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Impact of inline polyacrylamide polymer flocculation on the mechanical and hydrological properties of saline tailings
Get PDFThis study examines the geotechnical and hydro-mechanical behaviour of a model slurry used in high-solids, high-salinity applications, both before and after inline flocculation with an anionic polyacrylamide. Initial evaluations showed untreated tailings (UT) with a water content of 107%, void ratio of 2.6, and dry density of 0.711 t/m3, compared to polymer-amended tailings (PAT) with 53% water content, a void ratio of 1.6, and a dry density of 1.069 t/m3. Post-flocculation consolidometer tests revealed a distinct consolidation mode, with PAT showing 60% less settlement within the first 48 h and achieving 50% more free water drainage. Polymer treatment improved consolidation parameters, yielding a lower compressibility index (Cc of 0.74 vs. 1.05 for raw slurry), a higher coefficient of consolidation (Cv of 0.005 cm2/s for PAT vs. 0.0009 cm2/s for raw slurry), and an increased water retention capacity. Additionally, PAT demonstrated a final void ratio of 0.62 compared to 0.51 for the UT sample and an internal porosity characterised by discrete voids, supporting enhanced stability for long-term rehabilitation. These findings underscore the potential of inline flocculation to improve tailings management in saline conditions. © 2024 by the authors
Bregman proximal linearized ADMM for minimizing separable sums coupled by a difference of functions
Get PDFIn this paper, we develop a splitting algorithm incorporating Bregman distances to solve a broad class of linearly constrained composite optimization problems, whose objective function is the separable sum of possibly nonconvex nonsmooth functions and a smooth function, coupled by a difference of functions. This structure encapsulates numerous significant nonconvex and nonsmooth optimization problems in the current literature including the linearly constrained difference-of-convex problems. Relying on the successive linearization and alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM), the proposed algorithm exhibits the global subsequential convergence to a stationary point of the underlying problem. We also establish the convergence of the full sequence generated by our algorithm under the Kurdyka
Cricket players’ perceptions of playing on artificial turf
No full textWith the recent introduction of artificial turf outfield playing surfaces in community-level cricket, this paper presents the physical performance and injury-related perceptions of male, senior cricketers. Following validity and reliability testing, 43 cricketers from two clubs completed a questionnaire comprising three sections: demographic information; individual performance; and injury risk and severity. Descriptive variables were computed, and chi-square tests were conducted to identify differences in perceptions based on the field type that players were exposed to and their injury status. Most players preferred artificial turf for training (53.7%) and wet/rainy conditions (64.1%), but natural grass for competitive games (67.4%) and dry conditions (69.0%). There were significant differences in perceptions for game speed (p < 0.001), the need to be fitter (p = 0.015), and the overall physical performance quality based on injury status (p = 0.017) and field (p < 0.021). Skin injuries were the only injuries that were reported as more likely on artificial turf. In general, players did not feel that the technical and physical performance aspects of cricket were affected when playing on artificial turf compared to natural grass. However, the field type that players were exposed to significantly influenced their perceptions and highlights the importance of artificial turf composition for future adoption in cricket. © 2024 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
A review of multi-disciplinary decomposition research and key drivers of variation in decay
Get PDFThe decomposition of animal remains is a multifaceted process, involving ecological, biological, and chemical interactions. While the complexity is acknowledged through concepts like the necrobiome, it’s unclear if this complexity is reflected in research. Appreciation of the complexity of decomposition is crucial for identifying sources of variation in estimations of time since death in medico-legal science, as well as building broader ecological knowledge of the decomposition process. To gain insights into the extent of multidisciplinary research in the field of decomposition science, we conducted an examination of peer-reviewed literature on four key drivers of variation: volatile organic compounds, microbes, drugs/toxins, and insects. Among 650 articles, we identified their scientific discipline, driver/s of variation investigated, and year of publication. We found that 19% explored relationships between two drivers, while only 4% investigated interactions between three. None considered all four drivers. Over the past three decades, there has been a steady increase in decomposition research publications, signifying its growing importance. Most research (79%) was linked to forensic science, highlighting opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration in decomposition science. Overall, our review underscores the need to incorporate multidisciplinary approaches and theory into contemporary decomposition research. © The Author(s) 2024
Six peaks speak : unsettling legacies in Southern Dja Dja Wurrung Country
No full textMountains can tell us much about our past. Six iconic peaks in Central Victoria, Australia: Mounts Kooroocheang, Beckworth, Greenock, Tarrengower, Alexander and Franklin, tower above the rich volcanic grasslands. Each has borne witness to dramatic changes in Dja Dja Wurrung Country over the past two centuries. Six Peaks Speak tells the unique stories and continuing legacies of these mountains from a multidisciplinary perspective. Created as part of Professor Barry Golding's State Library Victoria Creative Fellowship in 2023, it accesses seldom-visited archives, turning the idea of ‘settling'on its head, instead using ‘unsettling'as its key organising principle. The book threads together insights and evidence from diverse historic sources, including First Nations, geological, ecological, community and reserve management. The peak-specific stories illustrate how many ‘taken for granted'aspects of mountains may not be as they seem. This timely book raises questions about the extent to which mountain peaks and their surrounding reserves have been managed in the public interest. In the process, it seeks to answer the broader question, ‘How can we help future generations deal with the unsettling legacies of what has happened to mountains?'It makes reference in its conclusion to the origins of International Mountain Day in the US, in the same era as these peaks were being unsettled in Australia in 1838. Aside from what it reveals about the six peaks, the book showcases ideas and methodologies for creatively reconnecting with and healing other mountains and the people who today live on their flanks, and on Country in between
