Showing papers by "Griffith University published in 2002"
TL;DR: The fluctuation theorem is experimentally demonstrated by following the trajectory of a colloidal particle captured in an optical trap that is translated relative to surrounding water molecules to show entropy consumption can occur over colloidal length and time scales.
Abstract: We experimentally demonstrate the fluctuation theorem, which predicts appreciable and measurable violations of the second law of thermodynamics for small systems over short time scales, by following the trajectory of a colloidal particle captured in an optical trap that is translated relative to surrounding water molecules. From each particle trajectory, we calculate the entropy production/consumption over the duration of the trajectory and determine the fraction of second law-defying trajectories. Our results show entropy consumption can occur over colloidal length and time scales.
799 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an empirical research aimed at examining the relationship between the safety climate and safe work behavior in construction site environments has been conducted and the results corroborate the importance of the role of management commitment, communication, workers involvement, attitudes, competence, as well as supportive and supervisory environments, in achieving a positive safety climate.
Abstract: This paper discusses empirical research aimed at examining the relationship between the safety climate and safe work behavior in construction site environments. A literature review has identified a number of independent constructs with the potential to affect the safety climate. A research model was developed based on the hypothesis that safe work behaviors are consequences of the existing safety climate, which, in turn, is determined by the identified independent constructs. A questionnaire survey was used in order to facilitate the collection of information from construction sites. The model was tested using structural equation modeling. The paper presents the results of testing the research model. The results corroborate the importance of the role of management commitment, communication, workers’ involvement, attitudes, competence, as well as supportive and supervisory environments, in achieving a positive safety climate.
644 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a self-administered questionnaire was developed and administered to a non-probabilistic convenience sample of 315 young consumers to assess the relationship between brand associations which contribute to consumption behavior.
Abstract: In seeking to expand our understanding of brands and their impact on consumer behaviour, assesses the relationship between brand associations, which contribute to consumption behaviour. A self‐administered questionnaire was developed and administered to a non‐probabilistic convenience sample of 315 young consumers. The findings of this research indicate that the status‐conscious market is more likely to be affected by the symbolic characteristics of a brand; feelings aroused by the brand; and by the degree of congruency between the brand‐user’s self‐image and the brand’s image itself. Results also indicate that the higher the symbolic characteristics, the stronger the positive feelings, and the greater the congruency between the consumer and brand image, the greater the likelihood of the brand being perceived as possessing high status elements. The suspicion that status‐laden brands would be chosen for status consumption and conspicuous consumption was also confirmed. These findings broaden our understanding of status‐conscious consumers and their behaviour towards brands.
613 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a series of focus group interviews and a national consumer survey were conducted to examine the significance of 'green' signifiers in the consumption practices of Australian consumers and identify the barriers and opportunities for expanding the organic industry in Australia in the context of the ways organics is constructed by consumers.
Abstract: Central to the development of green lifestyles is the consumption of foods that by dint of their status as chemical-free, locally produced and/or free of genetically modified ingredients, reduce the environmental impact of food provision. Yet there are many other factors, such as health concerns, that may also encourage the consumption of 'green' foods. This paper explores the ways in which Australian consumers construct organic food-a sector of the food industry that is currently growing at between 20 and 50 percent per annum but is struggling to keep up with rising consumer demand. In order to examine the significance of 'green' signifiers in the consumption practices of Australian consumers a series of focus group interviews and a national consumer survey were conducted. These examined both those characteristics of food that were valued in general, and those meanings that were associated with organic food in particular. In very general terms, analysis reveals that while consumers believed organic foods to be healthy and environmentally sound-both of which were considered desirable-these characteristics were subsumed by an overarching concern with convenience. This does not mean that consumers did not hold genuinely positive environmental attitudes. Rather, it reflects a range of contradictory beliefs and practices that appeared to derive from the discursive conflict between conventional and organic food industries over environmental, health and safety claims. The paper concludes by identifying the barriers and opportunities for expanding the organic industry in Australia in the context of the ways organics is constructed by consumers.
