bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Epidemiology of syphilis in Kenya: results from a nationally representative serological survey
Authors: Otieno-Nyunya Boaz , Bennett Eddas , Bunnell Rebecca , Dadabhai Sufia , Gichangi A Anthony , Mugo Nelly , Wanyungu John , Baya Isaack , Kaiser Reinhard ,   for the Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey Study Team
Published: September 2011

Objectives

The authors used data from the Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey (KAIS) 2007 to determine the prevalence of syphilis and associated risk factors among adults aged 15–64 years.

Methods

KAIS was a nationally representative population-based sero-survey that examined demographic and behavioural indicators and serological testing for syphilis, HIV and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) in adults aged 15–64 years. The authors analysed data from 8935 women and 6727 men with complete syphilis results. Logistic regression models stratified by sex were used to assess potential factors associated with syphilis sero-prevalence.

Results

Overall, 262 adults tested positive for syphilis (1.8%, 95% CI 1.5% to 2.1%); sero-prevalence was similar among women and men (1.7%, 95% CI 1.3% to 2.0% and 1.9%, 95% CI 1.5% to 2.3%, respectively). Syphilis prevalence was the highest among men with HIV (6.4%, 95% CI 3.1% to 9.7%) and HSV-2 (4.5%, 95% CI 3.4% to 5.7%) infection. Independent risk factors for syphilis included HIV (men only, adjusted OR (AOR) 3.4, 95% CI 1.6% to 7.1%), HSV-2 (women, AOR 3.5, 95% CI 2.1% to 5.8%; men AOR 2.2, 95% CI 1.3% to 3.7%), lack of male circumcision (AOR 2.2, 95% CI 1.3% to 3.7%), poorest or poorer versus richest wealth index (women, AOR 2.0, 95% CI 1.0% to 4.2%; men AOR 2.5, 95% CI 1.4% to 4.9%) and no primary versus secondary or more education in men (AOR 4.8, 95% CI 2.0% to 11.7%).

Conclusions

Syphilis prevalence in the general population in Kenya is relatively low and eradication could be possible but would require intensified syphilis prevention and control efforts, including routine screening in HIV, sexually transmitted infection and antenatal care clinics as well as in family planning and male circumcision settings.
CLASSICAL SOLUTIONS TO YANG–MILLS–CHERN–SIMONS FIELD COUPLED TO AN EXTERNAL SOURCE
Authors: VYAS VIVEK M. , RAJU T. SOLOMAN , SHREECHARAN T.
Published: September 2011

We find a wide variety of exact classical solutions to Yang–Mills–Chern–Simons theory coupled to an external source, ranging periodic ones to localised soliton type. The solutions are found by choosing an ansatz, which reduces the classical equation of motion to a set of coupled non-linear ordinary differential equations, which are then solved. It is seen that these classical solutions necessarily exist over a non-zero background field whose intensity is controlled by external source strength.
Developing Position Structure-Based Framework for Chinese Entity Relation Extraction
Authors: Zhang Peng , Li Wenjie , Hou Yuexian , Song Dawei
Published: September 2011

Relation extraction is the task of finding semantic relations between two entities in text, and is often cast as a classification problem. In contrast to the significant achievements on English language, research progress in Chinese relation extraction is relatively limited. In this article, we present a novel Chinese relation extraction framework, which is mainly based on a 9-position structure. The design of this proposed structure is motivated by the fact that there are some obvious connections between relation types/subtypes and position structures of two entities. The 9-position structure can be captured with less effort than applying deep natural language processing, and is effective to relieve the class imbalance problem which often hurts the classification performance. In our framework, all involved features do not require Chinese word segmentation, which has long been limiting the performance of Chinese language processing. We also utilize some correction and inference mechanisms to further improve the classified results. Experiments on the ACE 2005 Chinese data set show that the 9-position structure feature can provide strong support for Chinese relation extraction. As well as this, other strategies are also effective to further improve the performance.
An Interview with Alicia Sanchez
Authors: Bozarth Jane
Published: September 2011

At GameTech11 Dr. Alicia Sanchez, Defense Acquisitions University, and Dr. Clint Bowers, University of Central Florida, presented Top 10 Research Findings in Games. In this interview with eLearn Magazine, Dr. Sanchez provides an overview of the research.
Helping Dyslexic Medical Students Pass Their OSCE Exams
Authors: Renaud Guylaine , Jalali Alireza
Published: September 2011

In this article University of Ottawa educators discuss the use of the iPod Touch as an efficient tool to accommodate dyslexic medical student's during Objective Structured Clinical Examinations.
Trajectory privacy in location-based services and data publication
Authors: Chow Chi-Yin , Mokbel Mohamed F.
Published: September 2011

