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Automatic micro-scale modelling and evaluation of effective properties of highly porous ceramic matrix materials using the scaled boundary finite element method
Get PDFThis paper presents an approach to the numerical estimation of effective properties of highly porous materials based on the scaled boundary finite element method (SBFEM). The latter can be formulated on quadtree meshes with hanging nodes and thus facilitates the efficient mesh generation and analysis of a large number of randomly created samples. To generate the corresponding Representative Volume Elements (RVEs), an improved Random Sequential Addition (RSA) method with overlap is used. Moreover, an alternative image-based digital matrix method for generating random assemblies of circular particles of the same size is proposed. In addition, a modified smoothing algorithm to treat the staircase boundaries present in a quadtree mesh is developed in order to accurately and efficiently capture the sinter-neck features of overlapping circular particles. The proposed image-based mesh generation and analysis procedure is used to evaluate the relationship between microstructural parameters and effective Young's modulus considering a large number of samples. In this context, a new dimensionless morphological parameter Nfc is proposed. The latter represents the morphology and connectivity of voids and is shown to be a useful indicator with respect to the effective elastic properties of highly porous ceramic matrix material. © 2023 Elsevier B.V
AI-powered resilience : addressing the mental health impact of mass layoffs in the digital age
No full textIn recent years, the technology sector has witnessed substantial disruptions, leading to major layoffs within toptier tech conglomerates. As the momentum of the digital age continues, there's an emerging concern regarding the psycho-logical impact of these layoffs on individual employees. This research delves deep into understanding the repercussions of these widespread job losses on mental health, emphasizing the increased intensity of symptoms like depression and anxiety. Utilizing the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for its methodology, the study scrupulously evaluates the depth of these mental health symptoms before and subsequent to the implementation of AI-driven mental health solutions. The conclusive data robustly establishes that when AI-centric interventions are combined with holistic mental health practices, there's a marked reduction in depression and anxiety symptoms, particularly those originating from job-related insecurities. As the world grapples with the swift changes in employment dynamics in this digital age, the study accentuates the significance of AI. Tapping into its vast potential to enhance mental resilience can be seen as an avant-garde strategy, presenting a pragmatic way to address the looming mental health challenges arising from unpredictable economic transitions. © 2024 IEEE
High (in)fidelity : gender, the Dark Tetrad, and infidelity
Get PDFInfidelity is a common problem in intimate relationships and is often a main contributor to relationship breakdowns. The aim of the current study was to extend the infidelity literature by differentiating between physical, emotional, and malevolent forms of infidelity, and exploring individual differences (i.e., gender and The Dark Tetrad of personality) that are associated with perpetration in these forms. The sample comprised 240 participants aged 18 to 67 years (Mage = 29.41 years, SD = 10.32; 76.8% women). People with higher psychopathy were more likely to engage in all forms of infidelity. High narcissism was predictive of emotional infidelity, and high sadism was predictive of malevolent infidelity. Interestingly, gender was only predictive of malevolent infidelity, with women more likely than men to perpetrate this form of infidelity. Exploratory analyses indicated that many of the associations between Dark Tetrad and infidelity were moderated by gender. Results of the current study may support researchers and therapists in differentiating between different types of infidelity (i.e., emotional, physical, malevolent). Further, these findings may contribute to the development of screening tools for therapists working who provide support for infidelity in intimate relationships. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
Indigenous experiences and underutilisation of disability support services in Australia : a qualitative meta-synthesis
Get PDFPurpose: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People with a disability continue to experience barriers to service engagement such as mistrust of government services, lack of culturally appropriate support, marginalisation and disempowerment. This meta-synthesis reviews current literature regarding these experiences to explain why services are underutilised. Methods: The meta-synthesis was conducted using a meta-ethnographic approach to synthesise existing studies into new interpretive knowledge. The approach was supported by a search using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Results: Ten original research papers utilising a qualitative methodology were extracted. Synthesis of the articles revealed four concepts that were developed into a conceptual model. These include:1) History Matters; 2) Cultural Understanding of Disability Care; 3) Limitations to Current Service Provision; and 4) Delivery of Effective Services. Conclusions: Disability services do not adequately consider the cultural needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People or communicate in a culturally appropriate manner. There are expectations that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People acknowledge their disability in alignment with western definitions of disability in order to access services. More work is needed to align disability services with culturally appropriate support to provide better health outcomes.Implications for Rehabilitation Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with a disability continue to experience barriers to service engagement which must be addressed. An essential gap that must be filled in providing disability services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is the acknowledgment of culture as a resolute influence on all client interactions with providers. A cultural model of disability may better align with the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people than current medical and social models used in healthcare. Disability services need to align better with culturally appropriate support to provide better health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
