A 12-month prospective cohort study of symptoms of common mental disorders among professional rugby players
- Gouttebarge, Vincent, Hopley, Philip, Kerkhoffs, Gino, Verhagen, Evert, Viljoen, Wayne, Wylleman, Paul, Lambert, Mike
- Authors: Gouttebarge, Vincent , Hopley, Philip , Kerkhoffs, Gino , Verhagen, Evert , Viljoen, Wayne , Wylleman, Paul , Lambert, Mike
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: European Journal of Sport Science Vol. 18, no. 7 (2018), p. 1004-1012
- Full Text:
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- Description: The primary aims were to determine the 12-month incidence (and comorbidity) of symptoms of common mental disorders (CMD) among male professional rugby players and to explore their association with potential stressors. A secondary aim was to explore the view of male professional rugby players about the consequences of symptoms of CMD and related medical support/needs. An observational prospective cohort study with three measurements over a 12-month period was conducted among male professional rugby players from several countries. Symptoms of CMD (distress, anxiety/depression, sleep disturbance, eating disorders and adverse alcohol use) and stressors (adverse life events, rugby career dissatisfaction) were assessed through validated questionnaires. A total of 595 players (mean age of 26 years; mean career duration of 6 years) were enrolled, of which 333 completed the follow-up period. The incidence of symptoms of CMD were: 11% for distress, 28% for anxiety/depression, 12% for sleep disturbance, 11% for eating disorders and 22% for adverse alcohol use (13% for two simultaneous symptoms of CMD). Professional rugby players reporting recent adverse life events or career dissatisfaction were more likely to report symptoms of CMD but statistically significant associations were not found. Around 95% of the participants stated that symptoms of CMD can negatively influence rugby performances, while 46% mentioned that specific support measures for players were not available in professional rugby. Supportive and preventive measures directed towards symptoms of CMD should be developed to improve not only awareness and psychological resilience of rugby players but also their rugby performance and quality-of-life. © 2018, © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
- Authors: Gouttebarge, Vincent , Hopley, Philip , Kerkhoffs, Gino , Verhagen, Evert , Viljoen, Wayne , Wylleman, Paul , Lambert, Mike
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: European Journal of Sport Science Vol. 18, no. 7 (2018), p. 1004-1012
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The primary aims were to determine the 12-month incidence (and comorbidity) of symptoms of common mental disorders (CMD) among male professional rugby players and to explore their association with potential stressors. A secondary aim was to explore the view of male professional rugby players about the consequences of symptoms of CMD and related medical support/needs. An observational prospective cohort study with three measurements over a 12-month period was conducted among male professional rugby players from several countries. Symptoms of CMD (distress, anxiety/depression, sleep disturbance, eating disorders and adverse alcohol use) and stressors (adverse life events, rugby career dissatisfaction) were assessed through validated questionnaires. A total of 595 players (mean age of 26 years; mean career duration of 6 years) were enrolled, of which 333 completed the follow-up period. The incidence of symptoms of CMD were: 11% for distress, 28% for anxiety/depression, 12% for sleep disturbance, 11% for eating disorders and 22% for adverse alcohol use (13% for two simultaneous symptoms of CMD). Professional rugby players reporting recent adverse life events or career dissatisfaction were more likely to report symptoms of CMD but statistically significant associations were not found. Around 95% of the participants stated that symptoms of CMD can negatively influence rugby performances, while 46% mentioned that specific support measures for players were not available in professional rugby. Supportive and preventive measures directed towards symptoms of CMD should be developed to improve not only awareness and psychological resilience of rugby players but also their rugby performance and quality-of-life. © 2018, © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
A prospective cohort study on symptoms of common mental disorders among Dutch elite athletes
- Gouttebarge, Vincent, Jonkers, Ruud, Moen, Maarten, Verhagen, Evert, Wylleman, Paul, Kerkhoffs, Gino
- Authors: Gouttebarge, Vincent , Jonkers, Ruud , Moen, Maarten , Verhagen, Evert , Wylleman, Paul , Kerkhoffs, Gino
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Physician and Sportsmedicine Vol. 45, no. 4 (2017), p. 426-432
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- Description: Objective: Scientific knowledge about symptoms of common mental disorders in elite sports is scarce. Consequently, the objectives of the study were to (i) establish the 12-month incidence of symptoms of common mental disorders (CMD; distress, anxiety/depression, sleep disturbance, adverse alcohol use, eating disorders) among Dutch elite athletes and (ii) explore their potential association with several stressors (being injured, recent life events, career dissatisfaction).Methods: A prospective cohort study with a 12-month follow-up period was conducted. The study used validated questionnaires to assess symptoms of common mental disorders (thus not clinically diagnosed) as well as several stressors; an electronic questionnaire was set up and repeatedly distributed.Results: A total of 203 elite athletes gave their written informed consent to participate in the study, from which 143 completed the 12-month follow-up period (follow-up rate of 70%). Incidence of symptoms of CMD ranged from 6% for adverse alcohol use to 57% for symptoms of anxiety/depression. Over the follow-up period, around 17% of the participants reported two simultaneous symptoms of CMD, and around 19% reported three simultaneous symptoms of CMD. Inferences between some stressors and symptoms of CMD were found but none of the associations were statistically significant.Conclusions: Substantial 12-month incidence rates of symptoms of CMD (self-reported and not clinically diagnosed) were found among Dutch elite athletes (especially for anxiety/depression), appearing similar to the ones found among athletes from other sports disciplines and the Dutch general population. Also, inferences between some stressors and symptoms of CMD were found but none of the associations were statistically significant. Supportive and preventive measures directed towards symptoms of CMD should be developed to improve awareness and psychological resilience of athletes, which would likely improve their performance and quality-of-life.
