The impact of bilateral anodal transcranial direct current stimulation of the premotor and cerebellar cortices on physiological and performance parameters of gymnastic athletes : a randomized, cross-over, sham-controlled study
- Anoushiravani, Sajjad, Alizadehgoradel, Jaber, Iranpour, Asgar, Yousefi Bilehsavar, Omid, Pouresmali, Asghar, Nitsche, Michael, Salehinejad, Mohammad, Mosayebi-Samani, Mohsen, Zoghi, Maryam
- Authors: Anoushiravani, Sajjad , Alizadehgoradel, Jaber , Iranpour, Asgar , Yousefi Bilehsavar, Omid , Pouresmali, Asghar , Nitsche, Michael , Salehinejad, Mohammad , Mosayebi-Samani, Mohsen , Zoghi, Maryam
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 13, no. 1 (2023), p.
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- Description: Professional sports performance relies critically on the interaction between the brain and muscles during movement. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique which modulates cortical excitability and can be used to improve motor performance in athletes. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of bilateral anodal tDCS (2 mA, 20 min) over the premotor cortex or cerebellum on motor and physiological functions and peak performance of professional gymnastics athletes. Seventeen professional gymnastics athletes participated in a randomized, sham-controlled, crossover study. In this study, we assessed the efficacy of two anodal tDCS protocols (2 mA, 20 min) with stimulation over the bilateral premotor cortex or cerebellum with the return electrodes placed over the opposite supraorbital areas. Power speed, strength coordination, endurance, static and dynamic strength, static and dynamic flexibility, and rating of perceived exertion were measured before and immediately after tDCS interventions (bilateral anodal tDCS over premotor cortices, anodal tDCS over the cerebellum, and sham tDCS). Additionally, physiological muscle performance parameters, including maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) of upper body muscles, were assessed during tDCS. Bilateral anodal tDCS over the premotor cortex, compared to anodal tDCS over the cerebellum and sham tDCS conditions, significantly improved power speed, strength coordination, and static and dynamic strength variables of professional gymnastics athletes. Furthermore, bilateral anodal tDCS over the cerebellum, compared to sham tDCS, significantly improved strength coordination. Moreover, bilateral premotor anodal tDCS significantly increased MVIC of all upper body muscles during stimulation, while anodal tDCS over the cerebellum increased MVIC in only some muscles. Bilateral anodal tDCS over the premotor cortex, and to a minor degree over the cerebellum, might be suited to improve some aspects of motor and physiological functions and peak performance levels of professional gymnastics athletes. Clinical Trial Registration ID: IRCT20180724040579N2. © 2023, The Author(s).
- Authors: Anoushiravani, Sajjad , Alizadehgoradel, Jaber , Iranpour, Asgar , Yousefi Bilehsavar, Omid , Pouresmali, Asghar , Nitsche, Michael , Salehinejad, Mohammad , Mosayebi-Samani, Mohsen , Zoghi, Maryam
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 13, no. 1 (2023), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Professional sports performance relies critically on the interaction between the brain and muscles during movement. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique which modulates cortical excitability and can be used to improve motor performance in athletes. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of bilateral anodal tDCS (2 mA, 20 min) over the premotor cortex or cerebellum on motor and physiological functions and peak performance of professional gymnastics athletes. Seventeen professional gymnastics athletes participated in a randomized, sham-controlled, crossover study. In this study, we assessed the efficacy of two anodal tDCS protocols (2 mA, 20 min) with stimulation over the bilateral premotor cortex or cerebellum with the return electrodes placed over the opposite supraorbital areas. Power speed, strength coordination, endurance, static and dynamic strength, static and dynamic flexibility, and rating of perceived exertion were measured before and immediately after tDCS interventions (bilateral anodal tDCS over premotor cortices, anodal tDCS over the cerebellum, and sham tDCS). Additionally, physiological muscle performance parameters, including maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) of upper body muscles, were assessed during tDCS. Bilateral anodal tDCS over the premotor cortex, compared to anodal tDCS over the cerebellum and sham tDCS conditions, significantly improved power speed, strength coordination, and static and dynamic strength variables of professional gymnastics athletes. Furthermore, bilateral anodal tDCS over the cerebellum, compared to sham tDCS, significantly improved strength coordination. Moreover, bilateral premotor anodal tDCS significantly increased MVIC of all upper body muscles during stimulation, while anodal tDCS over the cerebellum increased MVIC in only some muscles. Bilateral anodal tDCS over the premotor cortex, and to a minor degree over the cerebellum, might be suited to improve some aspects of motor and physiological functions and peak performance levels of professional gymnastics athletes. Clinical Trial Registration ID: IRCT20180724040579N2. © 2023, The Author(s).
Duration of intervals in the care seeking pathway for lung cancer in Bangladesh : a journey from symptoms triggering consultation to receipt of treatment
- Ansar, Adnan, Lewis, Virginia, McDonald, Christine, Liu, , Chaojie, Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Authors: Ansar, Adnan , Lewis, Virginia , McDonald, Christine , Liu, , Chaojie , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 16, no. 9 September (2021), p.
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- Description: Timeliness in seeking care is critical for lung cancer patients survival and better prognosis. The care seeking trajectory of patients with lung cancer in Bangladesh has not been explored, despite the differences in health systems and structures compared to high income countries. This study investigated the symptoms triggering healthcare seeking, preferred healthcare providers (including informal healthcare providers such as pharmacy retailers, village doctors, and "traditional healers"), and the duration of intervals in the lung cancer care pathway of patients in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was conducted in three tertiary care hospitals in Bangladesh among diagnosed lung cancer patients through face-Toface interview and medical record review. Time intervals from onset of symptom and care seeking events were calculated and compared between those who sought initial care from different providers using Wilcoxon rank sum tests. Among 418 study participants, the majority (90%) of whom were males, with a mean age of 57 ±9.86 years, cough and chest pain were the most common (23%) combination of symptoms triggering healthcare seeking. About two-Thirds of the total respondents (60%) went to informal healthcare providers as their first point of contact. Living in rural areas, lower levels of education and lower income were associated with seeking care from such providers. The median duration between onset of symptom to confirmation of diagnosis was 121 days, between confirmation of diagnosis and initiation of treatment was 22 days, and between onset of symptom and initiation of treatment was 151 days. Pre-diagnosis durations were longer for those who had sought initial care from an informal provider (p<0.05). Time to first contact with a health provider was shorter in this study compared to other developed and developing countries but utilizing informal healthcare providers caused delays in diagnosis and initiation of treatment. Encouraging people to seek care from a formal healthcare provider may reduce the overall duration of the care seeking pathway. © 2021 Public Library of Science. All rights reserved.
