Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Impact Of Early-Years Provision In Children's Centres (Epicc) On Child Cognitive And Socio-Emotional Development: Study Protocol For A Randomised Controlled Trial, Lynne Murray, Susie Jennings, Alicia Mortimer, Amber Prout, Edward Melhuish, Claire Hughes, John Duncan, Joni Holmes, Corinne Dishington, Peter Cooper

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: There are marked disparities between pre-school children in key skills affecting school readiness, disparities that commonly persist and influence children's later academic achievements, employment, and adjustment. Much of this disparity is linked to socio-economic disadvantage and its impact on the home learning environment. Children's Centres are an ideal context in which to implement and evaluate programmes to address this problem. They principally serve the 30% worst areas on the Indices of Deprivation Affecting Children, providing for families from the antenatal period up to age 5 years, aiming to promote parenting skills and provide care for children. Methods: We are …

Fostering Effective Early Learning (Feel) Study: Final Report, Iram Siraj, Edward Melhuish, Steven J. Howard, Cathrine Marguerite Neilsen-Hewett, Denise Kingston, Marc De Rosnay, Elisabeth Duursma, Xiaoqi Feng, Betty Luu

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The 2018 Fostering Effective Early Learning (FEEL) study focuses on the importance of quality, and how to strengthen it in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings. Extensive research demonstrates that the benefits of ECEC for children are increased when the service provider and educators are highly skilled and participate in professional development (PD), and the service is of high quality. Upskilling the workforce, including in-service professional development, is considered to be a key to improving quality, and can produce substantial and practical improvements for staff and children alike. Building on the existing body of international research, the findings of …

Children Aren't Liabilities In Disasters - They Can Help, If We Let Them, Christine Eriksen, Avianto Amri, Briony Towers, Emma Calgaro, John Richardson, Katharine Haynes, Scott J. Mckinnon

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Our world is becoming increasingly vulnerable to fire, flood and other natural hazards. While our instinct as adults may be to shield children from these possibilities, this does them a real disservice. Lessons from El Salvador and the Philippines show that when children are given accurate, clear information in accessible and age-appropriate language, they are highly motivated to help reduce disaster risks, both at home and in their communities. Indeed, there is growing evidence that children can play an active and positive role in making their communities more resilient to climate change, hurricanes and bushfires, and in improving disaster recovery.

Loneliness In Treatment-Seeking Substance-Dependent Populations: Validation Of The Social And Emotional Loneliness Scale For Adults-Short Version, Isabella Ingram, Peter James Kelly, Frank P. Deane, Amanda Baker, Dayle Raftery

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objectives: Loneliness is a distressing emotional experience that is likely to be prevalent among people accessing treatment for substance dependence problems. The first aim of the current study was to report on the validity of the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults-Short Version (SELSA-S), a multidimensional measure of loneliness, for use in substance-dependent treatment populations. In order to further the understanding of loneliness among this population, loneliness was examined in relation to demographic, physical, and mental health variables. Methods: Participants were attending Australian residential substance dependence treatment services provided by two nongovernmental organizations (The Salvation Army and We Help …

Effects Of Head-Display Lag On Presence In The Oculus Rift, Juno Kim, Matthew Moroz, Benjamin Arcioni, Stephen Palmisano

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

We measured presence and perceived scene stability in a virtual environment viewed with different head-to-display lag (i.e., system lag) on the Oculus Rift (CV1). System lag was added on top of the measured benchmark system latency (22.3 ms) for our visual scene rendered in OpenGL Shading Language (GLSL). Participants made active head oscillations in pitch at 1.0Hz while viewing displays. We found that perceived scene instability increased and presence decreased when increasing system lag, which we attribute to the effect of multisensory visual-vestibular interactions on the interpretation of the visual information presented.

Community Volunteer Support For Families With Young Children: Protocol For The Volunteer Family Connect Randomized Controlled Trial, Rebekah Grace, Lynn Kemp, Jacqueline Barnes, Emma Elcombe, Jennifer Knight, Kelly Baird, Vana Webster, Fiona Byrne

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Use of community volunteers to support vulnerable families is a widely employed strategy with a long history. However, there has been minimal formal scientific investigation into the effectiveness of volunteer home visiting programs for families. There is also a need for research examining whether volunteer home visiting leads to improved outcomes for volunteers. Objective: The objective of this paper is to describe the research protocol for a pragmatic randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the Volunteer Family Connect intervention, a volunteer home visiting program designed to support families of young children who experience social isolation or a lack of parenting …

