PhD forum : multiple camera management using wide base-line matching

Manual calibration of large and dynamic networks of cameras is labour intensive and time consuming. This is a strong motivator for the development of automatic calibration methods. Automatic calibration relies on the ability to find correspondences between multiple views of the same scene. If the cameras are sparsely placed, this can be a very difficult task. This PhD project focuses on the further development of uncalibrated wide baseline matching techniques.

The conceptualisation, sensitivity and measurement of holding costs and other selected elements impacting housing affordability (Literature review and research methodology for confirmation of PhD candidature)

It is widely held that strong relationships exist between housing, economic status, and well being. This is exemplified by widespread housing stock surpluses in many countries which threaten to destabilise numerous aspects related to individuals and community. However, the position of housing demand and supply is not consistent. The Australian position provides a distinct contrast whereby seemingly inexorable housing demand generally remains a critical issue affecting the socio-economic landscape. Underpinned by high levels of immigration, and further buoyed by sustained historically low interest rates, increasing income levels, and increased government assistance for first home buyers, this strong housing demand ensures elements related to housing affordability continue to gain prominence. A significant, but less visible factor impacting housing affordability – particularly new housing development – relates to holding costs. These costs are in many ways “hidden” and cannot always be easily identified. Although it is only one contributor, the nature and extent of its impact requires elucidation. In its simplest form, it commences with a calculation of the interest or opportunity cost of land holding. However, there is significantly more complexity for major new developments - particularly greenfield property development. Preliminary analysis conducted by the author suggests that even small shifts in primary factors impacting holding costs can appreciably affect housing affordability – and notably, to a greater extent than commonly held. Even so, their importance and perceived high level impact can be gauged from the unprecedented level of attention policy makers have given them over recent years. This may be evidenced by the embedding of specific strategies to address burgeoning holding costs (and particularly those cost savings associated with streamlining regulatory assessment) within statutory instruments such as the Queensland Housing Affordability Strategy, and the South East Queensland Regional Plan. However, several key issues require investigation. Firstly, the computation and methodology behind the calculation of holding costs varies widely. In fact, it is not only variable, but in some instances completely ignored. Secondly, some ambiguity exists in terms of the inclusion of various elements of holding costs, thereby affecting the assessment of their relative contribution. Perhaps this may in part be explained by their nature: such costs are not always immediately apparent. Some forms of holding costs are not as visible as the more tangible cost items associated with greenfield development such as regulatory fees, government taxes, acquisition costs, selling fees, commissions and others. Holding costs are also more difficult to evaluate since for the most part they must be ultimately assessed over time in an ever-changing environment, based on their strong relationship with opportunity cost which is in turn dependant, inter alia, upon prevailing inflation and / or interest rates. By extending research in the general area of housing affordability, this thesis seeks to provide a more detailed investigation of those elements related to holding costs, and in so doing determine the size of their impact specifically on the end user. This will involve the development of soundly based economic and econometric models which seek to clarify the componentry impacts of holding costs. Ultimately, there are significant policy implications in relation to the framework used in Australian jurisdictions that promote, retain, or otherwise maximise, the opportunities for affordable housing.

Rock pools of critical thought : finding a place to think through my higher degree and what a PhD was all about

The rock pools, salt pans, cliffs and bluffs, and the banks of the Coorooman and Pumpkin Creeks within Darumbal and Woppaburra Country are used as a backdrop in this paper, which offers an exploration of one woman’s quest to undertake her PhD and develop as an Indigenous scholar. The paper describes this Country and the use of Country to nourish, develop, stimulate and support the intellect. It draws on Australian and international literature to demonstrate the intellectual growth and development of Indigenous scholars. The paper offers a highly personal narrative of intellectual journeying which shows how we can be agents of change and power in our individual lives, even while power is being exercised over us and we are being oppressed and marginalised as Indigenous peoples.

PhD Pathways

This presentation was offered to Phd sudents enrolled at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, Whakatāne, Aotearoa (New Zealand) on 25 February 2011. The presentation was based on Bronwyn Fredericks' PhD journey and includes information on undertaking a PhD and post-PhD. This presentation was offered during the first PhD student residential block (25-27 Feb)for 2011 at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi. Bronwyn Fredericks was at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, Whakatāne, Aotearoa as a Visiting Scholar from 02 Feb - 05 March 2011.

