Effect of pyrolysis conditions on bone char characterization and its ability for arsenic and fluoride removal
- Authors: Alkurdi, Susan , Al-Juboori, Raed , Bundschuh, Jochen , Bowtell, Les , McKnight, Stafford
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environmental Pollution Vol. 262, no. (2020), p.
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This study examined arsenite [As(III)], arsenate [As(V)] and fluoride (F−) removal potential of bone char produced from sheep (Ovis aries) bone waste. Pyrolysis conditions tested were in the 500 °C–900 °C range, for a holding time of 1 or 2 h, with or without N2 gas purging. Previous bone char studies mainly focused on either low or high temperature range with limited information provided on As(III) removal. This study aims to address these gaps and provide insights into the effect of pyrolysis conditions on bone char sorption capacity. A range of advanced chemical analyses were employed to track the change in bone char properties. As pyrolysis temperature and holding time increased, the resulting pH, surface charge, surface roughness, crystallinity, pore size and CEC all increased, accompanied by a decrease in the acidic functional groups and surface area. Pyrolysis temperature was a key parameter, showing improvement in the removal of both As(III) and As(V) as pyrolysis temperature was increased, while As(V) removal was higher than As(III) removal overall. F− removal displayed an inverse relationship with increasing pyrolysis temperature. Bone char prepared at 500 °C released significantly more dissolved organic carbon (DOC) then those prepared at a higher temperature. The bone protein is believed to be a major factor. The predominant removal mechanisms for As were surface complexation, precipitation and interaction with nitrogenous functional groups. Whereas F− removal was mainly influenced by interaction with oxygen functional groups and electrostatic interaction. This study recommends that the bone char pyrolysis temperature used for As and F− removal are 900 °C and 650 °C, respectively. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd
- Description: This research was performed as a part of PhD research which was supported in part by the Iraqi Government and the Australian Research Training Program.
Positive displacement machines : Modern design innovations and tools
- Authors: Sultan, Ibrahim , Phung, Truong
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Book
- Relation: Positive Displacement Machines: Modern Design Innovations and Tools
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Positive Displacement Machines: Modern Design Innovations and Tools explains the design and workings of a wide range of positive displacement pumps, compressors and gas expanders. Written at a mathematical and technical level, the book explores the most influential research in this field over the past decade, along with industry best practices. Sections highlight the importance of using the latest computation techniques and discuss how to follow the proper design procedures to achieve a desired outcome. © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Assessment of the environments of AT use : accessibility, universal design, and sustainability
- Authors: Mirza, Mansha , Zakrajsek, Andrea , Gohil, Apeksha
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Assistive Technology Assessment Handbook 4 p. 71-88
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
Capital structure of SMEs : a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis
- Authors: Kumar, Satish , Sureka, Riya , Colombage, Sisira
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Management Review Quarterly Vol. 70, no. 4 (2020), p. 535-565
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Capital structure is the outcome of market conditions, financial decisions taken by the firm, and credit rationing of fund providers. Research on the capital structure of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) has gained momentum in recent years. The present study aims to identify key contributors, key areas, current dynamics, and suggests future research directions in the field of the capital structure of SMEs. This paper adopts a systematic literature review methodology along with bibliometric, network, and content analysis on a sample of 262 studies taken from the Web of Science database to examine the research activities that have taken place on this topic. Most influential papers are identified based on citations and PageRank, along with the most influential authors. The co-citation network is developed to see the intellectual structure of this research area. Applying bibliometric tools, four research clusters have been identified and content analysis performed on the papers identified in the clusters. It is found that the major research focus in this area is around theory testing—mainly, pecking order theory, trade-off theory, and agency theory. Determinants of capital structure, trade credit, corporate governance, and bankruptcy are also the prominent research topics in this field. Also, this study has identified the research gaps and has proposed five actionable research directions for the future. © 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
Belonging, identity, and meaning making-the essence of spirituality : implications for holistic educational programs in plural societies
- Authors: de Souza, Marian
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: International Handbook of Holistic Education p. 304-312
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
Simple supervised dissimilarity measure : bolstering iForest-induced similarity with class information without learning
- Authors: Wells, Jonathan , Aryal, Sunil , Ting, Kai
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Knowledge and Information Systems Vol. 62, no. 8 (2020), p. 3203-3216
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Existing distance metric learning methods require optimisation to learn a feature space to transform data—this makes them computationally expensive in large datasets. In classification tasks, they make use of class information to learn an appropriate feature space. In this paper, we present a simple supervised dissimilarity measure which does not require learning or optimisation. It uses class information to measure dissimilarity of two data instances in the input space directly. It is a supervised version of an existing data-dependent dissimilarity measure called me. Our empirical results in k-NN and LVQ classification tasks show that the proposed simple supervised dissimilarity measure generally produces predictive accuracy better than or at least as good as existing state-of-the-art supervised and unsupervised dissimilarity measures. © 2020, Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature.