Predicting neural activity of whole body cast shadow through object cast shadow in dynamic environments
Get PDFShadows, as all other objects that surround us, are incorporated into the body and extend the body mediating perceptual information. The current study investigates the hypothesis according to which the perception of object shadows would predict the perception of body shadows. 38 participants (19 males and 19 females) aged 23 years on average were immersed into a virtual reality environment and instructed to perceive and indicate the coincidence or non coincidence between the movement of a ball shadow with regard to ball movement on the one hand, and between their body shadow and their body position in space on the other. Their brain activity was recording via a 32-channel EEG system, in which beta (13.5–30 Hz) oscillations were analyzed. A series of Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA) revealed that the beta dynamic oscillations patterns of the bilateral occipito-parieto-frontal pathway associated with the perception of ball shadow appeared to be a significant predictor of the increase in beta oscillations across frontal areas related to the body shadow perception and the decrease in beta oscillations across frontal areas connected to the decision making of the body shadow. Taken together, the findings suggest that inferential thinking ability relative to body shadow would be reliably predicted from object shadows and that the bilateral beta oscillatory modulations would be indicative of the formation of predictive neural frontal assemblies, which encode and infer body shadow neural representation, that is, a substitution of the physical body. Copyright © 2024 Giannopulu, Lee, Abdi, Noori-Hoshyar, Brotto, Van Velsen, Lin, Gauchan, Gorman and Indelicato
Description and assessment of a new high resolution erosion model for constructed landforms
Get PDFLiterature review reveals that many erosion models have limitations for application to constructed landforms. The new EroCA model aims to address this gap. The model uses established erosion and sediment transport models applied to multiple particle size classes at fine spatial and temporal resolutions, covering both suspended load and bedload. Using data from an experimental plot in Northern Australia, global sensitivity analysis was used to investigate the sources of uncertainty, limitations of the model, and priorities for data collection. Further analysis explored sensitivity to model grid size. The results showed that the Manning roughness, erodibility parameters and particle size are the most important parameters. Results also showed low parameter identifiability and hence the difficulty of calibration, even when using high quality experimental data. EroCA has the capacity to be a powerful landform modelling tool at appropriate scales of application; however ideally its data needs would be considered during monitoring design. © 2023 The Author
An analysis of the nature of young students’ STEM learning in 3D technology-enhanced makerspaces
No full textResearch Findings: This study was undertaken to investigate learning processes and outcomes from using 3D design and printing technologies with children aged 5–8 years, in three schools in a metropolitan city in Australia. Data were collected from five sources (teacher interviews, surveys, journals; student interviews; and iPad screen recordings) and analyzed to identify themes responding to the question: What is the nature of students’ learning and learning processes in technology-enhanced Makerspaces? Findings report the perspectives of teachers and students, supplemented by screen recordings from the iPads. Students were found to have significant engagement in learning through involvement in these technology-enhanced Makerspaces, and to have developed skills and understanding in a number of areas including: digital technical proficiency, design thinking, problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. Findings are conceptualized using a research-informed Maker Literacies Framework, to better understand the nature of students’ learning and work processes while engaged in these environments. Practice or Policy: Findings imply that Makerspaces with 3D design and printing could be used to promote young children’s STEM literacies although teachers need to be mindful of the need to explicitly plan for and teach important STEM concepts, if learning in these disciplines is a goal. © 2020, © 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
Including imputed rent in the gst base
No full textIn this article, I explain how Canada’s GST system inappropriately undertaxes the consumption of owner-occupiedhousing, and I propose a reform to address this inequity. An earlier version of this reform proposal appeared in my 2013 paper in the International VAT Monitor
Improving restoration success in the arid zone with a focus on the Mallee of north-west Victoria
