Controlling chaos? The value and the challenges of applying complexity theory to project management

The literature abounds with descriptions of failures in high-profile projects and a range of initiatives has been generated to enhance project management practice (e.g., Morris, 2006). Estimating from our own research, there are scores of other project failures that are unrecorded. Many of these failures can be explained using existing project management theory; poor risk management, inaccurate estimating, cultures of optimism dominating decision making, stakeholder mismanagement, inadequate timeframes, and so on. Nevertheless, in spite of extensive discussion and analysis of failures and attention to the presumed causes of failure, projects continue to fail in unexpected ways. In the 1990s, three U.S. state departments of motor vehicles (DMV) cancelled major projects due to time and cost overruns and inability to meet project goals (IT-Cortex, 2010). The California DMV failed to revitalize their drivers’ license and registration application process after spending $45 million. The Oregon DMV cancelled their five year, $50 million project to automate their manual, paper-based operation after three years when the estimates grew to $123 million; its duration stretched to eight years or more and the prototype was a complete failure. In 1997, the Washington state DMV cancelled their license application mitigation project because it would have been too big and obsolete by the time it was estimated to be finished. There are countless similar examples of projects that have been abandoned or that have not delivered the requirements.

The constraints-based approach to motor learning : Implications for a non-linear pedagogy in sport and physical education

Recently, a constraints- led approach has been promoted as a framework for understanding how children and adults acquire movement skills for sport and exercise (see Davids, Button & Bennett, 2008; Araújo et al., 2004). The aim of a constraints- led approach is to identify the nature of interacting constraints that influence skill acquisition in learners. In this chapter the main theoretical ideas behind a constraints- led approach are outlined to assist practical applications by sports practitioners and physical educators in a non- linear pedagogy (see Chow et al., 2006, 2007). To achieve this goal, this chapter examines implications for some of the typical challenges facing sport pedagogists and physical educators in the design of learning programmes.

Teaching motor racing engineering through real-life projects: benefits and challenges

Project-based learning (PBL) is widely used in engineering courses. The closer to real-life the project, the greater the relevance and depth of learning experienced by students. Formula Society of Automotive Engineering (FSAE) is a fine example of a team-based project modelled on real-life problems whereby each student team designs and builds a small race car for competitive evaluation. Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has participated in FSAE-Australia since 2004. Based on the success of the project, QUT has gone the additional step of introducing a motor-racing specialization (second major) to complement its mechanical engineering degree. In this paper, the benefits of teaching motor-racing engineering through real-life projects are presented together with a discussion of the challenges faced and how they have been addressed. In order to validate the authors' observations on the teaching approaches used, student feedback was solicited through QUT's online learning experience survey (LEX), as well as a customized paper-based survey. The results of the surveys are analysed and discussed in this paper.

Factors effecting motor vehicle growth in Dhaka

Dhaka’s traffic is heterogeneous, both motorized (MT) and non-motorized (NMT) transport are common. Traffic congestion has become a part of city dwellers’ lives. This paper explores the factors for motor vehicle growth in Dhaka. The scope of the paper will be limited to literature review...

Using strategic movement to calibrate a neural compass : a spiking network for tracking head direction in rats and robots

The head direction (HD) system in mammals contains neurons that fire to represent the direction the animal is facing in its environment. The ability of these cells to reliably track head direction even after the removal of external sensory cues implies that the HD system is calibrated to function effectively using just internal (proprioceptive and vestibular) inputs. Rat pups and other infant mammals display stereotypical warm-up movements prior to locomotion in novel environments, and similar warm-up movements are seen in adult mammals with certain brain lesion-induced motor impairments. In this study we propose that synaptic learning mechanisms, in conjunction with appropriate movement strategies based on warm-up movements, can calibrate the HD system so that it functions effectively even in darkness. To examine the link between physical embodiment and neural control, and to determine that the system is robust to real-world phenomena, we implemented the synaptic mechanisms in a spiking neural network and tested it on a mobile robot platform. Results show that the combination of the synaptic learning mechanisms and warm-up movements are able to reliably calibrate the HD system so that it accurately tracks real-world head direction, and that calibration breaks down in systematic ways if certain movements are omitted. This work confirms that targeted, embodied behaviour can be used to calibrate neural systems, demonstrates that ‘grounding’ of modeled biological processes in the real world can reveal underlying functional principles (supporting the importance of robotics to biology), and proposes a functional role for stereotypical behaviours seen in infant mammals and those animals with certain motor deficits. We conjecture that these calibration principles may extend to the calibration of other neural systems involved in motion tracking and the representation of space, such as grid cells in entorhinal cortex.