GCNA interacts with spartan and topoisomerase II to regulate genome stability
- Authors: Dokshin, Gregoriy , Davis, Gregory , Sawle, Ashley , Eldridge, Matthew , Nicholls, Peter , Gourley, Taylin , Romer, Katherine , Molesworth, Luke , Tatnell, Hannah , Ozturk, Ahmet , de Rooij, Dirk , Hannon, Gregory , Page, David , Mello, Craig , Carmell, Michelle
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Developmental Cell Vol. 52, no. 1 (2020), p. 53-68.e6
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: GCNA proteins are expressed across eukarya in pluripotent cells and have conserved functions in fertility. GCNA homologs Spartan (DVC-1) and Wss1 resolve DNA-protein crosslinks (DPCs), including Topoisomerase-DNA adducts, during DNA replication. Here, we show that GCNA mutants in mouse and C. elegans display defects in genome maintenance including DNA damage, aberrant chromosome condensation, and crossover defects in mouse spermatocytes and spontaneous genomic rearrangements in C. elegans. We show that GCNA and topoisomerase II (TOP2) physically interact in both mice and worms and colocalize on condensed chromosomes during mitosis in C. elegans embryos. Moreover, C. elegans gcna-1 mutants are hypersensitive to TOP2 poison. Together, our findings support a model in which GCNA provides genome maintenance functions in the germline and may do so, in part, by promoting the resolution of TOP2 DPCs. DNA topoisomerases help unwind DNA but occasionally get trapped, resulting in DNA-protein crosslinks (DPCs). DPCs damage DNA and threaten genomic integrity. Dokshin et al. find that GCNA protein family complements standard DPC processing machinery in resolving topoisomerase II DPCs to ensure heritable genome stability and germline immortality. © 2019 Elsevier Inc.
- Description: We thank S. Cheloufi, D. Bellott, D. Durning, L. Okumura, L. Teitz, and members of the Page and Mello labs for advice and discussion. We thank E. Spooner for mass spectrometry and K. Igarashi for technical assistance. We thank P. Boag and R. Pocock for access to microscopes and technical advice. Some strains provided by the CGC were supported by NIH ( P40 OD010440 ) and the International C. elegans Gene Knockout Consortium . This work was supported by the Life Sciences Research Foundation to M.A.C.; American Cancer Society 129916-PF16-232-RMC to G.A.D.; and NIH grants (R37 GM058800 and P01 HD078253 ) to C.C.M. G.J.H. is supported by Cancer Research UK and by a Royal Society Wolfson Research Professorship. D.C.P. and C.C.M. are Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators.
Sensitivity of the stability assessment of a deep excavation to the material characterisations and analysis methods
- Authors: Ghadrdan, Mohsen , Shaghaghi, Tahereh , Tolooiyan, Ali
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Geomechanics and Geophysics for Geo-Energy and Geo-Resources Vol. 6, no. 4 (2020), p.