- Authors: Gouttebarge, Vincent , Jonkers, Ruud , Moen, Maarten , Verhagen, Evert , Wylleman, Paul , Kerkhoffs, Gino
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Physician and Sportsmedicine Vol. 45, no. 4 (2017), p. 426-432
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objective: Scientific knowledge about symptoms of common mental disorders in elite sports is scarce. Consequently, the objectives of the study were to (i) establish the 12-month incidence of symptoms of common mental disorders (CMD; distress, anxiety/depression, sleep disturbance, adverse alcohol use, eating disorders) among Dutch elite athletes and (ii) explore their potential association with several stressors (being injured, recent life events, career dissatisfaction).Methods: A prospective cohort study with a 12-month follow-up period was conducted. The study used validated questionnaires to assess symptoms of common mental disorders (thus not clinically diagnosed) as well as several stressors; an electronic questionnaire was set up and repeatedly distributed.Results: A total of 203 elite athletes gave their written informed consent to participate in the study, from which 143 completed the 12-month follow-up period (follow-up rate of 70%). Incidence of symptoms of CMD ranged from 6% for adverse alcohol use to 57% for symptoms of anxiety/depression. Over the follow-up period, around 17% of the participants reported two simultaneous symptoms of CMD, and around 19% reported three simultaneous symptoms of CMD. Inferences between some stressors and symptoms of CMD were found but none of the associations were statistically significant.Conclusions: Substantial 12-month incidence rates of symptoms of CMD (self-reported and not clinically diagnosed) were found among Dutch elite athletes (especially for anxiety/depression), appearing similar to the ones found among athletes from other sports disciplines and the Dutch general population. Also, inferences between some stressors and symptoms of CMD were found but none of the associations were statistically significant. Supportive and preventive measures directed towards symptoms of CMD should be developed to improve awareness and psychological resilience of athletes, which would likely improve their performance and quality-of-life.
Systematic development of a tennis injury prevention programme
- Pas, Haiko, Bodde, Stefan, Kerkhoffs, Gino, Pluim, Babette, Tiemessen, Ivo, Tol, Johannes, Verhagen, Evert, Gouttebarge, Vincent
- Authors: Pas, Haiko , Bodde, Stefan , Kerkhoffs, Gino , Pluim, Babette , Tiemessen, Ivo , Tol, Johannes , Verhagen, Evert , Gouttebarge, Vincent
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine Vol. 4, no. 1 (2018), p. 1-7
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- Description: Introduction Despite an injury incidence of up to 3.0/1000 hours of play, there are no published tennis injury prevention programmes. This article aims to describe the developmental process of TennisReady, an e-health tennis-specific injury programme for adult recreational tennis players. Five-step approach A bottom-up, five-step approach was used with the Knowledge Transfer Scheme as a guideline. During the first step, a problem statement among targeted users was carried out. 475 (partially) completed surveys and group interviews (n=8) revealed a preference for an app-based prevention intervention of 10-15 min. As a second step, a systematic review was performed to identify prevention strategies in tennis. None were found. In step 3, during two expert group meetings (n=18), the findings of the first two steps were discussed and goals were formulated. Relevant and potential exercises for the programme were discussed. A subgroup of a total of six physical therapists, physicians and trainers developed the content of the programme in step 4. Step 5 included an evaluation of the exercises in 33 recreational tennis players. Participants evaluated the exercises during training sessions with trainers involved in the programme's development or their colleagues. Participants evaluated the programme through standardised surveys or group interviews. Based on this evaluation, the programme was adjusted by altering exercises and frequencies, and it was evaluated in a second target group (n=27). The second evaluation did not result in any major changes to the final prevention programme. Conclusion Through a five-step approach guided by the Knowledge Transfer Scheme, we developed an e-health tennis-specific prevention programme for adult tennis players. This 10 min intervention will require testing in a randomised controlled setting.
- Authors: Pas, Haiko , Bodde, Stefan , Kerkhoffs, Gino , Pluim, Babette , Tiemessen, Ivo , Tol, Johannes , Verhagen, Evert , Gouttebarge, Vincent
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine Vol. 4, no. 1 (2018), p. 1-7
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Introduction Despite an injury incidence of up to 3.0/1000 hours of play, there are no published tennis injury prevention programmes. This article aims to describe the developmental process of TennisReady, an e-health tennis-specific injury programme for adult recreational tennis players. Five-step approach A bottom-up, five-step approach was used with the Knowledge Transfer Scheme as a guideline. During the first step, a problem statement among targeted users was carried out. 475 (partially) completed surveys and group interviews (n=8) revealed a preference for an app-based prevention intervention of 10-15 min. As a second step, a systematic review was performed to identify prevention strategies in tennis. None were found. In step 3, during two expert group meetings (n=18), the findings of the first two steps were discussed and goals were formulated. Relevant and potential exercises for the programme were discussed. A subgroup of a total of six physical therapists, physicians and trainers developed the content of the programme in step 4. Step 5 included an evaluation of the exercises in 33 recreational tennis players. Participants evaluated the exercises during training sessions with trainers involved in the programme's development or their colleagues. Participants evaluated the programme through standardised surveys or group interviews. Based on this evaluation, the programme was adjusted by altering exercises and frequencies, and it was evaluated in a second target group (n=27). The second evaluation did not result in any major changes to the final prevention programme. Conclusion Through a five-step approach guided by the Knowledge Transfer Scheme, we developed an e-health tennis-specific prevention programme for adult tennis players. This 10 min intervention will require testing in a randomised controlled setting.
