An algorithm to median shortest path problem (MSPP) in the design of urban transportation networks

This paper proposes an efficient solution algorithm for realistic multi-objective median shortest path problems in the design of urban transportation networks. The proposed problem formulation and solution algorithm to median shortest path problem is based on three realistic objectives via route cost or investment cost, overall travel time of the entire network and total toll revenue. The proposed solution approach to the problem is based on the heuristic labeling and exhaustive search technique in criteria space and solution space of the algorithm respectively. The first labels each node in terms of route cost and deletes cyclic and infeasible paths in criteria space imposing cyclic break and route cost constraint respectively. The latter deletes dominated paths in terms of objectives vector in solution space in order to identify a set of Pareto optimal paths. The approach, thus, proposes a non-inferior solution set of Pareto optimal paths based on non-dominated objective vector and leaves the ultimate decision to decision-makers for purpose specific final decision during applications. A numerical experiment is conducted to test the proposed algorithm using artificial transportation network. Sensitivity analyses have shown that the proposed algorithm is advantageous and efficient over existing algorithms to find a set of Pareto optimal paths to median shortest paths problems.

A genetic fuzzy system to model pedestrian walking path in a built environment

A study on the pedestrian's steering behaviour through a built environment in normal circumstances is presented in this paper. The study focuses on the relationship between the environment and the pedestrian's walking trajectory. Owing to the ambiguity and vagueness of the relationship between the pedestrians and the surrounding environment, a genetic fuzzy system is proposed for modelling and simulation of the pedestrian's walking trajectory confronting the environmental stimuli. We apply the genetic algorithm to search for the optimum membership function parameters of the fuzzy model. The proposed system receives the pedestrian's perceived stimuli from the environment as the inputs, and provides the angular change of direction in each step as the output. The environmental stimuli are quantified using the Helbing social force model. Attractive and repulsive forces within the environment represent various environmental stimuli that influence the pedestrian's walking trajectory at each point of the space. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed model, three experiments are conducted. The first experimental results are validated against real walking trajectories of participants within a corridor. The second and third experimental results are validated against simulated walking trajectories collected from the AnyLogic® software. Analysis and statistical measurement of the results indicate that the genetic fuzzy system with optimised membership functions produces more accurate and stable prediction of heterogeneous pedestrians' walking trajectories than those from the original fuzzy model. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reducing yarn hairiness with a modified yarn path in worsted ring spinning

The spinning geometry of a ring frame plays an important role, and the twist triangle is the critical region in ring spinning. Changes in the spinning geometry may affect yarn properties. This paper examines the idea of ring spinning with a "diagonal" yarn path, and the effect of such a path on yam properties, particularly hairiness. Both "left diagonal" and "right diagonal" yam arrangements are tried on a 24-spindle Cognetex FLC worsted ring frame. The hairiness results obtained from the Zweigle hairiness meter show that the right diagonal yam path produces yams of lower hairiness than the conventional ring spun yarn in almost all the hair length groups. Yam evenness and tenacity are not as sensitive to the change in yarn path. The mean spindle speed at break is also tested, and there is some deterioration in spinning efficiency with the right diagonal yarn path, particularly at higher spinning speeds. Results from this study may help explain variations in yarns spun on poorly aligned ring frames.

Biotechnology and governance in Australia and Sweden: path dependency or instutional convergence?

The development of new generic technologies occurs within traditional structures of industry-government interaction, but also unleashes a process of 'creative destruction' generating new institutional patterns. This article, focusing on biotechnology, describes and compares policy processes and institutional arrangements in Australia and Sweden. The Swedish biotechnology sector displays a pattern of fragmentation and relatively weak state steering. Australia, by contrast, has implemented a set of comparatively coordinated regulatory and other measures to foster the growth of biotechnology. This observation contradicts the characterisation of Sweden as a 'strong state' economy, and challenges the depiction of Australia as lacking in state steering capacity. The relative open-endedness of the search in these countries for a mode of regulation of biotechnology suggests that the role of the state in economic restructuring today is fundamentally distinct from that of earlier periods.

Habitat use and distribution of the beautiful firetail (stagonopleura bella) in foothill forests of the Victorian highlands, Australia

The Beautiful Firetail (Stagonopleura bella) is an uncommon, granivorous finch from coastal south-eastern Australia, with a distribution extending from mid-coastal New South Wales to south-eastern South Australia, including Tasmania. This paper presents a quantitative assessment of habitat use by the Beautiful Firetail based on data collected from 30 paired riparian and non-riparian sites in the foothill forests of the Victorian Highlands, Australia. The Beautiful Firetail occurred in two of the three forest blocks surveyed and was found almost exclusively at riparian sites. The Beautiful Firetail was most likely to occur at riparian sites on the coastal fall of the ranges at sites with high sedge cover and low cover of shrubs and bare ground. The species occurred at low densities (0.10–0.19 individuals ha^–1) throughout the year. Records from the Atlas of Victorian Wildlife were used to describe the distribution of Beautiful Firetails in Victoria. Notable observations inland of the Great Dividing Range were recorded during the present study. Further study is required to understand the ecological requirements of the Beautiful Firetail throughout its range.

