Digital Commons Network^™

Enhancing Nutritional Learning Outcomes Within A Simulation And Pervasive Game-Based Strategy [Conference Paper], Mark Mcmahon, Shane Henderson

Research outputs 2011

Games are often seen as a means of enhancing motivation in learning. Despite the rhetoric, however, games that provide quality experiences for learners are hard to find. One reasoning is the focus on the game medium without a clear understanding of the strategy behind it. This paper outlines a game designed to raise primary school-aged children’s awareness of nutritional issues using simulation and pervasive gaming strategies. Nute implements ubiquitous mobile technology and QR Code scanning to allow players to engage in virtual shopping. The effects of their dietary choices are manifest in a simulated character, Nute, who has similar dietary …

Exploring The Nature Of Immersion In Games To Enhance Educational Engagement, Mark Mcmahon, Shane Henderson

Research outputs 2011

Student engagement is often considered one of the most important determinants of successful learning. An often cited argument for games in learning is their value to be ‘immersive’. Beyond the rhetoric however, a model needs to be developed of immersion to identify the cognitive and affective factors involved and to tie it into existing theories relating to flow and narratology. This paper presents a model of immersion and details findings based upon the development and implementation of a range of levels in a 3D ‘first person shooter’ game which were evaluated according to criteria for immersion. A range of potential …

Optical Fibre Communications And Sensing System Experiments For Undergraduate Photonics Laboratories, Graham Wild, Geoffrey Swan

Research outputs 2011

Experiments in photonics tend to be reserved for postgraduate laboratories, where suitable equipment and resources are available. Simple optical fibre experiments may be included in some undergraduate programs, possibly utilising polymer optical fibres with LEDs and phototransistors, or with the use of bulk optical components and glass optical fibre elements. However, real optical fibre communication systems and optical fibre sensing systems utilise more complex devices, such as optical fibre Bragg gratings. With the availability of optical components in the 850nm wavelength range, a variety of practical systems can be realised using industry standard components. We show how to mitigate a …

Numerical Modelling Of Interrogation Systems For Optical Fibre Bragg Grating Sensors, Daniel P. Oswald, Steven J. Richardson, Graham Wild

Research outputs 2011

There are a number of interrogation methods that can be used in optical Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) sensing system. For very high frequency signals interrogating the sensor signal from an FBG is limited to two intensiometric methods, edge filter detection and power detection. In edge filter detection, a broadband light source illuminates an FBG, the reflected spectrum is then passed through a spectral filter. In power detection, a narrowband light source with a wavelength corresponding to the 3dB point of the FBG is filtered by the FBG itself. Both methods convert the spectral shift of the FBG into intensity signals. …

Kindle Forensics: Acquisition And Analysis, Peter Hannay

Research outputs 2011

The Amazon Kindle eBook reader supports a wide range of capabilities beyond reading books. This functionality includes an inbuilt cellular data connection known as Whispernet. The Kindle provides web browsing, an application framework, eBook delivery and other services over this connection. The historic data left by user interaction with this device may be of forensic interest. Analysis of the Amazon Kindle device has resulted in a method to reliably extract and interpret data from these devices in a forensically complete manner.

Long-Term Effects Of A Protein-Enriched Diet On Blood Pressure In Older Women, Jonathon Hodgson, Kun Zhu, Joshua Lewis, Deborah Kerr, Xingqiong Meng, Vicky Solah, Amanda Devine, Colin Binns, Richard Woodman, Richard Prince

Research outputs 2011

Short-term randomised, controlled trials have found that dietary protein relative to carbohydrate can reduce blood pressure. Our objective was to investigate the effects on blood pressure of an increase in protein intake from whey over 2 years in women aged over 70 years. From the general population, 219 women aged between 70 and 80 years were recruited to a 2-year randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel-design trial: 181 women completed the trial to the end of year 2. Participants were randomly assigned to consume a daily whey protein-based beverage (protein) or an energy-matched low-protein high-carbohydrate beverage (control). Blood pressure measurements were performed …

Establishment Of Endomycorrhizal Fungi On Micropropagated Teak (Tectona Grandis L.F.), Maria I. Ramirez Caro, Ian Bennett, Nick Malajczuk

Research outputs 2011

No abstract available.