- Authors: Ansar, Adnan , Lewis, Virginia , McDonald, Christine , Liu, , Chaojie , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 16, no. 9 September (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Timeliness in seeking care is critical for lung cancer patients survival and better prognosis. The care seeking trajectory of patients with lung cancer in Bangladesh has not been explored, despite the differences in health systems and structures compared to high income countries. This study investigated the symptoms triggering healthcare seeking, preferred healthcare providers (including informal healthcare providers such as pharmacy retailers, village doctors, and "traditional healers"), and the duration of intervals in the lung cancer care pathway of patients in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was conducted in three tertiary care hospitals in Bangladesh among diagnosed lung cancer patients through face-Toface interview and medical record review. Time intervals from onset of symptom and care seeking events were calculated and compared between those who sought initial care from different providers using Wilcoxon rank sum tests. Among 418 study participants, the majority (90%) of whom were males, with a mean age of 57 ±9.86 years, cough and chest pain were the most common (23%) combination of symptoms triggering healthcare seeking. About two-Thirds of the total respondents (60%) went to informal healthcare providers as their first point of contact. Living in rural areas, lower levels of education and lower income were associated with seeking care from such providers. The median duration between onset of symptom to confirmation of diagnosis was 121 days, between confirmation of diagnosis and initiation of treatment was 22 days, and between onset of symptom and initiation of treatment was 151 days. Pre-diagnosis durations were longer for those who had sought initial care from an informal provider (p<0.05). Time to first contact with a health provider was shorter in this study compared to other developed and developing countries but utilizing informal healthcare providers caused delays in diagnosis and initiation of treatment. Encouraging people to seek care from a formal healthcare provider may reduce the overall duration of the care seeking pathway. © 2021 Public Library of Science. All rights reserved.
Prediction of blast-induced ground vibration at a limestone quarry : an artificial intelligence approach
- Arthur, Clement, Bhatawdekar, Ramesh, Mohamad, Edy, Sabri, Mohanad, Bohra, Manish, Khandelwal, Manoj, Kwon, Sangki
- Authors: Arthur, Clement , Bhatawdekar, Ramesh , Mohamad, Edy , Sabri, Mohanad , Bohra, Manish , Khandelwal, Manoj , Kwon, Sangki
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Applied Sciences (Switzerland) Vol. 12, no. 18 (2022), p.
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- Description: Ground vibration is one of the most unfavourable environmental effects of blasting activities, which can cause serious damage to neighboring homes and structures. As a result, effective forecasting of their severity is critical to controlling and reducing their recurrence. There are several conventional vibration predictor equations available proposed by different researchers but most of them are based on only two parameters, i.e., explosive charge used per delay and distance between blast face to the monitoring point. It is a well-known fact that blasting results are influenced by a number of blast design parameters, such as burden, spacing, powder factor, etc. but these are not being considered in any of the available conventional predictors and due to that they show a high error in predicting blast vibrations. Nowadays, artificial intelligence has been widely used in blast engineering. Thus, three artificial intelligence approaches, namely Gaussian process regression (GPR), extreme learning machine (ELM) and backpropagation neural network (BPNN) were used in this study to estimate ground vibration caused by blasting in Shree Cement Ras Limestone Mine in India. To achieve that aim, 101 blasting datasets with powder factor, average depth, distance, spacing, burden, charge weight, and stemming length as input parameters were collected from the mine site. For comparison purposes, a simple multivariate regression analysis (MVRA) model as well as, a nonparametric regression-based technique known as multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) was also constructed using the same datasets. This study serves as a foundational study for the comparison of GPR, BPNN, ELM, MARS and MVRA to ascertain their respective predictive performances. Eighty-one (81) datasets representing 80% of the total blasting datasets were used to construct and train the various predictive models while 20 data samples (20%) were utilized for evaluating the predictive capabilities of the developed predictive models. Using the testing datasets, major indicators of performance, namely mean squared error (MSE), variance accounted for (VAF), correlation coefficient (R) and coefficient of determination (R2) were compared as statistical evaluators of model performance. This study revealed that the GPR model exhibited superior predictive capability in comparison to the MARS, BPNN, ELM and MVRA. The GPR model showed the highest VAF, R and R2 values of 99.1728%, 0.9985 and 0.9971 respectively and the lowest MSE of 0.0903. As a result, the blast engineer can employ GPR as an effective and appropriate method for forecasting blast-induced ground vibration. © 2022 by the authors.
- Authors: Arthur, Clement , Bhatawdekar, Ramesh , Mohamad, Edy , Sabri, Mohanad , Bohra, Manish , Khandelwal, Manoj , Kwon, Sangki
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Applied Sciences (Switzerland) Vol. 12, no. 18 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Ground vibration is one of the most unfavourable environmental effects of blasting activities, which can cause serious damage to neighboring homes and structures. As a result, effective forecasting of their severity is critical to controlling and reducing their recurrence. There are several conventional vibration predictor equations available proposed by different researchers but most of them are based on only two parameters, i.e., explosive charge used per delay and distance between blast face to the monitoring point. It is a well-known fact that blasting results are influenced by a number of blast design parameters, such as burden, spacing, powder factor, etc. but these are not being considered in any of the available conventional predictors and due to that they show a high error in predicting blast vibrations. Nowadays, artificial intelligence has been widely used in blast engineering. Thus, three artificial intelligence approaches, namely Gaussian process regression (GPR), extreme learning machine (ELM) and backpropagation neural network (BPNN) were used in this study to estimate ground vibration caused by blasting in Shree Cement Ras Limestone Mine in India. To achieve that aim, 101 blasting datasets with powder factor, average depth, distance, spacing, burden, charge weight, and stemming length as input parameters were collected from the mine site. For comparison purposes, a simple multivariate regression analysis (MVRA) model as well as, a nonparametric regression-based technique known as multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) was also constructed using the same datasets. This study serves as a foundational study for the comparison of GPR, BPNN, ELM, MARS and MVRA to ascertain their respective predictive performances. Eighty-one (81) datasets representing 80% of the total blasting datasets were used to construct and train the various predictive models while 20 data samples (20%) were utilized for evaluating the predictive capabilities of the developed predictive models. Using the testing datasets, major indicators of performance, namely mean squared error (MSE), variance accounted for (VAF), correlation coefficient (R) and coefficient of determination (R2) were compared as statistical evaluators of model performance. This study revealed that the GPR model exhibited superior predictive capability in comparison to the MARS, BPNN, ELM and MVRA. The GPR model showed the highest VAF, R and R2 values of 99.1728%, 0.9985 and 0.9971 respectively and the lowest MSE of 0.0903. As a result, the blast engineer can employ GPR as an effective and appropriate method for forecasting blast-induced ground vibration. © 2022 by the authors.
Prevalence of and factors associated with anaemia in women of reproductive age in Bangladesh, Maldives and Nepal : evidence from nationally-representative survey data
- Ashfikur Rahman, Md, Sazedur Rahman, Md, Rahman, Muhammad Aziz, Szymlek-Gay, Ewa, Uddin, Riaz, Islam, Sheikh
- Authors: Ashfikur Rahman, Md , Sazedur Rahman, Md , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz , Szymlek-Gay, Ewa , Uddin, Riaz , Islam, Sheikh
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 16, no. 1 January (2021), p.
