Design of a tangible data visualization

In this paper we describe the design of DNA Jewellery, which is a wearable tangible data representation of personal DNA profile data. An iterative design process was followed to develop a 3D form-language that could be mapped to standard DNA profile data, with the aim of retaining readability of data while also producing an aesthetically pleasing and unique result in the area of personalized design. The work explores design issues with the production of data tangibles, contributes to a growing body of research exploring tangible representations of data and highlights the importance of approaches that move between technology, art and design.

Impact of a change in tillage and crop residue management practice on soil chemical and microbiological properties in a cereal-producing red duplex soil in NSW, Australia

The effect of a change of tillage and crop residue management practice on the chemical and micro-biological properties of a cereal-producing red duplex soil was investigated by superimposing each of three management practices (CC: conventional cultivation, stubble burnt, crop conventionally sown; DD: direct-drilling, stubble retained, no cultivation, crop direct-drilled; SI: stubble incorporated with a single cultivation, crop conventionally sown), for a 3-year period on plots previously managed with each of the same three practices for 14 years. A change from DD to CC or SI practice resulted in a significant decline, in the top 0-5 cm of soil, in organic C, total N, electrical conductivity, NH4-N, NO3-N, soil moisture holding capacity, microbial biomass and CO2 respiration as well as a decline in the microbial quotient (the ratio of microbial biomass C to organic C; P <0.05). In contrast, a change from SI to DD or CC practice or a change from CC to DD or SI practice had only negligible impact on soil chemical properties (P >0.05). However, there was a significant increase in microbial biomass and the microbial quotient in the top 0-5 cm of soil following the change from CC to DD or SI practice and with the change from SI to DD practice (P <0.05). Analysis of ester-linked fatty acid methyl esters (EL-FAMEs) extracted from the 0- to 5-cm and 5- to 10-cm layers of the soils of the various treatments detected changes in the FAME profiles following a change in tillage practice. A change from DD practice to SI or CC practice was associated with a significant decline in the ratio of fungal to bacterial fatty acids in the 0- to 5-cm soil (P <0.05). The results show that a change in tillage practice, particularly the cultivation of a previously minimum-tilled (direct-drilled) soil, will result in significant changes in soil chemical and microbiological properties within a 3-year period. They also show that soil microbiological properties are sensitive indicators of a change in tillage practice.

Structure-controlled, vertical graphene-based, binder-free electrodes from plasma-reformed butter enhance supercapacitor performance

Vertical graphene nanosheets (VGNS) hold great promise for high-performance supercapacitors owing to their excellent electrical transport property, large surface area and in particular, an inherent three-dimensional, open network structure. However, it remains challenging to materialise the VGNS-based supercapacitors due to their poor specific capacitance, high temperature processing, poor binding to electrode support materials, uncontrollable microstructure, and non-cost effective way of fabrication. Here we use a single-step, fast, scalable, and environmentally-benign plasma-enabled method to fabricate VGNS using cheap and spreadable natural fatty precursor butter, and demonstrate the controllability over the degree of graphitization and the density of VGNS edge planes. Our VGNS employed as binder-free supercapacitor electrodes exhibit high specific capacitance up to 230 F g−1 at a scan rate of 10 mV s−1 and >99% capacitance retention after 1,500 charge-discharge cycles at a high current density, when the optimum combination of graphitic structure and edge plane effects is utilised. The energy storage performance can be further enhanced by forming stable hybrid MnO2/VGNS nano-architectures which synergistically combine the advantages from both VGNS and MnO2. This deterministic and plasma-unique way of fabricating VGNS may open a new avenue for producing functional nanomaterials for advanced energy storage devices.

Experiences with control of evaporators using extensive vapour bleeding

FOR SUGAR factories with cogeneration plants major changes to the process stations have been undertaken to reduce the consumption of exhaust steam from the turbines and maximise the generated power. In many cases the process steam consumption has been reduced from greater than 52% on cane to ~40% on cane. The main changes have been to install additional evaporation area at the front of the set, operate the pan stages on vapour from No 1 or No 2 effects and undertake juice heating using vapour bleed from evaporators as far down the set as the penultimate stage. Operationally, one of the main challenges has been to develop a control system for the evaporators that addresses the objectives of juice processing rate (throughput) and steam economy, while producing syrup consistently at the required brix and providing an adequate and consistent vapour pressure for the pan stage operations. The cyclic demand for vapour by batch pans causes process disturbances through the evaporator set and these must be regulated in an effective manner to satisfy the above list of objectives for the evaporator station. The impact of the cyclic pan stage vapour demand has been modelled to define the impact on juice rate, steam economy, syrup brix and head space pressures in the evaporators. Experiences with the control schemes used at Pioneer and Rocky Point Mills are discussed. For each factory the paper provides information on (a) the control system used, the philosophy behind the control system and experiences in reaching the current system for control (b) the performance of the control system to handle the disturbances imposed by the pan stage and operate within other constraints of the factory (c) deficiencies in the current system and plans for further improvements. Other processing changes to boost the performance of the evaporators are also discussed.

Standing surface waves in a dust-contaminated large-area planar plasma source

The effect of charged particulates or dusts on surface wave produced microwave discharges is studied. The frequencies of the standing electromagnetic eigenmodes of large-area flat plasmas are calculated. The dusts absorb a significant amount of the plasma electrons and can lead to a modification of the electromagnetic field structure in the discharge by shifting the originally excited operating mode out of resonance. For certain given proportions of dusts, mode conversion is found to be possible. The power loss in the discharge is also increased because of dust-specific dissipations, leading to a decrease of the operating mode quality factor.