- Gouttebarge, Vincent, Aoki, Haruhito, Verhagen, Evert, Kerkhoffs, Gino
- Authors: Gouttebarge, Vincent , Aoki, Haruhito , Verhagen, Evert , Kerkhoffs, Gino
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine Vol. 27, no. 5 (2017), p. 487-492
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objective: To determine the 12-month incidence and comorbidity of symptoms of common mental disorders (CMD) among European professional footballers and to explore the association of potential stressors with the health conditions under study among those European professional footballers. Design: Observational prospective cohort study with a follow-up period of 12 months. Participants: Male professional footballers from 5 European countries (n = 384 at baseline). Assessment of Risk Factors: Adverse life events, conflicts with trainer/coach, and career dissatisfaction were explored by using validated questionnaires. Main Outcome Measures: Symptoms of distress, anxiety/depression, sleep disturbance, and adverse alcohol use were assessed using validated questionnaires. Results: A total of 384 players (mean age of 27 years old; mean career duration of 8 years) were enrolled, of which 262 completed the follow-up period. The incidence of symptoms of CMD were 12% for distress, 37% for anxiety/depression, 19% for sleep disturbance, and 14% for adverse alcohol use. Over the follow-up period of 12 months, approximately 13% of the participants reported 2 symptoms, 5% three symptoms, and 3% four symptoms. Professional footballers reporting recent adverse life events, a conflict with trainer/coach, or career dissatisfaction were more likely to report symptoms of CMD, but statistically significant associations were not found. Conclusions: The 12-month incidence of symptoms of CMD among European professional footballers ranged from 12% for symptoms of distress to 37% for symptoms of anxiety/depression. A professional football team typically drawn from a squad of 25 players can expect symptoms of CMD to occur among at least 3 players in one season.
Using principles of motor learning to enhance ACL injury prevention programs
- Gokeler, Alli, Benjaminse, Anne, Seil, Romain, Kerkhoffs, Gino, Verhagen, Evert
- Authors: Gokeler, Alli , Benjaminse, Anne , Seil, Romain , Kerkhoffs, Gino , Verhagen, Evert
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Sports Orthopaedics and Traumatology Vol. 34, no. 1 (2018), p. 23-30
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Findings from efficacy studies have shown decreased in ACL injury rates in (predominantly female) athletes participating in prevention programs. Given the inherent higher ACL injury risk for females, the majority of intervention studies, have focused on female athletes. Subsequently, the content of exercises in ACL prevention programs is directed to target the modifiable ACL injury risk factors for female athletes. The literature is generally scarce regarding the efficacy of prevention programs to reduce ACL injuries in male athletes. In general, reduction of ACL injury rates seem to be limited to (young) female athletes and male athletes playing at low level of sports. Typically, ACL injury prevention programs entail a combination of plyometrics, strength training, agility and balance exercises. A problem is that improvements of movement patterns are not sustained over time. The reason may be related to the type of instructions given during training. Encouraging athletes to consciously control knee movements during exercises may not be optimal for the acquisition of complex motor skills. In the motor learning domain, these type of instructions are defined as an internal attentional focus. An internal focus, on one's own movements results in a more conscious type of control that may hamper motor learning. It has been established in numerous studies that an external focus of attention facilitates motor learning more effectively due to the utilization of automatic motor control. Subsequently, the athlete has more recourses available to anticipate on situations on the field and take appropriate feed forward directed actions. The purpose of this manuscript was to present methods to optimize motor skill acquisition of athletes and elaborate on athletes’ behavior.
No matter how far you run; Looking for Alibrandi and coming of age in Italo-Australian Cinema and girlhood
- Authors: Speed, Lesley
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Screening the Past Vol. 19, no. (2006), p. 1-15
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Looking for Alibrandi (Australia, 2000) is significant not only because it is the financially most successful Australian teen film and winner of five AFI awards. This film has also played an important role in increasing the cinematic profile of Italo-Australians. It has attracted audiences that exceed the hitherto limited markets for most Italo-Australians films and expanded the source novel's predominantly teenage readership. Looking for Alibrandi can be linked to Italo-Australian cinema's shift away from social realism and towards market-driven entertainment. The film presents a utopian and revisionist view of Australian society, challenging monolithic characterisations of Australian society in terms of a patriarchal, Anglo-Celtic, middle-class mainstream. The dissolution of this monolithic mythology is implicit in Josie Alibrandi's dawning recognition that Australian society involves complex intersections of class, generation, gender, ethnicity and locality. The film thus alludes to a coming of age that is both social and subjective, encompassing the increased cinematic profile of Italo-Australians in general and Italo-Australian femininity in particular. Josie's social and subjective coming-of-age culminates in the question of reconciliation with Anglo-Australian masculinity.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003001874
- Authors: Speed, Lesley
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Screening the Past Vol. 19, no. (2006), p. 1-15
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Looking for Alibrandi (Australia, 2000) is significant not only because it is the financially most successful Australian teen film and winner of five AFI awards. This film has also played an important role in increasing the cinematic profile of Italo-Australians. It has attracted audiences that exceed the hitherto limited markets for most Italo-Australians films and expanded the source novel's predominantly teenage readership. Looking for Alibrandi can be linked to Italo-Australian cinema's shift away from social realism and towards market-driven entertainment. The film presents a utopian and revisionist view of Australian society, challenging monolithic characterisations of Australian society in terms of a patriarchal, Anglo-Celtic, middle-class mainstream. The dissolution of this monolithic mythology is implicit in Josie Alibrandi's dawning recognition that Australian society involves complex intersections of class, generation, gender, ethnicity and locality. The film thus alludes to a coming of age that is both social and subjective, encompassing the increased cinematic profile of Italo-Australians in general and Italo-Australian femininity in particular. Josie's social and subjective coming-of-age culminates in the question of reconciliation with Anglo-Australian masculinity.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003001874
- Authors: Mestrom, Sanne
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Visual art work
- Full Text:
Soil moisture, organic carbon, and nitrogen content prediction with hyperspectral data using regression models
- Datta, Dristi, Paul, Manoranjan, Murshed, Manzur, Teng, Shyh Wei, Schmidtke, Leigh
- Authors: Datta, Dristi , Paul, Manoranjan , Murshed, Manzur , Teng, Shyh Wei , Schmidtke, Leigh
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 22, no. 20 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Soil moisture, soil organic carbon, and nitrogen content prediction are considered significant fields of study as they are directly related to plant health and food production. Direct estimation of these soil properties with traditional methods, for example, the oven-drying technique and chemical analysis, is a time and resource-consuming approach and can predict only smaller areas. With the significant development of remote sensing and hyperspectral (HS) imaging technologies, soil moisture, carbon, and nitrogen can be estimated over vast areas. This paper presents a generalized approach to predicting three different essential soil contents using a comprehensive study of various machine learning (ML) models by considering the dimensional reduction in feature spaces. In this study, we have used three popular benchmark HS datasets captured in Germany and Sweden. The efficacy of different ML algorithms is evaluated to predict soil content, and significant improvement is obtained when a specific range of bands is selected. The performance of ML models is further improved by applying principal component analysis (PCA), a dimensional reduction method that works with an unsupervised learning method. The effect of soil temperature on soil moisture prediction is evaluated in this study, and the results show that when the soil temperature is considered with the HS band, the soil moisture prediction accuracy does not improve. However, the combined effect of band selection and feature transformation using PCA significantly enhances the prediction accuracy for soil moisture, carbon, and nitrogen content. This study represents a comprehensive analysis of a wide range of established ML regression models using data preprocessing, effective band selection, and data dimension reduction and attempt to understand which feature combinations provide the best accuracy. The outcomes of several ML models are verified with validation techniques and the best- and worst-case scenarios in terms of soil content are noted. The proposed approach outperforms existing estimation techniques.