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- Description: Background Anaemia is a significant public health problem in most South-Asian countries, causing increased maternal and child mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of and factors associated with anaemia in women of reproductive age in Bangladesh, Maldives, and Nepal. Methods We used the nationally-representative Demographic and Health Surveys Program data collected from women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in 2011 in Bangladesh (n = 5678), 2016 in Maldives (n = 6837), and 2016 in Nepal (n = 6419). Anaemia was categorized as mild (haemoglobin [Hb] of 10.0-10.9 g/dL for pregnant women and 11.0-11.9 g/dL for non-pregnant women), moderate (Hb of 7.0-9.9 g/dL for pregnant women and 8.0-10.9 g/dL for non-pregnant women), and severe (Hb <7.0 g/dL for pregnant women and <8.0 g/dL for non-pregnant women). Multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with anaemia. Results The prevalence of anaemia was 41.8% in Bangladesh, 58.5% in Maldives, and 40.6% in Nepal. In Bangladesh, postpartum amenorrhoeic, non-educated, and pregnant women were more likely to have moderate/severe anaemia compared to women who were menopausal, had secondary education, and were not pregnant, respectively. In Maldives, residence in urban areas, underweight, having undergone female sterilization, current pregnancy, and menstruation in the last six weeks were associated with increased odds of moderate/severe anaemia. In Nepal, factors associated with increased odds of moderate/ severe anaemia were having undergone female sterilization and current pregnancy. Conclusion Anaemia remains a significant public health issue among 15-49-year-old women in Bangladesh, Maldives, and Nepal, which requires urgent attention. Effective policies and programmes for the control and prevention of anaemia should take into account the unique factors associated with anaemia identified in each country. In all three countries, strategies for the prevention and control of anaemia should particularly focus on women who are pregnant, underweight, or have undergone sterilization. © 2021 Rahman et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
- Authors: Ashfikur Rahman, Md , Sazedur Rahman, Md , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz , Szymlek-Gay, Ewa , Uddin, Riaz , Islam, Sheikh
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 16, no. 1 January (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background Anaemia is a significant public health problem in most South-Asian countries, causing increased maternal and child mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of and factors associated with anaemia in women of reproductive age in Bangladesh, Maldives, and Nepal. Methods We used the nationally-representative Demographic and Health Surveys Program data collected from women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in 2011 in Bangladesh (n = 5678), 2016 in Maldives (n = 6837), and 2016 in Nepal (n = 6419). Anaemia was categorized as mild (haemoglobin [Hb] of 10.0-10.9 g/dL for pregnant women and 11.0-11.9 g/dL for non-pregnant women), moderate (Hb of 7.0-9.9 g/dL for pregnant women and 8.0-10.9 g/dL for non-pregnant women), and severe (Hb <7.0 g/dL for pregnant women and <8.0 g/dL for non-pregnant women). Multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with anaemia. Results The prevalence of anaemia was 41.8% in Bangladesh, 58.5% in Maldives, and 40.6% in Nepal. In Bangladesh, postpartum amenorrhoeic, non-educated, and pregnant women were more likely to have moderate/severe anaemia compared to women who were menopausal, had secondary education, and were not pregnant, respectively. In Maldives, residence in urban areas, underweight, having undergone female sterilization, current pregnancy, and menstruation in the last six weeks were associated with increased odds of moderate/severe anaemia. In Nepal, factors associated with increased odds of moderate/ severe anaemia were having undergone female sterilization and current pregnancy. Conclusion Anaemia remains a significant public health issue among 15-49-year-old women in Bangladesh, Maldives, and Nepal, which requires urgent attention. Effective policies and programmes for the control and prevention of anaemia should take into account the unique factors associated with anaemia identified in each country. In all three countries, strategies for the prevention and control of anaemia should particularly focus on women who are pregnant, underweight, or have undergone sterilization. © 2021 Rahman et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
- Atazadeh, Ehsan, Gell, Peter, Mills, Keely, Barton, Andrew, Newall, Peter
- Authors: Atazadeh, Ehsan , Gell, Peter , Mills, Keely , Barton, Andrew , Newall, Peter
- Date: 2024
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environmental Science and Pollution Research Vol. 31, no. 5 (2024), p. 7408-7427
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Ecological and statistical models were developed using freshwater algal assemblages to assess water quality and ecological health of a regulated river. These models were used to inform configuration of flows to maintain or improve environmental conditions of the waterway whilst meeting consumptive water supply commitments. The flow regime of the MacKenzie River, western Victoria, Australia, has been substantially modified since the construction of a water supply reservoir on its upper reach in 1887. Water is withdrawn at several locations downstream of the reservoir, creating a substantially modified flow regime, impacting key environmental values of the river. To assess the impact of the different flow regimes on river health and ecosystem function, ten sites were repeatedly sampled along the river between February 2012 and April 2014. Physical and chemical characteristics of water, including pH, temperature, turbidity, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, total nitrogen, total phosphorous, cations, and anions, were measured. Biological properties of the algal periphyton communities, including dry mass, ash-free dry mass, chlorophyll-a concentration, and species composition, were also measured. Exploration of the algal assemblage and water chemistry data using the computationally unconstrained ordination technique such as principal component analysis principal component analysis (PCA), correspondence analysis (CA), detrended correspondence analysis (DCA), and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicated two strong gradients in the data sets. Furthermore, the quantitative ecosystem response models have been developed as the prototype tool to assist in the future configuration of flows in this river. The empirical data and models showed the lower reaches of the river to be in poor condition under low flows, but this condition improved under flows of 35 ML/day, as indicated by the reduction in green algae and cyanobacteria and improvement. Finally, the results are presented to tailor discharge and duration of water volume by amalgamation of consumptive and environmental flows to improve the condition of the stream thereby supplementing the flows dedicated to environmental outcomes. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
Rockfalls : Predicting high-risk behaviour from beliefs
- Aucote, Helen, Miner, Anthony, Dahlhaus, Peter
- Authors: Aucote, Helen , Miner, Anthony , Dahlhaus, Peter
- Date: 2010
- Type: Journal article
- Relation: Disaster Prevention and Management Vol. 19, no. 1 (2010), p. 20-31
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- Description: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to gain an understanding of the public's beliefs, attitudes and knowledge regarding rockfalls, and to see whether these variables could predict whether a person is likely to enter high-risk rockfall areas. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was developed to measure beliefs (informed by the health belief model), knowledge, and previous behaviour in relation to rockfalls. Questions were also included to measure attitudes regarding rockfall caution signs. In total, 138 members of the general public completed the questionnaire. Findings – High-risk behaviour was more likely if the person was male and if the person had the belief that sign-posted high-risk areas were not dangerous. Further, believing that the sign-posted areas were not dangerous was more likely among people who held negative attitudes towards cautionary signs; specifically, these participants were more likely to doubt the validity of the warning signs. Research limitations/implications – The research was exploratory in nature. Further research should be conducted with a larger sample size and a more random selection of the general population. Ways of improving measurement of the variables are discussed. Practical implications – Efforts should be made to increase the public's perception of the validity of rockfall cautionary signs. Doing so may decrease injury and death as a result of rockfalls. Suggestions on ways to increase the validity of signage are made. Originality/value – It is presumed that this study is the first to attempt to gain an understanding of the beliefs and attitudes that may lead a person into engaging in high-risk behaviour in relation to rockfalls.
