bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An interactive method for the analysis of the simulation of vehicle–bridge coupling vibration using ANSYS and SIMPACK
Authors: Li Yongle , Xu Xinyu , Zhou Yu , Cai CS , Qin Jingxi
Published: December 2017

Vehicle–bridge coupling vibration is a complicated interaction process, which includes multibody dynamics of vehicles, structural dynamics of bridges, and wheel–rail contact relationships. A single software is not adequate for the coupling analysis. Therefore, to efficiently conduct the vehicle–bridge coupling vibration analysis, an interactive method that integrates the commercial finite element software ANSYS and the multibody system software SIMPACK was presented in this study. The method takes advantage of the high modeling efficiency of ANSYS and the powerful wheel–rail analysis ability of SIMPACK. Two interactive methods, the dummy body coupling method and the equivalent flexible track method, were presented, and the merits and demerits of the two methods were compared in detail. Finally, the equivalent flexible track method was adopted for the analysis. The interactive method that was presented was confirmed to be feasible by the continuous bridge example, and the simulation for the long-span bridge was discussed further. It is shown that the interactive method has high computational efficiency and good convergence rate for various bridges, and the vehicle–bridge coupling vibration analysis can be conducted well and followed conveniently by other researchers.
Containment capacity and estimation of crashworthiness of derailment containment walls against high-speed trains
Authors: Bae Hyun-Ung , Yun Kyung-Min , Lim Nam-Hyoung
Published: December 2017

Europe, USA, China, Japan, and Korea, which possess advanced railway technologies, have attempted to develop high-speed rail technology and ensure safety based on social requirements and the need for greater speeds. However, despite these efforts, there have been recent reports of train accidents resulting in loss of lives. Fatal train accidents usually involve derailments or collisions that do not happen frequently. However, when they occur, the damage is catastrophic. Therefore, a protection infrastructure should be installed to minimize such damage. Since the high-speed railways were introduced in Korea, derailment containment walls have been constructed to mitigate and minimize the damages caused by such accidents. The need for the judgment of effectiveness and feasibility review of the derailment containment walls in terms of economics and construction ability has been presented by designers and constructors. In this paper, the authors have evaluated the containment capacity and collision durability (crashworthiness) of a derailment containment wall, constructed in Korea, using a collision simulation after the derailment of a train.
Numerical analysis of the effect of track parameters on the wear of turnout rails in high-speed railways
Authors: Xu Jingmang , Wang Ping , Wang Jian , An Boyang , Chen Rong
Published: December 2017

In this study, a numerical procedure is developed to predict the wear of turnout rails, and the effect of track parameters is investigated. The procedure includes simulation of the dynamic interaction between the train and the turnout, the rolling contact analysis, and the wear model. The dynamic interaction is simulated with the validated commercial software Simpack that uses a space-dependent model of a railway turnout. To reproduce the actual operating conditions of a railway turnout, stochastic variations in the input parameters are considered in the simulation of the dynamic interaction. The rolling contact is analyzed with the semi-Hertzian method and improved FASTSIM algorithm, which enable the contact model to deal with situations of multipoint contact and nonelliptic contact. Based on the Archard’s wear law, the wear model requires the calculation of normal/tangential stresses and a relative slide on the contact patches. The numerical procedure is performed for the selected sections of the vehicle, which runs through the railway turnout in the diverging route. By using the numerical procedure, the effect of track parameters (track gage, rail inclination, and friction coefficient) on the wear of turnout rails is analyzed. The results show that the wear of the front wheelset is more serious than the wear of the rear wheelset for a single vehicle. The degree of wear of switch rails is more severe than that of the stock rails and the difference is more obvious for the front wheelset of the switch rails. The wear of switch rails is mainly concentrated on the rail gage corner, while the wear of stock rails is mainly concentrated on the rail crown. For the analysed CN60-1100-1:18 turnout and the high-speed vehicle CRH2 in China, the rail wear rate could be slowed down by increasing the track gage and decreasing the rail inclination. Alternatively, the rail wear rate could be slowed by decreasing the friction coefficient; however, the variation of wear depth is quite small for friction coefficients that are larger than 0.3.
Optimization of collision avoidance maneuver planning for cluster satellites in space debris explosion situation
Authors: Seong Jae-Dong , Kim Hae-Dong
Published: December 2017