A model of a large-area planar plasma producer based on surface wave propagation in a plasma-metal structure with a dielectric sheath

A theoretical model of a large-area planar plasma producer based on surface wave (SW) propagation in a plasma-metal structure with a dielectric sheath is presented. The SW which produces and sustains the microwave gas discharge in the planar structure propagates along an external magnetic field and possesses an eigenfrequency within the range between electron cyclotron and electron plasma frequencies. The spatial distributions of the produced plasma density, electromagnetic fields, energy flow density, phase velocity and reverse skin depth of the SW are obtained analytically and numerically.

Parameters and equilibrium profiles for large-area surface-wave sustained plasmas

The equilibrium profiles of the plasma parameters of large-area if discharges in a finite-length metal-shielded dielectric cylinder are computed using a two-dimensional fluid code. The rf power is coupled to the plasma through edge-localized surface waves traveling in the azimuthal direction along the plasma edge. It is shown that self-consistent accounting for axial plasma diffusion and radial nonuniformity of the electron temperature can explain the frequently reported deviations of experimentally measured radial density profiles from that of the conventional linear diffusion models. The simulation results are in a good agreement with existing experimental data obtained from surface-wave sustained large-diameter plasmas. © 2002 The American Physical Society.

Low-temperature growth of large area, vertically aligned carbon nanotubes for field emission applications

Large area, highly uniform vertically aligned carbon nanotips (VACNTP) and other nanostructures have been grown on silicon (100) substrates with Ni catalyst in the low-temperature, low-frequency, high-density inductively coupled plasmas (ICP) of methane-hydrogen-argon gas mixtures. The control strategies for the morphology, crystalline structure and chemical states of the resulting nanostructures by varying the growth conditions are proposed. XRD and Roman analyses confirm that the nanotips are well graphitized, which is favorable for the field emission applications.

Examining the role of within functional area resource–capability complementarity in achieving customer and product-based performance outcomes

Adopting both the resource-based view and dynamic capability theory this study advances the contention that firms must possess both resources and capabilities at a superior level to achieve superior customer and product performance. To examine this contention this study investigates the individual effect of the complementarity between marketing resources and capability and complementarity between innovation resources and capability on customer and product performance respectively. The results of a survey of 171 B2B manufacturing firms show a significant main effect for complementarity between marketing resources–capability and complementarity between innovation resources–capability on customer and product performance. The findings also show that complementarity marketing resources–capability has a stronger positive relationship with customer performance than with product performance, while complementarity between innovation resources–capability has a stronger positive relationship with product performance than with customer performance.

The social shaping of packaged software selection

As organisations increasingly engage in the selection, purchase, and adoption of packaged software products, how these activities are carried out in practice becomes increasingly relevant for researchers and practitioners. Our focus in this paper is to propose a framework for understanding the packaged software selection process. The functionalist literature on this area of study suggests a number of generic recommendations, which are based on rational assumptions about the process and view the decision making that takes place as producing the “best technology solution.’” To explore this, we conducted a longitudinal, in-depth study of packaged software selection in a small organisation. For interpretation of the case, we draw upon the Social Construction of Technology, a theoretical framework arguing that technology is socially constituted and regarding the process of development as contradictory and uncertain. We offer a number of contributions. First, we further our understanding of packaged software selection with the critique that we offer of the functionalist literature, drawing insights from the emerging critical/constructivist literature and expanding our domain of interest to encompass the wider environment. Second, we weave this together with our experiences in the field, drawing on social constructivism for theoretical support, to develop a framework of packaged software selection that shows how various actors shape the process.

Heat-related morbidity in Brisbane, Australia : spatial variation and area-level predictors

Background: Extreme heat is a leading weather-related cause of illness and death in many locations across the globe, including subtropical Australia. The possibility of increasingly frequent and severe heat waves warrants continued efforts to reduce this health burden, which could be accomplished by targeting intervention measures toward the most vulnerable communities. Objectives: We sought to quantify spatial variability in heat-related morbidity in Brisbane, Australia, to highlight regions of the city with the greatest risk. We also aimed to find area-level social and environmental determinants of high risk within Brisbane. Methods: We used a series of hierarchical Bayesian models to examine city-wide and intracity associations between temperature and morbidity using a 2007–2011 time series of geographically referenced hospital admissions data. The models accounted for long-term time trends, seasonality, and day of week and holiday effects. Results: On average, a 10°C increase in daily maximum temperature during the summer was associated with a 7.2% increase in hospital admissions (95% CI: 4.7, 9.8%) on the following day. Positive statistically significant relationships between admissions and temperature were found for 16 of the city’s 158 areas; negative relationships were found for 5 areas. High-risk areas were associated with a lack of high income earners and higher population density. Conclusions: Geographically targeted public health strategies for extreme heat may be effective in Brisbane, because morbidity risk was found to be spatially variable. Emergency responders, health officials, and city planners could focus on short- and long-term intervention measures that reach communities in the city with lower incomes and higher population densities, including reduction of urban heat island effects.

Lessons from a Church Mural

A travel article about the Moselle Valley, Germany. There’s a school of thought that says you shouldn’t look back in life. This is not the received wisdom in Cochem, a village on the Moselle river known, like many others in the area, for its white wine and fairytale castle. Here, they say, it’s bad luck if you don’t turn around for one last look at a mural of St Christopher that graces the castle’s main tower...

Wine weekend in New Zealand

A travel article about the vineyards around Queenstown, New Zealand. GRANT Taylor holds a glass of pinot noir to his ear and says, "I listen to it." It's 11 in the morning. I steal a glance at my guide, Mike Stevens, an English ex-pat who's lived in Queenstown for nearly 20 years, and so is very nearly a local. He's brought me here and knows Taylor well. We are all quite sober...