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Finite fracture mechanics analysis using the scaled boundary finite element method

- Sun, Zhicheng, Ooi, Ean Tat, Song, Chongmin

  • Authors: Sun, Zhicheng , Ooi, Ean Tat , Song, Chongmin
  • Date: 2015
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Engineering Fracture Mechanics Vol. 134, no. (2015), p. 330-353
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  • Description: The polygon-based scaled boundary finite element method is applied to two finite fracture mechanics based failure criteria to predict the crack initiation from stress concentrations, i.e. notches and holes. The stress and displacement fields are modelled by the scaled boundary finite element method through semi-analytical expressions that resemble asymptotic expansions around cracks and notches. Important fracture parameters, i.e. energy release rate and stress, are accurately and conveniently computed from the solutions of stresses and displacements via analytical integration. One distinguished advantage of applying the scaled boundary finite element method to finite fracture mechanics is that the required changes in the mesh are easily accommodated by shifting the crack tip within the cracked polygon without changing the global mesh structure. The developed framework is validated using four numerical examples. The crack initiation predictions obtained from the scaled boundary finite element method agree well with the reference finite element results.

Deterministic and probabilistic multi-modal analysis of slope stability

- Reale, Cormac, Xue, Jianfeng, Pan, Zhangming, Gavin, Kenneth

  • Authors: Reale, Cormac , Xue, Jianfeng , Pan, Zhangming , Gavin, Kenneth
  • Date: 2015
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Computers and Geotechnics Vol. 66, no. (2015), p. 172-179
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  • Description: Traditional slope stability analysis involves predicting the location of the critical slip surface for a given slope and computing a safety factor at that location. However, for some slopes with complicated stratigraphy several distinct critical slip surfaces can exist. Furthermore, the global minimum safety factor in some cases can be less important than potential failure zones when rehabilitating or reinforcing a slope. Existing search techniques used in slope stability analysis cannot find all areas of concern, but instead converge exclusively on the critical slip surface. This paper therefore proposes the use of a holistic multi modal optimisation technique which is able to locate and converge to multiple failure modes simultaneously. The search technique has been demonstrated on a number of benchmark examples using both deterministic and probabilistic analysis to find all possible failure mechanisms, and their respective factors of safety and reliability indices. The results from both the deterministic and probabilistic models show that the search technique is effective in locating the known critical slip surface while also establishing the locations of any other distinct critical slip surfaces within the slope. The approach is of particular relevance for investigating the stability of large slopes with complicated stratigraphy, as these slopes are likely to contain multiple failure mechanisms. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd.

Mixed finite element solutions to contact problems of nonlinear Gao beam on elastic foundation

- Gao, David, Machalova, Jitka, Netuka, Horymir

  • Authors: Gao, David , Machalova, Jitka , Netuka, Horymir
  • Date: 2015
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Nonlinear Analysis: Real World Applications Vol. 22, no. (2015), p. 537-550
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  • Description: This paper analyzes nonlinear contact problems of a large deformed beam on an elastic foundation. The beam model is governed by a nonlinear fourth-order differential equation developed by Gao (1996); while the elastic foundation model is assumed as Winkler's type. Based on a decomposition method, the nonlinear variational inequality problem is able to be reformed as a min-max problem of a saddle Lagrangian. Therefore, by using mixed finite element method with independent discretization-interpolations for foundation and beam elements, the nonlinear contact problem in continuous space is eventually converted as a nonlinear mixed complementarity problem, which can be solved by combination of interior-point and Newton methods. Applications are illustrated by different boundary conditions. Results show that the nonlinear Gao beam is more stiffer than the Euler-Bernoulli beam.

