Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Predicting The Motions And Forces Of Wearable Robotic Systems Using Optimal Control, Matthew Millard, Manish Sreenivasa, Katja Mombaur

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Wearable robotic systems are being developed to prevent injury to the low back. Designing a wearable robotic system is challenging because it is difficult to predict how the exoskeleton will affect the movement of the wearer. To aid the design of exoskeletons, we formulate and numerically solve an optimal control problem (OCP) to predict the movements and forces of a person as they lift a 15 kg box from the ground both without (human-only OCP) and with (with-exo OCP) the aid of an exoskeleton. We model the human body as a sagittal-plane multibody system that is actuated by agonist and …

Modelling And Control Of A Novel Walker Robot For Post-Stroke Gait Rehabilitation, Emre Sariyildiz, Hsiao-Ju Cheng, Gokhan M. Yagli, Haoyong Yu

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

In this paper, a novel walker robot is proposed for post-stroke gait rehabilitation. It consists of an omni-directional mobile platform which provides high mobility in horizontal motion, a linear motor that moves in vertical direction to support the body weight of a patient and a 6-axis force/torque sensor to measure interaction force/torque between the robot and patient. The proposed novel walker robot improves the mobility of pelvis so it can provide more natural gait patterns in rehabilitation. This paper analytically derives the kinematic and dynamic models of the novel walker robot. Simulation results are given to validate the proposed kinematic …

Observer-Based Load Frequency Control For Island Microgrid With Photovoltaic Power, Chaoxu Mu, Weiqiang Liu, Wei Xu, Md Rabiul Islam

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

As renewable energy is widely integrated into the power system, the stochastic and intermittent power generation from renewable energy may cause system frequency deviating from the prescribed level, especially for a microgrid. In this paper, the load frequency control (LFC) of an island microgrid with photovoltaic (PV) power and electric vehicles (EVs) is investigated, where the EVs can be treated as distributed energy storages. Considering the disturbances from load change and PV power, an observer-based integral sliding mode (OISM) controller is designed to regulate the frequency back to the prescribed value, where the neural network observer is used to online …

Gas Reservoir And Emission Modelling To Evaluate Gas Drainage To Control Tailgate Gas Concentrations And Fugitive Emissions, Dennis J. Black

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

The process of longwall coal extraction coal causes fractures in the overlying and underlying strata and these fractures become pathways for gas released from adjacent coal seams to flow into the mine workings and contaminate the ventilation air. If the rate of gas emission exceeds the diluting capacity of the ventilation air, the gas concentration will increase and exceed the statutory limit resulting in production delays.All potential gas sources within the planned mining area, including coal seams located above and below the working seam, should be identified and sufficient gas data collected and used to determine the specific gas emission …

Review On Design And Control Aspects Of Robotic Shoulder Rehabilitation Orthoses, Aibek Niyetkaliyev, Shahid Hussain, Mergen Hmcgill University, Ghayesh, Gursel Alici

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Robotic rehabilitation devices are more frequently used for the physical therapy of people with upper limb weakness, which is the most common type of stroke-induced disability. Rehabilitation robots can provide customized, prolonged, intensive, and repetitive training sessions for patients with neurological impairments. In most cases, the robotic exoskeletons have to be aligned with the human joints and provide natural arm movements. This is a challenging task to achieve for one of the most biomechanically complex joints of human body, i.e., the shoulder. Therefore, specific considerations have been made in the development of various existing robotic shoulder rehabilitation orthoses. Different types …

Optimizing Wearable Assistive Devices With Neuromuscular Models And Optimal Control, Manish Sreenivasa, Matthew Millard, Paul Manns, Katja Mombaur

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

The coupling of human movement dynamics with the function and design of wearable assistive devices is vital to better understand the interaction between the two. Advanced neuromuscular models and optimal control formulations provide the possibility to study and improve this interaction. In addition, optimal control can also be used to generate predictive simulations that generate novel movements for the human model under varying optimization criterion.