There's A Reason Your Child Wants To Read The Same Book Over And Over Again, Jane S. Herbert, Elisabeth Duursma

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

We often hear about the benefits of reading storybooks at bedtime for promoting vocabulary, early literacy skills, and a good relationship with your child. But the experts haven't been in your home, and your child requests the same book every single night, sometimes multiple times a night. You both know all the words off by heart. Given activities occurring just before sleep are particularly well-remembered by young children, you might wonder if all this repetition is beneficial. The answer is yes. Your child is showing they enjoy this story, but also that they are still learning from the pictures, words, …

An Exploration Of Values Among Consumers Seeking Treatment For Borderline Personality Disorder, Simone Mohi, Frank P. Deane, Anne Bailey, Dianne M. Mooney-Reh, Danielle L. Ciaglia

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background

Consumer feedback identifies a new challenge in the treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is to address the discrepancy between clinical treatment targets and the more personally meaningful goals people are seeking in treatment. This highlights the need to increase clarification of people’s values and link these to therapy goals. The current study explores ways in which individuals with BPD identify with values across key life domains.

Methods

At initial assessment 106 consumer participants attending an outpatient clinic for the treatment of BPD completed the Personal Values Questionnaire by Blackledge and colleagues. This 90-item measure asks participants to respond …

Effect Of Neurocognitive Training For Children With Adhd At Improving Academic Engagement In Two Learning Settings, Han Jiang, Stuart J. Johnstone, Li Sun, Dawei Zhang

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: This preliminary study investigated effectiveness of neurocognitive training on academic engagement (AET) for children with ADHD. The training approach targeted working memory, inhibitory control, and attention/relaxation (via brain electrical activity).

Method: A reversal design with a 2-week follow-up was used to assess the effectiveness of the treatment on two children with diagnosed ADHD in two learning settings. Direct observation was used to collect academic-related behavior.

Results: Improvements in on-task expected behavior (ONT-EX) and general AET, as well as reductions in off-task motor activity (OFF-MA) and off-task passive behavior (OFF-PB) were observed for both students over baselines and across the …

Are Urban Development And Densification Patterns Aligned With Infrastructure Funding Allocation? Examining Data From Melbourne 1999-2015, Nicole T. Cook, Ilan Wiesel, Fanqi Liu

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Densification of cities and suburbs is a contentious issue for many communities in lower-density settings. Local opposition to densification is often premised on concerns about the inadequacy of existing infrastructure to support growing populations and is strongest and most successful in wealthier neighbourhoods. While the urban consolidation agenda in cities such as Melbourne and Sydney is justified in policy contexts as a strategy to improve utilisation of existing infrastructure in built up areas, densification over time also produces new demand for services. Whether or not densification drives new infrastructure spending is therefore an important question in the governance of social …

Multiscalar Governance Of Urban Energy Transitions In Australia: The Cases Of Sydney And Melbourne, Robyn Dowling, Pauline M. Mcguirk, Sophia Maalsen

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Sustainable energy transitions - broadly described as moving away from fossil fuels toward renewable resources and reducing energy demand- are emerging across the world, albeit in uneven ways. Scholarship on energy transitions has highlighted the importance of how these transitions may be facilitated or impeded by both governance and politics, and the influence of urban dynamics and histories on these transitions. Using an emphasis on multiscalar governance, this paper analyses emergent energy reconfigurations in Australia, with two purposes. The first is to understand more richly the dynamics that are differentially reworking possibilities for more sustainable energy infrastructure and energy demand …

Pass Online Assisting First Year Psychology And Social Science Students In Statistics: A 360-Degree View, Tracey J. Woolrych, Melissa Zaccagninni, Moira Stephens, Murray J. Stace, Melissa L. Bergner, Sian M. O'Sullivan, Rebekkah Middleton, Reetu Verma

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Traditionally difficult subjects, such as statistics, offer a substantial learning challenge for students in their first year of university. Supplemental instruction or Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) can provide students with benefits including increased confidence and grades. This project sought to compare face-to-face (F2F) sessions of PASS for the first-year psychology statistics subject PSYC123 with an online version. Employing a mixed-methods approach, including feedback from both students and PASS leaders, results indicated that online students found the platform easy to use and navigate, believing they had benefited from the sessions. All PASS students achieved higher mean grades compared to students …

