Working on the edge : Exploring the creative tensions experienced by practitioners facilitating participatory media projects with refugees and asylum seekers in Australia

This paper aims to provide a contextualised and embedded exploration of how the notions of "practice" and "participation", key concepts in the study of culture and media, are manifest in an example of a complex creative project. This project aimed to engage with refugees and asylum seekers through the co-creation of cultural material and is an outcome of an? ethnographic action research (Tacchi et al. 2003) partnership involving a community development worker in a settlement support agency and a storytelling/community media researcher (the author), along with other project collaborators. The discussion of this project focuses on the role of the facilitator and illustrates the processes of orchestrating a complex project involving a series of linked stages with cumulative effect. As practitioners at this site we are working in the space where personal narratives, participatory arts and media, and the staging of intercultural, civic dialogue events, intersect. Co-creative media facilitation in these contexts involves both managing hybrid communicative spaces and (re)combining the "integrative practices" (Schatzki 1996) of a range of professional approaches and creative roles. This is liminal work, located on the boundaries of several disciplines and practices. Drawing on reflections gathered from collaborative ethnographic descriptions (Bhattacharya 2008), this paper traces moments of practitioner uncertainty that can be linked to the way "practice" and “participation” is problematised within the community cultural development field in a way that is at times an uneasy fit with conventional ways of operating in social service roles. These moments of tension also indicate where this project pushed practitioners into spaces of improvisation and new learning. Keywords: Youth, refugees, community cultural development, co-creative media facilitation, ethnographic action research, intercultural dialogue.

Numerical simulation of railway track supporting system using finite-infinite and thin layer elements under impulsive loads

The present study deals with two dimensional, numerical simulation of railway track supporting system subjected to dynamic excitation force. Under plane strain condition, the coupled finite-infinite elements to represent the near and far field stress distribution and thin layer interface element was employed to model the interfacial behavior between sleepers and ballast. To account for the relative debonding, slipping and crushing that could take place in the contact area between the sleepers and ballast, modified Mohr-Coulomb criterion was adopted. Furthermore an attempt has been made to consider the elasto-plastic material non-linearity of the railway track supporting media by employing different constitutive models to represent steel, concrete and supporting materials. Based on the proposed physical and constitutive modeling a code has been developed for dynamic loads. The applicability of the developed F.E code has been demonstrated by analyzing a real railway supporting structure.

Dynamics of nitrogen and suspended solids removal in experimental stormwater biofilters under intermittent wetting and drying

This research study comprehensively analyses the dynamics of nitrogen and suspended solids removal in stormwater biofilters. The study focuses on pollutant removal during an event with time, rather than the conventional event-mean analysis. Antecedent dry days (number of days in between rainfall) during which biofilters remain dry and the inflow concentration of pollutants were two other important variables analysed in this study. The research outcome highlights the significance of dry-phase processes and the process of stabilization on filter performance and sets a paradigm shift from the current approach towards an innovative way of performance analysis of biofilters.

Empirical evaluation of the travel time reliability indicators: A case study for Brisbane corridor under recurrent and non-recurrent conditions

This research quantifies traffic congestion and travel time reliability with case study on a major arterial road in Brisbane. The focus is on the analysis of impact of incidents (e.g., road accidents) on travel time reliability. Real traffic (Bluetooth) and incident records from Coronation Drive, Brisbane are utilized for the study. The findings include significant impact of incidents on traffic congestion and travel time reliability. The knowledge gained is useful in various applications such as traveler information systems, and cost-benefit analysis of various strategies to reduce the traffic incidents and its' impacts.

Structural characterization of the borate mineral inyoite – CaB3O3(OH)5⋅4(H2O)

We have studied the mineral Ca(H4B3O7)(OH)⋅4(H2O) or CaB3O3(OH)5⋅4(H2O) using electron microscopy and vibrational spectroscopy. The mineral has been characterized by a range of techniques including X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, electron microscopy with EDX and vibrational spectroscopy. Electron microscopy shows a pure phase and the chemical analysis shows the presence of calcium only. The nominal resolution of the Raman spectrometer is of the order of 2 cm−1 and as such is sufficient enough to identify separate bands for the stretching bands of the two boron isotopes. Raman and infrared bands are assigned to the stretching and bending modes of trigonal and tetrahedral boron and the stretching modes of the hydroxyl and water units. By using a combination of techniques we have characterized the borate mineral inyoite.

