Colour visual processing by honeybees: solutions for decision making in complex environments. Honeybees are a cost and time efficient animal model for testing how information is processed in a miniature brain containing less than 0.01% of the number of cells found in a human brain. Bees use their ultraviolet, blue and green colour vision to efficiently find flowers in complex environments. This project investigates how colour information is processed by bees, and develops computer models to eval ....Colour visual processing by honeybees: solutions for decision making in complex environments. Honeybees are a cost and time efficient animal model for testing how information is processed in a miniature brain containing less than 0.01% of the number of cells found in a human brain. Bees use their ultraviolet, blue and green colour vision to efficiently find flowers in complex environments. This project investigates how colour information is processed by bees, and develops computer models to evaluate how novel solutions might be applicable for robotic vision. The model also allows for testing of how environmental factors, like changes in climate, might affect the way in which bees choose to visit certain flower types, including plants that have important environmental and economic impacts.Read moreRead less
Organization and Plasticity of Visual Processing in a Miniature Brain. To recognise objects a brain must have an internal representation of most likely object appearance. Two ways in which brains may posses this information include a hard wired template system, and/or the neuroplasticity to learn novel objects. Recent investigations on honeybee vision show that this animal can learn to recognise very difficult objects, although currently we do not know how the miniaturised bee brain manages thes ....Organization and Plasticity of Visual Processing in a Miniature Brain. To recognise objects a brain must have an internal representation of most likely object appearance. Two ways in which brains may posses this information include a hard wired template system, and/or the neuroplasticity to learn novel objects. Recent investigations on honeybee vision show that this animal can learn to recognise very difficult objects, although currently we do not know how the miniaturised bee brain manages these tasks. This project will reveal changes that occur in the processing of visual objects by the bee's brain with increasing experience, with potential applications including robotics or building interfaces between sensors and biological systems.Read moreRead less
A Model for IT Security Outsourcing of Critical Services. IT security outsourcing is the establishment of a contractual relationship with an outside vendor to assume responsibility for one or more security functions. The decision-making process associated with outsourcing security is complex. To improve the effectiveness of the decision-making process a conceptual model that integrates security benefits, costs and their respective performance measures will be developed. This model will support m ....A Model for IT Security Outsourcing of Critical Services. IT security outsourcing is the establishment of a contractual relationship with an outside vendor to assume responsibility for one or more security functions. The decision-making process associated with outsourcing security is complex. To improve the effectiveness of the decision-making process a conceptual model that integrates security benefits, costs and their respective performance measures will be developed. This model will support management in their aim of overseeing IT security effectively. The research will make a valuable contribution towards determining the impact of IT security outsourcing within Australia.Read moreRead less
Emergence of modular structure in complex systems. Complex systems pervade our world, but are still poorly understood. Self-contained modules provide the most widespread and effective way of reducing and managing complexity, but the way they form in natural systems remains largely a mystery. This study investigates mechanisms that contribute to module formation in complex networks, including adaptation, clustering, enslavement, feedback, phase change and synchronisation. Outcomes will include in ....Emergence of modular structure in complex systems. Complex systems pervade our world, but are still poorly understood. Self-contained modules provide the most widespread and effective way of reducing and managing complexity, but the way they form in natural systems remains largely a mystery. This study investigates mechanisms that contribute to module formation in complex networks, including adaptation, clustering, enslavement, feedback, phase change and synchronisation. Outcomes will include insights into the organisation and functioning of many complex systems, including the Internet, ecological communities and genetic networks. Practical outcomes will include new modelling tools and applications both to evolutionary computation and the design and control of large information networks.Read moreRead less
A PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) based Point of Care (POC) e-Health Solution for Ambulatory Care Services. The proposed PDA based POC system will provide for collection, delivery and exchange of timely information at point of care. The advantage of such a system will be its high mobility and flexibility matching complex healthcare workflow requirements. Through a prototype development for Ambulatory Care Services generic reusable and scalable components will be designed. The prototype will pr ....A PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) based Point of Care (POC) e-Health Solution for Ambulatory Care Services. The proposed PDA based POC system will provide for collection, delivery and exchange of timely information at point of care. The advantage of such a system will be its high mobility and flexibility matching complex healthcare workflow requirements. Through a prototype development for Ambulatory Care Services generic reusable and scalable components will be designed. The prototype will provide an immediate solution to the problem of improving workflow and work processes within Ambulatory Care services and delivery more efficient healthcare. The development of reusable and scalable components will mean that Ambulatory Care Services will have an application that is technology independent and thus allow new technologies to be "plugged in" as they become available and other mobile healthcare community workers will be able to utilize the components for applications of PDAs at POC.Read moreRead less
An intelligent, user-sensitive portal to breast cancer knowledge online. Research indicates dissatisfaction with the quality of information provision amongst women with breast cancer and their families, particularly in rural and regional areas. Information and decision-support needs vary depending on disease stage, education, age, location, and ethnicity. Customised, in-time information access is critically important to BreastCare Victoria and the Breast Cancer Action Group as it impacts signifi ....An intelligent, user-sensitive portal to breast cancer knowledge online. Research indicates dissatisfaction with the quality of information provision amongst women with breast cancer and their families, particularly in rural and regional areas. Information and decision-support needs vary depending on disease stage, education, age, location, and ethnicity. Customised, in-time information access is critically important to BreastCare Victoria and the Breast Cancer Action Group as it impacts significantly on health and life-style decisions. This joint project analyses user needs, assesses and describes resources in user-sensitive ways, and designs and prototypes an intelligent portal that provides differentiated access to breast cancer resources online. It also advances general understandings of intelligent information provision.
