Digital Commons Network^™

Regional Differences In Lumbar Spinal Posture And The Influence Of Low Back Pain, Tim Mitchell, Peter O'Sullivan, Angus Burnett, Leon Straker, Anne Smith

Research outputs pre 2011

Background: Spinal posture is commonly a focus in the assessment and clinical management of low back pain (LBP) patients. However, the link between spinal posture and LBP is not fully understood. Recent evidence suggests that considering regional, rather than total lumbar spine posture is important. The purpose of this study was to determine; if there are regional differences in habitual lumbar spine posture and movement, and if these findings are influenced by LBP. Methods: One hundred and seventy female undergraduate nursing students, with and without LBP, participated in this cross-sectional study. Lower lumbar (LLx), Upper lumbar (ULx) and total lumbar …

Bots Trained To Play Like A Human Are More Fun, Bhuman Soni, Philip Hingston

Research outputs pre 2011

Computational intelligence methods are well-suited for use in computer controlled opponents for video games. In many other applications of these methods, the aim is to simulate near-optimal intelligent behaviour. But in video games, the aim is to provide interesting opponents for human players, not optimal ones. In this study, we trained neural network-based computer controlled opponents to play like a human in a popular first-person shooter. We then had gamers play-test these opponents as well as a hand-coded opponent, and surveyed them to find out which opponents they enjoyed more. Our results show that the neural network-based opponents were clearly …

Using Neat For Continuous Adaptation And Teamwork Formation In Pacman, Markus Wittkamp, Luigi Barone, Philip Hingston

Research outputs pre 2011

Despite games often being used as a testbed for new computational intelligence techniques, the majority of artificial intelligence in commercial games is scripted. This means that the computer agents are non-adaptive and often inherently exploitable because of it. In this paper, we describe a learning system designed for team strategy development in a real time multi-agent domain. We test our system in the game of Pacman, evolving adaptive strategies for the ghosts in simulated real time against a competent Pacman player. Our agents (the ghosts) are controlled by neural networks, whose weights and structure are incrementally evolved via an implementation …

Twenty-Three Steps To Learning Web 2.0 Technologies In An Academic Library, Julia Gross, Lynette Leslie

Research outputs pre 2011

Purpose – This paper aims to report on the adoption and evaluation of a Learning 2.0 program in a pilot program at the Edith Cowan University Library during 2007. Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines the suitability of Learning 2.0 for training eight “early adopters” among library staff in the new and emerging Web 2.0 technologies. The program was set up and deployed via a blog, which recorded staff progress through the nine-week implementation phase of the program. At the conclusion, a focus group was held and the pilot group members responded to questions about the relevance of the program, and …

Transforming Schooling With Support From Portable Computing, Christopher Newhouse

Research outputs pre 2011

For over two decades educators have hailed the possibility of harnessing the capabilities of portable computing to transform Australian schools into places where students experience powerful learning environments, relevant to the 21st Century. For some schools in Australia this journey is well into its second decade with the use of networkable portable computing devices to provide anywhere-anytime learning opportunities. While some of the potential has been realised invariably the finding has been that using the technology to create powerful learning environments in real school setting is not a trivial matter and needs to consider a range of factors. So when …

Engaging Academically At Risk Primary School Students In An Ict Mediated After-School Program, Lee Yong Tay, Cher Ping Lim

Research outputs pre 2011

This case study documents how a group of 14 academically at risk Primary 5 students (11 year olds) were engaged in academic related tasks in an after school program mediated by a 3-D Multi-User Virtual Environment (MUVE). Although there was no significant difference in the students' academic performance, they were found to be more engaged in the learning tasks and had acquired a range of information and communication technology (ICT) skills. At the start of the program students attended irregularly, but this improved gradually over the weeks, and other Primary 5 students were attracted to enrol in the program. …

Effect Of A 5 Min Cold Water Immersion Recovery On Exercise Performance In The Heat, Jeremiah Peiffer, Chris Abbiss, Bradley Wall, Greig Watson, Kazunori Nosaka, Paul Laursen

Research outputs pre 2011

Background This study examined the effect of a 5-min cold-water immersion (14°C) recovery intervention on repeated cycling performance in the heat. Methods 10 male cyclists performed two bouts of a 25-min constant-paced (254 (22) W) cycling session followed by a 4-km time trial in hot conditions (35°C, 40% relative humidity). The two bouts were separated by either 15 min of seated recovery in the heat (control) or the same condition with 5-min cold-water immersion (5th—10th minute), using a counterbalanced cross-over design (CP1TT1 → CWI or CON → CP2TT2). Rectal temperature was measured immediately before and after both the constant-paced sessions …

