The capture/retention investigation of a gross pollutant trap

A technique was developed to investigate the capture/retention characteristic of a gross pollutant trap (GPT) with fully and partially blocked internal screens. Custom modified spheres of variable density filled with liquid were released into the GPT inlet and monitored at the outlet. The outlet data shows that the capture/retention performances of a GPT with fully blocked screens deteriorate rapidly. During higher flow rates, screen blockages below 68% approach maximum efficiency. At lower flow rates, the high performance trend is reversed and the variation in behaviour of pollutants with different densities becomes more noticeable. Additional experiments with a second upstream inlet configured GPT showed an improved capture/retention performance. It was also noted that the bypass allows the incoming pollutants to escape when the GPT is blocked. This useful feature prevents upstream blockages between cleaning intervals.

Skills for creative industries graduate success

Purpose: Although there is increasing evidence that the creative industries are essential to national economic growth as well as social and cultural well-being, creative graduates often find it difficult to become established professionally. This study investigates the value of career management competence and intrinsic career motivations (as elements of ���protean career orientation���) in predicting positive graduate outcomes. ----- ----- Design/methodology: Self-report surveys were administered to 208 creative industries graduates from two Australian universities at two points in time: at course completion, and one year later. ----- ----- Findings: Individual career management competence and intrinsic work motivations, measured at course completion, were significant predictors of early career success, using both subjective and objective measures, measured one year later. ----- ----- Practical implications: This study suggests that an emphasis on student development beyond the traditional ���key��� employability skills may well be worthwhile. The article also suggests a broad learning and teaching approach by which universities can encourage the development of student career identity, and thus engender student intrinsic career motivations and career self management skills and behaviours. ----- ----- Originality/value: This is one of the first studies to demonstrate empirically a link between a particular set of skills and graduate outcomes. In addition, it provides insights into the role of student career motivations in positive transitions to the world of work in the creative industries.

The feasibility of vibration analysis as a technique to detect osseointegration of transfemoral implants

One of the main causes of above knee or transfemoral amputation (TFA) in the developed world is trauma to the limb. The number of people undergoing TFA due to limb trauma, particularly due to war injuries, has been increasing. Typically the trauma amputee population, including war-related amputees, are otherwise healthy, active and desire to return to employment and their usual lifestyle. Consequently there is a growing need to restore long-term mobility and limb function to this population. Traditionally transfemoral amputees are provided with an artificial or prosthetic leg that consists of a fabricated socket, knee joint mechanism and a prosthetic foot. Amputees have reported several problems related to the socket of their prosthetic limb. These include pain in the residual limb, poor socket fit, discomfort and poor mobility. Removing the socket from the prosthetic limb could eliminate or reduce these problems. A solution to this is the direct attachment of the prosthesis to the residual bone (femur) inside the residual limb. This technique has been used on a small population of transfemoral amputees since 1990. A threaded titanium implant is screwed in to the shaft of the femur and a second component connects between the implant and the prosthesis. A period of time is required to allow the implant to become fully attached to the bone, called osseointegration (OI), and be able to withstand applied load; then the prosthesis can be attached. The advantages of transfemoral osseointegration (TFOI) over conventional prosthetic sockets include better hip mobility, sitting comfort and prosthetic retention and fewer skin problems on the residual limb. However, due to the length of time required for OI to progress and to complete the rehabilitation exercises, it can take up to twelve months after implant insertion for an amputee to be able to load bear and to walk unaided. The long rehabilitation time is a significant disadvantage of TFOI and may be impeding the wider adoption of the technique. There is a need for a non-invasive method of assessing the degree of osseointegration between the bone and the implant. If such a method was capable of determining the progression of TFOI and assessing when the implant was able to withstand physiological load it could reduce the overall rehabilitation time. Vibration analysis has been suggested as a potential technique: it is a non destructive method of assessing the dynamic properties of a structure. Changes in the physical properties of a structure can be identified from changes in its dynamic properties. Consequently vibration analysis, both experimental and computational, has been used to assess bone fracture healing, prosthetic hip loosening and dental implant OI with varying degrees of success. More recently experimental vibration analysis has been used in TFOI. However further work is needed to assess the potential of the technique and fully characterise the femur-implant system. The overall aim of this study was to develop physical and computational models of the TFOI femur-implant system and use these models to investigate the feasibility of vibration analysis to detect the process of OI. Femur-implant physical models were developed and manufactured using synthetic materials to represent four key stages of OI development (identified from a physiological model), simulated using different interface conditions between the implant and femur. Experimental vibration analysis (modal analysis) was then conducted using the physical models. The femur-implant models, representing stage one to stage four of OI development, were excited and the modal parameters obtained over the range 0-5kHz. The results indicated the technique had limited capability in distinguishing between different interface conditions. The fundamental bending mode did not alter with interfacial changes. However higher modes were able to track chronological changes in interface condition by the change in natural frequency, although no one modal parameter could uniquely distinguish between each interface condition. The importance of the model boundary condition (how the model is constrained) was the key finding; variations in the boundary condition altered the modal parameters obtained. Therefore the boundary conditions need to be held constant between tests in order for the detected modal parameter changes to be attributed to interface condition changes. A three dimensional Finite Element (FE) model of the femur-implant model was then developed and used to explore the sensitivity of the modal parameters to more subtle interfacial and boundary condition changes. The FE model was created using the synthetic femur geometry and an approximation of the implant geometry. The natural frequencies of the FE model were found to match the experimental frequencies within 20% and the FE and experimental mode shapes were similar. Therefore the FE model was shown to successfully capture the dynamic response of the physical system. As was found with the experimental modal analysis, the fundamental bending mode of the FE model did not alter due to changes in interface elastic modulus. Axial and torsional modes were identified by the FE model that were not detected experimentally; the torsional mode exhibited the largest frequency change due to interfacial changes (103% between the lower and upper limits of the interface modulus range). Therefore the FE model provided additional information on the dynamic response of the system and was complementary to the experimental model. The small changes in natural frequency over a large range of interface region elastic moduli indicated the method may only be able to distinguish between early and late OI progression. The boundary conditions applied to the FE model influenced the modal parameters to a far greater extent than the interface condition variations. Therefore the FE model, as well as the experimental modal analysis, indicated that the boundary conditions need to be held constant between tests in order for the detected changes in modal parameters to be attributed to interface condition changes alone. The results of this study suggest that in a clinical setting it is unlikely that the in vivo boundary conditions of the amputated femur could be adequately controlled or replicated over time and consequently it is unlikely that any longitudinal change in frequency detected by the modal analysis technique could be attributed exclusively to changes at the femur-implant interface. Therefore further development of the modal analysis technique would require significant consideration of the clinical boundary conditions and investigation of modes other than the bending modes.

