Improvements to bauxite residue neutralisation efficiency through the use of alternative feed sources

Currently, open circuit Bayer refineries pump seawater directly into their operations to neutralise the caustic fraction of the Bayer residue. The resulting supernatant has a reduced pH and is pumped back to the marine environment. This investigation has assessed modified seawater sources generated from different ion filtration processes to compare their relative capacities to neutralise bauxite residues. An assessment of the chemical stability of the neutralisation products, neutralisation efficiency, discharge water quality, bauxite residue composition, and associated economic benefits have been considered to determine the most preferable seawater filtration process based on implementation costs, savings to operations and environmental benefits. The mechanism of neutralisation for each technology was determined to be predominately due to the formation of Bayer hydrotalcite and calcium carbonate, however variations in neutralisation capacity and efficiencies have been observed. The neutralisation efficiency of each feed source has been found to be dependent on the concentration of magnesium, aluminium, calcium and carbonate. These studies have revealed that multiple neutralisation steps occur throughout the process. Environmental, economic and social advantages and disadvantages of the different filtration technologies have been explored to determine the most sustainable method for the neutralisation of bauxite residues. The relative degree of “green” associated with nanofiltered seawater and reverse osmosis filtered seawater are discussed.

Pattern analysis of the diversity of morphological plant attributes and herbage yield in a world collection of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) germplasm characterised in a summer moisture stress environment of Australia

Information on the variation available for different plant attributes has enabled germplasm collections to be effectively utilised in plant breeding. A world sourced collection of white clover germplasm has been developed at the White Clover Resource Centre at Glen Innes, New South Wales. This collection of 439 accessions was characterised under field conditions as a preliminary study of the genotypic variation for morphological attributes; stolon density, stolon branching, number of nodes. number of rooted nodes, stolon thickness, internode length, leaf length, plant height and plant spread, together with seasonal herbage yield. Characterisation was conducted on different batches of germplasm (subsets of accessions taken from the complete collection) over a period of five years. Inclusion of two check cultivars, Haifa and Huia, in each batch enabled adjustment of the characterisation data for year effects and attribute-by-year interaction effects. The component of variance for seasonal herbage yield among batches was large relative to that for accessions. Accession-by-experiment and accession-by-season interactions for herbage yield were not detected. Accession mean repeatability for herbage yield across seasons was intermediate (0.453). The components of genotypic variance among accessions for all attributes, except plant height, were larger than their respective standard errors. The estimates of accession mean repeatability for the attributes ranged from low (0.277 for plant height) to intermediate (0.544 for internode length). Multivariate techniques of clustering and ordination were used to investigate the diversity present among the accessions in the collection. Both cluster analysis and principal component analysis suggested that seven groups of accessions existed. It was also proposed from the pattern analysis results that accessions from a group characterised by large leaves, tall plants and thick stolons could be crossed with accessions from a group that had above average stolon density and stolon branching. This material could produce breeding populations to be used in recurrent selection for the development of white clover cultivars for dryland summer moisture stress environments in Australia. The germplasm collection was also found to be deficient in genotypes with high stolon density, high number of branches high number of rooted nodes and large leaves. This warrants addition of new germplasm accessions possessing these characteristics to the present germplasm collection.

Will the TPP feed consumers to the wolves of Wall Street?

In the wake of the global financial crisis, there’s been a push by policy-makers for greater regulation of banks, financial institutions and the “wolves of Wall Street”. This was accompanied by a highly visible Occupy Wall Street movement, demanding political and legal reform. But could new trade agreements undermine consumer protection?

Don't feed the 'patent trolls': [An overhaul of the patent system is necessary to keep up with advances in technology.]

The government is sitting on its hands when an overhaul of the patent system is necessary to keep up with advances in technology in the 21st century.

Switchable-feed reconfigurable ultra-wide band planar antenna

Reconfigurable antennas capable of radiating in only specific desired directions increase system functionality in applications like direction finding and beam steering. This paper presents the design simulation, fabrication and measurement of a horizontally polarized, direction reconfigurable Vivaldi antenna, designed for the lower-band UWB (2-6 GHz). This design employs eight circularly distributed independent Vivaldi antennas with a common port, electronically controlled by PIN diodes acting as RF switches. Experimental results show that the reconfigurable antenna has a bandwidth of 4 GHz (2-6 GHz), with 5 dB gain in the desired direction and capable of steering over the 360° range.