Therapist-assisted Internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy for depression and anxiety: Translating evidence into clinical practice

- Hadjistavropoulos, Heather, Pugh, Nicole, Nugent, Marcie, Hesser, Hugo, Andersson, Gerhard, Ivanov, Max, Butz, Cory, Marchildon, Gregory, Asmundson, Gordon, Klein, Britt, Austin, David

  • Authors: Hadjistavropoulos, Heather , Pugh, Nicole , Nugent, Marcie , Hesser, Hugo , Andersson, Gerhard , Ivanov, Max , Butz, Cory , Marchildon, Gregory , Asmundson, Gordon , Klein, Britt , Austin, David
  • Date: 2015
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Journal of Anxiety Disorders Vol. 28, no. 8 (2015), p. 884-893
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  • Description: This dissemination study examined the effectiveness of therapist-assisted Internet-delivered Cognitive Behavior Therapy (ICBT) when offered in clinical practice. A centralized unit screened and coordinated ICBT delivered by newly trained therapists working in six geographically dispersed clinical settings. Using an open trial design, 221 patients were offered 12 modules of ICBT for symptoms of generalized anxiety (. n=. 112), depression (. n=. 83), or panic (. n=. 26). At baseline, midpoint and post-treatment, patients completed self-report measures. On average, patients completed 8 of 12 modules. Latent growth curve modeling identified significant reductions in depression, anxiety, stress and impairment (. d=. .65-.78), and improvements in quality of life (. d=. .48-.66). Improvements in primary symptoms were large (. d=. .91-1.25). Overall, therapist-assisted ICBT was effective when coordinated across settings in clinical practice, but further attention should be given to strategies to improve completion of treatment modules.

Improving the diffusion of safety initiatives in community sport

- Poulos, Roslyn, Donaldson, Alex

  • Authors: Poulos, Roslyn , Donaldson, Alex
  • Date: 2015
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 18, no. 2 (2015), p. 139-144
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  • Description: Objectives: The "Mayday Safety Procedure" (MSP) is included in the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) Medical and Safety Recommendations and the mandatory SmartRugby training for coaches. Previous research indicates that translating the Mayday Safety Procedure into practice among community rugby coaches is challenging. This study investigated whether Mayday Safety Procedure translation could be enhanced by systematically planning and implementing a range of theory-informed and context-specific diffusion strategies. Design: A controlled before-and-after study. Methods: Coaches of senior community rugby teams in five zones in New South Wales (Australia) were invited to complete a questionnaire about their Mayday Safety Procedure knowledge and practice at the end of the 2010 and 2011 rugby seasons. During 2011, coaches in the intervention zone were exposed to a range of strategies to promote Mayday Safety Procedure diffusion which were planned by following Step 5 of the Intervention Mapping protocol. Coaches in the other four zones were exposed to usual strategies to promote Mayday Safety Procedure diffusion. Results: Using the RE-AIM evaluation framework, statistically significant improvements were found among intervention zone coaches in: knowledge of most Mayday Safety Procedure key criteria; the number of coaches recognising their zone policy requiring them to train players in the Mayday Safety Procedure; frequency of provision of Mayday Safety Procedure training to players; coach perceptions of the quality of Mayday Safety Procedure training for players; and in confidence that referees could implement the Mayday Safety Procedure during a game if required. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the translation of injury prevention policy into community practice can be enhanced by developing and implementing a theory-informed, context-specific diffusion plan, undertaken in partnership with key stakeholders. © 2014 Sports Medicine Australia.

Injuries in community-level Australian football : Results from a club-based injury surveillance system

- Ekegren, Christina, Gabbe, Belinda, Donaldson, Alex, Cook, Jill, Lloyd, David, Finch, Caroline

  • Authors: Ekegren, Christina , Gabbe, Belinda , Donaldson, Alex , Cook, Jill , Lloyd, David , Finch, Caroline
  • Date: 2014
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 18, no. 6 (2014), p.651-655
  • Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
  • Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1058737
  • Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565907
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  • Description: Objectives: Far fewer injury surveillance systems exist within community sport than elite sport. As a result, most epidemiological data on sports injuries have limited relevance to community-level sporting populations. There is potential for data from community club-based injury surveillance systems to provide a better understanding of community sports injuries. This study aimed to describe the incidence and profile of community-level Australian football injuries reported using a club-based injury surveillance system. Design: Prospective, epidemiological study. Methods: Sports trainers from five community-level Australian football leagues recorded injury data during two football seasons using the club-based system. An online surveillance tool developed by Sports Medicine Australia ('Sports Injury Tracker') was used for data collection. The injury incidence, profile and match injury rate were reported. Results: Injury data for 1205 players were recorded in season one and for 823 players in season two. There was significant variability in injury incidence across clubs. However, aggregated data were consistent across football seasons, with an average of 0.7 injuries per player per season and 38-39 match injuries per 1000. h match exposure. A large proportion of injuries occurred during matches, involved the lower limb and resulted from contact. Conclusions: Data from the club-based system provided a profile of injuries consistent with previous studies in community-level Australian football. Moreover, injury incidence was consistent with other studies using similar personnel to record data. However, injury incidence was lower than that reported in studies using player self-report or healthcare professionals and may be an underestimate of true values.

