18397 research outputs found
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Design of Hydro Turbine Management Unit for Standalone Pico Hydro in Rural Area
No full textThis research is described about the use and management of hydro turbine for the purpose of electricity generation especially in rural areas. By having hydro turbine management unit, its Intelligent control with fuzzy logic is a realistic way for achieving ideal control levels and efficiency of hydro system. An integrated system for load control valve is proposed in this study to improve performance of Pico hydropower plant and thus benefit to the rural communities
Optimal Design of the Multivariate Synthetic Coefficient of Variation Chart based on Median Run Length
No full textControl charts have been applied in many areas to improve the quality of goods and services. In this thesis, the optimal design of the synthetic multivariate coefficient of variation (Syn MCV) chart based on the median run length (MRL) is presented. Using the MRL, the 50th percentile of the run length distribution to evaluate the performance of the chart can have some advantages over the traditional performance measure, average run length (ARL). The overall result shows that the Syn MCV chart outperforms the standard MCV chart. Therefore, the Syn MCV chart has greater efficiency in monitoring and controlling processes
Types and correlates of school absenteeism among students with intellectual disability
No full textBackground: It appears that students with intellectual disability (ID) are more frequently absent from school compared with students without ID. The objective of the current study was to estimate the frequency of absence among students with ID and the reasons for absence. Potential reasons included the attendance problems referred to as school refusal, where absence is related to emotional distress; truancy, where absence is concealed from parents; school exclusion, where absence is instigated by the school; and school withdrawal, where absence is initiated by parents. Methods: Study participants were 629 parents (84.6% mothers) of Australian school students (Mage = 11.18 years; 1.8% Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander) with an ID. Participants completed a questionnaire battery that included the School Non-Attendance ChecKlist via which parents indicated the reason their child was absent for each day or half-day absence their child had over the past 20 school days. The absence data presented to parents had been retrieved from school records. Results: Across all students, absence occurred on 7.9% of the past 20 school days. In terms of school attendance problems as defined in existing literature, school withdrawal accounted for 11.1% of absences and school refusal for 5.3% of absences. Students were also absent for other reasons, most commonly illness (32.0%) and appointments (24.2%). Of students with more than one absence (n = 217; 34.5%), about half were absent for more than one reason. Students attending mainstream schools had lower attendance than those attending special schools. Conclusions: Students with ID were absent for a range of reasons and often for multiple reasons. There were elevated rates of school withdrawal and school refusal. Understanding the reasons for absenteeism can inform targeted prevention and intervention supports
Source Writing Experiences of Pre-University Students in Malaysian Higher Education: Insights from Threshold Concepts
No full textThis study investigates students' challenges in writing with sources and explores their understandings, changes and transformations. Researchers collected data from 279 students and 12 lecturers using surveys and interviews to identify aspects of writing with sources that students find troublesome and how they progress to become proficient academic writers. In-depth analysis of the findings led to the identification of four potential critical aspects of source writing that could help teachers and curriculum designers to strategise and develop source writing skills.</p
Designing a Digital Handover Specification for the Australian Road Authorities: Construction to Operations for Network information exchange (CONie)
No full textThis research addressed a gap in process management in the road infrastructure asset management portfolio. The research designed and prototyped an innovative digital handover specification, "Construction to Operations for Network information exchange" (CONie), which facilitates accurate asset data transfer in a standard format from the design and construction phase to the operational phase. The digital handover specification was validated by testing the accuracy of information exchange at multiple stages, highlighting the contributions of this project. The research was supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage project scheme, and road authorities were the key stakeholders in the project.</p
Magnetically Cured Macroradical Epoxy as Antimicrobial Coating
No full textThe radical-bearing epoxy monomer could be the ideal embodiment of multifunctionality in epoxy-based materials. This study demonstrates the potential of macroradical epoxies as surface coating materials. A diepoxide monomer derivatized with a stable nitroxide radical is polymerized with a diamine hardener under the influence of a magnetic field. The magnetically oriented and stable radicals in the polymer backbone render the coatings antimicrobial. The unconventional use of magnets during polymerization proved crucial in correlating the structure-property relationships with antimicrobial performance inferred from oscillatory rheological technique, polarized macro-attenuated total reflectance – infrared (macro-ATR-IR) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The magnetic thermal curing influenced the surface morphology, resulting in a synergy of the coating's radical nature with microbiostatic performance assessed using the Kirby-Bauer test and liquid chromatography – mass spectroscopy (LC–MS). Further, the magnetic curing of blends with a traditional epoxy monomer demonstrates that radical alignment is more critical than radical density in imparting biocidal behavior. This study shows how the systematic use of magnets during polymerization could pave for probing more significant insights into the mechanism of antimicrobial action in radical-bearing polymers