Arts And Culture. Input Paper For The Horizon Scanning Project "The Effective And Ethical Development Of Artificial Intelligence: An Opportunity To Improve Our Wellbeing", Thomas Birtchnell

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Automating the Arts: Artificial Intelligence in Australia and New Zealand's Creative Industries

Embodied Uncertainty: Living With Complexity And Natural Hazards, Victoria Sword-Daniels, Christine Eriksen, Emma E. Hudson-Doyle, Ryan Alaniz, Carolina Adler, Todd Schenk, Suzanne Vallance

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In this paper, we examine the concept of embodied uncertainty by exploring multiple dimensions of uncertainty in the context of risks associated with extreme natural hazards. We highlight a need for greater recognition, particularly by disaster management and response agencies, of uncertainty as a subjective experience for those living at risk. Embodied uncertainty is distinguished from objective uncertainty by the nature of its internalisation at the individual level, where it is subjective, felt and directly experienced. This approach provides a conceptual pathway that sharpens knowledge of the processes that shape how individuals and communities interpret and contextualise risk. The ways …

Fracture Toughness Of Cast And Extruded Al6061/15%Al2o3p Metal Matrix Composites, Alan K. Hellier, A. G. Crosky, H. A. Hassan, J. J. Lewandowski

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Particulate reinforced metal matrix composites (PRMMCs) are of interest owing to the low cost of their raw materials and their ease of fabrication, making them suitable for applications requiring relatively high-volume production. The improved properties of PRMMCs result from the addition of hard ceramic particles (such as Al2O3 or SiC); the size, shape, volume fraction, interfacial properties and distribution of these (together with the fabrication method) determine the mechanical behaviour of the composite. However, PRMMCs have inferior ductility, toughness and low-cycle fatigue properties compared with unreinforced alloys, often limiting their usefulness in practice. Reinforcements of between 15 volume % and …

Combined Message Passing Based Sbl With Dirichlet Process Prior For Sparse Signal Recovery With Multiple Measurement Vectors, Zhengdao Yuan, Chuanzong Zhang, Qinghua Guo, Zhongyong Wang, Xinhua Lu, Sheng Wu

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

This paper concerns the problem of sparse signal recovery with multiple measurement vectors, where the sparse signal vectors share multiple supports (i.e., the signal vectors can be clustered and the vectors in a cluster share a common support) and the prior knowledge on the supports of the vectors is unknown. This problem can be solved using sparse Bayesian learning (SBL) with Dirichlet process (DP) as hyper-prior, which is named DP-SBL in this paper. This work aims to design efficient inference algorithms. The variational inference for DP mixtures, in particular mean field (MF) inference, has been studied, and applying it to …

Delay-Dependent Fault-Tolerant Shape Control For Stochastic Distribution Systems, Yu Cheng, Long Chen, Tao Li, Haiping Du

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

A new adaptive delay-dependent fault-tolerant shape control strategy is proposed for the stochastic distribution system with time-delay, which can effectively make the output probability density function (PDF) track a given target distribution. In this framework, firstly, a system model based on PDF with the actuator failure is constructed. And then, an adaptive delay-dependent fault-tolerant controller, which include a normal controller and an adaptive compensation controller is designed. The normal controller can track the given output distribution with an optimized performance index when there is no actuator fault, and the adaptive compensation controller can reduce the negative effects caused by the …

Design Of A Single-Layer Microchannel For Continuous Sheathless Single-Stream Particle Inertial Focusing, Yan Zhang, Jun Zhang, Fei Tang, Weihua Li, Xiaohao Wang

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

High-throughput, high-precision single-stream focusing of microparticles has a potentially wide range of applications in biochemical analysis and clinical diagnosis. In this work, we develop a sheathless three-dimensional (3D) particle-focusing method in a single-layer microchannel. This novel microchannel consists of periodic high-aspect-ratio curved channels and straight channels. The proposed method takes advantage of both the curved channels, which induce Dean flow to promote particle migration, and straight channels, which suppress the remaining stirring effects of Dean flow to stabilize the achieved particle focusing. The 3D particle focusing is demonstrated experimentally, and the mechanism is analyzed theoretically. The effects of flow rate, …

Multizone Soundfield Reproduction With Privacy- And Quality-Based Speech Masking Filters, Jacob Donley, Christian H. Ritz, W Kleijn