Get PDFArid ecosystems have become increasingly degraded in recent times through human activity. As a consequence, many areas require significant assistance to recover through restoration activities such as revegetation. However, restoration in the arid zone is a difficult task due to extreme environmental factors, most notably extreme temperatures and dry conditions, as well as limited funding and resources. Restoration in arid areas is generally understudied compared to many other environments. Therefore, this thesis will look into what is known about arid zone restoration methodologies and how these methods may be improved. First, previous knowledge on current arid restoration methods was reviewed. Scientific literature on arid restoration methods was examined to determine what the current scientific consensus is on the effectiveness of existing approaches. The list of methods identified in this review was then used to create an online survey, which was sent to arid restoration practitioners asking them to score these methods based on their effectiveness to promote restoration as well as their cost and labour input. Based on these reviews, it appears that the most effective methods were grazing control, weed control and pre-seeding treatments. Grazing and weed control were noted to be considered relatively high cost and labour intensive but were still considered necessary for successful restoration. For planting methods, direct seeding was found to be cheaper and less labour intensive than hand planting, but had a higher mortality rate, though both methods were still recommended. Soil amendments, such as hydrogels and fertilizers, had mixed results in the scientific literature and had poor recommendations from practitioners despite being relatively cheap and easy to apply. During the literature review, direct seeding was identified as a potentially useful method due to its relatively low cost and ability to be applied over wide areas, though it had a high mortality rate which needs to be improved upon. One potential method for improvement would be to study the germination biology of the species being planted as the seeds will need to germinate in the field, therefore choosing the best time and place to plant would be important. To that end, four species of woody plants (Acacia ligulata, Callitris gracilis, Eucalyptus calycogona, and Melaleuca lanceolata) regularly used in restoration plantings in the semi-arid Mallee were chosen to have their germination biology studied. In this regard, the Mallee region of north-west Victoria was the chosen study area for in situ field trials. Seeds were firstly germinated in the laboratory under three different temperature regimes (30/20, 25/15, 17/7°C) and treated along a water potential gradient. It was found that A. ligulata was a generalist able to germinate under a number of temperature regimes and water potentials, whilst E. calycogona and M. lanceolata preferred to germinate rapidly under warm temperatures, and C. gracilis was specialised to germinate under cool wet conditions. Mid-autumn was identified as the optimal sowing time based on the Mallee climate. The next step from laboratory studies was testing the ability of these seeds to germinate under varying soil burial depths to simulate direct seeding in the field. Firstly, optimal burial depth was tested by burying the seeds at different depths. Using this method, it was determined that all the species preferred a shallow burial depth of around 6-10mm. A glasshouse study was then conducted using this optimal depth combined with different watering regimes and three different soil amendments (hydrogel, fertilizer, microbial inoculant). Soil amendments were chosen as, although findings on them are mixed, they are relatively cheap and can be easily applied alongside direct seeding. The glasshouse study showed that the amendments had no effect on seedling emergence, with the watering regime instead having the greatest effect. Finally, a field trial was conducted in the Mallee region. The previously studied four species were direct seeded into three sites across the Mallee, along with combinations of the three soil amendments. Seedling emergence and subsequent survival was then monitored for a year. It was found that only A. ligulata and C. gracilis seedlings emerged likely due to a combination of these larger-seeded species being more compatible with direct seeding and that their previously identified germination conditions being met. Soil amendments had no effect on emergence (as previously found) or on survival with the seedling location being more important. Sowing on the sand ridges (as opposed to the swales) was found to provide the best mix of emergence and survival, though survival was still low across the whole experiment, likely due to poor spring rains and grazing pressure. Based on these findings, some arid restoration recommendations were made. These included (i) grazing control, weed control, soil ripping and pre-seeding treatments are highly recommended for arid ecosystem restoration while most soil amendments have poor to mixed results, (ii) of the species tested, A. ligulata would be the most suitable for restoration due to its generalist germination biology though it is still vulnerable to desiccation and grazing, and (iii) when using direct seeding, site selection is important, with sand ridges appearing to be the best sites when direct seeding in the Mallee region using the tested species.Doctor of Philosoph
Teachers with impairments in the teaching profession : lived experiences of inclusion and marginalisation
No full textTeachers with impairments have been described as marginalised in education settings in Australian and international contexts. This marginalisation is attributed to socio-cultural attitudes that impact on access and achievement in education for teachers who identify as having an impairment. As an equity issue, it is important that teachers with impairments are included in the teaching profession, can gain entry to teacher education degrees, can achieve employment in teaching roles, and can access fulfilling work and career progression. Within an inclusive school culture, it is acknowledged that everyone is in, however as will be explored in this chapter, the academic literature on inclusive education primarily focuses on the inclusion of students, and rarely on teachers as part of an inclusive school culture. This chapter will cast light on this topic, by examining the obstacles and benefits associated with the important roles that teachers with impairments can play in contemporary schooling, such as bringing their unique standpoints or funds of knowledge to their work, and acting as accessible school-based adult role models for children and young people. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024