- Authors: Datta, Dristi , Paul, Manoranjan , Murshed, Manzur , Teng, Shyh Wei , Schmidtke, Leigh
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 22, no. 20 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Soil moisture, soil organic carbon, and nitrogen content prediction are considered significant fields of study as they are directly related to plant health and food production. Direct estimation of these soil properties with traditional methods, for example, the oven-drying technique and chemical analysis, is a time and resource-consuming approach and can predict only smaller areas. With the significant development of remote sensing and hyperspectral (HS) imaging technologies, soil moisture, carbon, and nitrogen can be estimated over vast areas. This paper presents a generalized approach to predicting three different essential soil contents using a comprehensive study of various machine learning (ML) models by considering the dimensional reduction in feature spaces. In this study, we have used three popular benchmark HS datasets captured in Germany and Sweden. The efficacy of different ML algorithms is evaluated to predict soil content, and significant improvement is obtained when a specific range of bands is selected. The performance of ML models is further improved by applying principal component analysis (PCA), a dimensional reduction method that works with an unsupervised learning method. The effect of soil temperature on soil moisture prediction is evaluated in this study, and the results show that when the soil temperature is considered with the HS band, the soil moisture prediction accuracy does not improve. However, the combined effect of band selection and feature transformation using PCA significantly enhances the prediction accuracy for soil moisture, carbon, and nitrogen content. This study represents a comprehensive analysis of a wide range of established ML regression models using data preprocessing, effective band selection, and data dimension reduction and attempt to understand which feature combinations provide the best accuracy. The outcomes of several ML models are verified with validation techniques and the best- and worst-case scenarios in terms of soil content are noted. The proposed approach outperforms existing estimation techniques.
Coupling of a KERS power train and a downsized 1.2TDI diesel or a 1.6TDI-JI H2 engine for improved fuel economies in a compact car
- Authors: Boretti, Alberto
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at SAE 2010 Powertrains Fuels & Lubricants Meeting, San Diego, USA : 25th-27th October 2010
- Full Text:
- Description: Recovery of braking energy during driving cycles is the most effective option to improve fuel economy and reduce green house gas (GHG) emissions. Hybrid electric vehicles suffer the disadvantages of the four efficiency reducing transformations in each regenerative braking cycle. Flywheel kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) may boost this efficiency up to almost double values of about 70% avoiding all four of the efficiency reducing transformations from one form of energy to another and keeping the vehicle's energy in the same form as when the vehicle starts braking when the vehicle is back up to speed. With reference to the baseline configuration with a 1.6 liters engine and no recovery of kinetic energy, introduction of KERS reduces the fuel usage to 3.16 liters per 100 km, corresponding to 82.4 g of CO2 per km. The 1.6 liters Turbo Direct Injection (TDI) Diesel engine without KERS uses 1.37 MJ per km of fuel energy, reducing with KERS to 1.13 MJ per km. Downsizing the engine to 1.2 liters as permitted by the torque assistance by KERS, the fuel consumption is further reduced to 3.04 liters per 100 km, corresponding to 79.2 g of CO2 per km and 1.09 MJ per km of fuel energy. These CO2 and fuel usage values are 11% and 13% better than those of today’s highest fuel economy hybrid electric vehicle. The car equipped with a 1.6 liter Turbo Direct Injection Jet Ignition (TDI-JI) H2ICE engine finally consumes 8.3 g per km of fuel, corresponding to only 0.99 MJ per km of fuel energy.
- Authors: Boretti, Alberto
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at SAE 2010 Powertrains Fuels & Lubricants Meeting, San Diego, USA : 25th-27th October 2010
- Full Text:
- Description: Recovery of braking energy during driving cycles is the most effective option to improve fuel economy and reduce green house gas (GHG) emissions. Hybrid electric vehicles suffer the disadvantages of the four efficiency reducing transformations in each regenerative braking cycle. Flywheel kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) may boost this efficiency up to almost double values of about 70% avoiding all four of the efficiency reducing transformations from one form of energy to another and keeping the vehicle's energy in the same form as when the vehicle starts braking when the vehicle is back up to speed. With reference to the baseline configuration with a 1.6 liters engine and no recovery of kinetic energy, introduction of KERS reduces the fuel usage to 3.16 liters per 100 km, corresponding to 82.4 g of CO2 per km. The 1.6 liters Turbo Direct Injection (TDI) Diesel engine without KERS uses 1.37 MJ per km of fuel energy, reducing with KERS to 1.13 MJ per km. Downsizing the engine to 1.2 liters as permitted by the torque assistance by KERS, the fuel consumption is further reduced to 3.04 liters per 100 km, corresponding to 79.2 g of CO2 per km and 1.09 MJ per km of fuel energy. These CO2 and fuel usage values are 11% and 13% better than those of today’s highest fuel economy hybrid electric vehicle. The car equipped with a 1.6 liter Turbo Direct Injection Jet Ignition (TDI-JI) H2ICE engine finally consumes 8.3 g per km of fuel, corresponding to only 0.99 MJ per km of fuel energy.
