Factors of Adoption and Diffusion of Knowledge Management Systems in Australia: a structural equation modelling approach

This study investigates the factors influencing the adoption and diffusion of Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) in Australia. The study uses a mixed methodology approach. The research was carried out in three stages: field study, pilot survey, and national survey (top 1,500 companies). The data of the national survey was analysed through Structural Equation Modelling approach (LISREL). Results indicate that “Individual factors” and “Task complexity” are the significant factors which influence the “Perceived usefulness” of KMS, which in turn significantly influences the “Intention” to adopt KMS and its diffusion process. Some unexpected results are also revealed. The results provide practical suggestions to those companies that are embarking on the adoption and diffusion of knowledge management systems in Australia or elsewhere

Quantum Computation of a Complex System : the Kicked Harper Model

The simulation of complex quantum systems on a quantum computer is studied, taking the kicked Harper model as an example. This well-studied system has a rich variety of dynamical behavior depending on parameters, displays interesting phenomena such as fractal spectra, mixed phase space, dynamical localization, anomalous diffusion, or partial delocalization, and can describe electrons in a magnetic field. Three different quantum algorithms are presented and analyzed, enabling to simulate efficiently the evolution operator of this system with different precision using different resources. Depending on the parameters chosen, the system is near-integrable, localized, or partially delocalized. In each case we identify transport or spectral quantities which can be obtained more efficiently on a quantum computer than on a classical one. In most cases, a polynomial gain compared to classical algorithms is obtained, which can be quadratic or less depending on the parameter regime. We also present the effects of static imperfections on the quantities selected, and show that depending on the regime of parameters, very different behaviors are observed. Some quantities can be obtained reliably with moderate levels of imperfection, whereas others are exponentially sensitive to imperfection strength. In particular, the imperfection threshold for delocalization becomes exponentially small in the partially delocalized regime. Our results show that interesting behavior can be observed with as little as 7-8 qubits, and can be reliably measured in presence of moderate levels of internal imperfections

Noncommutative N=2 p-p' System

We analyse several open and mixed sector tree-level amplitudes in N=2 p-p' systems with a constant magnetic B turned on. The 3-point function vanishes on-shell. The 4-point function, in the Seiberg-Witten (SW) low energy limit\cite{SW}, is local, {\it indicating the possible topological nature of the theory (in the SW low energy limit)} and the {\it possible relation between noncommutative N=2 p-p' system in two complex dimensions and in the SW limit, and (non)commutative N=2 p'-p' system in two real dimensions.} We discuss three extreme noncommutativity limits (after having taken the Seiberg-Witten low energy limit) of the mixed 3-point function, and get two kinds of commutative non-associaitive generalized star products. We make some speculative remarks related to reproducing the above four-point tree level amplitude in the open sector, from a field theory.Comment: 19 pages, LaTex, 1 ps figure; to appear in IJMP

Confronting Convention: Discourse and Innovation in Contemporary Native American Women's Theatre

abstract: In this dissertation, I focus on a subset of Native American theatre, one that concentrates on peoples of mixed heritages and the place(s) between worlds that they inhabit. As it is an emergent field of research, one goal of this project is to illuminate its range and depth through an examination of three specific points of focus - plays by Elvira and Hortencia Colorado (Chichimec Otomí/México/US), who create theatre together; Diane Glancy (Cherokee/US); and Marie Clements (Métis/Canada). These plays explore some of the possibilities of (hi)story, culture, and language within the theatrical realm across Turtle Island (North America). I believe the playwrights' positionalities in the liminal space between Native and non-Native realms afford these playwrights a unique ability to facilitate cross-cultural dialogues through recentering Native stories and methodologies. I examine the theatrical works of this select group of mixed heritage playwrights, while focusing on how they open up dialogue(s) between cultures, the larger cultural discourses with which they engage, and their innovations in creating these dialogues. While each playwright features specific mixed heritage characters in certain plays, the focus is generally on the subject matter - themes central to current Native and mixed heritage daily realities. I concentrate on where they engage in cross-cultural discourses and innovations; while there are some common themes across the dissertation, the specific points of analysis are exclusive to each chapter. I employ an interdisciplinary approach, which includes theories from theatre and performance studies, indigenous knowledge systems, comparative literary studies, rhetoric, and cultural studies.Dissertation/ThesisPh.D. Theatre 201

