Existence and global asymptotic stability of positive periodic solution of delayed Cohen-Grossberg neural networks

In this paper, a class of periodic Cohen-Grossberg neural networks with discrete and distributed time-varying delays is considered. By an extension of the Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional method, a novel criterion for the existence and uniqueness and global asymptotic stability of positive periodic solution is derived in terms of M-matrix without any restriction on uniform positiveness of the amplification functions. Comparison and illustrative examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the obtained results. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The existence and nature of risk management committees in Australian companies

A risk management committee (RMC), as a newly evolving sub-committee of the board of directors, functions as a key governance support mechanism in the oversight an organisation’s risk management strategies, policies and processes. However, empirical evidence on the factors associated with the existence and the type of RMCs remains scant. Using an agency theory perspective, this study investigates the association between board factors such as proportion of non-executive directors, CEO duality, and board size; as well as, other firm-related factors (e.g. auditor type, industry, leverage, and complexity), and (1) the existence of a RMC, and (2) the type of RMC (namely, a separate RMC versus one that is combined with the audit committee). Data was collected from the annual reports of the top 300 ASX-listed companies. The results, based on logistic regression analyses, indicate that RMCs tend to exist in companies with an independent board chairman and larger boards. Further, the results also indicate that in comparison to companies with a combined RMC and audit committee, those with a separate RMC are more likely to have larger boards, higher financial reporting risk and lower organisational complexity. The findings of this study provide additional information on the use and design of RMCs in a voluntary setting.

Moving towards a model of professional identity formation in midwifery through conversations and positioning theory

The disciplines of nursing and midwifery both uphold a powerful oral tradition that can impact upon student learning. Students enrolled in a Graduate Diploma of Midwifery are supervised and assessed by midwives during their placements in midwifery practice settings by a program of 'preceptorship' support and where conversations are innate. Positioning theory, eveloped by Harre and others, is a metaphorical concept in which an individual 'positions' herself/himself within entities of encompassing people, institutions and societies where conversations are conducted either privately or publicly. As construction sites of professional learning, conversations are underpinned by reflective practices.In unravelling conversations, positioning may be applied as an analytical tool by educators to interpret the emerging meanings and themes in their discussions with students, reflective journals by students and in meetings with preceptors/midwives.

Existence and design of reduced-order scalar functional observers

In the existing literature, the existence conditions and design procedures for scalar functional observers are available for the cases where the observers’ order p is either p=1 or p=(v-1), where v is the observability index of the matrix pair (C,A). Therefore, if an observer with an order p=1 does not exist, the other option is to use a high-order observer with p=(v-1). This paper provides the existence conditions and a design procedure for scalar functional observers of order 0≤p≤2, and demonstrates the presented results with a numerical example. where K, M, E, H and G are constant matrices to be designed. The problem of observing a scalar functional or multi functionals (z(t)∈Rk , k>1) of the state vector has been the subject of numerous papers, and different algorithms have been proposed (see, [1]-[13] and references therein). There are also papers that deal with the order reduction of multi-dimensional functional observers [9,10,12,13]. For scalar functional observers, a well-known Luenberger’s classic result [1] provides an upper bound on the order with p=(v-1). It is interesting to note here that, except for a recent result of Darouach [12,13], little results have been reported on the order reduction for scalar functional observers.

On the existence and design of functional observers for linear systems

Darouach [1] recently derived necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence and stability of functional observers with an order, p, equals to the dimension m of the vectors to be estimated. In general, these conditions are difficult to satisfy and when they are not, the only available option is to increase the order of the functional observers. This note presents new conditions for the existence of a general pth-order functional observer. Systematic procedures for the synthesis of reduced-order functional observers are given. A numerical example is given to illustrate the design procedures.

Poetics of the uncanny : Jean Painlevé, documentary display, and documentary theory

In Grierson's theory of documentary, films of the so-called cinema of attractions were relegated to the position of 'lower forms' in contrast to his description of documentary as a form of civic pedagogy. The modes and forms of a cinema of attractions, which form what is here referred to as the practice of documentary display, did not disappear with the ascendency of Griersonian documentary; instead such approaches continued to inform avant-garde film. This paper examines the connections between nonfiction documentations and avant-garde film- and the resultant implications of this meeting for documentary film theory- through an analysis of the film and critical writings of Jean Painlevé (1902-1989). Painlevé, whom, according to Bazin, 'occupies a singular and privileged place in French cinema', informed his understandings of documentary through contact with, among others, Buñuel, Man Ray, Bataille, Eisenstein, and Grierson. The analysis of Painlevé's surrealist documentary display and his extensive body of critical literature on documentary foregrounds overlooked documentary works and constructs, or resurrects, ignored perspectives on documentary film as a way of extending and revising documentary film theory and the documentary canon.

Scaffolding students' learning in EME150 introduction to learners and learning theory : on looking back

This is a reflective article on the importance scaffolding in the EME 150 unit taught in collaboration with Deakin University Australia. Being the first unit introduced in the second semester of the first academic year, students were given a lot of support to enhance their understanding and learning since this curriculum was solely developed by Deakin University and introduced for the first time in teachers education curriculum. The scaffolding tools discussed in this article enabled students to a) establish deep learning of the theory. b) engage in collaborative and engaged learning which established good ethical relations between students c) transfer learning by applying theory into practice.

In the dreaded park : Gwen Harwood and subpersonality theory

'In the Dreaded Park', first published in the Bulletin in 1961 under Gwen Harwood's first pseudonym, Walter Lehmann, is an example of Harwood listing one of her subpersonalities. It is the best illustration of a site of conflict between scholars of Gwen Harwood's poetry and she is the first person to use the word 'dreaded' in her poem.

Application of real and functional analysis to solve boundary value problems

This thesis is about using appropriate tools in functional analysis arid classical analysis to tackle the problem of existence and uniqueness of nonlinear partial differential equations. There being no unified strategy to deal with these equations, one approaches each equation with an appropriate method, depending on the characteristics of the equation. The correct setting of the problem in appropriate function spaces is the first important part on the road to the solution. Here, we choose the setting of Sobolev spaces. The second essential part is to choose the correct tool for each equation. In the first part of this thesis (Chapters 3 and 4) we consider a variety of nonlinear hyperbolic partial differential equations with mixed boundary and initial conditions. The methods of compactness and monotonicity are used to prove existence and uniqueness of the solution (Chapter 3). Finding a priori estimates is the main task in this analysis. For some types of nonlinearity, these estimates cannot be easily obtained, arid so these two methods cannot be applied directly. In this case, we first linearise the equation, using linear recurrence (Chapter 4). In the second part of the thesis (Chapter 5), by using an appropriate tool in functional analysis (the Sobolev Imbedding Theorem), we are able to improve previous results on a posteriori error estimates for the finite element method of lines applied to nonlinear parabolic equations. These estimates are crucial in the design of adaptive algorithms for the method, and previous analysis relies on, what we show to be, unnecessary assumptions which limit the application of the algorithms. Our analysis does not require these assumptions. In the last part of the thesis (Chapter 6), staying with the theme of choosing the most suitable tools, we show that using classical analysis in a proper way is in some cases sufficient to obtain considerable results. We study in this chapter nonexistence of positive solutions to Laplace's equation with nonlinear Neumann boundary condition. This problem arises when one wants to study the blow-up at finite time of the solution of the corresponding parabolic problem, which models the heating of a substance by radiation. We generalise known results which were obtained by using more abstract methods.