537 citations
TL;DR: The Workgroup Emotional Intelligence Profile, Version 3 (WEIP-3) as mentioned in this paper was designed specifically to profile the emotional intelligence of individuals in work teams and applied the scale in a study of the link between emotional intelligence and two measures of team performance: team process effectiveness and team goal focus.
463 citations
TL;DR: The authors examine assumptions behind competing typologies of participation, and propose a classification framework less laden by idealist notions of democracy, and examine what counts as participation and how the many practices loosely bundled under the label should be understood.
Abstract: In an era of democratic discontent, more and better participation in policy making has become a standard expectation. Yet it is rarely clear what counts as participation, and how the many practices loosely bundled under the label should be understood. This paper has a modest undergrowth-clearing objective: to examine assumptions behind competing typologies of participation, and to propose a classification framework less laden by idealist notions of democracy.
429 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a model linking perceptions of job insecurity to emotional reactions and negative coping behaviors. But their model is based on the idea that emotional variables explain, in part, discrepant findings reported in previous research, and they propose that emotional intelligence moderates employees' emotional reactions to job insecurity and their ability to cope with associated stress.
Abstract: We present a model linking perceptions of job insecurity to emotional reactions and negative coping behaviors. Our model is based on the idea that emotional variables explain, in part, discrepant findings reported in previous research. In particular, we propose that emotional intelligence moderates employees' emotional reactions to job insecurity and their ability to cope with associated stress. In this respect, low emotional intelligence employees are more likely than high emotional intelligence employees to experience negative emotional reactions to job insecurity and to adopt negative coping strategies.
412 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose bases for a workplace pedagogy based on intentional guidance and sequenced access to workplace activities, which represent some key workplace pedagogic practices.
Abstract: This article proposes bases for a workplace pedagogy. Planes of intentional guidance and sequenced access to workplace activities represent some key workplace pedagogic practices. Guidance by other...
396 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors claim that restorative justice is the opposite of retributive justice, and use indigenous justice practices and was the first step towards restoring justice in the United States.
Abstract: Advocates’ claims about restorative justice contain four myths: (1) restorative justice is the opposite of retributive justice; (2) restorative justice uses indigenous justice practices and was the...
377 citations
TL;DR: It is shown that monocyte-derived human dendritic cells (DCs) release cysteine in the extracellular space during antigen presentation, thus providing a reducing microenvironment that facilitates immune response.
Abstract: T lymphocytes are defective in cystine uptake and thus require exogenous thiols for activation and function. Here we show that monocyte-derived human dendritic cells (DCs) release cysteine in the extracellular space. Cysteine generation is increased by lipopolysaccharide and tumor necrosis factor α, and by contact with T cells specifically recognizing soluble or alloantigens. These stimuli also induce thioredoxin (TRX) accumulation in DCs. However, only the contact with antigen-specific T cells triggers TRX secretion by the antigen-presenting cells. Fewer extracellular thiols are recovered after DC–T cell interactions when cystine uptake or TRX activity are inhibited. In addition, glutamate (Glu) and anti-TRX-inactivating antibodies inhibit antigen-dependent T lymphocyte proliferation. These findings indicate that, during antigen presentation, DCs uptake cystine and release cysteine and TRX, thus providing a reducing microenvironment that facilitates immune response.
355 citations
TL;DR: Comparison between morphological tissues of the sampled plants found that roots consistently presented higher metal concentrations than either the stems or leaves, however unlike previous studies, this investigation revealed no consistent trend of stems accumulating more metals than the leaves.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that describing learning through work as being "informal" is incorrect, and that the structuring of workplace activities has dimensions associated with learning directed for the continuity of the practice, which also often has inherently pedagogical qualities.
