Engineering curricula in the 21st century : the global scenario and challenges for India

In the 21st century's global economy, the new challenges facing the engineering profession have arrived, confirming the need to restructure engineering curricula, teaching and learning practices, and processes, including assessment. Possessing merely technical knowledge no longer guarantees an engineering graduate a successful career. And while all countries are facing this dilemma, India is struggling the most. It has been argued that most Indian engineering educational institutions struggle with the systemic problem of centralisation coupled with an archaic examination system that is detrimental to student learning. This article examines some internationally renowned educational institutions that are embracing the growingimportance of non-technical subjects and soft skills in 21st century engineering curricula. It will then examine the problems that India faces in doing the same.

Child participation in the early years : challenges for education

The view that children should have a say in and participate in the decision-making of, matters that affect them is now an accepted position when considering research and policy in the early years. This paper reviews the field of child participation in the Australian context to show that, despite growing evidence of support within policy and research arenas, young children’s participation rights in Australia have not been key agenda items for early childhood education. While a significant part of children’s daily experience takes place in classrooms, the actual practices of engaging young children as participants in everyday activities remains a challenge for early childhood education. Participation is an interactional process that involves managing relationships between children and adults. Recommendations include further research into the daily experiences of young children to show what participation might look like when translated to the everyday activities of the classroom and playground.

Wrapped in the legacy of the past : a review

EXPLORING the ways in which women fold themselves into familiar patterns to fit in, move forward and make a place for themselves, Paschal Daantos Berry's The Folding Wife is an intimate work that engages the audience through a distinctive, almost do-it-yourself aesthetic. The Folding Wife is described by Daantos Berry as a biographical work that resonates with his and his sister Valerie's relationship to their cultural heritage, without being a representation of their story.

The regulation of insurance intermediaries in the Australian financial services market

The insurance industry discharges a critical role in the Australian economy and is a significant part of the Australian financial services market. The industry relies upon intermediaries, the principal types being brokers and agents, to promote, arrange and distribute their products and services in the market. The pivotal role that they play in this context and sensitivities associated with the consumer oriented products, such as house and contents insurance, has ensured close regulatory attention. Of particular importance was the passage of the Insurance (Agents and Brokers) Act 1984 (Cth), a comprehensive attempt to address the responsibilities of intermediaries as well as particular problem areas associated with the handling of money. However, with the introduction of financial services and market reform early in the new millennium this insurance intermediary specific regulatory approach was abandoned in favour of a market-wide strategy; that is, market reform was based upon across-the-board licensing, disclosure, conduct and fairness standards, and all financial products and services are now regulated at a generic level under Ch 7 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). This article briefly explores the categories of insurance intermediaries and the relevant distinctions between them but focuses mainly upon the regulatory context in which they operate. This context transcends a strictly legal framework as the regulatory body, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), has sought to inform and guide the market through Policy Statements and Regulatory Guides. The usefulness of these guides as an adjunct to the legislation in explaining the scope and operation of regulatory framework is examined. In addition, the article looks at the self-regulatory and dispute resolution practices in this area and their impact. In conclusion an assessment of this across-the-board regulatory regime is advanced.

Effectiveness of constructability concept in the provision of infrastructure assets

The concept of constructability is to use construction knowledge and experience during all phases of a project, particularly in the earliest phases of planning and design. It facilitates project objectives before delivery stage, and decreases unnecessary costs during construction phase. Despite the extensive use, constructability concept fails to address many issues related to Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of construction projects. Extending constructability concept, to include the O&M issues, could lead to the projects that are not fitted for construction purposes only, but also fitted for use. This study reviews the literature of constructability implementation, its benefits and shortcomings during the infrastructure life cycle, as well as the delivery success factors of infrastructure projects. This contributes to the propose need of a model to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of infrastructure project by extending the concept of constructability to include O&M. Development of such a model can facilitate post-occupancy stakeholders’ participation in a constructability program. It will help infrastructure owners eliminate project reworks, and improve O&M effectiveness and efficiency.

Modal parameter estimation in the presence of non-linearities

This paper investigates the use of time-frequency techniques to assist in the estimation of power system modes which are resolvable by a Digital Fourier Transform (DFT). The limitations of linear estimation techniques in the presence of large disturbances which excite system non-linearities, particularly the swing equation non-linearity are shown. Where a nonlinearity manifests itself as time varying modal frequencies the Wigner-Ville Distribution (WVD) is used to describe the variation in modal frequencies and construct a window over which standard linear estimation techniques can be used. The error obtained even in the presence of multiple resolvable modes is better than 2%.

