Lumia : art/light/motion

Lumia: art/light/motion is an exciting new media exhibition presented by State Library of Queensland in partnership with Queensland-based Kuuki collective artists Priscilla Bracks and Gavin Sade. The exhibition explored contemporary life and encourages thought about the future through an extraordinary collection of hand-crafted and interactive electronic creatures and installations. The beautifully crafted new media artworks in Lumia: art/light/motion combine the bespoke with art and technology to create strange but intriguing objects. Lumia invited audiences to play, learn and then ponder the way we live and the environmental and social implications of our choices.

Control of aircraft for inspection of linear infrastructure

Inspection aircraft equipped with cameras and other sensors are routinely used for asset location, inspection, monitoring and hazard identification of oil-gas pipelines, roads, bridges and power transmission grids. This paper is concerned with automated flight of fixed-wing inspection aircraft to track approximately linear infrastructure. We propose a guidance law approach that seeks to maintain aircraft trajectories with desirable position and orientation properties relative to the infrastructure under inspection. Furthermore, this paper also proposes the use of an adaptive maneuver selection approach, in which maneuver primitives are adaptively selected to improve the aircraft’s attitude behaviour. We employ an integrated design methodology particularly suited for an automated inspection aircraft. Simulation studies using full nonlinear semi-coupled six degree-of-freedom equations of motion are used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed guidance and adaptive maneuver selection approaches in realistic flight conditions. Experimental flight test results are given to demonstrate the performance of the design.

Definition of an airworthiness certification framework for civil unmanned aircraft systems

The development of effective safety regulations for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) is an issue of paramount concern for industry. The development of this framework is a prerequisite for greater UAS access to civil airspace and, subsequently, the continued growth of the UAS industry. The direct use of the existing conventionally piloted aircraft (CPA) airworthiness certification framework for the regulation of UAS has a number of limitations. The objective of this paper is to present one possible approach for the structuring of airworthiness regulations for civilian UAS. The proposed approach facilitates a more systematic, objective and justifiable method for managing the spectrum of risk associated with the diversity of UAS and their potential operations. A risk matrix is used to guide the development of an airworthiness certification matrix (ACM). The ACM provides a structured categorisation that facilitates the future tailoring of regulations proportionate to the levels of risk associated with the operation of the UAS. As a result, an objective and traceable link may be established between mandated regulations and the overarching objective for an equivalent level of safety to CPA. The ACM also facilitates the systematic consideration of a range of technical and operational mitigation strategies. For these reasons, the ACM is proposed as a suitable method for the structuring of an airworthiness certification framework for civil or commercially operated UAS (i.e., the UAS equivalent in function to the Part 21 regulations for civil CPA) and for the further structuring of requirements on the operation of UAS in un-segregated airspace.

Reduction of nitroaromatic compounds on supported gold nanoparticles by visible and ultraviolet light

Shedding light: Nitroaromatic compounds on gold nanoparticles (3 wt %) supported on ZrO2 can be reduced directly to the corresponding azo compounds when illuminated with visible light or ultraviolet light at 40 °C (see picture). The process occurs with high selectivity and at ambient temperature and pressure, and enables the selection of intermediates that are unstable in thermal reactions.

TaNF-YC11, one of the light-upregulated NF-YC members in Triticum aestivum, is co-regulated with photosynthesis-related genes

NF-Y is a heterotrimeric transcription factor complex. Each of the NF-Y subunits (NF-YA, NF-YB and NF-YC) in plants is encoded by multiple genes. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that five wheat NF-YC members (TaNF-YC5, 8, 9, 11 & 12) were upregulated by light in both the leaf and seedling shoot. Co-expression analysis of Affymetrix wheat genome array datasets revealed that transcript levels of a large number of genes were consistently correlated with those of the TaNF-YC11 and TaNF-YC8 genes in 3-4 separate Affymetrix array datasets. TaNF-YC11-correlated transcripts were significantly enriched with the Gene Ontology term photosynthesis. Sequence analysis in the promoters of TaNF-YC11-correlated genes revealed the presence of putative NF-Y complex binding sites (CCAAT motifs). Quantitative RT-PCR analysis of a subset of potential TaNF-YC11 target genes showed that ten out of the thirteen genes were also light-upregulated in both the leaf and seedling shoot and had significantly correlated expression profiles with TaNF-YC11. The potential target genes for TaNF-YC11 include subunit members from all four thylakoid membrane bound complexes required for the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy and rate limiting enzymes in the Calvin cycle. These data indicate that TaNF-YC11 is potentially involved in regulation of photosynthesis-related genes.

Lumia : Art | light | motion. The Art of Kuuki.