Development Of A Novel Finder Pattern For Effective Color 2d-Barcode Detection, Hiroko Kato, Keng T. Tan, Douglas Chai

Research outputs pre 2011

With a camera mobile phone, which has become a "must-have" device, 2D-barcode works as an interface to bridge the physical and digital world. As the notion of ubiquitous computing has permeated, developing a new 2D-barcode and its applications has been a growing trend worldwide. A 2D-barcode symbol consists of two broad areas: data area and guide area. The components of the latter is collectively called "finder pattern" and used in locating the 2D-barcode symbol. The failure of finding the target symbol prevents a barcode reader from successfully decoding the barcode. Hence, designing a functional finder pattern is one of the …

The Use Of Border In Colour 2d Barcode, Siong Ong, Douglas Chai, Keng T. Tan

Research outputs pre 2011

In recent years, a trend has emerged in the use of colour to increase the data capacity of the 2D barcode. However the decoding of such colour barcode can be challenging in a mobile environment due to blurring effect that is commonly found in images captured by camera mobile phone. Blurring affects the synchronisation between the cells. It also causes the colour value of the cell to be wrongly interpreted. Hence, this paper proposes the use of border to improve the synchronisation and decoding. Three different types of border and the choice of its width will be investigated.

Magnetic Field Sensors And Visualizers Using Magnetic Photonic Crystals, Mikhail Vasiliev, Kamal Alameh, Viatcheslav Kotov

Research outputs pre 2011

Magneto-optical imaging is widely used to observe the domain patterns in magnetic materials, visualize defects in ferromagnetic objects, and measure the spatial distribution of stray magnetic fields. Optimized 1D magneto-photonic crystals enable a significant increase in the sensitivity of magneto-optical sensors. The properties of such devices based on the optimized reflection (doubled Faraday rotation) mode and the use of 1D magnetic photonic crystals as sensors are discussed. Experimental results of the fabrication and characterization of ferrite-garnet layers possessing uniaxial magnetic anisotropy are shown, and an optimized film structure suitable for magneto-optical imaging is proposed.

Photonic Nano-Structures For Water Quality Monitoring, Mikhail Vasiliev, Kamal Alameh

Research outputs pre 2011

We propose a new type of sensors suitable for water quality testing and for monitoring water contamination levels in domestic, industrial and environmental applications. The proposed sensing scheme uses Fourier transform cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy and novel compact sensing elements based on nanostructured photonic crystal-type optical coatings enabling the sensitive Fourier-domain processing methodology and maximising the absorption path length within the measurement system. The measurement scheme is shown to be suitable for the determination of small changes in the water absorption coefficients at a discrete set of wavelengths in the visible spectral region in response to small concentrations of pollutants with …

Novel Magnetic Photonic Crystal Structures For Magnetic Field Sensors And Visualizers, Mikhail Vasiliev, Viatcheslav A. Kotov, Kamal E. Alameh, Vladimir I. Belotelov, Anatoly K. Zvezdin

Research outputs pre 2011

Optimized one-dimensional (1-D) magnetophotonic crystals greatly increase the sensitivity of magnetooptical sensors, which are widely used in magnetooptical imaging to observe the magnetic domain patterns in magnetic materials, to observe the vortex states in superconductors, to detect small bits in magnetooptical recording media, to visualize defects in ferromagnetic objects, and to measure the value and spatial distribution of stray magnetic fields. This paper examines the properties of such devices operating in the optimized reflection (doubled Faraday rotation) mode and discusses the use of 1-D magnetophotonic crystals as sensors.

Doped Iron Garnet Materials For Magnetic Photonic Crystals, Mikhail Vasiliev, Kamal Alameh, Viatcheslav Kotov

Research outputs pre 2011

We have established a set of technologies for the deposition and annealing of magneto-optic garnets for use in photonic crystals. Devices for sensing magnetic fields and polarisation control using reconfigurable photonic crystals are being developed.

Double Boundary Trench Isolation Effects On A Stacked Gradient Homojunction Photodiode Array, Paul V. Jansz, Steven Hinckley

Research outputs pre 2011

The effect of the width of inter-pixel double boundary trench isolation on the response resolution of a two dimensional CMOS compatible stacked gradient homojunction photodiode array was simulated. Insulation and P-doped double boundary trench isolation were compared. Both geometries showed improved crosstalk suppression and enhanced sensitivity compared to photodiode geometries previously investigated, combined with a reduction in fabrication complexity for the insulation DBTI configuration.