Reduced order models for fluid-structure interaction systems by mixed finite element formulation

In this work, mixed finite element formulations are introduced for acoustoelastic fluid- structure interaction (FSI) systems. For acoustic fluid, in addition to displacement- pressure (u/p) mixed formulation, a three-field formulation, namely, displacement-pressure-vorticity moment formulation (u - p -Λ) is employed to eliminate some zero frequencies. This formulation is introduced in order to compute the coupled frequencies without the contamination of nonphysical spurious non-zero frequencies. Furthermore, gravitational forces are introduced to include the coupled sloshing mode. In addition, u/p mixed formulation is the first time employed in solid. The numerical examples will demonstrate that the mixed formulations are capable of predicted coupled frequencies and mode shapes even if primary slosh, structural, and acoustic modes are within separate frequency ranges. That is to say, the mixed finite element formulations are used to deal with fluid and solid monolithically. In numerical analysis, boundary conditions, wetted surface, and skew systems are considered in order to obtain the symmetrical, nonsingular mass and stiffness matrices. An implicit time integration scheme, the Newmark method, is employed in the transient analysis. Appropriate finite elements corresponding to the mixed finite element formulations are selected based on the inf-sup condition, which is the fundamental solvability and stability condition of finite element methods. In addition, the inf-sup values of the FSI system using a sequence of three meshes are evaluated in order to identify and confirm that the \u27locking\u27 effect does not occur. The numerical examples in this work will also show that by imposing external forces near different coupled frequencies, predominant slosh, structural, and acoustic motions can be triggered in the FSI systems. Further, it is discussed that the frequency range on which energy mainly focuses can be evaluated with Fast Fourier Transform, if the system is activated by single-frequency excitations. In the second part, fluid-structure interaction systems with both immersed flexible structures and free surfaces are employed to study the traditional mode superposition methods and singular value decomposition (SVD) based model reduction methods, e.g., principal component analysis (PCA). The numerical results confirm that SVD-based model reduction methods are reliable by comparing the Rayleigh-Ritz quotients obtained by the principal singular vector and the natural frequencies of the system. If an initial excitation is loaded on a nodal points on the free surface or the structure, the corresponding natural frequency by the transient data of the first few time snapshots can be captured. Excellent agreements are confirmed between the original transient solutions and the data reconstructed with a few dominant principal components. The figures of energy are also plotted in order to verify the realization of this objective, which is recovering the transient data with a few principal components without losing dominant characteristics. The numerical results further demonstrate that different time steps lead to distinct mode shapes of the FSI system, if a combined eigenmode is given as the initial displacement. This is because the natural frequency of sloshing, structural, and acoustic modes are separated. Therefore, the errors between original transient data and recovered results vs different time steps are compared in order to find the appropriate time step and further capture all the eigenmodes. Finally, the coarse-grained system is employed to study the long-time behavior of the FSI system based on model reduction methods. The extrapolation results in coarse temporal scale can be obtained based on dominant principal components provided by PCA. The data at some time instances in fine temporal scale can be neglected. The numerical results show excellent agreement for some generic initial conditions

Conversion to Organic Field Vegetable Production (Phase 2)