In this study, the conjunction situation when a number of explosion fragments approach four cluster satellites was simulated, and an optimum avoidance maneuver plan that mitigates this risk was established. The orbits of four deputy satellites around a virtual chief satellite were defined using the Hill–Clohessy–Wiltshire equation, and NASA’s breakup model was applied to similar altitude rocket body to simulate explosions situation. The distribution of 230 explosion fragments after an explosion was simulated, and the size and direction of the Delta-V were applied to each fragment. In this situation, the collision avoidance maneuver planning strategy that uses heuristic algorithm was proposed to establish efficient avoidance maneuver plan for approaching fragments after the explosion. Avoidance maneuver plans using four heuristic algorithms were established to minimize the fuel consumption of the four cluster satellites within several constraints including conjunction risk, ground track and formation between cluster satellites. Eight simulations were performed with different combinations of the four heuristic algorithms and different generations and populations. As a result, all avoidance maneuver plan satisfied conjunction risk constraint as well as the other complex constraints. In particular, particle swarm optimization–gravitational search algorithm established the most efficient maneuver plan with the least fuel consumption and fastest convergence speed.
Investigation of computational flow fields and aeroacoustic characteristics over a re-entry command module
Authors: Rose J Bruce Ralphin , Saranya P , Benifa JV Bibal
Published: December 2017

Design and analysis of a wind tunnel model for re-entry vehicle configuration is a prolonged and expensive mission. As the aerothermodynamics loads acting on the vehicle are based on geometry, various wind tunnel models need to be built for aerodynamic characterization by experimental procedure. Alternatively, the intention of this article is to present the influence of aerodynamic and aero acoustic characteristics of a typical re-entry capsule by computational fluid dynamics analysis. A typical re-entry capsule is designed using computational design software and it is imported to a computational fluid dynamics solver and flow simulations are done at various input conditions. Stanford University unstructured computational fluid dynamics solver is used for this purpose to solve complex, multiphysics analysis, and optimization tasks. Computational fluid dynamics results are presented to understand the influence of aerodynamic characteristics of a typical re-entry capsule, by visualizing the flow field around the command module at all the flow regimes like subsonic, supersonic, and hypersonic flows. The flow fields are studied in detail and regions of high flow unsteadiness due to wake separated flow zone are identified. Aeroacoustic loading on the command module at these regions especially at shock wave zone are predicted in the present investigation with high order of accuracy.
Sensor fusions for constant thrust aircraft navigation in pitch plane
Authors: Ashokkumar Chimpalthradi R , York George WP
Published: December 2017

Constant thrust aircraft navigation is an altitude hold mode in air transportation systems, air refueling systems, traffic alert and collision avoidance system and automatic dependent surveillance broadcast based collision avoidance, as well as in surveillance operations of unmanned aerial vehicles. In pitch plane, determination of the elevator input options available to maneuver the aircraft from its altitude hold mode using constant thrust is an important problem. Such inputs are useful to avoid time critical obstacles or collisions sensed in the horizontal plane. In this paper, it is shown that sensor fusions in feedback path are particularly attractive to generate such elevator inputs. Given the nonlinear aircraft’s linear time-invariant model based controllers at the inner loop, constant thrust aircraft navigation requires these controllers derived for sensor fusions. That is, in state feedback format, usually an identity matrix is considered for all state variables as measurements whereas in the present paper, particular combinations of the sensors in the feedback path are considered. A procedure to derive the stabilizing controllers that accommodates the sensor fusions is presented in partial pole placement framework. Then the nonlinear aircraft embedded with such controllers is simulated with capabilities to avoid the time critical obstacles. Examples by using a micro air vehicle model are illustrated.
Dynamic cloud back-propagation networks and its application in fault diagnostic for liquid-propellant rocket engines
Authors: Nie Yao , Cheng Yuqiang , Wu Jianjun
Published: December 2017

Fault diagnosis for liquid-propellant rocket engines often faces a lack of prior knowledge or insufficient sampling data, and thus becomes a decision-making problem with uncertain information sources. In this paper, a method based on dynamic cloud back-propagation networks is proposed. This uses cloud theory to synthetically combine randomness and fuzziness. In this work, a cloud model and back-propagation neural network are synthetically combined in series. A cloud transformation is used to identify the network structure and extract the features of the cloud model. Simultaneously, a unit-delay step is introduced into the input layer to describe the dynamic behaviour during the engine working process. The proposed fault diagnosis method for liquid-propellant rocket engines is verified using the actual data. The results confirm that the proposed method accurately recognizes all three relevant failure modes. Further, randomness associated with the measurement process and ambient noises are simulated by adding random noise to the test conditions. Simulation results demonstrate that the method correctly detects and classifies faults according to the principles of sustainability, indicating a high robustness towards noise. The proposed method has a single-step operating time of 1.24 × 10−4 s, satisfying the real-time requirements for fault diagnosis in liquid-propellant rocket engines.
Optimal cooperative guidance with guaranteed miss distance in three-body engagement
Authors: Fang Feng , Cai Yuan-Li
Published: December 2017

