The acute effects of eccentrically-biased versus conventional weight training in older adults : a randomised controlled cross-over study

Background Whilst resistance training has been proven to convey considerable benefits to older people; immediately post-exercise there may be elevated transient risks for cardiac events and falls. Objectives and Measurements We assessed the acute effects of eccentrically-biased (EB) and conventional (CONV) resistance exercise on: platelet number, activation and granule exocytsosis; and mean velocity of centre of pressure displacement (Vm). Design, Setting, Participants and Intervention Ten older adults (7 males, 3 females; 69 ± 4 years) participated in this randomised controlled cross-over study in which they performed EB and CONV training sessions that were matched for total work and a control condition. Results Immediately post-exercise there was a statistically significant difference in platelet count between the control condition, in which it fell (pre 224 ± 35 109/L; post 211 ± 30 109/L: P < 0.05) and CONV in which it increased (pre 236 ± 55 109/L; post 242 ± 51 109/L: P > 0.05). There was no change in platelet activation and granule exocytsosis or Vm following EB and CONV. Conclusions Overall, while minor differences between regimens were observed, no major adverse effect on parameters of platelet function or centre of pressure displacement were observed acutely following either regimen. Eccentrically-biased and conventional resistance exercise training regimens do not appear to present an elevated acute risk in the context of changes to platelet function contributing to a cardiac event or postural stability increasing falls risk for apparently healthy older adults.

Local stress-strain distribution and load transfer across cartilage matrix at micro-scale using combined microscopy-based finite element method

Articular cartilage is the load-bearing tissue that consists of proteoglycan macromolecules entrapped between collagen fibrils in a three-dimensional architecture. To date, the drudgery of searching for mathematical models to represent the biomechanics of such a system continues without providing a fitting description of its functional response to load at micro-scale level. We believe that the major complication arose when cartilage was first envisaged as a multiphasic model with distinguishable components and that quantifying those and searching for the laws that govern their interaction is inadequate. To the thesis of this paper, cartilage as a bulk is as much continuum as is the response of its components to the external stimuli. For this reason, we framed the fundamental question as to what would be the mechano-structural functionality of such a system in the total absence of one of its key constituents-proteoglycans. To answer this, hydrated normal and proteoglycan depleted samples were tested under confined compression while finite element models were reproduced, for the first time, based on the structural microarchitecture of the cross-sectional profile of the matrices. These micro-porous in silico models served as virtual transducers to produce an internal noninvasive probing mechanism beyond experimental capabilities to render the matrices micromechanics and several others properties like permeability, orientation etc. The results demonstrated that load transfer was closely related to the microarchitecture of the hyperelastic models that represent solid skeleton stress and fluid response based on the state of the collagen network with and without the swollen proteoglycans. In other words, the stress gradient during deformation was a function of the structural pattern of the network and acted in concert with the position-dependent compositional state of the matrix. This reveals that the interaction between indistinguishable components in real cartilage is superimposed by its microarchitectural state which directly influences macromechanical behavior.

Keep ahead of the workforce development curve through the establishment of standardised training for rail incident investigators

The Australasian rail industry lacks a consistently accepted standard of minimal training necessary to perform rail incident investigations. Current Australasian courses do not offer the breadth of development required for a comprehensive career pathway in incident investigation (Biggs, Banks & Dovan, 2012; Short, Kains & Harris, 2010).

A reciprocal collaborative method using relevance feedback and feature importance

In a people-to-people matching systems, filtering is widely applied to find the most suitable matches. The results returned are either too many or only a few when the search is generic or specific respectively. The use of a sophisticated recommendation approach becomes necessary. Traditionally, the object of recommendation is the item which is inanimate. In online dating systems, reciprocal recommendation is required to suggest a partner only when the user and the recommended candidate both are satisfied. In this paper, an innovative reciprocal collaborative method is developed based on the idea of similarity and common neighbors, utilizing the information of relevance feedback and feature importance. Extensive experiments are carried out using data gathered from a real online dating service. Compared to benchmarking methods, our results show the proposed method can achieve noticeable better performance.