The Impact Of Structured Physical Activity On Glycaemic Control In Diabetes Prevention Programs: A Systematic Review, Joseph Edwards, Hassan Hosseinzadeh

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Seven landmark randomised controlled trials, with some that began as early as the 1990s, observed the prediabetic state, namely, impaired glucose tolerance and impaired fasting glucose conditions, against the impact of lifestyle interventions such as physical activity, to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus. In addition to the landmark trials, this systematic review examines 14 studies that retained a focus on prediabetic individuals and measured the efficacy of physical activity on improving glucose tolerance. Results: Type, duration and intensity of structured physical activity can have unique benefits to prediabetic individuals. It is posited that diabetes …

Technologies For The Control Of Heat And Light In The Vézère Valley Aurignacian, Randall White, Romain Mensan, Amy E. Clark, Elise Tartar, Laurent Marquer, Raphaelle Bourrillon, Paul Goldberg, Laurent Chiotti, Catherine Cretin, William Rendu, Anne Pike-Tay, Sarah Ranlett

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

We can trace the beginnings of our knowledge of early Upper Paleolithic (Aurignacian) use of fire to the pioneering 1910-1911 excavations at Abri Blanchard undertaken by Louis Didon and Marcel Castanet. At Blanchard, the excavators recognized and described fire structures that correspond in many ways to features excavated more recently in Western and Central Europe. Here, we address the issue of heat and light management in the early Upper Paleolithic, demonstrating a pattern that builds on these early excavations but that is refined through our recent field operations. Topics to be discussed include (1) recently excavated fire structures that suggest …

On David Miller On Immigration Control, Chandran Kukathas

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

David Miller offers a liberal realist defence of immigration control grounded in cosmopolitan ideals of self-determination, fairness and integration. But a commitment to liberal values requires a commitment to more open borders than he admits. A part of the problem is that the notion of open borders Miller criticises is under-theorised. A deeper problem is that immigration control itself is inconsistent with important liberal values – notably the values of freedom and equality. This is a concern because it is the freedom and equality not only of immigrants but also of citizens that is threatened by the closing of borders.

Options For An Indigenous Economic Water Fund (Iewf), First Peoples' Water Engagement Council

Indigenous Water Justice Symposium (June 6)

Presenter: Phil Duncan, Gomeroi Nation, New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council

15 pages

Contains footnotes

"OPTIONS PAPER for the First Peoples' Water Engagement Council (FPWEC)"

"DATED 20 APRIL 2012"

Abstract: This paper highlights the options for a path forward to establish an Indigenous Economic Water Fund (IEWF) through acquisition of water entitlements¹ by indigenous people in systems where the consumptive pool is fully allocated. The water allocation that comes from indigenous holdings in the consumptive pool is an important mechanism for enabling Indigenous communities to achieve economic development and as such is a legitimate strategy for ‘Closing the Gap’. …

Slides: Crystalised Not Frozen: Addressing Historical Exclusion Of Traditional Owners From Water, Poh-Ling Tan

Indigenous Water Justice Symposium (June 6)

Poh-Ling Tan, Griffith University

13 slides

Indicators Of Gendered Control Over Agricultural Resources: A Guide For Agricultural Policy And Research, Smriti Rao

Economics and Global Studies Department Faculty Works

Although the importance of women’s contribution to the agricultural sector in developing countries is now widely acknowledged, there is little systematic evidence on how gender gaps in control over resources have changed over time in response to agricultural policy and technological interventions. In particular, few large-scale, national-level studies examine these effects for developing countries. This is surprising in light of the pervasive impact of agricultural technology and policy innovation on gender differences in control over productive resources for agriculture. Women are farmers and agricultural laborers in every part of the world. They are often responsible for the storage and processing …

Evaluation Of A Broadly-Based Control Model Of Fascioliasis (Liver Fluke) In Central Vietnam, T M. Quy, Heather Yeatman