A Holistic Approach To Establishing An Effective Learning Environment For Psychology, Lynne Cohen, Paul Chang, Julie Ann Pooley, Lisbeth Pike

Research outputs pre 2011

The impetus for the Enhancing Quality and Learning (EQUAL) programme evolved out of concerns held by the staff in the School of Psychology at Edith Cowan University (ECU) regarding the difficulties encountered by first year psychology students and the subsequent low retention rate of these students in the psychology course. The EQUAL programme focused on easing the transition of high school students into university studies by enhancing the social support networks of commencing students. The programme was designed to be an holistic approach to enhancing a sense of belonging to the School of Psychology and comprised seven components. These are …

Microstructured Arrayed Microfluidic Waveguide Structure For Infrared Radiation Focusing And Transfer, Paul B. Laursen, Kamal Alameh, Mikhail Vasiliev, Nicholas C. Elliott

Research outputs pre 2011

A microstructured arrayed microfluidic waveguide structure for infrared radiation focussing and transfer is proposed and demonstrated. The arrayed waveguide structure comprises Masterbond UV-curable epoxy UV15 optimised using ZEMAX optical design software to achieve high efficiency of heat capture through far-infrared light focussing and subsequent absorption of the radiation on a centralised fluid medium. A high degree of alignment of the precision-positioned fluidic microchannels with the symmetry axes and the focal plane locations of the cylindrical microlens array is demonstrated, which maximises the efficiency of absorption of the incident IR light energy within the moving fluid. Observation of ink flows through …

"We Are Next!": Listening To Jewish Voices In A Multicultural Country, Lelia Rosalind Green, Gerry Bloustien, Mark Balnaves

Research outputs pre 2011

If the notion of being at home in one’s country is safe and reassuring, the homeland and the heartland of what we judge important, then the thought that a countryneeds its own homeland security is destined to create a sense of unease. Australia’s homeland security unit was set up in May 2003 (Riley), just weeks after theallies’ Coalition of the Willing had celebrated George W Bush’s declaration aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, of ‘Victory in Iraq’ (BBC). It might have been expected, inthis victorious glow, that the country would feel confidently able to return to a state of security. Apparently …

Acousto-Ultrasonic Optical Fiber Sensors: Overview And State-Of-The-Art, Graham Wild, Steven Hinckley

Research outputs pre 2011

This paper gives a review of acoustic and ultrasonic optical fiber sensors (OFSs). The review covers optical fiber sensing methods for detecting dynamic strain signals, including general sound and acoustic signals, high-frequency signals, i.e., ultrasonic/ultrasound, and other signals such as acoustic em

An Intensiometric Detection System For Fibre Bragg Grating Sensors, Graham Wild, Steven Hinckley

Research outputs pre 2011

We present an intensiometric detection system for fibre Bragg grating sensors. The system is designed to directly detect intensity modulated signals, or to convert spectrally modulated signals into intensity modulated signals.

A Micro-Photonic Stationary Optical Delay Line For Fibre Optic Time Domain Oct, Paul V. Jansz, Graham Wild, Steven Hinckley

Research outputs pre 2011

We present results for the characterisation of a micro-photonic stationary optical delay line. The delay line is intended to generate true time delays for a fibre optic based optical coherence tomography system.

Creating Preservation-Ready Web Resources, Joan A. Smith, Michael L. Nelson

Computer Science Faculty Publications

There are innumerable departmental, community, and personal web sites worthy of long-term preservation but proportionally fewer archivists available to properly prepare and process such sites. We propose a simple model for such everyday web sites which takes advantage of the web server itself to help prepare the site's resources for preservation. This is accomplished by having metadata utilities analyze the resource at the time of dissemination. The web server responds to the archiving repository crawler by sending both the resource and the just-in-time generated metadata as a straight-forward XML-formatted response. We call this complex object (resource + metadata) a CRATE. …

Emergent Behavior In Massively-Deployed Sensor Networks, Ekaterina Shurkova, Ruzana Ishak, Stephan Olariu, Shaharuddin Salleh

Computer Science Faculty Publications

The phenomenal advances in MEMS and nanotechnology make it feasible to build small devices, referred to as sensors that are able to sense, compute and communicate over small distances. The massive deployment of these small devices raises the fascinating question of whether or not the sensors, as a collectivity, will display emergent behavior, just as living organisms do. In this work we report on a recent effort intended to observe emerging behavior of large groups of sensor nodes, like living cells demonstrate. Imagine a massive deployment of sensors that can be in two states "red" and "blue". At deployment time …