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Due to the spatial variability of material characterisations in deep and large scale excavations, stability assessment is often a challenging task. Numerous slope stability analysis methods based on a range of assumptions and principles are implemented in commercial software packages to ease the process of stability assessment of non-homogeneous and multi-layered slopes. However, the selection of a suitable method remains crucial as the application of an unrealistic or unsuitable method may lead to catastrophic consequences. Besides material shear strength parameters, and analysis methods, non-strength characterisations such as permeability and creep can affect the result of slope stability analysis significantly. In this study, the sensitivity of the stability assessment of a deep excavation in Australia to material characterisations such as friction angle, cohesion and permeability and creep is investigated by the use of different formulations and assumptions of the Limit Equilibrium Method (LEM) and the Finite Element Method (FEM) as the two most common slope stability methods. The results show that the stability assessment is highly sensitive to the applied method and assumptions. Moreover, the role of material strength and non-strength parameters and the selection of a suitable constitutive model in slope stability assessment is presented. © 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
Screening, referral and treatment of depression by Australian cardiologists
- Authors: Hare, David , Stewart, Andrew , Driscoll, Andrea , Mathews, Stephanie , Toukhsati, Samia
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Heart Lung and Circulation Vol. 29, no. 3 (2020), p. 401-404
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: Depression is common in cardiovascular disease (CVD). Clinical practice guidelines recommend routine depression screening by cardiologists. The aim of the study was to undertake a national survey of Australian cardiologists’ clinical practice behaviours in relation to depression screening, referral, and treatment. Methods: The Cardiovascular Disease and Depression Questionnaire was sent to 827 eligible cardiologist members of Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand, of which a total of 524 were returned (63%). Results: Most Australian cardiologists do not routinely ask their patients about depression and only 3% routinely use depression screening instruments. Most cardiologists (>70%) think that General Practitioners (Primary Care Physicians) are primarily responsible for identifying and treating depression in CVD. Cardiologists, who understand the prognostic risks of depression in CVD and feel confident to identify and treat depression, were more likely to screen, refer and/or treat patients for depression. Conclusions: Australian cardiologists rarely use validated depression screening measures. Several brief instruments are available for use and can be easily integrated into routine patient care without taking additional consultation time. © 2019
- Description: This work was supported by the Beyond Blue Victorian Centre of Excellence in Depression and Anxiety. Prof Andrea Driscoll was supported by a Heart Foundation Future Leader fellowship 100472 from the National Heart Foundation of Australia.
Secrecy capacity against adaptive eavesdroppers in a random wireless network using friendly jammers and protected zone
- Authors: Giti, Jishan , Sakzad, Amin , Srinivasan, Bala , Kamruzzaman, Joarder , Gaire, Raj
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Network and Computer Applications Vol. 165, no. (2020), p.
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: In this paper, we consider deceptive friendly jammers in a half-duplex random wireless network against a group of adaptive eavesdroppers. The destinations, eavesdroppers and friendly jammers are distributed according to homogeneous Poisson point process (HPPP). To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to study such a system model. As we may combine hostile jamming and passive eavesdropping, the secrecy of legitimate communication might be compromised. To combat this and improve secrecy of transmission, a group of friendly jammers thus transmit a source-like signal to deceive the eavesdroppers and try to force them to be passive listeners as much as possible. We derive the secrecy capacity for this scenario. The secrecy performance is evaluated for different parameters and with a secrecy protected zone surrounding the source. Performance evaluation through illustrative numerical results demonstrates that the friendly jammers can enhance the secrecy of a random wireless network. The advantages of friendly jammers are particularly prominent if the secrecy protected zone is very small and/or the node intensity of the destinations is low. The results show that the friendly jammers can restore the secrecy in a hostile environment if sufficient friendly jammers (e.g., 0.01 km−2 for the provided system model) are hired. © 2020
- Description: Funding details: Australian Research Council, ARC Funding text 1: Joarder Kamruzzaman received the BSc and MSc degrees in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka, and the PhD degree in Information Systems Engineering from Muroran Institute of Technology, Hokkaido, Japan. He is currently a Professor in the School of Science, Engineering and Information Technology, Federation University Australia. Previously, he served as the Director of the Centre for Multimedia Computing, Communications and Artificial Intelligence Research hosted first by Monash University and later by Federation University. His research interests include distributed computing, Internet of Things, machine learning and cyber security. He has published 260+ peer-reviewed publications which include over 80 journal papers, 170 conferences, 11 book chapters and two edited reference books. He is the recipient of Best Paper award in four international conferences: ICICS′15, Singapore; APCC′14, Thailand; IEEE WCNC′10, Sydney, Australia and in the IEEE-ICNNSP′03, Nanjing, China. He has received nearly A$2.3m competitive research funding, including prestigious ARC (Australian Research Council) grant and large CRC (Collaborative Research Centre) grant. He was the founding Program co-Chair of the first International Symposium on Dependability in Sensor, Cloud, and Big Data Systems and Applications (DependSys), China in 2015. He has served 32 conferences in leadership capacities including Program co-Chair, Publicity Chair, Track Chair and Session Chairs, and since 2012 as an Editor of the Elsevier Journal of Network and Computer Applications, and had served as the lead Guest of Elsevier Journal Future Generation Computer Systems.