The three-body engagement where a target aircraft protects itself by using a cooperative defender missile to intercept an attacking missile is investigated. It is formulated as a constrained linear quadratic optimal problem. Two different optimal cooperative guidance laws for the target and defender are proposed in two cooperation schemes. Since any control effort to reduce the miss distance to smaller than missile’s lethal radius is wasted, the guidance laws are derived to achieve an upper bound on the missile–defender miss distance. In the two-way cooperation scheme, the target and the defender act as a team. How the target makes a trade-off between aiding the defender and evading the missile is investigated by considering both the missile–target zero-effort miss distance and the control effort into the cost function. Without the penalty weight on the missile–target zero-effort miss distance, the two-way minimum control effort guidance laws are available. In the one-way cooperation scheme, the target uses a known evasion strategy independently. The optimal cooperative guidance law is derived for minimizing the control effort of the defender. Simulation results show that these proposed guidance laws can provide a specified missile–defender miss distance and save the control effort compared with the zero-miss-distance guidance law. Two-way cooperation scheme outperforms one-way cooperation scheme.
Coordinated formation control strategy of the rotating hub-spoke tethered formation system
Authors: Huang Panfeng , Hu Yongxin , Zhao Yakun , Ma Jun , Zhang Fan , Meng Zhongjie , Liu Zhengxiong
Published: December 2017

The hub-spoke tethered formation system (HS-TFS) is attractive in many space applications, such as multi-point measurements, providing flexible frame for solar sail and other membrane or net structures. To utilize the specific advantages of the system, such as reduction of fuel consumption, promotion of the formation stability, the HS-TFS is usually designed as a rotating system. However, the rotating motion will increase the complexity of the formation control of the HS-TFS. In this paper, the formation control of the rotating HS-TFS is investigated. First, an analytical model based on several reasonable assumptions is introduced to describe the dynamics of the rotating HS-TFS. Based on this model, two coordinated formation control strategies are proposed and described in detail, in which the tension forces of the tethers, propulsions of the sub-spacecraft, and the torque of the master-spacecraft are used as control inputs. Then a closed-loop control system is constructed to validate the proposed coordinated formation control strategies. Finally detailed numerical simulations are implemented based on the closed-loop control system. The simulation results show that the proposed coordinated control strategies are capable of assigning the operating time of the torque of the master-spacecraft and improving the efficiency of the formation control of the rotating HS-TFS.
Decentralized navigational state estimation for networked navigation systems with finite channel capacity and randomly switching topologies
Authors: Gao Chao , Zhao Guorong , Lu Jianhua , Pan Shuang
Published: December 2017

This article deals with the decentralized navigational state estimation problem for a class of networked navigation systems, in order that the average navigation performance of networked navigation system carriers is guaranteed over a given finite-horizon. The observations of the novel system, comprising the cooperative information of the neighbors and the locally relative measures, are transmitted through a randomly switching topology network with finite channel capacity, and thus are exposed to the impacts of quantization effect, channel saturation, and colored noise. In this study, the above issues are tackled via a decentralized receding horizon fusion scheme, which comprises two stages. At the first stage, every networked navigation system collects the sink knowledge from its neighbors to generate a local estimate, and then the remote-access cooperative estimates, with non-equal horizon length, are further fused at the second stage to form a global estimate. Local optimal estimators are designed based on receding horizon Finite Impulse Response (FIR) estimation principle; while in global estimator, a fusion criterion for error cross-covariance is derived between local and cooperative estimates with different horizon lengths. A numerical simulation example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and applicability of the developed estimation method.
Effect of anhedral on a reverse delta wing
Authors: Lee T , Ko LS , Tremblay-Dionne V
Published: December 2017

The effect of anhedral on the vorticity flowfield and aerodynamic loadings of a slender reverse delta wing was studied experimentally. The addition of anhedral always led to a reduced lift and lift-to-drag ratio in comparison with their clean-wing counterparts. The drag was increased with increasing anhedral compared to the clean wing at the same lift condition. The reverse delta wing vortex retained its regularity to a higher angle of attack as the anhedral was increased. The persistent outboard location of the reverse delta wing vortex suggests that the lift force was mainly produced by the pressure exerted on the bottom surface of the wing. The anhedral also led to an increased vorticity level and tangential velocity.
Buckling failure modes of one-dimensional lattice truss composite structures
Authors: Sui Qianqian , Lai Changliang , Fan Hualin
Published: December 2017

To reveal compression buckling, flexural buckling and torsional buckling of one-dimensional lattice truss composite columns, parameterized finite element modelling and theoretical analyses were carried out. Global and local buckling modes of six-node lattice truss composite columns in compression were revealed by finite element modelling. The buckling styles and the critical buckling forces depend on the column length, the constraints, and the bay length. For flexural and torsional lattice truss composite columns, local buckling is the dominant failure mode. The flexural or torsional buckling moment is related to the bay length and independent of the column length. The moment decreases when the bay length gets longer. Including all these factors, theoretical models were proposed based on equivalent column theory. These models correctly predict the buckling force or moment. Imperfection analyses indicate that the lattice truss column is sensitive to imperfections when the column fails at local buckling and non-sensitive at global buckling.
Stability of cooperative unmanned aerial vehicles based on relative measurements
Authors: Dehghani MA , Menhaj MB
Published: December 2017

