Rural telecommunications policy reform

This publication summarises the issues and points to possible changes in rural telecommunications policy. The purpose was not to revisit the usual arguments about the cost of the universal service obligation, or the comparison between metropolitan areas and remote areas. It simply aims to draw together clear thinking about the issues, in the hope of a better outcome for users and providers of telecommunications

The secret of better government? Citizens who complain

Citizens are becoming more sceptical and critical of their governments. Chris Welzel and Russell Dalton examine whether this phenomenon is good or bad for democratic stability by looking at the relationship between assertive and allegiant citizen norms and effective governance. They challenge the Burkean view that good government requires an obedient citizenry to function properly. Assertive citizens hold their politicians accountable – and their rising numbers should improve the quality of democracy

Issues and techniques for collaborative music making on multi-touch surfaces

A range of systems exist for collaborative music making on multi-touch surfaces. Some of them have been highly successful, but currently there is no systematic way of designing them, to maximise collaboration for a particular user group. We are particularly interested in systems that will engage novices and experts. We designed a simple application in an initial attempt to clearly analyse some of the issues. Our application allows groups of users to express themselves in collaborative music making using pre-composed materials. User studies were video recorded and analysed using two techniques derived from Grounded Theory and Content Analysis. A questionnaire was also conducted and evaluated. Findings suggest that the application affords engaging interaction. Enhancements for collaborative music making on multi-touch surfaces are discussed. Finally, future work on the prototype is proposed to maximise engagement

Blurring the boundaries of the Mackintosh room

In this paper we describe a prototype interactive systemsupporting a shared synchronous experience for physical,World Wide Web and virtual reality visitors to anexhibition devoted to the designer and architect C.R.Mackintosh. The system provides awareness betweenvisitors that spans multiple media while also providinglocation- and device-sensitive content to each visitor

Update of a database for estimation of whole grain content of foods in Australia

Food composition data is essential for calculating consumption based on reported dietary intake. Inclusion of the whole grain content of foods in food composition databases is limited. In Australia, quantification of whole grain composition does not include all foods within the current survey database, AUSNUT (Australian Food, Supplement and Nutrient) 2011-13. This study aimed to update an existing Australian whole grain database to include all foods and food products within AUSNUT 2011-13 (n = 5741). Whole grain content (g) per 100 g was calculated using a systematic recipe-based approach, and input from industry stakeholders, product packaging, and ingredient lists. Overall 590 foods were identified as containing whole grain. Cereals and cereal products formed the majority (43%) of the database. Foods with whole grain content 100.0 g/100 g were raw or puffed whole grains, whole grain flours, and ready to eat cereals made from 100% whole grains. Considerable variation in whole grain content exists between and within food groups. The updated database may be a useful tool for assessing whole grain content of Australian food intake data. Application will allow estimation of whole grain intake in highly varied Australian population groups

The Effects of Resistance and Plyometric Training on Vertical Jump

Several training protocols are available when it comes to increase the height of vertical jump. The purpose of the study was to test two different training protocols to see if they would generate a higher vertical jump at the end of a four week training period. This study tested to see if there was a correlation between two different types of training, resistance training and plyometric training, and the vertical jump. Both produce force and both have been used when training jump height, but which is best: resistance training or plyometric training? Six college-aged subjects who attend the University of Texas at Tyler (five male and one female) were divided into a resistance training group and a plyometric training group. Both groups then participated in four weeks of their designated training regimen. Each subject was tested at the end of each week using a Vertex and Ground Reaction Force plate to measure vertical height and force produced from each jump. We then normalized our data into percentages and inputted those values into an Excel program to create a Regression Line. The results showed that over a four-week period, plyometric training and resistance training saw an increase in vertical jump height, overall. However, the plyometric group increased their jump significantly over the four-week period and increased their force production. The resistance group, while they did increase their vertical, did not increase at the rate that the plyometric group did. Their force production generally speaking, decreased over the four-week period. However, with the data obtained, we can then use this to plan a program for coaches and their athletes. If coaches and trainers only have a short period of time, one month for example, then plyometric training is the best way to train for an increase in vertical jump height. More tests would have to be done to see if resistance training would be more effective than plyometric training over an extended period of time

UC-37 Interactive PDF File Editing for Online Classes

This system aims to create an interactive environment for teachers to view/grade/edit student submission in virtual classes. Objectives for this project are to create independent component or logic model that includes the following functions. This component should be integrated with a .net core application easily. -Upload pdf files to the system and save files to the server; -Record audio online and save audio to the system; also, the audio can be played online; -Upload and play video or video link (YouTube); -Split file. When uploading a PDF file, the system will allow to split or crop the file (partial file content) and upload the file; -PDF edit: be able to view the pdf file and leave comments;Advisors(s): Yang Ming - Capstone Professor Derek Shi - Project SponsorTopic(s): Software EngineeringIT 498