SEM, EDX and vibrational spectroscopic study of the phosphate mineral ushkovite MgFe3+2(PO4)2(OH)2·8H2O: Implications of the molecular structure

The mineral ushkovite has been analyzed using a combination of electron microscopy with EDX and vibrational spectroscopy. Chemical analysis shows the mineral contains P, Mg with very minor Fe. Thus, the formula of the studied ushkovite is Mg32+(PO4)2·8H2O. The Raman spectrum shows an intense band at 953 cm−1 assigned to the ν1 symmetric stretching mode. In the infrared spectra complexity exists with multiple antisymmetric stretching vibrations observed, due to the reduced tetrahedral symmetry. This loss of degeneracy is also reflected in the bending modes. Strong infrared bands around 827 cm−1 are attributed to water librational modes. The Raman spectra of the hydroxyl-stretching region are complex with overlapping broad bands. Hydroxyl stretching vibrations are identified at 2881, 2998, 3107, 3203, 3284 and 3457 cm−1. The wavenumber band at 3457 cm−1 is attributed to the presence of FeOH groups. This complexity is reflected in the water HOH bending modes where a strong infrared band centered around 1653 cm−1 is found. Such a band reflects the strong hydrogen bonding of the water molecules to the phosphate anions in adjacent layers. Spectra show three distinct OH bending bands from strongly hydrogen-bonded, weakly hydrogen bonded water and non-hydrogen bonded water. Vibrational spectroscopy enhances our knowledge of the molecular structure of ushkovite.

The molecular structure of the borate mineral szaibelyite MgBO2(OH): A vibrational spectroscopic study

We have studied the borate mineral szaibelyite MgBO2(OH) using electron microscopy and vibrational spectroscopy. EDS spectra show a phase composed of Mg with minor amounts of Fe. Both tetrahedral and trigonal boron units are observed. The nominal resolution of the Raman spectrometer is of the order of 2 cm−1 and as such is sufficient enough to identify separate bands for the stretching bands of the two boron isotopes. The Raman band at 1099 cm−1 with a shoulder band at 1093 cm−1 is assigned to BO stretching vibration. Raman bands at 1144, 1157, 1229, 1318 cm−1 are attributed to the BOH in-plane bending modes. Raman bands at 836 and 988 cm−1 are attributed to the antisymmetric stretching modes of tetrahedral boron. The infrared bands at 3559 and 3547 cm−1 are assigned to hydroxyl stretching vibrations. Broad infrared bands at 3269 and 3398 cm−1 are assigned to water stretching vibrations. Infrared bands at 1306, 1352, 1391, 1437 cm−1 are assigned to the antisymmetric stretching vibrations of trigonal boron. Vibrational spectroscopy enables aspects of the molecular structure of the borate mineral szaibelyite to be assessed.

Web crippling tests of cold-formed steel channels under two flange load cases

Cold-formed steel members have many advantages over hot-rolled steel members. However, they are susceptible to various buckling modes at stresses below the yield stress of the member because of their relatively high width-to-thickness ratio. Web crippling is a form of localized failure mode that can occur when the members are subjected to transverse high concentrated loadings and/or reactions. The four common loading conditions are the end-one-flange (EOF), interior-one-flange (IOF), end-two-flange (ETF) and interior-two-flange (ITF) loadings. Recently a test method has been proposed by AISI to obtain the web crippling capacities under these four loading conditions. Using this test method 42 tests were conducted in this research to investigate the web crippling behaviour and strengths of unlipped channels with stocky webs under ETF and ITF cases. DuraGal sections having a nominal yield stress of 450 MPa were tested with different web slenderness and bearing lengths. The flanges of these channel sections were not fastened to the supports. In this research the suitability of the currently available design rules for unlipped channels subject to web crippling was investigated, and suitable modifications were proposed where necessary. In addition to this, a new design rule was proposed based on the direct strength method to predict the web crippling capacities of tested beams. This paper presents the details of this experimental study and the results.

Discrete families of Saffman–Taylor fingers with exotic shapes

The mathematical problem of determining the shape of a steadily propagating Saffman–Taylor finger in a rectangular Hele-Shaw cell is known to have a countably infinite number of solutions for each fixed surface tension value. For sufficiently large surface tension values, we find that fingers on higher solution branches are non-convex. The tips of the fingers have increasingly exotic shapes as the branch number increases.

A laboratory assessment of the choice of vessel size under individual transferable quota regimes

This paper examines the effect of individual transferable quota regimes on technology choice, such as choice of vessel size, by using the laboratory experiment method. We find that even if vessel sizes change over time, the quota price can converge to the fundamental value conditioned on the vessels chosen. We also find that subjects choose their vessel type to maximise their profits based on the quota trading prices in the previous period. This result implies that the efficiency of quota markets in the beginning period is important because any inefficiency in quota markets may affect vessel sizes in ensuing periods. Moreover, we find that the initial allocations may significantly influence vessel sizes through two channels: first, a higher initial allocation to a subject increases the likelihood that the subject invests in a large-sized vessel; second, the quota price may be higher and more unstable under unequal allocation than under equal allocation; thus, whether the allocation is equal influences subjects' choice of vessel type. © 2014 Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society Inc.