Colloidal drug probe : method development and validation for adhesion force measurement using atomic force microscopy

This study demonstrates a novel technique of preparing drug colloid probes to determine the adhesion force between the drug salbutamol sulphate (SS) and the surfaces of polymer microparticles to be used as carriers for the dispersion of drug particles from a dry powder inhaler (DPI) formulation. Initially model silica probes of approximately 4 μm size, similar to a drug particle used in DPI formulations, were coated with a saturated SS solution with the aid of capillary forces acting between the silica probe and the drug solution. The developed method of ensuring a smooth and uniform layer of SS on the silica probe was validated using X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Using the same technique, silica microspheres preattached on the AFM cantilever were coated with SS. The adhesion forces between the silica probe and drug coated silica (drug probe) and polymer surfaces (hydrophilic and hydrophobic) were determined. Our experimental results showed that the technique for preparing the drug probe was robust and can be used to determine the adhesion force between hydrophilic/hydrophobic drug probe and carrier surfaces to gain a better understanding on drug carrier adhesion forces in DPI formulations.

A novel method for analysing lighting variance

Robust descriptor matching across varying lighting conditions is important for vision-based robotics. We present a novel strategy for quantifying the lighting variance of descriptors. The strategy works by utilising recovered low dimensional mappings from Isomap and our measure of the lighting variance of each of these mappings. The resultant metric allows different descriptors to be compared given a dataset and a set of keypoints. We demonstrate that the SIFT descriptor typically has lower lighting variance than other descriptors, although the result depends on semantic class and lighting conditions.

Stiffness-damping matching method of an ECAS system based on LQG control

A novel method of matching stiffness and continuous variable damping of an ECAS (electronically controlled air suspension) based on LQG (linear quadratic Gaussian) control was proposed to simultaneously improve the road-friendliness and ride comfort of a two-axle school bus. Taking account of the suspension nonlinearities and target-height-dependent variation in suspension characteristics, a stiffness model of the ECAS mounted on the drive axle of the bus was developed based on thermodynamics and the key parameters were obtained through field tests. By determining the proper range of the target height for the ECAS of the fully-loaded bus based on the design requirements of vehicle body bounce frequency, the control algorithm of the target suspension height (i.e., stiffness) was derived according to driving speed and road roughness. Taking account of the nonlinearities of a continuous variable semi-active damper, the damping force was obtained through the subtraction of the air spring force from the optimum integrated suspension force, which was calculated based on LQG control. Finally, a GA (genetic algorithm)-based matching method between stepped variable damping and stiffness was employed as a benchmark to evaluate the effectiveness of the LQG-based matching method. Simulation results indicate that compared with the GA-based matching method, both dynamic tire force and vehicle body vertical acceleration responses are markedly reduced around the vehicle body bounce frequency employing the LQG-based matching method, with peak values of the dynamic tire force PSD (power spectral density) decreased by 73.6%, 60.8% and 71.9% in the three cases, and corresponding reduction are 71.3%, 59.4% and 68.2% for the vehicle body vertical acceleration. A strong robustness to variation of driving speed and road roughness is also observed for the LQG-based matching method.

Use of a photographic food diary method to document dietary intake in people with Parkinson's Disease