Abstract: This article critiques some assumptions shaping the current discourse on workplace learning. It proposes that these assumptions restrict how workplace learning is conceptualised and discussed. Principally, describing workplace learning environments and experiences as ‘informal’ and that ‘informal learning’ occurs in workplaces constrains understanding about how learning occurs through work and, consequently, the development of a workplace pedagogy. As with educational institutions, in workplaces there are intentions for work practice, structured goal-directed activities that are central to organisational continuity, and interactions and judgements about performance that are also shaped to those ends. Therefore, describing learning through work as being ‘informal’ is incorrect. Instead, the structuring of workplace activities has dimensions associated with learning directed for the continuity of the practice, which also often has inherently pedagogical qualities. Moreover, the unqualified descripti...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focused on both the content and measurement of leisure and its relationship to quality of life and found that people who engage in social activities more frequently and who are more satisfied with the psychological benefits they derive fromleisure, experience higher levels of perceived QOL.
Abstract: Traditional approaches to themeasurement of leisure's relationship toquality of life have emphasised place-centredindicators (e.g., the frequency of leisurefacility usage) and tended to ignoreperson-centred criteria (e.g., satisfactionwith leisure experiences). Moreover, theunderlying assumption in subsequent policyoutcomes has been that increasing the number offacilities and services will automaticallyenhance people's QOL. This paper focuses onboth the content and measurement of leisure andits relationship to quality of life. Itreports the results of a study that examinedthe relative importance of selected place andperson-centred leisure attributes in predictingquality of life. The study tested a set ofobjective and subjective indicators that peopleare most concerned with in their leisure lives. Overall, it was found that the person-centredleisure attribute, leisure satisfaction, wasthe best predictor of quality of life. Place-centred attributes failed to influencequality of life. Further analysis revealedthat people who engage in social activitiesmore frequently and who are more satisfied withthe psychological benefits they derive fromleisure, experience higher levels of perceivedquality of life. The results suggest thatthere is a need to reconcile objectiveknowledge with subjective perceptions ofleisure in order to achieve greaterunderstanding and comprehensive measurement ofthis complex domain and its relationship toquality of life.
TL;DR: In this paper, various Box-Jenkins Autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models are estimated over the period 1975(1) to 1989(4) for tourist arrivals to Australia from Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore.
TL;DR: A new method to authenticate individuals based on palmprint identification and verification using a texture-based dynamic selection scheme to facilitate the fast search for the best matching of the sample in the database in a hierarchical fashion is described.
TL;DR: The direct adaptive control (DAC) has the advantage of less design effort by not using FNN to model the plant, and the free parameters of the adaptive FNN controller can be tuned on-line based on the Lyapunov synthesis approach.
Abstract: In this paper, an observer-based direct adaptive fuzzy-neural network (FNN) controller with supervisory mode for a certain class of high order unknown nonlinear dynamical system is presented. The direct adaptive control (DAC) has the advantage of less design effort by not using FNN to model the plant. By using an observer-based output feedback control law and adaptive law, the free parameters of the adaptive FNN controller can be tuned on-line based on the Lyapunov synthesis approach. A supervisory controller is appended into the FNN controller to force the state to be within the constraint set. Therefore, if the FNN controller cannot maintain the stability, the supervisory controller starts working to guarantee stability. On the other hand, if the FNN controller works well, the supervisory controller will be de-activated. The overall adaptive scheme guarantees the global stability of the resulting closed-loop system in the sense that all signals involved are uniformly bounded. Simulation results also show that our initial control effort is much less than those in previous works, while preserving the tracking performance.
Book•
01 Jan 2002TL;DR: A publication from IUCN's Commission on Education and Communication (CEC) tells the stories of people who work with communities to motivate them to create a more sustainable future as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: A publication from IUCNs Commission on Education and Communication (CEC), this book tells the stories of people who work with communities to motivate them to create a more sustainable future. The accounts range from engaging communities through theatre to a revival of indigenous stories to pass on good environmental practice. The publication was produced both to share what educators around the world have learnt and to give them a platform to tell their stories.
TL;DR: A scale to identify relevant dimensions of ED nurses' attitudes to clients who present with self-injury and found a generally negative attitude towards clients who self-harm was found.
