Introducing differential kinematics to mechanical engineering students
- Authors: Sultan, Ibrahim
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education Vol. 37, no. 3 (2009), p. 210-222
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- Description: Differential kinematics offers a simplified alternative to closed-form input-output equations needed to study the geometrical behaviour of linkages. For most linkages, these closed-form equations are either too messy or not possible to obtain, a fact that sometimes reflects negatively on how mechanical engineering students perceive the subject of mechanism analysis. On the other hand, differential models can easily be utilised in numerical methods designed to encourage these students to tackle even more difficult problems than currently being considered in academic programmes. In this paper, an approach is presented to facilitate this process. The mathematical procedure is based on the use of matrices referred to as kinematic Jacobians. The determinants of these matrices offer invaluable insights into the linkage mobility. These matrices are explained and used in a practice numerical example.
- Description: 2003008219
The reach and adoption of a coach-led exercise training programme in community football
- Authors: Finch, Caroline , Diamantopoulou, Kathy , Twomey, Dara , Doyle, Tim , Lloyd, David , Young, Warren , Elliot, Bruce
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine. Vol. 48(8), p.718-723.
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
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- Description: Objective: To determine the reach and adoption of a coach-led exercise training programme for lower limb injury prevention. Design: Secondary analysis of data from a group-clustered randomised controlled trial. Setting: A periodised exercise training warm-up programme was delivered to players during training sessions over an 8-week preseason (weeks 1–8) and 18-week playing season. Participants: 1564 community Australian football players. Main outcome measurements: Reach, measured weekly, was the number of players who attended training sessions. Adoption was the number of attending players who completed the programme in full, partially or not at all. Reasons for partial or non-participation were recorded. Results: In week 1, 599 players entered the programme; 55% attended 1 training session and 45% attended > 1 session. By week 12, 1540 players were recruited but training attendance (reach) decreased to <50%. When players attended training, the majority adopted the full programme—ranging from 96% (week 1) to above 80% until week 20. The most common reasons for low adoption were players being injured, too sore, being late for training or choosing their own warm-up. Conclusions: The training programme's reach was highest preseason and halved at the playing season's end. However, when players attended training sessions, their adoption was high and remained close to 70% by season end. For sports injury prevention programmes to be fully effective across a season, attention also needs to be given to (1) encouraging players to attend formal training sessions and (2) considering the possibility of some form of programme delivery outside of formal training.
A scaled boundary polygon formulation for elasto-plastic analyses
- Authors: Ooi, Ean Tat , Song, Chongmin , Tin-Loi, Francis
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering Vol. 268, no. (January 2014 2014), p. 905-937
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- Description: This study presents a novel scaled boundary polygon formulation to model elasto-plastic material responses in structures. The polygons have flexible mesh generation capabilities and are more accurate than standard finite elements, especially for problems with cracks and notches. Shape functions of arbitrary n-sided polygons are constructed using the scaled boundary finite element method. These shape functions are conforming and linearly complete. When modeling a crack, strain singularities are analytically modeled without enrichment. Standard finite element procedures are used to formulate the stiffness matrix and residual load vector. The nonlinear material constitutive matrix and the internal stresses are approximated locally in each polygon by a polynomial function. The stiffness matrix and the residual load vector are matrix power integrals that can be evaluated analytically even when a strain singularity is present. Standard nonlinear equation solvers e.g. the modified Newton–Raphson algorithm are used to obtain the nonlinear response of the structure. The proposed formulation is validated using several numerical benchmarks.
Working to rule or working safely? Part 2 : The management of safety rules and procedures
- Authors: Hale, Andrew , Borys, David
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Safety Science Vol.55, no. (2012), p.54-59
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- Description: Part 1, the companion paper to this paper () reviews the literature from 1986 on the management of those safety rules and procedures which relate to the workplace level in organisations. It contrasts two different paradigms of how work rules and their development and use are perceived and managed. The first is a top-down classical, rational approach in which rules are seen as static, comprehensive limits of freedom of choice, imposed on operators at the sharp end and violations are seen as negative behaviour to be suppressed. The second is a bottom-up constructivist view of rules as dynamic, local, situated constructions of operators as experts, where competence is seen to a great extent as the ability to adapt rules to the diversity of reality. That paper explores the research underlying and illustrating these two paradigms. In this second paper we draw on that literature study to propose a framework of rule management which attempts to draw the lessons from both paradigms. It places the monitoring and adaptation of rules central to its management process and emphasises the need for participation of the intended rule followers in the processes of rule-making, but more importantly in keeping those rules alive and up to date in a process of regular and explicit dialogue with first-line supervision, and through them with the technical, safety and legal experts on the system functioning. The framework is proposed for testing in the field as a benchmark for good practice. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Ensuring implementation success: how should coach injury prevention education be improved if we want coaches to deliver safety programmes during training sessions?