Efficient data gathering in 3D linear underwater wireless sensor networks using sink mobility
- Akbar, Mariam, Javaid, Nadeem, Khan, Ayesha, Imran, Muhammad, Shoaib, Muhammad, Vasilakos, Athanasios
- Authors: Akbar, Mariam , Javaid, Nadeem , Khan, Ayesha , Imran, Muhammad , Shoaib, Muhammad , Vasilakos, Athanasios
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sensors (Switzerland) Vol. 16, no. 3 (2016), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Due to the unpleasant and unpredictable underwater environment, designing an energy-efficient routing protocol for underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs) demands more accuracy and extra computations. In the proposed scheme, we introduce a mobile sink (MS), i.e., an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), and also courier nodes (CNs), to minimize the energy consumption of nodes. MS and CNs stop at specific stops for data gathering; later on, CNs forward the received data to the MS for further transmission. By the mobility of CNs and MS, the overall energy consumption of nodes is minimized. We perform simulations to investigate the performance of the proposed scheme and compare it to preexisting techniques. Simulation results are compared in terms of network lifetime, throughput, path loss, transmission loss and packet drop ratio. The results show that the proposed technique performs better in terms of network lifetime, throughput, path loss and scalability. © 2016 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
- Authors: Akbar, Mariam , Javaid, Nadeem , Khan, Ayesha , Imran, Muhammad , Shoaib, Muhammad , Vasilakos, Athanasios
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sensors (Switzerland) Vol. 16, no. 3 (2016), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Due to the unpleasant and unpredictable underwater environment, designing an energy-efficient routing protocol for underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs) demands more accuracy and extra computations. In the proposed scheme, we introduce a mobile sink (MS), i.e., an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), and also courier nodes (CNs), to minimize the energy consumption of nodes. MS and CNs stop at specific stops for data gathering; later on, CNs forward the received data to the MS for further transmission. By the mobility of CNs and MS, the overall energy consumption of nodes is minimized. We perform simulations to investigate the performance of the proposed scheme and compare it to preexisting techniques. Simulation results are compared in terms of network lifetime, throughput, path loss, transmission loss and packet drop ratio. The results show that the proposed technique performs better in terms of network lifetime, throughput, path loss and scalability. © 2016 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Coupling of a KERS powertrain and a 4 Litre gasoline engine for improved fuel economy in a full size car
- Authors: Boretti, Alberto
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at SAE 2010 Powertrains Fuels & Lubricants Meeting, San Diego, USA : 25th-27th October 2010
- Full Text:
- Description: Improvements of vehicle fuel economy are being considered using a mechanically driven flywheel to reduce the amount of mechanical energy produced by the thermal engine recovering the vehicle kinetic energy during braking. A mechanical system having an overall efficiency over a full regenerative cycle of about 70%, about twice the efficiency of battery-based hybrids, is coupled to a naturally aspirated gasoline engine powering a full size sedan. Results of chassis dynamometer experiments and engine and vehicle simulations are used to evaluate the fuel benefits introducing a kinetic energy recovery system and downsizing of the engine. Preliminary results running the new European driving cycle (NEDC) show KERS may reduce fuel consumption by 25% without downsizing, and 33% with downsizing of the 4 litre engine to 3.3 litres.
- Authors: Boretti, Alberto
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at SAE 2010 Powertrains Fuels & Lubricants Meeting, San Diego, USA : 25th-27th October 2010
- Full Text:
- Description: Improvements of vehicle fuel economy are being considered using a mechanically driven flywheel to reduce the amount of mechanical energy produced by the thermal engine recovering the vehicle kinetic energy during braking. A mechanical system having an overall efficiency over a full regenerative cycle of about 70%, about twice the efficiency of battery-based hybrids, is coupled to a naturally aspirated gasoline engine powering a full size sedan. Results of chassis dynamometer experiments and engine and vehicle simulations are used to evaluate the fuel benefits introducing a kinetic energy recovery system and downsizing of the engine. Preliminary results running the new European driving cycle (NEDC) show KERS may reduce fuel consumption by 25% without downsizing, and 33% with downsizing of the 4 litre engine to 3.3 litres.
Conical averagedness and convergence analysis of fixed point algorithms
- Bartz, Sedi, Dao, Minh, Phan, Hung
- Authors: Bartz, Sedi , Dao, Minh , Phan, Hung
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Global Optimization Vol. 82, no. 2 (2022), p. 351-373
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: We study a conical extension of averaged nonexpansive operators and the role it plays in convergence analysis of fixed point algorithms. Various properties of conically averaged operators are systematically investigated, in particular, the stability under relaxations, convex combinations and compositions. We derive conical averagedness properties of resolvents of generalized monotone operators. These properties are then utilized in order to analyze the convergence of the proximal point algorithm, the forward–backward algorithm, and the adaptive Douglas–Rachford algorithm. Our study unifies, improves and casts new light on recent studies of these topics. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
- Authors: Bartz, Sedi , Dao, Minh , Phan, Hung
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Global Optimization Vol. 82, no. 2 (2022), p. 351-373
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: We study a conical extension of averaged nonexpansive operators and the role it plays in convergence analysis of fixed point algorithms. Various properties of conically averaged operators are systematically investigated, in particular, the stability under relaxations, convex combinations and compositions. We derive conical averagedness properties of resolvents of generalized monotone operators. These properties are then utilized in order to analyze the convergence of the proximal point algorithm, the forward–backward algorithm, and the adaptive Douglas–Rachford algorithm. Our study unifies, improves and casts new light on recent studies of these topics. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
Magic and antimagic labeling of graphs
- Authors: Sugeng, Kiki Ariyanti
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: "A bijection mapping that assigns natural numbers to vertices and/or edges of a graph is called a labeling. In this thesis, we consider graph labelings that have weights associated with each edge and/or vertex. If all the vertex weights (respectively, edge weights) have the same value then the labeling is called magic. If the weight is different for every vertex (respectively, every edge) then we called the labeling antimagic. In this thesis we introduce some variations of magic and antimagic labelings and discuss their properties and provide corresponding labeling schemes. There are two main parts in this thesis. One main part is on vertex labeling and the other main part is on edge labeling."