Birth weight and adult health in historical perspective: Evidence from a New Zealand cohort, 1907-1922

- Roberts, Evan, Wood, Pamela

  • Authors: Roberts, Evan , Wood, Pamela
  • Date: 2014
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Social Science and Medicine Vol. 107, no. (2014), p. 154-161
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  • Description: We provide new historical evidence on the developmental origins of health and disease in a cohort of boys born between 1907 and 1922 in Wellington, New Zealand. Using a dataset of 1523 birth records that include birth weight and length we find 852 (58%) of the adult cohort in World War II records measuring stature, body mass and blood pressure. On average, the boys weighed 3.5kg at birth, similar to Australian and American babies of the era, and nearly identical to full-term New Zealand babies in the 1990s. Using OLS regression models we estimate the effect of birth weight on adult stature and systolic blood pressure. We find an increase in birth weight of 1kg is associated with an increase in stature of 2.6cm (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6cm-3.6cm), and a decrease in systolic blood pressure of 2.1mm/Hg (95% CI - 5.00 to 0.67). This is the earliest cohort by fifty years for whom the fetal origins hypothesis has been examined in early adulthood. Our estimates of the effect of birth weight on blood pressure are towards the upper end of the range of published estimates in modern cohorts. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Investigations into the free-volume changes within starch/plasticizer/nanoclay systems using Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy

- Liu, Huihua, Chaudhary, Deeptangshu, Campbell, Colin, Roberts, Jason, Buckman, Stephen, Sullivan, James

  • Authors: Liu, Huihua , Chaudhary, Deeptangshu , Campbell, Colin , Roberts, Jason , Buckman, Stephen , Sullivan, James
  • Date: 2014
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Materials Chemistry and Physics Vol. 148, no. 1-2 (2014), p. 349-355
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  • Description: The free-volume of a matrix is a fundamental parameter that relates to its molecular and bulk characteristics, such as crystalline change and glass transition behavior. In starch-based bionanocomposite, we investigated the effect of the addition of montmorillonite nanoclay (MMT) and food plasticizers (glycerol and sorbitol) on changes of molecular pore size (including pore volume and pore distribution) using the Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy (PALS) method. The results demonstrated counter-intuitive impact of MMT on the total free-volume where the total free-volume increased within the polymeric matrix. When compared to the pure matrix free-volume, the addition of MMT also resulted in the appearance of a broader distribution of the void sizes. The plasticizers, on the other hand, apparently occupied the void spaces, and therefore decreased the free-volume of the matrix. Further, together with the small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) analysis, we concluded that this is a result of interplay between the plasticizer-plasticizer interactions and the polymer-plasticizer interactions. For example, in the starch/glycerol/MMT system, the pore radii slightly decrease upon the increasing of glycerol amount (OG210 = O.27 nm and OG220 = 0.26 nm), but the relative weight did increase with the increasing glycerol concentration. However, increasing the sorbitol amount increased the pore size from 0.23 nm(OS210) to 0.28 nm(OS220). Furthermore, the addition MMT in the OS010 system, promote the emergence of a new dateable pore radius(0.90 nm), and the total weight significantly increased from 13.70 (OS010) to 19.5% (OS210). We suggest that the pore variation (size and distribution) due to the MMT and plasticizers are reflected in the polymer glass transition and crystallinity because ultimately, the, total free-volume is a reflection of level of interactions existing within the bulk of these nanocomposites.