- Authors: White, Peta , Otago, Leonie , Saunders, Natalie , Romiti, Maria , Donaldson, Alex , Ullah, Shahid , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 48, no. 5 (2014), p. 402-403
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
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- Description: Coaches play a major role in encouraging and ensuring that participants of their teams adopt appropriate safety practices. However, the extent to which the coaches undertake this role will depend upon their attitudes about injury prevention, their perceptions of what the other coaches usually do and their own beliefs about how much control they have in delivering such programmes. Fifty-one junior netball coaches were surveyed about incorporating the teaching of correct (safe) landing technique during their delivery of training sessions to junior players. Overall, >94% of coaches had strongly positive attitudes towards teaching correct landing technique and >80% had strongly positive perceptions of their own control over delivering such programmes. Coaches’ ratings of social norms relating to what others think about teaching safe landing were more positive (>94%) than those relating to what others actually do (63–74%). In conclusion, the junior coaches were generally receptive towards delivering safe landing training programmes in the training sessions they led. Future coach education could include role modelling by prominent coaches so that more community-level coaches are aware that this is a behaviour that many coaches can, and do, engage in.
Independent appraiser assessment of the quality, methodological rigour and transparency of the development of the 2008 international consensus statement on concussion in sport
- Authors: White, Peta , Wong Shee, Anna , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 48, no. 2 (2014), p. 130-134
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
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- Description: Aim: In recent years, considerable effort has been devoted to the development and revisions to an international consensus statement on concussion in sport (ICSCS). The aim of this study was to obtain expert views on the methodological rigour and transparency with which the 2008 ICSCS was developed, as a precursor to the development of the 2012 update. Methods: Delegates registered for the 2012 fourth International Conference on Concussion in Sport, selected local concussion researchers not involved in any prior international consensus meetings, and all authors of the 2008 ICSCS published paper were invited to assess the methodological rigour and transparency with which the 2008 ICSCS was developed. The online Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II assessment tool, with six quality domains, was used and domain scores were expressed as a percentage of the maximum possible score for that domain. Results: 18 appraisers completed the online AGREE II assessment. Ten appraisers said they would recommend the 2008 ICSCS for use (without modification) and seven said they would recommend its use with some modification. The 'scope and purpose' and 'clarity of presentation' were rated highest, both scoring 78%. The lowest scoring domain was 'applicability' with a score of 55%. Conclusions: The quality of the ICSCS is important because it is used to guide return-to-play decisions and the management of sport-related concussions. This appraisal of the 2008 ICSCS suggests that a greater focus is needed on the actual implementation of future ICSCS and the relationship between implementation and desired health outcomes.
Social marketing: why injury prevention needs to adopt this behaviour change approach
- Authors: Newton, Joshua , Ewing, Michael , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 47, no. (2013), p. 665-667
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Knowledge about sports-related concussion: is the message getting through to coaches and trainers?
- Authors: White, Peta , Newton, Joshua , Makdissi, Michael , Sullivan, John , Davis, Gavin , McCrory, Paul , Donaldson, Alex , Ewing, Michael , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 48, no. 2 (2014), p. 119-124
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
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- Description: Aim: The need for accurate diagnosis and appropriate return-to-play decisions following a concussion in sports has prompted the dissemination of guidelines to assist managing this condition. This study aimed to assess whether key messages within these guidelines are reflected in the knowledge of coaches and sports trainers involved in community sport. Methods: An online knowledge survey was widely promoted across Australia in May–August 2012 targeting community Australian Football (AF) and Rugby League (RL) coaches and sports trainers. 260 AF coaches, 161 AF sports trainers, 267 RL coaches and 228 RL sports trainers completed the survey. Knowledge scores were constructed from Likert scales and compared across football codes and respondent groups. Results: General concussion knowledge did not differ across codes but sports trainers had higher levels than did coaches. There were no significant differences in either concussion symptoms or concussion management knowledge across codes or team roles. Over 90% of respondents correctly identified five of the eight key signs or symptoms of concussion. Fewer than 50% recognised the increased risk of another concussion following an initial concussion. Most incorrectly believed or were uncertain that scans typically show damage to the brain after a concussion occurs. Fewer than 25% recognised, and >40% were uncertain that younger players typically take longer to recover from concussion than adults. Conclusions: The key messages from published concussion management guidelines have not reached community sports coaches and sports trainers. This needs to be redressed to maximise the safety of all of those involved in community sport.
