Comparison of metaheuristic algorithms for pump operation optimization
- Authors: Bagirov, Adil , Ahmed, S. T. , Barton, Andrew , Mala-Jetmarova, Helena , Al Nuaimat, Alia , Sultanova, Nargiz
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 14th Water Distribution Systems Analysis Conference 2012, WDSA 2012 Vol. 2; Adelaide, Australia; 24th-27th September 2012; p. 886-896
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP0990908
- Full Text: false
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- Description: Pumping cost constitutes the main part of the overall operating cost of water distribution systems. There are different optimization formulations of the pumping cost minimization problem including those with application of continuous and integer programming approaches. To date mainly various metaheuristics have been applied to solve this problem. However, the comprehensive comparison of those metaheuristics has not been done. Such a comparison is important to identify strengths and weaknesses of different algorithms which reflects on their performance. In this paper, we present a methodology for comparative analysis of widely used metaheuristics for solving the pumping cost minimization problem. This methodology includes the following comparison criteria: (a) the "optimal solution" obtained; (b) the efficiency; and (c) robustness. Algorithms applied are: particle swarm optimization, artificial bee colony and firefly algorithms. These algorithms were applied to one test problem available in the literature. The results obtained demonstrate that the artificial bee colony is the most robust and the firefly is the most efficient and accurate algorithm for this test problem. Funding :ARC
Informatics to support patient choice between diverse medical systems C3 - 2014 IEEE 16th International Conference on e-Health Networking, Applications and Services, Healthcom 2014
- Authors: Golden, Isaac , Stranieri, Andrew , Sahama, Tony , Pilapitiya, Senaka , Siribaddana, Sisira , Vaughan, Stephen
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Conference proceedings
- Full Text: false
- Description: Culturally, philosophically and religiously diverse medical systems including Western medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurvedic Medicine and Homeopathic Medicine, once situated in places and times relatively unconnected from each other, currently co-exist to a point where patients must choose which system to consult. These decisions require comparative analyses, yet the divergence in key underpinning assumptions is so great that comparisons cannot easily be made. However, diverse medical systems can be meaningfully juxtaposed for the purpose of making practical decisions if relevant information is presented appropriately. Information regarding privacy provisions inherent in the typical practice of each medical system is an important element in this juxtaposition. In this paper the information needs of patients making decisions regarding the selection of a medical system, are examined.
A comparative analysis of the motivational factors of Chinese and non-Chinese tourists visiting Melbourne
- Authors: Soldatenko, Daria
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
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- Description: This study is devoted to a comparison of motivational factors of travellers from China and non-Chinese countries visiting the same destination (Melbourne). Given the importance of the Chinese market to Australia, it seems important to explore this market in terms of motivational factors and understand its specifics and peculiarities. In addition, the topicality of such research was revealed through a content analysis of cross-cultural push/pull motivational studies in tourism relating to nationalities. Leiper’s model of tourist’s pre-trip psychological process (2004) was adapted and modified in terms of push and pull factors that combine not only needs and destination attributes, but also include a number of additional factors, such as information about recreation possibilities of visiting places, expectation about potential experiences during the trip, as well as means, namely money, time and absence of other constraints. The model enables an understanding of the linkages and relationships between the various motivational variables and their influence on destination choice. This study employs quantitative methods to examine and compare the motivational factors of two studied samples. Data were collected through an online survey, which was provided in two languages (English and Chinese). The data analysis was undertaken in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) - 26.0 software by the means of various descriptive and inferential statistical techniques, such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Independent T-tests, Multiple regression analysis, and Canonical correlation analysis. In addition, the relationships between motivational variables in a proposed model were examined by using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The present study revealed a number of differences in trip characteristics and tourist motivational factors between the Chinese and non-Chinese samples. The differences identified between the two target markets are closely related to traits of individualist and collectivist cultures. This conclusion verifies the findings of previous tourism research that culture influences travel behaviour. The knowledge of cultural differences in motivation is very important for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of international tourism marketing. In addition, customising the services, products, and marketing programs for specific markets results in a high level of tourist satisfaction, and that in turn, leads to an increase in financial benefits associated with customer satisfaction and loyalty. This research has both theoretical and practical scientific significance. One significant contribution of this research is the development of a model of interrelated motivational factors in the travel decision-making process that enables the identification of the most influential motivational factors in travel decisions. The relationships between the