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The Writer's Desk: Place, Subject, Object
No full textThis creative writing research experiments with and examines perception, orientation, and queer phenomenology to suggest that the writer’s place (my desk) is not instrumental to my creative output. The creative component encompasses three brief writing experiments to produce data that is then analysed through theoretical frameworks in order to make the conclusion on my experience of the writer’s place
Effective chloramine management without "burn" in biofilm affected nitrifying tanks using a low dose of copper
No full textThis paper highlights the potential to effectively inhibit nitrification and restore chloramine levels using a low copper concentration in a biofilm-affected (surface-to-volume ratio 16 m−1) continuous-flow laboratory-scale chloraminated system. High nitrite and low chloramine containing tanks are always recovered with chlorine “burn” by water utilities. The “burn” is not only costly and operationally complex, but also compromises the water quality, public health, and customer relations. A laboratory system comprising five reactors connected in series was operated. Each reactor simulated conditions typically encountered in full-scale systems. Low amount of copper (0.1–0.2 mg-Cu L−1) was dosed once per day into nitrified reactors. At any given time, only one reactor was dosed with copper. Not only inhibition of nitrification, chloramine decay associated with bulk water, biofilm and sediments also improved. However, the improvement was quicker and more significant when the influent to the reactor contained a high chloramine and a low nitrite concentration. Ammonia oxidising microbes exhibited resilience when exposed to low copper and chloramine concentrations for an extended period. Chloramine decay due to planktonic microbes and chemical reactions in bulk water decreased more rapidly than decay attributed to biofilm and sediments. The concept “biostable residual chlorine” explained how copper and chloramine can inhibit nitrification. Once nitrification was inhibited, the chloramine supplied from upstream effectively continued to suppress downstream nitrification, and this effect lasted more than 50 days even at 22 °C. The findings could be used to develop short-term copper dosing strategies and prevent negative impacts of nitrification and breakpoint chlorination
A combination of three genomic regions conditions high level of adult plant stripe rust resistance in Australian wheat cultivar sentinel
No full textA seedling susceptible Australian common wheat cultivar Sentinel showed resistance to stripe rust under field conditions. A Sentinel/Nyabing3 (Nyb3)-derived recombinant inbred line (RIL) population was phenotyped. A DArTseq marker-based linkage map of the Sentinel/Nyb3 RIL population was used to determine the chromosomal location of the adult plant stripe rust resistance possessed by Sentinel. Three consistent quantitative trait loci (QTL); QYr.sun-1BL, QYr.sun-2AS and QYr.sun-3BS were detected, and they on an average explained 18%, 15.6% and 10.6% of the variation in stripe rust response, respectively. All three QTL were contributed by Sentinel. QYr.sun-1B corresponded to the previously characterized gene Yr29. Sentinel expressed resistance at the four-leaf stage at 21 ± 2 ◦C in the greenhouse. Monogenic segregation among the RIL population was observed when screened at the four-leaf stage at 21 ± 2 ◦C in the greenhouse, and the underlying resistance locus was temporarily named YrSen. QYr.sun-3BS peaked on YrSen. QYr.sun-2AS was mendelized by generating and phenotyping a mongenically sgregating F6 RIL population, and it was temporarily designated YrSen2. RILs carrying Yr29, YrSen and YrSen2 in combination exhibited responses like the parent Sentinel. Based on a comparison of the genomic locations and resistance expression with stripe rust resistance genes previously located in their respective chromosomes, QYr.sun-2AS (YrSen2) and QYr.sun-3BS (YrSen) were concluded to represent new loci
Role of potential power : the effect of part-time board secretary on merger decisions
No full textBased on the data of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2009-2018, this study employs panel data regression model and instrumental variables approach to investigate the impact of part-time board secretaries who also hold positions as other senior executives on merger decisions and performance. We find that compared with companies with full-time board secretaries, listed companies with senior executives concurrently serving as board secretaries are more likely to initiate mergers, initiate more mergers, while the positive effect on long-term merger performance is limited to only one year after the merger. Moreover, the impact of part-time board secretaries on merger decisions or performance is more significantly when the deputy general manager concurrently serves as the board secretary, while there is almost no significant impact when the board director or CFO is the board secretary. Finally, this study further explores the mechanisms by which part-time board secretaries influence their merger decisions from a relative remuneration perspective, confirming that the power behind the executives is an important factor driving merger transaction
In-fleet structural health monitoring of roadway bridges using connected and autonomous vehicles’ data
No full textDrive-by structural health monitoring (SHM) is a cost-efficient alternative to the direct SHM of short- to medium-size bridges requiring no sensors to be installed on the structure. However, drive-by SHM is generally known as a short-term monitoring technique due to the challenges associated with using multiple passages of instrumented vehicles for a long time. This paper proposes combining the potentiality of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) into drive-by damage detection by introducing In-Fleet SHM. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that proposes using CAVs for SHM application in civil engineering structures. Each In-Fleet CAV could automatically collect the vehicle's persistent and temporal data by the embedded sensors and transmit them to edge computing systems for analysis. These persistent data include type and model and temporal parameters encompassing position, speed, heading, and vertical acceleration of CAVs. Knowing the persistent and temporal data of the passing vehicles over the transportation infrastructures enables the identification of the dynamic parameters of the bridge from the vehicles’ vertical acceleration response using drive-by techniques and, on the other hand, reconstruction of the finite element model of the passing vehicles over the supporting bridges in a near real-time manner. In contrast to the drive-by SHM, In-Fleet monitoring has an expanded spatial and temporal coverage, enabling continuous near real-time monitoring of highway bridges of the transportation network. The accuracy and resolution of the identified modal components in In-Fleet SHM are enhanced due to the crowdsensing nature of the collected data. Furthermore, by offering a unique set of characteristics, this method fills the crucial gap in implementing Industry 4.0 technologies and digital twins for SHM of bridges
