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Can Education Outgrow the Rhetoric of ‘Development’ Embedded in the UN Sustainability Goals?
No full textThe UN Sustainability Goals recognise the important efforts of organisations to meet global commitments to the terms of the Paris Agreement. This paper argues that the UN Sustainability Goals are deeply embedded in neoliberal goals for sustainable development. The result is that the goals require commitment to contradictory ends: achieving climate goals, while also working to continue economic growth. Education is the focus of SDG4, which features an emphasis on STEM subjects, and the same nod to sustainable development that underpins many of the other 17 goals. Philosophy of education remains one of the most powerful tools available to rethink societal and educational futures
Parametric optimization of a spiral ground heat exchanger by response surface methodology and multi-objective genetic algorithm
No full textHorizontal spiral-coil type ground heat exchanger (HSGHE) has been increasingly used in ground source heat pump systems owing to its high heat transfer performance and low cost. This study proposes a method to optimize the design and operation parameters based on the combination of response surface methodology (RSM) and multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA). First, a 3D numerical model simulating the thermal–hydraulic characteristics of the HSGHE was built and the reliability of the model was validated through an indoor test rig. Subsequently, some parametric studies were performed to analyze the degree of influences that each input parameter on the outputs. On this basis, the Box-Behnken design method and RSM were used to establish response surface models between the input parameters (spiral diameter, pitch, and fluid velocity) and objective functions (net heat exchange rate and thermal performance capability) and determined the interactions between them. The results showed that the spiral diameter had the most significant influence, followed by the pitch, and fluid velocity. Finally, based on the developed models, the MOGA employing the Pareto optimum solutions were used to optimize the design and operation parameters and determine their optimal combination: spiral diameter of 0.4 m, pitch of 0.1 m, and fluid velocity of 0.4 m/s. The findings of this study may assist designers in the development of high efficiency ground heat exchangers
An Improved Horizon-1 Finite-Control-Set Model-Predictive Current Control Design for an Induction Machine With Integrated Anti-Windup
No full textIn this letter, we propose a novel approach to integrating disturbance rejection within a finite-control-set model-predictive-control (FCS-MPC) framework for current/torque control of an induction machine (IM). The technique derived utilizes disturbance estimation, but, by utilizing an input transformation renders the compensation via the constraint set leaving the cost function in a simple form. The method effectively leads to a resonant mode in the controller with an inherent anti-windup mechanism that can be exploited to prevent excessive excitation due to the persistent enforcement of control constraints
‘What are people watching in your area?’: Interrogating the role and reliability of the Netflix top 10 feature
No full textNetflix’s status as a personalised service has been central to its business proposition and brand. However, recent changes to include community-based metrics within the user interface – such as the 2020 addition of a national top 10 feature – denote a shift in corporate strategy from personalisation to communal discovery. This article uses a critical communications and media industry studies approach to consider both the data being produced by the top 10 ranking and the broader industrial function of the list, especially within a longer history of audience measurement
A Primer on the Dynamical Systems Approach to Transport in Porous Media
No full textHistorically, the dominant conceptual paradigm of porous media flow, solute mixing and transport was based on steady two-dimensional flows in heterogeneous porous media. Although it is now well recognised that novel transport phenomena can arise in unsteady and/or three-dimensional flows at both the pore or Darcy scales, appropriate methods for analysis and understanding of these more complex flows have not been widely employed. In this primer, we advocate for methods borrowed from dynamical systems (chaos) theory, which aim to uncover the Lagrangian kinematics of these flows: namely how fluid particle trajectories (which form a dynamical system) are organised and interact and the associated impacts on solute transport and mixing. This dynamical systems approach to transport is inherently Lagrangian, and the Lagrangian kinematics form Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs), special sets of trajectories that divide the Lagrangian frame into chaotic mixing regions, poorly mixing hold-up regions (and in some cases non-mixing “islands”) and the transport barriers that organise these regions. Hence, the dynamical systems approach provides insights into flows that may exhibit chaotic, regular (non-chaotic) or mixed Lagrangian kinematics, and also into how LCSs organise solute transport and mixing. Novel experimental methods are only recently permitting visualisation of LCSs in porous media flows. In this primer, we review the dynamical systems approach to porous media flow and transport and connect the associated tools and techniques with the latest research findings from pore to Darcy scales. This primer provides an introduction to the methods and tools of dynamical systems theory. Once familiar with these approaches, porous media researchers will be better positioned to know when to expect complex Lagrangian kinematics, how to uncover and understand LCSs and their impacts on solute transport, and how to exploit these dynamics to control solute transport in porous media flows
A review on soil stabilisation of unsealed road pavements from an Australian perspective
