85000 research outputs found
Sort by
The language of No: Analysing failure to attract funding in entrepreneurial TV-pitches
No full textEntrepreneurs often prepare for success in pitching through extensive research into securing new business venture funding. However, despite these efforts, challenges in obtaining equity and attracting business partners persist. While research on entrepreneurial pitches has predominantly focused on successful funded outcomes, new entrepreneurs must also learn about avoiding pitfalls. This innovative genre study shifts the focus by exploring the language used by entrepreneurs in unsuccessful funding bids on TV pitch shows. It applies insights from investor perspectives to guide discourse analyses of unsuccessful pitches in both Spanish and English. The study examines how deal-breakers for angel investors, as perceived in TV pitch content, are discursively communicated in Spanish and English pitches when entrepreneurs present their ideas on reality TV. While unilateral pitch studies abound, this paper responds to a call for change by considering both the pitcher and the investor perspectives. The analysis of the TV pitch genre in English and Spanish offers a fresh perspective on failure, detailing obligatory and optional moves. Findings from entrepreneurs pitching on “Tu Oportunidad" and "Dragon's Den" reveal common structural patterns of failure in entrepreneurial discourse. These insights into why investors say no may enhance future entrepreneurs' chances of success beyond reality shows.</p
Victim-survivors’ perceptions of a cognitive interview protocol for sexual offence investigations
No full textA crucial way of improving the justice response to sexual violence is to strengthen investigative interviews with victim-survivors. Research in investigative interviewing, however, has tended to preference the views of police and psychologists in understandings of effective interview techniques, with minimal research examining victim-survivors’ perspectives of interview techniques and protocols. In this qualitative study, adult victim-survivors in Australia (n = 26) were invited to view and provide their perceptions on a Cognitive Interview style police protocol. Responses were thematically analysed and showed that participants generally valued the protocol’s structure, especially the emphasis on setting clear expectations for the interview, encouraging a free narrative, and grounding techniques. However, many expressed concerns about the ‘context reinstatement’ component, suggesting it would likely be trauma-inducing. They also noted examples of patronising language that communicates disbelief, as well as the potential for insincere rapport-building. Practical suggestions to improve investigative interview protocols in sexual offence investigations are discussed. Overall, the study helps to clarify which protocol components might be harmful or supportive to victim-survivors and adds a victim-centred empirical basis to recommendations moving forward.</p
Loose Footings
No full textJames Carey’s practice research explores the intersections of labour, environmental, cultural, reconciliation, and political systems within the built environment. ‘Loose Footings’ was chosen to be part of the group exhibition After Ruins, curated by Krisna Sudharma and held at Nonfrasa Gallery, Indonesia. The exhibition questioned our efforts to grapple with memory, inviting us to reconstruct our collective pasts as monuments of shared experiences. ‘Loose Footings’ was a collaborative (Jen Berean, Monash) creative work exploring cultural and temporal traditions in a contemporary context. ‘Loose Footings’ is a sculptural response to Ubud’s temporary, and often adhoc, street bollard infrastructure. Bollards globally are an urban tool used to define specific boundaries and thresholds that separate pedestrians, and vehicles, from moving from one space to another. ‘Loose Footings’ becomes part of the existing urban fabric of its surroundings, quietly operating as both public sculpture and practical infrastructural tools. The After Ruins exhibition explored potentials of artistic practice contributing to theoretical frameworks of memory and shared experience. Nonfrasa Gallery is now a leading contemporary art gallery in Indonesia, and Krisna Sudharma is an internationally recognised curator. The exhibition involved artists from Indonesia and Australia, creating a cross-cultural dialogue on memory through creative practice. </p
How do people understand maps and will AI ever understand them?
