Community preferences for digital futures: regional perspectives

The purpose of the study was to understand community preferences for digital futures in the Southern Downs Region in Queensland, Australia. This study examined the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the digital future in the regional context. The methodology applied in this study included three focus group discussions (FGDs) along with a structured questionnaire survey for the participants. Some key suggestions which evolved from the FGDs are that digital services need to be cost-effective and people from low socio-economic backgrounds may require specific supportive measures. A consensus emerged that the provision of this vital digital education needs to be at low or subsidised cost at remote areas. It is therefore important to have a comprehensive understanding of community needs, demands and barriers to adoption to come up with a digital economy strategy for the future. While the FGDs provide an avenue for basic understanding of the broad range of issues at the community level, further micro-level analyses that shed light on the adoption and effects of digital technology on households and businesses are clearly warranted

Changes in energy efficiency in Australia: A decomposition of aggregate energy intensity using Logarithmic Mean Divisia approach

This paper provides an empirical estimation of energy efficiency and other proximate factors that explain energy intensity in Australia for the period 1978-2009. The analysis is performed by decomposing the changes in energy intensity by means of energy efficiency, fuel mix and structural changes both at sectoral and sub-sectoral levels of the economy. Results show that the driving forces behind the decrease in energy intensity in Australia are efficiency effect and sectoral composition effect, where the former is found to be more prominent than the latter. Moreover, the favourable impact of the composition effect has been consistently slowed down in the recent past. A perfect positive association characterizes the relationship between energy intensity and carbon intensity in Australia. Given the trends in decomposition factors, it is necessary to boost energy efficiency further to reduce Australia’s overall contribution to energy intensity and carbon emissions in the future.Energy intensity; Energy efficiency; Index decomposition analysis

A reassessment of energy and GDP relationship: A case of Australia

This paper investigates the long-run and short-run relationships between energy consumption and economic growth in Australia using the bound testing and the ARDL approach. For the first time in the literature we employ both production and demand side models and a unified model comprising both production and demand side variables for a single set of data. The relationships are investigated at aggregate as well as several disaggregated energy categories, such as coal, oil, gas and electricity. The possibilities of one or more structural break(s) in the data series are examined by applying the recent advances in techniques. We find that the results of the cointegration tests could be affected by the structural break(s) in the data. It is, therefore, crucial to incorporate the information on structural break(s) in the subsequent modelling and inferences. Moreover, neither the production side nor the demand side framework alone can provide sufficient information to draw an ultimate conclusion on the cointegration and causal direction between energy and output. When alternative frameworks and structural break(s) in time-series are explored properly, strong evidence of a bidirectional relationship between energy and output can be observed. The finding is true both at aggregate and disaggregate levels of energy consumption.Energy consumption; Economic growth; Cointegration; Causality

Shaping our economic future: an e-impact study of small and medium enterprises in the Western Downs region, Queensland

This research examines the use and the effects of information and communication technology (ICT) on business performance and innovation in the Western Downs region in Queensland, Australia. There has been little research on the use of ICT by small and medium enterprises(SMEs) in remote and regional areas in Australia. This study therefore improves our understanding of that by using a unique dataset for approximately 300 SMEs collected through a field survey conducted in the Western Downs region during March to June 2014

Assessing regional digital competence: Digital futures and strategic planning implications

Understanding strategic decisions aimed at addressing regional economic issues is of increasing interest among scholars and policy makers today. Thus, studies that proffer effective strategies to address digital futures concerns from social and policy perspectives are timely. In light of this, this research uses strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis tool to frame a regional strategy for digital futures to enhance place-specific digital connectivity and socio-economic progress. Focus group discussions and a structured questionnaire were conducted to examine a SWOT for a digital economy strategy in the Southern Downs Region in Queensland, Australia. The findings show that while the proposed regional strategies for digital futures are susceptible to internal and external forces, strategic planning makes them manageable. The study’s findings also reveal that adaptive strategic planning can help regulate the effects of internal and external factors that shape individual and organisational responses to digital transformation, and that these factors promote regional competitiveness

Assessing the determinants of rice farmers' adaptation strategies to climate change in Bangladesh

Purpose - This paper examines rice farmers' selection of adaptation strategies to cope with and offset the effects of climate change and the determinants of those selections in Rajshahi, a severely drought-prone district of Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach - Farm level micro-data was obtained from 550 rice growers in the 2010-2011 farming season. A multinomial logit (MNL) model was utilised to assess the determinants of adaptation strategies practised by farmers in response to climate change. Findings - Results from the MNL model indicate that gender, age, education of household heads, household assets, annual farm income, farm size, tenure status, farmer-to-farmer extension, access to credit, access to subsidy, and access to electricity, all affect farmers' selection of adaptation strategies for climate change. Originality/value - This is the first study of its kind to analyse the determinants of adaptation strategies for climate change by farmers in drought-prone areas of Bangladesh. This study provides direction for policy makers in order to strengthen the adaptation strategies of farmers and guide policies accordingly. These strategies have the potential to minimise the adverse effects of climate change

