A mass-conservative control volume-finite element method for solving Richards’ equation in heterogeneous porous media

We present a mass-conservative vertex-centred finite volume method for efficiently solving the mixed form of Richards’ equation in heterogeneous porous media. The spatial discretisation is particularly well-suited to heterogeneous media because it produces consistent flux approximations at quadrature points where material properties are continuous. Combined with the method of lines, the spatial discretisation gives a set of differential algebraic equations amenable to solution using higher-order implicit solvers. We investigate the solution of the mixed form using a Jacobian-free inexact Newton solver, which requires the solution of an extra variable for each node in the mesh compared to the pressure-head form. By exploiting the structure of the Jacobian for the mixed form, the size of the preconditioner is reduced to that for the pressure-head form, and there is minimal computational overhead for solving the mixed form. The proposed formulation is tested on two challenging test problems. The solutions from the new formulation offer conservation of mass at least one order of magnitude more accurate than a pressure head formulation, and the higher-order temporal integration significantly improves both the mass balance and computational efficiency of the solution.

Natural convection flow with combined buoyancy effects due to thermal and mass diffusion in a thermally stratified media

We present here a numerical study of laminar doubly diffusive free convection flows adjacent to a vertical surface in a stable thermally stratified medium. The governing equations of mass, momentum, energy and species are non-dimensionalized. These equations have been solved by using an implicit finite difference method and local non-similarity method. The results show many interesting aspects of complex interaction of the two buoyant mechanisms that have been shown in both the tabular as well as graphical form.

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.

Tailoring the visible photoluminescence of mass-produced ZnO nanowires

We have grown defect-rich ZnO nanowires on a large scale by the vapour phase reaction method without using any metal catalyst and vacuum system. The defects, including zinc vacancies, oxygen interstitials and oxygen antisites, are related to the excess of oxygen in ZnO nanowires and are controllable. The nanowires having high excess of oxygen exhibit a brown-colour photoluminescence, due to the dominant emission band composed by violet, blue and green emissions. Those having more balanced Zn and O show a dominant green emission, giving rise to a green colour under UV light illumination. By O2-annealing treatment the violet luminescence after the band-edge emission UV peak can be enhanced for as-grown nanowires. However, the green emission shows different changing trends under O2-annealing treatment, associated with the excess of oxygen in the nanowires.

Planning volunteer responses to low-volume mass gatherings: do event characteristics predict patient workload?

INTRODUCTION: Workforce planning for first aid and medical coverage of mass gatherings is hampered by limited research. In particular, the characteristics and likely presentation patterns of low-volume mass gatherings of between several hundred to several thousand people are poorly described in the existing literature. OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to: 1. Describe key patient and event characteristics of medical presentations at a series of mass gatherings, including events smaller than those previously described in the literature; 2. Determine whether event type and event size affect the mean number of patients presenting for treatment per event, and specifically, whether the 1:2,000 deployment rule used by St John Ambulance Australia is appropriate; and 3. Identify factors that are predictive of injury at mass gatherings. METHODS: A retrospective, observational, case-series design was used to examine all cases treated by two Divisions of St John Ambulance (Queensland) in the greater metropolitan Brisbane region over a three-year period (01 January 2002-31 December 2004). Data were obtained from routinely collected patient treatment forms completed by St John officers at the time of treatment. Event-related data (e.g., weather, event size) were obtained from event forms designed for this study. Outcome measures include: total and average number of patient presentations for each event; event type; and event size category. Descriptive analyses were conducted using chi-square tests, and mean presentations per event and event type were investigated using Kruskal-Wallis tests. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify variables independently associated with injury presentation (compared with non-injury presentations). RESULTS: Over the three-year study period, St John Ambulance officers treated 705 patients over 156 separate events. The mean number of patients who presented with any medical condition at small events (less than or equal to 2,000 attendees) did not differ significantly from that of large (>2,000 attendees) events (4.44 vs. 4.67, F = 0.72, df = 1, 154, p = 0.79). Logistic regression analyses indicated that presentation with an injury compared with non-injury was independently associated with male gender, winter season, and sporting events, even after adjusting for relevant variables. CONCLUSIONS: In this study of low-volume mass gatherings, a similar number of patients sought medical treatment at small (<2,000 patrons) and large (>2,000 patrons) events. This demonstrates that for low-volume mass gatherings, planning based solely on anticipated event size may be flawed, and could lead to inappropriate levels of first-aid coverage. This study also highlights the importance of considering other factors, such as event type and patient characteristics, when determining appropriate first-aid resourcing for low-volume events. Additionally, identification of factors predictive of injury presentations at mass gatherings has the potential to significantly enhance the ability of event coordinators to plan effective prevention strategies and response capability for these events.