Efficacy And Safety Of A Modular Multi-Modal Exercise Program In Prostate Cancer Patients With Bone Metastases: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Daniel Galvao, Dennis R. Taaffe, Prue Cormie, Nigel Spry, Susan K. Chambers, Carolyn Peddle-Mcintyre, Michael Baker, James Denham, David Joseph, Geoff Groom, Robert Newton

Research outputs 2011

Background: The presence of bone metastases has excluded participation of prostate cancer patients in exercise intervention studies to date and is also a relative contraindication to supervised exercise in the community setting because of concerns of fragility fracture. However, this group of patients often have developed significant muscle atrophy and functional impairments from prior and continuing androgen deprivation that is exacerbated by subsequent and more intensive interventions such as chemotherapy. The aim of this study is to determine the efficacy and safety of a modular multi-modal exercise program in prostate cancer patients with bone metastases. Methods/Design: Multi-site randomized controlled trial …

The Effect Of Cluster Loading On Force, Velocity, And Power During Ballistic Jump Squat Training, Keir Hansen, John Cronin, Michael Newton

Research outputs 2011

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of set structure, in terms of repetition work:rest ratios on force, velocity, and power during jump squat training. Methods: Twenty professional and semiprofessional rugby players performed training sessions comprising four sets of 6 repetitions of a jump squat using four different set configurations. The first involved a traditional configuration (TR) of 4 × 6 repetitions with 3 min of rest between sets, the second (C1) 4 × 6 × singles (1 repetition) with 12 s of rest between repetitions, the third (C2) 4 × 3 × doubles (2 repetitions) …

Tuning Fuzzy Systems To Achieve Economic Dispatch For Microgrids, Thair Mahmoud, Daryoush Habibi, Octavian Bass, Stefan W. Lachowicz

Research outputs 2011

In this paper, a Tuning Fuzzy System (TFS) is used to improve the energy demand forecasting for a medium-size microgrid. As a case study, the energy demand of the Joondalup Campus of Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Western Australia is modelled. The developed model is required to perform economic dispatch for the ECU microgrid in islanding mode. To achieve an active economic dispatch demand prediction model, actual load readings are considered. A fuzzy tuning mechanism is added to the prediction model to enhance the prediction accuracy based on actual load changes. The demand prediction is modelled by a Fuzzy Subtractive …

An Optimal Current Control Strategy For A Three-Phase Grid-Connected Photovoltaic System Using Particle Swarm Optimization, Waleed Al-Saedi, Stefan W. Lachowicz, Daryoush Habibi

Research outputs 2011

A robust current control strategy for PV (photovoltaic) grid-connected systems is required for reliable use of solar energy as an abundant and clean renewable energy. This paper presents real time optimization parameters of the current control strategy for a 3-phase photovoltaic grid-connected Voltage Source Inverter (VSI) system. The proposed controller scheme is implemented based on a synchronous reference frame; the Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) is used as grid phase detector. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is an intelligent searching algorithm that is used to implement the real time self-tuning method for the current control parameters. Two conventional PI controllers are used …

Power Quality Improvement In Autonomous Microgrid Operation Using Particle Swarm Optimization, Waleed Al-Saedi, Stefan W. Lachowicz, Daryoush Habibi, Octavian Bass

Research outputs 2011

This paper presents an optimal power control strategy for an autonomous microgrid operation based on a real-time self-tuning method. The purpose of this work is to improve the quality of power supply where Distributed Generation (DG) units are connected to the grid. Dynamic response and harmonics distortion are the two main performance parameters which are considered in this work, particularly when the microgrid is islanded. The controller scheme is composed of an inner current control loop and an outer power control loop based on a synchronous reference frame and the conventional PI regulators. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is an intelligent …

A Cautionary Note On Therapeutic Jurisprudence For Aboriginal Offenders, Ann-Claire Larsen, Peter Milnes

