Taking cues from outer space : the E&P sector can learn much about asset maintenance from the space and satellite industry

The E&P sector can learn much about asset maintenance from the space and satellite industry. Practitioners from both the upstream oil and gas industry and the space and satellite sector have repeatedly noted several striking similarities between the two industries over the years, which have in turn resulted in many direct comparisons in the media and industry press. The similarities between the two industries have even resulted in a modest amount of cross-pollinating between the respective supply chains. Because the operating conditions of both industries are so extreme, some oil and gas equipment vendors have occasionally sourced motors and other parts from aerospace contractors. Also, satellites are now being used to assess oil fires, detect subsidence in oil fields, measure oil spills, collect and transmit operational data from oil and gas fields, and monitor the movement of icebergs that might potentially collide with offshore oil and gas installations.

Electronic states of trans-polyacetylene, poly(p-phenylene vinylene) and sp-hybridised carbon species in amorphous hydrogenated carbon probed by resonant Raman scattering

Inclusions of sp-hybridised, trans-polyacetylene [trans-(CH)x] and poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) chains are revealed using resonant Raman scattering (RRS) investigation of amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) films in the near IR – UV range. The RRS spectra of trans-(CH)x core Ag modes and the PPV CC-H phenylene mode are found to transform and disperse as the laser excitation energy ћωL is increased from near IR through visible to UV, whereas sp-bonded inclusions only become evident in UV. This is attributed to ћωL probing of trans-(CH)x chain inhomogeneity and the distribution of chains with varying conjugation length; for PPV to the resonant probing of phelynene ring disorder; and for sp segments, to ћωL probing of a local band gap of end-terminated polyynes. The IR spectra analysis confirmed the presence of sp, trans-(CH)x and PPV inclusions. The obtained RRS results for a-C:H denote differentiation between the core Ag trans-(CH)x modes and the PPV phenylene mode. Furthermore, it was found that at various laser excitation energies the changes in Raman spectra features for trans-(CH)x segments included in an amorphous carbon matrix are the same as in bulk trans-polyacetylene. The latter finding can be used to facilitate identification of trans-(CH)x in the spectra of complex carbonaceous materials.

How can preservice teachers be measured against advocated professional teaching standards?

Australia has had many inquiries into teaching and teacher education over the last decade. Standards for teaching have been produced by national education systems with many state systems following suit. The Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) advocates ten professional teaching standards for teachers and preservice teachers. How can preservice teachers be measured against advocated professional standards? This study investigated 106 second-year preservice teachers’ perceptions of their development against the QCT standards. A pretest-posttest survey instrument was developed based on the QCT standards and administered to these preservice teachers before and after their science education coursework. Percentages, ANOVAs and t-tests were generated to analyse the results. Findings indicated that 22 of the 24 paired pretest-posttest items were highly significant (p<.001). Percentage increases ranged from as low as 27% in the pretest to as high as 97% in the posttest, yet, there were two items with lower significance (i.e., working in professional science education teams and supporting students’ participation in society). Understanding preservice teachers’ perceptions of their abilities to implement these standards may be a step towards the process of determining the achievement of teaching standards; however, more rigorous measurements will need to be developed for both teachers and preservice teachers. University coursework and related assessments can provide an indication of achieving these standards, especially authentic assessment of preservice teachers’ practices.

How can secondary schools enact assessment policy for students with disabilities?

This report investigates effective ways secondary schools can enact curriculum policy related to assessment for learning with students with disabilities. Assessment for learning (AfL) has gained recent importance through inclusion in assessment policy. AfL is the frequent assessments of student progress that identifies learning needs and informs future teaching and learning. The application of AfL principles provides opportunity for teachers to improve the achievement of students with disabilities. AfL is an element of the Queensland P-12 Curriculum Framework. School leaders can use this report’s suggestions to make sense of policy; develop common and shared beliefs and actions; organize professional learning opportunities; arrange collaborative curriculum planning to influence staff to effectively implement curriculum policy.

Diffuse reflectance near infrared spectroscopy can distinguish normal from enzymatically digested cartilage

A non-destructive, diffuse reflectance near infrared spectroscopy (DR-NIRS)approach is considered as a potential tool for determining the component-level structural properties of articular cartilage. To this end, DR-NIRS was applied in vitro to detect structural changes, using principal component analysis as the statistical basis for characterization. The results show that this technique, particularly with first-derivative pretreatment, can distinguish normal, intact cartilage from enzymatically digested cartilage. Further, this paper establishes that the use of DR-NIRS enables the probing of the full depth of the uncalcified cartilage matrix, potentially allowing the assessment of degenerative changes in joint tissue, independent of the site of initiation of the osteoarthritic process.