Adventures in software engineering : plugging HCI & acessibility gaps with open source solutions
- Authors: Lansley, Alastair
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: There has been a great deal of research undertaken in the field of Human-Computer Interfaces (HCI), input devices, and output modalities in recent years. From touch-based and voice control input mechanisms such as those found on modern smart-devices to the use of touch-free input through video-stream/image analysis (including depth streams and skeletal mapping) and the inclusion of gaze tracking, head tracking, virtual reality and beyond - the availability and variety of these I/O (Input/Output) mechanisms has increased tremendously and progressed both into our living rooms and into our lives in general. With regard to modern desktop computers and videogame consoles, at present many of these technologies are at a relatively immature stage of development - their use often limited to simple adjuncts to the staple input mechanisms of mouse, keyboard, or joystick / joypad inputs. In effect, we have these new input devices - but we're not quite sure how best to use them yet; that is, where their various strengths and weaknesses lie, and how or if they can be used to conveniently and reliably drive or augment applications in our everyday lives. In addition, much of this technology is provided by proprietary hardware and software, providing limited options for customisation or adaptation to better meet the needs of specific users. Therefore, this project investigated the development of open source software solutions to address various aspects of innovative user I/O in a flexible manner. Towards this end, a number of original software applications have been developed which incorporate functionality aimed at enhancing the current state of the art in these areas and making that software freely available for use by any who may find it beneficial.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Building theories in-practice on Social innovation in disability nonprofit organizations
- Authors: Taylor, Rachel , Torugsa, Nuttaneeya
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Leadership styles, innovation, and social entrepreneurship in the era of digitalization 9 p. 212-250
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This chapter discusses the key theoretical and empirical steps undertaken throughout the authors’ previous-but-related mixed methods studies on social innovation in nonprofit organizations (NPOs) in the Australian disability sector with the aim of using the key findings of these studies to develop ‘theories-in-practice’ in disability NPOs. In this chapter, the authors summarize the associated theory-building processes deployed to explain how disability NPOs develop and implement social innovations and the societal ‘system-level’ impacts of such innovations. These theory-building processes involve two broad phases, and the culmination of these phases (grounded in the abductive logics of inquiry, complexity theorizing, and set-theoretic methods) leads to the development of several ‘theories-to-practice’ that not only convey the interactivity of contextual causal mechanisms leading to social innovation by NPOs, but also outline change-oriented solutions for managers who are working to address complex social challenges.
Effect of rock mass permeability and rock fracture leak-off coefficient on the pore water pressure distribution in a fractured slope
- Authors: Shaghaghi, Tahereh , Ghadrdan, Mohsen , Tolooiyan, Ali
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory Vol. 105, no. (2020), p. 1-13
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The reliable assessment of the stability of saturated slopes becomes a challenging task when slopes are consisting of discontinuous materials and containing pre-existing joints. The discontinuous nature of the slopes' material could increase the overall permeability of the slope, while existing joints facilitate groundwater leakage through the joint surfaces into the slope which subsequently exerts a major impact on deformation and the effective stress distribution. This paper aims to study the Pore Water Pressure (PWP) distribution changes in a saturated fractured slope by conducting advanced coupled pore fluid diffusion and stress-strain analyses, while investigating the sensitivity of results to the variation of permeability and leakage properties of fracture surfaces. Modelling of jointed slopes is carried out using the e-Xtended Finite Element Method (XFEM) in conjunction with the Finite Element Method (FEM). In this study, the fluid flow inside the joint is the major focus at which the constitutive response of the fluid inside the joint considers both tangential and normal flows. To demonstrate the state-of-the-art simulation technique presented in this paper, simulation of a fractured slope at the second largest open-pit mine in Australia is performed as a case study. This study shows the effect of a variable leak-off coefficient of the joint surfaces and the permeability magnitude on the pore water pressure distribution.