This paper describes a guidance method which is applicable in the leader–follower formation control. By considering limitations on communication among the aircraft, using airborne seekers for relative states measurement is proposed, and accordingly a kinematic model for the leader–follower system is developed. A main contribution of this work is analysis of the formation keeping in various flight scenarios when a cascade loop-based guidance strategy is used. In the proposed control structure, to regulate the relative ranges and the relative angles toward the desired values, two separate control channels are designed and to overcome the leader maneuvers, two proper acceleration estimators are employed. The effectiveness of the proposed guidance strategy is evaluated via simulation examples.
Fluid–structure interaction and flight dynamics analysis of parachute–payload system during uncontrolled airdrop process
Authors: Gao Xinglong , Zhang Qingbin , Tang Qiangang
Published: December 2017

The coupling behaviors of a special parachute’s inflation incorporating fluid–structure interaction and flight dynamics are investigated based on the multibody dynamic model and LS-DYNA nonlinear analysis code. A new coupling model is developed to predict both the opening phase of parachute and the trajectory of payload during airdrop mission in low attitude. The moving mesh technology is introduced to realize the finite mass inflation simulation. A simplified integration platform is built by coupling the fluid–structure interaction and flight dynamics model, and solved based on two-way data transfer to efficiently replicate the dynamic characteristics of parachute finite mass inflation. Finally, the opening performances of the parachute at different airdropping velocities are analyzed and compared with the experimental results. The unsteady flow dynamics is simulated and the wake re-contacts phenomenon occurred. Taking consideration of the periodical disturb of wind gust, the trajectory of parachute–payload system is simulated and compared with the real airdrop test results. In conclusion, the results show that this coupling model is efficient to simulate and predict the dynamics behaviors of parachute–payload system in a finite mass inflation scenario, which will be beneficial for airdrop missions.
Design and cost analysis of integration of fluidic oscillator into a flap structure
Authors: Li J , Colton J
Published: December 2017

Integration of active flow control technology into civil transport aircraft is a highly desired objective due to the potential reductions in part count, weight, and recurring manufacturing costs. This study develops an optimal design for integrating a fluidic oscillator into the leading-edge of a trailing-edge flap structure on a civil transport aircraft. The design incorporates design specifications set by members of the aerospace industry, robust design methodologies, and simulation studies to create three separate designs that can be mass-produced. An analysis of the manufacturing, assembly, material, and weight reveals the cost of the design with respect to its production rate, which ranges from about $4090 per aircraft for low-production volumes to about $2600 per aircraft for high-production volumes. As a result, this study provides a basis for the design of manufacturing and assembly techniques to integrate active flow control technology into civil transport aircraft.
A three-dimensional computational model for inlet distortion in fan and compressor
Authors: Guo Jin , Hu Jun
Published: December 2017

The aim of this article is to develop a three-dimensional computational model to simulate the traveling process of inlet distortion in fan and compressor with low calculated costs. The model is established based on the body force model in the framework of modern Computational Fluid Dynamics technology. The flow is assumed to be axisymmetric in each meridional blade passage. The impact of the solid blade shapes on airflow is modeled with blade blockage factor and blade body force. The relationships between blade body force and blade inlet Mach number together with attack angle are established with the deviation angle model and loss model. Meanwhile, the effect of the turbulent mixing is also taken into consideration. This developed computational code is then applied to the investigation of a transonic fan rotor and of a four-stage low-speed axial compressor under clean and distorted inlet condition. The predicted performance of both the fan rotor and the four-stage compressor with clean inlet are in line with the experimental results. A quantitative comparison is made between the computational results and the measurement data of the fan rotor with inlet distortion. Additionally, the transfer behavior of inlet distortion in the four-stage compressor is simulated by the model. All results demonstrate the effectiveness and practicability of the model.
“It’s just what you do”: Australian middle-class heterosexual couples negotiating compulsory parenthood
Authors: Riggs Damien W , Bartholomaeus Clare
Published: December 2017

A distinction is often made between the “choice” of not having children and the claim that having children is “natural”. What disappears in this distinction is the fact that having children is most often a choice. This choice, however, is rendered invisible through the naturalisation of parenthood as a normatively expected aspect of adulthood. Whilst this argument is not new, the topic of how heterosexual couples come to decide to have children has received relatively little attention within the academic literature. This paper reports on findings from the first stage of a longitudinal interview study focused on Australian middle-class heterosexual couples planning for a first child. A thematic analysis of interviews conducted with 10 couples found that a paired contrast was often made between what were constructed as “childless others”, and a “natural” or “innate” desire to have children. The naturalisation of a desire to have children, however, was problematised when participants spoke about expectations from family members that participants should have children. The paper concludes by considering how the relationship between parenthood and adulthood may be a specifically class-based narrative.
Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate suppresses IL-12p40 production by GM-CSF-dependent macrophages via the PPARα/TNFAIP3/TRAF6 axis after lipopolysaccharide stimulation
Authors: Yamaguchi R , Sakamoto A , Yamamoto T , Narahara S , Sugiuchi H , Hisada A , Katoh T , Yamaguchi Y
Published: December 2017