A focus on risk compensation and its role in motor vehicle crashes

• What is risk compensation, and why is relevant to motor vehicle crashes? • Recent simulator work that revealed risk compensation • Current and future work on risk compensation

Induction motor load impact on power system eigenvalue sensitivity analysis

Load modelling plays an important role in power system dynamic stability assessment. One of the widely used methods in assessing load model impact on system dynamic response is parametric sensitivity analysis. A composite load model-based load sensitivity analysis framework is proposed. It enables comprehensive investigation into load modelling impacts on system stability considering the dynamic interactions between load and system dynamics. The effect of the location of individual as well as patches of composite loads in the vicinity on the sensitivity of the oscillatory modes is investigated. The impact of load composition on the overall sensitivity of the load is also investigated.

Use of Bayesian MUNE to show differing rate of loss of motor units in subgroups of ALS

Objectives To evaluate differences among patients with different clinical features of ALS, we used our Bayesian method of motor unit number estimation (MUNE). Methods We performed serial MUNE studies on 42 subjects who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for ALS during the course of their illness. Subjects were classified into three subgroups according to whether they had typical ALS (with upper and lower motor neurone signs) or had predominantly upper motor neurone weakness with only minor LMN signs, or predominantly lower motor neurone weakness with only minor UMN signs. In all subjects we calculated the half life of MUs, defined as the expected time for the number of MUs to halve, in one or more of the abductor digiti minimi (ADM), abductor pollicis brevis (APB) and extensor digitorum brevis (EDB) muscles. Results The mean half life of MUs was less in subjects who had typical ALS with both upper and lower motor neurone signs than in those with predominantly upper motor neurone weakness or predominantly lower motor neurone weakness. In 18 subjects we analysed the estimated size of the MUs and demonstrated the appearance of large MUs in subjects with upper or lower motor neurone predominant weakness. We found that the appearance of large MUs was correlated with the half life of MUs. Conclusions Patients with different clinical features of ALS have different rates of loss and different sizes of MUs. Significance: These findings could indicate differences in disease pathogenesis.

The lived experience of post-traumatic stress disorder as described by motor vehicle accident victims in Jordan

Aim: To explore the lived experience of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as described by individuals who have been involved in a motor vehicle accident (MVA) in Jordan. Background: Motor vehicle accident (MVA) survivors who develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have become an important health issue. The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that trauma resulting from MVAs is a phenomenon of increasing concern, with death from injuries projected to rise from 5.1 million in 1990 to 8.4 million in 2020 particularly in developing countries such as Jordan (WHO, 2002). The impact of trauma from MVAs inevitably compromises the victim’s quality of life (WHO, 2002; Blanchard & Hickling, 2007) resulting in psychological and emotional distress, occupational disability, family disintegration, and socio-economic difficulty (Jordan Ministry of Health, 2005). The development of PTSD as a result of an MVA is not limited to the individual, but also extends to the family, friends, and the health care team involved in the person's care and rehabilitation. Design: A descriptive phenomenological approach was used for this study. Method: This study was conducted in an orthopaedic unit in Amera Basma Hospital in Irbid Jordan. Fifteen (15) participants were voluntary recruited through the process of purposeful sampling. Data was collected by face-to-face in depth-interviews. Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. The process of analysis was undertaken using Colaizzi’s (1978) eight step approach with the addition of two extra steps. Findings: The process of analysis identified seven themes explicated from the participants’ transcripts of interview. The seven themes were: 1. Feeling frustrated at a diminishing health status 2. Struggling to maintain a sense of independence 3. Harbouring feelings of not being able to recover 4. Feeling discriminated against and marginalised by society 5. Feeling ignored and neglected by health care professionals 6. Feeling abandoned by family, and 7. Moving toward acceptance through having faith in Allah. Conclusion: The findings of this study have the potential to make a significant contribution to extant knowledge on the topic which can inform future nursing practice, education, policy development, and research initiatives in Jordan and internationally.

Benign Epilepsy with Centro-temporal Spikes: Spike Triggered fMRI Shows Somato-sensory Cortex Activity

Summary:  Objective: We performed spike triggered functional MRI (fMRI) in a 12 year old girl with Benign Epilepsy with Centro-temporal Spikes (BECTS) and left-sided spikes. Our aim was to demonstrate the cerebral origin of her interictal spikes. Methods: EEG was recorded within the 3 Tesla MRI. Whole brain fMRI images were acquired, beginning 2–3 seconds after spikes. Baseline fMRI images were acquired when there were no spikes for 20 seconds. Image sets were compared with the Student's t-test. Results: Ten spike and 20 baseline brain volumes were analysed. Focal activiation was seen in the inferior left sensorimotor cortex near the face area. The anterior cingulate was more active during baseline than spikes. Conclusions: Left sided epileptiform activity in this patient with BECTS is associated with fMRI activation in the left face region of the somatosensory cortex, which would be consistent with the facial sensorimotor involvement in BECT seizures. The presence of BOLD signal change in other regions raises the possibility that the scalp recorded field of this patient with BECTs may reflect electrical change in more than one brain region.