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Fascioliasis (liver fluke) has raised significant public health concerns in the 15 regional provinces of Central Vietnam. However, comprehensive strategies for fascioliasis control are not in place with reliance on chemotherapy as the main control measure. This study implemented a broadly-based control model comprising of five main components: vector control, health education, improvement of local health systems, involvement of concerned bodies, and chemotherapy. Following the intervention, significant reductions in seroprevalence (4.2% vs. 8.8%, p<0.05) was found in the Intervention 1 commune (broadly-based model), but not in the Intervention 2 commune (model comprising of human chemotherapy and animal chemoprevention) or the Control commune (Control commune, human chemotherapy only). Improvements in knowledge and practice of fascioliasis control were found in the intervention communes 1 and 2, although there remained significant differences in the levels of awareness in these two cohorts (80.2% vs. 37.5% respectively, p <0.017). Considerable changes in practices were found in the Intervention 1 commune with all poor practice items reduced significantly in comparison with the baseline level (p<0.017). Findings in this study also supported the effectiveness of the recommended chemotherapy (triclabendazole 250mg, 10mg/kg body weight) for selective treatment of fascioliasis. Having established the effectiveness of the broadly-based control model, it is important to explore the factors that enable, or act to impede, the implementation of a broadly based control model.

A Commentary On Ritual And The Production Of Crime Control Policy In New Zealand, Juan M. Tauri

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This commentary highlights the way(s) that ritual plays a significant role in the development of crime control policy in New Zealand. The actions of New Zealand's crime control policy sector is chosen as the focus for the commentary because of its ability to significantly impact individuals and communities through its close relationship with Cabinet, the development and implementation of legislation, and access to significant financial resources. A further motivation is the authors' desire to demystify the heavily ritualised, mythological context that surrounds the policy process and that aids in screening their work from critical scrutiny. The importance of ritual in …

State Of The Art Of Control Schemes For Smart Systems Featuring Magneto-Rheological Materials, Seung-Bok Choi, Weihua Li, Miao Yu, Haiping Du, Jie Fu, Phu Xuan Do

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

This review presents various control strategies for application systems utilizing smart magneto-rheological fluid (MRF) and magneto-rheological elastomers (MRE). It is well known that both MRF and MRE are actively studied and applied to many practical systems such as vehicle dampers. The mandatory requirements for successful applications of MRF and MRE include several factors: advanced material properties, optimal mechanisms, suitable modeling, and appropriate control schemes. Among these requirements, the use of an appropriate control scheme is a crucial factor since it is the final action stage of the application systems to achieve the desired output responses. There are numerous different control …

Development Of Intermediate Cooling Technology And Its Control For Two-Stand Plate Rolling, Fei Zhang, Wei Yu, Tao Liu

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

In a plate rolling production line, thermomechanically controlled processing is critical for plate quality. In this paper, a set of intermediate cooling equipment of a two-stand plate mill with super density nozzles, medium pressure, and small flow is developed. Based on a simplified dynamic model, a cooling control scheme with combined feedforward, feedback, and adaptive algorithms is put forward. The new controlled rolling process and the highly efficient control system improve the controlled rolling efficiency by an average of 17.66%. The proposed intermediate cooling system can also effectively inhibit the growth of austenite grain, improve the impact toughness and yield …

Social Practices Of 3d Printing: Decentralising Control And Reconfiguring Regulation, Luke Heemsbergen, Robbie Fordyce, Bjorn Nansen, Thomas Apperley, Michael Arnold, Thomas Birtchnell

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper considers the social practices of 3D printing by comparing consumer perspectives and practices with legal scholarship on intellectual property regimes. The paper draws on data gained through a mixed-methods approach involving participant observation, focus groups, and social network analysis of 3D printing file-sharing practices. It finds that while consumers display a level of naivety about their 3D printing rights and responsibilities, they possess a latent understanding about broader digital economies that guide their practices. We suggest that the social practices associated with 3D printing function through communication networks to decentralise manufacture and reconfigure legal capacities for regulation. The …

Investigations Into The Identification And Control Of Outburst In Australian Underground Coal Mines, Dennis J. Black