Abstract: Background. Deliberate self-harm is frequently encountered by emergency department (ED) nurses. However, clients are often dissatisfied with the care provided and clinicians feel ambivalent, helpless or frustrated when working with clients who self-harm.
Aim. The aim of the study was to develop and test a scale to identify relevant dimensions of ED nurses' attitudes to clients who present with self-injury.
Methods. Items on Attitudes Towards Deliberate Self-Harm Questionnaire (ADSHQ) were drawn from a literature review and focus group discussions with ED nurses. The tool was piloted with 20 ED nurses not working in the target agencies. A survey of nurses working within 23 major public and 14 major private EDs in Queensland, Australia ( n = 1008) was then undertaken.
Results. A total of 352 questionnaires were returned (35% response). Analysis revealed four factors that reflected nurses' attitudes toward these clients. The factors related to nurses' perceived confidence in their assessment and referral skills; ability to deal effectively with clients, empathic approach; and ability to cope effectively with legal and hospital regulations that guide practice. There was a generally negative attitude towards clients who self-harm. Correlations were found between years of ED experience and total score on the ADSHQ, and years of ED experience and an empathic approach towards clients who deliberately self-harm.
Conclusion. There is a need for continuing professional development activities to address negative attitudes and provide practical strategies to inform practice and clinical protocols.
TL;DR: An object-level multiversioning approach to consistency maintenance in real-time collaborative graphic editors is proposed, which is novel in achieving intention preservation and convergence, in preserving the work concurrently produced by multiple users in the face of conflict, and in minimizing the number of object versions for conflict resolution.
Abstract: Real-time collaborative graphics editing systems allow a group of users to view and edit the same graphics document at the same time from geographically dispersed sites connected by communication networks Consistency maintenance in the face of concurrent accesses to shared objects is one of the core issues in the design of these types of systems In this article, we propose an object-level multiversioning approach to consistency maintenance in real-time collaborative graphic editors This approach is novel in achieving intention preservation and convergence, in preserving the work concurrently produced by multiple users in the face of conflict, and in minimizing the number of object versions for conflict resolution Major technical contributions of this work include a formal specification of a unique combined effect for an arbitrary group of conflict and compatible operations, a distributed algorithm for incremental creation of multiple object versions, a consistent object identification scheme for multiple object versions, and a convergent layering scheme for overlapping objects All algorithms and schemes presented in this article have been implemented in an Internet-based GRACE (graphics collaborative editing) system
TL;DR: Workplace experiences are not informal. They are a product of the historical-cultural practices and situational factors that constitute the particular work practice, which in turn distributes opportunities for participation to individuals or cohorts of individuals as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: This paper advances tentative bases for understanding workplace pedagogic practices. It draws on a series of studies examining learning through everyday work activities and guided learning in the workplace. These studies identified the contributions and limitations of these learning experiences. However, whether referring to the activities and interactions arising through work or intentional guided learning, the quality and likely contributions of these learning experiences are underpinned by workplace participatory practices. These practices comprise the reciprocal process of how workplaces afford participation and how individuals elect to engage with the work practice, termed co–participation. Workplace experiences are not informal. They are a product of the historical–cultural practices and situational factors that constitute the particular work practice, which in turn distributes opportunities for participation to individuals or cohorts of individuals. That is, they shape the conduct of work and learn...
TL;DR: In this paper, the results of a survey appraising the frequency and perceived merit of customer accounting practices are reported, showing that CA usage appears to be greater than what might have been reasonably anticipated given the limited attention afforded the subject in normative and empirical literatures.
Abstract: The results of a survey appraising the frequency and perceived merit of customer accounting (CA) practices are reported. Given the limited attention afforded the subject in the normative and empirical literatures, CA usage appears to be greater than what might have been reasonably anticipated. Evidence of a positive association between market orientation and CA, as well as a weak positive association between competition intensity and CA is provided.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report the performance measurement practices of four Japanese banks and investigate what factors influenced the design and use of non-financial performance measurement systems in the banks studied, finding that several institutional forces influenced the banks to implement a particular performance measurement system.
