing an elective surgical procedure. Inclusion criteria Types of participants All studies of family members over 18 years of age waiting for patients undergoing an elective surgical procedure were included, including those waiting for both adult and pediatric patients.   Types of intervention All information-sharing interventions for families of patients undergoing an elective surgical procedure were eligible for inclusion in the review. Types of studies All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) quasi-experimental studies, case-controlled and descriptive studies, comparing one information-sharing intervention to another or to usual care were eligible for inclusion in the review. Types of outcomes Primary outcome: The level of anxiety amongst family members or close relatives whilst waiting for patients undergoing surgery, as measured by a validated instrument such as the S-Anxiety portion of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Secondary outcomes: Family satisfaction and other measurements that may be considered indicators of stress and anxiety, such as mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate. Search strategy A comprehensive search, restricted to English language only, was undertaken of the following databases from 1990 to May 2013: Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, ProQuest, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Scopus, Dissertation and Theses PQDT (via ProQuest), Current Contents, CENTRAL, Google Scholar, OpenGrey, Clinical Trials, Science.gov, Current Controlled Trials and National Institute for Clinical Studies (NHMRC). Methodological quality Two independent reviewers critically appraised retrieved papers for methodological quality using the standardized critical appraisal instruments for randomized controlled trials and descriptive studies from the Joanna Briggs Institute Meta Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instruments (JBI-MAStARI). Data extraction Two independent reviewers extracted data from included papers using a customized data extraction form. Data synthesis Statistical pooling was not possible, mainly due to issues with data reporting in two of the studies, therefore the results are presented in narrative form. Results Three studies with a total of 357 participants were included in the review. In-person reporting to family members was found to be effective in comparison with usual care in which no reports were provided. Telephone reporting was also found to be effective at reducing anxiety, in comparison with usual care, although not as effective as in-person reporting. The use of paging devices to keep family members informed were found to increase, rather than decrease anxiety. Conclusions Due to the lack of high quality research in this area, the strength of the conclusions are limited. It appears that in-person and telephone reporting to family members decreases anxiety, however the use of paging devices increases anxiety.

Safety of OPRA procedure for individuals with upper limb amputation

Surgical implantations of osseointegrated fixations for bone-anchored prosthesis are developing at an unprecedented pace worldwide while initial skepticism in the orthopedic community is slowly fading away. Clearly, this option is becoming accessible to a wide range of individuals with limb loss. [1-18] The team led by Dr Rickard Branemark has previously published a number of landmark articles focusing on the benefits and safety of the OPRA fixation mainly for individual with lower limb loss, particularly those with transfemoral amputation. [1-3, 19-32] However, similar information is lacking for those with upper limb amputation. This team is once again taking a leading role by sharing a retrospective study focusing on the implant survival, adverse events, implant stability, and bone remodelling for 18 individuals with transhumeral amputation over a 5-year post-operative period. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis of the safety of the procedure is accessible for the first time. In essence, the results showed an implant survival rate of 83% and 80% at 2 and 5 year follow ups, respectively. The most frequent adverse events were superficial skin infections that occurred for 28% (5) participants while the least frequent was deep bone infection that happened only once. More importantly, 38% of complications due to infections were effectively managed with nonoperative treatments (e.g., revision of skin penetration site, local cleaning, antibiotics, restriction of soft tissue mobility). Implant stability and bone remodelling were satisfactory. Clearly, this study provided better understanding of the safety of the OPRA surgical and rehabilitation procedure for individuals with upper limb amputation while establishing standards and benchmark data for future studies. However, strong evidences of the benefits are yet to be demonstrated. However, increase in health related quality of life and functional outcomes (e.g., range of movement) are likely. Altogether, the team of authors are providing further evidence that bone-anchored attachment is definitely a promising alternative to socket prostheses.

Using simplified peer review processes to fund research: A prospective study

Objective: To prospectively test two simplified peer review processes, estimate the agreement between the simplified and official processes, and compare the costs of peer review. Design, participants and setting: A prospective parallel study of Project Grant proposals submitted in 2013 to the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia. The official funding outcomes were compared with two simplified processes using proposals in Public Health and Basic Science. The two simplified processes were: panels of 7 reviewers who met face-to-face and reviewed only the nine-page research proposal and track record (simplified panel); and 2 reviewers who independently reviewed only the nine-page research proposal (journal panel). The official process used panels of 12 reviewers who met face-to-face and reviewed longer proposals of around 100 pages. We compared the funding outcomes of 72 proposals that were peer reviewed by the simplified and official processes. Main outcome measures: Agreement in funding outcomes; costs of peer review based on reviewers’ time and travel costs. Results: The agreement between the simplified and official panels (72%, 95% CI 61% to 82%), and the journal and official panels (74%, 62% to 83%), was just below the acceptable threshold of 75%. Using the simplified processes would save $A2.1–$A4.9 million per year in peer review costs. Conclusions: Using shorter applications and simpler peer review processes gave reasonable agreement with the more complex official process. Simplified processes save time and money that could be reallocated to actual research. Funding agencies should consider streamlining their application processes.