- Authors: Aucote, Helen , Miner, Anthony , Dahlhaus, Peter
- Date: 2010
- Type: Journal article
- Relation: Disaster Prevention and Management Vol. 19, no. 1 (2010), p. 20-31
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to gain an understanding of the public's beliefs, attitudes and knowledge regarding rockfalls, and to see whether these variables could predict whether a person is likely to enter high-risk rockfall areas. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was developed to measure beliefs (informed by the health belief model), knowledge, and previous behaviour in relation to rockfalls. Questions were also included to measure attitudes regarding rockfall caution signs. In total, 138 members of the general public completed the questionnaire. Findings – High-risk behaviour was more likely if the person was male and if the person had the belief that sign-posted high-risk areas were not dangerous. Further, believing that the sign-posted areas were not dangerous was more likely among people who held negative attitudes towards cautionary signs; specifically, these participants were more likely to doubt the validity of the warning signs. Research limitations/implications – The research was exploratory in nature. Further research should be conducted with a larger sample size and a more random selection of the general population. Ways of improving measurement of the variables are discussed. Practical implications – Efforts should be made to increase the public's perception of the validity of rockfall cautionary signs. Doing so may decrease injury and death as a result of rockfalls. Suggestions on ways to increase the validity of signage are made. Originality/value – It is presumed that this study is the first to attempt to gain an understanding of the beliefs and attitudes that may lead a person into engaging in high-risk behaviour in relation to rockfalls.
- Aziz, Md Abdul, Imteaz, Monzur, Choudhury, Tanveer, Phillips, David
- Authors: Aziz, Md Abdul , Imteaz, Monzur , Choudhury, Tanveer , Phillips, David
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Water Resources Vol. 17, no. 1 (2013), p. 77-86
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: During wet weather conditions, sewer overflows to receiving water bodies raise serious environmental, aesthetic and public health problems. These issues trigger the need the most appropriate device/system for a particular installation, especially at unmanned remote locations. A new sewer overflow device consists of a rectangular tank and a sharp crested weir with a series of vertical combs is presented. A series of laboratory tests to determine trapping efficiencies for common sewer solids were conducted for different flow conditions, number of combs layers and spacing of combs. To overcome physical limitations inherent in laboratory studies such as significant cost and time. Artificial neural model was adopted as it has the capacity to accurately predict the outcome of complex, non-linear physical systems with relatively poorly understood physicochemical processes. A series of laboratory tests were conducted with 55 different sets of data. Forty-seven sets of experimental data are used with 60% for training, 20% each for testing and validation of the model. A separate validation data sets were used to judge the overall performance of the trained network. The model can successfully predict the experimental results with more than 90% accuracy with an average absolute percentage error of around 7%. © Institution of Engineers Australia, 2013.
Modeling the effects of particle shape on damping ratio of dry sand by simple shear testing and artificial intelligence
- Baghbani, Abolfazl, Costa, Susanga, Faradonbeh, Roohoollah, Soltani, Amin, Baghbani, Hasan
- Authors: Baghbani, Abolfazl , Costa, Susanga , Faradonbeh, Roohoollah , Soltani, Amin , Baghbani, Hasan
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Applied Sciences (Switzerland) Vol. 13, no. 7 (2023), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This study investigates the effects of sand particle shape, in terms of roundness, sphericity and regularity, on the damping ratio of a dry sand material. Twelve different cyclic simple shear testing scenarios were considered and applied using vertical stresses of 50, 150 and 250 kPa and cyclic stress ratios (CSR) of 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 in both constant- and controlled-stress modes. Each testing scenario involved five tests, using the same sand that was reconstructed from its previous cyclic test. On completion of the cyclic tests, corresponding hysteresis loops were established to determine the damping ratio. The results indicated that the minimum and maximum damping ratios for this sand material were 6.9 and 25.5, respectively. It was observed that the shape of the sand particles changed during cyclic loading, becoming progressively more rounded and spherical with an increasing number of loading cycles, thereby resulting in an increase in the damping ratio. The second part of this investigation involved the development of artificial intelligence models, namely an artificial neural network (ANN) and a support vector machine (SVM), to predict the effects of sand particle shape on the damping ratio. The proposed ANN and SVM models were found to be effective in predicting the damping ratio as a function of the particle shape descriptors (i.e., roundness, sphericity and regularity), vertical stress, CSR and number of loading cycles. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to identify the importance of the input variables; the vertical stress and regularity were, respectively, ranked as first and second in terms of importance, while the CSR was found to be the least important parameter. © 2023 by the authors.
- Authors: Baghbani, Abolfazl , Costa, Susanga , Faradonbeh, Roohoollah , Soltani, Amin , Baghbani, Hasan
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Applied Sciences (Switzerland) Vol. 13, no. 7 (2023), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This study investigates the effects of sand particle shape, in terms of roundness, sphericity and regularity, on the damping ratio of a dry sand material. Twelve different cyclic simple shear testing scenarios were considered and applied using vertical stresses of 50, 150 and 250 kPa and cyclic stress ratios (CSR) of 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 in both constant- and controlled-stress modes. Each testing scenario involved five tests, using the same sand that was reconstructed from its previous cyclic test. On completion of the cyclic tests, corresponding hysteresis loops were established to determine the damping ratio. The results indicated that the minimum and maximum damping ratios for this sand material were 6.9 and 25.5, respectively. It was observed that the shape of the sand particles changed during cyclic loading, becoming progressively more rounded and spherical with an increasing number of loading cycles, thereby resulting in an increase in the damping ratio. The second part of this investigation involved the development of artificial intelligence models, namely an artificial neural network (ANN) and a support vector machine (SVM), to predict the effects of sand particle shape on the damping ratio. The proposed ANN and SVM models were found to be effective in predicting the damping ratio as a function of the particle shape descriptors (i.e., roundness, sphericity and regularity), vertical stress, CSR and number of loading cycles. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to identify the importance of the input variables; the vertical stress and regularity were, respectively, ranked as first and second in terms of importance, while the CSR was found to be the least important parameter. © 2023 by the authors.
Improving soil stability with alum sludge : an ai-enabled approach for accurate prediction of california bearing ratio
- Baghbani, Abolfazl, Nguyen, Minh, Alnedawi, Ali, Milne, Nick, Baumgartl, Thomas, Abuel-Naga, Hossam
- Authors: Baghbani, Abolfazl , Nguyen, Minh , Alnedawi, Ali , Milne, Nick , Baumgartl, Thomas , Abuel-Naga, Hossam
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Applied Sciences (Switzerland) Vol. 13, no. 8 (2023), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Alum sludge is a byproduct of water treatment plants, and its use as a soil stabilizer has gained increasing attention due to its economic and environmental benefits. Its application has been shown to improve the strength and stability of soil, making it suitable for various engineering applications. However, to go beyond just measuring the effects of alum sludge as a soil stabilizer, this study investigates the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) methods for predicting the California bearing ratio (CBR) of soils stabilized with alum sludge. Three AI methods, including two black box methods (artificial neural network and support vector machines) and one grey box method (genetic programming), were used to predict CBR, based on a database with nine input parameters. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of AI methods in predicting CBR with good accuracy (R2 values ranging from 0.94 to 0.99 and MAE values ranging from 0.30 to 0.51). Moreover, a novel approach, using genetic programming, produced an equation that accurately estimated CBR, incorporating seven inputs. The analysis of parameter sensitivity and importance, revealed that the number of hammer blows for compaction was the most important parameter, while the parameters for maximum dry density of soil and mixture were the least important. This study highlights the potential of AI methods as a useful tool for predicting the performance of alum sludge as a soil stabilizer. © 2023 by the authors.