AITPM Email Newsletter Volume 0903, March 2009: Presidents Message

President’s Report Hello fellow AITPM members, First I would like on behalf of all AITPM members to send our condolences to all who have been affected by February’s tragic bushfires in regional Victoria, and deliver our best wishes to all of those involved in the rebuilding efforts. Over time I expect that the Victorian Government’s Royal Commission will analyse the circumstances and put forward a range of measures which will improve fire safety in vulnerable areas. As transport professionals it will be important for us to consider the findings and look to undertaking any recommendations that relate to the work we do. Not only in Victoria, but nationwide. In particular, the importance of logistics was highlighted following the fire events. Donors across Australia were this time requested to donate money rather than goods, presumably due in part to problems associated with the transport system coping with additional uncoordinated freight load, whilst being needed to support emergency management vehicle and managed freight movements. Notwithstanding, it was wonderful to see otherwise difficult to obtain goods, such as animal feed, being donated from far afield and transported in kind by trucking operators. As stated in last month’s Newsletter, AITPM made a direct cash donation to the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal immediately following the events, and a further donation to the Queensland Premier’s Disaster Relief Fund to support recovery after the North Queensland floods, which claimed seven lives. Again, we will need to monitor how the rebuilding effort unfolds particularly in regional Victoria and centres including Ingham in North Queensland, but I would urge all AITPM members who are in a position to support the restoration of the affected communities to play a part, particularly over time once the initial shock subsides and the steady job of rebuilding is underway. Onto lighter matters, AITPM’s flagship event, the 2009 AITPM National Conference, Traffic Beyond Tomorrow, being held in Adelaide from 5 to 7 August, is fast approaching. www.aitpm.com has all of the details about how to register, sponsor a booth, and so forth. We are looking forward to catching up with our conference “regulars” and meeting with new folks to AITPM, and Australian traffic and transport planning and management. Adelaide is one of my favourite places to visit and I’m looking forward to riding the light rail line extension through town and checking out progress on the road system development. Best regards all, Jon Bunker

White possession : the legacy of Cook's choice

Book Synopsis: From Terra Nullius to Land of Opportunities and Last Frontier, the European dream has constructed and deconstructed Australia to feed its imagination of new societies. At the same time Australia has over the last two centuries forged and re-invented its own liaisons with Europe arguably to carve out its identity. From the arts to social sciences, to society itself, a complex dynamic has grown between the two continents in ways that invite study and discussion. A transnational research group has begun its collective investigation project of which this first volume is the outcome. The book is a substantial multidisciplinary collection of current research and offers critical perspectives on culture, literature and history around themes at the heart of the Imagined Australia project. The essays instigate reflection, discovery and discussion of how reciprocal imagining between Australia and Europe has articulated itself and ways and dimensions in which a relationship between communities, imagined and not, has unfolded.

Synthesis of 4-arm star poly(L-Lactide) oligomers using an in situ-generated calcium-based initiator

Using an in situ-generated calcium-based initiating species derived from pentaerythritol, the bulk synthesis of well-defined 4-arm star poly(L-lactide) oligomers has been studied in detail. The substitution of the traditional initiator, stannous octoate with calcium hydride allowed the synthesis of oligomers that had both low PDIs and a comparable number of polymeric arms (3.7 – 3.9) to oligomers of similar molecular weight. Investigations into the degree of control observed during the course of the polymerization found that the insolubility of pentaerythritol in molten L-lactide resulted in an uncontrolled polymerization only when the feed mole ratio of L-lactide to pentaerythritol was 13. At feed ratios of 40 and greater, a pseudo-living polymerization was observed. As part of this study, in situ FT-Raman spectroscopy was demonstrated to be a suitable method to monitor the kinetics of the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of lactide. The advantages of using this technique rather than FT-IR-ATR and 1H NMR for monitoring L-lactide consumption during polymerization are discussed.

