Optimum Multi-rate Filter Bank Design for Speech Enhancement and Communication Systems. Multi-rate signal processing is gaining more and more importance in signal processing applications such as echo cancellation, microphone arrays, speech enhancement and equalisation. This project is aimed at obtaining high performance and high efficiency multi-rate processing designs by developing appropriate problem formulations based on solid mathematical foundations so that powerful optimisation techniques ....Optimum Multi-rate Filter Bank Design for Speech Enhancement and Communication Systems. Multi-rate signal processing is gaining more and more importance in signal processing applications such as echo cancellation, microphone arrays, speech enhancement and equalisation. This project is aimed at obtaining high performance and high efficiency multi-rate processing designs by developing appropriate problem formulations based on solid mathematical foundations so that powerful optimisation techniques can be applied. The developed multi-rate systems will result in low complexity and low power hardware implementations without significant compromise in performance in each application. Size and cost sensitive of communication devices such as personal data assistants, mobile telephones, hands-free devices, and laptops will benefit greatly from the outcome of the project.Read moreRead less
Local canons: institutional authority and the category of the literary in Australian secondary-school English syllabuses, 1901-2001. Does literature still have a role to play in contemporary Australian culture and society? Is there any national benefit from the study of Shakespeare? Patrick White? Is literary study irrelevant, and out of touch with contemporary culture? These are contentious and important questions. This research, in seeking a deeper and more detailed understanding of the variab ....Local canons: institutional authority and the category of the literary in Australian secondary-school English syllabuses, 1901-2001. Does literature still have a role to play in contemporary Australian culture and society? Is there any national benefit from the study of Shakespeare? Patrick White? Is literary study irrelevant, and out of touch with contemporary culture? These are contentious and important questions. This research, in seeking a deeper and more detailed understanding of the variability of the category of literature in Australian school education over the past century, promises to make an important contribution to long-standing and still vital national and international debates over the canon: debates that tell us a great deal about our region and the world.Read moreRead less
Mass-market fiction and the shaping of cultural identities in eleven Australian communities, 1880-1950. This project analyzes the circulation of commercial mass-market novels and stories in eleven non-metropolitan towns and cities between 1888 and 1950, in order to determine the role of mass culture in the shaping of cultural identities in Australia during a crucial period of its history. Developing innovative research methods based in book history and bibliography, literary studies, and cultura ....Mass-market fiction and the shaping of cultural identities in eleven Australian communities, 1880-1950. This project analyzes the circulation of commercial mass-market novels and stories in eleven non-metropolitan towns and cities between 1888 and 1950, in order to determine the role of mass culture in the shaping of cultural identities in Australia during a crucial period of its history. Developing innovative research methods based in book history and bibliography, literary studies, and cultural history, the project will reevaluate received explanations of Australia's cultural past, challenge assumptions about mass culture and its impact on local cultures, and advance research methods in book history and literary studies.Read moreRead less
Semi-contention based multi-user diversity: a new way to increase throughput of wireless communications. Wireless communications, due to its low initial deployment cost, high scalability and flexibility, will play a key role in providing broadband communications to sparsely populated areas of Australia. To this end, the Australian government announced "Connect Australia" aiming for nationwide broadband communication services, in which wireless communications is an important component. This proje ....Semi-contention based multi-user diversity: a new way to increase throughput of wireless communications. Wireless communications, due to its low initial deployment cost, high scalability and flexibility, will play a key role in providing broadband communications to sparsely populated areas of Australia. To this end, the Australian government announced "Connect Australia" aiming for nationwide broadband communication services, in which wireless communications is an important component. This project focuses on improving the throughput of wireless communications, especially for rural areas, through the use of a new technology: semi-contention based multi-user diversity. The outcome of this project will help to connect Australian people and to lift the international profile of Australian engineering science in wireless communications.Read moreRead less
