bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MARNet: Multi-head attention residual network for rolling bearing fault diagnosis under noisy condition
Authors: Deng Linfeng , Wang Guojun , Zhao Cheng , Zhang Yuanwen
Published: July 2024

Rolling bearings are crucial components of rotating machinery, and their health states directly affect the overall performance of the machinery. Therefore, it is exceedingly necessary to detect and diagnose bearing faults. Numerous bearing fault diagnosis methods have been successfully used for ensuring the safe operation of rotating machinery. However, in practical working environments, there is a considerable amount of noise, resulting in traditional methods incapable of achieving accurate fault diagnosis. This paper proposes a new multi-head attention residual network (MARNet) for rolling bearing fault diagnosis under noisy condition. MARNet optimizes residual units by simplifying multi-layer convolutions into a single-layer convolution and replaces the rectified linear unit (ReLU) function with the exponential linear unit (ELU) function to obtain a more appropriate activation function. Additionally, the multi-head attention mechanism is introduced into the residual block to capture correlation information between any two time sequences, enhancing the network’s feature extraction capability. The effectiveness and superiority of the MARNet in noisy environments are demonstrated through conducting the two bearing datasets from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and Paderborn University (PU). The experiment results show that the proposed method exhibits anti-noise characteristics and generalization capability compared with several up-to-date deep learning methods for fault diagnosis of rolling bearings.
Numerical study of the influence of wetting properties on flow characteristics and heat transfer in piston cooling gallery
Authors: Dong Fei , Zhao Jiu Rui , Zhang Wen Yu
Published: July 2024

Being a crucial thermal management component in an internal combustion engine, the wettability of the piston gallery significantly influences heat transfer performance. This study deeply investigates the impact of the piston gallery’s wettability on heat transfer performance through numerical simulation. Adjusting the wettability parameter, specifically the contact angle, resulted in the observation of varied droplet patterns on the surface of gallery. Surface wettability directly influences oil distribution and adhesion on the piston surface, consequently impacting the piston’s cooling effectiveness. Optimizing the wettability of the oil cavity is expected to improve the cooling efficiency of the piston, contributing to an overall performance improvement. The numerical study revealed that a surface with a certain degree of hydrophilicity facilitates uniform droplet distribution on the surface of the gallery, forming a film-like oil droplet. Such a film of oil droplets effectively enhances heat transfer efficiency, with a well-wetted surface promoting effective contact between the oil and piston surface for more efficient heat transfer. Conversely, a highly hydrophobic surface leads to droplet self-aggregation in the gallery, hindering effective heat dissipation from the piston. Poor wettability prevents uniform oil adhesion to the piston surface, resulting in decreased heat transfer efficiency. To summarize, the wettability of the piston gallery significantly influences heat transfer performance. Optimizing surface wettability enhances piston cooling, thereby improving overall internal combustion engine performance.
Chemical reaction, Soret and Dufour impacts on magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) convective Casson fluid over a vertical absorbent plate with ramped wall temperature and ramped surface concentration
Authors: Chandra Sekhar B. , Vijaya Kumar P. , Veera Krishna M.
Published: July 2024

In the energy transport field, the non-Newtonian fluid flows have a comprehensive series of applications in association with biological fluids, oceanography, covering energy exchanger technology, melt-spinning, and the freezing of metallic plates and suspensions. Therefore, the chemical reaction, heat generation, Soret and Dufour consequences on magneto-hydrodynamic unsteady chemically reactive Casson fluid have been considered. It is due to an exponentially accelerated vertical permeable plate embedded into a porous medium by captivating ramped surface temperature and concentration in the endurances of thermal radiation. The basic governing sets of equations are converted into non-dimensional forms by putting the appropriate non-dimensional variables and the resultant equations are computationally solved by the proficient Crank–Nicolson implicit finite difference methodology. The influences of numerous imperative considerable parameters on the velocity, temperature along with concentration of the fluids, and the skin friction coefficients, Nusselt and Sherwood numbers for the together thermal situations have been explored and discussed powerfully by making utilization of graphical profiles in addition to tables. It is found that by the increasing quantities of the Dufour, temperature generation and thermal radiation parameter, the fluid temperature and velocity are enhanced. Similarly, it is found that an increase in the Soret parameter, then the fluid velocity and concentration are enhanced, while opposite results are obtained by increasing in the chemical reaction parameter.
Investigation to enhance the mechanical properties of damaged flat-clinching joints by reconditioning processes
Authors: Ouyang Xiao , Zhang Huiyang , Wang Yongfei , He Qinghui , Chen Chao
Published: July 2024

