Effects of recycled aggregate growth substrate on green roof vegetation development: A six year experiment
- Authors: Bates, Adam , Sadler, Jon , Greswell, Richard , Mackay, Rae
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Landscape and Urban Planning Vol. 135, no. (2015), p. 22-31
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Green roofs have the potential to address several of the environmental problems associated with urbanisation, and can be used as mitigation for habitats lost at ground level. Brown roofs (a type of green roof) can be used to mitigate for the loss of brownfield habitat, but the best way of designing these habitats remains unclear. This paper reports an experiment to test the effects of different types of recycled aggregate on the development of vegetation assemblages on brown roof mesocosms. Five recycled aggregates were tested: (1) crushed brick, (2) crushed demolition aggregate, (3) solid municipal waste incinerator bottom ash aggregate, (4) a 1:1 mix of 1 and 2, and (5) a 1:1 mix of 3 and 2. Each was seeded with a wildflower mix that also included some Sedum acre and vegetation development was studied over a six-year period. Species richness, assemblage character, number of plants able to seed, and plant biomass were measured. Drought disturbance was the key factor controlling changes in plant assemblage, but effects varied with substrate treatment. All treatments supported a similar plant biomass, but treatments with a high proportion of crushed brick in the growth substrate supported richer assemblages, with more species able to seed, and a smaller amount of Sedum acre. Crushed brick, or recycled aggregates with a high proportion of crushed brick, are recommended as good growth substrate materials for encouraging brown roof plant diversity. This investigation demonstrates the importance of multi-year studies of green roof development for the generation of robust findings.
Electrokinetics to modify strength characteristics of soft clayey soils : A laboratory based investigation
- Authors: Jayasekera, Samudra
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Electrochimica Acta Vol. 181, no. (2015), p. 39-47
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The effects of Electrokinetic (EK) processing on compressive strength characteristics of two types of soils were investigated using laboratory experimental models. Soils were collected from soft alluvial soil deposit (Soil S1) and basaltic soil deposit (Soil S2) in central Victoria, Australia. A layer of soil was placed in glass tanks (90 cm × 18 cm plan area) and compacted to a known density and water content typical of field conditions. Using electrodes inserted into the soil, a direct current was passed across the soil under various voltage gradients (0.5, 1.0, 2.0 V/cm) for periods of 7, 14, 30 and 60 days. Throughout the experimental duration, test samples were supplied with a continuous flow of water via the hollow core anode from external reservoirs. Unconfined compression (UC) tests were conducted on original (untreated) soils and EK processed soils. From the test results it is noted that, soil compressive strength increases with the increasing processing time and increasing voltage gradients, at various rates. Under certain voltage gradients and processing times, around 175% and 200% strength increases are observed. In general, stress increases of at least 30% or more are reported for both soils under all test conditions. It is apparent that the variation in strength can be attributed to several complex and interrelated processes that become active under EK processing. These may include, (i) Electroosmotic advection - When a soil is subjected to EK processing with an open electrode configuration, the water content of the soil varies predominantly due to the electroosmotic advection while natural drying and evaporation could also add to the decrease in water content to some extent, depending on the time and environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity. The test results show that with the decrease in water content, there is a corresponding increase in the strength. (ii) Electromigration - The electromigration of charged ions and their interaction with clay minerals can also affect the soil strength due to the variations in the DDL (Diffused Double Layer) ionic concentration and subsequent modifications in the soil structure. (iii) Ionic Diffusion and Aging - After the complete termination of EK processes, the ionic concentrations still continued to modify at a slower rate. This is considered to be due to the ionic diffusion. In this phase too, cementation bonds may continue to develop that could contribute to the increase in soil strength. During this period, two other processes, i.e. natural drying of soil and aging may continue that can also affect the variation of soil strength. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Evaluation of methods for monitoring MEA degradation during pilot scale post-combustion capture of CO
- Authors: Reynolds, Alicia , Verheyen, Vincent , Adeloju, Samuel , Chaffee, Alan , Meuleman, Erik
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control Vol. 39, no. (2015), p. 407-419
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Amine degradation is an important and current focus in the development of chemical absorption technology based on the use of aqueous amines for post-combustion capture (PCC) of CO
Mineralogical domains within gold provinces
