Power network in the loop : subsystem testing using a switching amplifier

“Hardware in the Loop” (HIL) testing is widely used in the automotive industry. The sophisticated electronic control units used for vehicle control are usually tested and evaluated using HIL-simulations. The HIL increases the degree of realistic testing of any system. Moreover, it helps in designing the structure and control of the system under test so that it works effectively in the situations that will be encountered in the system. Due to the size and the complexity of interaction within a power network, most research is based on pure simulation. To validate the performance of physical generator or protection system, most testing is constrained to very simple power network. This research, however, examines a method to test power system hardware within a complex virtual environment using the concept of the HIL. The HIL testing for electronic control units and power systems protection device can be easily performed at signal level. But performance of power systems equipments, such as distributed generation systems can not be evaluated at signal level using HIL testing. The HIL testing for power systems equipments is termed here as ‘Power Network in the Loop’ (PNIL). PNIL testing can only be performed at power level and requires a power amplifier that can amplify the simulation signal to the power level. A power network is divided in two parts. One part represents the Power Network Under Test (PNUT) and the other part represents the rest of the complex network. The complex network is simulated in real time simulator (RTS) while the PNUT is connected to the Voltage Source Converter (VSC) based power amplifier. Two way interaction between the simulator and amplifier is performed using analog to digital (A/D) and digital to analog (D/A) converters. The power amplifier amplifies the current or voltage signal of simulator to the power level and establishes the power level interaction between RTS and PNUT. In the first part of this thesis, design and control of a VSC based power amplifier that can amplify a broadband voltage signal is presented. A new Hybrid Discontinuous Control method is proposed for the amplifier. This amplifier can be used for several power systems applications. In the first part of the thesis, use of this amplifier in DSTATCOM and UPS applications are presented. In the later part of this thesis the solution of network in the loop testing with the help of this amplifier is reported. The experimental setup for PNIL testing is built in the laboratory of Queensland University of Technology and the feasibility of PNIL testing has been evaluated using the experimental studies. In the last section of this thesis a universal load with power regenerative capability is designed. This universal load is used to test the DG system using PNIL concepts. This thesis is composed of published/submitted papers that form the chapters in this dissertation. Each paper has been published or submitted during the period of candidature. Chapter 1 integrates all the papers to provide a coherent view of wide bandwidth switching amplifier and its used in different power systems applications specially for the solution of power systems testing using PNIL.

A cluster-randomised intervention trial against Schistosoma japonicum in the Peoples' Republic of China: bovine and human transmission

Background Zoonotic schistosomiasis japonica is a major public health problem in China. Bovines, particularly water buffaloes, are thought to play a major role in the transmission of schistosomiasis to humans in China. Preliminary results (1998–2003) of a praziquantel (PZQ)-based pilot intervention study we undertook provided proof of principle that water buffaloes are major reservoir hosts for S. japonicum in the Poyang Lake region, Jiangxi Province. Methods and Findings Here we present the results of a cluster-randomised intervention trial (2004–2007) undertaken in Hunan and Jiangxi Provinces, with increased power and more general applicability to the lake and marshlands regions of southern China. The trial involved four matched pairs of villages with one village within each pair randomly selected as a control (human PZQ treatment only), leaving the other as the intervention (human and bovine PZQ treatment). A sentinel cohort of people to be monitored for new infections for the duration of the study was selected from each village. Results showed that combined human and bovine chemotherapy with PZQ had a greater effect on human incidence than human PZQ treatment alone. Conclusions The results from this study, supported by previous experimental evidence, confirms that bovines are the major reservoir host of human schistosomiasis in the lake and marshland regions of southern China, and reinforce the rationale for the development and deployment of a transmission blocking anti-S. japonicum vaccine targeting bovines.