Joint damage could reduce component reliability and safety. In this paper, a simple and convenient reconditioning process for flat-clinching joints was proposed. The damaged joint was compressed by applying reconditioned force through the upper and lower flat dies to improve the mechanical properties. Compared to other exiting research, the process is easy to operate and requires no additional attachments. Meanwhile, the damage status of the loaded joint, material flow and the causes of improving mechanical properties were illustrated. In addition, the effect law of various reconditioned forces on the mechanical properties of the joints was also investigated. The results show that the flat-clinching joints are damaged when loaded beyond the shear load. However, the mechanical properties can be reconditioned when the interlocking structure remains unbroken. The main reason is that the reconditioning process reconstructs the interlocking structure and increases the neck thickness. Besides, the joint bulge height is also reduced by the reconditioning process. With increased reconditioning forces, the mechanical properties improve. The best mechanical properties are obtained at the recondition force of 40 kN. Compared to the original damaged joints, the shear force and energy absorption of the 40 kN reconditioned joints increased by 33.5% and 70.2%. This is important to promote the development of reconditioning processes and ensure part safety.
An automated ensemble approach using Harris Hawk optimization for visually evoked EEG signal classification
Authors: M Bhuvaneshwari , E Grace Mary Kanaga , Raimond Kumudha , George S Thomas
Published: July 2024

Steady-state visually evoked potential is one of the active explorations in the brain-computer interface research. Electroencephalogram based brain computer interface studies have been widely applied to perceive solutions for real-world problems in the healthcare domain. The classification of externally bestowed visual stimuli of different frequencies on a human was experimented to identify the need of paralytic people. Although many classifiers are at the fingertip of machine learning technology, recent research has proven that ensemble learning is more efficacious than individual classifiers. Despite its efficiency, ensemble learning technology exhibits certain drawbacks like taking more time on selecting the optimal classifier subset. This research article utilizes the Harris Hawk Optimization algorithm to select the best classifier subset from the given set of classifiers. The objective of the research is to develop an efficient multi-classifier model for electroencephalogram signal classification. The proposed model utilizes the Boruta Feature Selection algorithm to select the prominent features for classification. Thus selected prominent features are fed into the multi-classifier subset which has been generated by the Harris Hawk Optimization algorithm. The results of the multi-classifier ensemble model are aggregated using Stacking, Bagging, Boosting, and Voting. The proposed model is evaluated against the acquired dataset and produces a promising accuracy of 96.1%, 98.7%, 91.91%, and 99.01% with the ensemble techniques respectively. The proposed model is also validated with other performance metrics such as sensitivity, specificity, and F1-Score. The experimental results show that the proposed model proves its supremacy in segregating the multi-class classification problem with high accuracy.
Appified surveillance: TripAdvisor as a site for entextualized surveillant assemblage
Authors: Fawzy Rania Magdi , Salama Amir HY
Published: July 2024

Locative media in the context of travel apps alter the representations of space. However, locative media technologies, more specifically travel apps, do not neutrally mediate travelscapes. Rather, they produce a complex surveillance apparatus in which users and the interface algorithm interactionally assembled. To this end, the study argues that travel apps stand as assemblage interventions which regulate the accessibility of travelscapes and reconfigure the travel experience of cities. Informed by this, TripAdvisor touristscape is examined and interpreted in the current study as a surveillant assemblage of technology-human entextualization practices. The surveillance system in TripAdvisor draws upon particular dialectic, ordered and operationalized discourses and their entextualized recontextualization/decontextualization in various social contexts. Such de/recontextualization oscillations are accompanied by a process of semiotic change, which in turn, produces dynamically surveilled spaces and regulated travel experiences. The authors outline three surveillance repertoires that are found to be prevalent in their interaction with TripAdvisor: ‘a decorporealized user’, ‘gamifying the travel experience’ and ‘algorithm performative surveillance’. The analytical approach adopted in current study helps in opening discourse studies to the analysis of the travel apps as surveillant apparatus.
Fixed-time disturbance observer-based funnel control for controllable excitation linear synchronous motor with state constraints
Authors: Xu Zelai , Lan Yipeng , Lei Cheng
Published: July 2024

