A Bayesian analysis of an agricultural field trial with three spatial dimensions

Modern technology now has the ability to generate large datasets over space and time. Such data typically exhibit high autocorrelations over all dimensions. The field trial data motivating the methods of this paper were collected to examine the behaviour of traditional cropping and to determine a cropping system which could maximise water use for grain production while minimising leakage below the crop root zone. They consist of moisture measurements made at 15 depths across 3 rows and 18 columns, in the lattice framework of an agricultural field. Bayesian conditional autoregressive (CAR) models are used to account for local site correlations. Conditional autoregressive models have not been widely used in analyses of agricultural data. This paper serves to illustrate the usefulness of these models in this field, along with the ease of implementation in WinBUGS, a freely available software package. The innovation is the fitting of separate conditional autoregressive models for each depth layer, the ‘layered CAR model’, while simultaneously estimating depth profile functions for each site treatment. Modelling interest also lay in how best to model the treatment effect depth profiles, and in the choice of neighbourhood structure for the spatial autocorrelation model. The favoured model fitted the treatment effects as splines over depth, and treated depth, the basis for the regression model, as measured with error, while fitting CAR neighbourhood models by depth layer. It is hierarchical, with separate onditional autoregressive spatial variance components at each depth, and the fixed terms which involve an errors-in-measurement model treat depth errors as interval-censored measurement error. The Bayesian framework permits transparent specification and easy comparison of the various complex models compared.

A framework for analysing system intelligence of the building control system: a study of the integrated building management system

The lack of satisfactory consensus for characterizing the system intelligence and structured analytical decision models has inhibited the developers and practitioners to understand and configure optimum intelligent building systems in a fully informed manner. So far, little research has been conducted in this aspect. This research is designed to identify the key intelligent indicators, and develop analytical models for computing the system intelligence score of smart building system in the intelligent building. The integrated building management system (IBMS) was used as an illustrative example to present a framework. The models presented in this study applied the system intelligence theory, and the conceptual analytical framework. A total of 16 key intelligent indicators were first identified from a general survey. Then, two multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) approaches, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and analytic network process (ANP), were employed to develop the system intelligence analytical models. Top intelligence indicators of IBMS include: self-diagnostic of operation deviations; adaptive limiting control algorithm; and, year-round time schedule performance. The developed conceptual framework was then transformed to the practical model. The effectiveness of the practical model was evaluated by means of expert validation. The main contribution of this research is to promote understanding of the intelligent indicators, and to set the foundation for a systemic framework that provide developers and building stakeholders a consolidated inclusive tool for the system intelligence evaluation of the proposed components design configurations.

Practical decision support system evaluation for consultant selection

The widespread development of Decision Support System (DSS) in construction indicate that the evaluation of software become more important than before. However, it is identified that most research in construction discipline did not attempt to assess its usability. Therefore, little is known about the approach on how to properly evaluate a DSS for specific problem. In this paper, we present a practical framework that can be guidance for DSS evaluation. It focuses on how to evaluate software that is dedicatedly designed for consultant selection problem. The framework features two main components i.e. Sub-system Validation and Face Validation. Two case studies of consultant selection at Malaysian Department of Irrigation and Drainage were integrated in this framework. Some inter-disciplinary area such as Software Engineering, Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and Construction Project Management underpinned the discussion of the paper. It is anticipated that this work can foster better DSS development and quality decision making that accurately meet the client’s expectation and needs

Entertainment industries : entertainment as a cultural system

Entertainment Industries is the first book to map entertainment as a cultural system. Including work from world-renowned analysts such as Henry Jenkins and Jonathan Gray, this innovative collection explains what entertainment is and how it works. Entertainment is audience-centred culture. The Entertainment Industries are a uniquely interdisciplinary collection of evolving businesses that openly monitor evolving cultural trends and work within them. The producers of entertainment – central to that practice– are the new artists. They understand audiences and combine creative, business and legal skills in order to produce cultural products that cater to them. Entertainment Industries describes the characteristics of entertainment, the systems that produce it, and the role of producers and audiences in its development, as well as explaining the importance of this area of study, and how it might be better integrated into Universities.