- Authors: Baghbani, Abolfazl , Nguyen, Minh , Alnedawi, Ali , Milne, Nick , Baumgartl, Thomas , Abuel-Naga, Hossam
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Applied Sciences (Switzerland) Vol. 13, no. 8 (2023), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Alum sludge is a byproduct of water treatment plants, and its use as a soil stabilizer has gained increasing attention due to its economic and environmental benefits. Its application has been shown to improve the strength and stability of soil, making it suitable for various engineering applications. However, to go beyond just measuring the effects of alum sludge as a soil stabilizer, this study investigates the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) methods for predicting the California bearing ratio (CBR) of soils stabilized with alum sludge. Three AI methods, including two black box methods (artificial neural network and support vector machines) and one grey box method (genetic programming), were used to predict CBR, based on a database with nine input parameters. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of AI methods in predicting CBR with good accuracy (R2 values ranging from 0.94 to 0.99 and MAE values ranging from 0.30 to 0.51). Moreover, a novel approach, using genetic programming, produced an equation that accurately estimated CBR, incorporating seven inputs. The analysis of parameter sensitivity and importance, revealed that the number of hammer blows for compaction was the most important parameter, while the parameters for maximum dry density of soil and mixture were the least important. This study highlights the potential of AI methods as a useful tool for predicting the performance of alum sludge as a soil stabilizer. © 2023 by the authors.
Nonsmooth nonconvex optimization approach to clusterwise linear regression problems
- Bagirov, Adil, Ugon, Julien, Mirzayeva, Hijran
- Authors: Bagirov, Adil , Ugon, Julien , Mirzayeva, Hijran
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: European Journal of Operational Research Vol. 229, no. 1 (2013), p. 132-142
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Clusterwise regression consists of finding a number of regression functions each approximating a subset of the data. In this paper, a new approach for solving the clusterwise linear regression problems is proposed based on a nonsmooth nonconvex formulation. We present an algorithm for minimizing this nonsmooth nonconvex function. This algorithm incrementally divides the whole data set into groups which can be easily approximated by one linear regression function. A special procedure is introduced to generate a good starting point for solving global optimization problems at each iteration of the incremental algorithm. Such an approach allows one to find global or near global solution to the problem when the data sets are sufficiently dense. The algorithm is compared with the multistart Späth algorithm on several publicly available data sets for regression analysis. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
- Description: 2003011018
A comparative assessment of models to predict monthly rainfall in Australia
- Bagirov, Adil, Mahmood, Arshad
- Authors: Bagirov, Adil , Mahmood, Arshad
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Water Resources Management Vol. 32, no. 5 (2018), p. 1777-1794
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP140103213
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Accurate rainfall prediction is a challenging task. It is especially challenging in Australia where the climate is highly variable. Australia’s climatic zones range from high rainfall tropical regions in the north to the driest desert region in the interior. The performance of prediction models may vary depending on climatic conditions. It is, therefore, important to assess and compare the performance of these models in different climatic zones. This paper examines the performance of data driven models such as the support vector machines for regression, the multiple linear regression, the k-nearest neighbors and the artificial neural networks for monthly rainfall prediction in Australia depending on climatic conditions. Rainfall data with five meteorological variables over the period of 1970–2014 from 24 geographically diverse weather stations are used for this purpose. The prediction performance of each model was evaluated by comparing observed and predicted rainfall using various measures for prediction accuracy. © 2018, Springer Science+Business Media B.V., part of Springer Nature.
Molecular phylogeny of Burkholderia pseudomallei from a remote region of Papua New Guinea
- Baker, Anthony, Pearson, Talima, Price, Erin, Dale, Julia, Keim, Paul, Hornstra, Heidie, Greenhill, Andrew, Padilla, Gabriel, Warner, Jeffrey
- Authors: Baker, Anthony , Pearson, Talima , Price, Erin , Dale, Julia , Keim, Paul , Hornstra, Heidie , Greenhill, Andrew , Padilla, Gabriel , Warner, Jeffrey
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 6, no. 3 (2011), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: The island of New Guinea is located midway between the world's two major melioidosis endemic regions of Australia and Southeast Asia. Previous studies in Papua New Guinea have demonstrated autochthonous melioidosis in Balimo, Western province. In contrast to other regions of endemicity, isolates recovered from both environmental and clinical sources demonstrate narrow genetic diversity over large spatial and temporal scales. Methodology/Principal Findings: We employed molecular typing techniques to determine the phylogenetic relationships of these isolates to each other and to others worldwide to aid in understanding the origins of the Papua New Guinean isolates. Multi-locus sequence typing of the 39 isolates resolved three unique sequence types. Phylogenetic reconstruction and Structure analysis determined that all isolates were genetically closer to those from Australia than those from Southeast Asia. Gene cluster analysis however, identified a Yersinia-like fimbrial gene cluster predominantly found among Burkholderia pseudomallei derived from Southeast Asia. Higher resolution VNTR typing and phylogenetic reconstruction of the Balimo isolates resolved 24 genotypes with long branch lengths. These findings are congruent with long term persistence in the region and a high level of environmental stability. Conclusions/Significance: Given that anthropogenic influence has been hypothesized as a mechanism for the dispersal of B. pseudomallei, these findings correlate with limited movement of the indigenous people in the region. The palaeogeographical and anthropogenic history of Australasia and the results from this study indicate that New Guinea is an important region for the further study of B. pseudomallei origins and dissemination.
- Authors: Baker, Anthony , Pearson, Talima , Price, Erin , Dale, Julia , Keim, Paul , Hornstra, Heidie , Greenhill, Andrew , Padilla, Gabriel , Warner, Jeffrey
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 6, no. 3 (2011), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: The island of New Guinea is located midway between the world's two major melioidosis endemic regions of Australia and Southeast Asia. Previous studies in Papua New Guinea have demonstrated autochthonous melioidosis in Balimo, Western province. In contrast to other regions of endemicity, isolates recovered from both environmental and clinical sources demonstrate narrow genetic diversity over large spatial and temporal scales. Methodology/Principal Findings: We employed molecular typing techniques to determine the phylogenetic relationships of these isolates to each other and to others worldwide to aid in understanding the origins of the Papua New Guinean isolates. Multi-locus sequence typing of the 39 isolates resolved three unique sequence types. Phylogenetic reconstruction and Structure analysis determined that all isolates were genetically closer to those from Australia than those from Southeast Asia. Gene cluster analysis however, identified a Yersinia-like fimbrial gene cluster predominantly found among Burkholderia pseudomallei derived from Southeast Asia. Higher resolution VNTR typing and phylogenetic reconstruction of the Balimo isolates resolved 24 genotypes with long branch lengths. These findings are congruent with long term persistence in the region and a high level of environmental stability. Conclusions/Significance: Given that anthropogenic influence has been hypothesized as a mechanism for the dispersal of B. pseudomallei, these findings correlate with limited movement of the indigenous people in the region. The palaeogeographical and anthropogenic history of Australasia and the results from this study indicate that New Guinea is an important region for the further study of B. pseudomallei origins and dissemination.