No full textUnsealed roads are the backbone for many countries’ growth and development. Given low traffic volumes, economic considerations cannot justify higher class paved roads, as a result, are prone to distress. Research studies have shown that the targeted application of additives and specific techniques to unsealed pavements can improve its engineering and geotechnical properties. This paper covers a comprehensive up to date literature review of various techniques for improving unsealed road durability. The literature is categorised based on non-chemical and chemical additive techniques. These techniques are reviewed and discussed to provide a critical overview of the stabilisation mechanisms, properties, performance, durability, and suitability in unsealed roads. This review highlights the shift towards sustainable stabilisation without considerable impact to current unsealed pavement practices, but at the effect of a sound understanding of stabilisation approaches and longterm performance data. The review captures the current state-of-knowledge in the field of unsealed road pavements
Exploring the antecedents of sustainable consumers' purchase intentions: Evidence from emerging countries
No full textThe purpose of this research study is to examine the antecedents of sustainable purchasing intention among two Asian countries' consumers, namely, India and Indonesia. Snowball sampling is used to collect data from 642 respondents from the two countries, and analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results reveal that antecedent variables such as environmental knowledge and environmental concern had a substantial impact on sustainable attitudes (SAs) and perceived behavior control; however, perceived behavior control had no impact on Indian consumers. While for Indian consumers, subjective norms had decisive moderating association between SAs and sustainable purchasing intention; for Indonesian consumers, it did not. Further, subjective norms did not show any moderating association between Indian and Indonesian consumers' perceived behavior control and sustainable purchasing intention. Finally, trust showed a significant moderating relationship between SAs, perceived behavior control and sustainable purchasing intention for Indian customers but not for Indonesian consumers
Synthesis and application of manganese-doped zinc oxide as a potential adsorbent for removal of Congo red dye from wastewater
No full textSynthetic dyes are considered toxic compounds and as such are not easily removed by conventional water treatment processes. This study demonstrated the synthesis of pure and manganese- (Mn), silver- (Ag), and iron- (Fe) doped zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles via the wet chemical route. In particular, it investigated the batch adsorption studies and physiochemical properties of synthesized pure and doped ZnO materials for removing toxic congo red (CR) dye. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed the synthesis of the pure and doped ZnO materials. The batch adsorption investigation revealed adsorption efficiencies of 99.4% for CR dye at an optimal dose of 0.03 g/30 ml for Mn-doped ZnO at a solution pH of 2. The adsorption capacity of each of the synthesized materials was found to be in order Mn-doped ZnO (232.5 mg/g) > Ag-doped ZnO (222.2 mg/g) > pure ZnO (212.7 mg/g) > Fe-doped ZnO (208.3 mg/g). Both pseudo-second-order kinetics model and the Langmuir isotherm model accurately explained the adsorption behaviors of CR dye. As such, Van der Waal interactions, H-bonding, and electrostatic interaction were found to be the adsorption mechanisms responsible for dye removal. In addition, the desorption–regeneration investigation indicated the successful reuse of the exhausted Mn-doped ZnO material for five cycles of CR dye adsorption with an efficiency of 83.1%. Overall, this study has demonstrated that Mn-doped ZnO could be considered a viable adsorbent for the cleanup of dye-contaminated water
How Crowd Worker Factors Influence Subjective Annotations: A Study of Tagging Misogynistic Hate Speech in Tweets
No full textCrowdsourced annotation is vital to both collecting labelled data to train and test automated content moderation systems and to support human-in-the-loop review of system decisions. However, annotation tasks such as judging hate speech are subjective and thus highly sensitive to biases stemming from annotator beliefs, characteristics and demographics. We conduct two crowdsourcing studies on Mechanical Turk to examine annotator bias in labelling sexist and misogynistic hate speech. Results from 109 annotators show that annotator political inclination, moral integrity, personality traits, and sexist attitudes significantly impact annotation accuracy and the tendency to tag content as hate speech. In addition, semi-structured interviews with nine crowd workers provide further insights regarding the influence of subjectivity on annotations. In exploring how workers interpret a task — shaped by complex negotiations between platform structures, task instructions, subjective motivations, and external contextual factors — we see annotations not only impacted by worker factors but also simultaneously shaped by the structures under which they labour
Does organisational culture matter for supply chain collaboration and competitive advantage: the case of garment firms in Vietnam
No full textPurpose: This research aims to investigate the impact of organisational culture on supply chain collaboration and firms’ competitive advantage in the garment industry in Vietnam. Design/methodology/approach: Underpinned by the Relational View and the Institutional Theory, the conceptual framework was proposed. This study obtained data from a survey of 192 managers in garment firms in Vietnam. The structural equation modelling was employed to examine the relationship between organisational culture, supply chain collaboration and competitive advantage. Findings: There was a significant positive relationship between organisational culture in terms of group and development types and supply chain collaboration. Besides, the analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between supply chain collaboration and competitive advantage in terms of cost and differentiation. Originality/value: This study extends the application of the Relational View and Institutional Theory in explaining the relationship between organisational culture, supply chain collaboration and competitive advantage by providing empirical evidence in Vietnam as a developing country. It is also one of the first empirical attempts to investigate these relationships in the garment industry in Vietnam