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Quantifying Productivity Gains From The Application of Emissions-Based Maintenance
No full textThe diesel engine became mainstream in the mid-20th century and is widely used in industries such as underground mining due to its inherent high torque at low speeds. Despite the potential of electric vehicle deployment, their full adoption in mines is limited because of specific infrastructure requirements and the high fire risk posed by lithium-ion batteries. The high fire risk associated with electrical vehicle batteries is heightened in underground coal mining due to the presence of methane and combustible coal dust.The continued use of diesel vehicles also poses health risks to underground workers. Diesel combustionreleases carcinogenic exhaust, leading to acute respiratory and eye irritation and increased risks of lung and bladder cancer. In underground mining, where mechanical ventilation is required, controlling diesel emissions using a combination of different control strategies is crucial. Conducting routine preventative engine maintenance is a common strategy to ensure engines are reliable and operating as designed. Emissions-based maintenance (EBM) programmes, which systematically collect and analyse engine emissions data to inform targeted maintenance, have shown promise in reducing emissions. These programmes incorporate emissions data and data from the engine systems to influence maintenance decisions. The use of EBM data has been demonstrated as a diagnostic tool that contributing to reduced emissions, resulting in decreased worker exposure. EBM programmes are also associated with certain operational incentives, such as reduced maintenance cost, reduced fleet downtime, improved fuel economy and reduced dilution ventilation rates.</p
Financial Independence, Retire Early movement: Unlocking the good life through financial freedom and work
No full textAustralia is facing an epidemic of stress, fatigue and burnout, and work is at its centre (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2019, 2022; Pocock et al., 2012; Rosa, 2019; The Work Trend Index, 2021). Despite living in a wealthy nation that enjoys above average living standards (Shorrocks et al., 2022), many Australians are dissatisfied with their lives (McKenzie, 2016a; Pocock et al., 2012). They work in jobs that lack meaning and purpose (Graeber, 2018), are psychologically unsafe (Deloitte, 2022a), or simply take up too much of their time and energy (Pocock et al., 2012; Rosa, 2019). Engagement with work promises to deliver an avenue for meaning, purpose, challenge, and connection in people’s lives (Jaeggi, 2017; Pocock et al., 2012; Rosso et al., 2010). However 75% of Australian workers report being unhappy in their jobs (Perrone et al., 2015) and 62% report experiencing some degree of burnout (PWC, 2021). For most adult Australians, work is not optional, and many are locked into the need to earn at their current levels by high consumption lifestyles (Pocock et al., 2012) and record levels of household debt (Kolios, 2020; Tahir & Ahmed, 2021). Despite this, researchers consistently find that most people want to work (Pocock, 2003). Work is central to people’s social status and sense of self (Collinson & Hearn, 1994; Rosso et al., 2010) and provides structure and coherence to their lives (Jahoda et al., 2017). This apparent contradiction is especially pronounced within the Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) movement.</p
Intimacy, Trust, and Justice on The Greatest Menace, a Podcast Exposing a “Gay Prison”
No full textIn the tradition of narrative podcasts exposing historical injustices, The Greatest Menace (TGM) examines how a government-run prison in Australia used those imprisoned to study the causes and treatments of homosexuality. Hosted by gay Arab-Australian journalist Patrick Abboud, TGM interweaves Abboud’s struggle for acceptance in his homophobic community with his forensic documentation of lives ruined by a society where homosexuality was illegal till 1984. Gay men entrust Abboud with their experiences of aversion therapy and estrangement from family; a former cop reveals how he entrapped, then arrested, gay men; a trans woman runs away to New Zealand after being imprisoned. TGM charts the palpable intimacy between Abboud and most of his informants, but as this article explores, the podcast also held potential for the privileging of activism over ethics. The cop could have been depicted as evil, but in pursuit of fairness, the TGM team settled on a more nuanced portrayal. An evangelical interviewee conflates “homosexual” with “paedophile” to Abboud’s face; he retaliates by recording his meta-fury and writing it into the script. Intimacy and trust are intertwined as Abboud and his mother navigate the shame and fear that shadowed his coming out. Using textual analysis, semi-structured interviews, iterative scripts, reflexive practice, and theory of audio storytelling and podcast intimacy, this article analyses, from an autoethnographic insider/maker perspective, how the producers of this acclaimed podcast (17 awards) balanced intimacy and trust while exposing historic queer true crime in all its messy humanity.</p
E-Learning Engagement and Perceived Outcomes with Educational Key Opinion Leaders
