Digital Commons Network^™

A Network That Really Works - The Application Of Artificial Neural Networks To Improve Yield Predictions And Nitrogen Management In Western Australia, Jinsong Leng, Andreas Neuhaus, Leisa Armstrong

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Yield predictions are notorious for being difficult due to many interdependent factors such as rainfall, soil properties, plant health, plant density etc. This study is based upon the author’s previously published work and extends its findings by further investigating the best mathematical solution to this dilemma. Artificial intelligence (AI) techniques have been applied to a large set of soil, plant, rainfall, and yield data from CSBP’s field research trial program. Here we further differentiate by investigate two ANN techniques, a genetic algorithm with back propagation neural networks (GA-BP-NN) and a particle swarm optimization with back propagation neural networks (PSO-BP-NN). Results …

A Survey Of Image Processing Techniques For Agriculture, Lalit Saxena, Leisa Armstrong

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Computer technologies have been shown to improve agricultural productivity in a number of ways. One technique which is emerging as a useful tool is image processing. This paper presents a short survey on using image processing techniques to assist researchers and farmers to improve agricultural practices. Image processing has been used to assist with precision agriculture practices, weed and herbicide technologies, monitoring plant growth and plant nutrition management. This paper highlights the future potential for image processing for different agricultural industry contexts.

Decision Support System Data For Farmer Decision Making, Pornchai Taechatanasat, Leisa Armstrong

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The capacity of farmers and agricultural scientists to be able to make in-season decisions is dependent on accurate climate, soil and plant data. This paper will provide a review of the types of environmental and crop data that can be collected by sensors which can used for decision support systems (DSS) or be further interrogated for real time data mining and analysis. This paper also presents a review of the data requirements for agricultural decision making by firstly reviewing decision support frameworks and agricultural DSSs, data acquisition, sensors for data acquisition and examples of data incorporation for agricultural DSSs.

Role Of Icts In Improving Drought Scenario Management In India, Shubhangi S. Wankhede, Niketa Gandhi, Leisa Armstrong

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Drought is a natural phenomenon that affects social, economic and environmental sectors. It is caused due to low or no rainfall in the specific region and for some duration of time. Reduced soil moisture and ground water level are the other causes for drought. Based on its intensity, drought has impacts on various sectors like agriculture, transportation, forest fire, environment and many more. Agriculture is the major sector being affected by drought resulting in low crop production and having great detriment to economy of the country. In this paper, an attempt is made to study the different causes and effects …

Genetic Algorithm With Logistic Regression For Prediction Of Progression To Alzheimer's Disease, Piers Johnson, Luke Vandewater, William Wilson, Paul Maruff, Greg Savage, Petra Graham, Lance S. Macaulay, Kathryn A. Ellis, Cassandra Szoeke, Ralph N. Martins, Christopher Rowe, Colin L. Masters, David Ames, Ping Zhang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Assessment of risk and early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a key to its prevention or slowing the progression of the disease. Previous research on risk factors for AD typically utilizes statistical comparison tests or stepwise selection with regression models. Outcomes of these methods tend to emphasize single risk factors rather than a combination of risk factors. However, a combination of factors, rather than any one alone, is likely to affect disease development. Genetic algorithms (GA) can be useful and efficient for searching a combination of variables for the best achievement (eg. accuracy of diagnosis), especially when the search …

Methods For Multimodal Analysis And Representation Of Teaching-Learning Interactions In Primary Science Lessons Captured On Video, Mark W. Hackling, Karen J. Murcia, Khadeeja Ibrahim-Didi, Susan M. Hill

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Video-based classroom research is opening-up exciting new insights into how teachers generate productive opportunities for student engagement in quality learning, reasoning and the development of their scientific literacy. The significant role played by multimodal representations in learning and teaching becomes evident through the medium of video and its analysis. Classroom research that is framed from social constructivist, sociocultural, activity theory and social semiotic perspectives highlights the social interactions involving multimodal representations which are used to communicate science ideas and also act as semiotic resources for meaning making. Social and cognitive processes of co-constructing meaning are mediated by talk, embodied representations …

Moderation Of Assessments In A School Of Nursing And Midwifery; Enhancing Student Assessment Experiences, Lesley J. Andrew, Beverley A. Ewens, Rowena H. Scott

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper details a quality improvement initiative undertaken in 2013 within a School of Nursing and Midwifery, in Western Australia. The objective of the initiative was to support and enhance commencing student assessment experiences thorough the development of an evidence based, standardised assessment of moderation process.