- Description: This research has been supported financially by the Earth Resources Regulation of the Victorian State Government Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources. The first and second authors are funded by the GHERG LV Batter Stability Project Scholarship and Faculty Tuition Scholarship of Federation University Australia.
User-avatar bond profiles : how do they associate with disordered gaming?
- Authors: Stavropoulos, Vasileios , Gomez, Rapson , Mueller, Astrid , Yucel, Murat , Griffiths, Mark
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Addictive Behaviors Vol. 103, no. (2020), p.
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Aims: The avatar constitutes the in-game representation of the gamer. Although aspects of the user-avatar bond (UAB) have been associated with disordered gaming, there is a need for clearer understanding concerning the impact of potential UAB profiles. Methods: To address this need, the present study recruited a normative sample of 1022 World of Warcraft (WoW) players (Mage = 28.55 years, SD = 9.90). Participants completed the User-Avatar Questionnaire (to assess UAB aspects such as identification, immersion, and compensation), the Proteus-Effect Scale (to assess transference of the avatar's behaviour in real life), and the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short-Form (to assess disordered gaming). Results: Latent class analysis indicated the existence of three UAB profiles, ‘differentiated gamers’ (DGs), ‘identified gamers’ (IGs) and ‘fused gamers’ (FGs). The DGs were characterized by low scores across all UAB aspects. The IGs did not report significant Proteus Effect (PE) or immersion behaviours, and despite being more identified with their avatar, did not significantly compensate through it. The FGs presented with higher PE, immersion, and compensation, although they did not significantly identify with their avatars, possibly due to having idealized them. Disordered gaming behaviours were significantly lower for the DGs and sequentially higher for the IGs and the FGs. Preoccupation and mood modification behaviours related to gaming disorder were distinctively associated with FGs. Conclusion: Disordered gaming assessment and treatment implications of the UAB profiles are discussed. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd
- Description: Murat Yucel has received funding from Monash University , and Australian Government funding bodies such as the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC; including Fellowship #APP1117188 ), the Australian Research Council (ARC), and the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science. He has also received philanthropic donations from the David Winston Turner Endowment Fund, Wilson Foundation, as well as payment from law firms in relation to court and/or expert witness reports. The funding sources had no role in the design, management, data analysis, presentation, or interpretation and write-up of the data.
A robust forgery detection method for copy-move and splicing attacks in images
- Authors: Islam, Mohammad , Karmakar, Gour , Kamruzzaman, Joarder , Murshed, Manzur
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Electronics Vol. 9, no. 9 (2020), p. 1-22
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Internet of Things (IoT) image sensors, social media, and smartphones generate huge volumes of digital images every day. Easy availability and usability of photo editing tools have made forgery attacks, primarily splicing and copy-move attacks, effortless, causing cybercrimes to be on the rise. While several models have been proposed in the literature for detecting these attacks, the robustness of those models has not been investigated when (i) a low number of tampered images are available for model building or (ii) images from IoT sensors are distorted due to image rotation or scaling caused by unwanted or unexpected changes in sensors' physical set-up. Moreover, further improvement in detection accuracy is needed for real-word security management systems. To address these limitations, in this paper, an innovative image forgery detection method has been proposed based on Discrete Cosine Transformation (DCT) and Local Binary Pattern (LBP) and a new feature extraction method using the mean operator. First, images are divided into non-overlapping fixed size blocks and 2D block DCT is applied to capture changes due to image forgery. Then LBP is applied to the magnitude of the DCT array to enhance forgery artifacts. Finally, the mean value of a particular cell across all LBP blocks is computed, which yields a fixed number of features and presents a more computationally efficient method. Using Support Vector Machine (SVM), the proposed method has been extensively tested on four well known publicly available gray scale and color image forgery datasets, and additionally on an IoT based image forgery dataset that we built. Experimental results reveal the superiority of our proposed method over recent state-of-the-art methods in terms of widely used performance metrics and computational time and demonstrate robustness against low availability of forged training samples.
- Description: This research was funded by Research Priority Area (RPA) scholarship of Federation University Australia.