- Authors: Hughes, Martin , Phillips, Neil
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Transactions of the Institutions of Mining and Metallurgy, Section B: Applied Earth Science Vol. 124, no. 3 (2015), p. 191-204
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Mineralogical domains use hypogene minerals (i.e. minerals not modified by weathering) and related geochemical characteristics of mineral occurrences, not only ore deposits, to subdivide large mineralised regions. Their use in the Victorian gold province is described using readily available historical data and field checking, and this is a scheme that has not required modification since 1997.The Victorian province is typical of sediment-hosted hydrothermal ores in metamorphic terrains (often termed orogenic gold deposits). Five distinctly different mineral assemblages are used to subdivide all Victorian gold occurrences into eight domains up to hundreds of kilometres in length and tens of kilometres in width. These parallel the regional structural trend and most are closely associated with, or sharply bounded by, major regional-scale faults. Seismic work has shown these faults to be listric thrusts, which flatten into a zone of duplexed greenstones overlying older basement rocks in the deeper crust. Although not defined genetically or temporally, mineralogical domains provide an additional variable related to fluid flow to assist genetic interpretation such as the scale at which a combination of processes operates, permitting predictions as to the origin of the fluids and their pathways. The variations in mineralogy in Victorian gold occurrences indicate that ore fluid compositions differed significantly between adjacent domains, and between areas overlying different regions of deeper crust. The pattern of domains gives clues to the existence of multiple mineralising events and to the degree of overprinting of these events. Domains also assist genetic comparisons by projection into similar adjoining regions to create new domains, for example Tasmania (Mathinna domain and Lefroy sub-domain), NSW (Cobar domain) and New Zealand (Reefton domain). The domainal pattern has application to mineral exploration, metallurgy and environmental issues. Mineralogical domains could be applied elsewhere, particularly in the study of difficult-to-subdivide sedimenthosted gold ores and Archaean greenstone-hosted gold, and possibly for other commodities, especially those that occur as hydrothermal ores. © 2015 Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and The AusIMM.
Modular implementation of artificial neural network in predicting in-flight particle characteristics of an atmospheric plasma spray process
- Authors: Choudhury, Tanveer , Berndt, Christopher , Man, Zhihong
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence Vol. 45, no. (2015), p. 57-70
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper presents a modular implementation of an artificial neural network to model the atmospheric plasma spray process in predicting the in-flight particle characteristics from the input processing parameters. The in-flight particle characteristics influence the structure and properties of the thermal spray coating and, thus, are considered important parameters to comprehend, simulate and predict the manufacturing process. The modular implementation allows simplification of the optimized model structure with enhanced ability to generalise the network. As well, the underlying relationship between each of the output in-flight characteristics with respect to the input processing parameters is explored. Smaller networks are constructed that achieves better, or in some cases, similar results. The training process is found to be more robust and stable along with fewer fluctuations in the values of the network parameters. The networks also respond to the variations of the number of hidden layer neurons with some definite trend. The predictable trend enhances reliability of the application of the artificial neural network in modelling the atmospheric plasma spray process and overcomes the variability and non-linearity associated with the process. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Notes on feasibility and optimality conditions of small-scale multifunction robotic cell scheduling problems with pickup restrictions
- Authors: Foumani, Mehdi , Gunawan, Indra , Smith-Miles, Kate , Ibrahim, Yousef
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics Vol. 11, no. 3 (2015), p. 821-829
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Optimization of robotic workcells is a growing concern in automated manufacturing systems. This study develops a methodology to maximize the production rate of a multifunction robot (MFR) operating within a rotationally arranged robotic cell. An MFR is able to perform additional special operations while in transit between transferring parts from adjacent processing stages. Considering the free-pickup scenario, the cycle time formulas are initially developed for small-scale cells where an MFR interacts with either two or three machines. A methodology for finding the optimality regions of all possible permutations is presented. The results are then extended to the no-wait pickup scenario in which all parts must be processed from the input hopper to the output hopper, without any interruption either on or between machines. This analysis enables insightful evaluation of the productivity improvements of MFRs in real-life robotized workcells. ©2014 IEEE.
Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) questionnaires for young to middle-aged adults with hip and groin disability : A systematic review of the clinimetric evidence
- Authors: Thorborg, Kristian , Tijssen, M. , Habets, B. , Bartels, Else , Roos, Ewa , Kemp, Joanne , Crossley, Kay , Hölmich, Per
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 49, no. 12 (2015), p. 812
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background/aim: To recommend Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) questionnaires to measure hip and groin disability in young-aged to middle-aged adults. Methods: A systematic review was performed in June 2014. The methodological quality of the studies included was determined using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments list (COSMIN) together with standardised evaluations of measurement properties of each PRO. Results: Twenty studies were included. Nine different questionnaires for patients with hip disability, and one for hip and groin disability, were identified. Hip And Groin Outcome Score (HAGOS), Hip Outcome Score (HOS), International Hip Outcome Tool-12 (IHOT-12) and IHOT-33 were the most thoroughly investigated PROs and studies including these PROs reported key aspects of the COSMIN checklist. HAGOS and IHOT-12 were based on studies with the least ratings of poor study methodology (23% and 31%, respectively), whereas IHOT-33 and HOS had a somewhat larger distribution (46%). These PROs all contain adequate measurement qualities for content validity (except HOS), test-retest reliability, construct validity, responsiveness and interpretability. No information or poor quality rating on methodological aspects made it impossible to fully evaluate the remaining PROs at present. Conclusions: HAGOS, HOS, IHOT-12 and IHOT-33 can be recommended for assessment of young-aged to middle-aged adults with pain related to the hip joint, undergoing non-surgical treatment or hip arthroscopy. At present, HAGOS is the only PRO also aimed for young-aged to middle-aged adults presenting with groin pain and is recommended for use in this population. Trial registration number: CRD42014009995. © 2015, BMJ Publishing Group. All rights reserved.
Primary sources and accumulation rates of inorganic anions and dissolved metals in a MEA absorbent during PCC at a brown coal-fired power station
- Authors: Reynolds, Alicia , Verheyen, Vincent , Adeloju, Samuel , Chaffee, Alan , Meuleman, Erik
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control Vol. 41, no. (2015), p. 239-248
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Post-combustion capture (PCC) of CO2 from fossil fuel-fired power station flue gas is one of many technologies that are being developed to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions in the medium term. Wet-gas scrubbing using aqueous amines is currently the most mature PCC technology suitable for separating CO2 from coal-fired power station flue gases. In this study, a series of twelve samples of a degraded 30% (w/w) MEA absorbent were obtained over a six month pilot scale PCC campaign at a brown coal-fired power station in Australia. These samples were used to investigate the accumulation of heat-stable salts, inorganics and minerals. The heat-stable salts concentration increased from 0.80 to 2.29% (w/w, as MEA) and organic acids from the oxidative degradation of MEA were the largest component of heat-stable salts. Acid gases such as SOx and NOx, make-up water, ultra-fine fly-ash and corrosion were all sources of the minerals and inorganics that accumulated in the aqueous MEA absorbent. Corrosion was the single biggest contributor of transition metals and the abrupt change in ratios of Fe, Cr and Mo suggests that the dominant corrosion mechanism may have changed towards the end of the campaign. The rapid accumulation of minerals and inorganics during this PCC campaign highlights the importance of continuing research into the interactions between amine absorbents and inorganic or mineral contaminants. The data presented in this study are an important resource for design of laboratory scale experiments to investigate these physical and chemical interactions between aqueous amines, minerals and inorganics.