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Smart Information Portals: Meeting knowledge and decision support needs of health care consumers for quality online information. Smart information portals, tailored to the communities needs, will contribute to emerging national information infrastructure for consumer focused information provision. They will support government initiatives promoting the role of online access to reliable, quality information in achieving good health, patient empowerment, participation in informed decision making, s ....Smart Information Portals: Meeting knowledge and decision support needs of health care consumers for quality online information. Smart information portals, tailored to the communities needs, will contribute to emerging national information infrastructure for consumer focused information provision. They will support government initiatives promoting the role of online access to reliable, quality information in achieving good health, patient empowerment, participation in informed decision making, self-management, and greater treatment compliance. Through the National Research Priority 3 goal of smart information use, the project addresses Priority 2 goals relating to ageing well; ageing productively; preventive health care; and strengthening the social and economic fabric to enable Australians to make choices that lead to healthy, productive and fulfilling lives.Read moreRead less
Participatory Wireless Sensor Networks. The investment in the Participatory Wireless Sensor Netwok (PWSN) research will ensure that Australia stays in the forefront of this innovative and disruptive technology. Since the PWSN concept leverages on the existing communication and sensing infrastructure, the entry cost for developing new business opportunities on it is low. There are ample opportunities for local companies (e.g. Internet service providers, mobile phone carriers and wireless service ....Participatory Wireless Sensor Networks. The investment in the Participatory Wireless Sensor Netwok (PWSN) research will ensure that Australia stays in the forefront of this innovative and disruptive technology. Since the PWSN concept leverages on the existing communication and sensing infrastructure, the entry cost for developing new business opportunities on it is low. There are ample opportunities for local companies (e.g. Internet service providers, mobile phone carriers and wireless service providers) and start-up companies to create innovative services on PWSN for both the Australian and overseas markets. Read moreRead less
Agent-based methods for communication system design in complex organisations. There is a direct opportunity to directly improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and safety of health work as a result of improved communication tools arising from this project. The current evidence that poor communication systems and practices significantly impair clinical work, and are related to avoidable clinical error and patient death, suggest compelling national benefits. Health represents 10% of GDP, and comm ....Agent-based methods for communication system design in complex organisations. There is a direct opportunity to directly improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and safety of health work as a result of improved communication tools arising from this project. The current evidence that poor communication systems and practices significantly impair clinical work, and are related to avoidable clinical error and patient death, suggest compelling national benefits. Health represents 10% of GDP, and communication technologies have yet to be significantly exploited here. There are substantial commercial opportunities nationally, for successful new communication services that service health care. Internationally the markets may be even larger, as healthcare is a larger proportion of GDP in nations such as the US. Read moreRead less
Integrated Decision Support for Appropriate Use of Pathology Tests in Australian General Practice: a Business Systems Perspective. The costs of pathology services in Australia are growing by at least $60 million per year. As the result of the recent "pap smear scandals", quality of pathology services has come under tight public scrutiny. Industry reports indicate the lack of analysis of the consistency of pathology tests ordering, underdeveloped models for communication between providers, and la ....Integrated Decision Support for Appropriate Use of Pathology Tests in Australian General Practice: a Business Systems Perspective. The costs of pathology services in Australia are growing by at least $60 million per year. As the result of the recent "pap smear scandals", quality of pathology services has come under tight public scrutiny. Industry reports indicate the lack of analysis of the consistency of pathology tests ordering, underdeveloped models for communication between providers, and lack of alert, reminder, and follow-up systems for pathology tests. This research investigates the issues of planning, design, implementation, and monitoring of an integrated IT-based decision support system aimed at improving the dynamics and process flow in order to satisfy the demands for high quality pathology services.Read moreRead less