The missing puzzle : birth of a format

The art of storytelling is one of the oldest forms of creative discourse. Apart from finding stories, the most important job in television is the construction of stories to have a broad audience appeal. This first-hand review of Missing Persons Unit, hereafter referred to as MPU, a prime time program on the Nine Network in Australia with immense audience appeal, is an original work by the executive producer (development and series producer Series One, executive producer Series Two and Three) based on an overview of two-and-a-half years of production on three series. Through a case study approach, this Masters project explores how story is constructed into a television format. The thesis comprises two parts: the creative component (weighted 50%) is demonstrated through two programs of MPU (one program for evaluation) and the academic component through a written exegesis (50%). This case study aims to demonstrate how observational hybrid series such as MPU can be managed to quick turn-around schedules with precise skill sets that cut across a number of traditional genre styles. With the advent of radio and then television, storytelling found a home and a series of labels called genres to help place them in a schedule for listeners and viewers to choose. Over recent years, with the advent of digital technology and the rush to collect the masses of content required to feed the growing television slate, storytelling has often been replaced by story gathering. Today even in factual series where a clear story construct is important, third party ‘quick fix’ specialists are hired to shape raw content shot by a field team, who never put their own work together and may never come into the edit suite during a project. This thesis explores the art of storytelling in fast turn-around television. In particular it explores the layer cake approach used in the production process of MPU, that enables producers of fast turn-around television to shepherd their own stories from field through to post-production. While each new hybrid series will require its own particular sets of skills, the exploration of the genesis of MPU will demonstrate the building blocks required to successfully produce this type of factual series. This study is also intended as a ‘road map’ for producers who wish to develop similar series.

Intelligent prognostics of machinery health utilising suspended condition monitoring data

The ability to forecast machinery failure is vital to reducing maintenance costs, operation downtime and safety hazards. Recent advances in condition monitoring technologies have given rise to a number of prognostic models for forecasting machinery health based on condition data. Although these models have aided the advancement of the discipline, they have made only a limited contribution to developing an effective machinery health prognostic system. The literature review indicates that there is not yet a prognostic model that directly models and fully utilises suspended condition histories (which are very common in practice since organisations rarely allow their assets to run to failure); that effectively integrates population characteristics into prognostics for longer-range prediction in a probabilistic sense; which deduces the non-linear relationship between measured condition data and actual asset health; and which involves minimal assumptions and requirements. This work presents a novel approach to addressing the above-mentioned challenges. The proposed model consists of a feed-forward neural network, the training targets of which are asset survival probabilities estimated using a variation of the Kaplan-Meier estimator and a degradation-based failure probability density estimator. The adapted Kaplan-Meier estimator is able to model the actual survival status of individual failed units and estimate the survival probability of individual suspended units. The degradation-based failure probability density estimator, on the other hand, extracts population characteristics and computes conditional reliability from available condition histories instead of from reliability data. The estimated survival probability and the relevant condition histories are respectively presented as “training target” and “training input” to the neural network. The trained network is capable of estimating the future survival curve of a unit when a series of condition indices are inputted. Although the concept proposed may be applied to the prognosis of various machine components, rolling element bearings were chosen as the research object because rolling element bearing failure is one of the foremost causes of machinery breakdowns. Computer simulated and industry case study data were used to compare the prognostic performance of the proposed model and four control models, namely: two feed-forward neural networks with the same training function and structure as the proposed model, but neglected suspended histories; a time series prediction recurrent neural network; and a traditional Weibull distribution model. The results support the assertion that the proposed model performs better than the other four models and that it produces adaptive prediction outputs with useful representation of survival probabilities. This work presents a compelling concept for non-parametric data-driven prognosis, and for utilising available asset condition information more fully and accurately. It demonstrates that machinery health can indeed be forecasted. The proposed prognostic technique, together with ongoing advances in sensors and data-fusion techniques, and increasingly comprehensive databases of asset condition data, holds the promise for increased asset availability, maintenance cost effectiveness, operational safety and – ultimately – organisation competitiveness.

Enhancing learning in dance technique through on-line-mediated reflective practice

‘Practice makes perfect’ expresses the common misconception that repetitive practice without appropriate feed-back will deliver improvement in tasks being practised. This paper explores the implementation of a student-driven feed-back mechanism and shows how functional and aesthetic understanding can be progressively enhanced through reflective practice. More efficient practice of clearly understood tasks will enhance dance training outcomes. We were looking for ways to improve teaching efficiency, effectiveness of the students’ practice in the studio and application of safe dance practices. We devised a web-based on-line format, ‘Performing Reflective Practice’, designed to augment and refine studio practice. Only perfect practice makes perfect!