Characteristics, cycling patterns, and crash and injury experiences at baseline of a cohort of transport and recreational cyclists in New South Wales, Australia

- Poulos, Roslyn, Hatfield, Julie, Rissel, Chris, Flack, Lloyd, Murphy, Susanne, Grzebieta, Raphael, McIntosh, Andrew

  • Authors: Poulos, Roslyn , Hatfield, Julie , Rissel, Chris , Flack, Lloyd , Murphy, Susanne , Grzebieta, Raphael , McIntosh, Andrew
  • Date: 2015
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Accident Analysis and Prevention Vol. 78, no. (2015), p. 155-164
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  • Description: This paper examines self-reported retrospective data for a 12 month period from 2038 adult cyclists from New South Wales (Australia), and compares cyclists according to whether they self-identify as riding mainly for transport or mainly for recreation. Statistically significant differences were found in the demographic characteristics, cycling patterns, and crash experiences between these two groups of cyclists. Transport cyclists tended to be younger, travel more days per week, and within morning and evening peak hours than recreational cyclists; recreational cyclists were more likely to identify fitness as a purpose for cycling. The proportion of cyclists experiencing a crash or crash-related injury in the previous 12 months was similar for transport and recreational cyclists, but there were differences in crash types and location which likely reflect different cycling environments. Heterogeneity within transport and recreational cyclists was also found, based on self-reported riding intensity. An understanding of the different cycling patterns and experiences of various types of cyclists is useful to inform road safety, transport and health promotion policy. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of physicochemical properties on freezing suitability of Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) root

- Tu, Jing, Zhang, Min, Xu, Baoguo, Liu, Amy

  • Authors: Tu, Jing , Zhang, Min , Xu, Baoguo , Liu, Amy
  • Date: 2015
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: International Journal of Refrigeration Vol. 50, no. (2015), p. 1-9
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  • Description: The initial physicochemical properties of different lotus roots were studied with the aim to evaluate their influence on freezing suitability. Six physicochemical properties indicators (starch content, whiteness index, maximum diameter, protein amount, titratable acidity and vitamin C) of lotus root were determined by principal component analysis. It was observed from the experimental results that the initial physicochemical properties of lotus root can directly affect the freezing suitability in terms of initial freezing temperature, transition phase time, total freezing time, relative firmness and drip loss. Correlation analysis suggested that relative firmness increases in proportion to starch content, and initial freezing temperature and drip loss are inversely proportional to the starch content. Compared to immersion freezing, power ultrasound can significantly improve the freezing rate and relative firmness but decrease drip loss. These results suggested that high quality frozen lotus root can be achieved via appropriately selecting high starch content lotus root and using ultrasound-assisted immersion freezing.

A convolutional recursive modified Self Organizing Map for handwritten digits recognition

- Mohebi, Ehsan, Bagirov, Adil

  • Authors: Mohebi, Ehsan , Bagirov, Adil
  • Date: 2014
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Neural Networks Vol. 60, no. (2014), p. 104-118
  • Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP140103213
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  • Description: It is well known that the handwritten digits recognition is a challenging problem. Different classification algorithms have been applied to solve it. Among them, the Self Organizing Maps (SOM) produced promising results. In this paper, first we introduce a Modified SOM for the vector quantization problem with improved initialization process and topology preservation. Then we develop a Convolutional Recursive Modified SOM and apply it to the problem of handwritten digits recognition. The computational results obtained using the well known MNIST dataset demonstrate the superiority of the proposed algorithm over the existing SOM-based algorithms.

QoS support in event detection in WSN through optimal k-coverage

- Alam, Kh Mahmudul, Kamruzzaman, Joarder, Karmakar, Gour, Murhsed, Manzur, Azad, Arman

  • Authors: Alam, Kh Mahmudul , Kamruzzaman, Joarder , Karmakar, Gour , Murhsed, Manzur , Azad, Arman
  • Date: 2011
  • Type: Text , Conference paper
  • Relation: 11th International Conference on Computational Science, ICCS 2011; Singapore, Singapore; 1st-3rd June 2011; published in Procedia Computer Science Vol. 4, p. 499-507
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  • Description: Wireless sensor networks promise to guarantee accurate, fault tolerant and timely detection of events in large scale sensor fields. To achieve this the notion of k-coverage is widely employed in WSNs where significant redundancy is introduced in deployment as an event is expected to be sensed by at least k sensors in the neighborhood. As sensor density increases significantly with k, it is imperative to find the optimal k for the underlying event detection system. In this work, we consider the detection probability, fault tolerance and latency as the Quality of Service (QoS) metrics of an event detection system employing k-coverage and present a probabilistic model to guarantee given QoS support with the minimum degree of coverage taking into account the noise related measurement error, communication interference and sensor fault probability. This work eventually resolves the problem of over or under deployment of sensors, increases scalability and provides a well defined mechanism to tune the degree of coverage according to performance needs.