Computer vision onboard UAVs for civilian tasks

Computer vision is much more than a technique to sense and recover environmental information from an UAV. It should play a main role regarding UAVs’ functionality because of the big amount of information that can be extracted, its possible uses and applications, and its natural connection to human driven tasks, taking into account that vision is our main interface to world understanding. Our current research’s focus lays on the development of techniques that allow UAVs to maneuver in spaces using visual information as their main input source. This task involves the creation of techniques that allow an UAV to maneuver towards features of interest whenever a GPS signal is not reliable or sufficient, e.g. when signal dropouts occur (which usually happens in urban areas, when flying through terrestrial urban canyons or when operating on remote planetary bodies), or when tracking or inspecting visual targets—including moving ones—without knowing their exact UMT coordinates. This paper also investigates visual serving control techniques that use velocity and position of suitable image features to compute the references for flight control. This paper aims to give a global view of the main aspects related to the research field of computer vision for UAVs, clustered in four main active research lines: visual serving and control, stereo-based visual navigation, image processing algorithms for detection and tracking, and visual SLAM. Finally, the results of applying these techniques in several applications are presented and discussed: this study will encompass power line inspection, mobile target tracking, stereo distance estimation, mapping and positioning.

Can venous occlusion plethysmography be used to measure high rates of arterial inflow?

To investigate whether venous occlusion plethysmography (VOP) may be used to measure high rates of arterial inflow associated with exercise, venous occlusions were performed at rest, and following dynamic handgrip exercise at 15, 30, 45, and 60 % of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) in seven healthy males. The effect of including more than one cardiac cycle in the calculation of blood flow was assessed by comparing the cumulative blood flow over one, two, three, or four cardiac cycles. The inclusion of more than one cardiac cycle at 30 and 60 % MVC, and more than two cardiac cycles at 15 and 45 % MVC resulted in a lower blood flow compared to using only the first cardiac cycle (P < 0.05). Despite the small time interval over which arterial inflow was measured (~1 second), this did not affect the reproducibility of the technique. Reproducibility (coefficient of variation for arterial inflow over three trials) tended to be poorer at the higher workloads, although this was not significant (12.7 ± 6.6 %, 16.2 ± 7.3 %, and 22.9 ± 9.9 % for the 15, 30, and 45 % MVC workloads; P=0.102). There was also a tendency for greater reproducibility with the inclusion of more cardiac cycles at the highest workload, but this did not reach significance (P=0.070). In conclusion, when calculated over the first cardiac cycle only during venous occlusion, high rates of FBF can be measured using VOP, and this can be achieved without a significant decrease in the reproducibility of the measurement.

Golf can be dangerous : be forewarned!

In Pollard v Trude [2008] QSC 119 (20 May 2008) the plaintiff claimed for personal injuries suffered when he was struck by a golf ball during the course of a tournament. The plaintiff was a member of a group of four, playing in a two-day tournament at Indooroopilly Golf Club. All four players had teed off at the second hole of the course and when the defendant took his second shot; his ball struck one of the trees bordering the fairway and deflected, hitting the plaintiff who was waiting to take his third stroke. As the ball was in flight, the defendant had called out "Watch out Errol", or words to that effect, to the plaintiff. The plaintiff suffered injury to his eye, leaving his vision impaired. The plaintiff sued in negligence, alleging that by failing to shout "fore" as is traditionally done in golf, the defendant had failed to warn the appellant and this was a breach of their duty. The claim in negligence was dismissed by the Queensland Supreme Court, holding that there had been no breach of the duty.

Can an effective audit committee help to mitigate earnings management in Chinese firms listed in Hong Kong?

