4,442 research outputs found
Driver error and the implications for intelligent transport systems design
No full textRecent research indicates that driver error contributes to most accidents. Despite this, only relatively little is currently known about the types of errors that drivers make and of the causal factors that contribute to these errors being made. This paper presents an overview of the literature on driver error in road transport. A generic driver error classification scheme is proposed based upon the dominant psychological mechanisms thought to be involved. A range of potential technological solutions that could be used to either prevent, or mitigate, the consequences of the driver errors identified are specified
A self-report study of factors influencing decision-making at rail level crossings: comparing car drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians
No full textCollisions at rail level crossings (RLXs) represent a major challenge for both road safety and rail safety professionals. RLX collisions are typically high-severity and high-cost, often involving multiple injuries and/or fatalities as well as major disruptions to the transportation network. Most research examining road users’ behaviour at RLXs has focused exclusively on drivers and consequently there is little existing knowledge on how other road users make decisions at RLXs. We designed a longitudinal survey to prospectively record interactions at RLXs over a two-week period. The sample included 166 adults residing in metropolitan Melbourne (80%) and regional Victoria (20%), with a mix of car drivers, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians. Respondents completed the survey daily and provided a detailed account of any encounters with trains and/or activated RLX warnings, with the survey prompts based on a cognitive task analysis methodology. The results reveal that both experiences and behaviour at RLXs differ substantially across different road users. Visual information (e.g., flashing lights) emerged as one of the most influential factors for car drivers and motorcyclists, whereas pedestrians and to a lesser extent cyclists relied more on auditory information (e.g., bells) to alert them to the presence of a train. Pedestrians were also more likely than other road users to speed up and cross the tracks ahead of an approaching train. Overall these results emphasise the importance of designing road systems to support cognition and behaviour across a range of road users, in order to ensure a safe system for al
Screening of blood and mucus parameters towards breeding for resistance to salmon louse (lepeophtheirus salmonis) in atlantic salmon
No full textOver the last three decades salmon farmers have experienced serious economic hardships due to losses caused by sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) infestations. In the absence of an effective vaccine, inefficiency of biological control methods and growing concerns over the usage of chemical treatments, there is a quest for alternative strategies to combat this problem. This includes selective breeding approach to increase the innate resistance in fish to the parasite. There is hope that easily measured biomarkers that are correlated to sea lice resistance, exist and can be used to ease recording, reduce cost and increase genetic gain for sea lice resistance. Indications of additive genetic difference in lice resistance in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) have led us to hypothesize that biomarkers of resistance are present in the plasma and/or mucus of fish. High throughput Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) profiling of plasma and mucus together with screening of the selected blood parameters (with the help of i-STAT blood gas analyzer) were coupled with multivariate statistical analysis to investigate the differences between two groups (susceptible (S) and Resistant (R)) of Atlantic salmon that shown different in their susceptibility to sea lice. The assignment was based on the sea lice challenge test results of their full-sibs. 65 rainbow trout (Oncorhychus mykiss) were also included in this trial in order to study the species-specific differences for this trait. Fish was challenged twice between late November and early December 2008 and lice were counted for the first time in December 2008 (chalimus sessile stage), followed by second count in January 2009 (pre-adult motile stage) and finally in February 2009 (adult motile stage). A large variation in lice counts both between individual Atlantic salmon and individual rainbow trout was observed. With respect to lice count, S and R groups of Atlantic salmon were different in both sessile and motile stages of lice, indicating genetic background for this trait. Rainbow trout was found to be a more susceptible species than Atlantic salmon in this study, which contradicts most previous studies that suggested Atlantic salmon as slightly more susceptible. Blood parameters are useful measures of physiological disturbance. Most of the measured blood parameters by i-STAT did not show significant differences between the S and R groups of Atlantic salmon, indicating that they were expressed at constitutive levels and not variable due to the low levels of sea lice infection
at the time the sample were recorded. Hematocrit and haemoglobin were found to be very responsive parameters, however, not very specific to the individual lice count. However, the R group of salmon had significantly (P <0.05) higher hematocrit and haemoglobin values than the S group, indicating a genetic background for these parameters. They need to be further examined as the potential inclusion criteria for indirect selection towards increased resistance to sea lice. However, no clustering of S and R groups of Atlantic salmon or Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout with respect to lice count was obtained upon FT-IR spectral analysis of plasma and mucus by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) techniques to differentiate S and R groups of Atlantic salmon or Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout based on number of lice per fish. Moreover, High-throughput FT-IR approach on mucus and blood plasma complemented with classical blood markers at low levels of adult lice present on fish in the final last count did not explain the differences in the number of lice at previous counts. It could be suspected that the variation in FT-IR and i-STAT parameters observed during the last lice count fell within the constitutive (innate) levels of fish. Further studies are still required and metabolomics approach may be more useful at higher level of lice infection to detect the variation in metabolites. However, as the number of lice per grow-out salmon, and thus also breeding candidate, must be kept at very low levels, the metabolomics methods used in this study are not likely to be useful to obtain indirect measures of lice resistance in salmon selective breeding programs
Applying cognitive work analysis to the design of rapidly reconfigurable interfaces in complex networks
No full textThe objective of this paper is to illustrate the interconnections between the different phases (or tools) within the Cognitive Work Analysis framework; the benefits of extending an analysis across each of the five phases are highlighted through these interconnections. The paper uses a command and control micro-world example to describe how each of the five phases can be used to describe the constraints within the micro-world domain from a different perspective. Based upon the Social Organisation & Cooperation Analysis, design requirements are extracted in order to develop role specific customisable interfaces for use within the micro-world. The interfaces have been specifically developed to communicate real time reconfiguration of the network through each of the individual interfaces; the reallocations of functions or roles are communicated to the actors through changes to the interface
Database for: Excavations at Tall Jawa, Jordan: Volume 3, The Iron Age Pottery
No full textThis is a Microsoft Access database of imagery, drawings, and photos accompanying Excavations at Tall Jawa, Jordan: Volume 3, The Iron Age Pottery by P.M. Michèle Daviau. The text and database present a detailed typology of the Iron Age pottery excavated from 1989 to 1995. Together, they represent an in-depth analysis of the forming techniques employed to make each type of vessel from bowls to colanders, cooking pots to pithoi.
