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Constrained Cubature Particle Filter for Vehicle Navigation
No full textIn vehicle navigation, it is quite common that the dynamic system is subject to various constraints, which increases the difficulty in nonlinear filtering. To address this issue, this paper presents a new constrained cubature particle filter (CCPF) for vehicle navigation. Firstly, state constraints are incorporated in the importance sampling process of the traditional cubature particle filter to enhance the accuracy of the importance density function. Subsequently, the Euclidean distance is employed to optimize the resampling process by adjusting particle weights to avoid particle degradation. Further, the convergence of the proposed CCPF is also rigorously proved, showing that the posterior probability function is converged when the particle number N → ∞. Our experimental results and the results of a comparative analysis regarding GNSS/DR (Global Navigation Satellite System/Dead Reckoning)-integrated vehicle navigation demonstrate that the proposed CCPF can effectively estimate system state under constrained conditions, leading to higher estimation accuracy than the traditional particle filter and cubature particle filter.</p
Save Food Packaging Criteria Case Studies
No full textThese award winning Case Studies were a deliverable of the Save Food Packaging Criteria and Framework research project. Led by RMIT Researchers, End Food Waste CRC, and the Australian Institute of Packaging, the purpose of the case studies is to provide industry access to the most recent awarded packaging designs that aim to mitigate packaging and food waste whilst demonstrating strategic applications found throughout Australia.</p
The use of Career Registration data to develop and support employability initiatives
No full textThe use of Career Registration data to develop and support employability initiatives</p
Can DAOs Innovate Governance beyond Hierarchies?
No full textDecentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs) represent a novel organisational form made possible by blockchain technology. This article summarises a research project that sets out to establish an intellectually coherent, consistent, and academically robust theoretical framework that locates DAOs within a theory of organisation. I examine the unique characteristics of DAOs, focusing on their ability to facilitate coordination and cooperation without traditional hierarchical structures. By leveraging market-like mechanisms and token-based governance, DAOs aim to reduce agency costs and promote inclusive decision-making. The efficacy of these mechanisms, however, in achieving effective governance remains an empirical question. This research provides a theoretical framework to understand DAOs within the context of organisational theory, offering insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers on the potential and challenges of this emerging form of organisation.</p
Predicting the Photolytic Removal of Emerging Contaminants in Wastewater Treatment Lagoons
No full textContaminants of emerging concern (CECs) such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides and herbicides are increasingly prevalent in household and industrial waters and add strain on wastewater treatment facilities to treat or remove them prior to discharge to the natural environment. This can reduce the water quality of drinking water, recycled water used for irrigation of crops, and environmental water, resulting in unprecedented negative impacts on communities and ecosystems. Photodegradation or photolysis is a sunlight-driven degradative process of CECs that can occur naturally in surface waters, reducing their persistence and harm to the environment. While CEC photolysis is widely studied for natural environments such as marine, lake and river waters, there is limited knowledge about photolysis occurring in wastewater treatment systems, such as waste stabilisation ponds (WSPs). This research investigated the direct photolysis of four CECs by considering the application of the findings for Melbourne Water’s Western Treatment Plant (WTP) which utilises 10,500 hectares of surface area of WSPs. The direct photolysis rate constant and half-life of four representative CECs, diclofenac (DCF), naproxen (NPX), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), and triclosan (TCS) in buffered water (pH 7.5) were experimentally obtained under simulated sunlight and natural sunlight conditions to be used in the validation of modelling predictions by GCSolar, ABIWAS and APEX software.
Under simulated sunlight conditions, TCS and DCF photodegradation were rapid obtaining half-lives of 0.59 h and 0.50 h, respectively. TCS photodegradation at pH 7.5 was rapid because the compound was in equilibrium with its neutral form and its more photolabile anionic form, indicating its non-persistence at the WTP. For DCF, literature reported enhanced photodegradation of DCF with increasing pH from 2 to 8 which may explain the rapid half-life measured in the current study. Additional experiments for TCS and DCF were conducted in filtered wastewater (0.2 μm) containing quenchers of photochemically-produced reactive intermediates (PPRI, e.g., •OH, •CO3-, 1O2, 3EfOM*) such as isopropanol (IPA), N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA), isoprene and 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO). Both TCS and DCF half-lives in the wastewater solution were approximately doubled, obtaining half-lives of 1.14 h and 1.03 h, respectively. For SMX, the half-life was 6.18 h which was within the range of literature values of half-lives up to 17.3 h. Literature indicates that SMX does not readily undergo direct or indirect photolysis in natural waters. However, studies have reported faster photodegradation in wastewater solutions, suggesting that indirect photolysis may play a role in its removal within wastewater systems. For NPX, the half-life of 9.43 h found in the current study was longer than the literature reported values of approximately less than 1 h.
