Evaluation of the Structured Approach to Students @ Risk Pilot Project : An initiative of the partnership between the Department of Human Services and Department of Education and Early Childhood Development in Gippsland Region
- Authors: Crinall, Karen , Laming, Christopher
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Technical report
- Full Text: false
- Description: Research report Evaluation report for the Victorian Government's Departments of Human Services and Education and Early Childhood Development
Everyday victimization of adolescent girls by boys: Sexual harassment, bullying or aggression?
- Authors: Shute, Rosalyn , Owens, Larry , Slee, Phillip
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sex Roles Vol. 58, no. 7-8 (2008), p. 477-489
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- Description: School-based sexual harassment of adolescent girls by boys appears commonplace, yet aggression and bullying studies rarely yield sexualized material. This qualitative Australian study with 72 14- to 15-year-olds and 7 teachers aimed to discover whether interviewer use of neutral language in gender-segregated focus groups and interviews would yield material indicating that the victimization of girls by boys is sexualized. Verbal and indirect victimization were reported to be everyday occurrences, and almost entirely sexual. Findings are discussed in the light of definitions of sexual harassment, bullying and aggression. It is concluded that the term "sexual bullying" appropriately captures the gendered power structure underlying these behaviors. As such, they need to be understood, and become visible, more broadly than in terms of individual pathology. © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.
- Description: C1
Evidence to support changes to child restraint legislation
- Authors: Du, Wei , Finch, Caroline , Bilston, Lynne
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Medical Journal of Australia Vol. 189, no. 10 (2008), p. 598
- Full Text: false
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Experimental investigation of clasification algorithms for ITS dataset
- Authors: Yearwood, John , Kang, Byeongho , Kelarev, Andrei
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: PKAW-08, Pacific Rim Knowledge Acquisition Workshop 2008, as part of PRICAI 2008, Tenth Pacific Rim p. 262-272
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This article is devoted to experimental investigation of classification algorithms for analysis of ITS dataset. We introduce and consider a novel k-committees alogorithm for classification and compare it with the discrete k- means and nearest neighbour algorithms. The ITS dataset consists of nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences, where rather sophisticated alignment scores have to be used as a measure of distance. These scores do not form Minkowski metric and the sequences cannot be regarded as points in a finite dimensional space. This is why it is necessary to develop novel algorithms and adjust familiar ones. We present the results of experiments comparing the efficiency of three classification methods in their ability to achieve agreement with classes published in the biological literature before. It turns out that our algorithms are efficient and can be used to obtain biologically significant classifications. A simplified version of a synthetic dataset, where the k-committees classifier out performs k-means and Nearest Neighbour classifiers, is also presented.
- Description: E1
Explaining the composite variable of the celebrity communicator
- Authors: Higgins, Angela
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Conference proceedings
- Full Text: false
Explicit representations of reasoning to support deliberation within groups
- Authors: Stranieri, Andrew , Yearwood, John , Mays, Heather
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Conference proceedings
- Full Text: false
- Description: In practice, the reasoning that underpins problem solving and decision making is rarely performed by an individual in isolation from others but involves a communicative exchanges between participants in a community that can range in size from two to many thousands. Dialogue theories describe patterns in dialogues comprising many dialectical exchanges and often advance deliberation, the kind of dialogue that ensues when participants actively seek to understand all views and collectively arrive at the rationally optimal solution. This study reports on the use of argument maps for structuring reasoning by groups of secondary students. The study aimed to discover whether different maps facilitate deliberation and enhance understanding of the issues by providing an explicit representation of reasoning. An explicit representation of reasoning is a model that encapsulates all relevant claims, evidence, statutes and principles pertinent to an issue. Schemes that have been used to provide explicit representations of reasoning include the Issue Based Information System (IBIS) map, variants of the Toulmin argument structure (TAS) and other knowledge representation schemes used for intelligent computational systems. Results indicate that an explicit representation of reasoning facilitates a depth of understanding of complex issues and there is some indication that the deliberative quality of discussions is enhanced depending on the level of abstraction of the map. Copyright © 2008 COSI.
- Description: 2003006482
Exploring attitudes towards Tourism Australia's "Where the bloody hell are you?"