Citizen Consultation from Above and Below : The Australian Perspective

In Australia, a range of Federal Government services have been provided online for some time, but direct, online citizen consultation and involvement in processes of governance is relatively new. Moves towards more extensive citizen involvement in legislative processes are now being driven in a “top-down” fashion by government agencies, or in a “bottom-up” manner by individuals and third-sector organisations. This chapter focusses on one example from each of these categories, as well as discussing the presence of individual politicians in online social networking spaces. It argues that only a combination of these approaches can achieve effective consultation between citizens and policymakers. Existing at a remove from government sites and the frameworks for public communication which govern them, bottom-up consultation tools may provide a better chance for functioning, self-organising user communities to emerge, but they are also more easily ignored by governments not directly involved in their running. Top-down consultation tools, on the other hand, may seem to provide a more direct line of communication to relevant government officials, but for that reason are also more likely to be swamped by users who wish simply to register their dissent rather than engage in discussion. The challenge for governments, politicians, and user communities alike is to develop spaces in which productive and undisrupted exchanges between citizens and policymakers can take place.

Making sense of working lives and working choices : the role of satirical cartoons

This study examined the tone and content of 107 political, satirical cartoons images published in the popular culture forum of mainstream newspapers. The cartoons illustrated the reform of the industrial relations system in Australia in 2005 and 2006. The images were conveyed in a moderate tone. That is, they were more about poking fun at and questioning authority and power, rather than simply describing the issues on one hand, or demonstrating any revolutionary fervor on the other. The cartoons’ content represented many of the concerns and issues being voiced by employer groups, government, opposition, unions and the media at the time. Themes likely to evoke a strong response from the readership included the importance of a collective response in voicing opposition to the legislation and enacting change, the risks to fundamental working conditions, the stealth and dogma associated with the rollout of the changes and the increasing disparity in wealth and power between employers and workers. The images were an important part of the wider discourse and a mechanism which helped place industrial relations squarely in the minds of working Australians.

"Okay girl, it's up to you": a case study of the use of a seizure alert dog to improve the wellbeing of a student with epilepsy

The relationship between student well-being and the other vital outcomes of school is unequivocal. Improved outcomes in all aspects of student well-being are positively associated with improved outcomes in all other aspects of schooling. This educational imperative only serves to strengthen and support the moral imperative for schools and schooling to be inclusive, supportive and nurturing in order to maintain and support student well-being. (Fraillon 2005, p. 12)

Unusual hydrate stabilization in the two-dimensional layered structure of quinacrinium bis(2-carboxy-4,5-dichlorobenzoate) tetrahydrate, a proton-transfer compound of the drug quinacrine

The crystal structure of the hydrated proton-transfer compound of the drug quinacrine [rac-N'-(6-chloro-2-methoxyacridin-9-yl)-N,N-diethylpentane-1,4-diamine] with 4,5-dichlorophthalic acid, C23H32ClN3O2+ . 2(C8H3Cl2O4-).4H2O (I), has been determined at 200 K. The four labile water molecules of solvation form discrete ...O--H...O--H... hydrogen-bonded chains parallel to the quinacrine side chain, the two N--H groups of which act as hydrogen-bond donors for two of the water acceptor molecules. The other water molecules, as well as the acridinium H atom, also form hydrogen bonds with the two anion species and extend the structure into two-dimensional sheets. Between these sheets there are also weak cation--anion and anion--anion pi-pi aromatic ring interactions. This structure represents only the third example of a simple quinacrine derivative for which structural data are available but differs from the other two in that it is unstable in the X-ray beam due to efflorescence, probably associated with the destruction of the unusual four-membered water chain structures.

Proton-transfer versus nontransfer in compounds of the diazo-dye precursor 4-(phenyldiazenyl) aniline (aniline yellow) with strong organic acids: the 5-sulfosalicylate and the dichroic benzenesulfonate salts, and the 1:2 adduct with 3,5-dinitrobenzoic