This paper proposes a fixed-time disturbance observer-based funnel control method for a controllable excitation linear synchronous motor (CELSM) with state constraints and disturbances. This approach simultaneously resolves the issues of prescribed tracking performance and state constraints, taking into account disturbances. We employ a fixed-time disturbance observer (DO) to estimate both matched and mismatched disturbances. Additionally, we design a modified funnel variable to confine the tracking error within a prescribed region and the singularity problem is avoided. An integral barrier Lyapunov function (iBLF) is utilized to directly tackle state constraints. Furthermore, we employ a fixed-time differentiator (FTD) to address the “explosion of complexity” issue in backstepping control. Theoretical analysis demonstrates that the tracking error asymptotically converges to the origin within a prescribed region while satisfying state constraints. Finally, simulation results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method.
Proportion of treatment effect explained: An overview of interpretations
Authors: Stijven Florian , Alonso Ariel , Molenberghs Geert
Published: July 2024

The selection of the primary endpoint in a clinical trial plays a critical role in determining the trial’s success. Ideally, the primary endpoint is the clinically most relevant outcome, also termed the true endpoint. However, practical considerations, like extended follow-up, may complicate this choice, prompting the proposal to replace the true endpoint with so-called surrogate endpoints. Evaluating the validity of these surrogate endpoints is crucial, and a popular evaluation framework is based on the proportion of treatment effect explained (PTE). While methodological advancements in this area have focused primarily on estimation methods, interpretation remains a challenge hindering the practical use of the PTE. We review various ways to interpret the PTE. These interpretations—two causal and one non-causal—reveal connections between the PTE principal surrogacy, causal mediation analysis, and the prediction of trial-level treatment effects. A common limitation across these interpretations is the reliance on unverifiable assumptions. As such, we argue that the PTE is only meaningful when researchers are willing to make very strong assumptions. These challenges are also illustrated in an analysis of three hypothetical vaccine trials.
Group lasso priors for Bayesian accelerated failure time models with left-truncated and interval-censored data
Authors: Reeder Harrison T , Haneuse Sebastien , Lee Kyu Ha
Published: July 2024

An important task in health research is to characterize time-to-event outcomes such as disease onset or mortality in terms of a potentially high-dimensional set of risk factors. For example, prospective cohort studies of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) typically enroll older adults for observation over several decades to assess the long-term impact of genetic and other factors on cognitive decline and mortality. The accelerated failure time model is particularly well-suited to such studies, structuring covariate effects as “horizontal” changes to the survival quantiles that conceptually reflect shifts in the outcome distribution due to lifelong exposures. However, this modeling task is complicated by the enrollment of adults at differing ages, and intermittent follow-up visits leading to interval-censored outcome information. Moreover, genetic and clinical risk factors are not only high-dimensional, but characterized by underlying grouping structures, such as by function or gene location. Such grouped high-dimensional covariates require shrinkage methods that directly acknowledge this structure to facilitate variable selection and estimation. In this paper, we address these considerations directly by proposing a Bayesian accelerated failure time model with a group-structured lasso penalty, designed for left-truncated and interval-censored time-to-event data. We develop an R package with a Markov chain Monte Carlo sampler for estimation. We present a simulation study examining the performance of this method relative to an ordinary lasso penalty and apply the proposed method to identify groups of predictive genetic and clinical risk factors for AD in the Religious Orders Study and Memory and Aging Project prospective cohort studies of AD and dementia.
Study on the FeSiB/EP soft magnetic composites performance with 3D direct-ink-writing and ultraviolet pre-curing
Authors: Ma Qing , Fang Xiaotong , Shi Yerong , Hu Jing
Published: July 2024

UV-cured 3D printing technology had become more and more popular due to its rapid printing speed and high molding accuracy. However, for ordinary Direct-ink-writing (DIW) printers, though there were widely materials can be used, but they cannot be quickly printed and molding accuracy was much low. Therefore, a simple method combined UV-cured and DIW was summarized in this paper, before DIW the mixed slurry (FeSiB and Epoxy resins soft magnetic composites without photoinitiator added) was pre-curing by UV for some time to a semi-cured state, the rheological properties of the slurry were investigated and the magnetic, mechanical properties and micromorphology of printed products were studied. Compared with the printed products without UV pre-curing, the coercive force (Hc) was reduced by 20.36%, the elastic modulus increased by 34.41%, and the insulating coating after UV pre-curing was more uniform, with no obvious defects.
Consumer Confusion on Cognitive Dissonance: A Conceptual Framework
Authors: Saranya P.  , Joji Alex N.
Published: July 2024

Confusion among consumers is becoming more prevalent in the marketplace. The importance of consumer confusion to businesses is ultimately determined by its consequences and economic relevance; all consequences have a negative impact on the company’s profitability and sales. It is an issue for both customers and marketers. From the extant literature, three types of confusion are in superior position: similarity confusion, overload confusion, and ambiguity confusion. It represents the consumer confusion concept fully. Through the literature review process, this study develops a theoretical framework and provides a better understanding of consumer confusion and cognitive dissonance, as well as how they affect decision postponement. It provides new insight into consumer confusion.
Chatbots and Their Applications in Medical Fields: Current Status and Future Trends: A Scoping Review
Authors: Viswanathan Vibhu Krishnan , Jain Vijay Kumar , Vaish Abhishek , Jeyaraman Madhan , Iyengar Karthikeyan P , Vaishya Raju
Published: July 2024