Coding OSICS sports injury diagnoses in epidemiological studies : Does the background of the coder matter?
- Authors: Finch, Caroline , Orchard, John , Twomey, Dara , Saleem, Muhammad Saad , Ekegren, Christina , Lloyd, David , Elliott, Bruce
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine, Vol.48, p.552-556.
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
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- Description: Objective: To compare Orchard Sports Injury Classification System (OSICS-10) sports medicine diagnoses assigned by a clinical and non-clinical coder. Design: Assessment of intercoder agreement. Setting: Community Australian football. Participants: 1082 standardised injury surveillance records. Main outcome measurements: Direct comparison of the four-character hierarchical OSICS-10 codes assigned by two independent coders (a sports physician and an epidemiologist). Adjudication by a third coder (biomechanist). Results: The coders agreed on the first character 95% of the time and on the first two characters 86% of the time. They assigned the same four-digit OSICS-10 code for only 46% of the 1082 injuries. The majority of disagreements occurred for the third character; 85% were because one coder assigned a non-specific 'X' code. The sports physician code was deemed correct in 53% of cases and the epidemiologist in 44%. Reasons for disagreement included the physician not using all of the collected information and the epidemiologist lacking specific anatomical knowledge. Conclusions: Sports injury research requires accurate identification and classification of specific injuries and this study found an overall high level of agreement in coding according to OSICS-10. The fact that the majority of the disagreements occurred for the third OSICS character highlights the fact that increasing complexity and diagnostic specificity in injury coding can result in a loss of reliability and demands a high level of anatomical knowledge. Injury report form details need to reflect this level of complexity and data management teams need to include a broad range of expertise. Copyright Article author (or their employer) 2012.
What do community football players think about different exercise-training programmes? Implications for the delivery of lower limb injury prevention programmes
- Authors: Finch, Caroline , Doyle, Tim , Dempsey, Alasdair , Elliott, Bruce , Twomey, Dara , White, Peta , Diamantopoulou, Kathy , Young, Warren , Lloyd, David
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 48, no. 8 (2014), p.702-707
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
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- Description: Background: Players are the targeted end-users and beneficiaries of exercise-training programmes implemented during coach-led training sessions, and the success of programmes depends upon their active participation. Two variants of an exercise-training programme were incorporated into the regular training schedules of 40 community Australian Football teams, over two seasons. One variant replicated common training practices, while the second was an evidence-based programme to alter biomechanical and neuromuscular factors related to risk of knee injuries. This paper describes the structure of the implemented programmes and compares players’ end-of-season views about the programme variants. Methods: This study was nested within a larger group-clustered randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of two exercise-training programmes (control and neuromuscular control (NMC)) for preventing knee injuries. A post-season self-report survey, derived from Health Belief Model constructs, included questions to obtain players’ views about the benefits and physical challenges of the programme in which they participated. Results: Compared with control players, those who participated in the NMC programme found it to be less physically challenging but more enjoyable and potentially of more benefit. Suggestions from players about potential improvements to the training programme and its future implementation included reducing duration, increasing range of drills/exercises and promoting its injury prevention and other benefits to players. Conclusions: Players provide valuable feedback about the content and focus of implemented exercise-training programmes, that will directly inform the delivery of similar, or more successful, programmes in the future.