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Australian coal mines currently use gas content to assess outburst risk. The gas content threshold values for each mine are indirectly determined from measurement of gas volume liberated from 150 g coal samples during Q3 residual gas content testing. It has been more than twenty (20) years since this method, known as DRI900, was presented to the Australian coal industry, and in that time there have been significant changes in mining conditions and the outburst threshold limits used at the benchmark Bulli seam mines.Current coal mining legislation in both Queensland [7] and New South Wales [6] provide little guidance in …

Fault-Tolerant Control Of Electric Vehicles With In-Wheel Motors Using Actuator-Grouping Sliding Mode Controllers, Boyuan Li, Haiping Du, Weihua Li

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Although electric vehicles with in-wheel motors have been regarded as one of the promising vehicle architectures in recent years, the probability of in-wheel motor fault is still a crucial issue due to the system complexity and large number of control actuators. In this study, a modified sliding mode control (SMC) is applied to achieve fault-tolerant control of electric vehicles with four-wheel-independent-steering (4WIS) and four-wheel-independent-driving (4WID). Unlike in traditional SMC, in this approach the steering geometry is re-arranged according to the location of faulty wheels in the modified SMC. Three SMC control laws for longitudinal velocity control, lateral velocity control and …

Online Coordinated Voltage Control In Distribution Systems Subjected To Structural Changes And Dg Availability, Dothinka Ranamuka Rallage, Ashish P. Agalgaonkar, Kashem M. Muttaqi

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

The responses of multiple DG units and voltage regulating devices such as tap changers and capacitor banks for correcting the voltage may lead to operational conflicts and oscillatory transients, where distribution systems are subjected to network reconfiguration and changes in availability of the DG units. Therefore, coordinated voltage control is required to minimize control interactions while accounting for the impact of structural changes associated with the network. This paper proposes a strategy for coordinating the operation of multiple voltage regulating devices and DG units in medium voltage (MV) distribution systems, under structural changes and DG availability, for effective voltage control. …

Stability Control Of Force-Reflected Nonlinear Multilateral Teleoperation System Under Time-Varying Delays, Da Sun, Fazel Naghdy, Haiping Du

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

A novel control algorithm based on the modified wave-variable controllers is proposed to achieve accurate position synchronization and reasonable force tracking of the nonlinear single-master-multiple-slave teleoperation system and simultaneously guarantee overall system's stability in the presence of large time-varying delays. The system stability in different scenarios of human and environment situations has been analyzed. The proposed method is validated through experimental work based on the 3-DOF trilateral teleoperation system consisting of three different manipulators. The experimental results clearly demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed algorithm to achieve high transparency and robust stability in nonlinear single-master-multiple-slave teleoperation system in the presence …

Evaluation Methodology And Implementation For Natural Ventilation Control Strategies, Massimo Fiorentini, Georgios Kokogiannakis, Warwick Jackson, Zhenjun Ma, Paul Cooper

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

This paper describes a methodology for evaluating the effectiveness of various control strategies for the operation of window actuators to control the indoor climate, and their implementation in a full scale case study building. In this study, the effectiveness of a control strategy is considered in terms of the capability of the controller for maintaining the indoor thermal comfort in a prescribed variable range, and its effect on the minimisation of the operational energy consumption of the building, due to a lower thermal energy demand to be met by the heating and cooling system. A model of the case study …

A Novel Fuzzy Sliding-Mode Control For Discrete-Time Uncertain System, T H. Yan, B Wu, B He, Weihua Li, R B. Wang

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

This paper considers the sliding-mode control problem for discrete-time uncertain systems. It begins by presenting a discrete variable speed reaching law and a discrete-time sliding-mode controller (DSMC) designed using the proposed reaching law, followed by an analysis of their stability and dynamic performance. A sliding-mode controller with simple fuzzy logic is then proposed to further strengthen the dynamic performance of the proposed sliding-mode controller. Finally, the presented DSMC and the DSMC with fuzzy control for adjusting the parameters in this paper are compared with one of the previous proposed classic DSMC systems. The results of this simulation show that the …

Living With Landscape Fire: Landholder Understandings Of Agency, Scale And Control Within Fiery Entanglements, Amanda Edwards, Nicholas J. Gill