- Authors: Winter, Caroline
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Current Issues in Tourism Vol. 11, no. 4 (2008), p. 301-314
- Full Text: false
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- Description: It is well known that tourism makes extensive use of national identities to help build brand images, and that such use can result in significant negative impacts to peoples and their cultures. Until recent times, the dominant themes for much of Australia’s international tourism advertising campaigns have been based upon male character types, Indigenous culture and landscape. The 2006 ‘Australian Invitation’ campaign which featured a young female model and use of the term ‘bloody hell’ created a media controversy. The research reported in this paper found that the majority of respondents liked and approved of the campaign, but a cluster analysis distinguished a group of approximately one third of the respondents who held negative attitudes towards it.
Export performance in small and medium enterprises : Sectoral and regional dimensions in NSW Australia
- Authors: Hodgkinson, Ann , McPhee, Paul
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Small and medium sized enterprises in East Asia: sectoral and regional dimensions Chapter p. 135-162
- Full Text: false
- Description: 2003007242
External influences on the development and professionalisation of accounting in Malaysia, 1957-1969
- Authors: Ali, Azham Md. , Lee, Teck Heang , West, Brian
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at 2008 AFAANZ / IAAER Conference, Sydney, New South Wales : 6th-8th July 2008
- Full Text: false
- Description: The accounting history literature identifies a tendency for accounting in developing countries to be dominated by the style of accounting institutions and practices of western developed nations – particularly the USA and UK. This “importation” hypothesis is investigated and refined through a case study examination of the history of accounting in Malaysia during the formative years of 1957 to 1969. This era commences with the Malay States gaining independence from Britain and closes with the race riots which marked a turning point in the nation’s history. The establishment of the Malaysian Association of Certified Public Accountants (MACPA) in 1958 and the passing of the Companies Act of 1965 and the Accountants Act of 1967 are identified as key events which perpetuated British colonial influence within the new nation. These circumstances add credence to the “importation” hypothesis and support a depiction of accounting and its institutional apparatus as regularising forces with a capacity to transcend political and social change within a nation state.
- Description: 2003006230
Factors influencing successful collaboration : The case of dKnet
- Authors: Harman, Jessie
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at Partnerships, Proof and Practice - International Nonprofit and Social Marketing Conference, Wollongong : 15th -16th July 2008
- Full Text:
- Description: Nonprofit organisations in Australia are facing increasing pressure to collaborate, yet much remains to be learned about the factors facilitating successful collaboration performance. This research explores a successful collaboration between eight disability services organisations in Victoria, centred on a shared Internet based knowledge management system. The research seeks to answer the key question: What are the factors associated with successful collaboration in this case? The research confirms a number of factors previously identified in the collaboration performance literature, but also identifies other factors (such as decision-making authority, institutional legitimacy and trust) which are understudied at the current time. Managers of nonprofit organisations (NPOs) in Australia face increasing pressure to engage in inter-organisational collaborations. Policy makers, funders and practitioners alike are extolling the benefits of collaboration; as a way of building financial sustainability, increasing innovation, even as a means to a more just and equitable society (Austin, 2000; Emerson and Twersky, 1996). For small NPOs in particular, collaboration with other nonprofits around such core functions such as marketing may hold particular promise. However, engaging in collaboration seems difficult in practice and much remains to be learned about the factors that influence its success. Against this backdrop, this paper explores a successful collaboration between eight nonprofit disability services organisations across Victoria. It seeks to answer the question: what are the factors associated with successful collaboration in this case? The paper is organised as follows. Section one provides a brief overview of the literature of collaboration performance and the method used by the researcher in this particular case. Section two provides some background to the collaboration (dKnet). It goes on to detail its outcomes and the factors that have significantly influenced its success. The paper concludes with a discussion of these findings and their implications for practitioners, policy makers and researchers of collaboration, nonprofit management and marketing.