Activation of peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor α (PPARα) by di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) has an anti-inflammatory effect. This study investigated the potential combined influence of PPARα, tumor necrosis factor α-induced protein 3 (TNFAIP3/A20), and tumor necrosis factor receptor–associated factor 6 (TRAF6) on interleukin (IL)-12p40 production by macrophages exposed to DEHP and stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). LPS upregulated IL-12p40 expression by granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor–dependent macrophages (on day 9 of culture), whereas adding DEHP to cultures significantly attenuated the response of IL-12p40 to LPS stimulation. PPARα protein was also reduced by DEHP. Interestingly, transfection of macrophages with small interfering RNA (siRNA) duplexes for PPARα, TNFAIP3/A20, or dual oxidase 2 restored the response of IL-12p40 protein to LPS stimulation in the presence of DEHP. siRNAs for various protein kinase Cs (PKCs) (α, β, γ, or δ) also restored IL-12p40 production by macrophages exposed to LPS and DEHP. While LPS upregulated both IL-12p40 and TNFAIP3/A20 production, adding DEHP to cultures dramatically reduced IL-12p40 and TNFAIP3/A20 levels. Silencing of PKCα reduced TNFAIP3/A20 production, whereas PKCγ siRNA (but not PKCβ or δ siRNA) significantly increased TNFAIP3/A20. TRAF6 was also attenuated by macrophages with DEHP. The PPARα/TNFAIP3/TRAF6 axis may have an important role in the mechanism through which DEHP reduces IL-12p40 production by LPS-stimulated macrophages.
Influence of social networking sites on scholarly communication: A study using literature in Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Shrivastava Rishabh , Mahajan Preeti
Published: December 2017

With the advent of Web 2.0 tools and especially social media, researchers are increasingly active on the Web. This has resulted in a transformation in the scholarly communication process through which researchers share and bookmark research works in online platforms. In the present study, the influence of social networking sites on the field of Artificial Intelligence research was studied. The study analysed the influence of social networking sites on both conference papers and journal articles, as in a field like Artificial Intelligence both channels of research dissemination play important roles. The top 100 cited journal articles and conference papers in Artificial Intelligence published in 2009 and 2013 were analysed for their presence on social networking sites and online reference managers. It was found that amongst social networking sites, Mendeley had the greatest influence on research in Artificial Intelligence. Mendeley played the most remarkable role in transforming scholarly communication with the highest coverage of both journal articles and conference papers for both the years 2009 and 2013. It was found that the influence of social networking sites was greater for journal articles than conference papers, the latter still having a lower average Mendeley readership. The highest correlation between citation counts and Mendeley readership was found for journal articles published in 2009, followed by journal articles published in 2013, conference papers published in 2009 and conference papers published in 2013. The average Mendeley readership was also higher for journal articles than for conference papers. Mendeley readership was also found to be higher for journal articles and conference papers published earlier in time, indicating that research works published earlier in time were more popular in social networking sites and online reference managers.
Evaluating library service quality at the Aga Khan University library: Application of a total quality management approach
Authors: Gathoni Nasra , Van der Walt Thomas
Published: December 2017

The purpose of this paper is to report on an investigation of the service quality of the Aga Khan University library in Kenya. The total quality management philosophy which forms the basis of this report has been demonstrated by the use of SERVQUAL, a user-based assessment tool, in the evaluation of service quality. The research was conducted among 123 Aga Khan University library users – nursing and medical faculty and nursing and medical students – with an aim to investigate the quality of its services based on the satisfaction of library users with the services and as expressed by and based on users’ expectations and perceptions. The data was gathered through the SERVQUAL structured questionnaire and a 63% response rate was realized. The findings generally established that the expectations of Aga Khan University library users are higher than their perceptions. The results also show that there are service quality gaps in a number of services offered by the library.