Rasmussen's legacy in the great outdoors : A new incident reporting and learning system for led outdoor activities

- Salmon, Paul, Goode, Natassia, Taylor, Natalie, Lenne, Michael, Dallat, Clare, Finch, Caroline

  • Authors: Salmon, Paul , Goode, Natassia , Taylor, Natalie , Lenne, Michael , Dallat, Clare , Finch, Caroline
  • Date: 2017
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Applied Ergonomics Vol. 59, no. (2017), p. 637-648
  • Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
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  • Description: Jens Rasmussen's seminal risk management framework and accompanying Accimap method have become highly popular in safety science circles. Despite this, widespread adoption of the model and method in practice has not yet been achieved. This paper describes a project involving the development and implementation of an incident reporting and learning system underpinned by Rasmussen's risk management framework and Accimap method. The system was developed for the led outdoor activity sector in Australia to enable reporting and analysis of injuries and near miss incidents, with the aim of supporting the development of more effective countermeasures. An analysis of the data derived from the first 3 months use of the system by 43 organisations is presented. The outputs provide an in-depth Accimap-based analysis of all incidents reported by participating organisations over the 3 month period. In closing, the importance of developing usable domain specific tools to support translation of Ergonomics theory and methods in practice is discussed.
  • Description: Jens Rasmussen's seminal risk management framework and accompanying Accimap method have become highly popular in safety science circles. Despite this, widespread adoption of the model and method in practice has not yet been achieved. This paper describes a project involving the development and implementation of an incident reporting and learning system underpinned by Rasmussen's risk management framework and Accimap method. The system was developed for the led outdoor activity sector in Australia to enable reporting and analysis of injuries and near miss incidents, with the aim of supporting the development of more effective countermeasures. An analysis of the data derived from the first 3 months use of the system by 43 organisations is presented. The outputs provide an in-depth Accimap-based analysis of all incidents reported by participating organisations over the 3 month period. In closing, the importance of developing usable domain specific tools to support translation of Ergonomics theory and methods in practice is discussed. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prediction and classification for finite element slope stability analysis by random field comparison

- Dyson, Ashley, Tolooiyan, Ali

  • Authors: Dyson, Ashley , Tolooiyan, Ali
  • Date: 2019
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Computers and Geotechnics Vol. 109, no. (2019), p. 117-129
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  • Description: This paper considers probabilistic slope stability analysis using the Random Finite Element Method (RFEM) combined with processes to determine the level of similarity between random fields. A procedure is introduced to predict the Factor of Safety (FoS) of individual Monte Carlo Method (MCM) random field instances prior to finite element simulation, based on random field similarity measures. Previous studies of probabilistic slope stability analysis have required numerous MCM instances to reach FoS convergence. However, the methods provided in this research drastically reduce computational processing time, allowing simulations previously considered too computationally expensive for MCM analysis to be simulated without obstacle. In addition to computational efficiency, the comparison based procedure is combined with cluster analysis methods to locate random field characteristics contributing to slope failure. Comparison measures are presented for slope geometries of an Australian open pit mine to consider the impacts of associated factors such as groundwater on random field similarity predictors, while highlighting the capacity of the similarity procedure for prediction, classification and computational efficiency.

Hand-held dynamometry strength measures for internal and external rotation demonstrate superior reliability, lower minimal detectable change and higher correlation to isokinetic dynamometry than externally-fixed dynamometry of the shoulder

- Holt, Kylie, Raper, Damian, Boettcher, Craig, Waddington, Gordon, Drew, Michael