Influences of green star rating tool on HVAC system design

Buildings are one of the most significant infrastructures in modern societies. The construction and operation of modern buildings consume a considerable amount of energy and materials, therefore contribute significantly to the climate change process. In order to reduce the environmental impact of buildings, various green building rating tools have been developed. In this paper, energy uses of the building sector in Australia and over the world are first reviewed. This is then followed by discussions on the development and scopes of various green building rating tools, with a particular focus on the Green Star rating scheme developed in Australia. It is shown that Green Star has significant implications on almost every aspect of the design of HVAC systems, including the selection of air handling and distribution systems, fluid handling systems, refrigeration systems, heat rejection systems and building control systems.

Information Accountability Framework for a Trusted Health Care System

Trusted health care outcomes are patient centric. Requirements to ensure both the quality and sharing of patients’ health records are a key for better clinical decision making. In the context of maintaining quality health, the sharing of data and information between professionals and patients is paramount. This information sharing is a challenge and costly if patients’ trust and institutional accountability are not established. Establishment of an Information Accountability Framework (IAF) is one of the approaches in this paper. The concept behind the IAF requirements are: transparent responsibilities, relevance of the information being used, and the establishment and evidence of accountability that all lead to the desired outcome of a Trusted Health Care System. Upon completion of this IAF framework the trust component between the public and professionals will be constructed. Preservation of the confidentiality and integrity of patients’ information will lead to trusted health care outcomes.

Identification of selection criteria for operational variations of the design-build system : a delphi study in China

The design-build (DB) system has been demonstrated as an effective delivery method and has gained popularity worldwide. However it is observed that a number of operational variations of DB system have emerged since the last decade to cater for different client’s requirements. After the client decides to procure his project through the DB system, he still has to choose an appropriate configuration to deliver their projects optimally. However, there is little research on the selection of DB operational variations. One of the main reasons for this is the lack of evaluation criteria for determining the appropriateness of each operational variation. To obtain such criteria, a three-round Delphi survey has been conducted with 20 construction experts in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Seven top selection criteria were identified. These are: (1) availability of competent design-builders; (2) client’s capabilities; (3) project complexity; (4) client’s control of project; (5) early commencement & short duration; (6) reduced responsibility or involvement; and (7) clearly defined end user’s requirements. These selection criteria were found to have a statistically significant agreement. These findings may furnish various stakeholders, DB clients in particular, with better insight to understand and compare the different operational variations of the DB system.

The Australian domain name registration system : a more efficient system for the promotion of liberalisation, consumer protection and growth

This thesis is about the Australian domain name system and, in particular, the principles governing the registration of domain names in the '.au' country code domain space. It examines the different types of registration systems adopted in country code domain spaces and categorises them according to the extent to which they impose restrictions on registration, ranging from restrictive to unrestrictive. A comparative analysis is made of the restrictive registration system in Australia and the United Kingdom‘s unrestrictive system.

Development of a high-speed sensing and detection system for automatic removal of packages with leaky seals from a high-speed food processing and packaging line

