GYAN: A methodology for rule extraction from artificial neural networks

Artificial neural network (ANN) learning methods provide a robust and non-linear approach to approximating the target function for many classification, regression and clustering problems. ANNs have demonstrated good predictive performance in a wide variety of practical problems. However, there are strong arguments as to why ANNs are not sufficient for the general representation of knowledge. The arguments are the poor comprehensibility of the learned ANN, and the inability to represent explanation structures. The overall objective of this thesis is to address these issues by: (1) explanation of the decision process in ANNs in the form of symbolic rules (predicate rules with variables); and (2) provision of explanatory capability by mapping the general conceptual knowledge that is learned by the neural networks into a knowledge base to be used in a rule-based reasoning system. A multi-stage methodology GYAN is developed and evaluated for the task of extracting knowledge from the trained ANNs. The extracted knowledge is represented in the form of restricted first-order logic rules, and subsequently allows user interaction by interfacing with a knowledge based reasoner. The performance of GYAN is demonstrated using a number of real world and artificial data sets. The empirical results demonstrate that: (1) an equivalent symbolic interpretation is derived describing the overall behaviour of the ANN with high accuracy and fidelity, and (2) a concise explanation is given (in terms of rules, facts and predicates activated in a reasoning episode) as to why a particular instance is being classified into a certain category.

Discovering, applying and integrating self-knowledge : a grounded theory study of learning in life coaching

Professional coaching is a rapidly expanding field with interdisciplinary roots and broad application. However, despite abundant prescriptive literature, research into the process of coaching, and especially life coaching, is minimal. Similarly, although learning is inherently recognised in the process of coaching, and coaching is increasingly being recognised as a means of enhancing teaching and learning, the process of learning in coaching is little understood, and learning theory makes up only a small part of the evidence-based coaching literature. In this grounded theory study of life coaches and their clients, the process of learning in life coaching across a range of coaching models is examined and explained. The findings demonstrate how learning in life coaching emerged as a process of discovering, applying and integrating self-knowledge, which culminated in the development of self. This process occurred through eight key coaching processes shared between coaches and clients and combined a multitude of learning theory.

Cluster-based network model for time-course gene expression data

We propose a model-based approach to unify clustering and network modeling using time-course gene expression data. Specifically, our approach uses a mixture model to cluster genes. Genes within the same cluster share a similar expression profile. The network is built over cluster-specific expression profiles using state-space models. We discuss the application of our model to simulated data as well as to time-course gene expression data arising from animal models on prostate cancer progression. The latter application shows that with a combined statistical/bioinformatics analyses, we are able to extract gene-to-gene relationships supported by the literature as well as new plausible relationships.

Foundations of technology development, innovation and competitiveness in the globalised knowledge economy

With the growth of high-technology industries and knowledge intensive services, the pursuit of industrial competitiveness has progressed from a broad concern with the processes of industrialisation to a more focused analysis of the factors explaining cross-national variation in the level of participation in knowledge industries. From an examination of cross-national data, the paper develops the proposition that particular elements of the domestic science, technology and industry infrastructure—such as the stock of knowledge and competence in the economy, the capacity for learning and generation of new ideas and the capacity to commercialise new ideas—vary cross-nationally and are related to the level of participation of a nation in knowledge intensive activities. Existing understandings of the role of the state in promoting industrial competitiveness might be expanded to incorporate an analysis of the contribution of the state through the building of competencies in science, technology and industry. Keywords: Knowledge; economy; comparative public policy; innovation; science and technology policy

Playpolis : transyouth and urban networking in Seoul

The overarching aim of this study is to create new knowledge about how playful interactions (re)create the city via ubiquitous technologies, with an outlook to apply the knowledge for pragmatic innovations in relevant fields such as urban planning and technology development in the future. The study looks at the case of transyouth, the in-between demographic bridging youth and adulthood in Seoul, one of the most connected, densely populated, and quickly transforming metropolises in the world. To unravel the elusiveness of ‘play’ as a subject and the complexity of urban networks, this study takes a three-tier transdisciplinary approach comprised of an extensive literature review, Shared Visual Ethnography (SVE), and interviews with leading industry representatives who design and develop the playscape for Seoul transyouth. Through these methodological tools, the study responds to the following four research aims: 1. Examine the sociocultural, technological, and architectural context of Seoul 2. Investigate Seoul transyouth’s perception of the self and their technosocial environment 3. Identify the pattern of their playful interaction through which meanings of the self and the city are recreated 4. Develop an analytical framework for enactment of play This thesis argues that the city is a contested space that continuously changes through multiple interactions among its constituents on the seam of control and freedom. At the core of this interactive (re)creation process is play. Play is a phenomenon that is enacted at the centre of three inter-related elements of pressure, possibility, and pleasure, the analytical framework this thesis puts forward as a conceptual apparatus for studying play across disciplines. The thesis concludes by illustrating possible trajectories for pragmatic application of the framework for envisioning and building the creative, sustainable, and seductive city.