Introduction, aims and objectives When this project began in 1996 the UK supply of organic vegetables, from 2400 hectares, was insufficient to meet the growing market and the majority of organic vegetables were imported. It was a policy objective to enable UK farmers to meet the demands of this growing market. A farmer converting to organic agriculture is faced with a range of specific agronomic and economic challenges different from those of conventional agriculture and of established organic systems and a lack of knowledge about these challenges was recognised as a major barrier for individual farmers considering conversion. The overall aim of this project was therefore to provide information on the agronomic and economic performance of farming systems which included field vegetables as part of their rotations during the conversion period and in the years immediately afterwards. The project was commissioned in 1996 as Project OF0126T, later continued as OF0191; this report describes the findings from both projects. The projects were led by HDRA with HRI (now Warwick HRI), EFRC (Elm Farm Research Centre), and the Institute of Rural Sciences (University of Wales, Aberystwyth) as subcontractors. The main objectives were: 1. To convert 12 ha (Hunts Mill) of the farm at HRI Wellesbourne to an organic system, with a rotation including field vegetables and arable crops. 2. To assess agronomic and economic performance of the crops grown, soils, weeds, pest and diseases, during conversion and for the first target rotation at Hunts Mill. 3. To assess the overall agronomic and financial performance during the first full cycle of the rotations at Hunts Mill, comparing scenarios where the initial fertility building phase was 29 months, 17 or 7 months. 4. To assess the agronomic and economic performance during conversion at 10 commercial reference farms, representing contrasting scenarios of organic vegetable production. 5. To interpret and evaluate the data and to produce information appropriate to aid farmers who are undergoing, or who are considering undergoing conversion to organic systems, and to aid future policy making on related farming issues. The reference farms were selected to represent three different scenarios of conversion (from conventional arable, from conventional intensive vegetable and from conventional mixed farms with livestock). The farms represented a range of sizes and were located in all the principle vegetable growing areas of England. The assessment period covered the two-year conversion period itself plus at least the first three years of certified organic production. The basic experimental approach was to use all the farms as case studies for monitoring and documenting the performance of the systems undergoing conversion. Comparisons were made between Hunts Mill and the reference farms and also between the reference farms representing the same vegetable production scenario and between the three different scenarios. See main document for a summary of findings. More specific key agronomic and economic findings can also be found in the main report. Conclusions The project has demonstrated that the process of conversion from conventional agriculture to organic vegetables production is often quite complex involving a significant number of innovations and restructuring of the farm systems, including changes in production, the introduction of new enterprises and marketing methods. These have resulted in a number of physical, financial and management changes both during the transition process and on the final organic farm businesses. The project has demonstrated that large-scale organic vegetable production is technically feasible, with soil fertility, weeds and pest and disease problems overcome without too much difficulty. The biggest challenges have been marketing, managing labour and making it financially viable at the farm level. Organic Farming Scheme payments have only made small contributions to the ‘cost of conversion’. Conversions, especially on the larger farms, would seem to be preferable over a 5 to 10 year period, allowing time to make the necessary learning and adjustments. Further research Monitoring at Hunts Mill has been extended until 2006 as part of a new project: Organic field vegetable production – baseline monitoring of systems with different fertility building strategies (OF 0332). Monitoring of some of the reference farms has continued as part of the project The Sustainable Vegetable Systems Network (OF 0340). This project monitors agronomy and economics and aims to assist in the development of established organic vegetable systems. Economic conditions change and the impact of the new CAP reforms beginning in 2005 would merit further research. The models developed within this project could form the basis for this work

Bayesian Modelling of Direct and Indirect Effects of Marine Reserves on Fishes : A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand.

This thesis reviews and develops modern advanced statistical methodology for sampling and modelling count data from marine ecological studies, with specific applications to quantifying potential direct and indirect effects of marine reserves on fishes in north eastern New Zealand. Counts of snapper (Pagrus auratus: Sparidae) from baited underwater video surveys from an unbalanced, multi-year, hierarchical sampling programme were analysed using a Bayesian Generalised Linear Mixed Model (GLMM) approach, which allowed the integer counts to be explicitly modelled while incorporating multiple fixed and random effects. Overdispersion was modelled using a zero-inflated negative-binomial error distribution. A parsimonious method for zero inflation was developed, where the mean of the count distribution is explicitly linked to the probability of an excess zero. Comparisons of variance components identified marine reserve status as the greatest source of variation in counts of snapper above the legal size limit. Relative densities inside reserves were, on average, 13-times greater than outside reserves. Small benthic reef fishes inside and outside the same three reserves were surveyed to evaluate evidence for potential indirect effects of marine reserves via restored populations of fishery-targeted predators such as snapper. Sites for sampling were obtained randomly from populations of interest using spatial data and geo-referencing tools in R—a rarely used approach that is recommended here more generally to improve field-based ecological surveys. Resultant multispecies count data were analysed with multivariate GLMMs implemented in the R package MCMCglmm, based on a multivariate Poisson lognormal error distribution. Posterior distributions for hypothesised effects of interest were calculated directly for each species. While reserves did not appear to affect densities of small fishes, reserve-habitat interactions indicated that some endemic species of triplefin (Tripterygiidae) had different associations with small-scale habitat gradients inside vs outside reserves. These patterns were consistent with a behavioural risk effect, where small fishes may be more strongly attracted to refuge habitats to avoid predators inside vs outside reserves. The approaches developed and implemented in this thesis respond to some of the major current statistical and logistic challenges inherent in the analysis of counts of organisms. This work provides useful exemplar pathways for rigorous study design, modelling and inference in ecological systems