Critical success factors of project management for Brunei construction projects : improving project performance

The problem of delays in the construction industry is a global phenomenon and the construction industry in Brunei Darussalam is no exception. The goal of all parties involved in construction projects ��� owners, contractors, engineers and consultants in either the public or private sector is to successfully complete the project on schedule, within planned budget, with the highest quality and in the safest manner. Construction projects are frequently influenced by either success factors that help project parties reach their goal as planned, or delay factors that stifle or postpone project completion. The purpose of this research is to identify success and delay factors which can help project parties reach their intended goals with greater efficiency. This research extracted seven of the most important success factors according to the literature and seven of the most important delay factors identified by project parties, and then examined correlations between them to determine which were the most influential in preventing project delays. This research uses a comprehensive literature review to design and conduct a survey to investigate success and delay factors and then obtain a consensus of expert opinion using the Delphi methodology to rank the most needed critical success factors for Brunei construction projects. A specific survey was distributed to owners, contractors and engineers to examine the most critical delay factors. A general survey was distributed to examine the correlation between the identified delay factors and the seven most important critical success factors selected. A consensus of expert opinion using the Delphi methodology was used to rank the most needed critical success factors for Brunei building construction. Data was collected and evaluated by statistical methods to identify the most significant causes of delay and to measure the strength and direction of the relationship between critical success factors and delay factors in order to examine project parties��� evaluation of projects��� critical success and delay factors, and to evaluate the influence of critical success factors on critical delay factors. A relative importance index has been used to determine the relative importance of the various causes of delays. A one and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) has been used to examine how the group or groups evaluated the influence of the critical success factors in avoiding or preventing each of the delay factors, and which success factors were perceived as most influential in avoiding or preventing critical delay factors. Finally the Delphi method, using consensus from an expert panel, was employed to identify the seven most critical success factors used to avoid the delay factors, and thereby improve project performance.

Primary students' success on the structured number line

Number lines are part of our everyday life (e.g., thermometers, kitchen scales) and are frequently used in primary mathematics as instructional aids, in texts and for assessment purposes on mathematics tests. There are two major types of number lines; structured number lines, which are the focus of this paper, and empty number lines. Structured number lines represent mathematical information by the placement of marks on a horizontal or vertical line which has been marked into proportional segments (Figure 1). Empty number lines are blank lines which students can use for calculations (Figure 2) and are not discussed further here (see van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, 2008, on the role of empty number lines). In this article, we will focus on how students��� knowledge of the structured number line develops and how they become successful users of this mathematical tool.