No full textThe human brain is an incredible piece of cognitive machinery. Maps are similarly incredible. Although not every map user finds understanding a map to be an easy task, like every tool that humans use, with practice, it is possible for most people to learn to understand and use maps effectively. Maps encode a large amount of knowledge and can be useful in supporting a wide variety of activities, both professional and personal. But what does the future hold for maps? In this research, we explore what we know about one rapidly evolving technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and what it might mean for how maps (do) work.Recent news articles with titles such as ‘Heard AI is coming for your job? For these copywriters, that ‘future’ arrived months ago’ have explored whether general-purpose AI tools, such as chatbots, can perform tasks traditionally carried out by people. Although cartographers have been experimenting with AI for making maps for several decades and researchers continue to develop new AI-supported approaches for making maps (see Kang et al., Citation2024 for a recent review), we will address a different question here: How might AI tools affect how we use maps? This, in turn, prompts the related, more fundamental question of whether AI tools can understand maps.To explore these questions we must first know what it means to understand a map. This depends on how we conceptualize maps. Is a map a designed artifact through which its maker aims to communicate a specific message? Is it a collection of arguments or propositions about the world that enable action to be taken? Is it a storehouse of information that is ready to be mined for wisdom? Or is it an aesthetic object (perhaps even an artistic object) that can be evocative, communicative, or both? We focus here on maps as informational and analytical graphics, recognizing that understanding maps as artistic and asethetic objects deserves its own fulsome treatment. We begin by looking at a selection of existing cartographic theoretical frameworks to examine what it means to understand a map. We can then use these ideas to assess to what extent today’s AI tools can understand maps and explore how their ability to do so might develop as AI tools continue to evolve in the future.</p
Archiving the voices of change: A radical recordkeeping guide for activists, archivists and disruptors
No full textThe voices in the title of this book can redress the gaps in archival institutional memory. These archives can include the stories of the voiceless, such as animals, to provide a more comprehensive record of activist groups’ impact on society.This book is designed in two parts.Part 1 describes the theoretical grounding for the ideas in this book, stemming from archival concepts and theories and theorists whilst combining sources at the intersection of activism and academia.Part 2 applies continuum modelling to a new kind of archival appraisal specific to activist communities. With interactive exercises to challenge students and activists to help break down the complexity and logic of refined versions of the Records Continuum Model. Templates are included for use and re-use by activists, archivists and community groups to develop and adapt for their own context.</p
Exploring trajectories in supply chain integration: a systematic analysis of emerging themes
No full textThe purpose of this research is to holistically examine the development of supply chain integration (SCI) domain over the preceding economic cycle to project emerging themes that will shape the trajectory of future research. We conduct a systematic literature review to explore the trajectories in SCI domain with articles retrieved from aggregating databases. A total of 152 articles, which satisfied the evaluation and selection process, were analysed. The analysis reveals the intricate correlation between SCI and performance and highlights the progressively pivotal role of blockchain, artificial intelligence, and environmental exigency in SCI adoption. Our findings suggest the need for further research into the impact of SCI on corporate social responsibility performance and on SCI adoption practice in specific industries. Tiered sample collection research is encouraged in this field. However, this paper only included high–ranking peer-reviewed publications. Future SLR papers can incorporate wider sources of data to include meaningful information. By identifying and elucidating key themes, this study offers valuable insights that can inform and guide future research directions in the field of SCI.</p
Comparative peripheries and decarbonising the uneven geographies of academia