Protecting the health of the @hlete : how online technology may aid our common goal to prevent injury and illness in sport
- Authors: Verhagen, Evert , Bolling, Caroline
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 49, no. 18 (2015), p. 1174-1178
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Online technology dominates our era and eHealth has become a reality for sports clinicians and researchers. Contemporary online platforms enable self-monitoring and provide tailored feedback to the different stakeholders who play a role in the health and care of athletes. Innovations such as digital monitoring, mobile applications and connected hardware provide the critical tools to solve current enigmas in sports medicine research, and to streamline and facilitate injury prevention, management and rehabilitation. eHealth is not an emerging future of sports medicine-the technology to move our field forward in terms of research and practice is already available. This Analysis is based on Evert Verhagen's keynote presentation at the IOC World Conference on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport (Monaco, 12 April 2014). It outlines the use of eHealth in research, implementation and practice, and provides an overview of possibilities and opportunities that existing and emerging eHealth solutions provide for sports and exercise medicine and physiotherapy.
Rehabilitation will increase the 'capacity' of your.... -insert musculoskeletal tissue here..... Defining 'tissue capacity': A core concept for clinicians
- Authors: Cook, Jill , Docking, Sean
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article , Editorial
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 49, no. 23 (2015), p. 1484-1485
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Capacity is a helpful term in clinical practice to indicate to clients that they (and more importantly their musculoskeletal tissues) are either able or unable to complete a task or participate in physical activity. In the context of injury—having exceeded the capacity of the tissue—the term has immediacy for muscle and ligament: a musculotendinous or ligament strain is an acute injury due to a loading event beyond the tissue's capacity. The tissue response in tendon is usually more gradual—acute traumatic injury of normal tendon is rare, whereas the pathological tendon can fail catastrophically (rupture).
Remediation of monoethanolamine after exposure to brown coal flue gases
- Authors: Lim, Jinah , Aguiar, Alita , Reynolds, Alicia , Pearson, Pauline , Kentish, Sandra , Meuleman, Erik
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control Vol. 42, no. (2015), p. 545-553
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Monoethanolamine (MEA) is the solvent most commonly considered for post-combustion capture. However, the solvent will accumulate a range of contaminants during use, notably heat stable salts, that reduce its performance. This work considers the removal of these contaminants from MEA solutions that had been exposed to over 50 and 1800h of post combustion capture of flue gases from a brown coal-fired power station. Analysis indicated that these MEA solutions contained significant quantities of heat stable salts including iron, potassium, sulphate, nitrate and organic anions, particularly in the older sample. Both solutions were initially neutralised to free the protonated amine, which led to precipitation of some impurities within the older solvent. Nanofiltration was considered as an approach to further concentrate impurities, but was ineffective due to low permeation rates and low rejection of monovalent salts, at less than 20%. It was effective in concentrating metal contaminants and may be useful into the future for this reason. Conversely, electrodialysis was effective in removing up to 91% of the ionic content of the solutions, although the current efficiency fell at low feed conductivities. Monovalent salts such as sodium, potassium and nitrate were removed more readily than multivalent salts such as iron and sulphate. MEA loss was consistent with our prior work at around 0.15g/m2s and was predominantly as the free amine rather than the carbamate salt.
Research trends in selected blanching pretreatments and quick freezing technologies as applied in fruits and vegetables : A review
- Authors: Xin, Ying , Zhang, Min , Xu, Baoguo , Adhikari, Benu , Sun, Jincai
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Refrigeration Vol. 57, no. (2015), p. 11-25
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Abstract This paper presents a comprehensive review of recent developments in thermal (radio frequency, microwave and ohmic), non-thermal (high pressure, ultrasound and infrared) methods in blanching pretreatment. Recent developments in quick freezing technology (high pressure, dehydrofreezing and ultrasound-assisted) as applied to freezing of fruits and vegetables are also reviewed. The thermal and non-thermal blanching methods provide rapid and uniform heating; reduce the loss of soluble nutrients and minimize thermal damage compared to conventional hot water blanching. High pressure freezing seems to promote instantaneous and homogeneous ice nucleation in fruits and vegetables. Dehydrofreezing is capable of reducing the damage to plant texture by removal partial of water before freezing. Ultrasound-assisted freezing is found to be effective in the initiation of nuclei and subsequent growth of crystals. More fundamental researches are needed for better design and scale up, so that these technologies can be transferred from laboratory to industry. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and IIR.