The ubiquity of mobile devices with global positioning functionality (e.g., GPS and AGPS) and Internet connectivity (e.g., 3G andWi-Fi) has resulted in widespread development of location-based services (LBS). Typical examples of LBS include local business search, e-marketing, social networking, and automotive traffic monitoring. Although LBS provide valuable services for mobile users, revealing their private locations to potentially untrusted LBS service providers pose privacy concerns. In general, there are two types of LBS, namely, snapshot and continuous LBS. For snapshot LBS, a mobile user only needs to report its current location to a service provider once to get its desired information. On the other hand, a mobile user has to report its location to a service provider in a periodic or on-demand manner to obtain its desired continuous LBS. Protecting user location privacy for continuous LBS is more challenging than snapshot LBS because adversaries may use the spatial and temporal correlations in the user's location samples to infer the user's location information with higher certainty. Such user location trajectories are also very important for many applications, e.g., business analysis, city planning, and intelligent transportation. However, publishing such location trajectories to the public or a third party for data analysis could pose serious privacy concerns. Privacy protection in continuous LBS and trajectory data publication has increasingly drawn attention from the research community and industry. In this survey, we give an overview of the state-of-the-art privacy-preserving techniques in these two problems.
Quality-driven resource-adaptive data stream mining?
Authors: Junghans Conny , Karnstedt Marcel , Gertz Michael
Published: September 2011

Data streams have become ubiquitous in recent years and are handled on a variety of platforms, ranging from dedicated high-end servers to battery-powered mobile sensors. Data stream processing is therefore required to work under virtually any dynamic resource constraints. Few approaches exist for stream mining algorithms that are capable to adapt to given constraints, and none of them reflects from the resource adaptation to the resulting output quality. In this paper, we propose a general model to achieve resource and quality awareness for stream mining algorithms in dynamic setups. The general applicability is granted by classifying influencing parameters and quality measures as components of a multiobjective optimization problem. By the use of CluStream as an example algorithm, we demonstrate the practicability of the proposed model.
Reactivation, Replay, and Preplay: How It Might All Fit Together
Authors: Buhry Laure , Azizi Amir H. , Cheng Sen
Published: September 2011

Sequential activation of neurons that occurs during “offline” states, such as sleep or awake rest, is correlated with neural sequences recorded during preceding exploration phases. This so-calledreactivation, orreplay, has been observed in a number of different brain regions such as the striatum, prefrontal cortex, primary visual cortex and, most prominently, the hippocampus. Reactivation largely co-occurs together with hippocampal sharp-waves/ripples, brief high-frequency bursts in the local field potential. Here, we first review the mounting evidence for the hypothesis that reactivation is the neural mechanism for memory consolidation during sleep. We then discuss recent results that suggest that offline sequential activity in the waking state might not be simple repetitions of previously experienced sequences. Some offline sequential activity occurs before animals are exposed to a novel environment for the first time, and some sequences activated offline correspond to trajectories never experienced by the animal. We propose a conceptual framework for the dynamics of offline sequential activity that can parsimoniously describe a broad spectrum of experimental results. These results point to a potentially broader role of offline sequential activity in cognitive functions such as maintenance of spatial representation, learning, or planning.
Impact of Intensive Land‐Based Fish Culture in Qingdao, China, on the Bacterial Communities in Surrounding Marine Waters and Sediments
Authors: Li Qiufen , Zhang Yan , Juck David , Fortin Nathalie , Greer Charles W.
Published: September 2011

The impact of intensive land‐based fish culture in Qingdao, China, on the bacterial communities in surrounding marine environment was analyzed. Culture‐based studies showed that the highest counts of heterotrophic, ammonium‐oxidizing, nitrifying, and nitrate‐reducing bacteria were found in fish ponds and the effluent channel, with lower counts in the adjacent marine area and the lowest counts in the samples taken from 500 m off the effluent channel. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis was used to assess total bacterial diversity. Fewer bands were observed from the samples taken from near the effluent channel compared with more distant sediment samples, suggesting that excess nutrients from the aquaculture facility may be reducing the diversity of bacterial communities in nearby sediments. Phylogenetic analysis of the sequenced DGGE bands indicated that the bacteria community of fish‐culture‐associated environments was mainly composed of Flavobacteriaceae, gamma‐ and deltaproteobacteria, including genera Gelidibacter, Psychroserpen, Lacinutrix, and Croceimarina.
Severe Leptospirosis with Multiple Organ Failure Successfully Treated by Plasma Exchange and High-Volume Hemofiltration
Authors: Bourquin Vincent , Ponte Belén , Hirschel Bernard , Pugin Jérôme , Martin Pierre-Yves , Saudan Patrick
Published: September 2011