Hospital costs of post-operative delirium: A systematic review

Aims: In this systematic review, the primary aim is to investigate the hospital cost burden attributed to post-operative delirium (POD). A secondary aim is to examine how patient length of stay (LOS) in hospital varies across the selected studies. Background: POD is a common occurrence after major surgery and leads to serious medical complications. It is associated with increased morbidity and double the risk of mortality from surgery compared to non-delirious patients. POD increases patient LOS in hospital and increases the economic burden on patients and the health system. Design: A systematic review was conducted. Method: Published articles in English over the period 2010 to 2020 were searched using the PubMed and MEDLINE databases. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. The study quality and risks of bias of included studies were assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOS). Results: A total of 2539 published records were initially screened and ultimately ten studies were found to be relevant to the review criteria. Six studies were from the United States of America (USA) and the others from South Korea, Australia, and Canada. The additional costs for patients with POD ranged from a minimum of US$1551 to a maximum of US$23 698 compared to non-delirious patients. Costs were higher in the USA than other countries. Studies reported most surgical patients experiencing POD were aged 70 years or older which dramatically increases the risk of its occurrence and increases LOS and hospital related costs. The difference in LOS between POD and non-delirious patients ranged from 0.8 to 7.3 days and this increased significantly if POD patients were in intensive care. Conclusions: Increased LOS and increased hospital costs are strongly associated with POD after major surgery

Attributes of modal choice in an industrial-based urban area: A case study on Savar Paurashava

Road transportation does an excellent job of connecting Savar's inner and outer areas, but it might be difficult for commuters to decide which mode of transportation to employ because residents of Savar come from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds. It is necessary to do in-depth research on the characteristics of people in the study region who choose different modes of transportation to achieve the goal of selecting a certain mode for their travel. Where a person lives can have a significant impact on their typical patterns of travel behavior. People who live closer to the center of things have access to a wider variety of amenities than those who live further away, and as a consequence, their travel patterns are distinct from one another. The study's findings indicate that several factors, including income, age, gender, and vocational qualities and goals, influence a commuter's preferred method of transportation. When it comes to selecting a mode of transportation, the most predictable factors to take into account are trip time and cost. After conducting research, it was found that most excursions are made from this place to Motijheel, Tejgaon, and Savar Export Processing Zone for their services, businesses, and jobs, respectively

Methyl 13-hydroperoxyoctadecadienoateの分解に対する蔬菜類の抑制効果

The preventive actions of some vegetables on the degradation of 13-hydroperocxyoctadecadienoate were investigated.Among these,kindly bean extract prevented the degradation of the hydroperoxide at about 60% followed by green pepper,cucumber,spinach pumpkin,mushroom,carrot,and shungiku to defferent degrees.不飽和脂質の酸化防止に関する研究は今日なお活発に行われており、その食品学的重要性と問題の難しさには変わり無い。自動酸化によって生成した過酸化物は極めて容易に分解し、その分解生成物は食品の重大な劣化を招き、健康を害することは良く知られている。本研究ではMethly 13-hydroperoxyoctadecadienoateの分解の抑制について検討したところ、ある種の蔬菜のクロロホルム―メタノール抽出物に分解阻止効果があることが明らかになった。例えばいんげん豆抽出物は過酸化物に対して、60℃、96時間の過熱においても約60%の分解抑制作用を示すことが判明した

Multilevel exploration of individual- and community-level factors contributing to overweight and obesity among reproductive-aged women: a pooled analysis of Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey, 2004–2018

Objectives: Overweight and obesity have been related to a variety of adverse health outcomes. Understanding the overweight and obesity epidemic in Bangladesh, particularly among reproductive-aged women, is critical for monitoring and designing effective control measures. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in reproductive-aged women and to identify the risk factors of overweight and obesity. Design: A total of 70,651 women were obtained from the five most recent and successive Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys (BDHS). The multilevel logistic regression model was used to explore the individual-and community-level factors of overweight and obesity. Setting: Five most recent nationally representative household surveys across all regions. Participants: Reproductive aged (15-49 years) non-pregnant women. Results: Approximately 35.2% (95% CI: 34.9-35.6%) of women were either overweight or obese in Bangladesh. At the individual- and community-level, higher age (aOR=5.79, 95% CI: 5.28-6.34), secondary or higher education (aOR=1.69 [1.60-1.78]), relatively wealthiest households (aOR=4.41 [4.10-4.74]), electronic media access (aOR=1.32 [1.26-1.37]), and community high literacy (aOR=1.10 [1.04-1.15]) of women were significantly positively associated with being overweight or obese. Whereas, rural residents (aOR=0.79 [0.76-0.82]), from larger-sized households (aOR=0.80 [0.73-0.87]) and have high community employment (aOR=0.92 [0.88-0.97]) were negatively associated with the probability of being overweight or obese. Conclusion: Individual- and community-level factors influenced the overweight and obesity of Bangladeshi reproductive-aged women. Interventions and a comprehensive public health plan aimed at identifying and addressing the growing burden of overweight and obesity should be a top focus