Family physical activity and sedentary environments and weight change in children
- Authors: Timperio, Anna , Salmon, Jo , Ball, Kylie , Baur, Louise , Telford, Amanda , Jackson, Michelle , Salmon, Louisa , Crawford, David
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Pediatric Obesity Vol. 3, no. 3 (2008), p. 160-167
- Full Text: false
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- Description: Objective. To examine associations between family physical activity and sedentary environment and changes in body mass index (BMI) z-scores among 10-12-year-old children over three years. Method. Design. Longitudinal (three-year follow-up). Subjects. In total, 152 boys and 192 girls aged 10-12 years at baseline. Measurements. Measured height and weight at baseline and follow-up (weight status, BMI z-scores); aspects of the family physical activity and sedentary environment (parental and sibling modelling, reinforcement, social support, family-related barriers, rules/restrictions, home physical environment) measured with a questionnaire completed by parents at baseline. Results. At baseline, 29.6% of boys and 21.9% of girls were overweight or obese, and mean (standard deviation, SD) BMI z-scores were 0.44 (0.99) and 0.28 (0.89), respectively. There was a significant change in BMI z-score among girls (mean change=0.19, SD=0.55, p < 0.001), but not boys. Among boys, the number of items at home able to be used for sedentary behaviour (B=0.11, p=0.037) was associated with relatively greater increases in BMI z-score. Among girls, sibling engagement in physical activity at least three times/wk (B=-0.17, p=0.010) and the number of physical activity equipment items at home (B=-0.05, p=0.018) were associated with relatively greater decreases in BMI z-score. Conclusion. Sibling physical activity and environmental stimuli for sedentary behaviours and physical activity within the home may be important targets for prevention of weight gain during the transition from childhood to adolescence.
- Description: C1
Fatigue experiments on CFRP repaired welded thin-walled RHSTO-RHS cross-beam connection
- Authors: Xiao, Zhigang , Zhao, Xiao , Mashiri, Fidelis
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Proceedings of the Tenth International Symposium on Structural Engineering for Young Experts (ISSEYE-10) p. 971-978
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Cracked thin-walled rectangular hollow section (RHS)-to-RHS cross-beam connections are repaired with carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites and constant amplitude fatigue experiments are conducted on them. A pilot test is first conducted on a square hollow section (SHS)-to-SHS T-connection to explore an effective method of applying CFRP. Due to the “peel off” effect at the corner region of the SHS-to-SHS specimen, early debonding appears in the pilot test which only results in a small increase in fatigue life. Circumferential or transverse restraining CFRP patches are added in the RHS-to-RHS cross-beam specimens which prevent early debonding successfully and lead to significant increase in fatigue life.
Financial reporting and accountability in charitable organisations
- Authors: Dellaportas, Steven , Langton, Jonathan , West, Brian
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at 2008 AFAANZ / IAAER Conference, Sydney, New South Wales : 6th-8th July 2008
- Full Text: false
- Description: The not-for-profit sector is made up of approximately 700,000 entities employing around 600,000 people and controlling assets up to $70 billion, with the largest charities comparing favourably in size and value to big business. While it is expected that many charitable organisations are well-managed and make a significant contribution to society, a lack of good governance and/or accountability could have devastating affects on the community. Official inquiries into the not-for-profit sector have questioned the lack of transparency and accountability created by a complex legal and regulatory regime. Critics of the existing regime have called for reforms including mandatory financial reporting requirements and an independent regulator to enhance public accountability and organizational efficiency and performance. This study provides an insight into the financial reporting activities of Australia’s largest charities so as to provide a measure of the extent to which charities meet public expectations of accountability. This involved the examination of over 100 publicly available reports for charitable organizations and the administration of a questionnaire. The majority of charities examined in this study provide community, welfare or health services, employ over 100 employees, and rely on a similar number of volunteers to assist with their activities. We have attempted to shed light on a significant failure of the not-for-profit sector to date, in that although our research highlights inconsistencies in reporting formats, ambiguus financial information and a high proportion of qualified audit reports there is a strong belief from charity organisations that the public is entitled to receive quality information on financial performance, suggesting that increased financial disclosures would be beneficial to the charitable sector. Respondents supported ‘programme accountability’ (89.1%), ‘fiscal accountability’ (78.2%) and ‘profit’ (76.6%) as suitable measures of performance with the circumstances of not-for-profit organisations sufficiently different to require a specific and dedicated accounting standard for the sector.