No full textClassroom teaching has undergone a digital transformation in the last decade and is now amplifiedby Educational Key Opinion Leaders (Edu-KOLs). Among the grassroots-level actors, Educational Key Opinion Leaders (Edu-KOLs) have influenced over 100 million students worldwide. Because the Edu-KOLs are not only domain experts in diverse knowledge fields but also have public recognition, followers, and celebrity-like status. Examples of Edu-KOLs include Eddie Woo, an Australian secondary school teacher and writer best known for his online mathematics lessons published on YouTube.In 2018, Woo was awarded the Australia's Local Hero Award. He has over 1.8 million followers on YouTube, and his videos have been played over 163 million times since December 2023. Andrew Ng, the founder of Coursera, has taught 8 million people about Artificial Intelligence (AI) online, and 30% of unemployed learners were employed after completing their most recent course or program on Coursera. Edu-KOLs break the mould of STEM education and bring huge economic benefits to society. However, the research on Edu-KOLs remains largely unexplored.This thesis set the first step towards researching on Edu-KOLs. We set the goal to investigate the relationship between learners’ perceived outcomes, motivation, and the selection preferences of Edu-KOLs. That is, we focus on the dynamic between learners and Edu-KOLs in different e-learning environments and platforms and focus on their interactions, satisfaction rating, and recommendation motivation on the selection preferences.Firstly, we have divided learners into two cohorts based on their learning objectives and age group: children and adult learners. A two-phase study has been designed for data collection. Given that children are under 18, and their parents mainly decide to take online courses, the research subjects are therefore decided as such. During the study, we conducted research in the first phase through an online questionnaire completed by parents in China whose children are studying or have recently studied online and adult learners globally. In the second phase, we interviewed parents and adult learners to dive deep into the thinking process behind their choices of Edu-KOLs.Secondly, this work presents insights gained from the two-phase study. By utilising the PLS-SEM model and mixed method, we have proposed and verified hypotheses around e-learning platforms, student engagement scores and perceived outcomes with the perception of Edu-KOLs. We also researched the relationships among Edu-KOLs, customer advocacy and future purchase intention, with the intention of unveiling the motivation and key drives for Edu-KOLs’recommendation.Thirdly, we zoomed into college students and teachers, who are the dominant part of the adult learners, by investigating their learning and teaching activities specifically to gain direct insights on learning effectiveness in livestream teaching so that we investigate the acceptance of smart teaching tools for college and university students.Finally, we compared the two cohorts to find similarities and differences surrounding Edu-KOLs’ engagement level and perceived outcome. To further provide context we investigated MOOC platform and WeChat Mini Program-based Cross-cultural learning activities and provide observation and analysis on the acceptance of smart teaching tools and its influencing factors.The findings in this thesis suggest that the engagement level between learners and Edu-KOLs has a strong indication of perceived learning outcomes for both cohorts, and knowledgeable Edu-KOLs are the crucial decision point for the selection of e-learning platforms for both. However, the factors that influence the decision of which Edu-KOLs to follow or take the course with are different between the two cohorts.The recommendations and conclusions that arise from this thesis can be further implemented to influence government education policy and pedagogy digitalisation in education systems. It also set the foundational cornerstone for educational technology to move forward post-COVID with the amplification of Edu-KOLs.</p
Improving efficiency and security of Camenisch–Lysyanskaya signatures for anonymous credential systems
No full textCamenisch–Lysyanskaya signature scheme with randomizability, namely CL signatures, at CRYPTO’04 has been well adopted for many privacy-preserving constructions, especially in the context of anonymous credential systems. Unfortunately, CL signatures suffer from linear size drawbacks. The signature size grows linearly based on the signing messages, which decreases the interest in practice, as each user may have multiple attributes (messages). Its standard EUF-CMA security was first proven under an interactive assumption. While the interactive assumption is not desirable in cryptography, Fuchsbauer et al. revisited its security at CRYPTO’18 by proving the scheme under the discrete logarithm (Dlog) assumption in the algebraic group model (AGM) that idealizes the adversary's computation to be algebraic, yet the reduction loss is non-tight. In this work, we propose a new variant of CL signatures, namely CL+ signatures, that improves efficiency and security. The proposed CL+ signatures possess randomizability without the linear size drawback, such that signature size is a constant of three group elements. Besides, we prove the security of CL+ signatures can be tightly reduced to the DLog problem in AGM with only a loss factor of 3. Lastly, we show how CL+ signatures can also be instantiated to anonymous credential systems.</p
Higher Order Non-Compact Curvature Flows