This research is deemed important as there is lack of information showing libraries in Kenya having involved library users in service quality evaluation through the use of objective and user-based tools. Thus this paper may lead to libraries in Kenya embracing objective measurement tools for the evaluation of library service quality. It is hoped that this article will contribute to a better understanding of philosophies such as total quality management in an academic library environment in developing countries, users’ expectations and perceptions of quality.
‘I love my work but I hate my job’—Early career academic perspective on academic times in Australia
Authors: Osbaldiston Nick , Cannizzo Fabian , Mauri Christian
Published: December 2017

There has been significant interest of late into how academics spend their time during both their working and personal lives. Inspired by research around academic lives, this paper explores the narratives of 25 early career academics in Australian institutions across the country. Like several others, we propose that one of the fundamental aspects of time in academia is that of labour spent doing formal, instrumental and bureaucratic tasks. This impinges on the other side of academic life, the writing, research and discovery that bring subjective value to the academic. Using a Weberian framework however, we argue that there are two distinct rationalisations of these ‘times’ occurring. One is the formal, instrumentally imposed rationalisation of the university itself and the second is a more personally defined subjective rationalisation of research and writing. In terms of the latter, we argue that younger academics are not only seeing these times as important for their sense of self in the present but also for their projected vision of what they will become later in their professional career.
Good Invaders? The Occupation Policy of the Spanish Blue Division in Northwestern Russia, 1941–1944
Authors: Núñez Seixas Xosé M.
Published: December 2017

Between 1941 and 1944, the Spanish Division of Volunteers took part in the Russian campaign as a unit integrated in the German Wehrmacht. Post-1945 war memoirs and even some historians have suggested that the ‘Blue’ Division was exceptional for their benign treatment of civilians and prisoners, distanced from the German War of Extermination. This image has not been subjected to critical enquiry. To what degree were the Spanish troops different from other Wehrmacht troops? Was the collective behaviour of the Spanish soldiers determined by the circumstances they encountered at the front, or was it related to their prior political socialization?
Simplifying Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System classification of mammograms with pure suspicious calcifications
Authors: Menezes Gisela LG , Winter-Warnars Gonneke AO , Koekenbier Eva L , Groen Emma J , Verkooijen Helena M , Pijnappel Ruud M
Published: December 2017

Objectives

To investigate the risk of malignancy following stereotactic breast biopsy of calcifications classified as Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) 3, 4, and 5.

Methods

The study included women with pure calcifications (not associated with masses or architectural distortions) who underwent stereotactic breast biopsy at the Dutch Cancer Institute between January 2011 and October 2013. Suspicious calcifications (Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System 3, 4, or 5) detected on mammography were biopsied. All lesions were assessed by breast radiologists and classified according to the BI-RADS lexicon.

Results

Overall, 473 patients underwent 497 stereotactic breast biopsies. Sixty-six percent (326/497) of calcifications were classified B4, 30% (148/497) B3, and 4% (23/497) B5. Of the 226 (45%) malignant lesions, there were 182 pure ductal carcinoma in situ, 22 mixed ductal carcinoma in situ and invasive carcinomas (ductal or lobular), 21 pure invasive carcinomas, and one angiosarcoma. Malignancy was found in 32% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.24 to 0.39) of B3, 49% (95% CI 0.43 to 0.54) of B4, and 83% (95% CI 0.61 to 0.95) of B5 calcifications.

Conclusions

Considering the high predictive value for malignancy in B3 calcifications, we propose that these lesions should be classified as suspicious (B4), especially in a screening setting.
Limitation of therapeutic effort experienced by intensive care nurses
Authors: Velarde-García Juan Francisco , Luengo-González Raquel , González-Hervías Raquel , Cardenete-Reyes César , Álvarez-Embarba Beatriz , Palacios-Ceña Domingo
Published: December 2017

Background:

Nurses who practice limitation of therapeutic effort become fully involved in emotionally charged situations, which can affect them significantly on an emotional and professional level.

Objectives:

To describe the experience of intensive care nurses practicing limitation of therapeutic effort.

Method:

A qualitative, phenomenological study was performed within the intensive care units of the Madrid Hospitals Health Service. Purposeful and snowball sampling methods were used, and data collection methods included semi-structured and unstructured interviews, researcher field notes, and participants’ personal letters. The Giorgi proposal for data analysis was used on the data.

Ethical considerations:

This study was approved by the Ethical Research Committee of the relevant hospital and by the Ethics Committee of the Rey Juan Carlos University and was guided by the ethical principles of voluntary enrollment, anonymity, privacy, and confidentiality.

Results:

In total, 22 nurses participated and 3 themes were identified regarding the nurses’ experiences when faced with limitation of therapeutic effort: (a) experiencing relief, (b) accepting the medical decision, and (c) implementing limitation of therapeutic effort.

Conclusion:

Nurses felt that, although they were burdened with the responsibility of implementing limitation of therapeutic effort, they were being left out of the final decision-making process regarding the same.
Remaining in the nursing profession: The relevance of strong evaluations
Authors: Kristoffersen Margareth , Friberg Febe
Published: December 2017

Background:

Why nurses remain in the profession is a complex question. However, strong values can be grounds for their remaining, meaning nurses evaluate the qualitative worth of different desires and distinguish between senses of what is a good life.

Research question:

The overall aim is to explore and argue the relevance of strong evaluations for remaining in the nursing profession.

