50716 research outputs found
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Comparative analysis of beam models for vertical rail vibrations under dynamic forces
No full textAn analytical model of the rails of ballasted railway track subjected to the dynamic loads are developed to study forced vertical vibration. In this work, the two rails are modelled as infinite uniform beams posed on a system of periodical supports with the help of Timoshenko beam theory. Besides, each support is considered as a beam posed on a visco-elastic foundation. A linear relation between the sleeper displacement at the crossing-points with two rails and the two reaction forces is established via the Green's function in the frequency domain. In other words, the mechanical behaviour of the support can be written as a spring with an equivalent stiffness. By replacing this relation into the periodically supported rail models, the forced vertical vibrations of two rails are obtained analytically. This analytical model allows calculate rapidly the rail responses in different load, especially in the non-symmetric configuration. In addition, the comparison of rail responses calculated by two beam models are investigated. This work concerns the study of peaks resonances of the frequency responses functions which is useful to understand the excitations of rolling noise.</p
Highly Variable Hemoglobin-Mass Changes During Successive Altitude Training Camps in World-Class Female Water Polo Players
No full textBackground: The effects of repeated “live high–train high” training camps on total hemoglobin mass (tHB mass) in female team-sport athletes have not been investigated. Purpose: To assess whether the changes in tHB mass were repeatable in 16 world-class female water polo players during successive live high–train high camps at 2320 m, separated by 24 weeks, in preparation of international championships. Methods: tHB mass was measured by optimized carbon monoxide rebreathing before and after each camp, lasting 16 and 14 days, respectively. In addition, resting heart rate, peripheral oxygen saturation, body mass, fatigue, and sleep were monitored daily during both camps. Results: Changes in tHb mass appeared not to be associated between the 2 camps (Hedges g = −0.81; P = .05; 95% CI, −1.68 to 0.06) nor with prealtitude tHb mass (camp 1: β = −0.04; P = .89; 95% CI, −0.61 to 0.54; camp 2: β = −0.42; P = .10; 95% CI, −0.94 to 0.10) or with prealtitude ferritin concentration (camp 1: β = −0.4; P = .14; 95% CI, −0.91 to 0.15; camp 2: β = 0.02; P = .95; 95% CI, −0.61 to 0.65). tHB mass values were correlated between the end of camp 1 and the start of camp 2 (r = .94; P < .001; 95% CI, .82–.98). Improved sleep quality in camp 1 was associated with an increase in tHB mass (β = 0.51; P = .04; 95% CI, 0.02 to 1.00). Conclusion: We observed a highly variable pattern of tHB mass responses in female water polo players undertaking 2 altitude training camps ∼5 months apart. Individualized training and management plans are likely required to complement team practices in altitude training camps undertaken by female team-sport athletes.</p
Learning models for enhancing farmers’ water management skills in rural areas of Sargodha, Pakistan
No full textSince life on the planet, water has been claiming as a lifeline for human beings. The efficient use of water retains productive agriculture, environmental sustainability, poverty reduction, and economic growth. Manageable irrigation in Pakistan is considered as lowest amongst the world yet. Incredibly, the quality of groundwater is not merely declining by overexploitation but also getting worse. This study conducted in District Sargodha, Punjab-Pakistan, had the purpose of analyzing the impact of three farmers Learning Models such as the Value Management Model (VM), Collaborative Problem-Solving Workshops (CPSW) model, and Discovery Learning Model (DL). Particularly in materials and methods, a well-structured survey instrument was prepared for data collection. Both validity and reliability of the instrument were ensured before conducting the full-length study. Census study was designed because of not having a substantial trained population. A crosssectional survey design was adopted for data collection, and data were collected from 92 trained farmers. In the analysis, both descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to analyse the data in SPSS. In descriptive, mean, standard deviation, rank, frequency, and percentage were computed. In Inferential, a paired t-test was computed to analyse the impact of training in enhancing small farmers’ income. The regression model was also computed to predict the variables such as farmers’ knowledge level before receiving training regarding Learning Models, Methods of Irrigation, Water Saving Technique, and different salt/nutrient and water measurement tools
Reasons and motives for becoming a sport official:an analysis of football, cricket, rugby union and hockey officials’ recruitment
No full textPurpose: To identify primary reasons, motives and recruitment strategies for individuals to become sports officials, focusing on gender, sport, and age of entry comparisons. Methodology: An online survey was completed by 369 active sport officials (predominantly male), ranging in age and experience levels. The survey included officials from soccer (n = 137), cricket (n = 79), hockey (n = 55), rugby union (n = 50), and other sports (n = 48). Findings: Female officials typically begin officiating careers earlier than males. Officials cited motives as love of the game (75.9%), desire to stay involved (66.4%), and curiosity to try something new (29%), as reasons for entering officiating. Younger officials were more likely to be motivated by financial incentives. Key recruitment factors include belief in one’s potential as an official, the need for more officials, and transitioning from an athlete. Practical implications: The findings offer insights for governing bodies, suggesting tailored recruitment strategies aligning with primary motives of officials, such as love of the game and desire to stay involved. Research contributions: This study contributes to the limited existing literature by providing comparative insights into reasons behind sports officials’ recruitment, focusing on gender, sport, and entry age. Originality: This research is the first to examine diverse demographic factors influencing officials’ decisions to enter, and recruitment influences shaping this decision, providing new perspectives on this topic.</p