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Sugeng, Kiki Ariyanti
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: "A bijection mapping that assigns natural numbers to vertices and/or edges of a graph is called a labeling. In this thesis, we consider graph labelings that have weights associated with each edge and/or vertex. If all the vertex weights (respectively, edge weights) have the same value then the labeling is called magic. If the weight is different for every vertex (respectively, every edge) then we called the labeling antimagic. In this thesis we introduce some variations of magic and antimagic labelings and discuss their properties and provide corresponding labeling schemes. There are two main parts in this thesis. One main part is on vertex labeling and the other main part is on edge labeling."
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Modelling of engine and vehicle for a compact car with a flywheel based kinetic energy recovery systems and a high efficiency small diesel engine
- Authors: Boretti, Alberto
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at SAE 2010 Powertrains Fuels & Lubricants Meeting, San Diego, USA : 25th-27th October 2010
- Full Text:
- Description: Recovery of kinetic energy during driving cycles is the most effective option to improve fuel economy and reduce green house gas (GHG) emissions. Flywheel kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) may boost this efficiency up to values of about 70%. An engine and vehicle model is developed to simulate the fuel economy of a compact car equipped with a TDI Diesel engine and a KERS. Introduction of KERS reduces the fuel used by the 1.6L TDI engine to 3.16 liters per 100 km, corresponding to 82.4 g of CO2 per km. Downsizing the engine to 1.2 liters as permitted by the torque assistance by KERS, further reduces the fuel consumption to 3.04 liters per 100 km, corresponding to 79.2 g of CO2 per km. These CO2 values are 11% better than those of today’s most fuel efficient hybrid electric vehicle.
- Authors: Boretti, Alberto
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at SAE 2010 Powertrains Fuels & Lubricants Meeting, San Diego, USA : 25th-27th October 2010
- Full Text:
- Description: Recovery of kinetic energy during driving cycles is the most effective option to improve fuel economy and reduce green house gas (GHG) emissions. Flywheel kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) may boost this efficiency up to values of about 70%. An engine and vehicle model is developed to simulate the fuel economy of a compact car equipped with a TDI Diesel engine and a KERS. Introduction of KERS reduces the fuel used by the 1.6L TDI engine to 3.16 liters per 100 km, corresponding to 82.4 g of CO2 per km. Downsizing the engine to 1.2 liters as permitted by the torque assistance by KERS, further reduces the fuel consumption to 3.04 liters per 100 km, corresponding to 79.2 g of CO2 per km. These CO2 values are 11% better than those of today’s most fuel efficient hybrid electric vehicle.
Strongly regular points of mappings
- Abbasi, Malek, Théra, Michel
- Authors: Abbasi, Malek , Théra, Michel
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Fixed Point Theory and Algorithms for Sciences and Engineering Vol. 2021, no. 1 (Journal article 2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: In this paper, we use a robust lower directional derivative and provide some sufficient conditions to ensure the strong regularity of a given mapping at a certain point. Then, we discuss the Hoffman estimation and achieve some results for the estimate of the distance to the set of solutions to a system of linear equalities. The advantage of our estimate is that it allows one to calculate the coefficient of the error bound. © 2021, The Author(s).
- Authors: Abbasi, Malek , Théra, Michel
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Fixed Point Theory and Algorithms for Sciences and Engineering Vol. 2021, no. 1 (Journal article 2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: In this paper, we use a robust lower directional derivative and provide some sufficient conditions to ensure the strong regularity of a given mapping at a certain point. Then, we discuss the Hoffman estimation and achieve some results for the estimate of the distance to the set of solutions to a system of linear equalities. The advantage of our estimate is that it allows one to calculate the coefficient of the error bound. © 2021, The Author(s).
On graphs with cyclic defect or excess
- Delorme, Charles, Pineda-Villavicencio, Guillermo
- Authors: Delorme, Charles , Pineda-Villavicencio, Guillermo
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Electronic Journal of Combinatorics Vol. 17, no. 1 (2010), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Moore bound constitutes both an upper bound on the order of a graph of maximum degree d and diameter D = k and a lower bound on the order of a graph of minimum degree d and odd girth g = 2k + 1. Graphs missing or exceeding the Moore bound by ε are called graphs with defect or excess ε, respectively. While Moore graphs (graphs with ε = 0) and graphs with defect or excess 1 have been characterized almost completely, graphs with defect or excess 2 represent a wide unexplored area. Graphs with defect (excess) 2 satisfy the equation Gd,k(A) = Jn +B (Gd,k(A) = Jn - B), where A denotes the adjacency matrix of the graph in question, n its order, Jn the n × n matrix whose entries are all 1's, B the adjacency matrix of a union of vertex-disjoint cycles, and Gd,k(x) a polynomial with integer coefficients such that the matrix Gd,k(A) gives the number of paths of length at most k joining each pair of vertices in the graph. In particular, if B is the adjacency matrix of a cycle of order n we call the corresponding graphs graphs with cyclic defect or excess; these graphs are the subject of our attention in this paper. We prove the non-existence of infinitely many such graphs. As the highlight of the paper we provide the asymptotic upper bound of O(64/3 d3/2) for the number of graphs of odd degree d ≥ 3 and cyclic defect or excess. This bound is in fact quite generous, and as a way of illustration, we show the non-existence of some families of graphs of odd degree d ≥ 3 and cyclic defect or excess. Actually, we conjecture that, apart from the Möbius ladder on 8 vertices, no non-trivial graph of any degree ≥ 3 and cyclic defect or excess exists.