Research design:

This theoretical article based on a hermeneutical approach introduces the concept strong evaluations as described by the Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor and provides examples of nurses’ experiences in everyday nursing care drawn from a Norwegian empirical study.

Participants and research context:

Data collected in the original study consisted of qualitative interviews and qualitative follow-up interviews with 13 nurses. The research context was the primary and secondary somatic and psychiatric health service, inside as well as outside institutions.

Ethical consideration:

The article uses data from an original empirical study approved by the Norwegian Social Science Data Services. Information was given and consent obtained from the participants.

Findings:

Remaining in the nursing profession can be understood as revolving around being a strong evaluator. This has been concretized in issues of being aware of different incidents in life and having capacities as a nurse.

Discussion:

Why nurses remain is discussed in relation to how nurses have shaped themselves by reflecting on what is of significance in their life. However, being a strong evaluator cannot be seen as the casual condition for remaining.

Conclusion:

Remaining in the nursing profession is obviously not a contingent matter, rather it is a matter concerned with the qualitative worth of different desires and values. Nurses’ awareness of a life choice impacts on whether they remain or not. Consequently, nurses may need to articulate and reflect on their priorities for remaining.
Caring for elder patients: Mutual vulnerabilities in professional ethics
Authors: Nordström Karin , Wangmo Tenzin
Published: December 2017

Background:

Neglect and abuse of elders in care institutions is a recurring issue in the media. Elders in care institutions are vulnerable due to their physical, cognitive, and verbal limitations. Such vulnerabilities may make them more susceptible to mistreatment by caregivers on whom they are heavily dependent.

Objectives:

The goal was to understand caregivers’ concerns about ensuring correct and proper treatment, as well as their experiences with neglect and abuse of older patients. This article examines resources and challenges of professional ethics within the care setting.

Research design:

A study was conducted to explore the quality of care provided to older patients in nursing homes, geriatrics institutions, and ambulant care in the northwest region of Switzerland.

Participants and research context:

A total of 23 semi-structured interviews were conducted with nursing staff of varying experience levels.

Ethical considerations:

Ethical approval was granted by the competent regional ethics commission, Ethikkomission Nordwest-und Zentralschweiz EKNZ [Ethics Commission Northwest and Central Switzerland] (2014-015).

Findings:

Three themes emerged from our data analysis: professional identity, professional context, and professional relationships. Our findings indicate mutual vulnerabilities within these three themes, characterizing the interactions between nursing staff and older patients. Study participants believe that incidences of error, neglect, and abuse are consequences of their own vulnerability since they are not able to meet the demands of an overstraining work situation.

Discussion:

Different aspects of this mutual vulnerability are described and critically discussed as challenges for professional ethics.

Conclusion:

Early education, continuous training as well as better management and response from the institution are necessary to maintain professionalism while handling mutual vulnerabilities.
The Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Workplace Behaviour: A Study of Bank Employees
Authors: Makkar Simarjeet , Basu Sriparna
Published: December 2017

This study investigates the impact of emotional intelligence (EI) on the workplace behaviour of the employees in the Indian banking sector. Banking industry was chosen for this research owing to the dynamic nature of this sector propelling a heightened need for compatibility and resilience of employees. The purpose of the study was twofold: (a) to examine if there is a significant impact of EI on workplace behaviour of the employees in both private and public sector banks; and (b) to determine if the impact is more in one sector than the other. Goleman’s EI framework (1995) and Emotional Competence Inventory (ECI) was used for data collection. Six banks were selected for this study: three from the public sector and three from the private sector as sample covering Mumbai. The findings of the study revealed that there is a strong relationship between EI and workplace behaviour of employees in the banking sector and there is also a difference of the impact of EI on workplace behaviour of the employees in private and public sector banks. The analysis derives meaningful implications for managerial policy in banks as well as for future research.
E-cigarette Use and Smoking Cessation Among South Korean Adult Smokers: A Propensity Score–Matching Approach
Authors: Sung Baksun
Published: December 2017

Research on the efficacy of e-cigarette use as a smoking cessation tool has yielded inconclusive results. Hence, the objective of this study was to identify the relationship between e-cigarette use and smoking cessation among South Korean adult smokers. This study used data from the sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013-2015) of 2965 adult smokers aged 19 years and older. As statistical analysis methods, data were analyzed using the χ2 test and multiple logistic regression. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to control selection bias, and sociodemographic and smoking-linked factors were used as covariates in PSM. According to the multiple logistic regression analysis, adult smokers who had not used e-cigarettes were more likely to attempt to quit smoking than those who had used e-cigarettes in the prematching (OR = 1.58; 95% CI = 1.18-2.12) and postmatching (OR = 1.62; 95% CI = 1.08-2.44) samples. Thus, this study suggests that e-cigarette use among South Korean adult smokers was not related to smoking cessation.
Building sport policy’s legitimacy in Norway and New Zealand
Authors: Sam Michael P. , Tore Ronglan Lars
Published: December 2017