No full textInternational travel is a key source of academic greenhouse gas emissions and, therefore, is a priority for the sector's decarbonisation efforts. However, legacies of colonisation and carbon‐intensive development mean that the global geography of knowledge production and exchange is highly concentrated in Europe and North America, notwithstanding increased access through decarbonisation initiatives such as conference hubs. This commentary draws on attendee experiences of two remote conference hubs, held in Nairobi, Kenya and Melbourne, Australia, in parallel with the hybrid 2023 Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) (RGS‐IBG) conference, for which the in‐person event was held in London. The varied experiences of these Nairobi and Melbourne RGS hubs highlight the plurality of peripheries, and how one's location within a continuum of peripheralisation shapes how academics from these sites are engaged in and can respond to academic decarbonisation efforts. We argue that the reproduction of Europe and North America as the centres of knowledge necessitates increased cognisance of the potentially conflicted aims of inclusion and the decarbonisation of academia, especially on academic peripheries. Ultimately, our argument is not against the decarbonisation of academia, which we view as critical against climate breakdown, but, rather, for greater attention to the decentring of knowledge production and its methods of transfer in decarbonisation efforts.</p
Estimator-Based Second-Order Sliding Mode Control Design for Nonlinear Systems With Unknown Input Delay
No full textIn this article, we propose an estimator-based second-order sliding mode (SOSM) controller tailored for uncertain nonlinear systems with unknown input delay. Distinct from existing SOSM control methods, this work tackles two principal challenges: 1) the difficulty of dealing with unknown input delay, especially given the discontinuity of sliding mode controllers; and 2) the uncertainties in the nonlinear systems bounded by functions rather than widely-used constants. We begin by establishing the SOSM dynamics with input delay and uncertainties, followed by the introduction of an auxiliary compensation system. Then, we design an input delay estimator suitable for discontinuous controllers by enhancing the convex optimization method. Leveraging this, a novel estimator-based SOSM controller is constructed by adding a power integrator technique to address the input delay issue. Rigorous Lyapunov analysis is conducted to confirm the finite-time stability of the closed-loop control system. Finally, comparative simulations validate the superiority of the proposed SOSM controller.</p
Advancing smart urban planning: public transit connectivity and the case of melbourne’s bus network
No full textThis study investigates the significance of public transit connectivity in promoting intelligent urban planning, utilizing Melbourne’s bus network as a case study. Concentrating on the city’s main growth corridors, North, Southeast, West, and Southwest, the research examines the effects of rapid population growth on the accessibility and efficiency of the bus transport system. By leveraging data from the Victorian Planning Authority and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the study evaluates service coverage, frequency, and travel time reliability concerning key urban functions, such as access to employment, education, healthcare, and social infrastructure. The findings indicate notable spatial and temporal disparities, with the Southeast and Southwest corridors facing the most severe service deficiencies. These discrepancies obstruct the establishment of an integrated and equitable transport system, which is a vital element of intelligent urban planning. Consequently, the paper suggests specific strategies to enhance service frequency, broaden network coverage, and implement late-night operations. These proposals are designed to facilitate Melbourne’s shift towards a smart, inclusive, and sustainable urban future by improving transit equity, decreasing car reliance, and bolstering connectivity in underprivileged suburban regions.</p
Inherent variation in surface roughness of Selective Laser Melting (SLM) printed titanium caused by build angle changes the mechanomicrobiocidal effectiveness of nanostructures
No full textAdditively manufactured titanium implant materials are rapidly advancing prosthetics and orthopaedic devices by making them more cost-effective and customisable. However, the surface finish of materials printed via Selective Laser Melting (SLM) currently limits their integration into the medical device field. Printing parameters, such as build angle inclination, can cause variations in the surface roughness of a part, often exceeding what is suitable for implant materials. Excessive roughness can promote microbial attachment and proliferation, potentially leading to implant rejection. Nanostructuring titanium has previously demonstrated success in mitigating bacteria and fungi via a mechanomicrobiocial mechanism on traditionally flat titanium and complex SLM-made parts but its effectiveness on the inherent roughness of three-dimensional (3D) printed titanium remains unexplored. This study examines the surface roughness of 3D-Ti at three build angles (0, 40 and 90 degrees), before and after nanostructuring. Surfaces were assessed against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Candida albicans, representative antimicrobial resistant pathogens. Results showed the nanostructures were more effective against MRSA, but microbial attachment increase with steeper angles, regardless of the presence of nanostructures. This study investigates how surface roughness of 3D printed titanium substrates impacts bacterial and fungal adhesion and the resulting nanomorphology of the surface post-hydrothermal modification.</p