Enhancing Experiential Learning In Planning Education Through An Online Toolkit Of Resources, Christine Slade, Johanna Rosier, Claudia Baldwin, Andrew Harwood, Eddo Coiacetto, Trevor Budge, Timothy J. Perkins

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper reports on the development of an online toolkit of resources to support the use and assessment of experiential learning (EL) across planning programs. Planning graduates face diverse workplace demands with expectations to address the local and regional implications of global trends, integrate technological advances with existing planning processes, as well as interpret and integrate changing legislative and institutional arrangements. Planning education is about educators, practitioners and students coming together. Equipping students for increasing complexity and change requires planning educators to design programs that facilitate the learning of personal and professional skills and both broad and specialised planning knowledge. …

Hybrid Intelligent Model For Software Maintenance Prediction, Abdulrahman Ahmed Bobakr Baqais, Mohammad Alshayeb, Zubair A. Baig

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Maintenance is an important activity in the software life cycle. No software product can do without undergoing the process of maintenance. Estimating a software’s maintainability effort and cost is not an easy task considering the various factors that influence the proposed measurement. Hence, Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques have been used extensively to find optimized and more accurate maintenance estimations. In this paper, we propose an Evolutionary Neural Network (NN) model to predict software maintainability. The proposed model is based on a hybrid intelligent technique wherein a neural network is trained for prediction and a genetic algorithm (GA) implementation is used …

What Do Elevated Background Contaminant Concentrations Mean For Amd Risk Assessment And Management In Western Australia?, C. D. Mccullough, J. J Pearce

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Water quality contaminants include a range of naturally occurring chemicals that can cause degradation of aquatic ecosystem water values when concentration ranges exceed biological tolerances. Both acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD) and acid sulfate soil (ASS) can increase contaminant concentrations through reduced pH and increased solute concentrations especially of toxic metals and metalloids. Water quality guideline criteria are typically used to maintain existing end use value objectives when managing AMD/ASS-affected waters. However, surface and ground waters of catchments comprising mining resources often show elevated solute concentrations in baseline conditions due to their unique geologies. From an AMD and ASS risk …

Student Motivations For Studying Online: A Qualitative Study, Melanie K. Henry, Julie Ann Pooley, Maryam Omari

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The availability of online courses has continued to grow over recent years with more students now turning to online offerings. The flexibility offered through online learning is attractive to prospective students with some of the benefits including reduced costs, and the potential to increase and diversify the student body. Online courses provide the advantage of reaching those who may be ‘too busy’ for traditional study, and offer flexibility through anywhere, anytime access. While these benefits may attract prospective learners to the online environment there remains little empirical evidence for the reasons students actually make the decision to study online over …

Industry Needs And Tertiary Journalism Education: Views From News Editors, Trevor A. Cullen, Stephen Tanner, Marcus O'Donnell, Kerry Green

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This research paper discusses the findings from a 2012 Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) sponsored project that canvassed the views of news editors around Australia about the "job readiness" of tertiary educated journalism graduates. The focus of this paper is limited to responses from news editors in Western Australia. Data was collected via face to face interviews with eleven news editors in Perth, Western Australia. The editors work in print, online, broadcast and television and all of them employ journalism graduates. The aim was to assess whether the five university based journalism programs in Perth provide graduates with the …