Background. Leptospirosis is a spirochetal zoonosis with complex clinical features including renal and liver failure.Case report. We report the case of a Swiss fisherman presenting with leptospirosis. After initial improvement, refractory septic shock and severe liver and kidney failure developed. The expected mortality was estimated at 90% with clinical scores. The patient underwent plasma exchanges and high-volume hemofiltration (HVHF) with complete recovery of hepatic and kidney functions.Discussion. Plasma exchanges and HVHF may confer survival benefit on patients with severe leptospirosis, refractory septic shock, and multiple-organ failure.
Distinctive Blood Eosinophilic Phenotypes and Cytokine Patterns in Eosinophilic Esophagitis, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Airway Allergy
Authors: Johnsson Marianne , Bove Mogens , Bergquist Henrik , Olsson Mikael , Fornwall Sven , Hassel Karin , Wold Agnes E. , Wennerås Christine
Published: September 2011

Blood eosinophil numbers may be elevated in allergy, inflammatory bowel disease and eosinophilic esophagitis. The aim of this study was to examine whether circulating eosinophils display distinct phenotypes in these disorders and if different patterns of eosinophilic chemoattractants exist. Blood eosinophils from patients with symptomatic eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE; n = 12), ulcerative colitis (n = 8), airway allergy (n = 10) and healthy controls (n = 10) were enumerated and their surface markers analyzed by flow cytometry. Plasma levels of pro-eosinophilic cytokines were quantified in parallel. Data were processed by multivariate pattern recognition methods to reveal disease-specific patterns of eosinophil phenotypes and cytokines. EoE patients had higher numbers of eosinophils with enhanced expression of CD23, CD54, CRTH2 and CD11c and diminished CCR3 and CD44 expression. Plasma CCL5 was also increased in EoE. Although allergic patients had increased interleukin (IL)-2, IL-3, IL-5 and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor plasma concentrations, their blood eosinophil phenotypes were indistinguishable from those of healthy controls. Decreased eosinophilic expression of CD11b, CD18, CD44 and CCR3, but no distinctive pattern of eosinophil chemoattractants, characterized ulcerative colitis. We propose that eosinophils acquire varying functional properties as a consequence of distinct patterns of activation signals released from the inflamed tissues in different diseases.
Artistic Production Following Brain Damage: A Study of Three Artists
Authors: Chatterjee Anjan , Bromberger Bianca , Smith William B. , Sternschein Rebecca , Widick Page
Published: September 2011

We know little about the neurologic bases of art production. The idea that the right brain hemisphere is the “artistic brain” is widely held, despite the lack of evidence for this claim. Artists with brain damage can offer insight into these laterality questions. The authors used an instrument called the Assessment of Art Attributes to examine the work of two individuals with left-brain damage and one with right-hemisphere damage. In each case, their art became more abstract and distorted and less realistic. They also painted with looser strokes, less depth and more vibrant colors. No unique pattern was observed following right-brain damage. However, art produced after left-brain damage also became more symbolic. These results show that the neural basis of art production is distributed across both hemispheres in the human brain.
The ArtScience Program for Realizing Human Potential
Authors: Siler Todd
Published: September 2011

Established in 1994, the ArtScience Program integrates the arts and sciences, applying their methods of creative inquiry, critical thinking, real-world problem solving and collaboration skills for meeting today's challenges. Using arts-based learning tools and facilitated hands-on workshops, individuals learn to make and explore symbolic models through Metaphorming. This process connects and transforms information in personally meaningful, purposeful and useful ways. The symbolic models serve as a global common language to help improve communication by fostering understanding.
An Extended Model for the Potential Intensity of Tropical Cyclones
Authors: Frisius Thomas , Schönemann Daria
Published: September 2011

Emanuel’s theory of hurricane potential intensity (E-PI) makes use of the assumption that slantwise convective instability vanishes in a steady-state vortex of a tropical cyclone. In the framework of an extended mathematical potential intensity model it is shown that relaxing this assumption and including an eye results in a larger maximum wind speed compared to that of the predictions made by E-PI. Previous studies by Bryan and Rotunno demonstrate that the effect of unbalanced flow considerably contributes to maximum winds in excess of E-PI (“superintensity”). The authors argue that the proposed mechanism induced by convective instability provides another possible explanation for simulated and observed tropical cyclones exceeding E-PI in addition to flow imbalance. Further evidence for the relevance of conditional instability in mature tropical cyclones to superintensity is given by the fact that convective available potential energy arises in numerical simulations of tropical cyclones. This is demonstrated by means of an axisymmetric cloud model that is in qualitative agreement with the analytical model. These simulations reveal a dependence of superintensity on the amount of CAPE outside the eyewall and also reproduce the decrease in superintensity with increased horizontal diffusion as found in previous studies.
A Statistical Adjustment of Regional Climate Model Outputs to Local Scales: Application to Platja de Palma, Spain
Authors: Amengual A. , Homar V. , Romero R. , Alonso S. , Ramis C.
Published: September 2011