- Authors: Delorme, Charles , Pineda-Villavicencio, Guillermo
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Electronic Journal of Combinatorics Vol. 17, no. 1 (2010), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Moore bound constitutes both an upper bound on the order of a graph of maximum degree d and diameter D = k and a lower bound on the order of a graph of minimum degree d and odd girth g = 2k + 1. Graphs missing or exceeding the Moore bound by ε are called graphs with defect or excess ε, respectively. While Moore graphs (graphs with ε = 0) and graphs with defect or excess 1 have been characterized almost completely, graphs with defect or excess 2 represent a wide unexplored area. Graphs with defect (excess) 2 satisfy the equation Gd,k(A) = Jn +B (Gd,k(A) = Jn - B), where A denotes the adjacency matrix of the graph in question, n its order, Jn the n × n matrix whose entries are all 1's, B the adjacency matrix of a union of vertex-disjoint cycles, and Gd,k(x) a polynomial with integer coefficients such that the matrix Gd,k(A) gives the number of paths of length at most k joining each pair of vertices in the graph. In particular, if B is the adjacency matrix of a cycle of order n we call the corresponding graphs graphs with cyclic defect or excess; these graphs are the subject of our attention in this paper. We prove the non-existence of infinitely many such graphs. As the highlight of the paper we provide the asymptotic upper bound of O(64/3 d3/2) for the number of graphs of odd degree d ≥ 3 and cyclic defect or excess. This bound is in fact quite generous, and as a way of illustration, we show the non-existence of some families of graphs of odd degree d ≥ 3 and cyclic defect or excess. Actually, we conjecture that, apart from the Möbius ladder on 8 vertices, no non-trivial graph of any degree ≥ 3 and cyclic defect or excess exists.
Comparative analysis of machine and deep learning models for soil properties prediction from hyperspectral visual band
- Datta, Dristi, Paul, Manoranjan, Murshed, Manzur, Teng, Shyh Wei, Schmidtke, Leigh
- Authors: Datta, Dristi , Paul, Manoranjan , Murshed, Manzur , Teng, Shyh Wei , Schmidtke, Leigh
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environments Vol. 10, no. 5 (2023), p. 77
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Estimating various properties of soil, including moisture, carbon, and nitrogen, is crucial for studying their correlation with plant health and food production. However, conventional methods such as oven-drying and chemical analysis are laborious, expensive, and only feasible for a limited land area. With the advent of remote sensing technologies like multi/hyperspectral imaging, it is now possible to predict soil properties non-invasive and cost-effectively for a large expanse of bare land. Recent research shows the possibility of predicting those soil contents from a wide range of hyperspectral data using good prediction algorithms. However, these kinds of hyperspectral sensors are expensive and not widely available. Therefore, this paper investigates different machine and deep learning techniques to predict soil nutrient properties using only the red (R), green (G), and blue (B) bands data to propose a suitable machine/deep learning model that can be used as a rapid soil test. Another objective of this research is to observe and compare the prediction accuracy in three cases i. hyperspectral band ii. full spectrum of the visual band, and iii. three-channel of RGB band and provide a guideline to the user on which spectrum information they should use to predict those soil properties. The outcome of this research helps to develop a mobile application that is easy to use for a quick soil test. This research also explores learning-based algorithms with significant feature combinations and their performance comparisons in predicting soil properties from visual band data. For this, we also explore the impact of dimensional reduction (i.e., principal component analysis) and transformations (i.e., empirical mode decomposition) of features. The results show that the proposed model can comparably predict the soil contents from the three-channel RGB data.
- Authors: Datta, Dristi , Paul, Manoranjan , Murshed, Manzur , Teng, Shyh Wei , Schmidtke, Leigh
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environments Vol. 10, no. 5 (2023), p. 77
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Estimating various properties of soil, including moisture, carbon, and nitrogen, is crucial for studying their correlation with plant health and food production. However, conventional methods such as oven-drying and chemical analysis are laborious, expensive, and only feasible for a limited land area. With the advent of remote sensing technologies like multi/hyperspectral imaging, it is now possible to predict soil properties non-invasive and cost-effectively for a large expanse of bare land. Recent research shows the possibility of predicting those soil contents from a wide range of hyperspectral data using good prediction algorithms. However, these kinds of hyperspectral sensors are expensive and not widely available. Therefore, this paper investigates different machine and deep learning techniques to predict soil nutrient properties using only the red (R), green (G), and blue (B) bands data to propose a suitable machine/deep learning model that can be used as a rapid soil test. Another objective of this research is to observe and compare the prediction accuracy in three cases i. hyperspectral band ii. full spectrum of the visual band, and iii. three-channel of RGB band and provide a guideline to the user on which spectrum information they should use to predict those soil properties. The outcome of this research helps to develop a mobile application that is easy to use for a quick soil test. This research also explores learning-based algorithms with significant feature combinations and their performance comparisons in predicting soil properties from visual band data. For this, we also explore the impact of dimensional reduction (i.e., principal component analysis) and transformations (i.e., empirical mode decomposition) of features. The results show that the proposed model can comparably predict the soil contents from the three-channel RGB data.