Serum Concentrations Of The Biomarkers Ca125, Ca15-3, Ca72-4, Tpsa And Papp-A In Natural And Stimulated Ovarian Cycles, Melissa J. Stemp, Peter Roberts, Allison Mcclements, Vincent Chapple, Jay Natalwala, Michael L. Black, Phillip L. Matson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Objective: Biomarkers associated with cancer screening (CA125, CA15-3, CA72-4, total prostate specific antigen [tPSA]) and the monitoring of pregnancy (pregnancy associated plasma protein-A [PAPP-A]) were measured during natural and stimulated ovarian cycles in disease-free non-pregnant women to determine if they could reflect normal events relating to ovulation and/or endometrial changes. Methods: A total of 73 blood samples (10 women) collected throughout the natural menstrual cycle, and 64 blood samples (11 women) taken during stimulated ovarian cycles, were analysed on the Roche Cobas e411 automated analyser. Results: Detectable levels of tPSA were measured in at least one point in the cycle …

Online On The Mobile: Internet Use On Smartphones And Associated Risks Among Youth In Europe, G Stald, Lelia Green, M Barbovski, L Haddon, G Mascheroni, B Sagvari, B Scifo, L Tsaliki

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This report analyses how children aged 9-16 changed their internet use between 2010, when most children used fixed computers and laptops, and 2013, with over one-quarter (c. 28%) of 9-12 year olds, and three-fifths (c. 60%) of 13-16 year olds, accessing the internet via a smartphone.

En Attendant Centiloid, Victor L. Villemagne, Vincent Doré, Paul Yates, Belinda Brown, Rachel Mulligan, Pierrick Bourgeat, Robyn Veljanoski, Stephanie R. Rainey-Smith, Kevin Ong, Alan Rembach, Robert Williams, Samantha C. Burnham, Simon Laws, Olivier Salvado, Kevin Taddei, S. L. Macaulay, Ralph Martins, David Ames, Colin L. Masters, Christopher C. Rowe

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Aims: Test the robustness of a linear regression transformation of semiquantitative values from different Aβ tracers into a single continuous scale. Study Design: Retrospective analysis. Place and Duration of Study: PET imaging data acquired in Melbourne and Perth, Australia, between August 2006 and May 2014. Methodology: Aβ imaging in 633 participants was performed with four different radiotracers: flutemetamol (n=267), florbetapir (n=195), florbetaben (n=126) and NAV4694 (n=45). SUVR were generated with the methods recommended for each tracer, and classified as high (Aβ+) or low (Aβ-) based on their respective thresholds. Linear regression transformation based on reported head-to-head comparisons of each tracer …

Hierarchical Graphical Bayesian Models In Psychology, Guillermo Campitelli, Guillermo Macbeth

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The improvement of graphical methods in psychological research can promote their use and a better comprehension of their expressive power. The application of hierarchical Bayesian graphical models has recently become more frequent in psychological research. The aim of this contribution is to introduce suggestions for the improvement of hierarchical Bayesian graphical models in psychology. This novel set of suggestions stems from the description and comparison between two main approaches concerned with the use of plate notation and distribution pictograms. It is concluded that the combination of relevant aspects of both models might improve the use of powerful hierarchical Bayesian graphical …

Zernike Moments And Genetic Algorithm : Tutorial And Application, Oluleye H. Babatunde, Leisa Armstrong, Jinsong Leng, Dean Diepeveen

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Aims/ objectives: To demontrate effectiveness of Zernike Moments for Image Classification. Zernike moment(ZM) is an excellent region-based moment which has attracted the attentions of many image processing researchers since its first application to image analysis. Many papers have been published on several works done on ZM but no single paper ever give a detailed information of how the computation of ZM is done from the time the image is captured to the computation of ZM. This work showed how to effectively apply ZM on RGB images. We have demonstrated the effectiveness of Zernike moment in image classification system. A neuro-genetic …