Background and Aim:

Chatbots are computer programs, which are devised to simulate conversations through voice or textual interactive forms. These applications offer multiple benefits in patient education, clinical decision-making, interpersonal communication, research activities, data analysis and administrative affairs. The present scoping review aims to analyse the current role, pitfalls, challenges and future scope of these modalities in diverse fields of medical science.

Methods:

Literature search was made on 9 April 2024, on five databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase and Google Scholar). A narrative approach was used for the synthesis of results.

Results:

Our literature search yielded 1024 studies. After the de-duplication of manuscripts using Endnote, 342 articles were identified. After title and abstract screening, 74 articles were included for the next round of screening. Finally, 14 articles were selected for this scoping review.Diverse chatbot applications have been developed at a growing rate for use in medical science. There is a gradual shift towards employing machine learning-based strategies to develop chatbot programs. Chatbots have a significant potential to revolutionise diverse aspects of medicine including patient care, academic activities, and research endeavours.

Conclusion:

Artificial Intelligence can be highly effective in streamlining the routine functions and activities in medical care. Chatbots have the potential to meliorate the accessibility, efficiency and standard of medical care. However, the need for further validation through high-quality studies to ensure patient privacy, strategies to conform to patients’ data security, accuracy and precision of the technology and mitigating potential pitfalls in its routine utilisation globally are warranted.
Foreign Language Skills in the Study Abroad Decision-Making Process and Destination Choices
Authors: Ovchinnikova Elena , Van Mol Christof , Jones Elspeth
Published: July 2024

In the literature on international student mobility, foreign language skills are usually discussed as an outcome rather than a driver of study abroad programmes. In contrast, this article focuses on their role in study abroad aspirations and destination choices of credit mobility students. The study is based on an online survey, conducted at three European HEIs (n  =  2,327), located in Belgium and the Netherlands, and revealed that students who assess their skills as advanced are more likely to aspire to study abroad compared to those who evaluate their skills at an intermediate level. Students who speak a foreign language daily are also more likely to aspire to study abroad. Furthermore, our analysis suggests that the number of languages students speak does not seem to play a role. Finally, the findings demonstrate a significant influence of knowing the official language of the country on the choice of study abroad destination.
Comparing the Learning Ecologies of International Students in Internationalisation Abroad and at a Distance
Authors: Huang Daian , Mittelmeier Jenna , Ploner Josef
Published: July 2024

This study explores and compares the experiences of international students studying through internationalisation abroad (IA) and at a distance (IaD) at a UK university through the lens of Ecological Systems Model. In doing so, we propose a revised Ecological Systems Model, integrating the co-existing but fluid and liminal virtual/physical and home/host dimensions. Thirty-two interviews were conducted with international students who studied either: 1) in-person, 2) online in their own country, or 3) first online and then in-person. Our findings identified that the perceived learning environments of IA and IaD students were not distinct from one another, yet the differences in their learning ecologies impacted their experiences significantly. Compared with geographically mobile students, international distance learners experienced a discrete process of internationalisation with limited intercultural learning. Our findings suggest our revised Ecological Systems Model provides a stronger conceptual framework for the digital era of international higher education.
Design and testing of a high power piezo pump for hydraulic actuation
Authors: Sell Nathan , Feehally Tom , Plummer Andrew , Wilson Peter , du Bois Jonathan , Johnston Nigel , Roesner Jens , De Bartolomeis Andrea , Love Tom
Published: July 2024

Traditional valve-controlled hydraulic cylinders are usually very inefficient due to power loss through the control valve. An efficient alternative architecture is to distribute power electrically rather than hydraulically to a group of cylinders and drive each cylinder via individual servomotor-driven pumps. This arrangement is called electrohydrostatic actuation. Such actuators are currently available for power ratings of several hundred watts or greater, but not in the sub-100 W range. This paper details the design, simulation and testing of a piezopump which is intended to address this gap. The motivation is for aerospace applications, and in particular accessory actuators used in the landing gear system. The 10–100 W range is a high-power output for a piezopump, and to achieve this a novel design using disc-style reed valves was developed to allow pumping frequencies above 1 kHz. These high frequencies necessitated the development of custom power electronics capable of delivering 950 V peak-peak sine wave excitation to a largely capacitive load. Experimental results show that the piezopump is capable of delivering over 30 W of hydraulic power, and at no-load can deliver up to 2 L/min of flow at 1250 Hz. Future development includes a transition to multi-cylinder pumps, and improved reed-valve modelling to improve the accuracy of simulated performance.
Deep reinforcement learning for tuning active vibration control on a smart piezoelectric beam
Authors: Febvre Maryne , Rodriguez Jonathan , Chesne Simon , Collet Manuel
Published: July 2024

