Mining community resilience explored through sustainable community development and perceptions of community wellbeing

The aim of this project was to investigate the resilience of mining communities throughout different stages of mining activity. This aim was achieved through the in-depth exploration of mining community wellbeing and sustainability. The sustainability of mining communities is subject to many factors such as economic market trends and the longevity of the resource being mined (Black, 2005). Sustainable development requires consideration of the actions needed at a local level that contribute to or hinder sustainability (Callaghan & Colton, 2008; Epps, 2002; Lubbers & Koorevaar, 1999). As sustainability was investigated at a community level, the community capital framework suggested by Callaghan and Colton (2008) was used. This framework provides a comprehensive view of the factors that can influence community sustainability. These factors are environmental, human, social, cultural, public structural and commercial capital. Social capital is particularly important to consider for community sustainability as it facilitates coordination and cooperation for the mutual benefit of those involved thus allowing for the use of other forms of capital to be more efficient (Putnam, 1993, 2000). This project explored the relationships between community capital and community wellbeing in mining communities. Additionally, this project explored mining community residents' perceptions of the impacts of mining activity. Due to the limited literature on mining community wellbeing in an Australian context, an exploratory approach was taken in this project. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in three Queensland mining communities. Interviews were conducted with a sample of 37 residents (nine male, 28 female) from three research sites - Mount Isa (three male, 17 female), Emerald (four male, seven female) and Moranbah (two male, four female). An exploratory qualitative approach was used within an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) framework. IPA provides a framework for the in-depth description and interpretation of how participants perceive and make sense of their experience within their community (J. A. Smith, Flowers, & Larkin, 2009; J. A. Smith & Osborn, 2008). Thematic analysis was conducted within the IPA framework to identify, analyse and report on patterns within the data (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The reported factors that influence general community wellbeing were reflected in the six forms of community capital and highlighted the interconnected relationships between the forms of community capital. Social capital elements were recognised as playing a key role in residents' perceptions of the community's wellbeing. Additionally, mining activity was perceived to have various impacts on mining communities. Although participants reported some positive impacts, participants more consistently identified mining activity's negative impact on community wellbeing. Again, social capital elements were identified as playing a key role in residents' perceptions towards the mining industry and the negative impacts of mining activity. Social capital elements need to be considered within sustainable community development as these social capital elements were reported as key determinants of community wellbeing. Building trusting and reciprocal relationships between general community members, and community leadership and industry stakeholders is key to facilitating sustainable community development

Addressing the Modality of Church Melodies, According to the Variety in the Choice of the Isokratema. Case Studies

This paper aims to investigate the phenomenon of heterophony in Byzantine chant, exploring the technique of isokratema and how the modality of a melody can be affected by the selection of an isokratematic note (bordun tone). Specific examples of whole melodies or melodic phrases are examined by using respectively two or more versions of isokratema. These versions come either from recordings of isokratema in church melodies or voice recordings from in and out of the worship congregation and the oral tradition. Additionally, the selections of isokratema are analysed one by one in order to show how each example affects the modality of the melos as an octaechic behaviour on macrostructural level, as well as a movement of the notes on microstructural level. Finally, we examine the role of the modality of each example in the determination of the melody’s ethos, within the broader context of the meta-aesthetics of Byzantine chant.

Preparing for disaster: preparedness in a flood and cyclone prone community

Research suggests that the perception of a threat, high levels of self-efficacy, and high levels of social connectedness and trust may facilitate engagement in preparatory behaviours for severe weather events. To identify the psychosocial determinants of preparatory behaviours in cyclone- and flood-prone communities, a questionnaire was completed by 275 (103 males, 169 females, three not identified) participants from a north Queensland community. The results from this study show that perceived susceptibility to a future severe weather event, social connectedness, and self-efficacy significantly predict part of the variance in preparatory behaviour. Therefore communicating personal vulnerability to an event, providing information on how to undertake recommended preparatory action, and increasing engagement in the community may contribute to effective preparation at the community level

MIMO relay channels with partial channel knowledge/estimation error and spatial correlation

In this paper we show the effect of partial channel knowledge at the receiver which causes estimation error of the channel at the receiver and the spatial correlation on MIMO Relay wireless communication systems. We assume that the transmitter has perfect knowledge of statistical parameters of the channel such as covariance or mean. We show how the topology of the equipment can upgrade or degrade the channel and we generalize a relaying MIMO scenario. We mathematically approach the gain of a system that uses relaying antennas. We assume a Zero Mean Circular Symmetric Complex Gaussian(ZMCSCG) channel elements and ZMCSCG noise elements. As we examine spatial correlation at the transmitter only, we assume that the elements of the rows of the channel matrix of the first hop are correlated. Partial CSI at the receiver causes errors at the estimation of the channel at the receiver which results the channel capacity to degrade and to saturate at certain levels of SNR. Numerical simulations are conducted in order to support the theoretical results used in this pape

Nonlinear slow light propagation in photonic crystal slab waveguides: theory and practical issues

In this paper, we consider the propagation of slow light optical pulses inside photonic crystal slab waveguides (PCSW) both from a theoretical and an application point-of-view. The numerical model used relies on a nonlinear envelope propagation equation that includes the effects of second and third order dispersion, optical losses and self phase modulation. Pulse propagation is examined both in the linear and nonlinear regime. It is numerically shown that for rates of 10Gb/s, the order of nanosecond delays can be achieved through the PCSW defect modes without excessive pulse broadening in the nonlinear regime. In the nonlinear case, it is shown that soliton pulses exhibit less broadening than pulses in the linear case. In comparing the linear and the non-linear case we consider launching pulses with the same initial full width at half maximum or the same RMS width. The influence of optical losses on the soliton pulse broadening factor is also incorporated and discussed providing a more practical perspective. The results demonstrate the potential of implementing a variety of linear and nonlinear signal processing applications in PCSWs, such as optical buffering

Systematic optimization of the storage capacity of slow light photonic crystal waveguides

A systematic design process of slow light photonic crystal slab waveguides is presented with the aim of maximizing the storage capacity. Dispersion effects and propagation losses characteristics are included in order to increase the design accuracy. Our procedure allows the optimization of the structure at the same time by varying as many as ten design parameters. We show that storage capacities of almost 32bits at 40Gb/s and 65bits at 100Gb/s can be obtained

Approximate expressions for the estimation of the four-wave mixing efficiency in slow light photonic crystal waveguides

We present approximate analytical expressions for the estimation of the degenerate four-wave mixing conversion efficiency in slow light photonic crystal waveguides. The derived formulas incorporate the different effective modal areas and the frequency-dependent linear and nonlinear parameters of the pump, signal and idler waves. The influence of linear loss, two-photon absorption and free-carrier generation is also accounted for. Numerical solution of the coupled propagation equations is used to verify the validity of the proposed expressions under different values of the linear and nonlinear parameters of the waveguide. It is shown that the derived expressions provide an accurate estimation of the conversion efficiency and are thus expected to be very useful in the design of photonic crystal waveguides for nonlinear signal processing applications