Groundwater seeps facilitate exposure to Burkholderia pseudomallei
- Baker, Anthony, Tahani, Donald, Gardiner, Christopher, Bristow, Keith, Greenhill, Andrew, Warner, Jeffrey
- Authors: Baker, Anthony , Tahani, Donald , Gardiner, Christopher , Bristow, Keith , Greenhill, Andrew , Warner, Jeffrey
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Applied and Environmental Microbiology Vol. 77, no. 20 (2011), p. 7243-7246
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Burkholderia pseudomallei is a saprophytic bacterium which is the causative agent of melioidosis, a common cause of fatal bacterial pneumonia and sepsis in the tropics. The incidence of melioidosis is clustered spatially and temporally and is heavily linked to rainfall and extreme weather events. Clinical case clustering has recently been reported in Townsville, Australia, and has implicated Castle Hill, a granite monolith in the city center, as a potential reservoir of infection. Topsoil and water from seasonal groundwater seeps were collected around the base of Castle Hill and analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR targeting the type III secretion system genes for the presence of B. pseudomallei. The organism was identified in 65% (95% confidence interval [CI], 49.5 to 80.4) of soil samples (n =40) and 92.5% (95% CI, 83.9 to 100) of seasonal groundwater samples (n =40). Further sampling of water collected from roads and gutters in nearby residential areas after an intense rainfall event found that 88.2% (95% CI, 72.9 to 100) of samples (n =16) contained viable B. pseudomallei at concentrations up to 113 CFU/ml. Comparison of isolates using multilocus sequence typing demonstrated clinical matches and close associations between environmental isolates and isolates derived from clinical samples from patients in Townsville. This study demonstrated that waterborne B. pseudomallei from groundwater seeps around Castle Hill may facilitate exposure to B. pseudomallei and contribute to the clinical clustering at this site. Access to this type of information will advise the development and implementation of public health measures to reduce the incidence of melioidosis. © 2011, American Society for Microbiology.
- Authors: Baker, Anthony , Tahani, Donald , Gardiner, Christopher , Bristow, Keith , Greenhill, Andrew , Warner, Jeffrey
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Applied and Environmental Microbiology Vol. 77, no. 20 (2011), p. 7243-7246
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Burkholderia pseudomallei is a saprophytic bacterium which is the causative agent of melioidosis, a common cause of fatal bacterial pneumonia and sepsis in the tropics. The incidence of melioidosis is clustered spatially and temporally and is heavily linked to rainfall and extreme weather events. Clinical case clustering has recently been reported in Townsville, Australia, and has implicated Castle Hill, a granite monolith in the city center, as a potential reservoir of infection. Topsoil and water from seasonal groundwater seeps were collected around the base of Castle Hill and analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR targeting the type III secretion system genes for the presence of B. pseudomallei. The organism was identified in 65% (95% confidence interval [CI], 49.5 to 80.4) of soil samples (n =40) and 92.5% (95% CI, 83.9 to 100) of seasonal groundwater samples (n =40). Further sampling of water collected from roads and gutters in nearby residential areas after an intense rainfall event found that 88.2% (95% CI, 72.9 to 100) of samples (n =16) contained viable B. pseudomallei at concentrations up to 113 CFU/ml. Comparison of isolates using multilocus sequence typing demonstrated clinical matches and close associations between environmental isolates and isolates derived from clinical samples from patients in Townsville. This study demonstrated that waterborne B. pseudomallei from groundwater seeps around Castle Hill may facilitate exposure to B. pseudomallei and contribute to the clinical clustering at this site. Access to this type of information will advise the development and implementation of public health measures to reduce the incidence of melioidosis. © 2011, American Society for Microbiology.
Identifying tobacco retailers in the absence of a licensing system : lessons from Australia
- Baker, John, Masood, Mohd, Rahman, Muhammad Aziz, Thornton, Lukar, Begg, Stephen
- Authors: Baker, John , Masood, Mohd , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz , Thornton, Lukar , Begg, Stephen
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Tobacco Control Vol. 31, no. 4 (2021), p. 543-548
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: ObjectivesTo estimate the proportion of retailers that sell tobacco in the absence of appropriate local government oversight, and to describe the characteristics by which they differ from those that can expect to receive such oversight.MethodsA database of listed tobacco retailers was obtained from a regional Victorian local government. Potential unlisted tobacco retailers were added using online searches, and attempts to visit all retailers were undertaken. GPS coordinates and sales type information of retailers that sold tobacco were recorded and attached to neighbourhood-level data on socioeconomic disadvantage and smoking prevalence using ArcMap. Logistic regression analyses, χ2 tests and t-tests were undertaken to explore differences in numbers of listed and unlisted retailers by business and neighbourhood-level characteristics.ResultsOf 125 confirmed tobacco retailers, 43.2% were trading potentially without government oversight. Significant differences were found between listed and unlisted retailers by primary business type (p<0.001), and sales type (p<0.001) but not by the other characteristics.ConclusionsThe database of tobacco retailers was inaccurate in two ways: (1) a number of listed retailers no longer operated or sold tobacco, and (2) 43.2% of businesses confirmed as selling tobacco were missing. As no form of licensing system exists in Victoria, it is difficult to identify the number of retailers operating, or to determine how many receive formal regulatory oversight. A positive licensing system is recommended to regulate the sale of tobacco and to generate a comprehensive database of retailers, similar to that which exists for food registration, gaming and liquor-licensed premises.
- Authors: Baker, John , Masood, Mohd , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz , Thornton, Lukar , Begg, Stephen
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Tobacco Control Vol. 31, no. 4 (2021), p. 543-548
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: ObjectivesTo estimate the proportion of retailers that sell tobacco in the absence of appropriate local government oversight, and to describe the characteristics by which they differ from those that can expect to receive such oversight.MethodsA database of listed tobacco retailers was obtained from a regional Victorian local government. Potential unlisted tobacco retailers were added using online searches, and attempts to visit all retailers were undertaken. GPS coordinates and sales type information of retailers that sold tobacco were recorded and attached to neighbourhood-level data on socioeconomic disadvantage and smoking prevalence using ArcMap. Logistic regression analyses, χ2 tests and t-tests were undertaken to explore differences in numbers of listed and unlisted retailers by business and neighbourhood-level characteristics.ResultsOf 125 confirmed tobacco retailers, 43.2% were trading potentially without government oversight. Significant differences were found between listed and unlisted retailers by primary business type (p<0.001), and sales type (p<0.001) but not by the other characteristics.ConclusionsThe database of tobacco retailers was inaccurate in two ways: (1) a number of listed retailers no longer operated or sold tobacco, and (2) 43.2% of businesses confirmed as selling tobacco were missing. As no form of licensing system exists in Victoria, it is difficult to identify the number of retailers operating, or to determine how many receive formal regulatory oversight. A positive licensing system is recommended to regulate the sale of tobacco and to generate a comprehensive database of retailers, similar to that which exists for food registration, gaming and liquor-licensed premises.
Set-valued orthogonality and nearness
- Barbagallo, Annamaria, Ernst, Octavian, Théra, Michel
- Authors: Barbagallo, Annamaria , Ernst, Octavian , Théra, Michel
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: AAPP Atti della Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti, Classe di Scienze Fisiche, Matematiche e Naturali Vol. 98, no. (2020), p.