'There seems to be some disparity then between our Syrian and Iraqi refugee children who seemed to have everything' : constructing 'good refugees' and the ensuing equity issues in Australian schools
No full textAustralia took double the normal intake of refugees over 2015–17. On top of the usual humanitarian intake were refugees specifically from Syria and Iraq who were mostly Christian and were settled in metropolitan and regional NSW, Queensland, and Victoria. This article explores the responses of teachers in some of the schools where this cohort was settled. Using Critical Discourse Analysis, it argues that for the Australian population to accept this doubling of humanitarian migration it was important to ensure they were perceived as ‘good refugees’ in a discursive climate shaped by anti-Muslim, anti-refugee and anti-asylum seeker rhetoric. The insights provided in this article aim to support the educational needs and well-being of all refugee students by revealing how discursive positioning can lead to practices and processes of inclusion while simultaneously being exclusionary
[In Press] Navigating banking transitions : insights into competition and stability from Vietnam's experience
No full textThis article investigates the relationship between bank competition and stability within a transitioning economy, focusing on Vietnamese banks from 2007 to 2018. Set against the backdrop of a transformative banking landscape post the collapse of the socialist bloc, the article utilises the Lerner Index to measure bank competition. The Z-score is used as a measure of bank stability. Panel fixed effects and difference GMM estimations suggest that heightened competition correlates positively with bank stability. Notably, these dynamics hold true even after omitting state-owned banks, signifying that government-controlled banks do not exclusively drive the observed relationships. Policymakers, hence, face the crucial task of balancing liberalisation efforts with safeguarding bank stability and emphasising the need for robust risk management and strong corporate governance in transitioning economies dominated by public ownership. This article thus offers valuable insights for policy refinement in similarly poised nations
[In Press] Sensory processing across eating disorders : a systematic review and meta-analysis of self-report inventories
No full textObjective: This review investigated the extant literature regarding the relationship between eating disorder diagnoses and sensory processing as measured by validated and reliable self-report inventories. Increasing evidence highlights the role of sensory processing in cognitive functions. Sensory processing is implicated in mental-ill health, including eating disorders (ED) and body image disturbances. However, the pathophysiological underpinnings of sensory processing, encompassing exteroception and interoception, in relation to ED remain underexplored. Method: We included studies involving participants aged 15 years or older with an eating disorder diagnosis confirmed by semi-structured or structured interviews. We further limited inclusion to articles using validated and reliable self-report instruments to measure sensory processing. Our meta-analysis focused on studies using the interoceptive awareness subscale from the second version of the Eating Disorder Inventory. We used the Critical Appraisal checklist for quasi-experimental studies to assess the quality of included articles. Results: There were 19 studies that met our inclusion criteria. Most studies showed moderate-to-high quality. Anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) were associated with heightened exteroception. Moreover, people with AN reported a heightened sense of taste compared to those with BN. Our meta-analysis comprising 10 studies, 19 samples, and 6382 participants revealed that AN (binge-purge subtype) and BN were associated with increased interoceptive difficulties compared to AN (restrictive subtype) or binge-eating disorder. Discussion: Overall, this review emphasizes the need for a deeper investigation into sensory processing, spanning both exteroception and interoception, in relation to ED. This may prove important for individualizing person-centered care. Public significance: How people process internal, for example, hunger, and external, for example, taste and sensations is known to influence cognition and mental-ill health, including ED and body image disturbances. However, the ways in which sensory processing may contribute to ED are incompletely understood. We found that individuals with AN or BN experienced heightened exteroception, while people with an eating disorder characterized by purging reported increased interoceptive difficulties. These patterns could inform the development of more personalized treatments
Cross-country comparison of risk factors in public-private partnerships in infrastructure development : evidence from Colombia, Kazakhstan, and Ghana
No full textGovernments enter into public–private partnership (PPP) agreements to attract private financing and bring innovation to the development of their sustainable public infrastructure; however, PPP projects are marked by their complexity and are driven by uncertain economic and institutional environments. The purpose of this study is to conduct a cross-country comparison of PPP risks in three developing countries (Colombia, Kazakhstan, and Ghana) and provide insights into their best practices. The research surveyed diverse risk factors involving 261 local respondents with pertinent experience in PPPs. The study conducted Cronbach’s alpha and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance tests to check the validity of responses, an ANOVA test to examine the differences in the risk perceptions, and risk ranking to reveal the country-specific as well as top-rank risks in the countries. The results of the quantitative analysis revealed risk aversion among developing countries with PPP programs at different maturity stages. Less mature programs, with lower overall investment, exhibited greater overall risk aversion (for Kazakhstan) and greater concerns about transparency and corruption (for Ghana). Highly populated countries with more mature PPP programs that rely significantly on transportation projects demonstrated higher risk aversion regarding the social and political legitimacy of PPPs and land acquisition (for Colombia)
[In Press] Does medial tourism promote growth in healthcare sector?
No full textThe purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of medical tourism revenues on the growth of healthcare sector across 49 emerging and developed economies from 2008 to 2022. Using panel GMM and PMG/ARDL estimation methods, the results show that higher levels of medical tourism revenues promote growth in the healthcare sector. This finding remains robust across different sample periods, alternative measure of healthcare sector performance, and model specification