Carbon capture and storage laws in Australia : project facilitation or a precautionary approach?

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is considered to be an integral transitionary measure in the mitigation of the global greenhouse gas emissions from our continued use of fossil fuels. Regulatory frameworks have been developed around the world and pilot projects have been commenced. However, CCS processes are largely untested at commercial scales and there are many unknowns associated with the long terms risks from these storage projects. Governments, including Australia, are struggling to develop appropriate, yet commercially viable, regulatory approaches to manage the uncertain long term risks of CCS activities. There have been numerous CCS regimes passed at the Federal, State and Territory levels in Australia. All adopt a different approach to the delicate balance facilitating projects and managing risk. This paper will examine the relatively new onshore and offshore regimes for CCS in Australia and the legal issues arising in relation to the implementation of CCS projects. Comparisons will be made with the EU CCS Directive where appropriate.

Knowledge management competence for Enterprise System success

This study conceptualizes, operationalises and validates the concept of Knowledge Management Competence as a four-phase multidimensional formative index. Employing survey data from 310 respondents representing 27 organizations using the SAP Enterprise System Financial module, the study results demonstrate a large, significant, positive relationship between Knowledge Management Competence and Enterprise Systems Success (ES-success, as conceived by Gable Sedera and Chan (2008)); suggesting important implications for practice. Strong evidence of the validity of Knowledge Management Competence as conceived and operationalised, too suggests potential from future research evaluating its relationships with possible antecedents and consequences.

The hydrodynamic and capture/retention performance of a gross pollutant trap

This research shows that gross pollutant traps (GPTs) continue to play an important role in preventing visible street waste���gross pollutants���from contaminating the environment. The demand for these GPTs calls for stringent quality control and this research provides a foundation to rigorously examine the devices. A novel and comprehensive testing approach to examine a dry sump GPT was developed. The GPT is designed with internal screens to capture gross pollutants���organic matter and anthropogenic litter. This device has not been previously investigated. Apart from the review of GPTs and gross pollutant data, the testing approach includes four additional aspects to this research, which are: field work and an historical overview of street waste/stormwater pollution, calibration of equipment, hydrodynamic studies and gross pollutant capture/retention investigations. This work is the first comprehensive investigation of its kind and provides valuable practical information for the current research and any future work pertaining to the operations of GPTs and management of street waste in the urban environment. Gross pollutant traps���including patented and registered designs developed by industry���have specific internal configurations and hydrodynamic separation characteristics which demand individual testing and performance assessments. Stormwater devices are usually evaluated by environmental protection agencies (EPAs), professional bodies and water research centres. In the USA, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Environmental Water Resource Institute (EWRI) are examples of professional and research organisations actively involved in these evaluation/verification programs. These programs largely rely on field evaluations alone that are limited in scope, mainly for cost and logistical reasons. In Australia, evaluation/verification programs of new devices in the stormwater industry are not well established. The current limitations in the evaluation methodologies of GPTs have been addressed in this research by establishing a new testing approach. This approach uses a combination of physical and theoretical models to examine in detail the hydrodynamic and capture/retention characteristics of the GPT. The physical model consisted of a 50% scale model GPT rig with screen blockages varying from 0 to 100%. This rig was placed in a 20 m flume and various inlet and outflow operating conditions were modelled on observations made during the field monitoring of GPTs. Due to infrequent cleaning, the retaining screens inside the GPTs were often observed to be blocked with organic matter. Blocked screens can radically change the hydrodynamic and gross pollutant capture/retention characteristics of a GPT as shown from this research. This research involved the use of equipment, such as acoustic Doppler velocimeters (ADVs) and dye concentration (Komori) probes, which were deployed for the first time in a dry sump GPT. Hence, it was necessary to rigorously evaluate the capability and performance of these devices, particularly in the case of the custom made Komori probes, about which little was known. The evaluation revealed that the Komori probes have a frequency response of up to 100 Hz ���which is dependent upon fluid velocities���and this was adequate to measure the relevant fluctuations of dye introduced into the GPT flow domain. The outcome of this evaluation resulted in establishing methodologies for the hydrodynamic measurements and gross pollutant capture/retention experiments. The hydrodynamic measurements consisted of point-based acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV) measurements, flow field particle image velocimetry (PIV) capture, head loss experiments and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. The gross pollutant capture/retention experiments included the use of anthropogenic litter components, tracer dye and custom modified artificial gross pollutants. Anthropogenic litter was limited to tin cans, bottle caps and plastic bags, while the artificial pollutants consisted of 40 mm spheres with a range of four buoyancies. The hydrodynamic results led to the definition of global and local flow features. The gross pollutant capture/retention results showed that when the internal retaining screens are fully blocked, the capture/retention performance of the GPT rapidly deteriorates. The overall results showed that the GPT will operate efficiently until at least 70% of the screens are blocked, particularly at high flow rates. This important finding indicates that cleaning operations could be more effectively planned when the GPT capture/retention performance deteriorates. At lower flow rates, the capture/retention performance trends were reversed. There is little difference in the poor capture/retention performance between a fully blocked GPT and a partially filled or empty GPT with 100% screen blockages. The results also revealed that the GPT is designed with an efficient high flow bypass system to avoid upstream blockages. The capture/retention performance of the GPT at medium to high inlet flow rates is close to maximum efficiency (100%). With regard to the design appraisal of the GPT, a raised inlet offers a better capture/retention performance, particularly at lower flow rates. Further design appraisals of the GPT are recommended.