The phenomenology of auditory verbal hallucinations in bipolar disorder
No full textObjectives: At least one in four persons with bipolar disorder (BD) are estimated to have experienced auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) or heard voices at some point. Yet few studies have investigated AVH in detail in this population. This preliminary study examined the phenomenology of AVH in BD to identify commonalities and differences relative to other psychiatric disorders where AVH are commonly reported. Method: Twenty-one participants diagnosed with BD were recruited across two international sites in the UK and Australia. All participants underwent a structured clinical interview to verify psychiatric diagnosis and completed standardised measures of symptomatology, including mood states. Phenomenological information of AVH was gathered using select questions from the comprehensive Mental Health Research Institute Unusual Perceptual Schedule (MUPS). Results: AVH experienced by this BD sample were broadly similar in form and content to characterisations reported in the schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) in prior literature, with some exceptions including frequency, duration and the changeability of tone and content. Conclusions: The study highlights possibly subtle differences in the experience of AVH in BD, including the potential influence of mood congruence as a pertinent clinical feature. Further research into these differences might inform adaptations to existing AVH interventions to ensure they are relevant for BD
The size–mass and other structural parameter (n, μ z , Rz) relations for local bulges/spheroids from multicomponent decompositions
No full textWe analyse the bulge/spheroid size–(stellar mass), Re, Sph–M*, Sph, relation and spheroid structural parameters for 202 local (predominantly ≲110 Mpc) galaxies spanning M* ∼ 3 × 109–1012 M⊙ and 0.1≲Re,Sph≲32 kpc from multicomponent decomposition. The correlations between the spheroid Sérsic index (nSph), central surface brightness (μ0, Sph), effective half-light radius (Re, Sph), absolute magnitude (MSph) and stellar mass (M*, Sph) are explored. We also investigate the consequences of using different scale radii, Rz,Sph, encapsulating a different fraction (z, from 0 to 1) of the total spheroid luminosity. The correlation strengths for projected mass densities, Σz and 〈Σ〉z, vary significantly with the choice of z. Spheroid size (Rz,Sph) and mass (M*, Sph) are strongly correlated for all light fractions z. We find: log(Re,Sph/kpc)=0.88log(M∗,Sph/M⊙)−9.15 with a small scatter of Δrms=0.24 dex in the log (Re, Sph) direction. This result is discussed relative to the curved size–mass relation for early-type galaxies due to their discs yielding larger galaxy radii at lower masses. Moreover, the slope of our spheroid size–mass relation is a factor of ∼3, steeper than reported bulge size–mass relations, and with bulge sizes at M*, sph ∼ 3 × 109 M⊙ which are 2 to 3 times smaller. Our spheroid size–mass relation present no significant flattening in slope in the low-mass end (M*, sph ∼ 109–1010 M⊙). Instead of treating galaxies as single entities, future theoretical and evolutionary models should also attempt to recreate the strong scaling relations of specific galactic components. Additional scaling relations, such as log (nSph)–log (M*, Sph), log (Σ0, Sph)–log (nSph), and log (nSph)–log (Re, Sph), are also presented. Finally, we show that the local spheroids align well with the size-mass distribution of quiescent galaxies at z ∼ 1.25–2.25. In essence, local spheroids and high-z quiescent galaxies appear structurally similar, likely dictated by the virial theorem
Photonic metamaterial for thermal management
No full textThis thesis presents the research on metamaterials for thermal management including thermochromic material for temperature sensing and detection, transparent radiative cooling metamaterial film for perovskite solar cell and applications, and photonic crystals metamaterial for spectra modulation, which can provide direction and development for the next generation of metamaterials for thermal management,such as dynamic thermal modulation, linear temperature detection, thermal radiation dissipation in cooling devices and thermal energy conversion, spectral control, optical filters, optical sensors, and other fields.</p
Digital Business Transformation in a Newly Industrialised Country Context: A Study of the Indonesian Creative Industry Sector
No full textThis research explores Digital Business Transformation (DBT) within Indonesia's Creative Industries (CI) Sector, recognising its potential to bolster the nation's GDP with an emphasis on the use of technologies. Unveiling a DBT adoption gap between newly industrialised and industrialised countries due to human digital literacy and infrastructure constraints, the study seeks to address these issues. Employing a mixed-methods approach, surveys and interviews were conducted in Malang, East Java, a prominent hub for CI businesses. Despite resource limitations, CI businesses in Indonesia can undergo DBT, underscoring the pivotal role of cultivating a digital mindset and strategic decision-making for sustainability and improved performance.</p