How the Australian Institute of Marine Science handled electronic journal suites

pp. 137-14

Ecological relevance of laboratory determined temperature limits: colonization potential, biogeography and resilience of Antarctic invertebrates to environmental change

The relevance of laboratory experiments in predicting effects of climate change has been questioned, especially in Antarctica where sea temperatures are remarkably stable. Laboratory studies of Southern Ocean marine animal capacities to survive increasing temperature mainly utilize rapid temperature elevations, 100 x -10 000 x faster than sea temperature is predicted to rise. However, due to small-scale temperature fluctuations these studies may be crucial for understanding colonization patterns and predicting survival particularly through interactions between thermal tolerance and migration. The colonization of disjunct shelves around Antarctica by larvae or adult drift requires crossing or exposure to, rapid temperature changes of up to 2-4 degrees C over days to weeks. Analyses of responses to warming at varying rates of temperature change in the laboratory allow better predictions of the potential species have for colonizing disjunct shelf areas (such as the Scotia Arc). Inhabiting greater diversities of localities increases the geographic and thermal range species experience. We suggest a strong link between short-term temperature tolerance, environmental range and prospects for surviving changing environments

Multimodal 'Eyes-Free' Interaction Techniques for Wearable Devices

www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/~stephen Mobile and wearable computers present input/output problems due to limited screen space and interaction techniques. When mobile, users typically focus their visual attention on navigating their environment- making visually demanding interface designs hard to operate. This paper presents two multimodal interaction techniques designed to overcome these problems and allow truly mobile, ‘eyes-free ’ device use. The first is a 3D audio radial pie menu that uses head gestures for selecting items. An evaluation of a range of different audio designs showed that egocentric sounds reduced task completion time, perceived annoyance, and allowed users to walk closer to their preferred walking speed. The second is a sonically enhanced 2D gesture recognition system for use on a belt-mounted PDA. An evaluation of the system with and without audio feedback showed users ’ gestures were more accurate when dynamically guided by audio-feedback. These novel interaction techniques demonstrate effective alternatives to visual-centric interface designs on mobile devices

Postoperative critical care and high-acuity care provision in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand

BACKGROUND: Decisions to admit high-risk postoperative patients to critical care may be affected by resource availability. We aimed to quantify adult ICU/high-dependency unit (ICU/HDU) capacity in hospitals from the UK, Australia, and New Zealand (NZ), and to identify and describe additional 'high-acuity' beds capable of managing high-risk patients outside the ICU/HDU environment. METHODS: We used a modified Delphi consensus method to design a survey that was disseminated via investigator networks in the UK, Australia, and NZ. Hospital- and ward-level data were collected, including bed numbers, tertiary services offered, presence of an emergency department, ward staffing levels, and the availability of critical care facilities. RESULTS: We received responses from 257 UK (response rate: 97.7%), 35 Australian (response rate: 32.7%), and 17 NZ (response rate: 94.4%) hospitals (total 309). Of these hospitals, 91.6% reported on-site ICU or HDU facilities. UK hospitals reported fewer critical care beds per 100 hospital beds (median=2.7) compared with Australia (median=3.7) and NZ (median=3.5). Additionally, 31.1% of hospitals reported having high-acuity beds to which high-risk patients were admitted for postoperative management, in addition to standard ICU/HDU facilities. The estimated numbers of critical care beds per 100 000 population were 9.3, 14.1, and 9.1 in the UK, Australia, and NZ, respectively. The estimated per capita high-acuity bed capacities per 100 000 population were 1.2, 3.8, and 6.4 in the UK, Australia, and NZ, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative critical care resources differ in the UK, Australia, and NZ. High-acuity beds may have developed to augment the capacity to deliver postoperative critical care