Projections of climate change effects for the System of Platja de Palma (SPdP) are derived using a novel statistical technique. Socioeconomic activities developed in this settlement are very closely linked to its climate. Any planning for socioeconomic opportunities in the mid- and long term must take into account the possible effects of climate change. To this aim, daily observed series of minimum and maximum temperatures, precipitation, relative humidity, cloud cover, and wind speed have been analyzed. For the climate projections, daily data generated by an ensemble of regional climate models (RCMs) have been used. To properly use RCM data at local scale, a quantile–quantile adjustment has been applied to the simulated regional projections. The method is based on detecting changes in the cumulative distribution functions between the recent past and successive time slices of the simulated climate and applying these, after calibration, to the recent past (observed) series. Results show an overall improvement in reproducing the present climate baseline when using calibrated series instead of raw RCM outputs, although the correction does not result in such clear improvement when dealing with very extreme rainfalls. Next, the corrected series are analyzed to quantify the climate change signal. An increase of the annual means for temperatures together with a decrease for the remaining variables is projected throughout the twenty-first century. Increases in weak and intense daily rainfalls and in high extremes for daily maximum temperature can also be expected. With this information at hand, the experts planning the future of SPdP can respond more effectively to the problem of local adaptation to climate change.
Regression Models for Outlier Identification (Hurricanes and Typhoons) in Wave Hindcast Databases
Authors: Mínguez R. , Reguero B. G. , Luceño A. , Méndez F. J.
Published: September 2011

The development of numerical wave prediction models for hindcast applications allows a detailed description of wave climate in locations where long-term instrumental records are not available. Wave hindcast databases (WHDBs) have become a powerful tool for the design of offshore and coastal structures, offering important advantages for the statistical characterization of wave climate all over the globe (continuous time series, wide spatial coverage, constant time span, homogeneous forcing, and more than 60-yr-long time series). However, WHDBs present several deficiencies reported in the literature. One of these deficiencies is related to typhoons and hurricanes, which are inappropriately reproduced by numerical models. The main reasons are (i) the difficulty of specifying accurate wind fields during these events and (ii) the insufficient spatiotemporal resolution used. These difficulties make the data related to these events appear as “outliers” when compared with instrumental records. These bad data distort results from calibration and/or correction techniques. In this paper, several methods for detecting the presence of typhoons and/or hurricane data are presented, and their automatic outlier identification capabilities are analyzed and compared. All the methods are applied to a global wave hindcast database and results are compared with existing hurricane and buoy databases in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and North Atlantic Ocean.
Observational Undersampling in Tropical Cyclones and Implications for Estimated Intensity
Authors: Uhlhorn Eric W. , Nolan David S.
Published: September 2011

The maximum surface wind speed is an important parameter for tropical cyclone operational analysis and forecasting, since it defines the intensity of a cyclone. Operational forecast centers typically refer the wind speed to a maximum 1- or 10-min averaged value. Aircraft reconnaissance provides measurements of surface winds; however, because of the large variation of winds in the eyewall, it remains unclear to what extent observing the maximum wind is limited by the sampling pattern. Estimating storm intensity as simply the maximum of the observed winds is generally assumed by forecasters to underestimate the true storm intensity. The work presented herein attempts to quantify this difference by applying a methodology borrowed from the observing system simulation experiment concept, in which simulated “observations” are drawn from a numerical model. These “observations” may then be compared to the actual peak wind speed of the simulation. By sampling a high-resolution numerical simulation of Hurricane Isabel (2003) with a virtual aircraft equipped with a stepped-frequency microwave radiometer flying a standard “figure-four” pattern, the authors find that the highest wind observed over a flight typically underestimates the 1-min averaged model wind speed by 8.5% ± 1.5%. In contrast, due to its corresponding larger spatial scale, the 10-min averaged maximum wind speed is far less underestimated (1.5% ± 1.7%) using the same sampling method. These results support the National Hurricane Center’s practice, which typically assumes that the peak 1-min wind is somewhat greater than the highest observed wind speed over a single reconnaissance aircraft mission.
Health Literacy and Sources of Health Information for Caregivers of Urban Children With Asthma
Authors: Fagnano Maria , Halterman Jill S. , Conn Kelly M. , Shone Laura P.
Published: September 2011

Little is known about the resources used by urban caregivers of children with asthma to obtain health information. The authors analyzed data for 304 families of children with persistent asthma to describe (1) sources of health information, (2) access and use of Internet resources, and (3) the association between the caregiver’s health literacy (HL) and use of health information sources. Overall, 37% of caregivers had limited HL. Most families received health information from a health care professional (94%), written sources (51%), family/friends (42%), non–print media (34%), and the Internet (30%). Less than half of caregivers had access to the Internet at home, but 73% reported Internet use in the past year. Caregivers with adequate HL were more likely to obtain information from multiple sources and to use and have access to the Internet. The results suggest that HL is associated with where caregivers obtain health information from for their children and their use of the Internet.
Acoustic Correlates of Stress in English Adjective–Noun Compounds
Authors: Morrill Tuuli
Published: September 2011