On the feasibility of using servo-mechanisms in wireless multimedia sensor network deployments

This paper considers the use of servo-mechanisms as part of a tightly integrated homogeneous Wireless Multi- media Sensor Network (WMSN). We describe the design of our second generation WMSN node platform, which has increased image resolution, in-built audio sensors, PIR sensors, and servo- mechanisms. These devices have a wide disparity in their energy consumption and in the information quality they return. As a result, we propose a framework that establishes a hierarchy of devices (sensors and actuators) within the node and uses frequent sampling of cheaper devices to trigger the activation of more energy-hungry devices. Within this framework, we consider the suitability of servos for WMSNs by examining the functional characteristics and by measuring the energy consumption of 2 analog and 2 digital servos, in order to determine their impact on overall node energy cost. We also implement a simple version of our hierarchical sampling framework to evaluate the energy consumption of servos relative to other node components. The evaluation results show that: (1) the energy consumption of servos is small relative to audio/image signal processing energy cost in WMSN nodes; (2) digital servos do not necessarily consume as much energy as is currently believed; and (3) the energy cost per degree panning is lower for larger panning angles.

Implications for the design of a digital stethoscope for anaesthetic preadmission consultations

Background This research addresses the development of a digital stethoscope for use with a telehealth communications network to allow doctors to examine patients remotely (a digital telehealth stethoscope). A telehealth stethoscope would allow remote auscultation of patients who do not live near a major hospital. Travelling from remote areas to major hospitals is expensive for patients and a telehealth stethoscope could result in significant cost savings. Using a stethoscope requires great skill. To design a telehealth stethoscope that meets doctors’ expectations, the use of existing stethoscopes in clinical contexts must be examined. Method Observations were conducted of 30 anaesthetic preadmission consultations. The observations were video- taped. Interaction between doctor, patient and non-human elements in the consultation were “coded” to transform the video into data. The data were analysed to reveal essential aspects of the interactions. Results The analysis has shown that the doctor controls the interaction during auscultation. The conduct of auscultation draws heavily on the doctor’s tacit knowledge, allowing the doctor to treat the acoustic stethoscope as infrastructure – that is, the stethoscope sinks into the background and becomes completely transparent in use. Conclusion Two important, and related, implications for the design of a telehealth stethoscope have arisen from this research. First, as a telehealth stethoscope will be a shared device, doctors will not be able to make use of their existing expertise in using their own stethoscopes. Very simply, a telehealth stethoscope will sound different to a doctor’s own stethoscope. Second, the collaborative interaction required to use a telehealth stethoscope will have to be invented and refined. A telehealth stethoscope will need to be carefully designed to address these issues and result in successful use. This research challenges the concept of a telehealth stethoscope by raising questions about the ease and confidence with which doctors could use such a device.

Creativity, knowledge, engagement : keys to finding the right governance model for a regional community precinct

This paper investigates the Cooroy Mill community precinct (Sunshine Coast, Queensland), as a case study, seeking to understand the way local dynamics interplay and work with the community strengths to build a governance model of best fit. As we move to an age of ubiquitous computing and creative economies, the definition of public place and its governance take on new dimensions, which – while often utilizing models of the past – will need to acknowledge and change to the direction of the future. This paper considers a newly developed community precinct that has been built on three key principles: to foster creative expression with new media, to establish a knowledge economy in a regional area, and to subscribe to principles of community engagement. The study involved qualitative interviews with key stakeholders and a review of common practice models of governance along a spectrum from community control to state control. The paper concludes with a call for governance structures that are locally situated and tailored, inclusive, engaging, dynamic and flexible in order to build community capacity, encourage creativity, and build knowledge economies within emerging digital media cityscapes.