The structures of two 1:1 proton-transfer red-black dye compounds formed by reaction of aniline yellow [4-(phenyldiazenyl)aniline] with 5-sulfosalicylic acid and benzenesulfonic acid, and a 1:2 nontransfer adduct compound with 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid have been determined at either 130 or 200 K. The compounds are 2-(4-aminophenyl)-1-phenylhydrazin-1-ium 3-carboxy-4-hydroxybenzenesulfonate methanol solvate, C12H12N3+.C7H5O6S-.CH3OH (I), 2-(4-aminophenyl)-1-hydrazin-1-ium 4-(phenydiazinyl)anilinium bis(benzenesulfonate), 2C12H12N3+.2C6H5O3S-, (II) and 4-(phenyldiazenyl)aniline-3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid (1/2) C12H11N3.2C~7~H~4~N~2~O~6~, (III). In compound (I) the diaxenyl rather than the aniline group of aniline yellow is protonated and this group subsequently akes part in a primary hydrogen-bonding interaction with a sulfonate O-atom acceptor, producing overall a three-dimensional framework structure. A feature of the hydrogen bonding in (I) is a peripheral edge-on cation-anion association involving aromatic C--H...O hydrogen bonds, giving a conjoint R1/2(6)R1/2(7)R2/1(4)motif. In the dichroic crystals of (II), one of the two aniline yellow species in the asymmetric unit is diazenyl-group protonated while in the other the aniline group is protonated. Both of these groups form hydrogen bonds with sulfonate O-atom acceptors and thee, together with other associations give a one-dimensional chain structure. In compound (III), rather than proton-transfer, there is a preferential formation of a classic R2/2(8) cyclic head-to-head hydrogen-bonded carboxylic acid homodimer between the two 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid molecules, which in association with the aniline yellow molecule that is disordered across a crystallographic inversion centre, result in an overall two-dimensional ribbon structure. This work has shown the correlation between structure and observed colour in crystalline aniline yellow compounds, illustrated graphically in the dichroic benzenesulfonate compound.

Phylogenetic placement of the sugarcane orange rust pathogen Puccinia kuehnii in a historical and regional context

Sugarcane orange rust, caused by Puccinia kuehnii, was once considered a minor disease in the Australian sugar industry. However, in 2000 a new race of the pathogen devastated the high-performing sugarcane cultivar Q124, and caused the industry Aus$150–210 million in yield losses. At the time of the epidemic, very little was known about the genetic and pathogenic diversity of the fungus in Australia and neighbouring sugar industries. DNA sequence data from three rDNA regions were used to determine the genetic relationships between isolates within two P. kuehnii collections. The first collection comprised only recent Australian field isolates and limited sequence variation was detected within this population. In the second study, Australian isolates were compared with isolates from Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, China and historical herbarium collections. Greater sequence variation was detected in this collection and phylogenetic analyses grouped the isolates into three clades. All isolates from commercial cane fields clustered together including the recent Australianfield isolates and the Australian historical isolate from 1898.The other two clades included rust isolates from wild and garden canes in Indonesia and PNG. These rusts appeared morphologically similar to P. kuehnii and could potentially pose a quarantine threat to the Australian sugar industry. The results have revealed greater diversity in sugarcane rusts than previously thought.

Evaluation of the in vitro bioactivity of bioceramics

Two common methods have been used to evaluate the in vitro bioactivity of bioceramics for the application of bone repair. One is to evaluate the ability of apatite formation by soaking ceramics in simulated body fluids (SBF); the other method is to evaluate the effect of ceramics on osteogenic differentiation using cell experiments. Both methods have their own drawbacks in evaluating the in vitro bioactivity of bioceramics. In this commentary paper we review the application of both methods in bioactivity of bioceramics and conclude that (i) SBF method is an efficient method to investigate the in vitro bioactivity of silicate-based bioceramics, (ii) cellular bioactivity of bioceramics should be investigated by evaluating their stimulatory ability using standard bioceramics as controls; and (iii) the combination of these two methods to evaluate the in vitro bioactivity of bioceramics can improve the screening efficiency for the selection of bioactive ceramics for bone regeneration.

Assessing the energy efficiency of gear oils via the FZG test machine

Energy efficient lubricants are becoming increasingly popular. This is due to a global increase in environmental awareness combined with the potential of reducing operating costs. A new test method of evaluating the energy efficiency of gear oils has been described in this report. The method involves measuring the power required by an FZG test rig to run while using a particular test lubricant. For each oil that was being evaluated, the rig was run for 10 minutes at a load stage of 10. Six extreme pressure (EP) industrial gear oils of mineral base were tested. The difference in power requirements between the best and the worst performing oils was 2.77 and 3.24 kW, respectively. This equates to a 14.6% reduction in power, a significant amount if considered in relation to a high powered industrial machine. The oils of superior performance were noticed to run at reduced temperatures. They were also more expensive than the other products of lesser performance.

