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The application of a service ecosystems lens to public policy analysis and design: exploring the frontiers
No full textThe relevance of marketing for public policy has been questioned because its focus on dyadic exchanges does not consider the dynamism and complexity of public problems. Public service-dominant logic, as a new lens for public policy and management, does not address this limitation, because its focus remains on delivering services to the end user. Integrating recent developments in service-dominant logic and related research, this article proposes applying a service ecosystems lens to public policy. Five propositions guide the application of this lens to public policy analysis and design. Public policy is conceptualized as a means to enable service by coordinating multiple actors’ value cocreation activities to address public problems. Inherent in this conceptualization is the multilevel nature of policy analysis, which includes the users’ value creation process (micro level), the context (meso level), and the broader value constellation (macro level). Policy design, in turn, includes the identification and support of emergent solutions driven by different actors. Policy makers therefore need to consider problem–conditions–solution combinations across the value constellation and the effect of public interventions on these constellations. The article concludes by presenting policy makers with marketing and design practices that can assist in the analysis of service ecosystems and engage relevant stakeholders in change initiatives
Lessons learnt from the implementation of same-day discharge after percutaneous coronary intervention
No full textBackground:Change in healthcare organisations is constant and requires adequate resources for effective implementation. Same-day discharge after percutaneous coronary intervention has been found to be no different from the patients who stayed overnight after procedure; however, its uptake remains low.
Objectives:The aim of the study was to identify what factors helped or hindered the implementation of same-day discharge.
Methods:This interpretive study was conducted in a cardiac catheterisation suite of an Australian ter-tiary hospital between June and December 2016. Semistructured individual interviews with 26 health-care professionals were conducted to explore the factors that influenced the implementation. A deductive approach to content analysis was guided by the theoretical domains framework.
Findings:Five domains, including beliefs about consequences, professional role and identity, resources,behaviour regulation, and optimism, were identified which were strongly related to the factors that impacted the implementation. The findings showed that participants believed same-day discharge benefits while also concerning about its safety and holding different opinions on eligibility criteria. The findings also showed that participants’involvement in the change process varied with no clear roles and responsibilities and that their understanding about same-day discharge evidence and the guideline also differed. Lack of dedicated resources was also identified as the hindrance to the implementation. Behaviour regulation domain depicted how communication was managed and how the care for same-day discharge patients was improved. Despite several issues identified, participants were optimistic with achievement.
Discussion and conclusion:This study has provided valuable insight into the factors that influenced the implementation, which will inform policymakers when designing interventions for future improvement.Plan for change and involvement of all stakeholders along with dedicated resources including time,people, and change management expertise are essential if hospitals want to see the success of change
External referencing of ELICOS direct entry program standards: UECA National Report 2019
No full textHealth, well-being, and social support in older Australian lesbian and gay care-givers
No full textInformal care‐givers play an important role in society, and many of the people who provide this care are lesbian women and gay men. Being a care‐giver is known to be associated with poorer health and well‐being, and lesbian and gay care‐givers re‐port experiences of stigma and discrimination in the care‐giving context. This study involved a survey of 230 lesbian women and 503 gay men aged 60 years and over living in Australia, of which 218 were care‐givers. We compared care‐givers to non‐caregivers on a range of health and well‐being measures, including psychological dis‐tress, positive mental health, physical health and social support. While we found no significant differences between these two groups, we further compared care‐givers who were caring for an LGBTI person to those who were caring for a non‐LGBTI person. Among the lesbian women, care‐givers of an LGBTI person reported feeling less supported in their carer role and reported lower levels of social support more generally. They were also lower on positive mental health and physical health indica‐tors. Among the gay men, care‐givers of an LGBTI person also reported feeling less supported in their carer role, but there were no differences in reported levels of social support more generally or health and well‐being compared to those caring for a non‐LGBTI person. Overall, results from this study suggest that older lesbian and gay care‐givers may be facing some challenges related to their well‐being and feeling supported, especially if they are caring for another LGBTI person
Humic acid impacts antimony partitioning and speciation during iron(II)-induced ferrihydrite transformation