  • Authors: Holt, Kylie , Raper, Damian , Boettcher, Craig , Waddington, Gordon , Drew, Michael
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Physical Therapy in Sport Vol. 21, no. (2016), p. 75-81
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  • Description: Objectives: To investigate inter and intra-rater reliability of hand held (HHD) and externally fixed (EFD) dynamometry for shoulder internal (IR) and external rotation (ER) strength and their correlation to isokinetic testing. Design: Within participant, inter and intra-rater reliability study. Participants: Twenty active, healthy male and female participants underwent testing by two examiners. Outcome measures: Intra-class coefficients (ICC), percentage standard error of measurement (%SEM), and percentage minimal detectable change (%MDC) were calculated for inter-rater, intra-day and intra-rater, inter-week reliability. Maximum and average of three repetitions were compared to the isokinetic results at three speeds (60 degrees/sec, 180 degrees/sec, 240 degrees/sec) for both concentric and eccentric contractions. Results: Inter and intra-tester values demonstrated good to high agreement (HHD, ICC range = 0.89 -0.97, %SEM = 4.80-8.60%, %MDC = 13.29-23.70%; EFD, ICC = 0.88-0.96, %SEM = 6.60-11.00%, % MDC = 18.40-30.04%). HHD and EFD showed moderate to very strong correlations to the isokinetic testing (HHD, r = 0.45-0.86; EFD, r = 0.49-0.83). Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that both EFD and HI-ID are suitable for clinical practice and research. Hand-held dynamometry is preferred due to its higher intra- and inter-rater reliability and smaller MDC and lower SEM. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Deformation of "tunable" clay-polymer composites

- Bishop, Matthew, Kim, Sungho, Palomino, Angelica, Lee, Jong-Sub

  • Authors: Bishop, Matthew , Kim, Sungho , Palomino, Angelica , Lee, Jong-Sub
  • Date: 2014
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Applied Clay Science Vol. 101, no. (2014), p. 265-271
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  • Description: Responsive clay-polymer composites are the next step in the development of polymer-modified clay materials. It has been shown at the micro-scale that these materials respond to the surrounding pore fluid environment, resulting in an alteration in fabric. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of the responsive nature of these materials on the consolidation properties. Two composite types were selected to highlight the differences based on modified interparticle and interparticle/interlayer spacings: one made from a kaolinite and one from a montmorillonite. Each composite was made with polyacrylamide as the polymer. The clay-polymer composites were subjected to 1-D consolidation tests during which shear wave velocity was also measured. The pH of the saturating fluid was varied to promote composite response. Results show that the compressibility, compression index, and swelling index of the composite materials are greater than the untreated clay materials. Furthermore, these properties are pH-dependent for both types of composite materials and are consistent with the long-term conformational behavior of PAM. This apparent observation confirms that the behavior of the clay-PAM composites is controlled by the behavior of PAM. On the other hand, the shear wave velocities between the control and composite samples were not significantly different. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.

An exposure based study of crash and injury rates in a cohort of transport and recreational cyclists in New South Wales, Australia

- Poulos, Roslyn, Hatfield, Julie, Rissel, Chris, Flack, Lloyd, Murphy, Susanne, Grzebieta, Raphael, McIntosh, Andrew

  • Authors: Poulos, Roslyn , Hatfield, Julie , Rissel, Chris , Flack, Lloyd , Murphy, Susanne , Grzebieta, Raphael , McIntosh, Andrew
  • Date: 2015
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Accident Analysis and Prevention Vol. 78, no. (2015), p. 29-38
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  • Description: This paper examines self-reported prospectively collected data from 2038 adult transport and recreational cyclists from New South Wales (Australia) to determine exposure-based incident crash and injury rates. During 25,971 days of cycling, 198 crashes were reported, comprising approximately equal numbers of falls and collisions. The overall crash rate was 0.290 (95% CI, 0.264-0.319) per 1000 km or 6.06 (95% CI, 5.52-6.65) per 1000 h of travel. The rate of crashes causing any injury (self-treated, or medically attended without overnight hospital stay) was 0.148 (95% CI, 0.133-0.164) per 1000 km or 3.09 (95% CI, 2.79-3.43) per 1000 h of travel. The rate of crashes causing a medically attended injury (without overnight hospital stay) was 0.023 (95% CI, 0.020-0.027) per 1000 km or 0.49 (95% CI, 0.43-0.56) per 1000 h of travel. No injuries requiring an overnight stay in hospital were reported on days meeting the inclusion criteria. After adjustment for exposure in hours, or for the risks associated with different infrastructure utilisation, the rates of crashes and medically attended injuries were found to be greater for females than males, less experienced than more experienced cyclists, and for those who rode mainly for transport rather than mainly for recreation. Comparison of estimated crash and injury rates on different infrastructure types were limited by the small number of events, however findings suggest that the separation of cyclists from motorised traffic is by itself not sufficient to ensure safe cycling. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd.