Novel Image-Dependent Quality Assessment Measures, Asaad Hashim, Zahir Hussain

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The image is a 2D signal whose pixels are highly correlated in a 2D manner. Hence, using pixel by pixel error what we called previously Mean-Square Error, (MSE) is not an efficient way to compare two similar images (e.g., an original image and a compressed version of it). Due to this correlation, image comparison needs a correlative quality measure. It is clear that correlation between two signals gives an idea about the relation between samples of the two signals. Generally speaking, correlation is a measure of similarity between the two signals. An important step in image similarity was introduced by …

Optimising Stem Education In Wa Schools, Mark Hackling, Karen Murcia, John West, Karen Anderson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is a powerful and productive driving force for economic growth. A strong STEM education system provides the essential underpinning of an innovative and scientifically literate culture that: develops the capabilities for individuals to function effectively within a science and technology based society; provides an ever widening range of career opportunities; and, builds the productive capacity required to drive a prosperous economy and enhanced well-being in an increasingly competitive world. The STEM education pipeline begins in our schools, therefore there is widespread and deep concern about the unsatisfactory status of STEM education in …

Evaluation Of Indigenous Justice Programs Project D. Safe Aboriginal Youth Patrol Programs In New South Wales And Northbridge Policy And Juvenile Aid Group In Western Australia, Trudi Cooper, Margaret Sims, John Scott, Pamela Henry, Elaine Barclay, Terence Love

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In this evaluation, we examined two different approaches to delivery of Community and Night patrol services for young people: the Safe Aboriginal Youth Patrol programs (SAYP) of NSW, and the Northbridge Policy project (NPP) sometimes also called the Young people in Northbridge project, in Perth, Western Australia. The overarching focus of this evaluation was to determine whether the programs should be considered as examples of ‘good practice’ to be replicated elsewhere, and to find evidence of outcomes achieved by each program...

Pgc-1Α Mediated Muscle Aerobic Adaptations To Exercise, Heat And Cold Exposure, Mohammed Ihsan, Greig Watson, Chris R. Abbiss

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

PGC-1α is regarded as a key regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis due to its central role in regulating the activity of key transcription factors associated with encoding mitochondrial components. Additionally, PGC-1α has shown to mediate adaptations that increase fat metabolism and angiogenesis, contributing to the overall oxidative phenotype of the muscle. While it is well established that exercise is a potent stimulator of PGC-1α, recent evidence indicates that heat and cold exposures may also influence mitochondrial biogenesis through the up-regulation of PGC-1α. This highlights the potential use of these modalities in conjunction with exercise to enhance training adaptations. As such, the …

Concert Recording 2014-04-16b, Yudai Hironaka, Tomoko Kashiwagi, Madeleine Hogue, Vordie Mathis, Austin Jay, Andrew Stephens, Jackson Jones, Cory Mixdorf, Henry Bowen, Matt Matlock

Concert Recordings & Programs

Suite for trombone quartet. Lied ; Dans / Flor Peeters -- Sonata in b k292 for bassoon and cello / Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart -- Suite for unaccompanied tuba. Intrada ; Valse ; Air ; Galop / Walter S. Hartley -- The Devil's trill. Larghetto affettuoso / Guisseppe Tartini -- Fantasiestucke, op 73. Zart und mit Ausdruck ; Lebhaft, leight ; Rasch und mit Feuer / Robert Schumann ; [arr.] Henry Howey

Greed, Envy, And The Criminalization Of Insider Trading, John P. Anderson

Utah Law Review

In October 2011, a U.S. district court sentenced Raj Rajaratnam to eleven years in federal prison for insider trading. This is the longest sentence for insider trading in U.S. history, but it is significantly less than the nineteen to twenty-four-year term requested by the government. Such harsh prison terms (equal in some cases to those meted out for murder or rape) require sound justification in a liberal society. Yet jurists, politicians, and scholars have failed to offer a clear articulation of either the economic harm or the moral wrong committed by the insider trader.