Optimising disease surveillance to support decision-making. COVID-19 has demonstrated the critical role of epidemic data and analytics in guiding government response to pandemic threats, reducing disease and saving lives. The demand for epidemic analytics for response to threats of national significance will only grow. The goals of this project are to 1) determine the combination(s) of surveillance methods that provide the most useful data for epidemic analysis and 2) translate these findings in ....Optimising disease surveillance to support decision-making. COVID-19 has demonstrated the critical role of epidemic data and analytics in guiding government response to pandemic threats, reducing disease and saving lives. The demand for epidemic analytics for response to threats of national significance will only grow. The goals of this project are to 1) determine the combination(s) of surveillance methods that provide the most useful data for epidemic analysis and 2) translate these findings into the blueprint for a next-generation infectious disease surveillance system for Australia. We will use a simulation-evaluation approach, coupling methods from infectious disease modelling with those from information theory optimal design. Outcomes will enable more tailored and effective pandemic response.Read moreRead less
Frequency and Voltage Stabilisation in Grid-connected Wind Farms Using Pitch-controlled Doubly Fed Induction Generators (DFIGs). Australian power systems are well developed but currently stretched to their maximum capacity and often over loaded. Development of a pitch controlled doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) wind farm is a practical solution to extend the capacities of large interconnected power systems. This research ensures that Australian Power Systems are able to incorporate pitch-c ....Frequency and Voltage Stabilisation in Grid-connected Wind Farms Using Pitch-controlled Doubly Fed Induction Generators (DFIGs). Australian power systems are well developed but currently stretched to their maximum capacity and often over loaded. Development of a pitch controlled doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) wind farm is a practical solution to extend the capacities of large interconnected power systems. This research ensures that Australian Power Systems are able to incorporate pitch-controlled DFIG without sacrificing operational simplicity and flexibility. It allows large scale penetration of renewable wind power into the grid, thereby reducing huge amount of green house gas emissions and delay capital expenditure on critical national assets.Read moreRead less
Microgrid architectures for efficient use of renewable energy sources. This project aims to research modifications to the electrical grid in the form of microgrid architecture for better use of renewable energy.Electrical supply grid and energy management systems designed for traditional centralised power generation, transmission and distribution increasingly use renewable energy sources. A redesigned grid, based on microgrid architectures using the proposed optimisation techniques, is expected ....Microgrid architectures for efficient use of renewable energy sources. This project aims to research modifications to the electrical grid in the form of microgrid architecture for better use of renewable energy.Electrical supply grid and energy management systems designed for traditional centralised power generation, transmission and distribution increasingly use renewable energy sources. A redesigned grid, based on microgrid architectures using the proposed optimisation techniques, is expected to save money and renew the grid’s infrastructure. This should also allow better use of renewable energy sources to meet Australia’s electrical power requirements.Read moreRead less
Public health approach to child abuse and neglect: antecedents, outcomes and international comparisons of trends. Child maltreatment is a significant public health issue. Findings will identify characteristics of at-risk children, families and communities; mental health and juvenile justice outcomes. Findings will be used to develop policy recommendations for intervention and prevention strategies to reduce vulnerability and improve monitoring of maltreatment.
Quantifying complexity and measuring structure within complex systems. Most interesting systems are complex. The complex systems of interest in this project are characterised by a simple dynamical behaviour on each individual part; and a complicated web of interaction between the many distinct parts. The project will focus on the massive system of interacting neurones in the brain, and transmission of influenza via interpersonal contacts. This project will provide a better model of that web of i ....Quantifying complexity and measuring structure within complex systems. Most interesting systems are complex. The complex systems of interest in this project are characterised by a simple dynamical behaviour on each individual part; and a complicated web of interaction between the many distinct parts. The project will focus on the massive system of interacting neurones in the brain, and transmission of influenza via interpersonal contacts. This project will provide a better model of that web of interactions; and new methods for statistically validating this model against data. Existing models of complex networks are statistically biased so, by employing robust statistical methodologies, this problem will be rectified and provide a method for randomly choosing representative complex systems. Read moreRead less
Innovations in stability, reliability and protection of electric power distribution systems to enable increased use of green energy. This project will develop the innovative concepts necessary to increase the number of renewable energy sources in electric power distribution systems. The aim is to enable systems with a distributed mix of conventional rotary generators and renewable converter interfaced generators to operate safely and to required standards of reliability.