push and pull factors, such as motivations, destination attributes, information sources, expectations and constraints, and their influence on destination choice, were examined. In the present study, a close positive relationship between personal motivations and destination attributes, as well as a significant influence of information sources on expectations and destination choice were found. Such results highlight the importance of properly developed advertising and promotion strategies with special attention to their contents, emphasising particular push and pull factors for particular tourist markets or segments. In addition, the current study identified possible product bundles of tourists’ motivations and destination attributes and segmentation of visitors to Melbourne that might present valuable information for destination practitioners and marketers, as successful matching of push and pull factors is a prerequisite for effective and successful actions on attraction and retention of visitors. Identified similarities and differences between Chinese and non-Chinese samples in terms of their demographic profiles, trip characteristics, motivations for travelling, preferences of destination attributes, information source usage, trip expectations, constraints for travelling, and their evaluation of destination choice criteria provided useful information for developing specifically customised tourist products and services, as well as promotion programs, that are tailored to each market. Moreover, from theoretical perspective, the present study adds new depth to understanding the nature of motivational factors, affecting the travel decision-making process, and causal relationships among them. Thus, the study contributes to advancing both tourist behaviour research as well as tourism decision-making literature. In addition, this research identifies and addresses the gap in empirical research investigating tourists' behaviour patterns across economically and culturally different countries. As comparative motivational research of tourists from China and non-Chinese countries travelling to Australia had yet to be undertaken, this study might be considered important because it provides valuable information for targeting the main source countries for Australia. Such research may be especially valuable in post-COVID times when international borders open up and carefully planned marketing will be needed.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Taking charge at any age: Learning and wellbeing by older men through community organisations in Australia
- Authors: Golding, Barry
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: The Adult Learner Journal: The Irish Journal of Adult and Community Education Vol. 2011, no. (2011), p. 26-40
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- Description: This paper examines and compares learning narratives associated with older men's participation in three community organisations in an Australian rural setting: an adult and community education provider, an emergency service organization and an aged care facility. The interview data are from a larger Australian study of learning in community settings by older men (age 50+ years of age). The paper examines what factors influence older men's learning and wellbeing through community organisations. It concludes that preferred learning for older men in community organisations is typically through group participation in practical situations for pragmatic purposes. Community organisations aside from education providers are shown to provide critically important opportunities for older men to actively redefine and recreate personal meanings and rapidly changing identities beyond those developed through paid work.
- Description: This paper examines and compares learning narratives associated with older men's participation in three community organisations in an Australian rural setting: an adult and community education provider, an emergency service organization and an aged care facility. The interview data are from a larger Australian study of learning in community settings by older men (age 50+ years of age). The paper examines what factors influence older men's learning and wellbeing through community organisations. It concludes that preferred learning for older men in community organisations is typically through group participation in practical situations for pragmatic purposes. Community organisations aside from education providers are shown to provide critically important opportunities for older men to actively redefine and recreate personal meanings and rapidly changing identities beyond those developed through paid wo
- Description: 2003009304
Banking in the shadows: A comparative study of China and India
- Authors: Arora, Rashmi , Zhang, Quanda
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian economic history review Vol. 59, no. 1 (2019), p. 103-131
- Full Text: false
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- Description: In recent years there has been increasing interest in the rise of shadow banking in China and India. In this paper, we aim to get a better understanding of the differences in trends and investigate the factors leading to the increase of shadow banking in these two major emerging economies. We find that financial exclusion is a common factor leading to the growth of shadow banking in both countries. While financial reform has taken place in India, financially repressive policies still prevail in China. Although several regulatory measures have been adopted in India and China, the size of the shadow banking sector in these two countries remains underestimated. Thus, streamlining and enhancing data collection is a key priority for both nations. We argue that regulation in both countries should be more activity focused (specific field in which a shadow bank is focused on) rather than sector or entity based, and it should be at par with banks. The shadow banks provide last mile connectivity to remote, distant, and ignored segments of the population not serviced by the formal financial sector. As this enhances financial inclusion, a balanced approach is required keeping in view both costs and benefits of the shadow banking system.