This paper attempts to determine whether the adoption of recommended corporate governance practices by Chinese firms is associated with less earnings management proxied by abnormal accruals. We examine the role of the audit committee and ownership concentration in preventing earnings management using Chinese firms listed in Hong Kong. The results of this preliminary analysis show that the frequency of audit committee meetings is associated with reduced levels of abnormal accruals, our measure of earnings management. We conclude that audit committee activity is an important factor in constraining the propensity of managers to engage in earnings management. In contrast, we find that the size of the audit committee is associated with increased levels of abnormal accruals and suggest that increasing the size of the audit committee creates information asymmetry between the audit committee and management that reduces the monitoring capacity of the audit committee. We do not find any association between audit committee independence, financial and industry experience, or ownership concentration and abnormal accruals.

meso-Porphyrinylphosphine Oxides: Mono- and Bidentate Ligands for Supramolecular Chemistry and the Crystal Structures of Monomeric [10,20-Diphenylporphyrinatonickel(II)-5,15-diyl]-bis-[P(O)Ph2] and Polymeric Self-Coordinated ([10,20-Diphenylporphyrinatozinc(II)-5,15-diyl]-bis-[P(O)Ph2])

A series of porphyrins substituted in one or two meso-positions by diphenylphosphine oxide groups has been prepared by the palladium catalysed reaction of diphenylphosphine or its oxide with the corresponding bromoporphyrins. Compounds {MDPP-[P(O)Ph2]n} (M = H2, Ni, Zn; H2DPP = 5,15-diphenylporphyrin; n = 1, 2) were isolated in yields of 60-95%. The reaction is believed to proceed via the conventional oxidative addition, phosphination and reductive elimination steps, as the stoichiometric reaction of η1-palladio(II) porphyrin [PdBr(H2DPP)(dppe)] (H2DPP = 5,15-diphenylporphyrin; dppe = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane) with diphenylphosphine oxide also results in the desired mono-porphyrinylphosphine oxide [H2DPP-P(O)Ph2]. Attempts to isolate the tertiary phosphines failed due to their extreme air-sensitivity. Variable temperature 1H NMR studies of [H2DPP-P(O)Ph2] revealed an intrinsic lack of symmetry, while fluorescence spectroscopy showed that the phosphine oxide group does not behave as a "heavy atom" quencher. The electron withdrawing effect of the phosphine oxide group was confirmed by voltammetry. The ligands were characterised by multinuclear NMR and UV-visible spectroscopy as well as mass spectrometry. Single crystal X-ray crystallography showed that the bis(phosphine oxide) nickel(II) complex {[NiDPP-[P(O)Ph2]2} is monomeric in the solid state, with a ruffled porphyrin core and the two P=O fragments on the same side of the average plane of the molecule. On the other hand, the corresponding zinc(II) complex formed infinite chains through coordination of one Ph2PO substituent to the neighbouring zinc porphyrin through an almost linear P=O---Zn unit, leaving the other Ph2PO group facing into a parallel channel filled with disordered water molecules. These new phosphine oxides are attractive ligands for supramolecular porphyrin chemistry.

How can soil monitoring networks be used to improve predictions of organic carbon pool dynamics and CO2 fluxes in agricultural soils?

Abstract As regional and continental carbon balances of terrestrial ecosystems become available, it becomes clear that the soils are the largest source of uncertainty. Repeated inventories of soil organic carbon (SOC) organized in soil monitoring networks (SMN) are being implemented in a number of countries. This paper reviews the concepts and design of SMNs in ten countries, and discusses the contribution of such networks to reducing the uncertainty of soil carbon balances. Some SMNs are designed to estimate country-specific land use or management effects on SOC stocks, while others collect soil carbon and ancillary data to provide a nationally consistent assessment of soil carbon condition across the major land-use/soil type combinations. The former use a single sampling campaign of paired sites, while for the latter both systematic (usually grid based) and stratified repeated sampling campaigns (5–10 years interval) are used with densities of one site per 10–1,040 km². For paired sites, multiple samples at each site are taken in order to allow statistical analysis, while for the single sites, composite samples are taken. In both cases, fixed depth increments together with samples for bulk density and stone content are recommended. Samples should be archived to allow for re-measurement purposes using updated techniques. Information on land management, and where possible, land use history should be systematically recorded for each site. A case study of the agricultural frontier in Brazil is presented in which land use effect factors are calculated in order to quantify the CO2 fluxes from national land use/management conversion matrices. Process-based SOC models can be run for the individual points of the SMN, provided detailed land management records are available. These studies are still rare, as most SMNs have been implemented recently or are in progress. Examples from the USA and Belgium show that uncertainties in SOC change range from 1.6–6.5 Mg C ha−1 for the prediction of SOC stock changes on individual sites to 11.72 Mg C ha−1 or 34% of the median SOC change for soil/land use/climate units. For national SOC monitoring, stratified sampling sites appears to be the most straightforward attribution of SOC values to units with similar soil/land use/climate conditions (i.e. a spatially implicit upscaling approach). Keywords Soil monitoring networks - Soil organic carbon - Modeling - Sampling design

Fault diagnostics and supervised testing : How fault diagnostic tools can be proactive?