Detecting K-complexes for sleep stage identification using nonsmooth optimization
- Authors: Moloney, David , Sukhorukova, Nadezda , Vamplew, Peter , Ugon, Julien , Li, Gang , Beliakov, Gleb , Philippe, Carole , Amiel, Hélène , Ugon, Adrien
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: ANZIAM Journal Vol. 52, no. 4 (2012), p. 319-332
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- Description: The process of sleep stage identification is a labour-intensive task that involves the specialized interpretation of the polysomnographic signals captured from a patient's overnight sleep session. Automating this task has proven to be challenging for data mining algorithms because of noise, complexity and the extreme size of data. In this paper we apply nonsmooth optimization to extract key features that lead to better accuracy. We develop a specific procedure for identifying K-complexes, a special type of brain wave crucial for distinguishing sleep stages. The procedure contains two steps. We first extract "easily classified" K-complexes, and then apply nonsmooth optimization methods to extract features from the remaining data and refine the results from the first step. Numerical experiments show that this procedure is efficient for detecting K-complexes. It is also found that most classification methods perform significantly better on the extracted features. © 2012 Australian Mathematical Society.
Optimal operation of a multi-quality water distribution system with changing turbidity and salinity levels in source reservoirs
- Authors: Mala-Jetmarova, Helena , Barton, Andrew , Bagirov, Adil
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Conference proceedings
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP0990908
- Relation: 16th International Conference on Water Distribution System Analysis, WDSA 2014; Bari, Italy; 14th-17th July 2014
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- Description: Impact of water quality conditions in sources on the optimal operation of a regional multiquality water distribution system is analysed. Three operational objectives are concurrently minimised, being pump energy costs, turbidity and salinity deviations at customer nodes. The optimisation problem is solved using GANetXL (NSGA-II) linked with EPANet. The example network incorporates scenarios with different water quality in sources. It was discovered that two types of tradeoffs, competing and non-competing, exist between the objectives and that the type of tradeoff is not unique between a particular pair of objectives across scenarios. The findings may be used for system operational planning.
Statistical modelling for recurrent events : An application to sports injuries
- Authors: Ullah, Shahid , Gabbett, Tim , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 48, no. 17 (2014), p. 1287-1293
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
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- Description: Background: Injuries are often recurrent, with subsequent injuries influenced by previous occurrences and hence correlation between events needs to be taken into account when analysing such data. Objective: This paper compares five different survival models (Cox proportional hazards (CoxPH) model and the following generalisations to recurrent event data: Andersen-Gill (A-G), frailty, Wei-Lin-Weissfeld total time (WLW-TT) marginal, Prentice-Williams-Peterson gap time (PWP-GT) conditional models) for the analysis of recurrent injury data. Methods: Empirical evaluation and comparison of different models were performed using model selection criteria and goodness-of-fit statistics. Simulation studies assessed the size and power of each model fit. Results: The modelling approach is demonstrated through direct application to Australian National Rugby League recurrent injury data collected over the 2008 playing season. Of the 35 players analysed, 14 (40%) players had more than 1 injury and 47 contact injuries were sustained over 29 matches. The CoxPH model provided the poorest fit to the recurrent sports injury data. The fit was improved with the A-G and frailty models, compared to WLW-TT and PWP-GT models. Conclusions: Despite little difference in model fit between the A-G and frailty models, in the interest of fewer statistical assumptions it is recommended that, where relevant, future studies involving modelling of recurrent sports injury data use the frailty model inpreference to the CoxPH model or its other generalisations. The paper provides a rationale for future statistical modelling approaches for recurrent sports injury.