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Around the world, debates over how to manage and adapt to bushfires (or wildfires) are increasingly prominent as more and different people, many of whom have little or no experience with landscape fire or land management, inhabit fire-prone environments. But bushfire events represent only the most visible aspect of complex entanglements which operate across huge temporal and spatial scales and over which humans have very limited control. In this article, we focus on how Australian landholders of settler or migrant heritage understand scalar complexities and agency and control within human/landscape fire entanglements. In view of the fact that the learning …

One-Child Policy And Family Firms In China, Cao, Jerry X., Douglas Cumming, Xiaoming Wang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Family business plays important roles to fuel economic growth in China. Due to the one-child policy, family firms are increasingly facing human capital constraints for within-family succession. Having only one heir decreases the probability of continuing family management by over 3%, reduces the probability of adult children working in family firms by 14%, and significantly decreases founders' expectations of having young heirs for succession. Having fewer children negatively affects founder's expectation to go public, reduces family firm's reinvestment rate and R&D. Overall, the evidence suggests that the human capital constraints due to the one-child policy impose significant negative impacts on …

Course Syllabus (Sp15) Coli 214 Literature & Society: "Societies Of Discipline And Control", Christopher Southward

Comparative Literature Faculty Scholarship

Course description:

Optics is central to the arts of producing human subjects and governing our spatiotemporal deployment of vital forces. Yet, in the transition of societies from industrial to post-industrial modes of production, there seems to have occurred a parallel shift in governmental focus from merely producing and disciplining subjects at the material level to controlling them at the ideological. In this discussion-driven course, we will turn to works of theory and fiction in order to examine the basic tenets of discipline and control and consider the extent to which these social practices diverge and converge in our present era.

Shaved Or Saved? Disciplining Women’S Bodies, Casey R. Kelly, Kristen Hoerl

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

Proponents of sexual liberation and abstinence-until-marriage advocates appear to be on opposing ends of the sociopolitical spectrum; however, both are invested in the regulation of women’s vaginas. We argue that the rhetoric of both communities produces the same disciplinary configuration for the control of women’s bodies. Both communities instruct women that the appearance of a prepubescent and pure vagina is essential to sexual appeal and self-care. Whether sex positive or sex negative, both communities articulate a model of sexual health that negates women’s status as active, desiring subjects. Ultimately, we argue that public scrutiny of women’s vaginas implicitly and overtly …

Catching Fish And Avoiding Sharks: Investigating Factors That Influence Developmentally Appropriate Measurement Of Preschoolers' Inhibitory Control, Steven J. Howard, Anthony D. Okely

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Although researchers agree that the first 5 years of life are critical for children's developing executive functions (EFs), further advances are hindered by a lack of consensus on the design and selection of developmentally appropriate EF tasks for young children. Given this debate, well-established adult measures of EF routinely have been adapted for young children. Given young children's comparatively limited cognitive capacities, however, such adaptations do not guarantee that the task's critical EF demands are retained. To investigate this possibility, the current study examined the characteristics that optimize measurement of young children's EFs-specifically, their inhibitory control-using the go/no-go (GNG) task …

Investigating The Optimal Amount Of Interactive Reading For Improved Mental And Behavioural Self-Control, Elena Vasseleu, Steven J. Howard

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at The Inaugural Early Start Conference, 28-30 September 2015, Wollongong, Australia

A Decentralized Multiagent-Based Voltage Control For Catastrophic Disturbances In A Power System, Sk. Razibul Islam, Kashem M. Muttaqi, Danny Sutanto

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

In this paper, a multiagent-based voltage and reactive power control in the case of a multiple contingency is presented. Incorporating the agent-based autonomous feature to the intelligence of the remote terminal units, the present power system control structure can be used to help in preventing system voltage collapse during catastrophic disturbances. The control algorithm is based on a decentralized architecture of intelligent agents and the determination of a local zone that can carry out quick countermeasures in a decentralized manner as a multiagent system (MAS) during an emergency situation. An adaptive determination of the local zones undergoing voltage collapse has …