Fuzzy associative memory for humanoid robot joint control

Traditional approaches to joint control required accurate modelling of the system dynamic of the plant in question. Fuzzy Associative Memory (FAM) control schemes allow adequate control without a model of the system to be controlled. This paper presents a FAM based joint controller implemented on a humanoid robot. An empirically tuned PI velocity control loop is augmented with this feed forward FAM, with considerable reduction in joint position error achieved online and with minimal additional computational overhead.

Biologically inspired joint control for a humanoid robot

The GuRoo is a 1.2 m tall, 23 degree of freedom humanoid constructed at the University of Queensland for research into humanoid robotics. The key challenge being addressed by the GuRoo project is the development of appropriate learning strategies for control and coordination of the robot's many joints. The development of learning strategies is seen as a way to side-step the inherent intricacy of modeling a multi-DOF biped robot. This paper outlines the approach taken to generate an appropriate control scheme for the joints of the GuRoo. The paper demonstrates the determination of local feedback control parameters using a genetic algorithm. The feedback loop is then augmented by a predictive modulator that learns a form of feed-forward control to overcome the irregular loads experienced at each joint during the gait cycle. The predictive modulator is based on the CMAC architecture. Results from tests on the GuRoo platform show that both systems provide improvements in stability and tracking of joint control.

The quest for authenticity in the west – negotiating the self in late modern cultures

Across western culture in the late modern era a number of phenomena have emerged that seek to challenge mainstream consumer capitalism and its effects on everyday lifestyles. Two of these movements labelled as Seachange (Amenity Migration) and Downshifting have grown steadily in popularity within the public sphere and also academic discourse. In this thesis these phenomena are investigated further using a Durkheimian platform for theoretical interrogation. It is argued that while previous research accomplishes much in the investigation of Seachange and Downshifting, there is a significant gap in theoretical explanation and synthesis that requires filling. Thus in this research, it is argued that the concept of self-authenticity assists in the fulfilment of this aim. It is shown here that authenticity guides the construction, negotiation and experience of the phenomena which serves to authenticate the self. It is further argued however that Downshifting and Seachange reflect a wider theme of the self where the individual seeks protection from the profane impacts of advanced capitalism. Subsequently, the thesis aims not only to reveal the underlying principles which feed each phenomenon, but also relate them back to a wider cultural narrative of the sacred self.

Virtual fencing applications : Implementing and testing an automated cattle control system

Managing livestock movement in extensive systems has environmental and production benefits. Currently permanent wire fencing is used to control cattle; this is both expensive and inflexible. Cattle are known to respond to auditory and visual cues and we investigated whether these can be used to manipulate their behaviour. Twenty-five Belmont Red steers with a mean live weight of 270kg were each randomly assigned to one of five treatments. Treatments consisted of a combination of cues (audio, tactile and visual stimuli) and consequence (electrical stimulation). The treatments were electrical stimulation alone, audio plus electrical stimulation, vibration plus electrical stimulation, light plus electrical stimulation and electrified electric fence (6kV) plus electrical stimulation. Cue stimuli were administered for 3s followed immediately by electrical stimulation (consequence) of 1kV for 1s. The experiment tested the operational efficacy of an on-animal control or virtual fencing system. A collar-halter device was designed to carry the electronics, batteries and equipment providing the stimuli, including audio, vibration, light and electrical of a prototype virtual fencing device. Cattle were allowed to travel along a 40m alley to a group of peers and feed while their rate of travel and response to the stimuli were recorded. The prototype virtual fencing system was successful in modifying the behaviour of the cattle. The rate of travel of cattle along the alley demonstrated the large variability in behavioural response associated with tactile, visual and audible cues. The experiment demonstrated virtual fencing has potential for controlling cattle in extensive grazing systems. However, larger numbers of cattle need to be tested to derive a better understanding of the behavioural variance. Further controlled experimental work is also necessary to quantify the interaction between cues, consequences and cattle learning.