Piezoelectric transducers are used within smart structures to create functions such as energy harvesting, wave propagation or vibration control to prevent human discomfort, material fatigue, and instability. The design of the structure becomes more complex with shape optimization and the integration of multiple transducers. Most active vibration control strategies require the tuning of multiple parameters. In addition, the optimization of control methods has to consider experimental uncertainties and the global effect of local actuation. This paper presents the use of a Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) algorithm to tune a pseudo lead-lag controller on an experimental smart cantilever beam. The algorithm is trained to maximize a reward function that represents the objective of vibration mitigation. An experimental model is estimated from measurements to accelerate the DRL’s interaction with the environment. The paper compares DRL tuning strategies with [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] norm minimization approaches. It demonstrates the efficiency of DRL tuning by comparing the control performance of the different tuning methods on the model and experimental setup.
Electro-mechanical coupling isogeometric analysis of static characteristics in piezoelectric composite materials based on asymptotic homogenization method
Authors: Zhou Liming , Zhu He , Zhang Zhong , Cheng Fei
Published: July 2024

Accurate mechanical analysis is essential for reliable utilization of piezoelectric composite materials (PCMs). Isogeometric analysis (IGA) of PCMs (termed PCMIGA) based on the asymptotic homogenization method (AHM) is presented in this study and employed to investigate the static mechanical characteristics of PCMs. PCMIGA provides accurate curve representation and shorter preprocessing time, and thus demonstrates both precision and efficiency. First, AHM is utilized to calculate the effective parameters of PCMs at different volume fractions. Next, these effective parameters are combined with the basic equations and boundary conditions of PCMs to derive equations of PCMIGA based on AHM. Finally, the results from several numerical examples are compared with the reference solution to validate the convergence and precision. PCMIGA is proven to be a reliable and accurate method for analyzing the mechanical properties of PCMs.
Exploring the Impact of ChatGPT on Business School Education: Prospects, Boundaries, and Paradoxes
Authors: Valcea Sorin , Hamdani Maria Riaz , Wang Shuai
Published: July 2024

This essay explores the nuanced impact of generative AI technologies on management and business education, framed through three paradoxes: the Expertise Paradox suggests that AI’s adequate performance at lower-level tasks may weaken students’ development of higher-level thinking; the Innovation Paradox states that AI’s creativity aid could stifle original thinking; and the Equity Paradox highlights AI’s potential to provide immense gains to experts but disproportionately harm novices. We take the position that without “sensible” AI use guidelines in management education, AI is likely to have a net-negative effect on learning. This stance is based on our trials with ChatGPT on various cognitive tasks organized around the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy of learning. We identify areas where AI tools can enhance learning, such as comprehending established subject domains, as well as areas where they exhibit significant limitations, such as logical reasoning and critical thinking. We caution against the potential deskilling in critical thinking due to students’ overreliance on AI for basic tasks. To alleviate these challenges, we recommend sensible AI uses by students that support skill development without fostering overreliance. We also suggest how faculty, administrators, and employers may support students in getting the most out of this new tool.
The Curvilinear Effect of Entrepreneurship Education on Entrepreneurial Intentions: The Roles of Entrepreneurial Passion and Resilience
Authors: Hoang Giang , Trong Luu Tuan
Published: July 2024

Entrepreneurship education has gained significant attention from scholars and policymakers for its potential to shape students’ entrepreneurial aspirations. However, its effectiveness in influencing entrepreneurial intentions remains inconsistent and controversial. Drawing on social cognitive theory, we investigated the curvilinear impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial intentions, examining the mediating role of entrepreneurial passion and the moderating role of resilience. We conducted two studies to test these relationships. In Study 1, data from 554 technology students in Vietnamese universities revealed a U-shaped relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intentions. Study 2 expanded these findings with a sample of 721 business students from Vietnamese universities. The results confirmed the mediating role of entrepreneurial passion in the curvilinear relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intentions and showed that resilience significantly moderated the link between entrepreneurial passion and intentions. This research contributes to the literature by addressing existing gaps and highlighting key factors influencing entrepreneurial intentions. It also offers practical implications for educators and policymakers, providing insights to design more effective entrepreneurship education programs to enhance students’ entrepreneurial intentions and foster a vibrant and innovative entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Evaluating a Rapid Coaching Intervention Delivered Remotely to Families
Authors: Lane Justin D. , Lonnemann Gabrielle , Matthews Kailee , Fosnaught Rachel , Lynch Katherine
Published: July 2024