Understanding personal use of the Internet at work: An integrated model of neutralization techniques and general deterrence theory

- Cheng, Lijiao, Li, Wenli, Zhai, Qingguo, Smyth, Russell

  • Authors: Cheng, Lijiao , Li, Wenli , Zhai, Qingguo , Smyth, Russell
  • Date: 2014
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Computers in Human Behavior Vol. 38, no. (September 2014 2014), p. 220-228
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  • Description: This paper examines the influence of neutralization techniques, perceived sanction severity, perceived detection certainty and perceived benefits of using the Internet for personal purposes on intention to use the Internet at work for personal use. To do so, we draw on a conceptual framework integrating neutralization theory and general deterrence theory. The study finds that both neutralization techniques and perceived benefits have a positive effect on personal use of the Internet. Perceived detection certainty is found to have a negative effect on personal use of the Internet, while the effect of perceived sanctions severity on personal use of the Internet is not significant. The effect of neutralization and perceived benefits are much stronger than perceived detection certainty. The findings suggest that people may think more about neutralization and perceived benefits than they do about costs, when deciding whether to use the Internet at work for personal purposes.
  • Description: C1

Preventing adolescent drowning: Understanding water safety knowledge, attitudes and swimming ability. the effect of a short water safety intervention

- Petrass, Lauren, Blitvich, Jennifer

  • Authors: Petrass, Lauren , Blitvich, Jennifer
  • Date: 2014
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Accident Analysis and Prevention Vol. 70, no. (September 2014), p. 188-194
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  • Description: Worldwide, epidemiological data indicate that children are a high-risk group for drowning and while progress has been made in understanding toddler drownings, there is a lack of empirical evidence regarding the drowning risk and protective factors inherent for adolescents and young adults. This study used a self-report questionnaire to establish swimming and water safety knowledge and attitudes of young adults and objectively measured their actual swimming ability using formal practical testing procedures. Participants then completed a short, 12-week intervention that encompassed swimming, survival and rescue skills, along with water safety knowledge applicable to a range of aquatic environments. Knowledge, attitudes and swimming ability were then re-measured following the intervention to evaluate its effectiveness. The Wilcoxon matched pairs signed ranks test was performed to detect whether there were significant differences between knowledge, attitude and swim ability scores pre-intervention and post-intervention. A total of 135 participants completed the baseline and follow up questionnaire and all practical testing. Results indicated that these young adults had a very low level of water safety knowledge pre-intervention, although the majority had sound swimming and water safety skills and attitudes. Overall, significant improvements were evident in knowledge (p < 0.001) and swim ability (p < 0.001) post-intervention, although no changes were observed in attitudes (p = 0.079). Previous participation in formal swimming lessons and/or swimming within the school curriculum had no significant impact on water safety knowledge, skills or attitudes of these young adults, and there were few significant gender differences. While it is important to conduct further studies to confirm that these findings are consistent with a more representative sample of young adults, our findings are the first to provide empirical evidence of the value of a comprehensive aquatic education program as a drowning prevention strategy for young adults.

Prediction of monthly rainfall in Victoria, Australia : Clusterwise linear regression approach

- Bagirov, Adil, Mahmood, Arshad, Barton, Andrew

  • Authors: Bagirov, Adil , Mahmood, Arshad , Barton, Andrew
  • Date: 2017
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Atmospheric Research Vol. 188, no. (2017), p. 20-29
  • Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP140103213
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  • Description: This paper develops the Clusterwise Linear Regression (CLR) technique for prediction of monthly rainfall. The CLR is a combination of clustering and regression techniques. It is formulated as an optimization problem and an incremental algorithm is designed to solve it. The algorithm is applied to predict monthly rainfall in Victoria, Australia using rainfall data with five input meteorological variables over the period of 1889–2014 from eight geographically diverse weather stations. The prediction performance of the CLR method is evaluated by comparing observed and predicted rainfall values using four measures of forecast accuracy. The proposed method is also compared with the CLR using the maximum likelihood framework by the expectation-maximization algorithm, multiple linear regression, artificial neural networks and the support vector machines for regression models using computational results. The results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms other methods in most locations. © 2017 Elsevier B.V.