Excessive force used in making an arrest: does it make the arrest ipso facto unlawful?

The purpose of this article is to consider whether or not the use of excessive force in effecting an arrest makes the arrest ipso facto unlawful at common law. With a dearth of appellate court authority on point in either Australia or the United Kingdom, the question is presently open. It is my argument that as force is not a minimum condition of an arrest, its excessive use will not, therefore, make unlawful an otherwise lawful arrest. This conclusion is a matter of some import. It exposes an arrester to civil and possibly even criminal liability for assault but not to an action for false imprisonment. It may also have practical repercussions for the possible discretionary exclusion of evidence on public policy grounds. In theory, it should not matter whether excessive force made an arrest unlawful or not, for the public policy discretion permits a judge to exclude evidence illegally or improperly obtained. But common sense suggests that a judge may not be so likely to exclude evidence when the relevant conduct amounts only to police impropriety not illegality.

Force modelling of the crankshaft pin grinding process.

A force model was developed for crankshaft pin grinding to predict the forces generated during grinding. The force model developed builds on the authors’ previously developed model, which predicted the out-of-roundness in crankshaft pin grinding. The model includes key grinding variables, such as the work removal parameter (WRP), system sti€ ness and Young’s modulus to determine the end forces produced. The model also includes the important geometrical relationships that are unique to this type of grinding. The model was veriŽ ed using an experiential set-up involving sophisticated strain gauge force measurements on a commercial Landis CP grinding machine, with close correlation between the results and the model.

Predicting the rolling force in hot steel rolling mill using an ensemble model

Accurate prediction of the roll separating force is critical to assuring the quality of the final product in steel manufacturing. This paper presents an ensemble model that addresses these concerns. A stacked generalisation approach to ensemble modeling is used with two sets of the ensemble model members, the first set being learnt from the current input-output data of the hot rolling finishing mill, while another uses the available information on the previous coil in addition to the current information. Both sets of ensemble members include linear regression, multilayer perceptron, and k-nearest neighbor algorithms. A competitive selection model (multilayer perceptron) is then used to select the output from one of the ensemble members to be the final output of the ensemble model. The ensemble model created by such a stacked generalization is able to achieve extremely high accuracy in predicting the roll separation force with the average relative accuracy being within 1% of the actual measured roll force.

Geometric formations in swarm aggregation: an artificial formation force based approach

Cooperative control of multiple mobile robots is an attractive and challenging problem which has drawn considerable attention in the recent past. This paper introduces a scalable decentralized control algorithm to navigate a group of mobile robots (swarm) into a predefined shape in 2D space. The proposed architecture uses artificial forces to control mobile agents into the shape and spread them inside the shape while avoiding inter-member collisions. The theoretical analysis of the swarm behavior describes the motion of the complete swarm and individual members in relevant situations. We use computer simulated case studies to verify the theoretical assertions and to demonstrate the robustness of the swarm under external disturbances such as death of agents, change of shape etc.

Injury prevention during physical activity in the Australian Defence Force

Introduction:
Injuries sustained by Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel during non-combat military training and sports activity are associated with increasing costs due to work days lost, medical treatment, compensation, and early retirement. In 2001, the ADF commissioned a systematic review of the evidence-base for reducing injuries associated with physical activity, while at the same time improving physical activity participation rates to sustain a trained, fit and deployable workforce.

Method:
Literature from on-line library databases, relevant unclassified military reports, and material from previously published sport-specific injury countermeasure reviews were systematically and critically analysed to address the study aims.

Results:
Modification of intensity, frequency and duration of basic military training activities and improved equipment is likely to reduce injury occurrence. Sports injury countermeasures used for the civilian population have merit for the ADF physical activity program. Injury countermeasures should be designed to minimise any possible deterrent effect on the motivation to participate in regular physical activity. Increasing the participation of ADF personnel in physical activity in the presence of evidence-based injury prevention strategies has the potential to increase health, fitness and deployability with minimal impact on injury frequency.

Conclusion:
Recommendations arising from the review include injury intervention trials in basic military training and sports. These and other interventions should be supported by refinement to ADF injury surveillance systems. Research should focus on interventions with the greatest gain for fitness, deployability, and cost effectiveness.

Autonomy and disintegration in Indonesia

Fragmentation in Indonesia is by far the most critical issue now facing the state. This book analyses social unrest, autonomy and separatism in the wake of the Indonesian economic crisis, placing them in the context of state evolution, and looking at the competing aims of economic and political globalisation with local agendas.

The key learning area movement : A force for pedagogical change or a facade for continued conservatism?

Throughout the early 1990s the formal curriculum across all Australian States and Territories was re-organised to accommodate a Key Learning Area (KLA) focus.  The KLA approach to schooling marked a departure from an historical reliance on individualised school subjects as the organisers of disciplinary knowledge.  Indeed a KLA structure has the potential to promote interdisciplinary teaching and learning, a focus on the skills, values, attitudes and knowledge students are to learn and to break away from the sometimes divisive subject subcultures that permiate schools.  In short the potential for a KLA 'movement' of positive benefit to teaching and learning exists.

Over the last decade however, the impact of the 'KLA movement' on teacher practice has become more apparent.  Far from being a force for pedagogical change, some KLAs are merely re-badged versions of traditionalist conceptions of school subject and knowledge.  This paper draws on data from a study of New South Wales (NSW) history and Human Society and Its Environment (HSIE) teachers and provides an evidenced argument about the use and misuse of Key Learning Areas.