Postprocedural effects of gastrointestinal endoscopy performed as a day case procedure in children : implications for patient and family education

A prospective design that included a survey tool, nursing care records, and telephone interview was used to determine postprocedural effects experienced by children and families following gastrointestinal endoscopy performed as a day procedure. One hundred twenty-one children attending a pediatric gastroenterology unit for endoscopy under general anesthesia participated in the study. Physical symptoms, day care/school attendance, behavioral issues, and economic factors in the 72 hours post procedure were identified. Over half the children (n = 69, 57%) experienced pain in the hospital post procedure. Pain was reported by 73 children (60%) at home on the day of the procedure, by 55 children (45%) on Day 1 post procedure, and by 37 children (31%) on Day 2 post procedure. The throat was the most common site of pain. Nausea or vomiting was experienced by 37 children (31%) at some time following their procedure but was not associated with procedure type, age, or fasting time. Over half the children (n = 53, 51%) who usually attended day care or school did not attend the day following their procedure. Twenty-four parents (40%) who would normally have worked on the day after the procedure did not attend employment. These findings have been used to improve the preprocedural information and discharge management of patients treated in a pediatric gastroenterology ambulatory setting. © The Society of Gastroenterology Nurses & Associates 2007. All Rights Reserved.

A New, Convenient Reductive Procedure For The Deprotection Of 4-Methoxybenzyl (Mpm) Ethers To Alcohols

Selective introduction and removal of protecting groups is of great significance in organic synthesis.l The benzyl ether function is one of the most common protecting groups for alcohols. Selective oxidative removal of the 4-methoxybenzyl (MPM) ethers in the presence of benzyl ethers made the MPM moiety an alternative protecting group, and its utility in carbohydrate chemistry is well established. Several procedures have been developed for the cleavage of the 4-methoxybenzyl moiety, e.g. DDQ oxidation (eq 1),2e lectrochemical ~xidationh,~om ogeneous electron t r a n~f e rp,~ho toinduced single electron t r an~f e rb,o~ro n trichloride-dimethyl sulfide,6e tc. However, in all these methods isolation of the alcohol from the inevitable byproduct, 4-methoxybenzaldehyde [also dichlorodicyanohydroquinone (DDHQ) in the most commonly used method employing DDQI can be troublesome. Recently Wallace and Hedgetts7 discovered that acetic acid at 90 "C cleaves the aromatic MPM ethers into the corresponding phenols and 4-methoxybenzyl acetate (eq 21, whereas the aliphatic MPM ethers generated, instead of alcohols, the corresponding acetates (eq 3). Complimentary to this methodology, herein we report that sodium cyanoborohydride and boron trifluoride etherate reductively cleaves, cleanly and efficiently, the aliphatic MPM ethers to an easily separable mixture of the corresponding alcohols and 4-methylanisole

Image processing and classification procedure for the analysis of Australian frog vocalisations

Frog species have been declining worldwide at unprecedented rates in the past decades. There are many reasons for this decline including pollution, habitat loss, and invasive species [1]. To preserve, protect, and restore frog biodiversity, it is important to monitor and assess frog species. In this paper, a novel method using image processing techniques for analyzing Australian frog vocalisations is proposed. An FFT is applied to audio data to produce a spectrogram. Then, acoustic events are detected and isolated into corresponding segments through image processing techniques applied to the spectrogram. For each segment, spectral peak tracks are extracted with selected seeds and a region growing technique is utilised to obtain the contour of each frog vocalisation. Based on spectral peak tracks and the contour of each frog vocalisation, six feature sets are extracted. Principal component analysis reduces each feature set down to six principal components which are tested for classification performance with a k-nearest neighbor classifier. This experiment tests the proposed method of classification on fourteen frog species which are geographically well distributed throughout Queensland, Australia. The experimental results show that the best average classification accuracy for the fourteen frog species can be up to 87%.

Einstein Relation in n-Channel Inversion Layers of Nonlinear Optical, Optoelectronic and Related Materials: Simplified Theory, Relative Comparison and Suggestion for an Experimental Determination

In this paper, we study the Einstein relation for the diffusivity to mobility ratio (DMR) in n-channel inversion layers of non-linear optical materials on the basis of a newly formulated electron dispersion relation by considering their special properties within the frame work of k.p formalism. The results for the n-channel inversion layers of III-V, ternary and quaternary materials form a special case of our generalized analysis. The DMR for n-channel inversion layers of II-VI, IV-VI and stressed materials has been investigated by formulating the respective 2D electron dispersion laws. It has been found, taking n-channel inversion layers of CdGeAs2, Cd(3)AS(2), InAs, InSb, Hg1-xCdxTe, In1-xGaxAsyP1-y lattice matched to InP, CdS, PbTe, PbSnTe, Pb1-xSnxSe and stressed InSb as examples, that the DMR increases with the increasing surface electric field with different numerical values and the nature of the variations are totally band structure dependent. The well-known expression of the DMR for wide gap materials has been obtained as a special case under certain limiting conditions and this compatibility is an indirect test for our generalized formalism. Besides, an experimental method of determining the 2D DMR for n-channel inversion layers having arbitrary dispersion laws has been suggested.

Simplified dispersion curves for circular cylindrical shells using shallow shell theory.

An alternative derivation of the dispersion relation for the transverse vibration of a circular cylindrical shell is presented. The use of the shallow shell theory model leads to a simpler derivation of the same result. Further, the applicability of the dispersion relation is extended to the axisymmetric mode and the high frequency beam mode.