Empirical basis for adopting a theory-driven approach to preventing alcohol and other drug impairment (AOD) in the workplace

Background: A State-based industry in Australia is in the process of developing a programme to prevent AOD impairment in the workplace. The objective of this study was to determine whether the Theory of Planned Behaviour can help explain the mechanisms by which behaviour change occurs with regard to AOD impairment in the workplace. ---------- Method: A survey of 1165 employees of a State-based industry in Australia was conducted, and a response rate of 98% was achieved. The survey included questions relevant to the Theory of Planned Behaviour: behaviour; behavioural intentions; attitude; perceptions of social pressure; and perceived behavioural control with regard to workplace AOD impairment. ---------- Findings: Less than 3% of participants reported coming to work impaired by AODs. Fewer than 2% of participants reported that they intended to come to work impaired by AODs. The majority of participants (over 80%) reported unfavourable attitudes toward AOD impairment at work. Logistic regression analyses suggest that, consistent with the theory of planned behaviour: attitudes, perceptions of social pressure, and perceived behavioural control with regard to workplace AOD impairment, all predict behavioural intentions (P < .001); and behavioural intentions predict (self-reported) behaviour regarding workplace AOD impairment (P < .001). ---------- Conclusions: The Theory of Planned Behaviour appears to assist with understanding the mechanisms by which behaviour change occurs with regard to AOD impairment in the workplace. An occupational AOD programme which targets those mechanisms for change may improve its impact in preventing workplace AOD impairment.

Robust tracking control of autonomous underwater vehicles in the presence of disturbance inputs

An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is expected to operate in an ocean in the presence of poorly known disturbance forces and moments. The uncertainties of the environment makes it difficult to apply open-loop control scheme for the motion planning of the vehicle. The objective of this paper is to develop a robust feedback trajectory tracking control scheme for an AUV that can track a prescribed trajectory amidst such disturbances. We solve a general problem of feedback trajectory tracking of an AUV in SE(3). The feedback control scheme is derived using Lyapunov-type analysis. The results obtained from numerical simulations confirm the asymptotic tracking properties of the feedback control law. We apply the feedback control scheme to different mission scenarios, with the disturbances being initial errors in the state of the AUV.

Supervisory safety practices in the work-related driving context

Work-related driving crashes are the most common cause of work-related injury, death, and absence from work in Australia and overseas. Surprisingly however, limited attention has been given to initiatives designed to improve safety outcomes in the work-related driving setting. This research paper will present preliminary findings from a research project designed to examine the effects of increasing work-related driving safety discussions on the relationship between drivers and their supervisors and motivations to drive safely. The research project was conducted within a community nursing population, where 112 drivers were matched with 23 supervisors. To establish discussions between supervisors and drivers, safety sessions were conducted on a monthly basis with supervisors of the drivers. At these sessions, the researcher presented context specific, audio-based anti-speeding messages. Throughout the course of the intervention and following each of these safety sessions, supervisors were instructed to ensure that all drivers within their workgroup listened to each particular anti-speeding message at least once a fortnight. In addition to the message, supervisors were also encouraged to frequently promote the anti-speeding message through any contact they had with their drivers (i.e., face to face, email, SMS text, and/or paper based contact). Fortnightly discussions were subsequently held with drivers, whereby the researchers ascertained the number and type of discussions supervisors engaged in with their drivers. These discussions also assessed drivers’ perceptions of the group safety climate. In addition to the fortnightly discussion, drivers completed a daily speed reporting form which assessed the proportion of their driving day spent knowingly over the speed limit. As predicted, the results found that if supervisors reported a good safety climate prior to the intervention, increasing the number of safety discussions resulted in drivers reporting a high quality relationship (i.e., leader-member exchange) with their supervisor post intervention. In addition, if drivers reported a good safety climate, increasing the number of discussions resulted in increased motivation to drive safely post intervention. Motivations to drive safely prior to the intervention also predicted self-reported speeding over the subsequent three months of reporting. These results suggest safety discussions play an important role in improving the exchange between supervisors and their drivers and drivers’ subsequent motivation to drive safely and, in turn, self reported speeding.