Characterization of friction based on specific film thickness and wettability

Friction and wear in tribological systems lead to monetary loss and environmental damage. A better understanding of factors that affect tribological behavior of a system will reduce losses and damages in a tribological system. Wetting and surface properties are important in solid-fluid interactions and hence should be considered in lubricant-surface tribological systems. Their effects on tribological behavior are not properly understood. This study analyzed the effect of wettability on tribological systems and checked whether inclusion of wettability in the analysis of friction can lead to a more unified approach. Wettability informs how a liquid will behave on a solid surface. Liquids with high wettability spread over the surface, and those with low wettability do not. Wettability depends on properties of not only the liquid but also the surface. The significance of wetting in tribological systems varies from system to system. The relative importance of wetting in tribology varies with the lubrication regime under which a system operates. The lubrication regime is characterized by lambda (λ) parameter. Based on the value of λ there are three lubrication regimes: boundary, mixed, and hydrodynamic. Researchers claim that wetting and surface properties are important in boundary lubrication regime and insignificant in mixed and hydrodynamic lubrication. This research analyzed the effects of wetting in all the regimes to test this claim. There is disagreement among scholars on how to characterize wettability in tribological systems. Some claim that a formulation of spreading parameter that comprises polar and disperse components of surface energy and surface tension provides relevant insight. Others claim that the contact angle formed between liquid and surface is a better measure of wettability. Another group of scholars claim that a non-dimensionalized spreading parameter should be used to characterize wetting. This parameter can be calculated by contact angle. In this study, the non-dimensionalized parameter was used as it is easy to calculate. It considers non-linear relation between contact angle and wetting behavior. The results based on this parameter converge with those based on polar and disperse components to surface tension and energy. This parameter was used along with λ to check whether different friction-coefficient versus λ curves for various lubricant surface systems can collapse into one friction coefficient versus λ*|S^* | curve. If various Stribeck curves for different systems can collapse into one curve, then the process of predicting friction and wear behavior would simplify, and thus the research in the field of tribology would accelerate

Bung: A traditional practice of potato cultivation in eastern hills of Nepal

Eastern hill region is one of the high potato producing areas of potato in Nepal. There are many traditional potato production systems existing in the region. Among them, 'Bung' and 'Lhose' are very popular systems. There are some under-proven views of naming to this unique cultivation practice. Field observations, key informants' interview, and group discussion were carried out at three sites of Okhaldhunga and Solukhumbu districts in July 2019 to explore the basic information on the bung system. The results of this investigation revealed that the century-old practice utilized marginal sloppy lands of mountains for cultivation of potatoes. Farmers left land fallow for 4-5 years to grow weeds and herbs. Thereafter, they slashed them with a thin layer of soil, stacked them over winter, burned and mixed with the soil making a raised pit. They planted 15-25 potato seed tubers into these pits depending upon the pit size. No additional fertilizer is added to these pits. No intercultural operations are carried out until harvesting. It was explained that the yield of potato from the bung was significantly higher   15-20 kg)  than that of general local practice called lhose system (5-7 kg) from the area equivalent to Bung . Some interventions such as high yielding varieties, easy-to-handle equipment for bung preparation and introduction of fast-growing non-hazardous weeds, etc. were the demands of the farmers to increase profit from the bung system