Creating new narratives through shared time and space : the performer/audience connection in multi-site dance events

Site-specific performance provides choices in audience experience via degrees of scale, proximity, levels of immersion and viewing perspectives. Beyond these choices, multi-site promenade events also form a connected audience/performer relationship in which moving together in time and space can produce a shared narrative and aesthetic sensibility of collective, yet individuated and shifting meanings. This paper interrogates this notion through audience/performer experiences in two separate multi-site, dance-led events. here/there/then/now occurred in four intimate sites within the Brisbane Powerhouse, providing a theatricalised platform for audiences to create linked narratives through open-ended and fragmented intertextuality. Accented Body, based on the concept of “the body as site and in site” and notions of connectivity, provided a more expansive platform for a similar, but heightened, shared engagement. Audiences traversed 6 outdoor and 2 indoor Brisbane sites moving to varying levels of a large complex. Eleven, predominantly interactive, screens provided links to other sites as well as to distributed presences in Seoul and London. The differentiation in scale and travel time between sites deepened the immersive experiences of audiences who reported transformative engagements with both site and architecture, accompanied by a sense of extended and yet quickened time.

Body composition and appetite : fat-free mass (but not fat mass or BMI) is positively associated with self-determined meal size and daily energy intake in humans

The idea of body weight regulation implies that a biological mechanism exerts control over energy expenditure and food intake. This is a central tenet of energy homeostasis. However, the source and identity of the controlling mechanism have not been identified, although it is often presumed to be some long-acting signal related to body fat, such as leptin. Using a comprehensive experimental platform, we have investigated the relationship between biological and behavioural variables in two separate studies over a 12-week intervention period in obese adults (total n 92). All variables have been measured objectively and with a similar degree of scientific control and precision, including anthropometric factors, body composition, RMR and accumulative energy consumed at individual meals across the whole day. Results showed that meal size and daily energy intake (EI) were significantly correlated with fat-free mass (FFM, P values ,0·02–0·05) but not with fat mass (FM) or BMI (P values 0·11–0·45) (study 1, n 58). In study 2 (n 34), FFM (but not FM or BMI) predicted meal size and daily EI under two distinct dietary conditions (high-fat and low-fat). These data appear to indicate that, under these circumstances, some signal associated with lean mass (but not FM) exerts a determining effect over self-selected food consumption. This signal may be postulated to interact with a separate class of signals generated by FM. This finding may have implications for investigations of the molecular control of food intake and body weight and for the management of obesity.

The life-cycle of the fashion garment and the role of Australian mass market designers

This paper uses the lens of life-cycle thinking to discuss recent developments in the Australian mass market fashion industry, and to explore the opportunities and barriers to implementing lifecycle thinking within mass market design processes. Life-cycle analysis is a quantitative tool used to assess the environmental impact of a material or product. However the underlying thinking of life-cycle analysis can also be employed more generally, enabling a designer to assess their processes and design decisions for sustainability. A fashion designer employing life cycle thinking would consider every stage in the life of a garment from fibre and textiles through to consumer use, to eventual disposal and beyond disposal to reuse and later disassembly for fibre recycling. Although life-cycle thinking is rarely considered in the design processes of the fast-paced, price-driven mass market, this paper explores its potential and suggests ways in which it could be implemented.

Frantic fashion and Australia’s invisible designers : conversations on sustainability in the mass market

The majority of Australians will work, sleep and die in the garments of the mass market. Yet, as Ian Griffiths has termed it, the designers of these garments are ‘invisible’ (2000). To the general public, the values, opinions and individual design processes of these designers are as unknown as their names. However, the designer’s role is crucial in making decisions which will have impacts throughout the life of the garment. The high product volume within the mass market ensures that even a small decision in the design process to source a particular fabric, or to use a certain trim or textile finish, can have a profound environmental or social effect. While big companies in Australia have implemented some visible strategies for sustainability, it is uncertain how these may have flowed through to design practices. To explore this question, this presentation will discuss preliminary findings from in-depth semi-structured interviews with Australian mass market fashion designers and product developers. The aim of the interviews was to hear the voice of the insider – to listen to mass market designers describe their design process, discuss the Australian fashion industry and its future challenges and opportunities, and to comment on what a ‘sustainability’ for their industry could look like. These interviews will be discussed within the framework of design philosopher Tony Fry’s writing on design redirection for sustainability.