Families are central to promoting communication in young children with disabilities with complex communication needs. Providing coaching on naturalistic language interventions (NLI) gives parents tools for independently intervening on communication across activities in the home. Both parents and professionals have limited resources, which requires maximizing parent and professional interactions when meeting. A rapid coaching intervention delivered via distance technology is one approach for addressing this issue. In this study, a multiple baseline across behaviors design replicated across participants was used to evaluate a rapid coaching intervention with parents. When the intervention was introduced, parents displayed improvements in naturalistic strategies and procedures. Child-level expressive communication was measured within the context of the designs, and data were variable. Improvements in the complexity of speech and responding to parents were observed. Implications are provided for future studies.
Experience of Diagnosis and Initiation of Renal Replacement Therapy in Women with Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Álvarez-Villarreal Miriam , Velarde-García Juan Francisco , San Martín-Gómez Ana , Gómez-Sánchez Stella Maris , Gil-Crujera Antonio , Palacios-Ceña Domingo
Published: July 2024

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has considerable effects on the quality of life of female patients. Receiving the diagnosis and beginning renal replacement therapy (RRT) has a great personal impact on patients. The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of female patients with CKD at an ambulatory dialysis unit regarding diagnosis, life changes, and initiation of RRT. A qualitative exploratory study was conducted based on a social contructivism framework. Participants were recruited using purposeful sampling. In total, 18 women who received treatment for CKD with RRT were included. The women were attending the Ambulatory Dialysis Unit at a hospital belonging to the public health system of Madrid (Spain). Unstructured and semi-structured in-depth interviews, researchers’ field notes, and women’s personal letters were used. A systematic text condensation analysis was performed. The criteria used to control trustworthiness were credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. Two themes emerged from the data: (a) A turning point in their lives, and (b) The emotional journey of beginning RRT. The diagnosis of CKD and the beginning of treatment implies changing routines and adapting to a new life with CKD. The first dialysis and puncture of the arteriovenous fistula is a major experience. Support from other CKD patients with more experience is perceived as a necessity and a tool to share their experiences and resolve doubts among peers. The diagnosis and initiation of RRT leads to numerous changes in the lives of women with CKD, which may influence the acceptance of treatment.
Beyond the Buzz: Scholarly Approaches to the Study of Work
Authors: Monteiro Pedro , Nicolini Davide , Erickson Ingrid , Cohen Lisa E. , Dokko Gina , Corporaal Greetje F. , Karunakaran Arvind , Bechky Beth A. , O’Mahony Siobhan
Published: July 2024

The place of work in organization studies and management has waxed and waned. Yet, today, social and technological developments have raised again interest in the study of work and this curated discussion brings together experts in key approaches to this topic. Seven contributions have been selected to provide a panorama of what we know about work while pointing to some uncharted territories worthy of future exploration. The contributions outline the principles behind and value of systemic, contextualized, or holistic view of work and report insights on how changes in some work components reverberate in its broader ecology. We hope this curated discussion will make us more aware of the collective journey scholars have charted so far while posing new questions and opening or re-directing new avenues of inquiry.
Information Transparency With Targeting Technology for Online Service Operations Platform
Authors: Xu Ailing , Tan Yinliang (Ricky) , He Qiao-Chu
Published: July 2024

Social technologies have enabled the emergence of online platforms that provide offline service consultations and recommendations. In this environment, economic inefficiency arises when customers are not fully aware of their horizontally differentiated preferences. With its expertise or data dominance, a platform can be more informed about customers’ hidden preferences. We focus on an instrumental social technology, that is, targeting, which is a type of data-driven personalized information provision to manipulate customers’ beliefs about service quality. We propose a Hotelling model wherein customers are sensitive to the delays for service while making Bayesian belief updates based on a platform’s recommendations. When customers self-select their favorite service, their choices impose negative externalities through congestion and welfare loss. Our results indicate that service recommendations allow customers to navigate toward the more appropriate service, thus improving matching efficiency, reducing congestion costs, and enhancing aggregate customer welfare. We further identify the role of “information transparency” and study how the platform should strategically release information by making personalized service recommendations to customers. Interestingly, when a customer-centric platform maximizes aggregate customer welfare, we identify the “value of opaqueness” by strategically withholding service recommendations from a subset of customers and notice that this effect is more pronounced for a profit-seeking platform. Our results offer a better understanding of information transparency policies in the joint design of service recommendation systems and pricing mechanisms.
A Multilevel Study of Preventive Behavioral Outcomes: The Relative and Interactive Influences of Media Information Use and Neighborhood Risk Factors
Authors: Beaudoin Christopher E.
Published: July 2024