The direct photolysis rate experiments under natural sunlight for the four CECs were conducted in February 2024 on a building rooftop (latitude 37.8°S, longitude 144°E). Photodegradation rates were faster under natural sunlight of late-summer conditions (February 2024) compared to the simulated sunlight with photon intensity measured to be 0.311 Einstein m-2 h-1 for simulated sunlight and 0.531 to 0.598 Einstein m-2 h-1 for natural sunlight. The half-lives of TCS and DCF in buffered water (pH 7.5) under natural sunlight were 0.42 and 0.31 h, respectively, and were shorter than the simulated sunlight half-lives by 29-40%. The half-life for NPX under natural sunlight showed the greatest difference of about 7.2-fold. This was linked to differences in the photon intensity and spectra of the simulated and natural sunlight which showed a 71-92% difference in photon density. For SMX, the rate constant under natural sunlight was less discernible, obtaining a half-life range of 3.85 h to 27.7 h for the February experiment which was due to uncertainties related to longer sunlight exposure of SMX. The SMX rate experiments were repeated in May and July 2024, yet their degradation curves C vs. t and ln(Ct/C0) vs. t showed poor correlations (R2 <0.5) and insignificant degradation.
The initial evaluation of the existing modelling software programs such as GCSolar, ABIWAS, APEX suggested that they were not fully suitable for predicting direct photolysis rates in wastewater systems under Australian climate conditions because they were developed for modelling in natural water systems using solar intensities in the northern hemisphere. Modifications to the software were undertaken for location-specific wastewater and climate conditions of the WTP and model validation was conducted by comparing experimentally obtained direct photolysis rates and half-lives of the four CECs. All software required rigorous calibrations to improve their prediction accuracy to match those of the experimental half-lives. APEX was the most flexible software for modifications of the solar intensity and water attenuation database. ABIWAS was limited to modelling in pure water systems and its solar intensity data could not be modified. An advantage of GCSolar was its ability to model photolysis as a function of time and water depth, providing useful insights of the attenuation of photodegradation. The equivalent monochromatic wavelength (EMW) approximation was conducted for the four CECs and were found to be less accurate when modelling at a shallower water depth of 0.1 m. This has implications for modelling in the WTP because photodegradation mainly occurs within the first 10 cm of wastewater surfaces. Sensitivity analyses of GCSolar, ABIWAS and APEX showed that these models were not sensitive (<4.2% change in model output) to the input parameters of water depth and quantum yields.
Recommendations for future work in this area include more experimentally obtained rate constants of CECs in wastewater solutions under natural sunlight during different seasons. This will assist in the further validation of the modelling work. Strategies can be developed using the models so that WWTPs can maximise the photolytic removal of CECs, thereby improving wastewater treatment and preventing CECs from entering the environment. The optimised model will assist wastewater operators, planners and managers to monitor and track priority CECs in WWTPs. Overall, the research output improves scientific understanding of photolytic removal of CECs in wastewater systems as well as provides useful insight into the challenges of modelling direct photolysis in wastewater systems.</p
A Transcultural Teacher's Creative Ecologies: Poetry-ing the Entanglements of Institutional Privilege and Love's Care in a Melbourne College
No full textThis article is a transcultural teacher’s critical autoethnography of entangled privilege and care in a university residential college. Using prose poetry as poetic inquiry, I write the entanglements of institutional privilege and love’s care in a college. I write my pedagogical subjectivity evocatively, where I am interdependent with my creative ecologies of humans and environment. In this article, I first discuss transculturality, creative ecologies and pedagogical lived experience that inform a poetic inquiry method. I then offer a series of critical autoethnographic prose poems as inquiry into transcultural pedagogy in the college, evoking interconnected privilege and care in the college.</p
A systematic mapping of social entrepreneurship education: A call for increased collaboration, ethics, and research frameworks
No full textPurpose: This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of Social Entrepreneurship Education (SEE) by examining the evolution, current state, and future research directions. It seeks to identify key themes, best practices, and the integration of social entrepreneurship principles within educational frameworks. Methodology: The research uses a systematic mapping approach incorporating bibliometric citation and content analysis to analyze 161 articles from 2002 to 2021, identifying trends, themes, and gaps in SEE literature. Findings: The results reveal three main clusters of research areas: integrating social entrepreneurship principles into educational models, social entrepreneurship intentions and antecedents, and challenges and competencies development in SEE. A taxonomy scheme for categorizing SEE research is proposed, enhancing understanding through six prepositions and 18 possible future research inquiries. Implications: This classification system provides a comprehensive overview of SEE, promoting global collaboration and innovative teaching methodologies. It encourages a holistic approach to educational programs, using visualizations and maps for policy enactment. Originality: This paper enhances SEE understanding through a taxonomy scheme, addresses review fragmentation, and provides a consolidated framework highlighting educational, theoretical, and methodological gaps, setting a comprehensive research agenda.</p
“Negligence of the Highest Order”: Historical Lessons on Police Culture and Misconduct in Australia
No full textThe history of Australian policing has been consistently punctuated with royal commissions and inquiries into police misconduct, with the recent Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants (2020) identifying police culture as a key factor in the persistence of procedural breaches. However, such reports have often failed to change entrenched police cultures. This study explores the role of police culture in the ongoing cycle of corruption, inquiry, and reform within Australian specialist police squads, using royal commission and inquiry reports as a data source. This approach is novel, as inquiries have largely been underutilized in criminological study. Drawing on Janet Chan’s interactive model of police culture, which is influenced by Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and field, the study examines how cultural beliefs and practices influence misconduct in specialist policing units. The study applies a historical criminology lens, exploring how the past can assist in understanding contemporary police behaviour by analysing 19 inquiry reports from 1883 to 2020.