The knock-on from the knock-off : recent shifts within Australian mass market fashion design practice

Australia’s mass market fashion labels have traditionally benefitted from their peripheral location to the world’s fashion centres. Operating a season behind, Australian mass market designers and buyers were well-placed to watch trends play out overseas before testing them in the Australian marketplace. For this reason, often a designer’s role was to source and oversee the manufacture of ‘knock-offs’, or close copies of Northern hemisphere mass market garments. Both Weller (2007) and Walsh (2009) have commented on this practice. The knock-on effect from this continues to be a cautious, derivative fashion sensibility within Australian mass market fashion design, where any new trend or product is first tested and proved overseas months earlier. However, there is evidence that this is changing. The rapid online dissemination of global fashion trends, coupled with the Australian consumer’s willingness to shop online, has meant that the ‘knock-off’ is less viable. For this reason, a number of mass market companies are moving away from the practice of direct sourcing and are developing product in-house under a Northern hemisphere model. This shift is also witnessed in the trend for mass market companies to develop collections in partnership with independent Australian designers. This paper explores the current and potential effects of these shifts within Australian mass market design practice, and discusses how they may impact on designers, consumers and on the wider culture of Australian fashion.

The lifecycle of the fashion garment : voices of mass market designers

For the Australian fashion industry to move towards a more socially and environmentally ethical industry, change to existing processes would need to occur in all market levels. Change is particularly needed in the mass market, where larger volumes inevitably lead to greater environmental impact. Recent trends in eco fashion have waxed and waned, with only minor impact on the methodology of the mass market design process, with greenwashing and confusion of concepts being common problems. In the mass market, the product lifecycle begins in the design room and ends on the retail floor. A design process for sustainability necessarily expands this lifecycle, assessing the impact of every stage in the life of a fashion garment from the fibre and textiles through to consumer use, to eventual disposal and beyond disposal to fibre recycling and reuse or resale. However, how easy is it for designers to consider a wider view of the product lifecycle in their design process? How much autonomy do they have over their design process, and where do they believe their responsibility begins and ends for the garments they design? This paper will present some preliminary findings from interviews with designers in the Australian women’s wear mass market, revealing their concerns and views on the challenges of a sustainability for their industry.

Individuals in a mass market environment: Australian bequest donors seek better communication from charities

Swelling social need and competing calls on government funds have heightened the philanthropic dollar’s value. Yet, Australia is not regarded as having a robust giving culture: while 86% of adults give, a mere 16% plan their giving with those who do donating four times as much as spontaneous givers (Giving Australia, 2005). Traditionally, the prime planned giving example is a charitable bequest, a revenue stream not prevalent here (Baker, 2007). In fact, Baker’s Victorian probate data shows under 5% of estates provide a charitable bequest and just over 1% of estate assets is bequeathed. The UK, in contrast, sources 30% and the US 10% of charitable income through bequests (NCVO, 2004; Sargeant, Wymer and Hilton,2006). Australian charities could boost bequest giving. Understanding the donor market, which has or may remember them in their will is critical. This paper reports donor perceptions of Australian charities’ bequest communication/ marketing. The data forms part of a wider study of Australian donors’ bequest attitudes and behaviour. Charities spend heavily on bequest promotion, from advertising to personal selling to public relations and promotion. Infrastructure funds are scarce so guidance on what works for donors is important. Guy and Patton (1988) made their classic call for a nonprofit marketing perspective and identify the need for charities to better understand the motivations and behaviour of their supporters. In similar vein, this study aims to improve the way nonprofits and givers interact; and ultimately, enhance the giving experience and thus multiply planned giving participation. Academically, it offers insights to Australian bequest motivations and attitudes not studied empirically before.

Re-engaging marginalized youth through digital music production: performance, audience and evaluation

This paper presents two case studies of marginalised youth experimenting with digital music production in flexible education settings. The cases were drawn from a three-year study of alternative assessment in flexible learning centres that enrol 650+ students who have left formal schooling in Queensland, Australia. The cases are framed in reference to the literature on cultural studies approaches to education and the digital arts. Each case describes the student’s histories, cultural background and experiences, music productions, evidence of learning and re-engagement with education. Findings document how digital music production can re-engage and extend participation among students who have left formal education. They do so by theorising the online judgements and blog comments about the digital music production as a social field of exchange. It also raises critical questions about the adequacy of current approaches to evaluating and accounting for the learning and development of such youth, especially where this has occurred through creative arts and digital production.

A comparative study of the number and mass of fine particles emitted with diesel fuel and marine gas oil (MGO)

The current investigation reports on diesel particulate matter emissions, with special interest in fine particles from the combustion of two base fuels. The base fuels selected were diesel fuel and marine gas oil (MGO). The experiments were conducted with a four-stroke, six-cylinder, direct injection diesel engine. The results showed that the fine particle number emissions measured by both SMPS and ELPI were higher with MGO compared to diesel fuel. It was observed that the fine particle number emissions with the two base fuels were quantitatively different but qualitatively similar. The gravimetric (mass basis) measurement also showed higher total particulate matter (TPM) emissions with the MGO. The smoke emissions, which were part of TPM, were also higher for the MGO. No significant changes in the mass flow rate of fuel and the brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) were observed between the two base fuels.