This study investigates the phonetic implementation of stress in American English compounds by measuring the interaction of stress cues with different intonation patterns. Participants in an experiment produced compounds and phrases such as greenhouse and green house in different prosodic positions and sentence types to elicit the contrast in a variety of intonational environments. Intonation patterns were labeled and carefully controlled for, and measurements of vowel duration, intensity (dB) and pitch (in semitones) were compared. The results of the experiment reveal clear patterns that distinguish compounds from phrases, and provide acoustic evidence of the characteristic prominence pattern for adjective + noun compounds. Intensity is a significant cue for compound stress in all but the rising intonation environments, such as questions. Duration differences are a reliable cue in exactly this intonational environment, and also in certain clause-final intonation patterns, which similarly contain a high boundary tone. Distinctive pitch patterns were also found. The results suggest that interactions with the intonational and prosodic environment determine which phonetic cues will signal the stress pattern of a compound in a given utterance.
Social Networks in ‘Neighbourhood Tokyo’
Authors: Wissink Bart , Hazelzet Arjan
Published: September 2011

The loss of community worries academics and politicians the world over, and Japan is no exception. Over recent decades, in response to an outcry over diminishing social cohesion, Japan has seen a wave of neighbourhood projects, aiming to restore local social networks. At the same time, some argue that here urban neighbourhoods still function as organisers of social life. These contrasting views make Japanese cities interesting case studies. Unfortunately, despite a host of studies on aspects of neighbourhood involvement, there is limited general research into local social networks as a neighbourhood effect. The authors aim to fill this gap with evidence from a household survey in Tokyo. They conclude that neighbourhoods in Tokyo are relatively mixed and that, for some groups, the neighbourhood is an important source for social relations. However, the study does not show that this supports cross-group relations.
The Changing Route to Owner-occupation: The Impact of Borrowing Constraints on Young Adult Homeownership Transitions in Britain in the 1990s
Authors: Andrew Mark
Published: September 2011

The reduction in young adult homeownership rates in Britain in the 1990s was partly caused by demographics and partly by a shift in the income distribution. Most of their relative income deterioration occurred in the first part of the decade, yet young adult homeownership rates continued to fall. This paper extends that analysis by empirically examining whether lender-imposed borrowing restrictions also contributed to their decline, especially since house prices rose rapidly in the second half of the decade. A duration model examining the timing of a transition into homeownership is estimated on a sample of young adults derived from the British Household Panel Survey. Credit constraint terms are constructed and included in the model. A simulation analysis is undertaken to assess the extent to which binding credit constraints were responsible for the observed falls. It is concluded that borrowing restrictions delayed young adult transitions into homeownership.
‘Where Is the Global City?’ Visual Narratives of London among East European Migrants
Authors: Datta Ayona
Published: September 2011

Based on research conducted with men arriving from eastern Europe in London after the expansion of the EU in 2004, this article examines how migrants’ narratives of the city construct a counter-discourse to a ‘global’ London. It is argued that the use of ‘visual narratives’– a combination of participant-directed photography and semi-structured interviews as a methodology—allows for the exploration of embodied and material aspects of everyday lives in the city, which destabilise traditional urban pictorial approaches to the city. Such narratives of participants’ embodied movements through London relocate the observer as the everyday mobile-subject; they highlight the connections between urban and transnational mobilities; and they present participants’ constructions of different kinds of affective spaces in the city where they begin to negotiate home, belonging and return.
Perceived Level and Appraisal of the Growing Expectations for Active Ageing Among the Young-Old in Germany
Authors: Pavlova Maria K. , Silbereisen Rainer K.
Published: September 2011

Demographic change and the call for active ageing impose new demands on older individuals. Using data on German adults aged 56 to 75 ( N = 1,468), the authors investigated perceived level of activation demands (e.g., increased expectations that the young-old will contribute to the public good) and appraisal of them as threatening or challenging by individuals with different health status and socioeconomic backgrounds. Overall, perceived level of demands was moderately high, and they were seen rather as a challenge. East Germans, those with better subjective health, and those unemployed reported a higher level of activation demands, whereas retired and widowed individuals reported a lower level. Moreover, East Germans, individuals with lower educational attainment, and those reporting health problems (but not physically handicapped individuals) experienced these demands more as a threat and less as a challenge. The authors argue that more targeted policy strategies are needed to promote active ageing in disadvantaged groups.
The ICF-CY Perspective on the Neurorehabilitation of Cerebral Palsy
Authors: Trabacca Antonio , Russo Luigi , Losito Luciana , Rinaldis Marta De , Moro Grazia , Cacudi Marilena , Gennaro Leonarda
Published: September 2011

Starting from the case of a 12-year-old boy with dyskinetic (athetoid-dystonic subtype) cerebral palsy, the authors apply the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for Children and Youth (ICF-CY) of the World Health Organization (WHO) as a comprehensive documentation tool to guide the pathway of care and illustrate a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary neurorehabilitation team approach. The ICF-CY provides a common and universal language for describing and measuring health and disability in the first 2 decades of life. Despite the fact that this is a single case design, the authors consider it useful for the identification of an ICF-CY core set for the description of children with cerebral palsy. The results of this single case study are preliminary and need to be tested in a large trial of children with cerebral palsy.
Surface quality of carbon/carbon composite after ultrasonic assisted turning
Authors: Ma F J , Guo D M , Kang R K , Ren Y J
Published: September 2011