High adherence to a neuromuscular injury prevention programme (FIFA 11+) improves functional balance and reduces injury risk in Canadian youth female football players : A cluster randomised trial
- Authors: Steffen, Kathrin , Emery, Carolyn , Romiti, Maria , Kang, Jian , Bizzini, Mario , Dvorak, Jiri , Finch, Caroline , Meeuwisse, Willem
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 47, no. 12 (2013), p. 794-802
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
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- Description: Background A protective effect on injury risk in youth sports through neuromuscular warm-up training routines has consistently been demonstrated. However, there is a paucity of information regarding the quantity and quality of coach-led injury prevention programmes and its impact on the physical performance of players. Objective The aim of this cluster-randomised controlled trial was to assess whether different delivery methods of an injury prevention programme (FIFA 11+) to coaches could improve player performance, and to examine the effect of player adherence on performance and injury risk. Method During the 2011 football season (May- August), coaches of 31 tiers 1-3 level teams were introduced to the 11+ through either an unsupervised website or a coach-focused workshop with and without additional on-field supervisions. Playing exposure, adherence to the 11+, and injuries were recorded for female 13-year-old to 18-year-old players. Performance testing included the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT), single-leg balance, triple hop and jumping-over-a-bar tests. Results Complete preseason and postseason performance tests were available for 226 players (66.5%). Compared to the unsupervised group, singleleg balance (OR=2.8; 95% CI 1.1 to 4.6) and the anterior direction of the SEBT improved significantly in the onfield supervised group of players (OR=4.7; 95% CI 2.2 to 7.1), while 2-leg jumping performance decreased (OR=-5.1; 95% CI -9.9 to -0.2). However, significant improvements in 5 of 6 reach distances in the SEBT were found, favouring players who highly adhered to the 11+. Also, injury risk was lower for those players (injury rate ratio, IRR=0.28, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.79). Conclusions Different delivery methods of the FIFA 11+ to coaches influenced players' physical performance minimally. However, high player adherence to the 11+ resulted in significant improvements in functional balance and reduced injury risk.
- Description: 2003011216
Time is on my side : How do engineering academics spend their days - an international study
- Authors: Aarrevaara, Timo , Dobson, Ian
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: World Transactions on Engineering and Technology Education Vol. 10, no. 3 (2012), p. 184-191
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- Description: This article uses empirical data from the international Changing Academic Profession (CAP) survey to establish similarities and differences in work patterns among the world's academic engineers. Overall working hours and the distribution of work between teaching, research and other activities are examined. Summary results indicate that in periods when classes are in session, engineering academics from South Korea and Hong Kong reported a longer working week than equivalent staff from other countries. Engineering academics from Mexico and South Africa spent the highest proportion of their time on teaching, whereas those from Argentina, China and Italy spent the highest proportion on research. The most likely reason for international differences in the length of the working week is that national systems (such as higher education) have been constructed from the individual histories and cultures in each country. © 2012 WIETE.
- Description: 2003010832
Is there a conflict between teaching and research? the views of engineering academics in Europe
- Authors: Aarrevaara, Timo , Dobson, Ian
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Global Journal of Engineering Education Vol. 15, no. 2 (2013), p. 75-81
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- Description: This article presents an analysis of data from the international Changing Academic Profession (CAP) and the Academic Profession in Europe: Response to Societal Changes (EUROAC) surveys to compare engineering academics that prefer teaching over research, and vice versa. It also highlights the attitudes of each of these groups to teaching and research, the two major academic activities. There has long been debate about whether research and teaching are mutual activities or in competition with each other. According to the survey results, the majority stated a leaning towards research, but this preference was stronger in some countries than in others. In fact, data from the CAP survey reveal that 30% of engineering academics from the 12 participating European countries believe that teaching and research are hardly compatible with each other, but opinions from different countries vary considerably. Even though much higher proportions of academics agree that their research reinforces teaching, even on this measure, there are considerable gaps between countries. © WIETE 2013.
- Description: 2003011212
An approach for Ewing test selection to support the clinical assessment of cardiac autonomic neuropathy
- Authors: Stranieri, Andrew , Abawajy, Jemal , Kelarev, Andrei , Huda, Shamsul , Chowdhury, Morshed , Jelinek, Herbert
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Artificial Intelligence in Medicine Vol. 58, no. 3 (2013), p. 185-193
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- Description: Objective: This article addresses the problem of determining optimal sequences of tests for the clinical assessment of cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) We investigate the accuracy of using only one of the recommended Ewing tests to classify CAN and the additional accuracy obtained by adding the remaining tests of the Ewing battery This is important as not all five Ewing tests can always be applied in each situation in practice Methods and material: We used new and unique database of the diabetes screening research initiative project, which is more than ten times larger than the data set used by Ewing in his original investigation of CAN We utilized decision trees and the optimal decision path finder (ODPF) procedure for identifying optimal sequences of tests Results: We present experimental results on the accuracy of using each one of the recommended Ewing tests to classify CAN and the additional accuracy that can be achieved by adding the remaining tests of the Ewing battery We found the best sequences of tests for cost-function equal to the number of tests The accuracies achieved by the initial segments of the optimal sequences for 2, 3 and 4 categories of CAN are 80.80, 91.33, 93.97 and 94.14, and respectively, 79.86, 89.29, 91.16 and 91.76, and 78.90, 86.21, 88.15 and 88.93 They show significant improvement compared to the sequence considered previously in the literature and the mathematical expectations of the accuracies of a random sequence of tests The complete outcomes obtained for all subsets of the Ewing features are required for determining optimal sequences of tests for any cost-function with the use of the ODPF procedure We have also found two most significant additional features that can increase the accuracy when some of the Ewing attributes cannot be obtained Conclusions: The outcomes obtained can be used to determine the optimal sequences of tests for each individual cost-function by following the ODPF procedure The results show that the best single Ewing test for diagnosing CAN is the deep breathing heart rate variation test Optimal sequences found for the cost-function equal to the number of tests guarantee that the best accuracy is achieved after any number of tests and provide an improvement in comparison with the previous ordering of tests or a random sequence © 2013 Elsevier B.V.