Governing state-funded sport is tenuous because of the need to maintain legitimacy and support from political authorisers, stakeholders and network partners/members. The purpose of this paper is to compare/contrast how central sport agencies in Norway and New Zealand create, build or sustain legitimacy through their accountability regimes. More particularly, this comparison distinguishes between input and output sources of legitimacy, where the former is associated with democratic processes (e.g., electoral procedures and public consultation), and the latter is linked with results and demonstrable benefits. While the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports (NIF) draws legitimacy from its representative membership structures and status as a social movement, Sport New Zealand claims legitimacy on the basis of achieving targets and outputs. In both cases there are emerging pressures to recast input–output legitimating narratives, suggesting their ‘depleteability’ over time. These shifts are discussed in relation to their influence on policy reforms within environments of accountability that are fluid and incomplete.
Do sports mega-events boost public funding in sports programs? The case of Brazil (2004–2015)
Authors: Schausteck de Almeida Bárbara , Barboza Eiras de Castro Suélen , Mezzadri Fernando Marinho , Lange de Souza Doralice
Published: December 2017

This article explores public expenditure in Brazilian sport from 2004 to 2015 and aims to understand if hosting sport mega-events has influenced investments in different types of sport (elite sport and educational/participation sport). Data were collected through governmental records and examined through descriptive statistics. Positive and negative variations of spending were reported, regarding both the overall budget allocated to sport and among the different types of sport. This study concluded that sport mega-events have influenced the funding of sports programs to some extent, but other aspects of public funding are likely to be more significant influencers on the observed variations. The study also argues that further research on different host countries is necessary to understand the impact of sport mega-events on public sport funding.
Group behaviour and interpersonal synchronization to electronic dance music
Authors: Solberg Ragnhild Torvanger , Jensenius Alexander Refsum
Published: December 2017

The present study investigates how people move and relate to each other – and to the dance music – in a club-like setting created within a motion capture laboratory. Three groups of participants (29 in total) each danced to a 10-minute-long DJ mix consisting of four tracks of electronic dance music (EDM). Two of the EDM tracks had little structural development, while the two others included a typical “break routine” in the middle of the track, consisting of three distinct passages: (a) “breakdown”, (b) “build-up” and (c) “drop”. The motion capture data show similar bodily responses for all three groups in the break routines: a sudden decrease and increase in the general quantity of motion. More specifically, the participants demonstrated an improved level of interpersonal synchronization after the drop, particularly in their vertical movements. Furthermore, the participants’ activity increased and became more pronounced after the drop. This may suggest that the temporal removal and reintroduction of a clear rhythmic framework, as well as the use of intensifying sound features, have a profound effect on a group’s beat synchronization. Our results further suggest that the musical passages of EDM efficiently lead to the entrainment of a whole group, and that a break routine effectively “re-energizes” the dancing.
The rate of mental health service use in New Zealand as analysed by ethnicity
Authors: Tapsell Rees , Hallett Charlene , Mellsop Graham
Published: December 2017

Objectives:

To compare by ethnicity the rates of apparent new referrals and admissions to mental health services for selected major diagnostic groupings.

Method:

Using a Ministry of Health database covering all referrals and admissions to New Zealand’s Mental Health services in 2014 and who had not been patients in the preceding six years, population adjusted rates of presentation were calculated and compared across the two major New Zealand ethnic groupings.

Results:

Population corrected rates of apparently new cases of schizophrenia are more than twice as common in Māori as in non-Māori. Major depression is also significantly more common in Māori. That same trend was not evident for bipolar patients.

Conclusions:

These ethnically associated apparent differences in the rates of schizophrenia and depression need both confirmation and explanation.
Variability amongst urine toxicology amphetamine readings with concurrent administration of fenofibrate
Authors: Dadlani Navin , Farrar Anna , Jones Graham
Published: December 2017

Objective:

The aim of this study was to highlight that concurrent administration of the common lipid-lowering agent fenofibrate may lead to false-positive amphetamine results in often-used immunoassay-based urine drug screens. It also aimed to show that there are significant moral and clinical challenges associated with the interpretation of such results amongst psychiatric inpatients.

Conclusions:

It is evident that different pathology laboratories may utilise different commercial urine drug-screen immunoassays in their toxicology analysis, with variability in the test specificities. Despite the relatively high prevalence of substance misuse in the population of psychiatric inpatients, there exists a need for increased vigilance towards the possibility of false-positive amphetamine results owing to likely cross-reactivity of fenofibrate with the test reagents. In cases where there is uncertainty when correlating clinically, or where false positives are suspected, gold-standard urine-sample analysis by mass spectrometry should be considered, particularly when the consequences for patients may include restrictive measures.