Nano-structured photovoltaic cell design for high conversion efficiency by optimizing various parameters
- Authors: Shelat, Niraj , Das, Narottam , Khan, Masud , Islam, Syed
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Conference proceedings , Conference paper
- Relation: 2019 29th Australasian Universities Power Engineering Conference; Momi Bay, Fiji; 26th-29th November 2019
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper investigates the effect of different types of nano-grating structures embossed on top of the substrate of solar photovoltaic (PV) cell for high conversion efficiency. The simulation results for light reflection are obtained by using Opti-wave finite difference time-domain (Opti-FDTD) software. These nano-grating structures have different shapes, such as triangular, trapezoidal, pillar and parabolic. These nano-grating profiles work as a multilayer anti-reflective coating for GaAs solar cells and reduce the light reflection from the surface of the panel and increase the light trapping capacity inside the solar cell. These structures allow the gradual change in refractive index and provide a high transmission and less reflection of light that confirms excellent anti-reflective coating and increased light trapping capacity inside the cell substrate. For this simulation, different periodic shaped arrangements were made to obtain the higher conversion efficiency, the factors considered while develop the design are the aspect ratio (AR), thickness of the nano-grating structure and duty cycles. The simulation result shows that the light reflection loss in pillar shaped nano-grating structures having 150 nm of height and a 50% period (i.e., duty cycle) is ~0.5% only, which is the lowest reflection loss obtained, when compared with the triangular and trapezoidal shaped nano-grating structures, it is approximately 38% more efficient in trapping the incident light.
- Description: This research is supported by the School of Engineering and Technology, Melbourne, Victoria; Centre for Intelligent Systems, Brisbane, QLD, Central Queensland University, Australia.
Impact of WeChat-based 'three good things' on turnover intention and coping style in burnout nurses
- Authors: Guo, Yu-Fang , Plummer, Virginia , Cross, Wendy , Lam, Louisa , Zhang, Jing-Ping
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Nursing Management Vol. 28, no. 7 (2020), p. 1570-1577
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: Few studies have considered functions of nurses’ positive personality and behaviours on addressing their turnover intention. Aims: To explore the effects of WeChat-based 'three good things' (3GT) on burnout nurses’ turnover intention and coping styles. Methods: A randomized controlled trial. 73 nurses were included in the intervention group (n = 33) and the control group (n = 40). The intervention group received WeChat-based 3GT. Turnover intention and coping style were measured before and after the intervention. Results: WeChat-based 3GT effectively reduced turnover intention and negative coping style (each p <.05). Positive coping style was promoted after the intervention (p <.05). Time effects as well as intervention and time interactions were significant in turnover intention and negative coping style (each p <.05). Conclusion: Benefits of WeChat-based 3GT on turnover intention and coping style in burnout nurses were found. Nurses experienced lower levels of turnover intention and negative coping style and increased the usage of positive coping style after the intervention. Implications for nursing management: Nurse managers should incorporate 3GT intervention with popular social communication programmes to improve nurses’ coping strategies towards clinical issues and maintain the stability of nursing teams. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
- Description: The authors thank the Science and Technology Research Project of Hebei Higher Education Institutions for financial support (QN2018169). The authors would like to thank Hui Li, Yizheng Yin and Jie Zhang for their help in collecting the data. We would also like to thank the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University for their assistance in recruiting the participants. We acknowledge the participant nurses who were involved in this study.
To what extent do earnings affect the R&D decision of Chinese manufacturing firms?