The topic of fault detection and diagnostics (FDD) is studied from the perspective of proactive testing. Unlike most research focus in the diagnosis area in which system outputs are analyzed for diagnosis purposes, in this paper the focus is on the other side of the problem: manipulating system inputs for better diagnosis reasoning. In other words, the question of how diagnostic mechanisms can direct system inputs for better diagnosis analysis is addressed here. It is shown how the problem can be formulated as decision making problem coupled with a Bayesian Network based diagnostic mechanism. The developed mechanism is applied to the problem of supervised testing in HVAC systems.

Sit versus stand : can sitting be accurately identified using MTI accelerometer data?

High levels of sitting have been linked with poor health outcomes. Previously a pragmatic MTI accelerometer data cut-point (100 count/min-1) has been used to estimate sitting. Data on the accuracy of this cut-point is unavailable. PURPOSE: To ascertain whether the 100 count/min-1 cut-point accurately isolates sitting from standing activities. METHODS: Participants fitted with an MTI accelerometer were observed performing a range of sitting, standing, light & moderate activities. 1-min epoch MTI data were matched to observed activities, then re-categorized as either sitting or not using the 100 count/min-1 cut-point. Self-report demographics and current physical activity were collected. Generalized estimating equation for repeated measures with a binary logistic model analyses (GEE), corrected for age, gender and BMI, were conducted to ascertain the odds of the MTI data being misclassified. RESULTS: Data were from 26 healthy subjects (8 men; 50% aged <25 years; mean BMI (SD) 22.7(3.8)m/kg2). MTI sitting and standing data mode was 0 count/min-1, with 46% of sitting activities and 21% of standing activities recording 0 count/min-1. The GEE was unable to accurately isolate sitting from standing activities using the 100 count/min-1 cut-point, since all sitting activities were incorrectly predicted as standing (p=0.05). To further explore the sensitivity of MTI data to delineate sitting from standing, the upper 95% confidence interval of the mean for the sitting activities (46 count/min-1) was used to re-categorise the data; this resulted in the GEE correctly classifying 49% of sitting, and 69% of standing activities. Using the 100 count/min-1 cut-point the data were re-categorised into a combined ‘sit/stand’ category and tested against other light activities: 88% of sit/stand and 87% of light activities were accurately predicted. Using Freedson’s moderate cut-point of 1952 count/min-1 the GEE accurately predicted 97% of light vs. 90% of moderate activities. CONCLUSION: The distributions of MTI recorded sitting and standing data overlap considerably, as such the 100 count/min -1 cut-point did not accurately isolate sitting from other static standing activities. The 100 count/min -1 cut-point more accurately predicted sit/stand vs. other movement orientated activities.

Product labelling can confer sustained increases in expected and actual satiety

Expected satiety has been shown to play a key role in decisions around meal size. Recently it has become clear that these expectations can also influence the satiety that is experienced after a food has been consumed. As such, increasing the expected and actual satiety a food product confers without increasing its caloric content is of importance. In this study we sought to determine whether this could be achieved via product labelling. Female participants (N=75) were given a 223-kcal yoghurt smoothie for lunch. In separate conditions the smoothie was labelled as a diet brand, a highly-satiating brand, or an ‘own brand’ control. Expected satiety was assessed using rating scales and a computer-based ‘method of adjustment’, both prior to consuming the smoothie and 24 hours later. Hunger and fullness were assessed at baseline, immediately after consuming the smoothie, and for a further three hours. Despite the fact that all participants consumed the same food, the smoothie branded as highly-satiating was consistently expected to deliver more satiety than the other ‘brands’; this difference was sustained 24 hours after consumption. Furthermore, post-consumption and over three hours, participants consuming this smoothie reported significantly less hunger and significantly greater fullness. These findings demonstrate that the satiety that a product confers depends in part on information that is present around the time of consumption. We suspect that this process is mediated by changes to expected satiety. These effects may potentially be utilised in the development of successful weight-management products.