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Comparative studies of real estate agency practices and the way forward
No full textThis paper conducted a comparative analysis between Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, and Hong Kong. The study contrasted real estate agency practices based on their practices and regulatory bodies. The cross-comparative analyses displayed evidence of commonalities in the ways that regulatory organizations, registration, and codes of ethics are implemented. The paper will be used as a platform for more in-depth studies to ensure that Malaysia's real estate agency practices are sustainable and robust
Quantitative analysis of multiple deformation mechanisms in NiCrCoFe high-entropy alloy
No full textMultiple deformation mechanisms were often observed during the deformation processes of high-entropy alloys (HEAs), but the quantitative analysis of the contribution of different deformation mechanisms to the total deformation is few involved. In this work, the multiple deformation mechanisms in NiCoCrFe HEA are studied by molecular dynamics (MD) method. The average flow stress transforms from Hall-Petch (HP) relationship to inverse Hall-Petch (IHP) relationship with grain refinement at critical grain size (dc ≈ 27.31 nm). And the microstructural evolutions of microstructures during the deformation process are revealed by means of the crystal-analysis-tool (CAT). The contributions of various microstructural configurations to the total deformation are systematically studied by means of post-processing metrics. In the strengthening regime, the deformation mechanisms are dominated by stacking fault, grain boundary (GB) activity, and HCP martensitic transformation, accompanied with twinning and dislocation. In the softening regime, the deformation mechanisms are dominated by GB activity and stacking fault. The deformation mechanisms revealed according to the percentages of total strain accommodated by various microstructural configurations is more accurate than their atomic fractions. These results would provide an accurate and deep insight into the multiple deformation mechanisms of HEAs
[In Press] Secrecy performance intelligent prediction for mobile vehicular networks : an DI-CNN approach
No full textThe rapid expansion of Internet of Vehicles (IoV) networks has facilitated high throughput and reliable vehicular communications. Mobile vehicular networks face the challenges: diversification of network equipment, user mobility, and the broadcast nature of wireless channels, so physical layer security modeling of IoV communication systems has become important. The complexity of wireless communication channels makes real-time prediction of secrecy performance challenging. This paper presents an analysis of secrecy performance for mobile vehicular networks. To ensure data secure transmission, we have employed the decode-and-forward (DF) relaying scheme. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the effective end-to-end link is employed to obtain the mathematical expression results, which can evaluate the secrecy performance. The theoretical secrecy performance is confirmed via simulation. Then, we design a dense-inception convolution neural network (DI-CNN) model, and propose a DI-CNN-based intelligent prediction algorithm.Transformer, ShuffleNetV2, RegNet and YOLOv5 methods are employed to analyze the performance of DI-CNN algorithm. It is shown that the DI-CNN approach has a prediction accuracy that is 48.8% better than Transformer
More health scare than healthcare for women
No full textFrom historical myths to modern femtech apps, the focus of medical products aimed at women is often profit, not well-being
Healthy soil for healthy humans and a healthy planet
No full textSoil provides multiple, diverse functions, with these underpinning both planetary and human health. For planetary health, soil contributes to multiple critical processes, including through biomass production, by regulating the carbon pool, providing a habitat for 25% of global biodiversity, cycling the nutrients upon which terrestrial systems depend, and cycling water. Soil also underpins human health; humans use soil to provide 98.8% of our food and sustain our nutrition, regulate pathogens, and supply medicines. However, humans have tended to focus on soil almost solely for producing biomass (food, fiber, and energy) through intensive agriculture, and this narrow focus now causes rapid soil degradation, including through loss of soil organic matter, erosion, and salinization. This degradation directly harms planetary health and reduces the ability of soil to support health of future human generations. We argue that a healthy soil is a soil that is multifunctional and is capable of underpinning human and planetary health. Using this definition, a broad conceptual framework is provided for quantifying soil health, with such an approach enabling a shift in the way that we think about, plan, and manage systems to ensure ongoing planetary and human health
Patterns and correlates of participation in a weekly mass participation physical activity event, parkrun, in Australia, 2011-2020
No full textBACKGROUND: Studying effective interventions already operating at scale is critical to improving physical activity intervention research translation. The free, weekly, timed 5-km run or walk parkrun represents a unique opportunity to examine successful organic dissemination. We conducted an ecological analysis to identify patterns of growth in Australian parkrun participation and their correlates from 2011 to 2020. METHOD: Outcome variables were (1) weekly counts of walkers/runners and (2) monthly number of new parkrun registrants. We used latent class analysis to characterize growth trajectories followed by logistic regression on class membership. Covariates included parkrun course characteristics (eg, surface type and route), site-level aggregate participant profile (eg, proportion women and mean age), and surrounding area characteristics (eg, population density and physical activity norm). RESULTS: Three hundred and