Cognitive impairment and physical disability are common in Parkinson’s disease (PD). As a result diet can be difficult to measure. This study aimed to evaluate the use of a photographic dietary record (PhDR) in people with PD. During a 12-week nutrition intervention study, 19 individuals with PD kept 3-day PhDRs on three occasions using point-and-shoot digital cameras. Details on food items present in the PhDRs and those not photographed were collected retrospectively during an interview. Following the first use of the PhDR method, the photographer completed a questionnaire (n=18). In addition, the quality of the PhDRs was evaluated at each time point. The person with PD was the sole photographer in 56% of the cases, with the remainder by the carer or combination of person with PD and the carer. The camera was rated as easy to use by 89%, keeping a PhDR was considered acceptable by 94% and none would rather use a “pen and paper” method. Eighty-three percent felt confident to use the camera again to record intake. Of the photos captured (n=730), 89% were of adequate quality (items visible, in-focus), while only 21% could be used alone (without interview information) to assess intake. Over the study, 22% of eating/drinking occasions were not photographed. PhDRs were considered an easy and acceptable method to measure intake among individuals with PD and their carers. The majority of PhDRs were of adequate quality, however in order to quantify intake the interview was necessary to obtain sufficient detail and capture missing items.

Innovations in dietary interventions : Use of a photographic food diary method and telephone linked computerized care in chronic disease

Access to dietetic care is important in chronic disease management and innovative technologies assists in this purpose. Photographic dietary records (PhDR) using mobile phones or cameras are valid and convenient for patients. Innovations in providing dietary interventions via telephone and computer can also inform dietetic practice. Three studies are presented. A mobile phone method was validated by comparing energy intake (EI) to a weighed food record and a measure of energy expenditure (EE) obtained using the doubly labelled water technique in 10 adults with T2 diabetes. The level of agreement between mean (±sd) energy intake mobile phone (8.2±1.7 MJ) and weighed record (8.5±1.6 MJ) was high (p=0.392), however EI/EE for both methods gave similar levels of under-reporting (0.69 and 0.72). All subjects preferred using the mobile phone vs. weighed record. Nineteen individuals with Parkinsons disease kept 3-day PhDRs on three occasions using point-and-shoot digital cameras over a 12 week period. The camera was rated as easy to use by 89%, keeping a PhDR was considered acceptable by 94% and none would rather use a “pen and paper” method. Eighty-three percent felt confident to use the camera again to record intake. An interactive, automated telephone system designed to coach people with T2 diabetes to adopt and maintain diabetes self-care behaviours, including nutrition, showed trends for improvements in total fat, saturated fat and vegetable intake of the intervention group compared to control participants over 6 months. Innovative technologies are acceptable to patients with chronic conditions and can be incorporated into dietetic care.

A high performance feedback active noise control system

In many active noise control (ANC) applications, an online secondary path modelling method that uses a white noise as a training signal is required. This paper proposes a new feedback ANC system. Here we modified both the FxLMS and the VSS-LMS algorithms to raised noise attenuation and modelling accuracy for the overall system. The proposed algorithm stops injection of the white noise at the optimum point and reactivate the injection during the operation, if needed, to maintain performance of the system. Preventing continuous injection of the white noise increases the performance of the proposed method significantly and makes it more desirable for practical ANC systems. Computer simulation results shown in this paper indicate effectiveness of the proposed method.

Understanding VET teachers’challenges in providing quality education to international students

In the past fifteen years, increasing attention has been given to the role of Vocational Education and Training (VET) in attracting large numbers of international students and its contribution to the economic development of Australia. This trend has given rise to many challenges in vocational education, especially with regard to providing quality education that ensures international students stay in Australia is a satisfactory experience. Teaching and learning are continuously scrutinised, and teaching quality and student assessment are subject to regular audit (Takerei, 2010). VET teachers are key stakeholders in international education and share responsibility for ensuring international students gain quality learning experiences and positive outcomes; however, their experiences are generally not well understood. Therefore, this paper reports on a study which responded to this research gap and investigated particular challenges that VET teachers experience when teaching international students. The research participants were 15 teachers from several public and private VET institutions in Brisbane, Australia. The method involved responsive interviewing and inductive data analysis to identify and categorize teachers’ challenges and dilemmas. After briefly outlining the background of the research approach, this paper presents findings about challenges that VET teachers’ experienced while teaching international students. The aim of the paper is to explore VET teachers’ perspectives in order to contribute essential understandings that contribute to a holistic approach to vocational education of international students. It reveals that the teachers experienced challenges of three main types: professional, personal and educational.