Research outputs 2011

Therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ) is a recent legal practice reform, requiring judges and lawyers to attend to offenders’ wellbeing. Despite being lauded as the ‘most prolific vector’ of the Comprehensive Law Movement, TJ has also been condemned as ineffectual, even dangerous. In this paper we review TJ in three sections: the problems TJ seeks to address, how TJ is applied and its requirements, and the new problems TJ produces. This paper exposes tensions between established legal principles and efficacy or recidivism concerns that drive the TJ agenda. It concludes that a judiciary that concerns itself with offenders’ social and psychological problems …

Stabilisation Of Linear-Cavity Fibre Laser Using A Saturable Absorber, David Michel, Feng Xiao, Kamal Alameh

Research outputs 2011

We investigate the optimisation of the length of an un-pumped erbium doped fibre (EDF) in order to suppress amplifier noise in a linear-cavity fibre laser structure. The experimental results demonstrate the existence of an optimum length of the un-pumped EDF which eliminates noise due to high optical pumping powers, thus leading to a stable laser output.

Fuzzy Controlled Hydraulic Excavator With Model Parameter Uncertainty, Ganesh Kothapalli, Mohammed Hassan

Research outputs 2011

The hydraulic actuated excavator, being a non-linear mobile machine, encounters many uncertainties. There are uncertainties in the hydraulic system in addition to the uncertain nature of the load. The simulation results obtained in this study show that there is a need for intelligent control of such machines and in particular interval type-2 fuzzy controller is most suitable for minimizing the position error of a typical excavator’s bucket under load variations. We consider the model parameter uncertainties such as hydraulic fluid leakage and friction. These are uncertainties which also depend up on the temperature and alter bulk modulus and viscosity of …

Long-Term Training Adaptations In Elite Male Volleyball Players, Jeremy Sheppard, Robert Newton

Research outputs 2011

Abstract: Sheppard, JM, and Newton, RU. Long-term training adaptations in elite male volleyball players. J Strength Cond Res 26(8): 2180–2184, 2012—Several investigations have demonstrated differences in anthropometry, jump performance, and strength variables between developmental and elite-level volleyball players. However, within the elite level of play, the magnitude of change that can occur with training is unclear. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the anthropometric, vertical jump, and strength quality changes over 2 years in a group of national team volleyball players. Fourteen national team volleyball players (age, 23.0 ± 4.1 years; height, 1.98 ± 0.07 m; weight, 91.7 …

Assessing Practical Laboratory Skills In Undergraduate Molecular Biology Courses, Lynne Hunt, Annette Koenders, Vidar Gynnild

Research outputs 2011

This study explored a new strategy of assessing laboratory skills in a molecular biology course to improve: student effort in preparation for and participation in laboratory work; valid evaluation of learning outcomes; and students’ employment prospects through provision of evidence of their skills. Previously, assessment was based on written laboratory reports and examinations, not on the demonstration of practical skills per se. This action research project involved altering the assessment design so that a greater proportion of the marks was allocated to active participation and learning in the laboratory, partially replacing a single examination with direct observation of student participation …

Correlating The Developmental Test Of Visual Perception -2 (Dtvp And The Test Of Visual Perceptual Skills - Revised (Tvps-R) As Assesssment Tools For Learners With Learning Difficulties, Janet Richmond, K Holland

Research outputs 2011

Learners are often referred to occupational therapists to assess their visual perceptual functioning. It is, therefore, imperative that the occupational therapists use the best assessment tools to obtain accurate and reliable results that lead to effective intervention which will be noticeable in the classroom functioning of these learners. A study was therefore conducted which correlated the results of the Developmental Test of Visual Perception (second edition) (DTVP-2) and the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills Revised (TVPS-R) in a cohort of 173 learners from Grade 1 to Grade 4 (children aged 6 years to 11 years). The learners attend a remedial …

Complications, Vahri G. Mckenzie

Research outputs 2011

Background: Complications is a short story published in literary magazine dotdotdash and explores the expression of identity. Arguably no genre of creative production can investigate identity like fiction can, with its privileged access to interiority and psychology that is akin to thought. Fiction that directly engages with mistaken identity offers a way to deepen this investigation. 'Complications' plays with the several meanings of the word to investigate unstable identity in the modern subject: a medical complication leads to an untimely death; complicated family dealings put a young person in an untenable situation.