Destination know-where : a road map of a PhD journey in theatre for young people

Within contemporary performance arenas young people are fast becoming part of the vanguard of contemporary performance. Performativity, convergence and openness of form are key animating concepts in the landscape of Theatre for Young People (TYP). To ignore what is taking place in the making of performance for and by young people is to ignore the new possibilities in meaning-making and theatrical form. This thesis investigates the contemporary practice within the field of Theatre for Young People. Pivotal to the study are three hallmarks of contemporary performance – shifting notions of performativity; convergence articulated in the use of technology and theatrical genres; and Umberto Eco’s realisation of openness in form and authorship. The thesis draws from theatre and performance studies, globalisation theory and youth studies. Using interviews of Theatre for Young People practitioners and observation of thirty-nine performances, this thesis argues that young people and Theatre for Young People companies are among the leaders of a paradigm shift in developing and delivering performance works. In this period of rapid technological change young people are embracing and manipulating technology (sound, image, music) to represent whom they are and what they want to say. Positioned as ‘cultural catalysts’ (McRobbie, 1999), ‘the new pioneers’ (Mackay, 1993) and ‘first navigators’ (Rushkoff, 1996) young people are using mediatised culture and digital technologies with ease, placing them at the forefront of a shift in cultural production. The processes of deterritorialisation allows for the synthesis of new cultural and performance genres by fragmenting and hybridising traditional cultural categories and forms including the use of new media technologies. Almost half of all TYP performances now incorporate the technologies of reproduction. The relationship between live and mediatised forms, the visceral and the virtual is allowing young people to navigate and make meaning of cultural codes and cultural forms as well as to engage in an open dialogue with their audiences. This thesis examines the way young people are using elements of deterritorialisation to become producers of new performance genres. The thesis considers the contemporary situation in relation to issues of performance making and performance delivery within a global, networked and technology-driven society.

Factors affecting timely completion of a PhD : a complex systems approach

Completing a PhD on time is a complex process, influenced by many interacting factors. In this paper we take a Bayesian Network approach to analyzing the factors perceived to be important in achieving this aim. Focusing on a single research group in Mathematical Sciences, we develop a conceptual model to describe the factors considered to be important to students and then quantify the network based on five individual perspectives: the students, a supervisor and a university research students centre manager. The resultant network comprised 37 factors and 40 connections, with an overall probability of timely completion of between 0.6 and 0.8. Across all participants, the four factors that were considered to most directly influence timely completion were personal aspects, the research environment, the research project, and incoming skills.

LaTeX Template for Writing QUT Thesis (Research Masters and PhD)

A LATEX style file, named qutthesis.sty, is developed, for writing PhD or Research Masters thesis. Developed by Professor Glen Yu-Chu Tian, it tries to fulfill QUT’s Thesis requirements but it is unofficial.

Supporting quality timely PhD completions: Delivering research outcomes

The case study used a three-phase organising process to explain how design and implementation of an accessible and interactive electronic thesis submission form streamlined quality assurance of theses and their timely dissemination via an online thesis repository. The quality of the theses submitted is assured by key academics in their final sign off of the form. It describes the role of shared cultural value in ensuring ready acceptance of a change process within one university and highlights the value of communication in achieving positive change. Quality standards as defined by an external policy framework are shown to be interpreted at the local university level to enhance the PhD completion experience. It describes the impact of moving quality assurance processes to an online environment on research activities; considering the potential for quality assurance to improve universities’ teaching, learning and research activities by facilitating academic oversight of the quality assurance process and reducing the overheads associated with monitoring, measuring and reporting on quality assurance measures.

