Impact of technology uptake on an Australian electricity distribution network

This paper presents simulation results for future electricity grids using an agent-based model developed with MODAM (MODular Agent-based Model). MODAM is introduced and its use demonstrated through four simulations based on a scenario that expects a rise of on-site renewable generators and electric vehicles (EV) usage. The simulations were run over many years, for two areas in Townsville, Australia, capturing variability in space of the technology uptake, and for two charging methods for EV, capturing people's behaviours and their impact on the time of the peak load. Impact analyses of these technologies were performed over the areas, down to the distribution transformer level, where greater variability of their contribution to the assets peak load was observed. The MODAM models can be used for different purposes such as impact of renewables on grid sizing, or on greenhouse gas emissions. The insights gained from using MODAM for technology assessment are discussed.

Retrieving trip information from a discrete detectors network : The case of Brisbane Bluetooth detectors

Automatic Vehicle Identification Systems are being increasingly used as a new source of travel information. As in the last decades these systems relied on expensive new technologies, few of them were scattered along a networks making thus Travel-Time and Average Speed estimation their main objectives. However, as their price dropped, the opportunity of building dense AVI networks arose, as in Brisbane where more than 250 Bluetooth detectors are now installed. As a consequence this technology represents an effective means to acquire accurate time dependant Origin Destination information. In order to obtain reliable estimations, however, a number of issues need to be addressed. Some of these problems stem from the structure of a network made out of isolated detectors itself while others are inherent of Bluetooth technology (overlapping detection area, missing detections,\...). The aim of this paper is threefold: First, after having presented the level of details that can be reached with a network of isolated detectors we present how we modelled Brisbane's network, keeping only the information valuable for the retrieval of trip information. Second, we give an overview of the issues inherent to the Bluetooth technology and we propose a method for retrieving the itineraries of the individual Bluetooth vehicles. Last, through a comparison with Brisbane Transport Strategic Model results, we highlight the opportunities and the limits of Bluetooth detectors networks. The aim of this paper is twofold. We first give a comprehensive overview of the aforementioned issues. Further, we propose a methodology that can be followed, in order to cleanse, correct and aggregate Bluetooth data. We postulate that the methods introduced by this paper are the first crucial steps that need to be followed in order to compute accurate Origin-Destination matrices in urban road networks.

Application of a Bayesian Network complex system model to a successful community electricity demand reduction program

Utilities worldwide are focused on supplying peak electricity demand reliably and cost effectively, requiring a thorough understanding of all the factors influencing residential electricity use at peak times. An electricity demand reduction project based on comprehensive residential consumer engagement was established within an Australian community in 2008, and by 2011, peak demand had decreased to below pre-intervention levels. This paper applied field data discovered through qualitative in-depth interviews of 22 residential households at the community to a Bayesian Network complex system model to examine whether the system model could explain successful peak demand reduction in the case study location. The knowledge and understanding acquired through insights into the major influential factors and the potential impact of changes to these factors on peak demand would underpin demand reduction intervention strategies for a wider target group.

Autonomous helicopter hover using an artificial neural network

Details the developments to date of an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) based on a standard size 60 model helicopter. The design goal is to have the helicopter achieve stable hover with the aid of an INS and stereo vision. The focus of the paper is on the development of an artificial neural network (ANN) that makes use of only the INS data to generate hover commands, which are used to directly manipulate the flight servos. Current results show that networks incorporating some form of recurrency (state history) offer little advantage over those without. At this stage, the ANN has partially maintained periods of hover even with misaligned sensors.

Choose wisely: Network, ontology and annotation resources for the analysis of Staphylococcus aureus omics data

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a prominent human and livestock pathogen investigated widely using omic technologies. Critically, due to availability, low visibility or scattered resources, robust network and statistical contextualisation of the resulting data is generally under-represented. Here, we present novel meta-analyses of freely-accessible molecular network and gene ontology annotation information resources for S. aureus omics data interpretation. Furthermore, through the application of the gene ontology annotation resources we demonstrate their value and ability (or lack-there-of) to summarise and statistically interpret the emergent properties of gene expression and protein abundance changes using publically available data. This analysis provides simple metrics for network selection and demonstrates the availability and impact that gene ontology annotation selection can have on the contextualisation of bacterial omics data.