sixty-three parkruns were included (n = 8,388,695 participation instances). Sixty-nine percent followed a low-growth and 31% a high-growth participation pattern. High growth was associated with greater participation by women, concrete/bitumen surface type, lower area socioeconomic status, and greater volunteer heterogeneity. Odds of being in the slow-growth class were higher if the course contained >1 km of repetition, higher average age of participants, better average parkrun performance, and higher running group membership. Two patterns of new registration were identified: high start followed by steep decline; and low start, slow decline with similar correlates to participation. CONCLUSIONS: Parkruns with a less competitive social milieu may have more rapid dissemination. As a free and regular event, parkruns in low socioeconomic areas have the potential to improve the activity levels of those with fewer resources
Engineering and life cycle assessment (LCA) of sustainable zeolite-based geopolymer incorporating blast furnace slag
No full textThis study aims to investigate the preparation of zeolite-based geopolymer composites incorporating blast furnace slag at various temperatures and varying amounts of blast furnace slag as potential sustainable building and construction materials. The primary objectives were to use mining waste streams for geopolymer production and assess the mechanical behavior of these hybrid geopolymers, along with performing a life cycle assessment (LCA) to compare their environmental impact with conventional concrete. It was observed that the hybrid geopolymers attained a maximum mechanical strength of 40 MPa. Remarkably, substituting just 20% of the material with blast furnace slag resulted in a 92% improvement in compressive strength. To assess environmental impacts, a cradle-to-gate LCA was performed on different geopolymer mix designs, focusing particularly on the global warming potential (GWP). The results indicated that geopolymer concrete generated a maximum of 240 kg CO2-e/m3, which was 40% lower than the emissions from ordinary cement, highlighting the environmental advantages of geopolymer materials. Further, X-ray diffraction was used to determine the mineral composition of both raw and developed composites. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was applied to study the molecular structure changes upon incorporating blast furnace slag. The initial setting time and shrinkage of the geopolymers were also investigated. Morphological characteristics were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Thermal analyses confirmed the stability of the geopolymers up to 800 °C. Geopolymer composites with high thermal stability can be used in construction materials that require fire resistance. This study not only enhances the understanding of geopolymer composite properties but also confirms the substantial environmental advantages of utilizing geopolymerization in sustainable construction
Finite-time pth moment asymptotically bounded for stochastic nonlinear systems and its application in neural networks synchronization
No full textThis article pays attention to finite-time (FnT) pth moment asymptotically bounded (MAB) for stochastic nonlinear systems (SNSs) and its application to pth moment quasisynchronization (MQS) of stochastic neural networks (SNNs) based on parameter mismatches. First, this article develops FnT asymptotically bounded theorems SNSs. In detail, several new FnT pth MAB theorems of the SNSs are proposed, the mathematical expression of finite settlement time is obtained, and the bounds of MAB are estimated. Second, new sufficient conditions are designed to ensure FnT pth MQS of SNNs. In particular, novel FnT pth MQS conditions of the SNNs enlarge the value of p. Moreover, when the initial value of the system meets certain conditions, the smaller the p is, the smaller the system synchronization control energy consumption is, which can be more meaningful. Finally, a numeric example illustrates the validity of the method
The Value of Housing Co-Operatives in Australia
No full textThis report presents the findings of the ARC Linkage Project 'Articulating Value in Housing Co-operatives' undertaken in partnership with the Australian Co-operative Housing Alliance. It presents the first data set on affordable rental housing co-operatives across New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia. Building on and amending previous cost-consequences frameworks, it demonstrates the extent of work that tenant-members contribute to their co-operatives, the benefits experienced by tenant-members, and connections between these. It highlights the role of co-operativism and participation in driving beneficial housing outcomes and the value of a diverse housing co-operative sector. The report builds on its findings to make recommendations for thriving co-operatives, identify limitations to its study, and suggest opportunities for future research
Australian teachers' perspectives of two distinct physics curriculum paradigms
No full textIn New South Wales (NSW), Australia, since 2019, senior high school students have been experiencing a transformed Physics syllabus. This syllabus takes a ‘back to basics’ approach where core principles and problem solving are prioritised, and was a response to the earlier syllabus, which was much more contextual, including the history of ideas and technologies and a wide range of ‘option’ topics. This earlier syllabus (2001-2018) attracted significant attention for straying away from ‘real’ physics, for including too much ‘sociology’, for being ‘dumbed down’ and ‘feminised’. Four years on, NSW teachers share their perspectives on some of the most well-publicised and contentious views on the new syllabus. Teachers mostly agreed that the new syllabus was more ‘rigorous’, higher quality and more mathematical; they also generally enjoyed teaching the subject. However, there were also some disagreements amongst the teachers, such as whether the new syllabus excluded certain groups of students and whether the aims of the syllabus in achieving ‘depth’, were met