Structural properties and labeling of graphs
- Dafik
- Authors: Dafik
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The complexity in building massive scale parallel processing systems has re- sulted in a growing interest in the study of interconnection networks design. Network design affects the performance, cost, scalability, and availability of parallel computers. Therefore, discovering a good structure of the network is one of the basic issues. From modeling point of view, the structure of networks can be naturally stud- ied in terms of graph theory. Several common desirable features of networks, such as large number of processing elements, good throughput, short data com- munication delay, modularity, good fault tolerance and diameter vulnerability correspond to properties of the underlying graphs of networks, including large number of vertices, small diameter, high connectivity and overall balance (or regularity) of the graph or digraph. The first part of this thesis deals with the issue of interconnection networks ad- dressing system. From graph theory point of view, this issue is mainly related to a graph labeling. We investigate a special family of graph labeling, namely antimagic labeling of a class of disconnected graphs. We present new results in super (a; d)-edge antimagic total labeling for disjoint union of multiple copies of special families of graphs. The second part of this thesis deals with the issue of regularity of digraphs with the number of vertices close to the upper bound, called the Moore bound, which is unobtainable for most values of out-degree and diameter. Regularity of the underlying graph of a network is often considered to be essential since the flow of messages and exchange of data between processing elements will be on average faster if there is a similar number of interconnections coming in and going out of each processing element. This means that the in-degree and out-degree of each processing element must be the same or almost the same. Our new results show that digraphs of order two less than Moore bound are either diregular or almost diregular.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Dafik
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The complexity in building massive scale parallel processing systems has re- sulted in a growing interest in the study of interconnection networks design. Network design affects the performance, cost, scalability, and availability of parallel computers. Therefore, discovering a good structure of the network is one of the basic issues. From modeling point of view, the structure of networks can be naturally stud- ied in terms of graph theory. Several common desirable features of networks, such as large number of processing elements, good throughput, short data com- munication delay, modularity, good fault tolerance and diameter vulnerability correspond to properties of the underlying graphs of networks, including large number of vertices, small diameter, high connectivity and overall balance (or regularity) of the graph or digraph. The first part of this thesis deals with the issue of interconnection networks ad- dressing system. From graph theory point of view, this issue is mainly related to a graph labeling. We investigate a special family of graph labeling, namely antimagic labeling of a class of disconnected graphs. We present new results in super (a; d)-edge antimagic total labeling for disjoint union of multiple copies of special families of graphs. The second part of this thesis deals with the issue of regularity of digraphs with the number of vertices close to the upper bound, called the Moore bound, which is unobtainable for most values of out-degree and diameter. Regularity of the underlying graph of a network is often considered to be essential since the flow of messages and exchange of data between processing elements will be on average faster if there is a similar number of interconnections coming in and going out of each processing element. This means that the in-degree and out-degree of each processing element must be the same or almost the same. Our new results show that digraphs of order two less than Moore bound are either diregular or almost diregular.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Linkedness of cartesian products of complete graphs
- Jorgensen, Leif, Pineda-Villavicencio, Guillermo, Ugon, Julien
- Authors: Jorgensen, Leif , Pineda-Villavicencio, Guillermo , Ugon, Julien
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ars Mathematica Contemporanea Vol. 22, no. 2 (2022), p.
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP180100602
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper is concerned with the linkedness of Cartesian products of complete graphs. A graph with at least 2k vertices is k-linked if, for every set of 2k distinct vertices organised in arbitrary k pairs of vertices, there are k vertex-disjoint paths joining the vertices in the pairs. We show that the Cartesian product Kd1+1 × Kd2+1 of complete graphs Kd1+1 and Kd2+1 is
- Authors: Jorgensen, Leif , Pineda-Villavicencio, Guillermo , Ugon, Julien
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ars Mathematica Contemporanea Vol. 22, no. 2 (2022), p.
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP180100602
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper is concerned with the linkedness of Cartesian products of complete graphs. A graph with at least 2k vertices is k-linked if, for every set of 2k distinct vertices organised in arbitrary k pairs of vertices, there are k vertex-disjoint paths joining the vertices in the pairs. We show that the Cartesian product Kd1+1 × Kd2+1 of complete graphs Kd1+1 and Kd2+1 is
You Can’t Beat Relating with God for Spiritual Well-Being: Comparing a Generic Version with the Original Spiritual Well-Being Questionnaire Called SHALOM
- Authors: Fisher, John
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Religions Vol. 2013, no. 4 (2013), p. 325-335
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Spiritual Health And Life-Orientation Measure (SHALOM) is a 20-item instrument that assesses the quality of relationships of the respondent with self, others, the environment and/or a Transcendent Other. In the Transcendental domain, four of the five items had the words ‘God, ‘Divine’ and ‘Creator’ replaced by the word ‘Transcendent’ to make the survey more generic by removing any implied reference to any god or religion. Invitations to complete a web survey were sent to people who had published papers in spirituality, or belonged to associations for spirituality or religious studies, as well as the Australian Atheist Forum. 409 respondents from 14 geographic regions, completed the survey. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the modified, generic form of SHALOM showed acceptable model fit, comprising four clearly delineated domains of spiritual well-being. The paper analyses the results derived from using the modified, generic version and, in comparison with results of applications of the original survey instrument, concludes with discussion of the comparative utility of each of the versions of SHALOM. Further studies with more people are warranted, but, from evidence presented here, it looks like you can’t beat relating with God for spiritual well-being.
- Authors: Fisher, John
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Religions Vol. 2013, no. 4 (2013), p. 325-335
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Spiritual Health And Life-Orientation Measure (SHALOM) is a 20-item instrument that assesses the quality of relationships of the respondent with self, others, the environment and/or a Transcendent Other. In the Transcendental domain, four of the five items had the words ‘God, ‘Divine’ and ‘Creator’ replaced by the word ‘Transcendent’ to make the survey more generic by removing any implied reference to any god or religion. Invitations to complete a web survey were sent to people who had published papers in spirituality, or belonged to associations for spirituality or religious studies, as well as the Australian Atheist Forum. 409 respondents from 14 geographic regions, completed the survey. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the modified, generic form of SHALOM showed acceptable model fit, comprising four clearly delineated domains of spiritual well-being. The paper analyses the results derived from using the modified, generic version and, in comparison with results of applications of the original survey instrument, concludes with discussion of the comparative utility of each of the versions of SHALOM. Further studies with more people are warranted, but, from evidence presented here, it looks like you can’t beat relating with God for spiritual well-being.