Risky driving habits and motor vehicle driver injury

Risky driving is an important cause of motor vehicle injury, but there is a lack of good epidemiological data in this field, particularly data comparing risky driving in younger drivers to those of other age groups. We examined the relationship between risky driving habits, prior traffic convictions and motor vehicle injury using cross-sectional data amongst 21,893 individuals in New Zealand, including 8029 who were aged 16–24 years. Those who reported frequently racing a motor vehicle for excitement or driving at 20 km/h or more over the speed limit, and those who had received traffic convictions over the past 12 months, were between two and four times more likely to have been injured while driving over the same time period. Driving unlicensed was a risk factor for older but not younger drivers, and driving at 20 km/h or more above the speed limits was a stronger risk factor for younger (<25 years) than older drivers. These results confirm the need for interventions targeting risky driving and suggest that different strategies may be required for different high-risk groups.

A novel method of tube manufacture for vehicle crashworthiness utilising the QUICKSTEP™ Process.

A novel method of composite tube manufacture was developed for potential use in automotive crash structures. Tubes were crushed axially under quasi-static conditions and highly repeatable behaviour was observed with an average specific energy absorption of -85kJ/kg. DMTA results indicated that the tubes were fully cured, even when the cycle was reduced to 7 minutes, giving this process huge potential for high-volume production.

3D virtual haptic cone for intuitive vehicle motion control

Haptic human-machine interfaces and interaction techniques have been shown to offer advantages over conventional approaches. This work introduces the 3D virtual haptic cone with the aim of improving human remote control of a vehicle's motion. The 3D cone introduces a third dimension to the haptic control surface over existing approaches. This approach improves upon existing methods by providing the human operator with an intuitive method for issuing vehicle motion commands whilst simultaneously receiving real-time haptic information from the remote system. The presented approach offers potential across many applications, and as a case study, this work considers the approach in the context of mobile robot motion control. The performance of the approach in providing the operator with improved motion controllability is evaluated and the performance improvement determined.

Power analysis and simulation of a vehicle under combined loads

This paper presents an analytical model of fuel consumption (AMFC) to coordinate the driving power and manage the overall fuel consumption for an internal combustion engine vehicle. The model calculates the different loads applied on the vehicle including road-slope, road-friction, wind-drag, accessories, and mechanical losses. Also, it solves the combustion equation of the engine under different working conditions including various fuel compositions, excess airs and air inlet temperatures. Then it determines the contribution of each load to signify the energy distribution and power flows of the vehicle. Unlike the conventional models in which the vehicle speed needs to be given as an input, the developed model can predict the vehicle speed and acceleration under different working conditions by allowing the speed to vary within a predefined range only. Furthermore, the model indicates the ways to minimises the vehicles' fuel consumption under various driving conditions. The results show that the model has the potential to assist in the vehicle energy management.

An intelligent energy management model for a parallel hybrid vehicle under combined loads

To exploit the benefits offered by parallel HEVs, an intelligent energy management model is developed and evaluated in this paper. Despite most existing works, the developed model incorporates combined wind/drag, slope, rolling, and accessories loads to minimise the fuel consumption under varying driving conditions. A slope prediction unit is also employed. The engine and the electric motor can output power simultaneously under a heavy-load or a slopped road condition. Two simulation were conducted namely slopped-windy-prediction and slopped-windy-prediction-hybrid. The results indicate that the vehicle speed and acceleration is smoother where the hybrid component was included. The average fuel consumption for the first and second simulations were 7.94 and 7.46 liter/100 km, respectively.

A rule-based intelligent energy management system for an internal combustion engine vehicle

An intelligent energy management system (IEMS) is developed to improve fuel efficiency of an internal combustion engine vehicle. It helps determine the best approach to run the engine system through dynamically analysing various factors relating to vehicle. The energy balance technique is implemented and utilised. The simulation outcome of the IEMS is compared against that of a conventional system under the same driving factors. The results show that the IEMS reduces the fuel consumption around 5.6% for the tested conditions.