This study builds a multilevel model of the influence of media information use and neighborhood risk factors on preventive behaviors. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, multilevel modeling was implemented with individual-level survey data from 2020 ( N = 995) and community-level data from 2019 and 2020 from databases ( N = 41). The predominant effects were at the individual level, including information scanning having more common significant effects on the behavioral outcomes than information seeking. Community-level crime and poverty rates also had significant effects, and four significant cross-level interactions show how community-level risk factors moderate the effects of information scanning.
Unveiling the Elephant in the Room: How do Psychologists Perceive Individuals Convicted of Sexual Offenses?
Authors: Veggi Sara , Di Tella Marialaura , Zara Georgia
Published: July 2024

The societal reintegration of individuals with criminal records, particularly involving sexual offenses, faces challenges due to moral condemnation. Professionals’ perspectives are pivotal in facilitating this reintegration process. This study surveyed 314 psychologists via a web-based experiment to assess their judgments regarding allegations of sexual violence and perpetrator’s denial. Psychologists with experience in working with individuals convicted of sexual offenses showed a decreased propensity to grant prison benefits upon the progressive disclosure of the sexual offense, which diminished further in the presence of denial. For psychologists lacking such professional experience, judgment worsened solely with the discovery of the sexual offense, but not with denial. Psychologists not experienced in working with individuals with sexual convictions were generally found to have higher levels of malignant satisfaction than their experienced counterparts. Additionally, experienced psychologists exhibited a greater willingness to manage forensic cases and endorsed the effectiveness of treatment, while non-experts displayed less confidence in treatment efficacy, hesitancy in working with such individuals, and a propensity to delegate the case. Availability to handle the case diminished as more information surfaced for both groups. These findings highlight differences in professionals’ attitudes based on experience and suggest implications for understanding punitive attitudes towards individuals with sexual convictions.
Health for Hearts United Longitudinal Trial: Improving Perceived Stress and Allostatic Load Outcomes of Mid-Life and Older African American Women
Authors: Obeng-Nyarko Charissa N. , Ralston Penny A. , Wickrama Kandauda K. A. S. , Lemacks Jennifer L. , Ilich Jasminka Z.
Published: July 2024

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States, with African Americans experiencing higher age-adjusted mortality compared to Whites. African American women in particular carry a high CVD burden due to more exposure to adverse personal and socioenvironmental challenges. Church-based interventions can improve health behaviors and health status of African Americans, yet few have addressed stress-related health. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the 18-month Health for Hearts United intervention in relation to stress-related outcomes (perceived stress, allostatic load) of mid-life and older African American women (≥45 years of age; n = 152 overall sample, n = 65 clinical subsample). The results of the repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) analyses showed overall significant decreases in perceived stress and allostatic load for both treatment and comparison groups over the measurement occasions (baseline and 18 months) with educational level remaining as a significant correlate over time. There was no significant interaction between treatment and time, yet there were trends in improvements for the treatment group compared to the comparison group. The findings demonstrate the potential of church-based interventions in reducing both self-reported stress and allostatic load in African American women, and highlight the need for further investigation of educational level and other possible factors influencing stress management in these settings.
Exploring flexural behavior of additively manufactured sandwich beams with bioinspired functionally graded cores
Authors: Grondin Timothy L , Gordon Ali P , Yavas Denizhan
Published: July 2024