What is in the name of a fashion designer

Currently, fashion quite comfortably covers the space between unique pieces and serialisation, mobilising as necessary the discourses of art or commerce; however, the question of what a fashion designer is remains open. Historically, the image of the fashion designer has been constructed within a heroic and Romantic narrative centred on the concept of designers as artists and hence authors. The recent development of the fashion industry as an image-driven industry, on the one hand, and the placement of fashion in museum contexts on the other, requires a re-thinking of the function of the designer. This paper does not set out to identify a theory that establishes a truthful answer to the position and significance of the fashion designer within the fashion system, but it proposes that an analytical and critical understanding of the fashion designer requires a contextualisation of the philosophies and institutions (including fashion magazines and fashion criticism) that support it.

Historical and Personal Perspectives on the Fall of the Berlin Wall, 1989: address to 20th anniversary forums.

The story of the fall of the Berlin Wall was an aspect of the “imagination gap” that we had to wrestle with as journalists covering the collapse of the Eastern Bloc in Europe. It was scarcely possible to believe what you found yourself reporting, and that work became a two-track process. On one hand a mass social movement was dictating the pace and direction of events; on the other, the institutional business of politics as usual, to provide a framework for all the change that was happening, had to be managed – and reported on. In later analyseds we could see, that crisis in the Soviet Union led to the crisis over the Berlin Wall; and from the fall of the Wall, came Germany’s reunification, and with that also, formation of the European Union as it is today. The government of the Federal Republic of Germany convinced its neighbours that a reunited Germany, within an expanded EU, would be a very acceptable “European Germany” -- not the leader of a “German Europe”. It committed itself financially, supporting the new Euro currency. The former communist states of Eastern Europe demanded to join and expand the EU; in order to remove themselves from the Soviet Union, enjoy human rights, and share in Western prosperity. So today, following on from the events of 1989, the European Union is an amalgam of 27 member countries, with close to 500 million citizens and accounting for 30 % of world Gross National Product.

Fingerprint analysis of eucommia bark by LC-DAD and LC-MS with the aid of chemometrics

Chromatographic fingerprints of 46 Eucommia Bark samples were obtained by liquid chromatography-diode array detector (LC-DAD). These samples were collected from eight provinces in China, with different geographical locations, and climates. Seven common LC peaks that could be used for fingerprinting this common popular traditional Chinese medicine were found, and six were identified as substituted resinols (4 compounds), geniposidic acid and chlorogenic acid by LC-MS. Principal components analysis (PCA) indicated that samples from the Sichuan, Hubei, Shanxi and Anhui—the SHSA provinces, clustered together. The other objects from the four provinces, Guizhou, Jiangxi, Gansu and Henan, were discriminated and widely scattered on the biplot in four province clusters. The SHSA provinces are geographically close together while the others are spread out. Thus, such results suggested that the composition of the Eucommia Bark samples was dependent on their geographic location and environment. In general, the basis for discrimination on the PCA biplot from the original 46 objects× 7 variables data matrix was the same as that for the SHSA subset (36 × 7 matrix). The seven marker compound loading vectors grouped into three sets: (1) three closely correlating substituted resinol compounds and chlorogenic acid; (2) the fourth resinol compound identified by the OCH3 substituent in the R4 position, and an unknown compound; and (3) the geniposidic acid, which was independent of the set 1 variables, and which negatively correlated with the set 2 ones above. These observations from the PCA biplot were supported by hierarchical cluster analysis, and indicated that Eucommia Bark preparations may be successfully compared with the use of the HPLC responses from the seven marker compounds and chemometric methods such as PCA and the complementary hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA).