Exploring creative music making as a vehicle for integrated teaching and learning

The arts have evolved with each society as a means of consolidating cultural and social identity and connecting past with future generations (Russell-Bowie, 2006, p3). Situating the arts within a broader interdisciplinary curriculum, we believe, allows students to discover and explore social issues and their relevance to students' contemporary lives. We argue that creative music making through composition promotes a deeper and more personally relevant teaching and learning experience for teacher education students, particularly when situated within an interdisciplinary framework.

The challenge for us as teacher educators' is to prepare pre-service teachers for both disciplinary and interdisciplinary learning as is required by the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS). At Deakin University, in the Bachelor of Teaching (Primary/Secondary) Degree, the postgraduate unit called Humanities, Societies and Environments; Language and Music Education adopts an interdisciplinary pedagogy that encourages students to learn from each other, share content knowledge and make links between and across VELS domains.

In this paper we reflect on the possibilities exploring of creative music making to enhance the teaching and learning of social education, with particular reference to issues of environmental change. Specifically, we reflect on non-music specialist students' experiences in Semester 1, 2008 using Jeannie Baker's book Window (1991) as a platform to deliberate about the impact of urbanisation on the environment. Through dramatisation and a sonic environment students were able to both further conceptualise issues of social change and their understandings of the power of integrating music across other VELS domains.

3D virtual haptic cone for intuitive vehicle motion control

Haptic technology provides the ability for a system to recreate the sense of touch to a human operator, and as such offers wide reaching advantages. The ability to interact with the human's tactual modality introduces haptic human-machine interaction to replace or augment existing mediums such as visual and audible information. A distinct advantage of haptic human-machine interaction is the intrinsic bilateral nature, where information can be communicated in both directions simultaneously. This paper investigates the bilateral nature of the haptic interface in controlling the motion of a remote (or virtual) vehicle and presents the ability to provide an additional dimension of haptic information to the user over existing approaches [1-4]. The 3D virtual haptic cone offers the ability to not only provide the user with relevant haptic augmentation pertaining to the task at hand, as do existing approaches, however, to also simultaneously provide an intuitive indication of the current velocities being commanded.

Psychosocial precursors and correlates of differing internalizing trajectories from 3 to 15 years

Psychosocial precursors and correlates of parent-reported internalizing behavior trajectories across the age span of 3–15 years were explored using a community-based cohort of Australian children. Six internalizing trajectories had previously been identified for both girls (N = 810) and boys (N = 874) in this sample, comprising stable low, high, decreasing, and increasing pathways. Infancy and toddler temperamental traits (inhibition/shyness, irritability), behavior problems, and parent–child relationship difficulties constituted significant risks for subsequent problematic internalizing profiles. Several gender-specific trends were evident, with temperamental reactivity and shyness, less optimal parenting, and peer difficulties more salient for girls on increasing trajectories whereas externalizing problems were more prominent among boys on increasing trajectories. Factors associated with recovery from elevated symptoms included higher levels of social competence, better parent and peer relations, and more positive school adjustment. Findings suggest that individual characteristics and relationship experiences may be involved in the development and course of internalizing problems.

Fresh garlic : a possible vehicle for Salmonella Virchow

A sustained increase in Salmonella enterica serovar Virchow notifications in South Eastern Australia between September 1997 and May 1998 instigated a case-control study and environmental investigations. Cases were defined as having locally acquired culture-confirmed S. Virchow phage-type 8 infection and diarrhoeal disease. Matched controls were selected by progressive digit dialling based on cases telephone numbers. An exposure and food history questionnaire was administered by telephone. Phage typing and pulse field gel electrophoresis were performed on case and environmental isolates. Thirty-two notifications of S. Virchow infection met the case definition, 37% reported bloody diarrhoea and S. Virchow was isolated from blood in 13% of cases. Twelve patients were admitted to hospital and one died. Fresh garlic (OR 4·1, 95% CI 1·3-12·8) and semi-dried tomatoes (OR 12·6, 95% CI 1·5-103·1) were associated with these cases. The associations remained significant after adjusting for sex and age. S. Virchow (PT 8) was cultured from two brands of semi-dried tomatoes associated with cases in two different states. We provide sufficient evidence for semi-dried tomatoes and fresh garlic to be considered as potential risk foods in future Salmonella outbreak investigations.