Cooperative choice and its framing effect under threshold uncertainty in a provision point mechanism

This paper explores how threshold uncertainty affects cooperative behaviors in the provision of public goods and the prevention of public bads. The following facts motivate our study. First, environmental (resource) problems are either framed as public bads prevention or public goods provision. Second, the occurrence of these problems is characterized by thresholds that are interchangeably represented as "nonconvexity," "bifurcation," "bi-stability," or "catastrophes." Third, the threshold location is mostly unknown. We employ a provision point mechanism with threshold uncertainty and analyze the responses of cooperative behaviors to uncertainty and to the framing for each type of social preferences categorized by a value orientation test. We find that aggregate framing effects are negligible, although the response to the frame is the opposite depending on the type of social preferences. "Cooperative" subjects become more cooperative in negative frames than in positive frames, whereas "individualistic" subjects are less cooperative in negative frames than in positive ones. This finding implies that the insignificance of aggregate framing effects arises from behavioral asymmetry. We also find that the percentage of cooperative choices non-monotonically varies with the degree of threshold uncertainty, irrespective of framing and value orientation. Specifically, the degree of cooperation is highest at intermediate levels of threshold uncertainty and decreases as the uncertainty becomes sufficiently large.

Infrared and Raman spectroscopic characterization of the carbonate bearing silicate mineral aerinite – Implications for the molecular structure

The mineral aerinite is an interesting mineral because it contains both silicate and carbonate units which is unusual. It is also a highly colored mineral being bright blue/purple. We have studied aerinite using a combination of techniques which included scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, Raman and infrared spectroscopy. Raman bands at 1049 and 1072 cm−1 are assigned to the carbonate symmetric stretching mode. This observation supports the concept of the non-equivalence of the carbonate units in the structure of aerinite. Multiple infrared bands at 1354, 1390 and 1450 cm−1 supports this concept. Raman bands at 933 and 974 cm−1 are assigned to silicon–oxygen stretching vibrations. Multiple hydroxyl stretching and bending vibrations show that water is in different molecular environments in the aerinite structure.

SEM, EDX and Raman and infrared spectroscopic study of brianyoungite Zn3(CO3,SO4)(OH)4 from Esperanza Mine, Laurion District, Greece

The mineral brianyoungite, a carbonate–sulphate of zinc, has been studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with chemical analysis using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX) and Raman and infrared spectroscopy. Multiple carbonate stretching modes are observed and support the concept of non-equivalent carbonate units in the brianyoungite structure. Intense Raman band at 1056 cm−1 with shoulder band at 1038 cm−1 is assigned to the CO32− ν1 symmetric stretching mode. Two intense Raman bands at 973 and 984 cm−1 are assigned to the symmetric stretching modes of the SO42− anion. The observation of two bands supports the concept of the non-equivalence of sulphate units in the brianyoungite structure. Raman bands at 704 and 736 cm−1 are assigned to the CO32− ν4 bending modes and Raman bands at 507, 528, 609 and 638 cm−1 are assigned to the CO32− ν2 bending modes. Multiple Raman and infrared bands in the OH stretching region are observed, proving the existence of water and hydroxyl units in different molecular environments in the structure of brianyoungite. Vibrational spectroscopy enhances our knowledge of the molecular structure of brianyoungite.

A SEM, EDS and vibrational spectroscopic study of the tellurite mineral: Sonoraite Fe3+Te4+O3(OH)·H2O

We have undertaken a study of the tellurite mineral sonorite using electron microscopy with EDX combined with vibrational spectroscopy. Chemical analysis shows a homogeneous composition, with predominance of Te, Fe, Ce and In with minor amounts of S. Raman spectroscopy has been used to study the mineral sonoraite an examples of group A(XO3), with hydroxyl and water units in the mineral structure. The free tellurite ion has C3v symmetry and four modes, 2A1 and 2E. An intense Raman band at 734 cm−1 is assigned to the ν1 (TeO3)2− symmetric stretching mode. A band at 636 cm−1 is assigned to the ν3 (TeO3)2− antisymmetric stretching mode. Bands at 350 and 373 cm−1 and the two bands at 425 and 438 cm−1 are assigned to the (TeO3)2−ν2 (A1) bending mode and (TeO3)2−ν4 (E) bending modes. The sharp band at 3283 cm−1 assigned to the OH stretching vibration of the OH units is superimposed upon a broader spectral profile with Raman bands at 3215, 3302, 3349 and 3415 cm−1 are attributed to water stretching bands. The techniques of Raman and infrared spectroscopy are excellent for the study of tellurite minerals.

Raman and infrared spectroscopic study of turquoise minerals

Raman and infrared spectra of three well-defined turquoise samples, CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8·4H2O, from Lavender Pit, Bisbee, Cochise county, Arizona; Kouroudaiko mine, Faleme river, Senegal and Lynch Station, Virginia were studied, interpreted and compared. Observed Raman and infrared bands were assigned to the stretching and bending vibrations of phosphate tetrahedra, water molecules and hydroxyl ions. Approximate O–H⋯O hydrogen bond lengths were inferred from the Raman and infrared spectra. No Raman and infrared bands attributable to the stretching and bending vibrations of (PO3OH)2− units were observed.