Abstract: This paper reports the performance measurement practices of four Japanese banks. The research is a field study informed by the new institutional sociology theory. It sought to understand and explain what factors affected the design and use of non‐financial performance measurement systems in the banks studied. The results indicate that several institutional forces influenced the banks to implement a particular performance measurement system. Of these, economic constraints appeared to be the most forceful factor, followed by the central bank’s regulatory control, accounting standards/financial legislation, management’s strategic focus, bank size, competition, and organizational tendency to copy best practices from others.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that action research is more appropriate than traditional research for improving practice and professional and organisational learning, and they present a model to illustrate the distinction and relationship between thesis research, core research and thesis writing.
Abstract: This paper argues that action research is more appropriate than traditional research for improving practice, and professional and organisational learning. Our particular aim is to help postgraduates in the social and human sciences to understand and clarify the difference between core action research and thesis action research; that is, between collaborative, participatory action research in the field (aimed at practical improvement in a learning organisation) and independent action research in preparing the thesis (aimed at making an original contribution to knowledge). We present a model to illustrate the distinction and relationship between thesis research, core research and thesis writing.
TL;DR: The study confirms the initial promise of the Tele Help–Tele Check service over a much longer time period and confirms the apparent lack of benefit for elderly males.
Abstract: Background Previous short-term work reported fewer suicides among elderly users of a telephone helpline and emergency response service (the TeleHelp-TeleCheck Service).
Aims To examine long-term effects of the service on suicide in an elderly population of northern Italy.
Method The service provided twice-weekly support and needs assessment telephone calls and a 24h emergency alarm service. Data from 1988 to 1998 allowed comparison of 18 641 service users with a comparable general population group of the Veneto region in Italy.
Results Significantly fewer suicide deaths ( n OBSERVED=6) occurred among elderly service users (standardised mortality ratio (SMR) 28.8%) than expected ( n EXPECTED=20.86; χ2=10.58, d.f.=1, P <0.001) despite an assumed overrepresentation of persons at increased risk. The service performed well for elderly females ( n OBSERVED=2, SMR=16.6%, n EXPECTED=12.03; χ2=8.36, d.f.=1, P <0.001).
Conclusions The study confirms the initial promise of the TeleHelp—TeleCheck service over a much longer time period. Further research will clarify the apparent lack of benefit for elderly males.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore issues related to the choice of goals and approaches for advancing sustainability in higher education through research, and argue that diverse nature of the questions, issues and problems facing advocates of sustainability in Higher education requires a willingness to adopt an eclectic approach to a choice of research methodologies or paradigms.
TL;DR: Several parallel decomposition strategies are examined in Ant Colony Optimization applied to a specific problem, namely the travelling salesman problem, with encouraging speedup and efficiency results.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a review of the evolution of relationship marketing and argue that RM is not a paradigm shift, but rather an appropriate marketing approach when management considers product/service, customer, and organization factors.
Abstract: Relationship marketing (RM) has emerged as a new marketing idea for many firms in Western countries. The aim of this paper is to review the evolution of RM ideas. Definitional difficulties are sorted out, a typology of many of the relationships is developed, structural and social bonds are identified and whether RM is a paradigm shift for marketing theorists and practitioners is debated. This paper argues that RM is not a paradigm shift, but rather an appropriate marketing approach when management considers product/service, customer, and organization factors. The paper’s contribution is its comprehensiveness and up‐to‐date review of the evolution of core RM ideas.
TL;DR: In this article, a study of women with a history of participation in adventure recreation was conducted, where semi-structured in-depth interviews and 6-month activity diaries were gathered from 42 women.
Abstract: This paper presents results from a study of women with a history of participation in adventure recreation. Semi-structured in-depth interviews and 6-month activity diaries were gathered from 42 wom...
TL;DR: Archetypal O-acetylation reactions of alcohols and carbohydrates proceed rapidly in high yield under mild conditions in a dicyanamide based ionic liquid, that is not only an effective solvent but also an active base catalyst.