No full textIn this thesis we are interested in trying to study higher order curvature flows of non-compact manifolds. Our particular aim is to prove that a unique solution exists to these flows and we want to understand their long time behaviour. Our first result is on the existence and uniqueness of solutions for curves under a general family of fourth order curvature flows. Remaining in the curve setting we introduce the entropy flow which is the first known fourth order curvature flow which preserves convexity. The main objectives for the entropy flow are to establish the existence and uniqueness of solutions to the entropy flow but to also determine the maximal time of existence and the global behaviour of solutions as we approach the maximal time of existence. We then move into the analysis of asymptotically Euclidean surfaces which serve as our model non-compact problem. We show that the expected energy estimates, lifespan theorem, interior estimates and blowup analysis hold for asymptotically Euclidean surfaces and show that the solution converges to the plane.</p
Physical and Chemical Surface Modifications on Ti6Al4V Substrates for Potential Permanent Implantation Applications
No full textTitanium-based alloys, especially Ti6Al4V, have been known as the commonly used metallic materials for permanent implantation applications owing to their desirable biocompatibility, tribological and mechanical properties. However, Ti alloys generally display moderate biological activity in the implantation applications, especially in the permanent bone implantation application. Nowadays, surface modifications, including physical and chemical surface treatment routines, have been widely applied for the improvement of the bioactivity of Ti alloys.The deposition of bioactive tantalum (Ta) films on Ti6Al4V plate substrates was investigated using a high-temperature near-target cathodic vacuum arc deposition (CVAD) process optimised based on the conventional filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition (FCVAD) system. The substrate temperatures during the near-target depositions were measured ranging from 610 ºC to 1100 ºC, which are much higher than the conventional FCVAD process. The thickness of as-deposited Ta films can be up to 20 μm after a 10-minute near-target CVAD process, which is much thicker than Ta film (coating thickness = 0.3 μm) deposited by a 10-minute FCVAD process, revealing a higher deposition efficiency and rate provided by the optimised deposition method. Also, the near-target-deposited Ta films, especially the Ta films deposited on Ti6Al4V plate substrates with an on-axis sample configuration that is the substrates were normal to the vapourised Ta plasma emitted from the Ta target, exhibited a superior coating adhesion to substrate strength than FCVAD-Ta film, owing to an additional metallurgical bonding provided by the Ta-Ti transition zone consisting of BCC-Ta-Ti and HCP-Ta-Ti solid solutions, formed at the interface between the Ta films deposited by the high-temperature, high-energetic near-target CVAD processes, and Ti6Al4V substrates. The detailed characterisation and adhesion strength outcomes of near-target-deposited Ta films are illustrated and discussed in Chapter 3.Besides the Ta coating study, two chemical surface treatment methods - hydrothermal and anodisation, were trialled to modify the surfaces of Ti6Al4V plate substrates because of their high cost-efficiency and low operation difficulty and risks. An intact nanostructured sodium hydrogen titanate layer with a thickness of around 1.5 μm was achieved on the Ti6Al4V plate substrate using a 2-hour hydrothermal synthesis at 130 ºC with a 5 M NaOH, which was then converted into the bioactive sodium titanate with a thickness of around 1.2 μm after a 1-hour post-heat treatment at 600 ºC. Both alkali-treated and alkali-heat-treated surface coating layers exhibit excellent integrity and quality that were found to cover the entire surface of Ti alloys. Besides, the nanoporous titanium oxide layer with thickness and pore size of around 500 nm and 110 nm, respectively, was synthesised on a Ti6Al4V plate substrate using 15-minute anodisation at a constant voltage of 70 V in a mixture of 0.2 M oxalic and 2.3 M H2SO4. The anodic layer seemed to be well bonded with the substrate because such a layer was transformed from the substrate itself. Among three pre-treated Ti6Al4V plate substrates with various surface chemistries and morphologies, the alkali-heat-treated sodium titanate layer illustrated the best apatite-forming ability in the synthesis of Ca-P compounds using a 12-hour hydrothermal at 100 ºC in a mixture of 0.06 M Na H2PO4 and 0.1 M CaCl2. The details regarding the chemical surface modifications on Ti6Al4V plate substrates are reported in Chapter 4.CVAD and anodisation on 3D-printed Ti6Al4V scaffolds as physical and chemical surface modifications are reported in Chapter 5. The intact and high-quality Ta films can be deposited into at least four layers of the porous structure of a 3D-printed scaffold only from one direction using an 8-min near-target CVAD process with the sample configuration, target-to-substrate distance and substrate-to-target-centre-line distance of on-axis, 90 mm and 30 mm, respectively. The highly crystallised Ta films with thicknesses ranging from 16 μm on the first layer to 1 μm on the fourth layer of the scaffolds were measured, owing to the high deposition and energy efficiencies provided by the near-target deposition process. In contrast, Ta films with a thickness of approximately a few hundred nanometres were only achieved in the first two layers of the 3D-printed Ti6Al4V scaffold by the conventional FCVAD method. Such the FCVAD-Ta film has already been peeled off, indicating poor coating adhesion to substrate strength caused by the low-energetic process. Furthermore, one 