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP160100854
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The theory of set-valued mappings has grown with the development of modern variational analysis. It is a key in convex and non-smooth analysis, in game theory, in mathematical economics and in control theory. The concepts of nearness and orthogonality have been known for functions since the pioneering works of Campanato, Birkhoff and James. In a recent paper Barbagallo et al. [J. Math. Anal. Appl., 484 (1), (2020)] a connection between these two concepts has been made. This note is mainly devoted to introduce nearness and orthogonality between set-valued mappings with the goal to study the solvability of generalized equations involving set-valued mappings. © 2020 Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti. All rights reserved.
- Authors: Barbagallo, Annamaria , Ernst, Octavian , Théra, Michel
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: AAPP Atti della Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti, Classe di Scienze Fisiche, Matematiche e Naturali Vol. 98, no. (2020), p.
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP160100854
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The theory of set-valued mappings has grown with the development of modern variational analysis. It is a key in convex and non-smooth analysis, in game theory, in mathematical economics and in control theory. The concepts of nearness and orthogonality have been known for functions since the pioneering works of Campanato, Birkhoff and James. In a recent paper Barbagallo et al. [J. Math. Anal. Appl., 484 (1), (2020)] a connection between these two concepts has been made. This note is mainly devoted to introduce nearness and orthogonality between set-valued mappings with the goal to study the solvability of generalized equations involving set-valued mappings. © 2020 Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti. All rights reserved.
A survey dataset to evaluate the changes in mobility and transportation due to COVID-19 travel restrictions in Australia, Brazil, China, Ghana, India, Iran, Italy, Norway, South Africa, United States
- Barbieri, Diego, Lou, Baowen, Passavanti, Marco, Hui, Cang, Lam, Louisa
- Authors: Barbieri, Diego , Lou, Baowen , Passavanti, Marco , Hui, Cang , Lam, Louisa
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Data in Brief Vol. 33, no. (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: COVID-19 pandemic has heavily impacted the global community. To curb the viral transmission, travel restrictions have been enforced across the world. The dataset documents the mobility disruptions and the modal shifts that have occurred as a consequence of the restrictive measures implemented in ten countries: Australia, Brazil, China, Ghana, India, Iran, Italy, Norway, South Africa and the United States. An online questionnaire was distributed during the period from the 11st to the 31st of May 2020, with a total of 9 394 respondents. The first part of the survey has characterized the frequency of use of all transport modes before and during the enforcement of the restrictions, while the second part of the survey has dealt with perceived risks of contracting COVID-19 from different transport modes and perceived effectiveness of travel mitigation measures. Overall, the dataset (stored in a repository publicly available) can be conveniently used to quantify and understand the modal shifts and people's cognitive behavior towards travel due to COVID-19. The collected responses can be further analysed by considering other demographic and socioeconomic covariates. © 2020 The Author(s). *Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Louisa Lam” is provided in this record*
- Authors: Barbieri, Diego , Lou, Baowen , Passavanti, Marco , Hui, Cang , Lam, Louisa
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Data in Brief Vol. 33, no. (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: COVID-19 pandemic has heavily impacted the global community. To curb the viral transmission, travel restrictions have been enforced across the world. The dataset documents the mobility disruptions and the modal shifts that have occurred as a consequence of the restrictive measures implemented in ten countries: Australia, Brazil, China, Ghana, India, Iran, Italy, Norway, South Africa and the United States. An online questionnaire was distributed during the period from the 11st to the 31st of May 2020, with a total of 9 394 respondents. The first part of the survey has characterized the frequency of use of all transport modes before and during the enforcement of the restrictions, while the second part of the survey has dealt with perceived risks of contracting COVID-19 from different transport modes and perceived effectiveness of travel mitigation measures. Overall, the dataset (stored in a repository publicly available) can be conveniently used to quantify and understand the modal shifts and people's cognitive behavior towards travel due to COVID-19. The collected responses can be further analysed by considering other demographic and socioeconomic covariates. © 2020 The Author(s). *Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Louisa Lam” is provided in this record*
- Barbieri, Diego, Lou, Baowen, Passavanti, Marco, Hui, Cang, Lessa, Daniela, Maharaj, Brij, Banerjee, Arunabha, Wang, Fusong, Chang, Kevin, Naik, Bhaven, Yu, Lei, Liu, Zhuangzhuang, Sikka, Gaurav, Tucker, Andrew, Mirhosseini, Ali, Naseri, Sahra, Qiao, Yaning, Gupta, Akshay, Abbas, Montasir, Fang, Kevin, Ghasemi, Navid, Peprah, Prince, Goswami, Shubham, Hessami, Amir, Agarwal, Nithin, Lam, Louisa, Adomako, Solomon
- Authors: Barbieri, Diego , Lou, Baowen , Passavanti, Marco , Hui, Cang , Lessa, Daniela , Maharaj, Brij , Banerjee, Arunabha , Wang, Fusong , Chang, Kevin , Naik, Bhaven , Yu, Lei , Liu, Zhuangzhuang , Sikka, Gaurav , Tucker, Andrew , Mirhosseini, Ali , Naseri, Sahra , Qiao, Yaning , Gupta, Akshay , Abbas, Montasir , Fang, Kevin , Ghasemi, Navid , Peprah, Prince , Goswami, Shubham , Hessami, Amir , Agarwal, Nithin , Lam, Louisa , Adomako, Solomon
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article , Data article
- Relation: Data in Brief Vol. 32, (2020)
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The dataset deals with the air quality perceived by citizens before and during the enforcement of COVID-19 restrictions in ten countries around the world: Australia, Brazil, China, Ghana, India, Iran, Italy, Norway, South Africa and the United States. An online survey conveniently translated into Chinese, English, Italian, Norwegian, Persian, Portuguese collected information regarding the perceived quality of air pollution according to a Likert scale. The questionnaire was distributed between 11-05-2020 and 31-05-2020 and 9 394 respondents took part. Both the survey and the dataset (stored in a Microsoft Excel Worksheet) are available in a public repository. The collected data offer the people's subjective perspectives related to the objective improvement in air quality occurred during the COVID-19 restrictions. Furthermore, the dataset can be used for research studies involving the reduction in air pollution as experienced, to a different extent, by populations of all the ten countries. © 2020 The Author(s)
Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mobility in ten countries and associated perceived risk for all transport modes
- Barbieri, Diego, Lou, Baowen, Passavanti, Marco, Hui, Cang, Lam, Louisa
- Authors: Barbieri, Diego , Lou, Baowen , Passavanti, Marco , Hui, Cang , Lam, Louisa
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 16, no. 2 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The restrictive measures implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have triggered sudden massive changes to travel behaviors of people all around the world. This study examines the individual mobility patterns for all transport modes (walk, bicycle, motorcycle, car driven alone, car driven in company, bus, subway, tram, train, airplane) before and during the restrictions adopted in ten countries on six continents: Australia, Brazil, China, Ghana, India, Iran, Italy, Norway, South Africa and the United States. This cross-country study also aims at understanding the predictors of protective behaviors related to the transport sector and COVID-19. Findings hinge upon an online survey conducted in May 2020 (N = 9,394). The empirical results quantify tremendous disruptions for both commuting and non-commuting travels, highlighting substantial reductions in the frequency of all types of trips and use of all modes. In terms of potential virus spread, airplanes and buses are perceived to be the riskiest transport modes, while avoidance of public transport is consistently found across the countries. According to the Protection Motivation Theory, the study sheds new light on the fact that two indicators, namely income inequality, expressed as Gini index, and the reported number of deaths due to COVID-19 per 100,000 inhabitants, aggravate respondents’ perceptions. This research indicates that socio-economic inequality and morbidity are not only related to actual health risks, as well documented in the relevant literature, but also to the perceived risks. These findings document the global impact of the COVID-19 crisis as well as provide guidance for transportation practitioners in developing future strategies. © 2021 Barbieri et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. *Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Louisa Lam” is provided in this record**
