Curtin University

About: Curtin University is a education organization based out in Perth, Western Australia, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Zircon. The organization has 14257 authors who have published 48997 publications receiving 1336531 citations. The organization is also known as: WAIT & Western Australian Institute of Technology.

A Tutorial on Bernoulli Filters: Theory, Implementation and Applications

Abstract: Bernoulli filters are a class of exact Bayesian filters for non-linear/non-Gaussian recursive estimation of dynamic systems, recently emerged from the random set theoretical framework. The common feature of Bernoulli filters is that they are designed for stochastic dynamic systems which randomly switch on and off. The applications are primarily in target tracking, where the switching process models target appearance or disappearance from the surveillance volume. The concept, however, is applicable to a range of dynamic phenomena, such as epidemics, pollution, social trends, etc. Bernoulli filters in general have no analytic solution and are implemented as particle filters or Gaussian sum filters. This tutorial paper reviews the theory of Bernoulli filters as well as their implementation for different measurement models. The theory is backed up by applications in sensor networks, bearings-only tracking, passive radar/sonar surveillance, visual tracking, monitoring/prediction of an epidemic and tracking using natural language statements. More advanced topics of smoothing, multi-target detection/tracking, parameter estimation and sensor control are briefly reviewed with pointers for further reading.

Nanocarbons in different structural dimensions (0–3D) for phenol adsorption and metal-free catalytic oxidation

Abstract: Metal-free nanocarbon materials in different structural dimensions, such as 0D fullerene (C 60 ), 1D single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), 2D graphene nanoplate (GNP), 3D hexagonally-ordered mesoporous carbon (CMK-3) and cubically-ordered mesoporous carbon (CMK-8) were investigated for adsorption and catalytic oxidation of phenol in water solutions. A variety of characterisation techniques were used to investigate the properties of the carbon samples. It was found that structural dimension and heat treatment would significantly affect the performance of the nanocarbons in adsorption and catalysis. Both GNP and CMK-3 showed better phenol adsorption with around 40% phenol removal in 500 mL of 20 ppm solutions. The nanocarbons were also used for metal-free activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to produce sulfate radicals for catalytic phenol oxidation. Efficient catalysis was observed on CMK-3, CMK-8 and SWCNTs. Thermal treatment of the nanocarbons at 350 °C in nitrogen was conducted to modulate the crystal- and micro-structures and surface functional groups of the different nanocarbons. Enhancements at 2-fold in adsorption on SWCNTs and 7.5-fold in catalysis on CMK-8 were observed after the heat treatments. Mechanisms of adsorption and catalytic oxidation of phenol were discussed. This study contributes to the development of green materials for sustainable remediation of aqueous organic pollutants.

Reducing occupational sedentary time: A systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence on activity-permissive workstations

Abstract: Excessive sedentary time is detrimentally linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and premature mortality. Studies have been investigating the use of activity-permissive workstations to reduce sedentary time in office workers, a highly sedentary target group. This review systematically summarizes the evidence for activity-permissive workstations on sedentary time, health-risk biomarkers, work performance and feasibility indicators in office workplaces. In July 2013, a literature search identified 38 relevant peer-reviewed publications. Key findings were independently extracted by two researchers. The average intervention effect on sedentary time was calculated via meta-analysis. In total, 984 participants across 19 field-based trials and 19 laboratory investigations were included, with sample sizes ranging from n=2 to 66 per study. Sedentary time, health-risk biomarkers and work performance indicators were reported in 13, 23 and 23 studies, respectively. The pooled effect size from the meta-analysis was -77min of sedentary time/8-h workday (95% confidence interval=-120, -35min). Non-significant changes were reported for most health- and work-related outcomes. Studies with acceptability measures reported predominantly positive feedback. Findings suggest that activity-permissive workstations can be effective to reduce occupational sedentary time, without compromising work performance. Larger and longer-term randomized-controlled trials are needed to understand the sustainability of the sedentary time reductions and their longer-term impacts on health- and work-related outcomes.