3D-printed Ti6Al4V scaffold was subjected to 10-min anodisation with a constant voltage of 65 V in a mixture of 0.2 M oxalic, 2.3 M H2SO4 and 0.08 M HF. An intact nanoporous titanium oxide layer with a thickness ranging from 2 μm to around 9 μm was achieved into four layers of the porous-structured Ti6Al4V scaffold because the entire 3D-printed scaffold was able to immerse into the electrolyte during the treatment.The surface modification on Ti6Al4V plate substrates and 3D-printed Ti6Al4V scaffolds were revealed by physical and chemical methods. Especially, the new physical vapour deposition method, near-target CVAD, developed based on the conventional FCVAD system, in this PhD project is able to deposit the intact and high-quality Ta films onto at least top four layers of the 3D-printed Ti6Al4V scaffolds with the complex geometry and microscale porous structure, indicating the near-target CVAD process can be a candidate routine to fabricate the biomaterials for the potential implantation applications.</p
The experiences of caregivers who utilise respite care services for people with mentalillness: A phenomenological exploration
No full textBackground: In recent years, there has been a growing focus on caregiving for individuals with a mental illness (MI), particularly concerning the profound impact this role has on caregivers. Research highlights the essential function of respite care services, which play a critical role in alleviating the significant burden many caregivers face. By providing temporary relief from their demanding responsibilities, these services help to reduce stress and offer invaluable peace of mind, ensuring that those receiving care remain safe and well-supported during the caregiver's absence.Despite the increasing recognition of the need for respite care, much of the existing research has predominantly centred on caregivers of individuals with dementia, as well as those caring for individuals with physical or intellectual disabilities. A thorough review of the literature identified a substantial gap in understanding the unique experiences and challenges encountered by caregivers of individuals with mental illness, in relation to utilising respite care. Only a limited number of studies have examined the specific needs and actual experiences of these caregivers, underscoring a crucial area that requires further exploration and support.Aim: This study investigates the experiences of respite care among informal caregivers who provide care for individuals with mental illness.Research Design Methodology: This study used a qualitative methodological approach to investigate the experiences of caregivers of individuals with mental illness while utilising respite care; an interpretative phenomenological approach was conducted in the study to inform the philosophy of the study.Method: A purposive sample of caregivers of individuals with mental illness who utilise respite care (N=14) contributed narrative data through individual in-depth semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The transcripts of these interviews were analysed using van Manen's (2014) approach to data analysis. This process allowed for the identification of elements, themes, and an essence of meaning resulting from the participants' narratives.Findings: Through an analysis of the participants’ narratives, eight elements were identified, resulting in the development of four themes and the essence of meaning. The identified themes include 1) Feeling overwhelmed, 2) The process of obtaining respite, 3) Facility suitability, and 4) The need to keep going. The essence of meaning is summarised as “Constant Caring is Constant.”Discussion: This PhD thesis presents an in-depth analysis of the findings, supplemented by a comprehensive exploration based on an established theoretical perspective of the stress process model. The discussion elucidates the contextual and conceptual aspects of the experiences of caregivers for individuals with mental illness who engage in respite care. Caregivers consistently provide support and assistance to individuals with mental illness, a commitment that often leads to significant stress. Many caregivers encounter considerable challenges in locating appropriate respite services, yet they recognise the importance of persevering in their roles to ensure continued care for those they support.Conclusion and Implications for Practice: Findings from this thesis is vital for the effective provision of respite care. Research indicates that caregivers can significantly benefit from respite services, leading to improvements in both their mental and physical health, as well as an enhanced quality of life. However, there is an urgent need to enhance the delivery of these services. To address the need, service providers should focus on improving communication with caregivers, offering flexible scheduling options, and tailoring services to meet the specific needs of each individual caregiver. Furthermore, it is essential to prioritise training and education for respite care workers, particularly in the areas of managing challenging caregiving situations and providing emotional support to caregivers. Increasing awareness of respite care services is also a crucial consideration. Collaborative campaigns with healthcare providers and community organisations can effectively educate caregivers about the various options available to them.</p
University-Industry Partnerships: Exploring the Role of Human Resource Professionals in Supporting Inclusive Careers through Work-Integrated Learning