Influencia de diferentes períodos de destete sobre peso de la hembra al destete (PHD), peso de la camada al destete (PCD) y peso de la hembra al segundo parto (PHP2) en conejas primiparas, en el municipio de Rivas

El presente ensayo se realizó con el objetivo de medir el efecto de tres períodos de destete diferentes (20, 40 y 60 días respectivamente) sobre el Peso de la hembra al destete (PHD), Peso de la camada al destete (PCD) y Peso de la hembra al segundo parto (PHP2) en conejas primíparas. Para el análisis de los datos fue utilizado un Diseño Completamente Aleatorio (D.C.A.) con 4 repeticiones (hembras primíparas) para el destete de 20 días, 5 repeticiones para el destete de 40 días y 4 repeticiones para el destete de 60 días. La información utilizada para los análisis estadísticos provino de datos recaudados en registros reproductivos, de un conejar compuesto de 13 conejas y un padrote. La edad y peso promedio de los animales al inicio del ensayo fueron homogéneos (7 meses y 3.007 Kg respectivamente). El ensayo se realizó en el municipio de Rivas ubicado a 111 km de la ciudad de Managua, a 11º 26' de latitud Norte y 85º 44' de longitud Oeste, a una elevación de 57.77 m.s.n.m. Las variables en estudio fueron: Peso de la hembra al destete (PHD), Peso de la camada al destete (PCD), Peso de la hembra al segundo parto (PHP2). Los valores y desviación estándar para dichas variables fue de : 2.94483 ± 0.3071 Kg, promedios 2.8629 ± 1.5308 Kg y 3.0635 ± 0.2212 Kg, respectivamente. En el ANDEVA realizado para las diferentes variables, el efecto de los tratamientos sobre el Peso de la hembra al destete resultó no significativo. No así, para con las variables Peso de la camada al destete (PCD) y Peso de la hembra al segundo parto (PHP2), donde el efecto de los tratamientos sobre estas fue significativo. El efecto de la covariable (Peso de la hembra al primer parto) solamente resultó significativo para la variable Peso de la hembra al destete (PHD). Mediante la Separación de medias por la Prueba de DUNCAN se obtuvieron los siguientes promedios de las variables por tratamiento; Peso de la hembra al destete (PHD): 1.3469 Kg (t: 20 días), 2.9508 Kg (t: 40 días) y 2.9194 Kg (t: 60 días). Para el Peso de la camada al destete (PCD), los valores fueron: 1.3469 kg (t: 20 días), 2.6571 Kg (t: 40 días) y 4.6363 Kg (t: 60 días). Para el Peso de la hembra al segundo parto (PHP2) los valores fueron: 3.2895 Kg (t: 20 días), 3.0030 Kg (t: 40 días) y 2.9131 Kg (t: 60 días). Con la realización del Análisis de los Costos para hembras, se determinaron valores de 105.29, 127.42 y 148.65 (córdobas), para una hembra al destete en los tratamientos de 20, 40 y 60 días de destete respectivamente. Los costos para una hembra al segundo parto fueron: C$ 130.77 (t: 20 días), C$ 147.03 (t: 40 días) y C$168.26 (t: 60 días). Para gazapo al nacimiento los costos por tratamiento fueron los siguientes: C$ 4.43 (t: 20 días), C$ 4.60 (t: 40 días) y C$ 4.87 (t 60 días. Así también, se determinaron los costos de un gazapo al destete, obteniéndose valores de C$ 7.90, C$ 11.53 y C$15.82 para los tratamientos de 20, 40 y 60 días de destete respectivamente.

Convergence of the auxiliary particle implementation of the PHD filter

Optimal Bayesian multi-target filtering is in general computationally impractical owing to the high dimensionality of the multi-target state. The Probability Hypothesis Density (PHD) filter propagates the first moment of the multi-target posterior distribution. While this reduces the dimensionality of the problem, the PHD filter still involves intractable integrals in many cases of interest. Several authors have proposed Sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) implementations of the PHD filter. However, these implementations are the equivalent of the Bootstrap Particle Filter, and the latter is well known to be inefficient. Drawing on ideas from the Auxiliary Particle Filter (APF), a SMC implementation of the PHD filter which employs auxiliary variables to enhance its efficiency was proposed by Whiteley et. al. Numerical examples were presented for two scenarios, including a challenging nonlinear observation model, to support the claim. This paper studies the theoretical properties of this auxiliary particle implementation. $\mathbb{L}_p$ error bounds are established from which almost sure convergence follows.