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Reproducing zones of personal sound is a challenging signal processing problem which has garnered considerable research interest in recent years. We introduce in this work an extended method to multizone soundfield reproduction which overcomes issues with speech privacy and quality. Measures of Speech Intelligibility Contrast (SIC) and speech quality are used as cost functions in an optimisation of speech privacy and quality. Novel spatial and (temporal) frequency domain speech masker filter designs are proposed to accompany the optimisation process. Spatial masking filters are designed using multizone soundfield algorithms which are dependent on the target speech multizone reproduction. Combinations of estimates …

Simultaneous Estimation Of Primary And Cross-Channel Gains For Underlay Cognitive Radios, Junteng Yao, Ming Jin, Qinghua Guo, Youming Li

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

In underlay cognitive radios, the primary-channel gain from a primary transmitter (PU-Tx) to a primary receiver (PU-Rx) and the cross-channel gain from a cognitive transmitter (SU-Tx) to the PU-Rx are crucial for the SU-Tx in controlling its transmit power when sharing spectrum with primary users (PUs). However, the non-cooperation between PUs and secondary users (SUs) makes it difficult for the SU-Tx to acquire the primary-channel and cross-channel gains, in particular when the channel reciprocity is not applicable. Most existing works focus on cross-channel gain estimation and are often based on the channel reciprocity. In this work, we propose a scheme …

Lattice Boltzmann Simulation Of Flow And Heat Transfer Evolution Inside Encapsulated Phase Change Materials Due To Natural Convection Melting, Qi Lin, Shugang Wang, Zhenjun Ma, Jihong Wang, Tengfei Zhang

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

A comprehensive study of the melting process inside a capsule can potentially take full advantages of latent heat of phase change materials (PCMs). The present study was devoted to the problem of complex interaction of natural convection and melting of PCMs inside a spherical capsule under differen t sizes. The numerical results, simulated by lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), were compared with experimental data and published simulations. The results showed that LBM presented desirable accuracy compared to traditional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods. Then, the effects of non-uniform PCM properties, expressed by the solid/liquid thermal diffusivity ratio, on the melting rate …

Analog Least Mean Square Loop For Self-Interference Cancellation In Generalized Continuous Wave Sar, Anh Tuyen Le, Yijiang Nan, Le Chung Tran, Xiaojing Huang, Y J. Guo, J (Yiannis) Vardaxoglou

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Generalized continuous wave synthetic aperture radar (GCW-SAR) is a promising new imaging radar system since it applies the full-duplex (FD) transmission technique to achieve continuous signaling in order to overcome several fundamental limitations of the conventional pulsed SARs. As in any FD wireless communication system, self-interference (SI) is also a key problem which can impact on the GCW-SAR system. In this paper, the analog least mean square (ALMS) loop in the radio frequency domain is adopted to cancel the SI for a GCW-SAR system with periodic chirp signaling. The average residual SI power after the ALMS loop is analyzed theoretically …

Experimental Investigation And Assessment Of Internal Stability Of Granular Filters Under One-Dimensional Static And Cyclic Loading, Jahanzaib Israr, Jehangir Israr

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Internal instability occurs when the finer fraction of a filter escapes with the infiltrates, causing permanent changes to its particle size distribution and rendering it ineffective. Thus far, numerous criteria based on particle and constriction size distributions have been proposed to assess the potential of internal instability. This paper reports the results of pressure gradient controlled hydraulic tests performed on granular soils including silt-sand-gravel, sand, and sand-gravel mixtures with their uniformity coefficients ranging from 1 to 304 and compacted at varying relative densities between 0 and 100 %. Select dense samples were then subjected to a series of hydraulic tests …

Axial Compressive Behavior Of Steel Equal Angle Section-Reinforced Square High-Strength Concrete Column, Ayoob Ibrahim, M Neaz Sheikh, Muhammad N. S Hadi

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

A new method of reinforcing concrete columns with steel equal angle (SEA) sections has been investigated. A total of 12 square high-strength concrete (HSC) column specimens (with 210 mm [8.26 in.] sides and 600 mm [23.62 in.] height) reinforced longitudinally with either steel bars or SEA sections were cast and tested. The lateral tie spacing of specimens varied from 50 to 400 mm (1.96 to 15.74 in.). The influences of the type of longitudinal reinforcement and the spacing of lateral ties on the behavior of HSC specimens under axial compression were investigated. Experimental results showed that the use of the …

Numerical Simulation Of The Shear Behavior Of Rock Joints Filled With Unsaturated Soil, Libin Gong, Jan Nemcik, Ting X. Ren