- Authors: Barbieri, Diego , Lou, Baowen , Passavanti, Marco , Hui, Cang , Lam, Louisa
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 16, no. 2 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The restrictive measures implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have triggered sudden massive changes to travel behaviors of people all around the world. This study examines the individual mobility patterns for all transport modes (walk, bicycle, motorcycle, car driven alone, car driven in company, bus, subway, tram, train, airplane) before and during the restrictions adopted in ten countries on six continents: Australia, Brazil, China, Ghana, India, Iran, Italy, Norway, South Africa and the United States. This cross-country study also aims at understanding the predictors of protective behaviors related to the transport sector and COVID-19. Findings hinge upon an online survey conducted in May 2020 (N = 9,394). The empirical results quantify tremendous disruptions for both commuting and non-commuting travels, highlighting substantial reductions in the frequency of all types of trips and use of all modes. In terms of potential virus spread, airplanes and buses are perceived to be the riskiest transport modes, while avoidance of public transport is consistently found across the countries. According to the Protection Motivation Theory, the study sheds new light on the fact that two indicators, namely income inequality, expressed as Gini index, and the reported number of deaths due to COVID-19 per 100,000 inhabitants, aggravate respondents’ perceptions. This research indicates that socio-economic inequality and morbidity are not only related to actual health risks, as well documented in the relevant literature, but also to the perceived risks. These findings document the global impact of the COVID-19 crisis as well as provide guidance for transportation practitioners in developing future strategies. © 2021 Barbieri et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. *Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Louisa Lam” is provided in this record**
Risk assessment of SARS-CoV-2 in Antarctic wildlife
- Barbosa, Andres, Varsani, Arvind, Morandini, Virginia, Grimaldi, Wray, Vanstreels, Ralph, Diaz, Julia, Boulinier, Thierry, Dewar, Meagan, González-Acuña, Daniel, Gray, Rachael, McMahon, Clive, Miller, Gary, Power, Michelle, Gamble, Amandine, Wille, Michelle
- Authors: Barbosa, Andres , Varsani, Arvind , Morandini, Virginia , Grimaldi, Wray , Vanstreels, Ralph , Diaz, Julia , Boulinier, Thierry , Dewar, Meagan , González-Acuña, Daniel , Gray, Rachael , McMahon, Clive , Miller, Gary , Power, Michelle , Gamble, Amandine , Wille, Michelle
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Science of the Total Environment Vol. 755, no. 2 (2021), p. 1-8
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This pathogen has spread rapidly across the world, causing high numbers of deaths and significant social and economic impacts. SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus with a suggested zoonotic origin with the potential for cross-species transmission among animals. Antarctica can be considered the only continent free of SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, concerns have been expressed regarding the potential human introduction of this virus to the continent through the activities of research or tourism to minimise the effects on human health, and the potential for virus transmission to Antarctic wildlife. We assess the reverse-zoonotic transmission risk to Antarctic wildlife by considering the available information on host susceptibility, dynamics of the infection in humans, and contact interactions between humans and Antarctic wildlife. The environmental conditions in Antarctica seem to be favourable for the virus stability. Indoor spaces such as those at research stations, research vessels or tourist cruise ships could allow for more transmission among humans and depending on their movements between different locations the virus could be spread across the continent. Among Antarctic wildlife previous in silico analyses suggested that cetaceans are at greater risk of infection whereas seals and birds appear to be at a low infection risk. However, caution needed until further research is carried out and consequently, the precautionary principle should be applied. Field researchers handling animals are identified as the human group posing the highest risk of transmission to animals while tourists and other personnel pose a significant risk only when in close proximity (< 5 m) to Antarctic fauna. We highlight measures to reduce the risk as well as identify of knowledge gaps related to this issue. © 2020 The Authors
- Authors: Barbosa, Andres , Varsani, Arvind , Morandini, Virginia , Grimaldi, Wray , Vanstreels, Ralph , Diaz, Julia , Boulinier, Thierry , Dewar, Meagan , González-Acuña, Daniel , Gray, Rachael , McMahon, Clive , Miller, Gary , Power, Michelle , Gamble, Amandine , Wille, Michelle
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Science of the Total Environment Vol. 755, no. 2 (2021), p. 1-8
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This pathogen has spread rapidly across the world, causing high numbers of deaths and significant social and economic impacts. SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus with a suggested zoonotic origin with the potential for cross-species transmission among animals. Antarctica can be considered the only continent free of SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, concerns have been expressed regarding the potential human introduction of this virus to the continent through the activities of research or tourism to minimise the effects on human health, and the potential for virus transmission to Antarctic wildlife. We assess the reverse-zoonotic transmission risk to Antarctic wildlife by considering the available information on host susceptibility, dynamics of the infection in humans, and contact interactions between humans and Antarctic wildlife. The environmental conditions in Antarctica seem to be favourable for the virus stability. Indoor spaces such as those at research stations, research vessels or tourist cruise ships could allow for more transmission among humans and depending on their movements between different locations the virus could be spread across the continent. Among Antarctic wildlife previous in silico analyses suggested that cetaceans are at greater risk of infection whereas seals and birds appear to be at a low infection risk. However, caution needed until further research is carried out and consequently, the precautionary principle should be applied. Field researchers handling animals are identified as the human group posing the highest risk of transmission to animals while tourists and other personnel pose a significant risk only when in close proximity (< 5 m) to Antarctic fauna. We highlight measures to reduce the risk as well as identify of knowledge gaps related to this issue. © 2020 The Authors
Verification of a numerical model for the prediction of low slope vertical slot fishway hydraulics.
- Barton, Andrew, Keller, Robert, Katopodis, Christos
- Authors: Barton, Andrew , Keller, Robert , Katopodis, Christos
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Water Resources Vol. 13, no. 1 (2009), p. 53-60
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: A numerical model has been developed to predict the three-dimensional flow character within low scope vertical slot fishways (VSFs). The modek solves the three dimensional Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations, closed with the renormalised k-e turbulence formulations. The model employs the volume of fluid method to deal with the free surface. Results are presented for velocities and surface elevations utilising two fishway designs from prototype and laboratory studies. The respective data from the studies are direct compared to the numerical model predictions forming the basis of verification. The model is shown to predict critical design velocities, slot flow characteristics, flow recirculation and water surface elevations well enough to be useful in low slope VSF design.