National health and hospital network for Australia's future : Implications for emergency medicine

The proposals arising from the agreement reached between the Rudd government and the States and Territories (except Western Australia) in April 2010 represent the most fundamental realignment of health responsibilities since the creation of Medicare in 1984. They will change the health system, and the structures that will craft its future direction and design. These proposals will have a significant impact on Emergency Medicine; an impact from not only the system-wide effects of the proposals but also those that derive from the specific recommendations to create an activity-based funding mechanism for EDs, to implement the four hour rule and to develop a performance indicator framework for EDs. The present paper will examine the potential impact of the proposals on Emergency Medicine to inform those who work within the system and to help guide further developments. More work is required to better evaluate the proposals and to guide the design and development of specific reform instruments. Any such efforts should be based upon a proper analysis of the available evidence, and a structured approach to research and development so as to deliver on improved services to the community, and on improved quality and safety of emergency medical care.

The contemporary librarian : skills, knowledge and attributes required in a world of emerging technologies

Seventy-six librarians participated in a series of focus groups in support of research exploring the skills, knowledge and attributes required by the contemporary library and information professional in a world of every changing technology. The project was funded by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council. Text data mining analysis revealed three main thematic clusters (libraries, people, jobs) and one minor thematic cluster (community). Library 2.0 was broadly viewed by participants as being about change whilst librarian 2.0 was perceived by participants as not a new creation but just about good librarian practices. Participants expressed the general belief that personality traits, not just qualifications, were critical to be a successful librarian or information worker in the future.

Alleviating ‘overfitting’ via genetically-regularised neural network

A hybrid genetic algorithm/scaled conjugate gradient regularisation method is designed to alleviate ANN `over-fitting'. In application to day-ahead load forecasting, the proposed algorithm performs better than early-stopping and Bayesian regularisation, showing promising initial results.

Strategising knowledge-based urban development : knowledge city transformations of Brisbane, Australia

In the global knowledge economy, knowledge-intensive industries and knowledge workers are extensively seen as the primary factors to improve the welfare and competitiveness of cities. To attract and retain such industries and workers, cities produce knowledge-based urban development strategies, and therefore such strategising has become an important development mechanism for cities and their economies. The paper discusses the critical connections between knowledge city foundations and integrated knowledge-based urban development mechanisms in both the local and regional level. In particular, the paper investigates Brisbane’s knowledge-based urban development strategies that support gentrification, attraction, and retention of investment and talent. Furthermore, the paper develops a knowledge-based urban development assessment framework to provide a clearer understanding of the local and regional policy frameworks, and relevant applications of Brisbane’s knowledge-based urban development experience, in becoming a prosperous knowledge city. The paper, with its knowledge-based urban development assessment framework, scrutinises Brisbane’s four development domains in detail: economy; society; institutional; built and natural environments. As part of the discussion of the case study findings, the paper describes the global orientation of Brisbane within the frame of regional and local level knowledge-based urban development strategies performing well. Although several good practices from Brisbane have already been internationally acknowledged, the research reveals that Brisbane is still in the early stages of its knowledge-based urban development implementation. Consequently, the development of a monitoring system for all knowledge-based urban development at all levels is highly crucial in accurately measuring the success and failure of specific knowledge-based urban development policies, and Brisbane’s progress towards a knowledge city transformation.

Power network in loop : a paradigm for real-time simulation and hardware testing

This paper discusses a new paradigm of real-time simulation of power systems in which equipment can be interfaced with a real-time digital simulator. In this scheme, one part of a power system can be simulated by using a real-time simulator; while the other part is implemeneted as a physical system. The only interface of the physical system with the computer-based simulator is through data-acquisition system. The physical system is driven by a voltage-source converter (VSC)that mimics the power system simulated in the real-time simulator. In this papar, the VSC operates in a voltage-control mode to track the point of common coupling voltage signal supplied by the digital simulator. This type of splitting a network in two parts and running a real-time simulation with a physical system in parallel is called a power network in loop here. this opens up the possibility of study of interconnection o f one or several distributed generators to a complex power network. The proposed implementation is verified through simulation studies using PSCAD/EMTDC and through hardware implementation on a TMS320G2812 DSP.

Using Enterprise 2.0 tools to facilitate knowledge transfer in complex engineering environments

An essential challenge for organizations wishing to overcome informational silos is to implement mechanisms that facilitate, encourage and sustain interactions between otherwise disconnected groups. Using three case examples, this paper explores how Enterprise 2.0 technologies achieve such goals, allowing for the transfer of knowledge by tapping into the tacit and explicit knowledge of disparate groups in complex engineering organizations. The paper is intended to be a timely introduction to the benefits and issues associated with the use of Enterprise 2.0 technologies with the aim of achieving the positive outcomes associated with knowledge management