SBFEM for fracture analysis of piezoelectric composites under thermal load
- Authors: Li, Chao , Ooi, Ean Tat , Song, Chongmin , Natarajan, Sundararajan
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Solids and Structures Vol. 52, no. 1 (2015), p. 114-129
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper extends a semi-analytical technique, the so-called scaled boundary finite element method (SBFEM), to analyze fracture behaviors of piezoelectric materials and piezoelectric composites under thermal loading. In this method, only the boundary is discretized leading to a reduction of the spatial dimension by one. The temperature field in the domain is obtained using the SBFEM and expressed as a series of power functions of the radial coordinate. The resulting stress and electric displacement distribution along the radial direction is represented analytically. This permits the generalized stress and electric displacement intensity factors to be directly evaluated from the solution by following standard stress recovery procedures in the finite element method (FEM). Numerical examples are presented to verify the proposed technique with the analytical solutions and the results from the literature. The present results highlight the accuracy, simplicity and efficiency of the proposed technique. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.
Stable isotopes as indicators of water and salinity sources in a southeast Australian coastal wetland: Identifying relict marine water, and implications for future change
- Authors: Currell, Matthew , Dahlhaus, Peter , Ii, Hiroyuki
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Hydrogeology Journal Vol. 23, no. 2 (2015), p. 235-248
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Lake Connewarre Complex is an internationally protected wetland in southeast Australia, undergoing increasing environmental change due to urbanisation. Stable isotopes of water (
The impact performance of headguards for combat sports
- Authors: McIntosh, Andrew , Patton, Declan
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 49, no. 17 (2015), p. 1113-1117
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background/aim: To assess the impact energy attenuation performance of a range of headguards for combat sports. Methods: Seven headguards worn during combat sport training or competition, including two Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA)-approved boxing models, were tested using drop tests. An International Organization for Standardization (ISO) rigid headform was used with a 5.6 kg drop assembly mass. Tests were conducted against a flat rigid anvil both with and without a boxing glove section. The centre forehead and lateral headguard areas were tested. Peak headform acceleration was measured. Tests from a selection of drop heights and repeated tests on the same headguard were conducted. Results: Headguard performance varied by test condition. For the 0.4 m rigid anvil tests, the best model headguard was the thickest producing an average peak headform acceleration over 5 tests of 48 g compared with 456 g for the worst model. The mean peak acceleration for the 0.4, 0.5 and 0.6 frontal and lateral rigid anvil impact tests was between 32% and 40% lower for the Top Ten boxing model compared with the Adidas boxing model. The headguard performance deterioration observed with repeat impact against the flat anvil was reduced for impacts against the glove section. The overall reduction in acceleration for the combination of glove and headguard in comparison to the headguard condition was in the range of 72-93% for 0.6 and 0.8 m drop tests. Conclusions: The impact tests show the benefits of performance testing in identifying differences between headguard models.
Vibration spectrum imaging : A novel bearing fault classification approach
- Authors: Amar, Muhammad , Gondal, Iqbal , Wilson, Campbell
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics Vol. 62, no. 1 (2015), p. 494-502
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Incipient fault detection in low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions requires robust features for accurate condition-based machine health monitoring. Accurate fault classification is positively linked to the quality of features of the faults. Therefore, there is a need to enhance the quality of the features before classification. This paper presents a novel vibration spectrum imaging (VSI) feature enhancement procedure for low SNR conditions. An artificial neural network (ANN) has been used as a fault classifier using these enhanced features of the faults. The normalized amplitudes of spectral contents of the quasi-stationary time vibration signals are transformed into spectral images. A 2-D averaging filter and binary image conversion, with appropriate threshold selection, are used to filter and enhance the images for the training and testing of the ANN classifier. The proposed novel VSI augments and provides the visual representation of the characteristic vibration spectral features in an image form. This provides enhanced spectral images for ANN training and thus leads to a highly robust fault classifier.
