Image analysis by moment invariants using a set of step-like basis functions

Moment invariants have been thoroughly studied and repeatedly proposed as one of the most powerful tools for 2D shape identification. In this paper a set of such descriptors is proposed, being the basis functions discontinuous in a finite number of points. The goal of using discontinuous functions is to avoid the Gibbs phenomenon, and therefore to yield a better approximation capability for discontinuous signals, as images. Moreover, the proposed set of moments allows the definition of rotation invariants, being this the other main design concern. Translation and scale invariance are achieved by means of standard image normalization. Tests are conducted to evaluate the behavior of these descriptors in noisy environments, where images are corrupted with Gaussian noise up to different SNR values. Results are compared to those obtained using Zernike moments, showing that the proposed descriptor has the same performance in image retrieval tasks in noisy environments, but demanding much less computational power for every stage in the query chain.

Supervision practice for allied mental health professionals within a large mental health workforce : exploring the phenomenon

This paper reports on an exploration of the concept of 'supervision' as applied to allied health professionals within a large mental health service in one Australian State. A two-part methodology was used, with focus group interviews conducted with allied health professionals, and semi-structured telephone interviews with service managers. Fifty-eight allied health professionals participated in a series of seven focus groups. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the Directors or Managers of mental health services in all 21 regions in the state. Allied health professionals and service managers both considered supervision to be an important mechanism for ensuring staff competence and best practice outcomes for consumers and carers. There was strong endorsement of the need for clarification and articulation of supervision policies within the organization, and the provision of appropriate resourcing to enable supervision to occur. Current practice in supervision was seen as ad hoc and of variable standard; the need for training in supervision was seen as critical. The supervision needs of newly graduated allied health professionals and those working in rural and regional areas were also seen as important. The need for a flexible and accessible model of supervision was clearly demonstrated.

The self-Googling phenomenon : investigating the performance of personalized information resources

This paper investigates self–Googling through the monitoring of search engine activities of users and adds to the few quantitative studies on this topic already in existence. We explore this phenomenon by answering the following questions: To what extent is the self–Googling visible in the usage of search engines; is any significant difference measurable between queries related to self–Googling and generic search queries; to what extent do self–Googling search requests match the selected personalised Web pages? To address these questions we explore the theory of narcissism in order to help define self–Googling and present the results from a 14–month online experiment using Google search engine usage data.

Is the new age phenomenon connected to delusion-like experiences? Analysis of survey data from Australia

Recent studies have shown that delusion-like experiences (DLEs) are common among general populations. This study investigates whether the prevalence of these experiences are linked to the embracing of New Age thought. Logistic regression analyses were performed using data derived from a large community sample of young adults (N = 3777). Belief in a spiritual or higher power other than God was found to be significantly associated with endorsement of 16 of 19 items from Peters et al. (1999b) Delusional Inventory following adjustment for a range of potential confounders, while belief in God was associated with endorsement of four items. A New Age conception of the divine appears to be strongly associated with a wide range of DLEs. Further research is needed to determine a causal link between New Age philosophy and DLEs (e.g. thought disturbance, suspiciousness, and delusions of grandeur).

Empirical measurement of the Enright phenomenon, a distortion of perceived driving speed

Purpose: In 1970, Enright observed a distortion of perceived driving speed, induced by monocular application of a neutral density (ND) filter. If a driver looks out of the right side of a vehicle with a filter over the right eye, the driver perceives a reduction of the vehicle’s apparent velocity, while applying a ND filter over the left eye increases the vehicle’s apparent velocity. The purpose of the current study was to provide the first empirical measurements of the Enright phenomenon. Methods: Ten experienced drivers were tested and drove an automatic sedan on a closed road circuit. Filters (0.9 ND) were placed over the left, right or both eyes during a driving run, in addition to a control condition with no filters in place. Subjects were asked to look out of the right side of the car and adjust their driving speed to either 40 km/h or 60 km/h. Results: Without a filter or with both eyes filtered subjects showed good estimation of speed when asked to travel at 60 km/h but travelled a mean of 12 to 14 km/h faster than the requested 40 km/h. Subjects travelled faster than these baselines by a mean of 7 to 9 km/h (p < 0.001) with the filter over their right eye, and 3 to 5 km/h slower with the filter over their left eye (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The Enright phenomenon causes significant and measurable distortions of perceived driving speed under realworld driving conditions.

The phenomenon of resilience as described by adults who have experienced mental illness

Aim: This paper is a report of a study to explore the phenomenon of resilience in the lives of adult patients of mental health services who have experienced mental illness. ---------- Background: Mental illness is a major health concern worldwide, and the majority experiencing it will continue to battle with relapses throughout their lives. However, in many instances people go on to overcome their illness to lead productive and socially engaged lives. Contemporary mental health nursing practice primarily focuses on symptom reduction, and working with resilience has not generally been a consideration. ---------- Method: A descriptive phenomenological study was carried out in 2006. One participant was recruited through advertisements in community newspapers and newsletters and the others using the snowballing method. Information was gathered through in-depth individual interviews which were tape-recorded and subsequently transcribed. Colaizzi's original seven-step approach was used for data analysis, with the inclusion of two additional steps. ---------- Findings: The following themes were identified: Universality, Acceptance, Naming and knowing, Faith, Hope, Being the fool and Striking a balance, Having meaning and meaningful relationships, and 'Just doing it'. The conceptualization identified as encapsulating the themes was 'Viewing life from the ridge with eyes wide open', which involved knowing the risks and dangers ahead and making a decision for life amid ever-present hardships. ---------- Conclusion: Knowledge about resilience should be included in the theoretical and practical education of nursing students and experienced nurses. Early intervention, based on resilience factors identified through screening processes, is needed for people with mental illness.

The phenomenon of business process management : practitioners’ emphasis

Since 2005, Business Process Management (BPM) has been one of the top 10 issues for CIO’s. However, while there is a general awareness what BPM is and what it relates to, one needs to ask ‘does everyone have the same understanding of the BPM phenomenon? And if not, is there a pattern to these conceptions and how do the ways of conceptualizing BPM differ?’ This paper presents the practitioner conceptions of BPM using a phenomenographic approach to detect variations in the BPM conceptions emphasised. 26 interviews were conducted with BPM practitioners with various scopes of work (namely program management, project management and execution levels) in this qualitative research. Distinct variations in how BPM is conceptualized among BPM practitioners are revealed, showing that emphasis is put depending on their scope of work either towards value generation, improvement or managing processes. This is of particular relevance to the Information Systems and BPM community in order to align the rigorous work done to date by the research community with the current understanding of BPM in the practitioner community.