Static and dynamic tests for damage identification of a slab-girder structure

Slab-girder bridges are widely used in Australia. The shear connection between reinforced concrete slab and steel girder plays an important role in composite action. In order to test the suitability and efficiency of various vibration-based damage identification methods to assess the integrity of the structure, a scaled composite bridge model was constructed in the laboratory. Some removable shear connectors were specially designed and fabricated to link the beam and slab that were cast separately. In this test, two static loads were acted in the 1/3 points of the structure. In the first stage, dynamic test was conducted under different damage scenarios, where a number of shear connectors were removed step by step. In the second stage, the static load is increased gradually until concrete slab cracked. Static tests were conducted continuously to monitor the deflection and loading on the beam. Dynamic test was carried out before and after concrete cracking. Both static and dynamic results can be used to identify damage in the structure.

Effect of roller leveling on the bending behaviour of aged steel strip

The common grades of steel used in roll forming are: hot rolled carbon steel, high strength low alloy and recovery annealed cold rolled sheet. These steels are prone to ageing and are often skin passed and/or roller leveled to eliminate ageing as it can lead to problems in forming. In roll forming, shape defects such as bow, twist and camber are considered to be related to very small plastic strains in the longitudinal direction and hence knowledge of the material properties in the elastic plastic transition range is necessary if the process is to be modelled accurately. Previous studies with aluminium have indicated that skin pass rolling can lead to residual stresses in the strip. In this work, the study was extended to aged carbon steel and to the effect of roller leveling on both aged material and strip that had been given a light cold rolling to simulate a skin pass treatment. The results suggest that roller leveling reduced the magnitude of residual stresses resulting from skin pass rolling.

The significant differences observed between tensile and bending test results, at and near, the elastic plastic transition reinforces the need to consider bending properties when assessing the effect of prior processing on strip for roll forming.

Size and power properties of structural break unit root tests

In this article, we compare the small sample size and power properties of a newly developed endogenous structural break unit root test of Narayan and Popp (NP, 2010) with the existing two break unit root tests, namely the Lumsdaine and Papell (LP, 1997) and the Lee and Strazicich (LS, 2003) tests. In contrast to the widely used LP and LS tests, the NP test chooses the break date by maximizing the significance of the break dummy coefficient. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we show that the NP test has better size and high power, and identifies the structural breaks accurately. Power and size comparisons of the NP test with the LP and LS tests reveal that the NP test is significantly superior.

Non-nested tests of a GDP-augmented Fama–French model versus a conditional Fama–French model in the Australian stock market

We extend Vassalou (2003) by conditioning the Fama–French model with the same macroeconomic variables used to construct a GDP factor. The motivation for doing so is to ascertain whether the ability of the GDP-augmented model to explain equity returns is actually due to news about future GDP growth or whether it is due to the macroeconomic conditioning variables used to construct the GDP factor. We compare the performance of a GDP-enhanced Fama–French model with the conditional Fama–French model using non-nested testing techniques. We find that the GDP-augmented model considerably underperforms the conditional version of the model.

Tests examining skill outcomes in sport: A systematic review of measurement properties and feasibility

Background
A high level of participant skill is influential in determining the outcome of many sports. Thus, tests assessing skill outcomes in sport are commonly used by coaches and researchers to estimate an athlete’s ability level, to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions or for the purpose of talent identification.

Objective
The objective of this systematic review was to examine the methodological quality, measurement properties and feasibility characteristics of sporting skill outcome tests reported in the peer-reviewed literature.

Data Sources
A search of both SPORTDiscus and MEDLINE databases was undertaken.

Study Selection
Studies that examined tests of sporting skill outcomes were reviewed. Only studies that investigated measurement properties of the test (reliability or validity) were included. A total of 22 studies met the inclusion/exclusion criteria.

Study Appraisal and Synthesis Methods
A customised checklist of assessment criteria, based on previous research, was utilised for the purpose of this review.

Results
A range of sports were the subject of the 22 studies included in this review, with considerations relating to methodological quality being generally well addressed by authors. A range of methods and statistical procedures were used by researchers to determine the measurement properties of their skill outcome tests. The majority (95 %) of the reviewed studies investigated test–retest reliability, and where relevant, inter and intra-rater reliability was also determined. Content validity was examined in 68 % of the studies, with most tests investigating multiple skill domains relevant to the sport. Only 18 % of studies assessed all three reviewed forms of validity (content, construct and criterion), with just 14 % investigating the predictive validity of the test. Test responsiveness was reported in only 9 % of studies, whilst feasibility received varying levels of attention.

Limitations
In organised sport, further tests may exist which have not been investigated in this review. This could be due to such tests firstly not being published in the peer-review literature and secondly, not having their measurement properties (i.e., reliability or validity) examined formally.

Conclusions
Of the 22 studies included in this review, items relating to test methodological quality were, on the whole, well addressed. Test–retest reliability was determined in all but one of the reviewed studies, whilst most studies investigated at least two aspects of validity (i.e., content, construct or criterion-related validity). Few studies examined predictive validity or responsiveness. While feasibility was addressed in over half of the studies, practicality and test limitations were rarely addressed. Consideration of study quality, measurement properties and feasibility components assessed in this review can assist future researchers when developing or modifying tests of sporting skill outcomes.

Two tests of approach-iron golf skill and their ability to predict tournament performance

The aim of this study was to investigate the convergent and predictive validity of two skill tests that examine the ability of golfers to hit accurate approach-iron shots. Twenty-four high-level golfers (handicap = 2.6 ± 1.7) performed the Nine-Ball Skills Test (assesses the ability to shape/control ball trajectory with high accuracy) and the Approach-Iron Skill Test (assesses the ability to hit straight shots from varying distances with high accuracy). Participants then completed at least eight rounds of tournament golf over the following 90 days and reported an indicator of approach-iron accuracy (per cent error index). A moderate correlation (r = 0.50, P < 0.05) was noted between scores for both tests. Generalised estimating equations, using two covariates (lie of the ball and distance to hole), were used to determine model fit and the amount of variance explained for tournament per cent error index. Results showed that the Approach-Iron Skill Test was the slightly stronger predictor of on-course per cent error index. With both test scores considered together, a minimal amount of additional variance was explained. These findings suggest that either of the tests used individually or combined may be used to predict tournament approach iron performance in high-level golfers.