A stackelberg game theory model for integrated community energy storage systems
Get PDFThe rise of distributed energy resources (DERs) in the energy landscape underscores the pivotal role of prosumers in the ongoing energy transition. With the significant investment required for individual energy storage (IES), community energy storage (CES) emerges as a key facilitator, enabling the smooth incorporation of renewable energy sources and strengthening grid flexibility. This paper explores the dynamic interplay between CES owners, who serve as key economic actors in local energy communities, and prosumers within these communities through a Stackelberg game framework. A bi-level optimization framework aimed at empowering CES systems is introduced to address the proposed Stackelberg game framework. At the upper level of this framework, the goal is to maximize the profit of the CES system while the flexibility limits of the upstream electricity grid and other constraints are addressed. On the other hand, individual prosumers at the lower level optimize their actions to minimize billing costs and enhance comfort in alignment with their preferences. The bi-level optimization problem is reformulated into a linear single-level optimization problem using the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) approach. The results indicate that implementing flexibility constraints can effectively smooth energy exchanges with the upstream grid. However, the distribution system operator must account for the potential reduction in the CES system's operational profit to incentivize the CES owner to participate in the flexibility enhancement program. © 2013 IEEE
Shared decision making in rural general practices : a qualitative exploration of older rural South Australians’ perceived involvement in clinical consultations with doctors
Get PDFBackground: Shared decision-making (SDM) implementation is a priority for Australian health systems, including general practices but it remains complex for specific groups like older rural Australians. We initiated a qualitative study with older rural Australians to explore barriers to and facilitators of SDM in local general practices. Methods: We conducted a patient-oriented research, partnering with older rural Australians, families, and health service providers in research design. Participants who visited general practices were purposively sampled from five small rural towns in South Australia. A semi-structured interview guide was used for interviews and reflexive thematic coding was conducted. Results: Telephone interviews were held with 27 participants. Four themes were identified around older rural adults’ involvement in SDM: (1) Understanding of “patient involvement”; (2) Positive and negative outcomes; (3) Barriers to SDM; and (4) Facilitators to SDM. Understanding of patient involvement in SDM considerably varied among participants, with some reporting their involvement was contingent on the “opportunity to ask questions” and the “treatment choices” offered to them. Alongside the opportunity for involvement, barriers such as avoidance of cultural care and a lack of continuity of care are new findings. Challenges encountered in SDM implementation also included resource constraints and time limitations in general practices. Rural knowledge of general practitioners and technology integration in consultations were viewed as potential enablers. Conclusion: Adequate resources and well-defined guidelines about the process should accompany the implementation of SDM in rural general practices of South Australia. Innovative strategies by general practitioners promoting health literacy and culturally-tailored communication approaches could increase older rural Australians’ involvement in general. © 202
Splitting algorithms with applications in power systems
Get PDFIn this thesis, we develop novel splitting optimization algorithms and investigate their potential applications in compressed sensing and power system operations. We mainly focus on a class of nonconvex and nonsmooth problems which is more general than the wellknown difference-of-convex (DC) program in the literature. Specifically, we allow weaker convexity assumptions on the components of the objective function. We begin with a proximal subgradient algorithm with extrapolation, which can be viewed as a generalized version of the so-called proximal gradient algorithm to deal with a class of difference of functions. We then propose a Bregman proximal linearized alternating direction method of multipliers for minimizing separable sums coupled by a difference of functions and showed its competitiveness against our first algorithm and other notable algorithms in the literature. Next, we develop an algorithm which extends the Douglas–Rachford splitting, called the doubly relaxed forward-Douglas–Rachford splitting for the sum of two nonconvex and a DC function, and our convergence proof not only extends but also unifies and improves recent convergence analyses in nonconvex settings. We also propose another variant of the Douglas–Rachford splitting, called the backward-Douglas–Rachford algorithm for the generalized DC programming, in which the concave part is evaluated by proximal steps. Finally, we provide an application of a DC regularization term in the development of an efficient forecasting process, which helps to enhance power system’s resiliency against wildfire. All of the algorithms developed in this thesis are tested on several important structured optimization problems, such as compressed sensing, optimal power flow, matrix factorization, and matrix completion, and they are tested on both synthetic data and real-world data.Doctor of Philosoph
Thank you for attention : a survey on attention-based artificial neural networks for automatic speech recognition
Get PDFAttention is a very popular and effective mechanism in artificial neural network-based sequence-to-sequence models. In this survey paper, a comprehensive review of the different attention models used in developing automatic speech recognition systems is provided. The paper focuses on how attention models have grown and changed for offline and streaming speech recognition in recurrent neural networks and Transformer-based systems. © 2024 The Author(s