Virtual and smoothed finite elements : A connection and its application to polygonal/polyhedral finite element methods
- Authors: Natarajan, Sundararajan , Bordas, Stéphane , Ooi, Ean Tat
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering Vol. 104, no. 13 (2015), p. 1173-1199
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: We show both theoretically and numerically a connection between the smoothed finite element method (SFEM) and the virtual element method and use this approach to derive stable, cheap and optimally convergent polyhedral FEM. We show that the stiffness matrix computed with one subcell SFEM is identical to the consistency term of the virtual element method, irrespective of the topology of the element, as long as the shape functions vary linearly on the boundary. Using this connection, we propose a new stable approach to strain smoothing for polygonal/polyhedral elements where, instead of using sub-triangulations, we are able to use one single polygonal/polyhedral subcell for each element while maintaining stability. For a similar number of degrees of freedom, the proposed approach is more accurate than the conventional SFEM with triangular subcells. The time to compute the stiffness matrix scales with the O(dofs)1.1 in case of the conventional polygonal FEM, while it scales as O(dofs)0.7 in the proposed approach. The accuracy and the convergence properties of the SFEM are studied with a few benchmark problems in 2D and 3D linear elasticity. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A lateral strain plasticity model for FRP confined concrete
- Authors: Piscesa, Bambang , Attard, Mario , Samani, Ali Khajeh
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Composite Structures Vol. 158, no. (2016), p. 160-174
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper presents a plasticity constitutive formulation for actively and passively confined concrete. The loading surface is based on Menetrey and Willam's model with an additional frictional driver parameter. The frictional driver parameter controls the prediction of the peak stress and the residual stress level. The proposed flow rule has a plastic dilation rate control parameter which is a function of the restraining device or the local lateral modulus. A non-constant plastic dilation rate formulation is proposed to improve the prediction of the lateral strain behaviour of concrete. The proposed plastic dilation rate formulation is able to model plastic volumetric compaction caused by the use of very stiff confining devices, as well as the initial plastic compaction after the onset of localized cracking. Furthermore, the formulation is able to distinguish between active and passive confinement by monitoring the local lateral modulus. The accuracy of the proposed plastic dilation rate formulation is verified by comparison with experimental results for specimens subjected to either active or passive confinement from a variety of concrete strengths. The comparison between the proposed plasticity model and the experimental results for concrete under passive confinement (specimens with FRP confining material) was excellent. © 2016
Abrasion testing on synthetic turf : A modified device
- Authors: Lenehan, Kurt , Twomey, Dara
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology Vol. 230, no. 4 (2016), p. 280-284
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Despite the improved quality of synthetic turf surfaces, players are still expressing their discontent with the perceived greater risk of sustaining abrasion injuries on them relative to natural turf. The validity of the current device, the Securisport®, used to measure the abrasiveness of synthetic turf playing surfaces has been challenged based on its unrealistic interaction with the surface throughout testing. It rotates on the surface at a speed of 40 ± 1 r/min. The aim of this study was to compare the abrasion measurements from the current Securisport device with those from a modified device. The modified device moved across the surface in a linear direction at a speed of 5 m/s, replicating a soccer slide tackle. Data were captured for three trials for each device on three different surfaces: sand-only infill, low-rubber infill and high-rubber infill. Overall, it was found that there was a significant mean abrasion difference of 51.7% between the two devices (p = 0.02) and also significant differences resided between the two devices at specific infill levels. The results of this study found that the specific modifications to the current Securisport device, substantially changed abrasion measurements on synthetic turf, therefore illustrating the need for further work to improve the validity of the Securisport. © IMechE 2015.
But can someone like me do it? The importance of appropriate role modelling for safety behaviours in sports injury prevention
- Authors: White, Peta , Donaldson, Alex , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article , Editorial
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 50, no. 10 (2016), p. 569-570
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Preventing sports injuries requires behaviour change. Observational learning, or role modelling, is one way to develop self-efficacy, a key behavioural determinant. This premise underpins the social cognitive theory (SCT), and is the reason why role models have such a strong influence on behaviour. Most human behaviour is learned by observing others. Therefore, understanding role modelling and how to use it effectively could be important for sports injury prevention.