Modal flexibility method for structural damage detection in suspension bridges

Suspension bridges meet the steadily growing demand for lighter and longer bridges in today’s infrastructure systems. These bridges are designed to have long life spans, but with age, their main cables and hangers could suffer from corrosion and fatigue. There is a need for a simple and reliable procedure to detect and locate such damage, so that appropriate retrofitting can be carried out to prevent bridge failure. Damage in a structure causes changes in its properties (mass, damping and stiffness) which in turn will cause changes in its vibration characteristics (natural frequencies, modal damping and mode shapes). Methods based on modal flexibility, which depends on both the natural frequencies and mode shapes, have the potential for damage detection. They have been applied successfully to beam and plate elements, trusses and simple structures in reinforced concrete and steel. However very limited applications for damage detection in suspension bridges have been identified to date. This paper examines the potential of modal flexibility methods for damage detection and localization of a suspension bridge under different damage scenarios in the main cables and hangers using numerical simulation techniques. Validated finite element model (FEM) of a suspension bridge is used to acquire mass normalized mode shape vectors and natural frequencies at intact and damaged states. Damage scenarios will be simulated in the validated FE models by varying stiffness of the damaged structural members. The capability of damage index based on modal flexibility to detect and locate damage is evaluated. Results confirm that modal flexibility based methods have the ability to successfully identify damage in suspension bridge main cables and hangers.

Academic legal research and academic research capacity enhancement working topic : "purposes and objectives of law schools beyond educating students (research, capacity building,community service and outreach)"

One of the main objectives of law schools beyond educating students is to produce viable legal research. The comments in this paper are basically confined to the Australian context, and to examine this topic effectively, it is necessary to briefly review the current tertiary research agenda in Australia. This paper argues that there is a need for recognition and support for an expanded legal research framework along with additional research training for legal academics. There also needs to be more effective methods of measuring and recognising quality in legal research. This method needs to be one that can engender respect in an interdisciplinary context.

Second-order inelastic analysis of composite framed structures based on the refined plastic hinge method

Composite steel-concrete structures experience non-linear effects which arise from both instability-related geometric non-linearity and from material non-linearity in all of their component members. Because of this, conventional design procedures cannot capture the true behaviour of a composite frame throughout its full loading range, and so a procedure to account for those non-linearities is much needed. This paper therefore presents a numerical procedure capable of addressing geometric and material non-linearities at the strength limit state based on the refined plastic hinge method. Different material non-linearity for different composite structural components such as T-beams, concrete-filled tubular (CFT) and steel-encased reinforced concrete (SRC) sections can be treated using a routine numerical procedure for their section properties in this plastic hinge approach. Simple and conservative initial and full yield surfaces for general composite sections are proposed in this paper. The refined plastic hinge approach models springs at the ends of the element which are activated when the surface defining the interaction of bending and axial force at first yield is reached; a transition from the first yield interaction surface to the fully plastic interaction surface is postulated based on a proposed refined spring stiffness, which formulates the load-displacement relation for material non-linearity under the interaction of bending and axial actions. This produces a benign method for a beam-column composite element under general loading cases. Another main feature of this paper is that, for members containing a point of contraflexure, its location is determined with a simple application of the method herein and a node is then located at this position to reproduce the real flexural behaviour and associated material non-linearity of the member. Recourse is made to an updated Lagrangian formulation to consider geometric non-linear behaviour and to develop a non-linear solution strategy. The formulation with the refined plastic hinge approach is efficacious and robust, and so a full frame analysis incorporating geometric and material non-linearity is tractable. By way of contrast, the plastic zone approach possesses the drawback of strain-based procedures which rely on determining plastic zones within a cross-section and which require lengthwise integration. Following development of the theory, its application is illustrated with a number of varied examples.