Contamination of packaged foods due to micro-organisms entering through air leaks can cause serious public health issues and cost companies large amounts of money due to product recalls, consumer impact and subsequent loss of market share. The main source of contamination is leaks in packaging which allow air, moisture and microorganisms to enter the package. In the food processing and packaging industry worldwide, there is an increasing demand for cost effective state of the art inspection technologies that are capable of reliably detecting leaky seals and delivering products at six-sigma. The new technology will develop non-destructive testing technology using digital imaging and sensing combined with a differential vacuum technique to assess seal integrity of food packages on a high-speed production line. The cost of leaky packages in Australian food industries is estimated close to AUD $35 Million per year. Contamination of packaged foods due to micro-organisms entering through air leaks can cause serious public health issues and cost companies large sums of money due to product recalls, compensation claims and loss of market share. The main source of contamination is leaks in packaging which allow air, moisture and micro-organisms to enter the package. Flexible plastic packages are widely used, and are the least expensive form of retaining the quality of the product. These packets can be used to seal, and therefore maximise, the shelf life of both dry and moist products. The seals of food packages need to be airtight so that the food content is not contaminated due to contact with microorganisms that enter as a result of air leakage. Airtight seals also extend the shelf life of packaged foods, and manufacturers attempt to prevent food products with leaky seals being sold to consumers. There are many current NDT (non-destructive testing) methods of testing the seal of flexible packages best suited to random sampling, and for laboratory purposes. The three most commonly used methods are vacuum/pressure decay, bubble test, and helium leak detection. Although these methods can detect very fine leaks, they are limited by their high processing time and are not viable in a production line. Two nondestructive in-line packaging inspection machines are currently available and are discussed in the literature review. The detailed design and development of the High-Speed Sensing and Detection System (HSDS) is the fundamental requirement of this project and the future prototype and production unit. Successful laboratory testing was completed and a methodical design procedure was needed for a successful concept. The Mechanical tests confirmed the vacuum hypothesis and seal integrity with good consistent results. Electrically, the testing also provided solid results to enable the researcher to move the project forward with a certain amount of confidence. The laboratory design testing allowed the researcher to confirm theoretical assumptions before moving into the detailed design phase. Discussion on the development of the alternative concepts in both mechanical and electrical disciplines enables the researcher to make an informed decision. Each major mechanical and electrical component is detailed through the research and design process. The design procedure methodically works through the various major functions both from a mechanical and electrical perspective. It opens up alternative ideas for the major components that although are sometimes not practical in this application, show that the researcher has exhausted all engineering and functionality thoughts. Further concepts were then designed and developed for the entire HSDS unit based on previous practice and theory. In the future, it would be envisaged that both the Prototype and Production version of the HSDS would utilise standard industry available components, manufactured and distributed locally. Future research and testing of the prototype unit could result in a successful trial unit being incorporated in a working food processing production environment. Recommendations and future works are discussed, along with options in other food processing and packaging disciplines, and other areas in the non-food processing industry.

Delegation framework for federated systems

It is not uncommon for enterprises today to be faced with the demand to integrate and incor- porate many different and possibly heterogeneous systems which are generally independently designed and developed, to allow seamless access. In effect, the integration of these systems results in one large whole system that must be able, at the same time, to maintain the local autonomy and to continue working as an independent entity. This problem has introduced a new distributed architecture called federated systems. The most challenging issue in federated systems is to find answers for the question of how to efficiently cooperate while preserving their autonomous characteristic, especially the security autonomy. This thesis intends to address this issue. The thesis reviews the evolution of the concept of federated systems and discusses the organisational characteristics as well as remaining security issues with the existing approaches. The thesis examines how delegation can be used as means to achieve better security, especially authorisation while maintaining autonomy for the participating member of the federation. A delegation taxonomy is proposed as one of the main contributions. The major contribution of this thesis is to study and design a mechanism to support dele- gation within and between multiple security domains with constraint management capability. A novel delegation framework is proposed including two modules: Delegation Constraint Man- agement module and Policy Management module. The first module is designed to effectively create, track and manage delegation constraints, especially for delegation processes which require re-delegation (indirect delegation). The first module employs two algorithms to trace the root authority of a delegation constraint chain and to prevent the potential conflict when creating a delegation constraint chain if necessary. The first module is designed for conflict prevention not conflict resolution. The second module is designed to support the first module via the policy comparison capability. The major function of this module is to provide the delegation framework the capability to compare policies and constraints (written under the format of a policy). The module is an extension of Lin et al.'s work on policy filtering and policy analysis. Throughout the thesis, some case studies are used as examples to illustrate the discussed concepts. These two modules are designed to capture one of the most important aspects of the delegation process: the relationships between the delegation transactions and the involved constraints, which are not very well addressed by the existing approaches. This contribution is significant because the relationships provide information to keep track and en- force the involved delegation constraints and, therefore, play a vital role in maintaining and enforcing security for transactions across multiple security domains.