It is usually hard to obtain a good surface quality of carbon/carbon (C/C) composite by turning due to its non-homogeneity and anisotropy. Contrasting experiments of ultrasonic assisted turning (UAT) and common turning (CT) of the C/C composite were carried out using a polycrystalline diamond tool. The cylindrical surface of the turning was classified into four typical types based on different fibre orientations. The influence of fibre distribution characteristics on surface roughness was analysed by measuring and comparing the roughness of these surfaces, and an evaluation method of surface quality for the C/C composite after turning was established. The results of UAT experiments on the C/C composite show that UAT could effectively reduce the machining defect. The roughness of typical surfaces 1 and 2 machined using UAT was about 20 per cent lower than that using CT.
Fabrication of a point defect photonic crystal based on diamond structure with a cavity and its microwave properties
Authors: Chen S , Li D , Wang M , Wei D
Published: September 2011

This paper presents a novel fabrication method for three-dimensional (3D) ceramic point defect photonic crystals. The 3D defect photonic crystal, which possesses an air cavity, has been designed by cutting a rectangular shape (3.5 mm × 3.5 mm × 7 mm) in the centre of a photonic crystal with a diamond lattice structure model (50 mm × 30 mm × 20 mm) with a lattice constant of 7 mm. Stereolithography (SL) technology was applied to fabricate resin moulds with an inverse-diamond structure incorporating the defect, and high solid content aqueous ceramic slurry was prepared and injected into the moulds. After gel-casting, drying, and high-temperature sintering, ceramic 3D photonic crystals with intact structure and minimal shrinkage were obtained. The penetration of an electric field with resonant modes of about 3 mm into the host lattice was observed by measuring the <110> direction of the samples, which resulted from the rectangular air cavity resonator. The results show that this method can be used to fabricate ceramic 3D point defect photonic crystals with a complex 3D structure.
Process design and experimental verification of hydroforming for flanged tubular part
Authors: Joo B D , Choi M K , Van Tyne C J , Moon Y H
Published: September 2011

Tube hydroforming is a technology that utilizes hydraulic pressure to form a tube into desired shapes inside die cavities. It is widely used in the automotive industry because of its various advantages, such as weight reduction, increased strength, improved quality, and reduced tooling cost. Hydroformed automotive parts used as structural components in the vehicle body frame or the subframe must often be structurally joined at certain locations, and it is useful if these parts can be manufactured with a localized attachment flange. This study proposes a flange hydroforming process, which consists of pre-bulging, flange forming, and conform shaping. The numerical process design by finite element (FE) analysis was performed with Dynaform 5.5. To accomplish a successful flange hydroforming process design, investigations on the proper combination of process parameters such as tool geometry, tube diameter, and internal hydraulic pressure were performed. To fabricate a flange of a specific target length on hydroformed tubular parts, an analytical model that predicts the flange length for a given set of process conditions is proposed. Hydroforming experiments to fabricate a flanged tubular part were performed, and the forming characteristics at various pressure conditions were analysed. The results show that the proposed hydroforming process can successfully produce flanged parts of a specific target length.
Event-driven graphical representative schema for job-shop-type material flows and data computing usingautomatic identification of radio frequency identification tags
Authors: Jiang P Y , Fu Y B , Zhu Q Q , Zheng M
Published: September 2011

In order to track material flow in job shops more accurately and effectively, this paper presents an ‘event-triggering time-state’ graphical schema-based operation model for describing and formalizing material flow. At the same time, the operation model is associated with valid radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. Then judgement rules are proposed for identifying and picking out valid ones from all found RFID tags. In this way, material flow can be tracked effectively and in real time through use of the multi-view technique. Finally, a case is studied for demonstrating the feasibility and availability of the proposed model and method.
Through-thickness compression response of uncured prepreg during manufacture by automated layup
Authors: Lukaszewicz D H-J A , Potter K
Published: September 2011

A better understanding of the mechanical properties of prepreg in the uncured state is required to establish process models for automated layup of thermoset prepregs. Such models would enable control of the bulk factor and defects, such as fibre waviness and voidage, during layup. Pressure application time and temperature during automated layup are typically low while the through-thickness strains can be high due to a reduction of gaps between the plies. A viscoelastic analysis for the through-thickness compression response of a toughened carbon/epoxy prepreg is compared against an elastic–plastic material behaviour with respect to automated layup for three representative temperatures. It is shown that a simple plastic material law with strain hardening can be used to accurately model the material response during automated layup of toughened epoxy prepreg. A finite-element model shows good agreement with experimental results.
Experimental study on the surface roughness of micromilled Elgiloy™
Authors: Zhang P , Wang B , Liang Y , Jackson M J
Published: September 2011

