A review on prognostic techniques for non-stationary and non-linear rotating systems

The field of prognostics has attracted significant interest from the research community in recent times. Prognostics enables the prediction of failures in machines resulting in benefits to plant operators such as shorter downtimes, higher operation reliability, reduced operations and maintenance cost, and more effective maintenance and logistics planning. Prognostic systems have been successfully deployed for the monitoring of relatively simple rotating machines. However, machines and associated systems today are increasingly complex. As such, there is an urgent need to develop prognostic techniques for such complex systems operating in the real world. This review paper focuses on prognostic techniques that can be applied to rotating machinery operating under non-linear and non-stationary conditions. The general concept of these techniques, the pros and cons of applying these methods, as well as their applications in the research field are discussed. Finally, the opportunities and challenges in implementing prognostic systems and developing effective techniques for monitoring machines operating under non-stationary and non-linear conditions are also discussed.

Ageing Australian unions and the ‘youth problem’

Trade union membership, both in aggregate numbers and in density, has declined in the majority of advanced economies globally over recent decades (Blanchflower, 2007). In Australia, the decline in the 1990s was somewhat more precipitate than in most countries (Peetz, 1998). As discussed in Chapter 1, reasons for the decline are multifactorial, including a more hostile environment to unionism created by employers and the state, difficulties ·with workplace union organisation, and structural change in the economy (Bryson and Gomez, 2005; Bryson et a!., 2011; Ebbinghaus et al., 2011; Payne, 1989; Waddington and Kerr, 2002; Waddington and Whitson, 1997). Our purpose in this chapter is to look beyond aggregate Australian union density data, to examine how age relates to membership decline, and how different age groups, particularly younger workers, are located in the story of union decline. The practical implications of this research are that understanding how unions relate to workers of different age groups, and to workers of different genders amongst those age groups, may lead to improved recruitment and better union organisation.

Bayesian computational methods for spatial analysis of images

This thesis introduces a new way of using prior information in a spatial model and develops scalable algorithms for fitting this model to large imaging datasets. These methods are employed for image-guided radiation therapy and satellite based classification of land use and water quality. This study has utilized a pre-computation step to achieve a hundredfold improvement in the elapsed runtime for model fitting. This makes it much more feasible to apply these models to real-world problems, and enables full Bayesian inference for images with a million or more pixels.

Different approaches of applying single-objective binary genetic algorithm on the wind farm design

This paper discusses three different ways of applying the single-objective binary genetic algorithm into designing the wind farm. The introduction of different applications is through altering the binary encoding methods in GA codes. The first encoding method is the traditional one with fixed wind turbine positions. The second involves varying the initial positions from results of the first method, and it is achieved by using binary digits to represent the coordination of wind turbine on X or Y axis. The third is the mixing of the first encoding method with another one, which is by adding four more binary digits to represent one of the unavailable plots. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate how the single-objective binary algorithm can be applied and how the wind turbines are distributed under various conditions with best fitness. The main emphasis of discussion is focused on the scenario of wind direction varying from 0° to 45°. Results show that choosing the appropriate position of wind turbines is more significant than choosing the wind turbine numbers, considering that the former has a bigger influence on the whole farm fitness than the latter. And the farm has best performance of fitness values, farm efficiency, and total power with the direction between 20°to 30°.

A Deweyan experience economy for higher education : The case of the Australian Indie 100 Music Event

In this essay we argue that a Deweyan experience economy will best support the higher education (HE) sector in the future, and we draw a contrast between that economy and the sector’s current focus on informational concerns, as expressed by the recent rush to Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and other mass online informational offerings. We base our argument on current developments in music education and music technology that we see as being preemptive of wider trends. We use examples from a three-year study of online and offline music pedagogies and outline a four-year experiment in developing a pedagogical experience economy to illustrate a theoretical position informed by John Dewey’s theory of experience,Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of habitus and capital, and recent work in economic geography on epistemic communities. We argue further that the future of the HE sector is local rather than global, experiential rather than informational, and that therefore a continued informational approach to the future of HE risks undermining the sector.

Plant species’ origin predicts dominance and response to nutrient enrichment and herbivores in global grasslands

Exotic species dominate many communities; however the functional significance of species’ biogeographic origin remains highly contentious. This debate is fuelled in part by the lack of globally replicated, systematic data assessing the relationship between species provenance, function and response to perturbations. We examined the abundance of native and exotic plant species at 64 grasslands in 13 countries, and at a subset of the sites we experimentally tested native and exotic species responses to two fundamental drivers of invasion, mineral nutrient supplies and vertebrate herbivory. Exotic species are six times more likely to dominate communities than native species. Furthermore, while experimental nutrient addition increases the cover and richness of exotic species, nutrients decrease native diversity and cover. Native and exotic species also differ in their response to vertebrate consumer exclusion. These results suggest that species origin has functional significance, and that eutrophication will lead to increased exotic dominance in grasslands.