The 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey: a targeted study of catalogued clusters of galaxies

We have carried out a study of known clusters within the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey (2dFGRS) observed areas and have identified 431 Abell, 173APM and 343 EDCC clusters. Precise redshifts, velocity dispersions and new centroids have been measured for the majority of these objects, and this information is used to study the completeness of these catalogues, the level of contamination from foreground and background structures along the cluster's line of sight, the space density of the clusters as a function of redshift, and their velocity dispersion distributions. We find that the Abell and EDCC catalogues are contaminated at the level of about 10 per cent, whereas the APM catalogue suffers only 5 per cent contamination. If we use the original catalogue centroids, the level of contamination rises to approximately 15 per cent for the Abell and EDCC catalogues, showing that the presence of foreground and background groups may alter the richness of clusters in these catalogues. There is a deficiency of clusters at z~0.05 that may correspond to a large underdensity in the Southern hemisphere. From the cumulative distribution of velocity dispersions for these clusters, we derive a space density of σ>1000kms-1 clusters of 3.6×10-6h3Mpc-3. This result is used to constrain models for structure formation; our data favour low-density cosmologies, subject to the usual assumptions concerning the shape and normalization of the power spectrum

Evolution of star formation in the UKIDSS ultra deep survey field-I. Luminosity functions and cosmic star formation rate out to z = 1.6

We present new results on the cosmic star formation history in the Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Survey (SXDS)-Ultra Deep Survey (UDS) field out to z = 1.6. We compile narrowband data from the Subaru Telescope and the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope forAstronomy (VISTA) in conjunction with broad-band data from the SXDS and UDS, to makea selection of 5725 emission-line galaxies in 12 redshift slices, spanning 10 Gyr of cosmictime. We determine photometric redshifts for the sample using 11-band photometry, and usea spectroscopically confirmed subset to fine tune the resultant redshift distribution. We usethe maximum-likelihood technique to determine luminosity functions in each redshift slice and model the selection effects inherent in any narrow-band selection statistically, to obviatethe retrospective corrections ordinarily required. The deep narrow-band data are sensitive tovery low star formation rates (SFRs), and allow an accurate evaluation of the faint end slopeof the Schechter function, α We find that a is particularly sensitive to the assumed faintest broad-band magnitude of a galaxy capable of hosting an emission line, and propose thatthis limit should be empirically motivated. For this analysis, we base our threshold on thelimiting observed equivalent widths of emission lines in the local Universe. We compute thecharacteristic SFR of galaxies in each redshift slice, and the integrated SFR density,ρ SFR. Wefind our results to be in good agreement with the literature and parametrize the evolution of the SFR density as ρ SFR α(1 + z)4.58 confirming a steep decline in star formation activity since z ~ 1.6.Peer reviewe

Adenotonsillectomy and adenoidectomy in children: The impact of timing of surgery and post-operative outcomes

Aim To investigate the impact of adenotonsillectomy (ADT) and adenoidectomy (AD) on child health and evaluated their post-operative complications. Methods We included all children aged <16 years undergoing ADT (tonsillectomy ± adenoidectomy) or AD in New South Wales, Australia, 2008–2017. Health information was obtained from administrative hospitalisation data. Rates of post-operative complications and reoperation were evaluated using generalised estimating equations and Kaplan–Meier methods, respectively. Results Out of 156 500 included children, 112 361 had ADT and 44 139 had AD. Population rates increased during 2008–2017 (ADT: 68–79 per 10 000 children; AD: 25–34 per 10 000), and children were increasingly operated on at a younger age. Overall, 7262 (6.5%) and 1276 (2.9%) children had post-operative complications (mostly haemorrhage), and 4320 (3.8%) and 5394 (12.2%) required reoperation, following ADT and AD, respectively. Complication rates were highest among children aged 0–1 years, lowest for those 2–5 years and increased with age thereafter. Three-year reoperation rates for children aged 0–1 years were 9.0% and 25.9% following ADT and AD, respectively, decreasing thereafter to 0.5% and 2.1% in children aged 12–13 years. Conclusions ADT and AD in Australian children have both increased in frequency and are being done at a younger age. Post-operative complications and reoperation rates highlight surgery is not without risk, especially for children under 2 years old. These findings support a more conservative approach to management of upper respiratory symptoms, with surgery reserved for cases where potential benefits are most likely to outweigh harms