No full textThe Fe(II)-induced transformation of ferrihydrite, a potent scavenger for antimony (Sb), can considerably influence Sb mobility in reducing soils, sediments and groundwater systems. In these environments, humic acids (HA) are prevalent, yet their influence on Sb behaviour during ferrihydrite transformation is poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effect of HA on (1) Sb partitioning between solid, colloidal and dissolved phases and (2) Sb redox speciation during the Fe(II)-induced transformation of Sb(V)-bearing ferrihydrite at pH 6.0 and 8.0 and Fe(II) concentrations of 0, 1 and 10 mM. The results show that, at pH 8.0 and in the presence of 10 mM Fe(II), ferrihydrite was replaced by goethite, lepidocrocite and magnetite across a wide range of HA concentrations. At pH 6.0 in the 10 mM Fe(II) treatments, ferrihydrite transformed to mainly lepidocrocite and goethite in both HA-free and low HA treatments. In contrast, high HA concentrations retarded the rate and extent of ferrihydrite transformation at both pH 6.0 and 8.0 in the 1 mM Fe(II) treatments. Antimony K-edge XANES spectroscopy revealed up to 60% reduction of solid-phase Sb(V) to Sb(III), which corresponded with an increase in the PO43−-extractable fraction of solid-phase Sb in HA- and Fe(II)-rich conditions at pH 8.0. In contrast to the observations at pH 8.0, minimal reduction of solid-phase Sb(V) was observed in the pH 6.0 treatments with the highest HA content, yet some reduction of Sb(V) occurred (~30–40%) at intermediate HA concentrations. Humic acid-rich conditions were also found to promote the formation of substantial amounts of colloidal Sb in the \u3c0.45 μm to 3 kDa size range at both pH 6.0 and 8.0. Our results demonstrate that HA can exert an important control on the partitioning, mobility and speciation of Sb during Fe(II)-induced transformation of ferrihydrite in sub-surface environments
Measures of fluid loss during surfing: a preliminary analysis in recreational surfers
No full textSurfing is a popular sport, but little is known about the extent to which recreational surfers experience fluid loss from this activity. The principal objective of this research was to estimate fluid loss during a surfing session through changes in pre- to post-session urine color (Ucol), urine osmolality (Uosm), and body mass (BM). Data were collected from 11 recreational surfers across 14 surf sessions conducted under various environmental (mean water temperature = 22.1 SD ± 2.3; range = 20-26oC; air temperature range = 13.1- 31.5oC; relative humidity range = 37.5-88.1%) and surfing conditions (e.g. winter/summer, wave type, location, environmental and water conditions). Linear mixed effects models indicated that participants experienced significant pre- to post-session changes in BM (p \u3c 0.001), but not in Ucol or Uosm. These findings suggested that recreational surfers may experience fluid loss (measured by pre- to post-surfing BM) that may impact on their performance and health, and therefore they should adopt a hydration strategy to minimize this impact
Better through benchmarking
No full textThis panel sessions presents a brief overview of UECA’s nation-wide initiative assessing the language standards of Direct Entry and ELICOS pathway programs. The presentation shares learnings from the Benchmarking Project involving some 60 assessors from 20 Australian University Centres using the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) to externally validate university partners’ writing assessments and international student work samples.
Panel members will share the experience and learnings gained from the perspective of participants in the project
9th Asia Pacific triennial of contemporary art: Queensland Art Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art
No full textReady to harvest? Spine colour predicts gonad index and gonad colour rating of a commercially important sea urchin
No full textAn important problem limiting productivity and profitability of sea urchin aquaculture is the inability of producers to predetermine if sea urchins are ready for harvest. One way to overcome the 10–100% of lost production due to inopportune harvest times is to use external morphological characteristics to determine harvest readiness. To determine whether spine colour may be a useful indicator of harvest readiness, we tested whether there are relationships between spine colour and the size and colour of gonads of the commercially important sea urchin Tripneustes gratilla. Adult T. gratilla were grown in all combinations of three densities and three seawater exchange rates, simulating a range of environmental conditions occurring in culture systems. After six weeks, we measured the size and colour of gonads using standard protocols, quantified spine colour using colour rating and RGB (red, green, blue) intensity, and tested for relationships among these variables using linear models. The models identified significant positive relationships between spine colour predictors and gonad index and gonad colour rating. Our models indicated higher gonad indices were associated with brighter coloured spines, whilst gonads with the highest colour ratings were associated with stronger orange or red coloured spines. Patterns in spine colour identified by our models may reflect variation in colour producing pigments, carotenoids and naphthoquinones, in the epithelium. It is not clear why colour pigments in spines may depend on the colour and size of gonads, but it may be that healthy sea urchins that can grow large gonads also have sufficient energy to obtain and store colour pigments. Alternatively, colour pigments may provide health benefits that facilitate greater gonad size. Overall, our findings suggest that spine colour may be a suitable proxy for determining the harvest readiness of T. gratilla and possibly other sea urchins, but improvement in the reliability of our models and full automation of colour assessments are required before this novel technique can be implemented at commercial scales