This study seeks to better understand the role that police culture plays in driving misconduct, and how inquiries into police misconduct have addressed culture. The findings reveal longstanding patterns of misconduct and entrenched cultural practices that have proved resistant to reform. Police culture plays a central role in sustaining misconduct within Australian specialist policing squads, with entrenched beliefs about policing practices enabling procedural breaches. The shape of the policing field is significant in reinforcing culture and circumventing reform attempts, demonstrating the distribution of different types of power within social fields that have influenced cultural beliefs and practices. The study emphasizes the need for positive cultures to form, to transform the field in which they operate, as well as the importance of strong, independent oversight bodies to ensure robust mechanisms of accountability. Ultimately, such cultural transformation is critical to breaking the cycle of misconduct and ensuring long-term accountability within Australian policing institutions.</p
Using Windows, Mirrors and Sliding Glass Doors to Improve English in Multiethnic Australian Classrooms.
No full textMirrors, windows and sliding glass doors, are long established literary devices that welcome experience and accordingly, enhance enjoyment, agency, and learning. Mirrors are stories that validate the experiences of new entrants to unfamiliar cultures, windows grant a view into the other cultures and sliding glass doors extend windows to provide deeper reflection. This article shows how these devices can be used in multi-ethnic classrooms and those with (EAL/D) students in Australia, in line with reader response theory, to engender engagement and therefore scaffold progress, in English mastery. Six effective texts are outlined, including The Arrival by Shaun Tan, Family, by Aunty Fay Muir and Sue Lawson, and Out, by Angela May George and finally, a user-friendly checklist is provided to help teachers establish their own libraries, in addition to the ways such texts can help develop students’ reading and writing skills.</p
A Compliance-Based Framework for Digital Identity Management in Organizations
No full textDigital identities are the digital representation of identifiable information of individuals stored in computerised information systems in organizations. They are becoming increasingly important due to the rapid development of information and communication technologies and the potential misuse of such critical information with profound consequences such as increased business loss, damaged organizational credibility and customer trust, reduced revenue, and decreased share price. As a result, managing the digital identity of individuals is critical for minimising the potential loss from digital identity theft in organizations. How digital identity can be managed more effectively, however, remains to be better addressed.
This study aims to investigate how organizations can better manage the digital identity of individuals in organizations. Specifically, it aims to (a) identity the critical factors for the adoption of a compliance-based approach to managing digital identities and (b) develop a compliance-based framework for better managing digital identities in organizations. A quantitative research methodology is adopted to fulfill the aims of this research. A theoretical framework is developed by hypothesizing the critical factors affecting the adoption of compliance-based approaches in managing digital identities in organizations. With the use of survey data collected from full-time employees in Australia, the theoretical framework is tested and validated using structural equation modelling.
The study shows that there is a significant impact of sanction certainty on the attitude of employees towards complying with digital identity management policies and standards. It reveals that attitude, subjective norms, and self-efficacy positively influence the continued intention of employees in complying to organizational standards and policies in managing digital identities. Based on the critical factors identified, a revised framework for better understanding the adoption of the compliance-based approach in managing digital identities in Australia is developed.
This study provides both theoretical and practical contributions. From a theoretical perspective, this study develops a validated research model for better understanding the adoption of a compliance-based approach for managing digital identities in organizations. From a practical perspective, this research offers organizations with insightful findings to aid in the development of tailored strategies and policies for better managing digital identities.</p