Scalable Bayesian Computation for intractable likelihoods in image analysis

The inverse temperature hyperparameter of the hidden Potts model governs the strength of spatial cohesion and therefore has a substantial influence over the resulting model fit. The difficulty arises from the dependence of an intractable normalising constant on the value of the inverse temperature, thus there is no closed form solution for sampling from the distribution directly. We review three computational approaches for addressing this issue, namely pseudolikelihood, path sampling, and the approximate exchange algorithm. We compare the accuracy and scalability of these methods using a simulation study.

A study of governance arrangements for land use and natural resource management planning in Cape York Peninsula

Complex intersecting social, economic and environmental dilemmas in Australia's Cape York Peninsula present a number of challenges for planners seeking to develop and implement land use and natural resource management (NRM) plans. There have been five different attempts at land use and NRM planning in Cape York Peninsula over the last 20 years. These processes have (to greater or lesser extents) failed to deliver community-owned and government-supported plans to guide development and/or the management of the region's natural resources. The region is remote, sparsely populated, and home to a significant Indigenous population. Much of the contestation within the region surrounds the access, use and ownership of the region's internationally valuable natural resources. This paper reviews, from the literature, the relevancy and applicability of criteria for best practice planning and governance. A range of identified best practice governance and planning principles are applied to assess the governance arrangements for planning in the Peninsula. The paper finds that decision-making arrangements for land use and NRM planning in the Peninsula are still in their infancy and are inadequate to support effective outcomes. The paper concludes that broader attention to best practice principles in governance for planning is needed to improve planning outcomes.

Speed-based diagnostics of aerodynamic and mass imbalance in large wind turbines

Any kind of imbalance in the operation of a wind turbine has adverse effect on the downstream torsional components as well as tower structure. It is crucial to detect imbalance at its very inception. The identification of the type of imbalance is also required so that appropriate measures of fault accommodation can be performed in the control system. In particular, it is important to distinguish between mass and aerodynamic imbalance. While the former is gradually caused by a structural anomaly (e.g. ice deposition, moisture accumulation inside blade), the latter is generally associated to a fault in the pitch control system. This paper proposes a technique for the detection and identification of imbalance fault in large scale wind turbines. Unlike most other existing method it requires only the rotor speed signal which is readily available in existing turbines. Signature frequencies have been proposed in this work to identify imbalance type based on their physical phenomenology. The performance of this technique has been evaluated by simulations using an existing benchmark model. The effectiveness of the proposed method has been confirmed by the simulation results.

Fracture healing via periosteal callus formation requires macrophages for both initiation and progression of early endochondral ossification

The distribution, phenotype, and requirement of macrophages for fracture-associated inflammation and/or early anabolic progression during endochondral callus formation were investigated. A murine femoral fracture model [internally fixed using a flexible plate (MouseFix)] was used to facilitate reproducible fracture reduction. IHC demonstrated that inflammatory macrophages (F4/80+Mac-2+) were localized with initiating chondrification centers and persisted within granulation tissue at the expanding soft callus front. They were also associated with key events during soft-to-hard callus transition. Resident macrophages (F4/80+Mac-2neg), including osteal macrophages, predominated in the maturing hard callus. Macrophage Fas-induced apoptosis transgenic mice were used to induce macrophage depletion in vivo in the femoral fracture model. Callus formation was completely abolished when macrophage depletion was initiated at the time of surgery and was significantly reduced when depletion was delayed to coincide with initiation of early anabolic phase. Treatment initiating 5 days after fracture with the pro-macrophage cytokine colony stimulating factor-1 significantly enhanced soft callus formation. The data support that inflammatory macrophages were required for initiation of fracture repair, whereas both inflammatory and resident macrophages promoted anabolic mechanisms during endochondral callus formation. Overall, macrophages make substantive and prolonged contributions to fracture healing and can be targeted as a therapeutic approach for enhancing repair mechanisms. Thus, macrophages represent a viable target for the development of pro-anabolic fracture treatments with a potentially broad therapeutic window...

Tracking the patient journey by combining multiple hospital database systems

With new national targets for patient flow in public hospitals designed to increase efficiencies in patient care and resource use, better knowledge of events affecting length of stay will support improved bed management and scheduling of procedures. This paper presents a case study involving the integration of material from each of three databases in operation at one tertiary hospital and demonstrates it is possible to follow patient journeys from admission to discharge. What is known about this topic? At present, patient data at one Queensland tertiary hospital are assembled in three information systems: (1) the Hospital Based Corporate Information System (HBCIS), which tracks patients from in-patient admission to discharge; (2) the Emergency Department Information System (EDIS) containing patient data from presentation to departure from the emergency department; and (3) Operation Room Management Information System (ORMIS), which records surgical operations. What does this paper add? This paper describes how a new enquiry tool may be used to link the three hospital information systems for studying the hospital journey through different wards and/or operating theatres for both individual and groups of patients. What are the implications for practitioners? An understanding of the patients’ journeys provides better insight into patient flow and provides the tool for research relating to access block, as well as optimising the use of physical and human resources.