Biotribological assessment for artificial synovial joints : the role of boundary lubrication

Biotribology, the study of lubrication, wear and friction within the body, has become a topic of high importance in recent times as we continue to encounter debilitating diseases and trauma that destroy function of the joints. A highly successful surgical procedure to replace the joint with an artificial equivalent alleviates dysfunction and pain. However, the wear of the bearing surfaces in prosthetic joints is a significant clinical problem and more patients are surviving longer than the life expectancy of the joint replacement. Revision surgery is associated with increased morbidity and mortality and has a far less successful outcome than primary joint replacement. As such, it is essential to ensure that everything possible is done to limit the rate of revision surgery. Past experience indicates that the survival rate of the implant will be influenced by many parameters, of primary importance, the material properties of the implant, the composition of the synovial fluid and the method of lubrication. In prosthetic joints, effective boundary lubrication is known to take place. The interaction of the boundary lubricant and the bearing material is of utmost importance. The identity of the vital active ingredient within synovial fluid (SF) to which we owe the near frictionless performance of our articulating joints has been the quest of researchers for many years. Once identified, tribo tests can determine what materials and more importantly what surfaces this fraction of SF can function most optimally with. Surface-Active Phospholipids (SAPL) have been implicated as the body’s natural load bearing lubricant. Studies in this thesis are the first to fully characterise the adsorbed SAPL detected on the surface of retrieved prostheses and the first to verify the presence of SAPL on knee prostheses. Rinsings from the bearing surfaces of both hip and knee prostheses removed from revision operations were analysed using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) to determine the presence and profile of SAPL. Several common prosthetic materials along with a novel biomaterial were investigated to determine their tribological interaction with various SAPLs. A pin-on-flat tribometer was used to make comparative friction measurements between the various tribo-pairs. A novel material, Pyrolytic Carbon (PyC) was screened as a potential candidate as a load bearing prosthetic material. Friction measurements were also performed on explanted prostheses. SAPL was detected on all retrieved implant bearing surfaces. As a result of the study eight different species of phosphatidylcholines were identified. The relative concentrations of each species were also determined indicating that the unsaturated species are dominant. Initial tribo tests employed a saturated phosphatidylcholine (SPC) and the subsequent tests adopted the addition of the newly identified major constituents of SAPL, unsaturated phosphatidylcholine (USPC), as the test lubricant. All tribo tests showed a dramatic reduction in friction when synthetic SAPL was used as the lubricant under boundary lubrication conditions. Some tribopairs showed more of an affinity to SAPL than others. PyC performed superior to the other prosthetic materials. Friction measurements with explanted prostheses verified the presence and performance of SAPL. SAPL, in particular phosphatidylcholine, plays an essential role in the lubrication of prosthetic joints. Of particular interest was the ability of SAPLs to reduce friction and ultimately wear of the bearing materials. The identification and knowledge of the lubricating constituents of SF is invaluable for not only the future development of artificial joints but also in developing effective cures for several disease processes where lubrication may play a role. The tribological interaction of the various tribo-pairs and SAPL is extremely favourable in the context of reducing friction at the bearing interface. PyC is highly recommended as a future candidate material for use in load bearing prosthetic joints considering its impressive tribological performance.

Practice as method : the ex/centric fixations project

In the past decade, scholars have proposed a range of terms to describe the relationship between practice and research in the creative arts, including increasingly nuanced definitions of practice-based research, practice-led research and practice-as-research. In this paper, I consider the efficacy of creative practice as method. I use the example of The Ex/Centric Fixations Project – a project in which I have embedded creative practice in a research project, rather than embedding research in a creative project. The Ex/Centric Fixations project investigates the way spectators interpret human experiences – especially human experiences of difference, marginalisation or discrimination – depicted onstage. In particular, it investigates the way postmodern performance writing strategies, and the presence of performing bodied to which the experience depicted can be attached, impacts on interpretations. It is part of a broader research project which examines the performativity of spectatorship, and intervenes in emergent debates about performance, ethics and spectatorship in the context of debate about whether live performance is a privileged site for the emergence of an ethical face-to-face encounter with the Other. Using the metaphor of the Mobius strip, I examines the way practice – as a method, rather than an output – has informed, influenced and problematised the broader research project.