Efficient Corona Training Protocols For Sensor Networks, Alan A. Bertossi, Stephan Olariu, Cristina M. Pinotti

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Phenomenal advances in nano-technology and packaging have made it possible to develop miniaturized low-power devices that integrate sensing, special-purpose computing, and wireless communications capabilities. It is expected that these small devices, referred to as sensors, will be mass-produced and deployed, making their production cost negligible. Due to their small form factor and modest non-renewable energy budget, individual sensors are not expected to be GPS-enabled. Moreover, in most applications, exact geographic location is not necessary, and all that the individual sensors need is a coarse-grain location awareness. The task of acquiring such a coarse-grain location awareness is referred to as training. …

An Intelligent Model To Control Preemption Rate Of Instantaneous Request Calls In Networks With Book-Ahead Reservation, Iftekhar Ahmad, Joarder Kamruzzaman, Daryoush Habibi, Farzana Islam

Research outputs pre 2011

Resource sharing between book-ahead (BA) and instantaneous request (IR) reservation often results in high preemption rate of on-going IR calls. High IR call preemption rate causes interruption to service continuity which is considered as detrimental in a QoS-enabled network. A number of call admission control models have been proposed in literature to reduce the preemption rate of on-going IR calls. Many of these models use a tuning parameter to achieve certain level of preemption rate. This paper presents an artificial neural network (ANN) model to dynamically control the preemption rate of on-going calls in a QoS-enabled network. The model maps …

Cultural Factors Affecting Smoking Intentions In Sri Lankan Immigrant Adolescents: An Exploratory Study, Raguragavan Ganeshasundaram, Nadine Henley

Research outputs pre 2011

This paper reports a small exploratory investigation into smoking intentions amongst Sri Lankan immigrant adolescents living in Perth, Western Australia. Four focus group discussions were conducted to explore how cultural values are expressed in this group's beliefs and attitudes towards smoking and non-smoking and how these values may influence their smoking-related behaviour. Females and males attached similar negative values to smoking per se. However, generally, males saw peers' smoking as a way to be cool and popular while females saw peers' smoking as a way to solve stress and other personal problems. Males had strong positive associations with their favourite …

Juvenile Onset Central Nervous System Folate Deficiency And Rheumatoid Arthritis, Mary Kay Koenig, Maria Perez, Sheldon Rothenberg, Ian J Butler

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Isolated cerebral folate deficiency was detected in a 13-year-old girl with cognitive and motor difficulties and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Her serum contains autoantibodies that block membrane-bound folate receptors that are on the choroid plexus and diminish the uptake of folate into the spinal fluid. Whereas her serum folate exceeded 21 ng/mL, her spinal fluid contained 3.2 ng/mL of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate as a consequence of the autoantibodies diminishing the uptake of this folate.

Large Scale Variation In Enterococcus Faecalis Illustrated By The Genome Analysis Of Strain Og1rf, Agathe Bourgogne, Danielle A Garsin, Xiang Qin, Kavindra V Singh, Jouko Sillanpaa, Shailaja Yerrapragada, Yan Ding, Shannon Dugan-Rocha, Christian Buhay, Hua Shen, Guan Chen, Gabrielle Williams, Donna Muzny, Arash Maadani, Kristina A Fox, Jason Gioia, Lei Chen, Yue Shang, Cesar A Arias, Sreedhar R Nallapareddy, Meng Zhao, Vittal P Prakash, Shahreen Chowdhury, Huaiyang Jiang, Richard A Gibbs, Barbara E Murray, Sarah K Highlander, George M Weinstock

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Enterococcus faecalis has emerged as a major hospital pathogen. To explore its diversity, we sequenced E. faecalis strain OG1RF, which is commonly used for molecular manipulation and virulence studies.

RESULTS: The 2,739,625 base pair chromosome of OG1RF was found to contain approximately 232 kilobases unique to this strain compared to V583, the only publicly available sequenced strain. Almost no mobile genetic elements were found in OG1RF. The 64 areas of divergence were classified into three categories. First, OG1RF carries 39 unique regions, including 2 CRISPR loci and a new WxL locus. Second, we found nine replacements where a sequence …

Anatomy/ Physiology Lab, Steelman Library, B Mcconchie Dr.

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

Accounting Information Systems, Christopher M. Fairchild

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

Forensic Accounting, William Hahn

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.