Propagating excitatory potentials within the fear conditioning circuit of the lateral amygdala

In the Hebbian postulate, transiently reverberating cellular ensembles can sustain activity to facilitate temporal coincidence detection. Auditory fear conditioning is believed to be formed in the lateral amygdala (LA), by way of plasticity at auditory input synapses on principal neurons. To evaluate the contribution of LA cellular ensembles in the formation of conditioned fear memories, we investigated the LA micro-circuitry by electrophysiological and anatomical approaches. Polysynaptic field potentials evoked in the LA by stimulation of auditory thalamus(MGm/PIN) or auditory cortical (TE3) afferents were analyzed in vitro and in vivo. In vivo, two potentials were identified following stimulation of either pathway. In vitro, these multiple potentials were revealed by adding 75uM Picrotoxin or 30uM Bicuculine, with the first potential peaking at 15-20 ms, followed by two additional potentials at 20 – 25 and 30 – 35 ms, respectively. These data show single stimulation events can result in multiple synchronized excitatory events within the lateral amygdala. In order to determine underlying mechanisms of auditory signal propagation, LA principal neuron axon collateral trajectory patterns and morphology were analyzed. Neurons were found to have local axon collaterals that are topographically organized. Each axon collateral within the LA totaled 14.1 ± 2.73mm, had 29.8 ± 9.1 branch points and 1870.8 ± 1035 boutons (n=9). Electrophysiological and anatomical data show that a network of extensive axon collaterals within the LA may facilitate preservation of auditory afferent signals.

Making the transition from pharmacy student to pharmacist: Australian interns' perceptions of professional identity formation

Objectives The experience of transitioning from university to practice influences professional identity formation. It is unclear how this transitioning experience influences pharmacy interns' professional identities. This study aims to examine pharmacy interns' perceptions of their transition from university to the workplace and the influence this had on their pharmacist identities. Methods A qualitative approach using in-depth interviews was adopted for this study. Fifteen interns (community and hospital) from one school of pharmacy in Australia were interviewed. Questions were asked about the nature of their current intern role, their university experiences, how they saw themselves as pharmacists and their perceptions of the transition to practice. Key findings The interns interviewed entered the workplace valuing patient-focused aspects of practice and contributing to patient care. The nature of work meant there were limited opportunities to enact these aspects of their professional identities. The interns were challenged by interactions with patients and doctors, and experienced difficulties reconciling this with their university-derived professional identities. Also, the interns lacked the confidence and strategies to overcome these challenges. Some were exploring alternative ways of being pharmacists. Conclusions This paper argues that graduates' experience of the transition to practice was challenging. This was due to nascent professional identities formed in university and a lack of workplace experiences enabling patient-centred practices. The interns' formation of professional identities was highly responsive to the context of work. To facilitate the development of Australian patient-centred pharmacy practice, supporting professional identity formation should be a focus within pharmacy education.

The pet factor - Companion animals as a conduit for getting to know people, friendship formation and social support

BACKGROUND: While companion animals have been previously identified as a direct source of companionship and support to their owners, their role as a catalyst for friendship formation or social support networks among humans has received little attention. This study investigated the indirect role of pets as facilitators for three dimensions of social relatedness; getting to know people, friendship formation and social support networks. METHODS: A telephone survey of randomly selected residents in four cities, one in Australia (Perth; n = 704) and three in the U.S. (San Diego, n = 690; Portland, n = 634; Nashville, n = 664) was conducted. All participants were asked about getting to know people within their neighborhood. Pet owners were asked additional questions about the type/s of pet/s they owned, whether they had formed friendships as a result of their pet, and if they had received any of four different types of social support from the people they met through their pet. RESULTS: Pet owners were significantly more likely to get to know people in their neighborhood than non-pet owners (OR 1.61; 95%CI: 1.30, 1.99). When analyzed by site, this relationship was significant for Perth, San Diego and Nashville. Among pet owners, dog owners in the three U.S. cities (but not Perth) were significantly more likely than owners of other types of pets to regard people whom they met through their pet as a friend (OR 2.59; 95%CI: 1.94, 3.46). Around 40% of pet owners reported receiving one or more types of social support (i.e. emotional, informational, appraisal, instrumental) via people they met through their pet. CONCLUSION: This research suggests companion animals can be a catalyst for several dimensions of human social relationships in neighborhood settings, ranging from incidental social interaction and getting to know people, through to formation of new friendships. For many pet owners, their pets also facilitated relationships from which they derived tangible forms of social support, both of a practical and emotionally supportive nature. Given growing evidence for social isolation as a risk factor for mental health, and, conversely, friendships and social support as protective factors for individual and community well-being, pets may be an important factor in developing healthy neighborhoods.