Flow evaluation and hemolysis analysis of BVAD centrifugal blood pump by computational fluids dynamics

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and particle image velocimetry (PIV) are commonly used techniques to evaluate the flow characteristics in the development stage of blood pumps. CFD technique allows rapid change to pump parameters to optimize the pump performance without having to construct a costly prototype model. These techniques are used in the construction of a bi-ventricular assist device (BVAD) which combines the functions of LVAD and RVAD in a compact unit. The BVAD construction consists of two separate chambers with similar impellers, volutes, inlet and output sections. To achieve the required flow characteristics of an average flow rate of 5 l/min and different pressure heads (left – 100mmHg and right – 20mmHg), the impellers were set at different rotating speeds. From the CFD results, a six-blade impeller design was adopted for the development of the BVAD. It was also observed that the fluid can flow smoothly through the pump with minimum shear stress and area of stagnation which are related to haemolysis and thrombosis. Based on the compatible Reynolds number the flow through the model was calculated for the left and the right pumps. As it was not possible to have both the left and right chambers in the experimental model, the left and right pumps were tested separately.

Optimal sizing of hospitals : Lessons for Westmead

This paper has been commissioned by NSW HI to focus attention on the medium and long term managerial issues that will arise from the development of health services at Westmead and the wider urban locale.

The risk of pollen-mediated gene flow from exotic Corymbia plantations into native Corymbia populations in Australia

Sectors of the forest plantation industry in Australia are set to expand in the near future using species or hybrids of the spotted gums (Corymbia, Section Politaria). Plantations of these taxa have already been introduced across temperate and subtropical Australia, representing locally exotic introductions from native stands in Queensland and New South Wales. A literature review was undertaken to provide insights into the potential for pollen-mediated gene flow from these plantations into native populations. Three factors suggest that such gene flow is likely; (1) interspecific hybridisation within the genus has frequently been recorded, including between distantly related species from different sections, (2) apparent high levels of vertebrate pollinator activity may result in plantation pollen being moved over hundreds of kilometres, (3) much of the plantation estate is being established among closely related taxa and therefore few barriers to gene flow are expected. Across Australia, 20 of the 100 native Corymbia taxa were found to have regional level co-occurrence with plantations. These were located most notably within regions of north-east New South Wales and south-east Queensland, however, co-occurrence was also found in south-west Western Australia and eastern Victoria. The native species found to have co-occurrence were then assessed for the presence of reproductive barriers at each step in the process of gene flow that may reduce the number of species at risk even further. The available data suggest three risk categories exist for Corymbia. The highest risk was for gene flow from plantations of spotted gums to native populations of spotted gums. This was based on the expected limited existence of pre- and post-zygotic barriers, substantial long-distance pollen dispersal and an apparent broad period of flowering in Corymbia citriodora subsp. variegata plantations. The following risk category focussed on gene flow from Corymbia torelliana × C. c. variegata hybrid plantations into native C. c. variegata, as the barriers associated with the production and establishment of F1 hybrids have been circumvented. For the lowest risk category, Corymbia plantations may present a risk to other non-spotted gum species, however, further investigation of the particular cross-combinations is required. A list of research directions is provided to better quantify these risks. Empirical data will need to be combined within a risk assessment framework that will not only estimate the likelihood of exotic gene flow, but also consider the conservation status/value of the native populations. In addition, the potential impacts of pollen flow from plantations will need to be weighed up against their various economic and environmental benefits.

Analysis of governance for sustainability planning in the Cairns Region

The relationship between governance arrangements and sustainability planning outcomes in complex governance systems remains poorly understood, despite significant discussions of governance in the environmental management literature emerging in the last decade. In order to analyse and examine the relationship between the health of sustainability planning governance and decision-making outcomes, this paper applies the Governance Systems Analysis framework (GSA) in the Cairns region. This paper analyses the sustainability planning governance arrangements in the Cairns region by exploring the capacity, connectivity and knowledge use of institutions in the region to deliver desired sustainability planning outcomes. The paper finds that the planning for sustainability in the Cairns region is on a knife’s edge, and could fail or succeed to deliver its intended decision-making outcomes. The paper concludes with recommendations for governance reform for sustainability in the Cairns region.