Association of physical activity and sitting time trajectories with mortality risk in 9430 Australian adults with coronary heart disease
No full textObjectives: To examine the dose–response relationship between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sitting time trajectories with cardiac and all-cause mortality in a cohort of middle-aged and older-adults after a diagnosis of coronary heart disease (CHD). Design: This prospective cohort study comprised Australian participants aged ≥ 45-years with CHD (2006–2020) who had self-reported MVPA (min/wk) and sitting time (hr/day) data from at least two survey waves. Methods: MVPA and sitting time trajectories were categorised as remaining high, decreasing, increasing, and remaining low. Cardiac and all-cause mortality were the main outcomes. Associations were explored using Cox regression models. Results: The cohort included 9430 participants (mean (SD) age, 70 (10) years; 3557 females (38 %)). During a median follow-up of 4.4 (IQR, 6.1) years, 540 cardiac and 2843 all-cause deaths were recorded. Compared with individuals that remained inactive, remaining active was associated with a 36 % and 49 % lower risk of cardiac and all-cause death, respectively. Decreasing or increasing MVPA over time was associated with a 20–33 % lower risk of all-cause death. Compared with high sitting time, individuals that maintained low sitting time or decreased their sitting time over time reduced the associated risk of cardiac and all-cause death by 33–38 %. Conclusions: Regardless of pre-CHD diagnosis movement behaviours, individuals' post-CHD diagnosis can reduce their risk of cardiac and all-cause mortality by achieving the physical activity thresholds at any time and reducing their sitting time over-time. Further research is needed to confirm the physical activity and sitting time thresholds to receive these benefits.</p
International environmental sustainability discourse in the wake of Covid-19: exploring the psychic dimension of political discourse through fantasy
No full textIn accounting for the lack of political will to meaningfully tackle environmental crises at a global level, a growing number of scholars argue that we must take seriously the role emotional and unconscious attachments play in policy discourse. In this paper, we argue that the psychic dimension of international environmental sustainability discourse (IESD) remains under-explored compared to the scholarly attention given to the structural and normative dimensions of international environmental politics. We draw on political discourse theory and critical fantasy studies to develop a framework within which to characterize and critically examine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic upon IESD. We treat the pandemic as a dislocation, arguing that it provides a particularly productive vantage point from which to explore the fantasmatic underpinnings of IESD. We present an illustrative discourse analysis of relevant UN documents and media productions in 2020-22, foregrounding the political significance of fantasy in international environmental discourse
Operational Fire Management System (OFMS):A Sensor-Integrated Framework for Enhanced Fireground Situational Awareness
No full textThis paper presents the design, development, and field testing of an Operational Fire Management System (OFMS) aimed at enhancing situational awareness and improving the safety and efficiency of firefighting operations. The system integrates real-time intelligence and remote monitoring to provide emergency management personnel and first responders with accurate information on vehicle location, communication status, and water level monitoring. Developed in collaboration with the Australian Capital Territory Rural Fire Service (ACT RFS), the OFMS prototype encompasses three core subsystems: the Monitoring and Environmental Sensing Subsystem (MESS), the Communication and Vital Monitoring Subsystem (CVMS), and the Command-and-Control Interface Subsystem (CCIS). MESS introduces a tilt-compensated ultrasonic algorithm for accurate water level estimation in moving fire trucks, CVMS leverages an open-source smartwatch with LoRa communication for real-time physiological tracking, and CCIS offers a cloud-based interface for live visualisation and coordination. Together, these subsystems form a practical and scalable framework for supporting frontline operations, particularly in rural firefighting contexts where vehicles are required to operate off-road and deliver large volumes of water to isolated locations. By providing real-time visibility of resource availability and crew status, the system strengthens operational coordination and decision-making in environments where connectivity is often limited. This paper discusses the design and implementation of the prototype, highlights key performance results, and outlines opportunities for future development, including improved environmental resilience, expanded sensor integration, and multi-agency interoperability. The findings confirm that the OFMS represents a novel and field-ready approach to fireground management, empowering firefighting teams to respond more effectively to emergencies and better protect lives, property, and the environment.</p