Responding to black markets: Role of IT and network structures

This paper presents the unique black markets of asset pooling and leasing services, which exposes the nature and extent of industry-specific threats. We explore how firms providing such services together with their network structures that constitute the foundations of asset pooling and leasing respond to the threat of black markets. We encapsulate detecting and encountering the threat of black markets through the theoretical lens of agility, which encompasses the elements of sensing and responding (Overby et al. 2006; Roberts and Grover 2012). This novel concept of responding to threats using the agility lens has not been adequately addressed by past studies on enterprise agility. Through a case study of a global asset pooling and leasing company, we reveal the criticality of network structures, the impracticality of IT and inadequate tracking mechanisms that challenge firms in minimizing such threats.

Integrated decoupling and matching network incorporated in the ground plane of a compact monopole array

Compact arrays enable various applications such as antenna beam-forming and multi-input, multi-output (MIMO) schemes on limited-size platforms. The reduced element spacing in compact arrays introduces high levels of mutual coupling which can affect the performance of the adaptive array. This coupling causes a mismatch at the input ports, which disturbs the performance of the individual elements in the array and affects the implementation of beam steering. In this article, a reactive decoupling network for a 3-element monopole array is used to establish port isolation while simultaneously matching input impedance at each port to the system impendence. The integrated decoupling and matching network is incorporated in the ground plane of the monopole array, providing further development scope for beamforming using phase shifters and power splitters in double-layered circuits.

Analysis of distributed beamforming in cooperative communications network with phase shifter based smart antenna nodes

This research study investigates the application of phase shifter-based smart antenna system in distributed beamforming. It examines the way to optimise the transmit power by jointly maximising the directivity of the array antennas and the weight vector for distributed beamforming. This research study concludes that maximising directivity can lead to better transmit power minimisation compared to maximising field intensity. This study also concludes that signal to noise power ratio maximisation subject to a power constraint and power minimisation subject to a signal to noise power ratio constraint yield the same results.

Impact of particle formation on atmospheric ions and particle number concentrations in an urban environment

A measurement campaign was conducted from 3 to 19 December 2012 at an urban site of Brisbane, Australia. Size distribution of ions and particle number concentrations were measured to investigate the influence of particle formation and biomass burning on atmospheric ion and particle concentrations. Overall ion and particle number concentrations during the measurement period were found to be (-1.2 x 103 cm-3 | +1.6 x 103 cm-3) and 4.4 x 103, respectively. The results of correlation analysis between concentrations of ions and nitrogen oxides indicated that positive and negative ions originated from similar sources, and that vehicle exhaust emissions had a more significant influence on intermediate/large ions, while cluster ions rapidly attached to larger particles once emitted into the atmosphere. Diurnal variations in ion concentration suggested the enrichment of intermediate and large ions on new particle formation event days, indicating that they were involved in the particle formation processes. Elevated total ions, particularly larger ions, and particle number concentrations were found during biomass burning episodes. This could be due to the attachment of cluster ions onto accumulation mode particles or production of charged particles from biomass burning, which were in turn transported to the measurement site. The results of this work enhance scientific understanding of the sources of atmospheric ions in an urban environment, as well as their interactions with particles during particle formation processes.

Coalition formation during technology adoption

The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is a prominent framework that addresses the challenge of organisations to understand and promote the factors that lead to acceptance of new technologies. Nevertheless, our understanding of one of the model's key variables – social influence – remains limited. Drawing upon earlier studies that address the role of referent individuals to technology acceptance, this paper introduces the notion of ‘coalition’ as a social group that can affect the opinion of other members within an organisation. Our empirical study centres on an organisation that has recently decided to introduce Big Data into its formal operations. Through a unique empirical approach that analyses sentiments expressed by individuals about this technology on the organisation's online forum, we demonstrate the emergence of a central referent, and in turn the dynamics of a coalition that builds around this referent as the attitudes of individuals converge upon the Big Data issue. Our paper contributes to existing TAM frameworks by elaborating the social influence variable and providing a dynamic lens to the technology acceptance process. We concurrently offer a methodological tool for organisations to understand social dynamics that form about a newly introduced technology and accelerate its acceptance by employees.

A network DEA quantity and quality-orientated production model: An application to Australian university research services

The motivation for this analysis is the recently developed Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) program developed to assess the quality of research in Australia. The objective is to develop an appropriate empirical model that better represents the underlying production of higher education research. In general, past studies on university research performance have used standard DEA models with some quantifiable research outputs. However, these suffer from the twin maladies of an inappropriate production specification and a lack of consideration of the quality of output. By including the qualitative attributes of peer-reviewed journals, we develop a procedure that captures both quality and quantity, and apply it using a network DEA model. Our main finding is that standard DEA models tend to overstate the research efficiency of most Australian universities.