Contribution: First person point of view is used …

Psychological And Social Consequences Among Mothers Suffering From Perinatal Loss: Perspective From A Low Income Country, Kaniz Gausia, Allisyn C. Moran, Mohammed Ali, David Ryder, Colleen Fisher, Marge Koblinsky

Research outputs 2011

Background: In developed countries, perinatal death is known to cause major emotional and social effects on mothers. However, little is known about these effects in low income countries which bear the brunt of perinatal mortality burden. This paper reports the impact of perinatal death on psychological status and social consequences among mothers in a rural area of Bangladesh.

Methods: A total of 476 women including 122 women with perinatal deaths were assessed with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS-B) at 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum, and followed up for negative social consequences at 6 months postpartum. Trained female interviewers …

Socioeconomic, Demographic And Legal Influences On Consanguinity And Kinship In Northern Coastal Sweden 1780-1899, I Egerbladh, Alan H. Bittles

Research outputs 2011

Most studies on consanguinity have been conducted on contemporary populations and have focused on the prevalence and types of preferred intra-familial marriage. With its comprehensive birth, marriage and deaths records dating back to the late 17th century, and the legal bar on first cousin marriage removed in the mid-19th century, Sweden offers unique opportunities to examine the factors that determine by whom, where and why consanguineous marriages were contracted. The present study covers the period 1780-1899 and presents a detailed portrait of cousin and sibling exchange marriages in the Skellefteå region of northern coastal Sweden. The combined prevalence of first, …

Resilience Of Phreatophytic Vegetation To Groundwater Drawdown: Is Recovery Possible Under A Drying Climate?, Bea Sommer, Raymond Froend

Research outputs 2011

Banksia (Proteaceae) woodlands are one of a number of groundwater-dependent ecosystems in southwestern Western Australia that are threatened by groundwater abstraction. In addition to this threat is an ongoing decline in regional water tables due to a drying climate. We used ecological resilience theory to analyse and interpret a long-term vegetation monitoring dataset from a site that has experienced an abstraction-induced acute groundwater drawdown in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Despite reduced plant abundance, all dominant over- and understorey species were still found on all transect plots in which they were recorded pre-drawdown. This suggests a notional resilience and …

Anthoethnography: Emerging Research Into The Culture Of Flora, Aesthetic Experience Of Plants, And The Wildflower Tourism Of The Future, John C. Ryan

Research outputs 2011

How does anthoethnography contribute to the development of understandings of aesthetic experiences of wild plants and wildflower tourism? As exemplified by the quintessentially aesthetic industry of wildflower tourism, the culture of flora represents diverse engagements between people and plants. Such complex engagements offer further avenues for research. The critical methodology of anthoethnography has been one such approach to circumscribing the values, practices and rhetoric of wildflower tourism. Interviews have revealed perceptual phenomena such as the orchid and everlasting effects as two counterpoised examples of the differences between visual aesthetic values occurring in the region. For appreciators such as Tinker, botanical …

Everyday Life In The Tourist Zone, Donell J. Holloway, David Holloway

Research outputs 2011

This article makes a case for the everyday while on tour and argues that the ability to continue with everyday routines and social relationships, while at the same time moving through and staying in liminal or atypical zones of tourist locales, is a key part of some kinds of tourist experience. Based on ethnographic field research with grey nomads (retirees who take extended tours of Australia in caravans and motorhomes) everyday life while on tour is examined, specifically the overlap and intersection between the out-of-the-ordinary “tourist zone” and the ordinariness of the “everyday zone.”

Adaptive Noise Canceller For Magnetocardiography, Valentina Tiporlini, Ngiah Nguyen, Kamal Alameh

Research outputs 2011

This paper discusses the use of adaptive noise cancellation in magnetocardiography system within unshielded environment using three algorithms: Least-Mean Squared (LMS) algorithm; normalized LMS (nLMS) algorithm and Genetic Algorithms (GA). Simulation results show that for low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) values, the GA algorithm outperforms the other algorithms, displaying an improvement in SNR of 51.155 dB and completely suppressing the noise sources at 60 Hz and at low frequencies. However, the convergence time of the GA algorithm is longer due to the high computational complexity.