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Weak infilled discontinuities commonly exist in rock masses, in which the infill degree of saturation largely influences the overalljoint shear behavior and ground stability. However, so far, research on the shear of infilled joints at unsaturated conditions is rare, especiallythose performed in numerical simulation. To the authors'knowledge, no attempts have been made to investigate the shear-induced variationsin unsaturated soil parameters, which are vital for proposing the infilled-joint constitutive models. For thefirst time, a series of constant watercontent direct shear tests on the unsaturated infilled-joint soil were conducted using the numerical software Fast Lagrangian Analysis ofContinua (FLAC)/Two-Phase Flow. Intrinsic soil-water retention …

Pairing-Dependent Superconductivity Gap And Nonholonomic Andreev Reflection In Weyl Semimetal/Weyl Superconductor Heterojunctions, Jun Fang, Wenye Duan, Junfeng Liu, C Zhang, Zhongshui Ma

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

We study superconductivity states mediated by the BCS and Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) pairings in superconducting Weyl semimetals. It is found that a mixture of BCS and FFLO pairings results in a distinctive double-gap structure for superconducting states. With a heterojunction of a Weyl semimetal and a superconducting Weyl semimetal, we demonstrate the nonholonomic Andreev reflection and show that the intra- and internode Andreev reflections increase at the edges of the effective gap. The influence of interface potentials on the Andreev reflections is investigated. The conductance spectra arising from the mixed superconducting pairings is also analyzed.

Metamorphic Testing 20 Years Later: A Hands-On Introduction, Sergio Segura, Zhiquan Zhou

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Two of the key challenges in software testing are the automated generation of test cases, and the identification of failures by checking test outputs. Both challenges are effectively addressed by metamorphic testing (MT), a software testing technique where failures are not revealed by checking an individual concrete output, but by checking the relations among the inputs and outputs of multiple executions of the software under test. Two decades after its introduction, MT is becoming a fully-fledged testing paradigm with successful applications in multiple domains including, among others, big data engineering, simulation and modeling, compilers, machine learning programs, autonomous cars and …

On The First Direct Observation Of De-Twinning In A Twinning-Induced Plasticity Steel, Scott Mccormack, Wei Wen, Elena V. Pereloma, Carlos N. Tome, Azdiar Adil Gazder, Ahmed A. Saleh

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Electron back-scattering diffraction was used to track the microstructure evolution of a fully annealed Fe-24Mn-3Al-2Si-1Ni-0.06C TWinning Induced Plasticity (TWIP) steel during interrupted reverse (tension-compression) loading. Direct observation of the same selected area revealed that all deformation twins formed during forward tension loading (0.128 true strain) were removed upon subsequent reverse compression loading (0.031 true strain). Consequently, the present study provides the first unambiguous experimental evidence of de-twinning during the reverse loading of a polycrystalline TWIP steel. The reverse loading behaviour was simulated by a dislocation-based hardening model embedded in the Visco-Plastic Self-Consistent (VPSC) polycrystal framework taking into account the accumulation …

Locomotion Analysis And Optimization Of Actinomorphic Robots With Soft Arms Actuated By Shape Memory Alloy Wires, Chunshan Liu, Erbao Dong, Min Xu, Gursel Alici, Jie Yang

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

This article presents the locomotion analysis and optimization of actinomorphic soft robots, which are composed of soft arms actuated by shape memory alloy wires. The soft arm that is a composite modular structure is actuated by a self-sensing feedback control strategy. A theoretical model was established to describe the deformation of the soft arm, combining the Euler-Bernoulli beam model of the soft arm with the constitutive model and the heat transfer model of the shape memory alloy wire. The kinematics of the actinomorphic soft robot was analyzed using the modified Denavit-Hartenberg method, and the motion equation of the actinomorphic soft …

Experimental Performance Analysis And Evaluation Of A Novel Frost-Free Air Source Heat Pump System, Zhihua Wang, Fenghao Wang, Zhenjun Ma, Mengjie Song, Wenke Fan

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

To tackle the problem of frosting occurred on the outdoor coil surface when an air source heat pump (ASHP) is operated in winter, a novel frost-free ASHP system has been developed. However, the dehumidification performance and the frost-free time of the system operated are highly dependent on the electronic expansion valve (EEV) opening of the 1st stage throttle. In addition, the coefficient of performance (COP) of the systems is controlled by the EEV opening of the 2nd stage throttle. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the effect of the EEV opening on the system thermodynamic performance in …