- Description: 2003006345
Finding information
- Authors: Hart, Elizabeth
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Media Journalism: new approaches to theory and practice p. 288-295
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Introduces journalism and media through an integration of theory and practice, drawing on current Media Studies theory as well as providing practical instruction on how to write journalistic pieces
Firm performance, power, and forced CEO turnover : An empirical study from China
- Authors: Pi, Lili
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at 8th Pacific Employment Relations Association Annual Conference, PERA, Ballarat, Victoria : 19th-22nd November 2008
- Full Text: false
- Description: 2003006638
Food gardens : Cultivating a pedagogy of place
- Authors: Green, Monica
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Conference proceedings
- Full Text:
- Description: Place-based education attempts to position the individual in relationship with the human and non-human elements of the life-world, at a place that is welcoming of educational experience and a knowledge base from which to construct a more ecologically sustainable culture. Food gardens, along with ecological restoration projects within schools are experiencing a significant renaissance and are important sites for place-based education. Many of these places are located in and around the immediate environment of a school ground and become significant educational portals through which children explore their world. This paper reports on the literature reviewed for a study on how a pedagogy of place is cultivated within garden experiences. There is limited research about the use of school gardens as an educational tool and the specific pedagogies that support learning in this context. A number of themes emerge from various bodies of literature that provide a conceptual framework for the study of food garden pedagogies. These themes include placebased education, ecological literary, and nature as teacher. It is useful to think about primary school gardens in the light of this literature because it helps frame a research question for a study into how pedagogies of place can be cultivated within food gardens. [Author abstract, ed]
Forecasting model for crude oil prices based on artificial neural networks
- Authors: Haidar, Imad , Kulkarni, Siddhivinayak , Pan, Heping
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at International Conference on Intelligent Sensors, Sensor Networks and Information Processing, ISSNIP 2008, Sydney, New South Wales : 15th-18th December 2008 p. 103-108
- Full Text:
- Description: This paper presents short-term forecasting model for crude oil prices based on three layer feedforward neural network. Careful attention was paid on finding the optimal network structure. Moreover, a number of features were tested as an inputs such as crude oil futures prices, dollar index, gold spot price, heating oil spot price and S&P 500 index. The results show that with adequate network design and appropriate selection of the training inputs, feedforward networks are capable of forecasting noisy time series with high accuracy.
- Description: 2003006659
FrameNet-based fact-seeking answer processing : A study of semantic alignment techniques and lexical coverage
- Authors: Ofoghi, Bahadorreza , Yearwood, John , Ma, Liping
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics) Vol. 5360 LNAI, no. (1 December 2008 through 5 December 2008 2008), p. 192-201
- Full Text: false
- Description: In this paper, we consider two aspects which affect the performance of factoid FrameNet-based Question Answering (QA): i) the frame semantic-based answer processing technique based on frame semantic alignment between questions and passages to identify answer candidates and score them, and ii) the lexical coverage of FrameNet over the predicates which represent the main actions in question and passage events. These are studied using a frame semantic-based QA run over the TREC 2004 and TREC 2006 factoid question sets. © 2008 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
From wilderness to the educational heart : A Tasmanian story of place
- Authors: Green, Monica
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Environmental Education Vol. 24, no. (2008 2008), p. 35-43
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
Fuzzy clustering for image segmentation using generic shape information
- Authors: Ali, Mohammad , Karmakar, Gour , Dooley, Laurence
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Malaysian Journal of Computer Science Vol. 21, no. 2 (2008), p. 122-138
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The performance of clustering algorithms for image segmentation are highly sensitive to the features used and types of objects in the image, which ultimately limits their generalization capability. This provides strong motivation to investigate integrating shape information into the clustering framework to improve the generality of these algorithms. Existing shape-based clustering techniques mainly focus on circular and elliptical clusters and so are unable to segment arbitrarily-shaped objects. To address this limitation, this paper presents a new shape-based algorithm called fuzzy clustering for image segmentation using generic shape information (FCGS), which exploits the B-spline representation of an object’s shape in combination with the Gustafson-Kessel clustering algorithm. Qualitative and quantitative results for FCGS confirm its superior segmentation performance consistently compared to well-established shape-based clustering techniques, for a wide range of test images comprising various regular and arbitrary-shaped objects