Elgiloy™ is a cobalt-based alloy with excellent physical and chemical performance, and is used widely in medical and industrial applications. The machining accuracy, surface topography, and surface damaged layer play an important role in the use of the alloy for specific applications. In this paper, an experimental study on the surface roughness of precision micromilling of Elgiloy is accomplished by using a super-fine-grained tungsten carbide milling cutter. The surface topography of the surface of the slots milled is achieved with different values of feed speed and axial depth of cut. Three-dimensional (3D) measurement results are considered to reflect the surface topography based on a comparison of the difference between two-dimensional (2D) and 3D surface roughness measurements. The arithmetic mean deviation of the slots’ 3D surface is achieved by using a white light interferometric profilometer. By using analysis of variance (ANOVA), the factors of feed speed, axial depth of cut, and their interaction are proven to be the most important factors relating to the magnitude of surface roughness.
Dual use of PZT patches as sensors in global dynamic and local electromechanical impedance techniques for structural health monitoring
Authors: Shanker Rama , Bhalla Suresh , Gupta Ashok , Praveen Kumar Matta
Published: September 2011

In this article, a new approach is proposed to effectively detect the initiation and progression of structural damage by combining the global dynamic and the local electromechanical impedance (EMI) techniques, using the same set of surface-bonded piezoelectric ceramic (PZT) patches as sensors. The PZT patches are used to determine the natural frequencies and the strain mode shapes of the structure (for use in the global dynamic technique) as well as to acquire the electromechanical admittance signature (for use in the EMI technique) to facilitate an improved damage assessment. Occurrence and location of the incipient damage are determined using the EMI technique, whereas for moderate to severe damages, the location and the severity are arrived at through the global dynamic technique. Finally, damage severity is determined in terms of the original stiffness of structure using the strain mode shapes directly determined using the PZT patches. The proposed technique is illustrated using two specimens—a 4-m long steel beam and a mild steel plate 1260 mm × 630 mm × 6.5 mm in size. The integrated approach provides greater information about damage, is simple to apply, does not involve any numerical/analytical modeling a priori, and is at the same time very cost effective.
Design of robust-stable and quadratic finite-horizon optimal active vibration controllers with low trajectory sensitivity for the uncertain flexible rotor systems via the orthogonal-functions approach and the hybrid Taguchi-genetic algorithm
Authors: Chen Shinn-Horng , Ho Wen-Hsien , Chou Jyh-Horng , Lu Fang
Published: September 2011

By studying the robust stabilizability condition, the orthogonal-functions approach (OFA), and the hybrid Taguchi-genetic algorithm (HTGA), an integrative method is presented in this paper to design the robust-stable and quadratic finite-horizon optimal active vibration controller with low trajectory sensitivity such that (i) the flexible rotor system with elemental parametric uncertainties can be robustly stabilized, and (ii) a quadratic finite-horizon integral performance index, including a quadratic trajectory sensitivity term for the nominal flexible rotor system, can be minimized. In this paper, the robust stabilizability condition is proposed in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Based on the OFA, an algebraic algorithm only involving the algebraic computation is derived in this paper for solving the nominal flexible rotor system feedback dynamic equations. By using the OFA and the LMI-based robust stabilizability condition, the robust-stable and quadratic finite-horizon optimal active vibration control problem for the uncertain flexible rotor system is transformed into a static constrained-optimization problem represented by the algebraic equations with constraint of LMI-based robust stabilizability condition. Then, for the static constrained-optimization problem, the HTGA is employed to find the robust-stable and quadratic finite-horizon optimal active vibration controllers of the uncertain flexible rotor system. An example is given to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed integrative approach.
Dynamic stability of functionally graded materials skew plates subjected to uniformly distributed tangential follower forces
Authors: Ruan Miao , Wang Zhong-Min , Wang Yan
Published: September 2011

The dynamic stability of functionally graded material (FGM) skew thin plate subjected to uniformly distributed tangential follower force is investigated. The material properties are assumed to vary continuously through their thickness according to a power-law distribution of the volume fractions of the plate constituents based on the Voigt model. In skew coordinate system, the differential equations of motion of the FGM skew plate subjected to uniformly distributed tangential follower force are derived by the Kirchhoff thin plate theory, and the different boundary conditions are obtained of the plate for arbitrary curve edges. By eliminating the in-plane displacement components on the neutral plane, the differential equations of motion can be expressed in terms of deflection only. Then the equations are discretized by the differential quadrature method, and the curves of real parts and imaginary parts of the first second-order dimensionless complex frequencies vs. uniformly distributed tangential follower force are obtained. The effects of the gradient index, skew angle and aspect ratio on the instability type and the corresponding critical load of the non-conservation FGM skew plate are analyzed.
Investigation of structural safety of existing masonry healthcare facilities in Turkey
Authors: Korkmaz Kasim Armagan , Nuhoglu Ayhan , Arisoy Bengi , Carhoglu Asuman Isil
Published: September 2011