"Waka Ŋurrkanhayngu - Regenerating the Existence of Life”: Indigenous and Western Researchers Engaging in Two-way Exchange to Revive and Strengthen Living in Harmony to Resolve Our Existential Crises:Indigenous and western researchers engaging in two-way exchange to resolve our existential crises
No full textHumanity is experiencing increasingly existential crises. While the crises are potentially apocalyptic, they also create transformative opportunities toward ways of being-knowing-doing that not only ensure our survival but thriving. Realizing these transformative opportunities requires the prevailing Western worldview remembering and embracing ancient Indigenous worldviews. One potent pathway for accomplishing this paradigm shift is authentically exchanging two-way with Indigenous peoples. To illuminate this pathway and its value, we, a team of Australian Indigenous clan leaders living in the very remote community of Galiwin'ku in Northern Australia and Western researchers, offer knowledges from a long-term initiative that was requested by Yolŋu clan leaders and that we are now coleading, codesigning, coimplementing, and co-evaluating. Our research aimed at reviving and strengthening Yolŋu to heal and reduce "natural" and social disasters and restore health. Utilizing a bricolage research design, we are continuously bridging, uniting, and transcending Indigenous and suitable Western philosophies/worldviews, methodologies, and methods for collecting, analyzing, and coconstructing knowledges. We have developed an Indigenist two-way intercultural kinship-based and clan-based participatory action research that is long-term, heart based, holistic, transdisciplinary, emerging, and iteratively cocreated, coimplemented, coevaluated, and corefined using Yolŋu governance. The knowledges we are coconstructing reveal holistically the dense net of interacting psychological and contextual colonizing practices that systematically weaken Yolŋu and how sophisticated Yolŋu ways of being-knowing-doing strengthen Yolŋu. Several pathways emerged as key levers for removing what weakens Yolŋu and facilitating what strengthens Yolŋu, enabling Yolŋu to regenerate the existence of life by living according to their Yolŋu LAW in harmony with nature again. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p
Assisted Infant Toilet Training and Bladder and Bowel Health:A Global Integrative Review
No full textBACKGROUND: Toilet training practices vary across cultures and time. Assisted Infant Toilet Training (AITT) is commonly used in low- and middle-income countries.OBJECTIVES: To synthesise the literature on AITT, including timing of initiation and completion, infant elimination signalling, and associations with bladder and bowel dysfunction.METHODS: An integrative review methodology was employed. Comprehensive searches of Scopus, Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar identified relevant studies. Two reviewers independently screened and appraised studies using GRADE and JBI tools.RESULTS: Of 2,069 studies identified, 21 met inclusion criteria. Six observational studies reported reduced rates of bladder and bowel dysfunction when AITT was practised.DISCUSSION: AITT is widely practised in low-income, non-English speaking countries. While observational studies suggest a potential protective effect on bladder and bowel health, the evidence is at serious risk of bias. Further prospective research in high-income contexts is warranted.</p
Effects of retinopathy of prematurity and preterm birth on childhood visual outcomes
No full textClinical relevance: Late-childhood visual outcomes in children born preterm, with or without retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), are not well understood, limiting the opportunities for preventative and early interventions. Background: This observational study investigated how ROP and preterm birth may affect late-childhood visual outcomes. Methods: Children born at gestational age <30 weeks or birth weight <1250 grams and screened for ROP, and at full-term (gestational age ≥ 37 weeks) were assessed at 8–10 years corrected age. The primary outcome, favourable overall visual outcome (good presenting vision in the better eye [≤0.30 logMAR], no strabismus, passing stereoacuity, not requiring spectacles), and other outcomes were compared using generalised linear regression models. Results: The study included 111 children (ROP n = 47 [stages: 1 = 23, 2 = 19, 3 = 4, 4 or worse = 1; 3 laser photocoagulation treatment]; preterm birth and no ROP n = 17; and term n = 37), aged 8.9 (interquartile range 8.6, 9.4) years. There were no significant differences in favourable overall visual outcome (composite measure) between the groups (ROP, 21/44 (48%); preterm birth and no ROP, 8/14 (57%); term, 20/32 (63%); p = 0.43). Children with ROP had shorter axial length (p = 0.01) and steeper corneal curvature (p = 0.001) than the term group; both preterm groups had thicker central retinas than the term group (p < 0.0001). The term group had better visuomotor integration scores than the ROP group (p = 0.01). No group differences in global motion or electrophysiology were observed. Conclusion: In this small observational cohort, children with mainly mild ROP had similar visual outcomes to children born preterm without ROP and at full-term but remain at risk of reduced visuomotor integration in late childhood. Children born preterm are at risk of ocular structural changes, but further investigation is required to understand the long-term implications.</p