The State Library of Queensland is delighted to present Lumia: art/light/motion, a culmination of many years of collaboration by the Kuuki collective led by Priscilla Bracks and Gavin Sade. This extraordinary exhibition not only showcases the unique talent of these Queenslanders, it also opens up a world of future possibilities while re-presenting the past and present. These contemporary new media installations sit comfortably within the walls of the library as they are the distinctive products of inquisitive and philosophical minds. In a sense the exhibition highlights the longevity and purposefulness of a cultural learning institution, through the non-traditional use of data, information, research and collection interpretation. The exhibition simultaneously articulates one of our key objectives – to progress the state’s digital agenda. Two academic essays have been commissioned for this joint Kuuki and State Library of Queensland publication. The first is by artist and writer Paul Brown, who has specialised in art, science and technology since the late 1960s and in computational and generative art since the mid 1970s. Brown investigates the history of new media, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary, and clearly places Sade and Bracks at the forefront of this genre nationally. The second essay is by arts writer Linda Carroli, who has delved deeply into the thoughts and processes of the artists to bring to light the complex workings of the artists’ minds. The publication also features an interview Carroli conducted with the artists. This exhibition is playful, informative and contemplative. The audience is invited to play, and consequently to ponder the way we live and the environmental and social implications of our choices. The exhibition tempts us to travel deep into the Antarctic, plunge into the Great Barrier Reef, be swamped by an orchestra of crickets, enter the Charmed world and travel back in time to a Victorian parlour where you can interact with a ‘new-world’ lyrebird and consider a brave new world where our only link to the animal world is with robotic representations. In essence this exhibition is about ideas and knowledge and what better institution than the State Library of Queensland to partner such a project?. State Library is committed to preserving culture, exploring new media and creating new content as a lasting legacy of Queensland for all Queenslanders.

Numerical modelling of light gauge cold-formed steel compression members subjected to distortional buckling at elevated temperatures

Fire safety design of building structures has received greater attention in recent times due to continuing loss of properties and lives during fires. However, fire performance of light gauge cold-formed steel structures is not well understood despite its increased usage in buildings. Cold-formed steel compression members are susceptible to various buckling modes such as local and distortional buckling and their ultimate strength behaviour is governed by these buckling modes. Therefore a research project based on experimental and numerical studies was undertaken to investigate the distortional buckling behaviour of light gauge cold-formed steel compression members under simulated fire conditions. Lipped channel sections with and without additional lips were selected with three thicknesses of 0.6, 0.8, and 0.95 mm and both low and high strength steels (G250 and G550 steels). More than 150 compression tests were undertaken first at ambient and elevated temperatures. Finite element models of the tested compression members were then developed by including the degradation of mechanical properties with increasing temperatures. Comparison of finite element analysis and experimental results showed that the developed finite element models were capable of simulating the distortional buckling and strength behaviour at ambient and elevated temperatures up to 800 °C. The validated model was used to determine the effects of mechanical properties, geometric imperfections and residual stresses on the distortional buckling behaviour and strength of cold-formed steel columns. This paper presents the details of the numerical study and the results. It demonstrated the importance of using accurate mechanical properties at elevated temperatures in order to obtain reliable strength characteristics of cold-formed steel columns under fire conditions.

Young children as regenerative tissue donors : considering the need for legal reform in light of divergent ethical approaches

In Australia, young children who lack decision-making capacity can have regenerative tissue removed to treat another person suffering from a severe or life-threatening disease. While great good can potentially result from this as the recipient’s life may be saved, ethical unease remains over the ‘use’ of young children in this way. This paper examines the ethical approaches that have featured in the debate over the acceptability and limits of this practice, and how these are reflected in Australia’s legal regime governing removal of tissue from young children. This analysis demonstrates a troubling dichotomy within the Australia’s laws that requires decision-makers to adopt inconsistent ethical approaches depending on where a donor child is situated. It is argued that this inconsistency in approach warrants legal reform of this ethically sensitive issue.

Aircraft emission reduction through multi-disciplinary flight path optimisation

There is worldwide interest in reducing aircraft emissions. The difficulty of reducing emissions including water vapour, carbon dioxide (CO2) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) is mainly due from the fact that a commercial aircraft is usually designed for a particular optimal cruise altitude but may be requested or required to operate and deviate at different altitude and speeds to archive a desired or commanded flight plan, resulting in increased emissions. This is a multi- disciplinary problem with multiple trade-offs such as optimising engine efficiency, minimising fuel burnt, minimise emissions while maintaining aircraft separation and air safety. This project presents the coupling of an advanced optimisation technique with mathematical models and algorithms for aircraft emission reduction through flight optimisation. Numerical results show that the method is able to capture a set of useful trade-offs between aircraft range and NOx, and mission fuel consumption and NOx. In addition, alternative cruise operating conditions including Mach and altitude that produce minimum NOx and CO2 (minimum mission fuel weight) are suggested.

Hybrid light-emitting diodes based on flexible sheets of mass-produced ZnO nanowires

We report the production of free-standing thin sheets made up of mass-produced ZnO nanowires and the application of these nanowire sheets for the fabrication of ZnO/organic hybrid light-emitting diodes in the manner of assembly. Different p-type organic semiconductors are used to form heterojunctions with the ZnO nanowire film. Electroluminescence measurements of the devices show UV and visible emissions. Identical strong red emission is observed independent of the organic semiconductor materials used in this work. The visible emissions corresponding to the electron transition between defect levels within the energy bandgap of ZnO are discussed.

Guidance of aircraft in periodic inspection tasks

This paper presents a guidance approach for aircraft in periodic inspection tasks. The periodic inspection task involves flying to a series of desired fixed points of inspection with specified attitude requirements so that requirements for downward looking sensors, such as cameras, are achieved. We present a solution using a precision guidance law and a bank turn dynamics model. High fidelity simulation studies illustrate the effectiveness of this approach under both ideal (nil-wind) and non-ideal (wind) conditions.