This Article looks to fill this …

Legality, Morality, Duality, Joshua P. Davis

Utah Law Review

This Article proposes legal dualism as a novel resolution to one of the central debates in jurisprudence—that between natural law and legal positivism. It holds that the nature of law varies with the purpose for which it is being interpreted. Natural law provides the best account of the law when it serves as a source of moral guidance and legal positivism provides the best account of the law when it does not.

Realigning Parties, Debra Lyn Bassett, Rex R. Perschbacher

Utah Law Review

The doctrine of realignment—which permits a federal court to change a party’s litigating position from plaintiff to defendant or vice versa—has been virtually ignored in federal procedure scholarship. This stark neglect is genuinely astonishing because the federal circuit courts are split as to the appropriate standard. The source of the standard—and the circuit courts’ confusion—is a 1941 U.S. Supreme Court decision, City of Indianapolis v. Chase National Bank. In that decision, rather than focusing on realignment’s purpose, the Supreme Court focused unduly on the specific context in which the realignment issue arose. The result was a muddled articulation of the …

The Philosophy And Jurisprudence Of Chief Justice Roberts, Kiel Brennan-Marquez

Utah Law Review

A thicket of commentary has blossomed around the figure of Chief Justice Roberts. The bulk of it, however, has either focused exclusively on his role in the 2011 term or has lumped him in uncritically with the Court’s conservative wing. In response, this Article takes a wider view of his tenure, arguing that Chief Justice Roberts is best understood as an idealist, a true believer in the rule of law, with a special sensitivity toward issues of constitutional structure. In the first Part of the Article, I explore Chief Justice Roberts’s penchant for infusing his opinions with “teaching moments”—a tendency …

The Materiality Of Morality: Conflict Minerals, Alexandrea L. Nelson

Utah Law Review

Shareholder activism is not a privilege—it is a right and a responsibility. When we invest in a company, we own part of that company and we are partly responsible for how that company progresses. If we believe there is something going wrong with the company, then we, as shareholders, must become active and vocal.

Speaking Of Science: Introducing Notice And Comment Into The Legislative Process, Gregory Dolin

Utah Law Review

Congress enacts, on a nearly continuous basis, a variety of laws that affect scientific research and progress. Some of these laws have an unquestionably positive effect. For instance, Congress’s creation of the National Institutes of Health, the National Academy of Sciences, and NASA; its various appropriations to fund ground-breaking research; and a multitude of other laws have incalculably advanced human knowledge, and it is to Congress’s great credit that these laws have been and are continuing to be enacted. However, not all laws that affect the progress of sciences are an unalloyed good. Quite the opposite, often the laws aim …

Improving Health Professional's Knowledge Of Hepatitis B Using Cartoon Based Learning Tools: A Retrospective Analysis Of Pre And Post Tests, Moira G. Sim, Ashleigh C. Mcevoy, Toni D. Wain Ms, Eric L. Khong

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: Hepatitis B serology is complex and a lack of knowledge in interpretation contributes to the inadequate levels of screening and referral for highly effective hepatitis antiviral treatments. This knowledge gap needs to be addressed so that current and future healthcare professionals are more confident in the detection and assessment of hepatitis B to improve the uptake of treatment and reduce long-term complications from the disease. Cartoons have been used effectively as a teaching tool in other settings and were considered as a potentially useful teaching aid in explaining hepatitis B serology. This study examines the impact of cartoons in …

Australian Smes: Waste Sent To Landfill, Janice Redmond, Elizabeth A. Walker, Craig M. Parker, Mike Simpson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Landfill waste has a negative impact on the environment and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are believed to be significant contributors. There is little government or scholarly research, however, quantifying the collective volume of waste SMEs send to landfill. The limited studies instead measure total volumes (landfill and recycling combined) and/or do not distinguish between specific waste streams (e.g. wood) and subcategories (e.g. dust). This paper contributes to knowledge by reconceptualising SME waste into subcategories and by measuring landfill volumes. It presents findings from 404 Australian SMEs which found that, in descending order, cardboard, paper, plastic wrap, wood dust and …