The digital archive is a work in progress by the author. The archive currently holds the collection for Excavation Field D. Upon completion, it will include seven collections, each one consisting of a database of diagnostic sherds and vessels as well as the images of these pots as .tiff files. Databases are related to excavation fields and are designed for meaningful searches: A, B, C-east, C-west, A-east (associated with C-west), D and E
Using cognitive work analysis to explore activity allocation within military domains
No full textCognitive Work Analysis (CWA) is frequently advocated as an approach for the analysis of complex sociotechnical systems. Much of the current CWA literature within the military domain pays particular attention to its initial phases; Work Domain Analysis and Contextual Task Analysis. Comparably, the analysis of the social and organisational constraints receives much less attention. Through the study of a helicopter Mission Planning System (MPS) software tool, this paper describes an approach for investigating the constraints affecting the distribution of work. The paper uses this model to evaluate the potential benefits of the social and organisational analysis phase within a military context. The analysis shows that, through its focus on constraints the approach provides a unique description of the factors influencing the social organisation within a complex domain. This approach appears to be compatible with existing approaches and serves as a validation of more established social analysis techniques
Using human factors and ergonomics methods to challenge the status quo: Designing for gender equitable research outcomes
No full textThere have been recent calls for Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) to expand its reach and focus to address larger scale societal and global issues. An area of growing awareness is the issue of the gender data gap, whereby women are under-represented in research data, leading to inequitable outcomes when research findings are used to design real world technologies, products, environments, processes, and policies. The aim of this paper is to showcase how structured HFE methods can be used to address the gender data gap. We applied the Sociotechnical Systems Design Toolkit which involved using causal loop diagrams and abstraction hierarchy modelling from Cognitive Work Analysis to understand the system in which the issue occurs and key pain points, followed by the application of the Design with Intent Toolkit to generate design ideas. A total of 43 ideas were developed that could be implemented by universities to address the research data gap. The application demonstrates the utility of HFE methods in tackling complex issues and offers an opportunity for the HFE community to reflect upon the importance of gender sensitive research practices and gender equity more broadly
Using the Event Analysis of Systemic Teamwork (EAST) to explore conflicts between different road user groups when making right hand turns at urban intersections
No full textCollisions between different types of road users at intersections form a substantial component of the road toll. This paper presents an analysis of driver, cyclist, motorcyclist and pedestrian behaviour at intersections that involved the application of an integrated suite of ergonomics methods, the Event Analysis of Systemic Teamwork (EAST) framework, to on-road study data. EAST was used to analyse behaviour at three intersections using data derived from an on-road study of driver, cyclist, motorcyclist and pedestrian behaviour. The analysis shows the differences in behaviour and cognition across the different road user groups and pinpoints instances where this may be creating conflicts between different road users. The role of intersection design in creating these differences in behaviour and resulting conflicts is discussed. It is concluded that currently intersections are not designed in a way that supports behaviour across the four forms of road user studied. Interventions designed to improve intersection safety are discussed. Practitioner Summary: Intersection safety currently represents a key road safety issue worldwide. This paper presents a novel application of a framework of ergonomics methods for studying differences in road user behaviour at intersections. The findings support development of interventions that consider all road users as opposed to one group in isolation
Fitting methods to paradigms: are ergonomics methods fit for systems thinking?
No full textThe issues being tackled within ergonomics problem spaces are shifting. Although existing paradigms appear relevant for modern day systems, it is worth questioning whether our methods are. This paper asks whether the complexities of systems thinking, a currently ubiquitous ergonomics paradigm, are outpacing the capabilities of our methodological toolkit. This is achieved through examining the contemporary ergonomics problem space and the extent to which ergonomics methods can meet the challenges posed. Specifically, five key areas within the ergonomics paradigm of systems thinking are focused on: normal performance as a cause of accidents, accident prediction, system migration, systems concepts and ergonomics in design. The methods available for pursuing each line of inquiry are discussed, along with their ability to respond to key requirements. In doing so, a series of new methodological requirements and capabilities are identified. It is argued that further methodological development is required to provide researchers and practitioners with appropriate tools to explore both contemporary and future problems
Assessing the ‘system’ in safe systems-based road designs: Using cognitive work analysis to evaluate intersection designs
No full textWhile a safe systems approach has long been acknowledged as the underlying philosophy of contemporary road safety strategies, systemic applications are sparse. This article argues that systems-based methods from the discipline of Ergonomics have a key role to play in road transport design and evaluation. To demonstrate, the Cognitive Work Analysis framework was used to evaluate two road designs – a traditional Melbourne intersection and a cut-through design for future intersections based on road safety safe systems principles. The results demonstrate that, although the cut-through intersection appears different in layout from the traditional intersection, system constraints are not markedly different. Furthermore, the analyses demonstrated that redistribution of constraints in the cut-through intersection resulted in emergent behaviour, which was not anticipated and could prove problematic. Further, based on the lack of understanding of emergent behaviour, similar design induced problems are apparent across both intersections. Specifically, incompatibilities between infrastructure, vehicles and different road users were not dealt with by the proposed design changes. The importance of applying systems methods in the design and evaluation of road transport systems is discussed
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