Smart grid-demand side response model to mitigate prices and peak impact on the electrical system

The aims of this project is to develop demand side response model which assists electricity consumers who are exposed to the market price through aggregator to manage the air-conditioning peak electricity demand. The main contribution of this research is to show how consumers can optimise the energy cost caused by the air-conditioning load considering the electricity market price and network overload. The model is tested with selected characteristics of the room, Queensland electricity market data from Australian Energy Market Operator and data from the Bureau of Statistics on temperatures in Brisbane, during weekdays on hot days from 2011 - 2012.

The role of pneumonia scores in the emergency room in patients infected by 2009 H1N1 infection

Despite the severity of pneumonia in patients with pandemic influenza A infection (H1N1), no validated risk scores associated with H1N1 pneumonia were tested. In this prospective observational study, we analyzed data of consecutive patients in our emergency room, hospitalized because of pneumonia between July and August 2009 in a public hospital in Brazil. The following pneumonia scoring systems were applied: the SMART-COP rule; the Pneumonia Severity Index; and the CURB-65 rule. Of 105 patients with pneumonia, 53 had H1N1 infection. Among them, only 9.5% that had a low risk according to SMART-COP were admitted to ICU, compared with 36.8% of those with the Pneumonia Severity Index score of 1-2 and 49% of those with CURB-65 score of 0-1. The SMART-COP had an accuracy of 83% to predict ICU admission. The SMART-COP rule presented the best performance to indicate ICU admission in patients with H1N1 pneumonia. European Journal of Emergency Medicine 19: 200-202 (C) 2012 Wolters Kluwer Health vertical bar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

A smart surgical robotic for cochlear implantation

In this paper a surgical robotic device for cochlear implantation surgery is described that is able to discriminate tissue interfaces and other controlling parameters ahead of a drill tip. The advantage in surgery is that tissues at interfaces can be preserved. The smart tool is able to control interaction with respect to the flexing tissue to avoid penetration control the extent of protrusion with respect to the real-time position of the tissue. To interpret drilling conditions, and conditions leading up to breakthrough at a tissue interface, the sensing scheme used enables discrimination between the variety of conditions posed in the drilling environment. The result is a robust fully autonomous system able to respond to tissue type, behaviour and deflection in real-time. The paper describes the robotic tool that has been designed to be used in the surgical environment where it has been used in the operating room.

Queensland's Smart State Initiative : a successful knowledge based urban development strategy

The chapter will set out to explain the KBUD and urban policy making processes in Queensland, Australia. This chapter will draw on providing a clear understanding on policy frameworks and relevant ICT applications of the Queensland ‘Smart State’ experience. The chapter is consisted of six sections. The first section following the introduction provides background information. The second section focuses on the KBUD processes in Queensland. The third section offers a comprehensive analysis of the ‘Queensland Smart State’ initiative, and it also identifies actors and goals of the agenda of Smart State experience. The fourth section reviews knowledge based development and ICT applications and policies of the Queensland Smart State and Brisbane Smart City experiences, and their impacts on Brisbane’s successful KBUD. The fifth section discusses knowledge hubs and ICT developments within the Brisbane metropolitan area. Then the chapter concludes with future trends and conclusion sections.