No full textUniversity-industry partnerships are essential for connecting higher education with industry. These collaborations encompass a wide range of activities, including research, innovation initiatives, entrepreneurial ventures, and educational programs such as work-integrated learning (WIL). From an organisational perspective, WIL offers strategic advantages such as early engagement with potential future employees, enhancement of corporate reputation, and addressing skill gaps. Human resource (HR) professionals play a pivotal role in managing these programs. These professionals are considered the gatekeepers of WIL initiatives that balance organisational needs with educational goals. Given the benefits of WIL in enhancing graduates’ confidence, employability, employment prospects, and identity formation, recent government and strategic initiatives have focused on increasing access and participation in WIL for all students. Inclusive WIL has emerged as a strategic priority; however, research continues to show that students from different backgrounds, particularly those from equity groups, experience WIL differently.While recent research has focused on enhancing inclusive work-integrated learning (WIL), there is still a lack of exploration into how industry professionals, particularly HR professionals, contribute to inclusive WIL experiences. This thesis aims to explore how HR professionals influence the inclusivity of WIL programs. It investigates this question through a thesis by compilation (publication) and two research phases, culminating in four research publications. In the first phase, it was necessary to determine the extent of existing research in these intersecting areas. Therefore, two scoping reviews of the literature were undertaken: the first on inclusive WIL (Paper 1) and the second on the role of industry partners in successful university-industry partnerships (Paper 2). These publications highlight the gap in research on the role of industry partners in contributing to inclusive WIL and identify associated challenges in managing these relationships, as well as factors critical to sustaining successful partnerships, including the motivations of industry partners.In the second phase, empirical research was conducted through 20 interviews with industry professionals across various organisational roles in the United Arab Emirates. These studies explored the motivations of HR professionals to support internship programs (Paper 3) and their motivations and actions towards inclusive WIL (Paper 4). Both of these papers used the reasoned action approach, which is effective for analysing motivations and actions, as a theoretical framework. The findings revealed that HR managers strongly support these collaborations and view them as a forward-thinking approach to talent development. There is a strong commitment from HR professionals to foster inclusive WIL, driven largely by their organisations’ internal equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives. These professionals recognise that inclusive WIL creates opportunities for diverse student groups, considering factors beyond academic performance. The research proposes five key elements essential for designing inclusive WIL programs that can be integrated into HR strategies.Overall, this thesis highlights factors that hinder university-industry partnerships and suggests potential factors that support these collaborations. It demonstrates that WIL, specifically business internship programs, can align with a firm’s corporate social responsibility strategy and contribute to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. By addressing global challenges through inter-sectoral partnerships, WIL prepares future talent to tackle these issues. Therefore, it is essential for HR professionals to creatively craft partnerships that incorporate contemporary skills and knowledge, are inclusive of diverse student experiences and backgrounds, and nurture new talent into organisations, aligning with future workforce needs.</p
Analysis of Heat Engines Driven by Different Actuators
No full textArtificial muscles have undergone significant advancements since the 1950s, leading to breakthroughs in various fields. These synthetic muscles draw inspiration from natural muscles and are created using materials like shape memory alloys, hydrogels, and twisted and coiled fibres. These muscles rely on external stimuli to change shape or volume and are attractive because they can be powered by waste energy sources like the heat from a car engine. The first aim of this thesis was to develop heat engines which exist in the literature, optimize them, and run them using the same shape memory alloy actuators to analyse if different engine geometry or design makes any difference in the engine output. Testing was completed on four different kinds of SMA heat engines, and a theoretical model was developed to predict the output of the offset heat engine based on the material properties and engine’s configuration. This model enabled the engine output to be estimated in terms of the maximum torque generated and the experimental results were then compared to verify the model predictions. Once the model was established, the heat engine’s design was improved based on the model predictions. Finally, the model allowed the engine to be redesigned to allow the SMA actuators to be replaced with Nylon 6,6 twisted and coiled actuators. For the first time a heat engine was demonstrated using these new types of actuators and the predicted engine’s output compared favourably with the results obtained experimentally.</p