Masonry healthcare facilities in Turkey are investigated in the current research. The structural assessment of the healthcare facilities has become very important for increasing building safety. A large amount of the existing healthcare facilities are generally old buildings, constructed before engineering practices were developed making most buildings vulnerable to severe structural damage. Since healthcare facilities are costly buildings to replace, structural and non-structural assessments have economical importance. Even non-structural behavior can be more critical than structural behavior as ground vibrations can cause severe damage to these types of facilities. Different ground vibrations and soil types are employed in the analyses to investigate structural and non-structural behavior of these types of facilities.
Nonlinear size-dependent forced vibrational behavior of microbeams based on a non-classical continuum theory
Authors: Kahrobaiyan Mohammad Hussein , Asghari Mohsen , Hoore Masoud , Ahmadian Mohammad Taghi
Published: September 2011

In this paper, the nonlinear forced-vibration of Euler-Bernoulli beams with large deflections is investigated based on the modified couple stress theory, a non-classical theory capable of capturing size effects. The classical theory is unable to predict the size effects. In systems with the dimensions in order of microns and sub-microns the size effects are very significant. For some specific beams subjected to a concentrated force at its middle as the harmonic exciter, the size-dependent responses are investigated for primary, super-harmonic and sub-harmonic resonances. The results show that the frequency-responses of the system are highly size-dependent.
Analysing multiparty competition in plurality rule elections
Authors: Dunleavy Patrick , Diwakar Rekha
Published: September 2011

The study of general election outcomes can be helped by finding better approaches for visualizing large quantities of information and asking questions about its patterning. We review the Nagayama or ‘all possibilities' triangle display, and show that it can only legitimately be used to show an overall ‘field’ of results that is logically feasible, called the effective space of competition, which varies with the number of observable parties. We apply this reductionist view to analysing outcomes in three leading plurality rule systems (the USA, India and Great Britain), focusing on evidence of the Duvergerian psychological effect acting on voters during campaign periods. The Effective Competition Space view illuminates some key differences across countries, and variations with rising numbers of parties competing. We next consider a more holistic approach, the ‘crown’ diagram, which links electoral district outcomes more closely to the most important politico-ideological dimension in each country. Both views suggest some tentative evolutionary hypotheses for the variegated development of plurality rule systems over time. Britain is a highly nationalized party system, but one that has moved substantially away from Duvergerian predictions of two-party focusing, and towards multiparty politics. The USA seems to be a case of ‘stunted development’. India shows a partial Duvergerian conformity, yet combined with a substantial vertical scatter of non-Duvergerian results. Applications to over-time and regional analysis within countries are also sketched.
The Disputed Roots of Legal Pluralism
Authors: Tuori Kaius
Published: September 2011

It has been claimed that Felix S. Cohen, one of the leaders of the American legal realism movement of the 1930s, introduced legal pluralism to America. This article argues that this assessment is controversial and depends on the definition of legal pluralism. In its analysis of the concepts of legal pluralism advanced by Cohen and his contemporaries Karl Llewellyn and A. Arthur Schiller, the impact of the different traditions of legal pluralism is demonstrated. In fact, Schiller was the first to introduce many of the basic tenets of current legal pluralism such as the preservation of indigenous law in American legal discourse.
Colonization of the Gastrointestinal Tract in Neonates
Authors: Moore Tiffany A. , Hanson Corrine K. , Anderson-Berry Ann
Published: September 2011

Bacterial colonization of the neonatal gastrointestinal tract has emerged as an issue involving nutrition, immunity, and overall mortality. Bacterial organisms colonizing the gastrointestinal tract play a vital role in maintaining intestinal homeostasis, including digestion, nutrient absorption, and immunological mechanisms. In neonates, these bacteria are essential in postnatal development of intestinal mucosa and gut-associated lymphoid tissue critical for immunological protection. Colonization of bacteria is thought to occur over the first 1 to 2 weeks of life. Delivery mode, feeding method, and environment affect the succession and establishment of the beneficial bacteria in the neonate. Neonates delivered vaginally are colonized by the bacteria from the mother, whereas neonates delivered via caesarean section initially colonize with bacteria from the environment. Feeding method is another factor; Bifidobacterium species are believed to dominate the microflora of breastfed infants by day of life 2 to 3 and are thought to be critical in postnatal immunology. Formula-fed infants often have a more diverse microflora and a less obvious presence of the Bifidobacterium. Compared with healthy, term neonates, preterm infants have a significant delay in bacterial colonization. The effects of an immature gastrointestinal track, lack of enteral feeding, and the frequent use of antibiotic therapy are believed to contribute to the delay and imbalance in the microflora of preterm infants. Prolonged exposure to hospital bacteria increases the risk of colonization with strains specific to hospital flora.