Nano-Patterned High-Responsivity Gaas Metal-Semiconductor-Metal Photodetector, Ayman Karar, Chee Leong Tan, Kamal Alameh, Yong Tak Lee

Research outputs 2011

In this paper, we use the finite difference time-domain (FDTD) method to optimize the light absorption of an ultrafast nano-grating plasmonic GaAs metal-semiconductor-metal photodetector (MSM-PD) employing double metal nano-gratings. The geometry of the MSM-PD is theoretically investigated, leading to improved light absorption near the design wavelength of GaAs due to plasmon-assisted electric and magnetic field concentration through a subwavelength aperture. Simulation results show up to 8- and 21-times light absorption enhancement for the single and double nano-grating structure, respectively, in comparison to conventional MSM-PDs. Experimentally, more than 4 times enhancement in photocurrent is demonstrated for a single top nano-grating MSM-PD …

Circadian Rhythms In Exercise Performance: Implications For Hormonal And Muscular Adaptation, Weipeng Teo, Michael Newton, Michael Mcguigan

Research outputs 2011

Almost all physiological and biochemical processes within the human body follow a circadian rhythm (CR). In humans, the suprachiasmatic nucleus regulates sleep-wake cycle and other daily biorhythms in line with solar time. Due to such daily physiological fluctuations, several investigations on neuromuscular performance have reported a distinct CR during exercise. Generally, peak performances have been found to occur in the early evening, at approximately the peak of core body temperature. The increase in core body temperature has been found to increase energy metabolism, improve muscle compliance and facilitate actin-myosin crossbridging. In addition, steroidal hormones such as testosterone (T) and cortisol …

Association Of Plasma Aß Peptides With Blood Pressure In The Elderly, Jean-Charles Lambert, Jean Dallongeville, Kathryn Ellis, Susanna Schraen-Maschke, James Lui, Simon Laws, Julie Dumont, Florence Richard, Dominique Cottel, Claudine Berr, David Ames, Colin Masters, Christopher Rowe, Cassandra Szoeke, Christophe Tzourio, Jean-Francois Dartigues, Luc Buee, Ralph Martins, Philippe Amouyel

Research outputs 2011

Background Aß peptides are often considered as catabolic by-products of the amyloid ß protein precursor (APP), with unknown physiological functions. However, several biological properties have been tentatively attributed to these peptides, including a role in vasomotion. We assess whether plasma Aß peptide levels might be associated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure values (SBP and DBP, respectively). Methodology/Principal Findings Plasma Aß1-40 and Aß1-42 levels were measured using an xMAP-based assay in 1,972 individuals (none of whom were taking antihypertensive drugs) from 3 independent studies: the French population-based 3C and MONA-LISA (Lille) studies (n = 627 and n = 769, respectively) …

A Low Cost Adaptive Graphical User Interface For The Visually Handicapped With Multiple Conditions, David Veal, Stanislaw Maj

Research outputs 2011

Limited trials have been demonstrated that a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for the visually handicapped called Dynamic Pattern System (DPS) can adaptively utilize residual vision by generating different patterns, colors and shapes. Low vision simulators, used by normally sighted, have allowed researchers to clearly identify visual impairments that can be helped by DPS. However, it is not uncommon for the visually handicapped to suffer from multiple conditions having a multiplicative degenerative effect on their sight. This paper demonstrates how DPS can be used to assist individuals with compound sight disorders.

Individuals With Chronic Low Back Pain Have Greater Difficulty In Engaging In Positive Lifestyle Behaviours Than Those Without Back Pain: An Assessment Of Health Literacy, Andrew Briggs, Joanne Jordan, Peter O'Sullivan, Rachelle Buchbinder, Angus Burnett, Richard Osborne, Leon Straker

Research outputs 2011

Background: Despite the large volume of research dedicated to understanding chronic low back pain (CLBP), patient outcomes remain modest while healthcare costs continue to rise, creating a major public health burden. Health literacy - the ability to seek, understand and utilise health information - has been identified as an important factor in the course of other chronic conditions and may be important in the aetiology of CLBP. Many of the currently available health literacy measurement tools are limited since they measure narrow aspects of health literacy. The Health Literacy Measurement Scale (HeLMS) was developed recently to measure broader elements of …