Algorithm development for the non-destructive testing of structural damage
- Authors: Noori Hoshyar, Azadeh , Rashidi, Maria , Liyanapathirana, Ranjith , Samali, Bijan
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Applied sciences Vol. 9, no. 14 (2019), p. 2810
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- Description: Monitoring of structures to identify types of damages that occur under loading is essential in practical applications of civil infrastructure. In this paper, we detect and visualize damage based on several non-destructive testing (NDT) methods. A machine learning (ML) approach based on the Support Vector Machine (SVM) method is developed to prevent misdirection of the event interpretation of what is happening in the material. The objective is to identify cracks in the early stages, to reduce the risk of failure in structures. Theoretical and experimental analyses are derived by computing the performance indicators on the smart aggregate (SA)-based sensor data for concrete and reinforced-concrete (RC) beams. Validity assessment of the proposed indices was addressed through a comparative analysis with traditional SVM. The developed ML algorithms are shown to recognize cracks with a higher accuracy than the traditional SVM. Additionally, we propose different algorithms for microwave- or millimeter-wave imaging of steel plates, composite materials, and metal plates, to identify and visualize cracks. The proposed algorithm for steel plates is based on the gradient magnitude in four directions of an image, and is followed by the edge detection technique. Three algorithms were proposed for each of composite materials and metal plates, and are based on 2D fast Fourier transform (FFT) and hybrid fuzzy c-mean techniques, respectively. The proposed algorithms were able to recognize and visualize the cracking incurred in the structure more efficiently than the traditional techniques. The reported results are expected to be beneficial for NDT-based applications, particularly in civil engineering.
Characterisation and comparative analysis of thematic video portals
- Authors: Adib, Saif , Mahanti, Aniket , Naha, Ranesh
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Technology in society Vol. 67, no. (2021), p. 101690
- Full Text: false
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- Description: This paper provides a comprehensive measurement study on three video streaming websites with social media features - ‘TED Talks’, ‘xHamster’ and ‘XVideos’. We have analysed 2685 TED videos from 2006 to 2018 to characterise the service. For xHamster and XVideos, active measurements were used to collect unique metadata on almost 3405 and 6721 channels from 2012 to 2019 respectively, which were then analysed. Through these characterisations we gained insight into the main players of the websites – viewers, uploaders and website owners. Our analysis involved the studying of video streaming characteristics such as views, number of uploads, ratings, tags etc. By this we aim to give an overview of the services' current state and compare them with other traditional video streaming services. Our results showed some similar trends to be observed in all three websites such as TED videos and adult channels getting a high number of views despite low injection rate, maintaining a power-law behaviour due to front page recommendations and ratings being underutilised as a feature.Other observations include adult streaming services having a higher number of subscribers per channel. The characterisation results obtained are of value to network operators, content providers, and protocol designers. These results can also be used by content providers to measure what type of content is being watched on their websites. Our study provides a glimpse at how video streaming services function today and the trends they seem to follow. •Measurements and detailed characterisation study based on TED Talks, xHamster, and XVideos.•Comprehensive understanding of the online video streaming domain.•Insights on video streaming services and how they utilise their online social network of users.
Comparative analysis of machine and deep learning models for soil properties prediction from hyperspectral visual band
- Authors: Datta, Dristi , Paul, Manoranjan , Murshed, Manzur , Teng, Shyh Wei , Schmidtke, Leigh
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environments Vol. 10, no. 5 (2023), p. 77
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- Description: Estimating various properties of soil, including moisture, carbon, and nitrogen, is crucial for studying their correlation with plant health and food production. However, conventional methods such as oven-drying and chemical analysis are laborious, expensive, and only feasible for a limited land area. With the advent of remote sensing technologies like multi/hyperspectral imaging, it is now possible to predict soil properties non-invasive and cost-effectively for a large expanse of bare land. Recent research shows the possibility of predicting those soil contents from a wide range of hyperspectral data using good prediction algorithms. However, these kinds of hyperspectral sensors are expensive and not widely available. Therefore, this paper investigates different machine and deep learning techniques to predict soil nutrient properties using only the red (R), green (G), and blue (B) bands data to propose a suitable machine/deep learning model that can be used as a rapid soil test. Another objective of this research is to observe and compare the prediction accuracy in three cases i. hyperspectral band ii. full spectrum of the visual band, and iii. three-channel of RGB band and provide a guideline to the user on which spectrum information they should use to predict those soil properties. The outcome of this research helps to develop a mobile application that is easy to use for a quick soil test. This research also explores learning-based algorithms with significant feature combinations and their performance comparisons in predicting soil properties from visual band data. For this, we also explore the impact of dimensional reduction (i.e., principal component analysis) and transformations (i.e., empirical mode decomposition) of features. The results show that the proposed model can comparably predict the soil contents from the three-channel RGB data.