Australia`s box - ironbark forests and woodlands : saving the fragments of a threatened ecosystem

Australia's box-ironbark forests and woodlands once covered about 14 per cent of the State of Victoria on the riverine plains and foothills of the Great Dividing Range. But approximately 83 per cent of the total original habitat has been destroyed and what remains of this significant ecosystem is now highly fragmented and vulnerable to further degradation. Moreover, only 14 per cent of the area remaining is on public land. A 10 year campaign on the part of the environmental movement eventually succeeded in forcing the State government to conduct an independent inquiry into this ecosystem and make recommendations on future management. This paper outlines the innovative public participation process adopted by the Victorian State government and the outcomes of the inquiry. A subsequent compensation package for commercial operations disadvantaged by the proclamation of a series of new national parks is also discussed, as are the shortcomings of a process that can have little or no impact on what happens on private land.

Wetland reservation on Victoria's northern plains and riverine forests

The depletion and reservation levels of wetlands varied significantly both across the Murray Fans and Victorian Riverina bioregions and in the study area of the Victorian Environmental Assessments Council's River Red Gum Forests Investigation. The proportion of Freshwater Meadows in protected areas was substantially lower than for other wetland types. Furthermore, of the wetlands that are reserved, many were only partially within a protected area. A variety of reserve categories are used to protect wetlands across the three regions, ranging from reserves with high legal protection and a strong focus on biodiversity conservation to reserves with a lower level of protection and emphasis on biodiversity
conservation. The findings highlight that many wetlands are incompletely reserved in Victoria's northern plains and riverine forests. The current review of public land use in the River Red Gum Forests, which includes Barmah Forest, should recognise these issues to ensure the effective reservation of wetland ecosystems.

Bryophyte distribution in blackwood forests of the Otway Ranges, Victoria

Tracheophyte and bryophyte distribution was surveyed in nineteen Blackwood-dominated sites of two different origins in the Otway Ranges. Nine sites were placed in sheltered gullies and ten sites were placed in upslope stands. Fifty-one tracheophyte taxa, 49 moss taxa and 39 liverwort (including hornwort) taxa were recorded in total. Bryophyte species richness was significantly higher in gully sites. The most frequent bryophyte taxa varied between gully and upslope sites. The percentage
occurrence of certain substrates was shown to be an important determinant of bryophyte species richness and composition. Decaying wood and soil supported the greatest number of bryophyte taxa compared with all other substrates.

Public land use planning using bioregions and other attributes : determining the study area of the VEAC river red gum forests investigation

In order to plan for the best use of public land at a regional scale the determination of an appropriate regional boundary is important for ecological, resource use and recreational reasons. The study area for the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council's (VEAC) River Red Gum Forests Investigation incorporated bioregional boundaries, modelled pre- I750 vegetation distribution, recent public land use investigations, and the distribution of public land. This paper outlines how ecological attributes and past land use studies were used to inform the boundary for this major study of public land along the Murray River in northern Victoria.

The gender wage gap in Australia- the path of future convergence

The paper attempts to project the future trend of the gender wage gap in Australia up to 2031. The empirical analysis utilises the Income Distribution Survey (1996) together with Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) demographic projections. The methodology combines the ABS projections with assumptions relating to the evolution of educational attainment in order to project the future distribution of human capital skills and consequently the future size of the gender wage gap. The analysis suggests that female relative pay will continue to rise up to 2031. However, gender wage convergence will be relatively slow, with a substantial gap remaining in 2031.

A new method for locating the global optimum : application of the cutting angle method to molecular structure prediction

Many problems in chemistry depend on the ability to identify the global minimum or maximum of a function. Examples include applications in chemometrics, optimization of reaction or operating conditions, and non-linear least-squares analysis. This paper presents the results of the application of a new method of deterministic global optimization, called the cutting angle method (CAM), as applied to the prediction of molecular geometries. CAM is shown to be competitive with other global optimization techniques for several benchmark molecular conformation problem. CAM is a general method that can also be applied to other computational problems involving global minima, global maxima or finding the roots of nonlinear equations.

Path planning for sensor data collecting mobile robot

A mobile robot employed for data collection is faced with the problem of travelling from an initial location to a final location while maintaining as close a distance as possible to all the sensors at a given time in the journey. Here we employ optimal control ideas in forming the necessary control commands for such a robot resulting not only the necessary acceleration commands for the underlying robot, but also the resulting trajectory. This approach can also be easily extended for the case of producing the optimal trajectory for an ariel vehicle used for data collection from indiscriminately scattered ad-hoc sensors located on the ground. We demonstrate the implementation of our algorithm using a Pioneer 3-AT robot.