Sandwich composite structures have been widely used in aerospace and marine applications for many years due to their remarkable specific strength and stiffness. Despite their widespread use, there has been a constant effort to further improve their mechanical properties. This investigation delves into the influence of a Functionally Graded (FG) core, inspired by nature, in the enhancement of flexural properties of additively manufactured sandwich beams. The design space of the proposed sandwich beam with FG core of cellular cells in triangular shape is explored using an analytical formulation combining the Euler-Bernoulli theory and the Gibson-Ashby approach to develop a flexural performance index. The study involves examining a linear variation of the core density. To validate the analytical predictions, linear-elastic Finite Element (FE) models are created in the ABAQUS commercial FE program. Subsequently, the sandwich beams with FG core are additively manufactured using a polyjet printer (Stratasys J55), eliminates the need for secondary bonding between the face sheet and core. Two different build orientations are examined to investigate the influence of build orientation on flexural properties. The numerical and experimental results closely align with the analytical findings, indicating an approximate 31% increase in the performance index with the FG core. Noteworthy is that sandwich beams featuring FG cores exhibits a progressive failure, whereas those with uniform cores displayed sudden and catastrophic failure. As a result, the suggested FG core design not only contributes to a slight improvement in energy absorption capacity but, more significantly, displays fail-safe failure characteristics. These findings present significant potential for high-performance, lightweight sandwich structures in aerospace and biomedical applications.
Education challenges in developing digital competence and critical thinking skills in a post-information age / Desafíos educativos en el desarrollo de la competencia digital y el pensamiento crítico en la era de la posinformación
Authors: Li Hongmei
Published: July 2024

Today’s post-information world dictates the necessity of investigating the limits and objectives of compulsory teacher education. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of digital competency formation in teachers with different pedagogical experience through critical thinking skill assessment. The investigation relied on the TRACK-21 self-assessment tool and Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (W-GCTA). The tests were administered to fifth-year pedagogy students and teachers with various years of experience (five, 10 and 15 years). The survey was conducted in three higher education institutions in the People’s Republic of China: Sichuan University of Arts and Sciences (Dazhou, China), Sichuan University (SCU), and Chengdu University of Technology. Time frame: September 2021. The study group included 103 students and 302 faculty members (401 people). The analysis of respondents’ techno-pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK-21) showed the strong leading position of fifth-year students (Group A) in digital competence distribution among all the respondents. Teachers with 15 years of professional experience (Group D) generally demonstrated lower digital competence. This study can be useful for specialists and managers of higher pedagogical institutions, graduate students, teachers and centres of professional development. The paper describes the distribution of critical thinking skills between teachers with different years of experience by assessing their digital skills.
Comparison of the nature of cultural integration with university curricula / Estudio comparativo de las características de la integración cultural en el currículum
Authors: Chen Ruhua , Qi Weiwei
Published: July 2024

The study’s primary objective is to analyse cultural integration into the professional courses ‘International Business’ and ‘Business English’. A survey was conducted using a specially designed questionnaire, which included two groups of students of 42 people each from the International Business College, Qingdao Huanghai University, and School of Business Administration, Moscow State University named after Lomonosov. For all items of the questionnaire, a higher assessment by Chinese students of various parameters of cultural integration was found. The importance of cultural integration was equally appreciated by the students of both countries, as well as the importance of knowledge and the development of interest in national culture. Chinese students demonstrated a higher assessment of the material support of the cultural integration process and significantly higher assessments of elements of the culture of other countries integrated into the learning environment and the learning process. The present findings can be used for further research and the introduction of the created programme into the educational process to expand intercultural communication between universities in different countries.
Influence of spray-to-spray interaction after wall impingement of spray flames on diesel combustion characteristics
Authors: Ogawa Hideyuki , Ishikawa Tomoki , Kobashi Yoshimitsu , Shibata Gen
Published: July 2024

The influence of spray-to-spray interaction after wall impingement of spray flames on the combustion characteristics in high pressure and high temperature ambient gas like in combustion chambers of diesel engines was examined with a constant volume vessel. Fuel was injected onto a flat wall from two nozzles to form two parallel, adjacent sprays in the vessel, causing the spray-to-spray interaction after the wall impingement. The combustion was analyzed with the rate of heat release calculated from the pressure transition in the vessel and the spray flame was visualized by high-speed video. The 310 nm UV light images of the chemiluminescence from OH radicals are recorded to demonstrate the reaction activity in the spray flame. The images of transmitted light throughout the constant volume vessel were recorded to visualize the soot formation and oxidation processes as well as to quantify the soot concentrations as the KL factors. The results showed that the rate of heat release from the main combustion decreases and the afterburning increases with the spray-to-spray interaction after the wall impingement of the spray flame. Combustion suppression with the spray-to-spray interaction occurred in all the conditions of the experiments here when changing the distance from the nozzle to the impinging wall between 25 and 40 mm and the fuel injection pressures between 100 and 200 MPa. Inside the spray-to-spray interaction zone, the chemiluminescence from OH radicals is weaker, supporting the inactive combustion due to difficulties of the air entrainment, and the lower transmitted light intensities with larger KL factors, indicating higher soot concentrations. The spray-to-spray interaction zone on the impingement wall advances toward the inside of the vessel between the sprays and it moves away from the wall, entraining the unutilized air and causing a relatively active combustion as well as rapid soot oxidation during the late afterburning stage.