- Authors: Wang, Yun , Zhai, Yu , Sun, Xiaohua , Colombage, Sisira
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Technology Analysis and Strategic Management Vol. 32, no. 3 (2020), p. 349-362
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: As R&D activities are involved in inherent uncertainty of large investment, high risk and long return periods, earnings, as the main source of internal financing, have been a significant factor of R&D decision in the firms. In contrast to the previous research, this study investigates the impacts of firm’s earnings on R&D decision, in which earnings are measured by the indicators of earnings level, earnings quality and earnings persistence, while separating firm R&D activity into two stages of (i) the decision to undertake R&D activity and (ii) the amount to be invested on innovation activities. We document that earnings level can increase the probability of undertaking R&D activity, but has no effect on R&D investment intensity. Earnings quality and earnings persistence have a promotional effect on both stages of R&D decision. The empirical evidence of the subsamples shows that the impacts of earnings are heterogeneous across different ownership and technology-intensity firms. © 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Positive attitude change to school - Narrative inquiry into adolescent students' lived experiences
- Authors: Wojtaszek, Sylwia
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis reports on a qualitative research study that investigated adolescent students‟ experiences of positive attitude change to school. The literature review situates the research of students‟ attitude changes to school within the affective component of the multidimensional construct of student engagement and identifies this field and the phenomenon of positive attitude change to school as underresearched and under-theorised. Narrative inquiry methodology was applied in order to provide a detailed description of students‟ lived experiences and generate knowledge to fill the existing gap of how such an experience manifests itself. Eight students, who self-reported to have experienced positive attitude change to school, shared stories through in-depth semi-structured interviews of how the attitude change came about, who or what influenced it, and what meaning they attached to it in relation to its impact on their engagement and wellbeing. Students‟ attitudes to school are predominantly examined through quantitative research, whereas this study provided a unique and nuanced insight into attitude change based on the qualitative paradigm and a social constructionist view of the experience from the students‟ vantage point. Students‟ narrative accounts are compared and contrasted with each other to identify five resonant threads associated with the experience of positive attitude change to school. Data analysis suggests that positive attitude change to school has a significant impact on student engagement in learning and student wellbeing through its embodiment of perceived positive emotions associated with being at school. It consequently illustrates the relevance of broadening the understanding of such an experience to address the critical issue of disengagement in adolescent students. Key findings indicate that students develop a negative attitude to school when personal problems remain unresolved or have been insufficiently addressed within the school environment; no “helping hand” was there to assist these ambitious students who were struggling to engage in learning due to their experience of negative emotions at school. This research study has revealed that a negative attitude to school does not necessarily equate to a negative attitude to learning. Students‟ perception of the available support, both from the teachers and the services offered at school, is a critical factor in the transformation of their attitudes to school. Further, the students who participated in this study did not themselves feel that they were equipped with the required knowledge and skills to manage their personal problems effectively in order to maintain their engagement in learning. Only after having “hit rock bottom” and having sought help from outside the school environment were the students able to apply a different perspective to their circumstances that was associated with positive attitude change to school. From this research study it can be concluded that a student‟s positive attitude to school is a requirement for successful social and academic outcomes, and it is an educational goal in itself regarding the notion of developing lifelong learners. Personal problems and their impact on student engagement and wellbeing need to be acknowledged and catered for within the school environment. School support services must proactively extend a helping hand to students who have a negative attitude to school. Further, students need to develop selfefficacy regarding their personal wellbeing so that they become confident to act autonomously in solving their situations at school that are characterised by the difficult negative emotions that they are experiencing. Students‟ attitudes to school and the complexity of the multidimensional construct of student engagement need to be considered in the development of initiatives to address adolescent student disengagement and in the development of student wellbeing frameworks.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
The orbital displacer: Implications and applications
- Authors: Spark, Ian , Lu, Kui
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Positive Displacement Machines: Modern Design Innovations and Tools p. 3-35
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The significance of the orbital displacer may well extend well beyond its application as the basis of a four-stroke internal combustion engine. For example, its inherently high swept volume to total volume ratio can be further increased by combining the original orbital displacer with an everted (i.e. inside-out) orbital displacer to form a hybrid orbital displacer with an even higher swept volume to total volume ratio. Furthermore, the orbital motion of the piston can be used to open and close ports to produce any desired port timing with the same frequency as the orbiting of the piston. These together with other pertinent features will be considered under the following headings: 1. Introduction, 2. Swept volume to total volume ratio, 3. Working volume as a function of crank angle, 4. Minimum geometrically necessary clearance volume as a function of displacer geometry, 5. Valveless port timing, 6. Support of the orbiting piston and vanes, 7. Balancing of the orbital piston and vanes, 8. Sealing of the working volume, 9. Frictional losses and lubrication, 10. Combustion in orbital displacers, 11. Cooling of orbital engines, 12. Manufacturing processes and materials. The above pertinent features will be discussed with reference to the following applications of the orbital displacer: orbital two-stroke engine, orbital hydraulic pumps and motors, orbital pneumatic compressors and motors, orbital Rankine (steam) engine, and orbital 6 cc model aircraft engine. Engineering students have found orbital displacer projects stimulating in the originality required, as they invariably had to go back to first principles to solve problems. © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.