The philosophy and practice of water sensitive urban design : is it consistent with a whole system approach

This paper provides a critique of the Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) paradigm by discussing its congruence with an established sustainable design principle called 'whole system design'. It was found that WSUD is congruent with the whole system design approach as a philosophy, but not in practice. Future improvement of WSUD practice may depend on the adoption of a front-loaded, teamwork-based design and planning process that is embedded in the principle of whole system design.

Study of the effectiveness of outrigger system for high-rise composite buildings for cyclonic region

The demands of taller structures are becoming imperative almost everywhere in the world in addition to the challenges of material and labor cost, project time line etc. This paper conducted a study keeping in view the challenging nature of high-rise construction with no generic rules for deflection minimizations and frequency control. The effects of cyclonic wind and provision of outriggers on 28-storey, 42-storey and 57-storey are examined in this paper and certain conclusions are made which would pave way for researchers to conduct further study in this particular area of civil engineering. The results show that plan dimensions have vital impacts on structural heights. Increase of height while keeping the plan dimensions same, leads to the reduction in the lateral rigidity. To achieve required stiffness increase of bracings sizes as well as introduction of additional lateral resisting system such as belt truss and outriggers is required.

Development of an Innovative Hybrid-Composite Floor System

This paper discusses the research carried out towards the development of a hybrid-composite floor plate systems (HCFPS) using polyurethane (PU), glass-fibre reinforced cement (GRC) and thin perforated steel laminate. HCFPS is configured in such a way where positive inherent properties of individual component materials are combined to offset any weakness and achieve the optimum performance. Finite Element modeling of HCFPS with ABAQUS 6.9-1, comparative studies of HCFPS with the steel deck composite system and experimental investigations which will be carried out are briefly described in the paper.

A review of models and model usage scenarios for an airport complex system

Airports represent the epitome of complex systems with multiple stakeholders, multiple jurisdictions and complex interactions between many actors. The large number of existing models that capture different aspects of the airport are a testament to this. However, these existing models do not consider in a systematic sense modelling requirements nor how stakeholders such as airport operators or airlines would make use of these models. This can detrimentally impact on the verification and validation of models and makes the development of extensible and reusable modelling tools difficult. This paper develops from the Concept of Operations (CONOPS) framework a methodology to help structure the review and development of modelling capabilities and usage scenarios. The method is applied to the review of existing airport terminal passenger models. It is found that existing models can be broadly categorised according to four usage scenarios: capacity planning, operational planning and design, security policy and planning, and airport performance review. The models, the performance metrics that they evaluate and their usage scenarios are discussed. It is found that capacity and operational planning models predominantly focus on performance metrics such as waiting time, service time and congestion whereas performance review models attempt to link those to passenger satisfaction outcomes. Security policy models on the other hand focus on probabilistic risk assessment. However, there is an emerging focus on the need to be able to capture trade-offs between multiple criteria such as security and processing time. Based on the CONOPS framework and literature findings, guidance is provided for the development of future airport terminal models.

The accuracy of a new system for estimating organ volume using ultrasound

A new system is described for estimating volume from a series of multiplanar 2D ultrasound images. Ultrasound images are captured using a personal computer video digitizing card and an electromagnetic localization system is used to record the pose of the ultrasound images. The accuracy of the system was assessed by scanning four groups of ten cadaveric kidneys on four different ultrasound machines. Scan image planes were oriented either radially, in parallel or slanted at 30 C to the vertical. The cross-sectional images of the kidneys were traced using a mouse and the outline points transformed to 3D space using the Fastrak position and orientation data. Points on adjacent region of interest outlines were connected to form a triangle mesh and the volume of the kidneys estimated using the ellipsoid, planimetry, tetrahedral and ray tracing methods. There was little difference between the results for the different scan techniques or volume estimation algorithms, although, perhaps as expected, the ellipsoid results were the least precise. For radial scanning and ray tracing, the mean and standard deviation of the percentage errors for the four different machines were as follows: Hitachi EUB-240, −3.0 ± 2.7%; Tosbee RM3, −0.1 ± 2.3%; Hitachi EUB-415, 0.2 ± 2.3%; Acuson, 2.7 ± 2.3%.