Pseudo-merohedral twinning in the structure of the hydrated 1:1 proton-transfer compound of 5-sulfosalicylic acid with 4-aminopyridine

The structure of the pseudo-merohedrally twinned crystal of the 1:1 proton-transfer compound of 5-sulfosalicylic acid (3-carboxy-4-hydroxybenzenesulfonic acid) with 4-aminopyridine: 4-aminopyridinium 3-carboxy-4-hydroxybenzenesulfonate sesquihydrate has been determined at 180 K and the hydrogen-bonding pattern is described. Crystals of the compound are monoclinic with space group P21/c, with unit cell dimensions a = 35.2589(8), b = 7.1948(1), c = 24.5851(5) Å, β = 110.373(2)o, and Z = 16. The monoclinic asymmetric unit comprises four cation-anion pairs and six water molecules of solvation with only the pyridinium cations having pseudo-symmetry as a result of inter-cation aromatic ring π-π stacking effects. Extensive hydrogen bonding gives a three-dimensional framework structure.

Genetic analysis reveals two stocks of skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) in the north western Indian Ocean

Skipjack (SJT) (Katsuwonus pelamis) is a medium sized, pelagic, highly dispersive tuna species that occurs widely across tropical and subtropical waters. SJT constitute the largest tuna fishery in the Indian Ocean, and are currently managed as a single stock. Patterns of genetic variation in a mtDNA gene and 6 microsatellite loci were examined to test for stock structure in the northwestern Indian Ocean. 324 individuals were sampled from five major fishing grounds around Sri Lanka, and single sites in the Maldive Islands and the Laccadive Islands. Phylogenetic reconstruction of mtDNA revealed two coexisting divergent clades in the region. AMOVA (Analysis of Molecular Variance) of mtDNA data revealed significant genetic differentiation among sites (ΦST = 0.2029, P < 0.0001), also supported by SAMOVA results. AMOVA of microsatellite data also showed significant differentiation among most sampled sites (FST = 0.0256, P<0.001) consistent with the mtDNA pattern. STRUCTURE analysis of the microsatellite data revealed two differentiated stocks. While the both two marker types examined identified two genetic groups, microsatellite analysis indicates that the sampled SJT are likely to represent individuals sourced from discrete breeding grounds that are mixed in feeding grounds in Sri Lankan waters.

Even Penelope had a plan : imagining a metaphysics of wandering in the contemporary travel blogs of Australian Women Abroad

Despite the continued popularity of travel blogs and virtual travel communities, there is currently a lack of contemporary criticism surrounding the coded structures and connotations of online travel writings, especially those arising out of the Australian context. While there have been few significant studies of Australian women’s travel to date, there have been even less about female wandering. Reimagining the archetype of Penelope, this paper considers liminal accounts of wandering in contemporary travel blogs of Australian women abroad. When women travel as wanderers, they undermine normative accounts of travel and trace out alternative movements fused with gendered meaning.

Pre-eruptive uplift in the Emeishan? [Correspondence]

In their correspondence, He and colleagues question our conclusion of little or no uplift preceding Emeishan volcanism that we reported in our letter1. Debate concerns the nature of the contact between the Maokou limestone and Emeishan volcanics, the depositional environment and volumetric significance of mafic hydromagmatic deposits (MHDs), and evidence for symmetrical domal thinning. MHDs in the Daqiao section are separated from the Maokou limestone by 100 m of subaerial basaltic lavas, but elsewhere MHDs — previously interpreted as basal conglomerates2, 3 — directly overlie the Maokou2, 3. MHDs thus feature strongly in basal sections of the Emeishan lava succession, as also recently shown4 elsewhere in the Emeishan. An irregular surface at the top of the Maokou limestone has been interpreted as an erosional unconformity2, 3, but clastic deposits presented as evidence of this erosion2, 3 are MHDs produced by explosive magma–water interaction1. A clear demonstration that this irregular top surface is an erosional truncation of limestone reef facies (slope/rim, flat, lagoonal) is currently lacking, but is critical because reefs and carbonate platforms show considerable natural relief of tens of metres. The persistent hot, wet climate since the Oligocene has produced well-developed weathering profiles on exposed Palaeozoic marine sedimentary sequences5, but weathering and karst relief of the uppermost Maokou limestone underlying the flood basalts have not been properly documented, nor shown to be of middle Permian age and immediately preceding emplacement of the large igneous province.