- Description: 2003011130
Understanding safety management system applicability in community sport
- Authors: Donaldson, Alex , Borys, David , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Safety Science Vol. 60, no. (2013), p. 95-104
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565907
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- Description: Despite recent interest in understanding the implementation context for sports injury prevention interventions, little research attention has been paid to the management structures and processes of community sporting organisations. This study developed expert consensus about the importance of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) setting-related safety management system (SMS) principles and performance indicators in the context of Australian community sporting organizations, and the feasibility of these organisations meeting the requirements for the SMS performance indicators. Twenty-nine sports injury prevention, community sports administration and OHS SMS experts participated in a three-round online Delphi study by rating the importance of 64 SMS performance indicators categorised under the five principles of Commitment and Policy; Planning; Implementation; Measurement and Evaluation; and Review and Improvement. Overall, consensus agreement - define as rated 'essential' or 'very important' on a five-point scale by ≥75% of the participants in Round 3 - was reached for 57 performance indicators. Ten (15%) performance indicators were rated as 'very difficult' or 'relatively difficult', and six (9%) were rated as 'very easy' or 'relatively easy' on a four-point scale, by ≥75% of participants. This research suggests that the guiding principles and associated performance indicators that underpin OHS safety management systems in the workplace are very relevant and applicable to community sporting organisations in Australia. However, considerable work is required to build organisational capacity to be able to develop and implement meaningfully and useful SMSs to prevent sports injuries in the most common setting in which they occur. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. Funded by NHMRC.
- Description: 2003011206
Calibration of an articulated CMM using stochastic approximations
- Authors: Sultan, Ibrahim , Puthiyaveettil, Prajeesh
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology Vol. 63, no. 1-4 (2012), p. 201-207
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- Description: A coordinate measuring machine (CMM) is meant to digitise the spatial locations of points and feed the resulting measurements to a CAD system for storing and processing. For reliable utilisation of a CMM, a calibration procedure is often undertaken to eliminate the inaccuracies which result from manufacturing, assembly and installation errors. In this paper, an Immersion digitizer coordinate measuring machine has been calibrated using an accurately manufactured master cuboid fixture. This CMM has been designed as an articulated manipulator to enhance its dexterity and versatility. As such, the calibration problem is tackled with the aid of a kinematic model similar to those employed for the analysis of serial robots. In addition, a stochastic-based optimisation technique is used to identify the parameters of the kinematic model in order for the accurate performance to be achieved. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of this method, whereby the measuring accuracy has been improved considerably. © 2012 Springer-Verlag London Limited.
- Description: 2003010394
At last count : Engineering undergraduates in 21st Century Australia
- Authors: Dobson, Ian
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: World Transactions on Engineering and Technology Education Vol. 10, no. 4 (2013), p. 253-257
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- Description: The number of enrolments in undergraduate programmes in engineering has grown at more than the national average this century. The main areas of enrolment growth in Australian higher education have been of women and overseas students, and the latter group has been particularly relevant in the case in engineering. The analysis undertaken for this article is based on statistical data from the ministry responsible for Australia's tertiary education. However, women remain underrepresented in engineering programmes, and there is a risk that the high proportion of overseas students means that Australia is exporting engineering talent at a cost to the development of its own knowledge-intensive labour force. © 2012 WIETE.
- Description: 2003010825