Good practice for enhancing the engagement and success of commencing students

There is widespread recognition that higher education institutions (HEIs) must actively support commencing students to ensure equity in access to the opportunities afforded by higher education. This role is particularly critical for students who because of educational, cultural or financial disadvantage or because they are members of social groups currently under-represented in higher education, may require additional transitional support to ���level the playing field.��� The challenge faced by HEIs is to provide this ���support��� in a way that is integrated into regular teaching and learning practices and reaches all commencing students. The Student Success Program (SSP) is an intervention in operation at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) designed to identify and support those students deemed to be at risk of disengaging from their learning and their institution. Two sets of evidence of the impact of the SSP are presented: First, its expansion (a) from a one-faculty pilot project (Nelson, Duncan & Clarke, 2009) to all faculties and (b) into a variety of applications mirroring the student life cycle; and second, an evaluation of the impact of the SSP on students exposed to it. The outcomes suggest that: the SSP is an example of good practice that can be successfully applied to a variety of learning contexts and student enrolment situations; and the impact of the intervention on student persistence is sustained for at least 12 months and positively influences student retention. It is claimed that the good practice evidenced by the SSP is dependent on its integration into the broader First Year Experience Program at QUT as an example of transition pedagogy in action.

Reproduction, mediation, and experience : virtual reality, motion capture and early modern theatre

This article investigates virtual reality representations of performance in London���s late sixteenth-century Rose Theatre, a venue that, by means of current technology, can once again challenge perceptions of space, performance, and memory. The VR model of The Rose represents a virtual recreation of this venue in as much detail as possible and attempts to recover graphic demonstrations of the trace memories of the performance modes of the day. The VR model is based on accurate archeological and theatre historical records and is easy to navigate. The introduction of human figures onto The Rose���s stage via motion capture allows us to explore the relationships between space, actor and environment. The combination of venue and actors facilitates a new way of thinking about how the work of early modern playwrights can be stored and recalled. This virtual theatre is thus activated to intersect productively with contemporary studies in performance; as such, our paper provides a perspective on and embodiment of the relation between technology, memory and experience. It is, at its simplest, a useful archiving project for theatrical history, but it is directly relevant to contemporary performance practice as well. Further, it reflects upon how technology and ���re-enactments��� of sorts mediate the way in which knowledge and experience are transferred, and even what may be considered ���knowledge.��� Our work provides opportunities to begin addressing what such intermedial confrontations might produce for ���remembering, experiencing, thinking and imagining.��� We contend that these confrontations will enhance live theatre performance rather than impeding or disrupting contemporary performance practice. Our ���paper��� is in the form of a video which covers the intellectual contribution while also permitting a demonstration of the interventions we are discussing.

Alcohol expectancy changes over a 12-week cognitive���behavioral therapy program are predictive of treatment success

This study examines if outcome expectancies (perceived consequences of engaging in certain behavior) and self- efficacy expectancies (confidence in personal capacity to regulate behavior) contribute to treatment outcome for alcohol dependence. Few clinical studies have examined these constructs. The Drinking Expectancy Profile (DEP), a psychometric measure of alcohol expectancy and drinking refusal selfefficacy, was administered to 298 alcohol-dependent patients (207 males) at assessment and on completion of a 12-week cognitive���behavioral therapy alcohol abstinence program. Baseline measures of expectancy and self-efficacy were not strong predictors of outcome. However, for the 164 patients who completed treatment, all alcohol expectancy and self-efficacy factors of the DEP showed change over time. The DEP scores approximated community norms at the end of treatment. Discriminant analysis indicated that change in social pressure drinking refusal self-efficacy, sexual enhancement expectancies, and assertion expectancies successfully discriminated those who successfully completed treatment from those who did not. Future research should examine the basis of expectancies related to social functioning as a possible mechanism of treatment response and a means to enhance treatment outcome.