bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fault-tolerant formation control of stochastic nonlinear multi-agent systems with time-varying weighted topology
Authors: Siavash Mahdi , Majd Vahid Johari , Tahmasebi Mahdie
Published: January 2020

In this paper, the fault-tolerant formation control of nonlinear stochastic multi-agent systems in the presence of actuator faults, disturbances, and time-varying weighted topology is considered. While most traditional fault-tolerant control methods in the literature use fixed weights on the topology edges, in this study these weights are considered time-varying using a pre-designed function, which allows formulating the system more realistically. Moreover, in contrast with previous works on fault-tolerant multi-agent systems, in this study, the model of the agents is considered to be stochastic in general. Furthermore, the actuators of the agents are considered to have a time-varying fault of additive and multiplicative types. A passive and an active fault-tolerant controllers are designed based on the back-stepping sliding-mode approach. In the passive method, a constant robust controller is proposed using an upper bound of the faults while, in the active controller, the additive and multiplicative faults are estimated using adaptive laws. The active and passive fault-tolerant controllers guarantee that the formation errors converge to a bounded region near the origin in a mean-square sense and all of the existing signals in the closed-loop system remain bounded in probability. The results of the formation control are extended to consensus control as well. Finally, a stochastic multi-aircraft model and an RLC circuit with stochastic part are used as two case studies to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed design method.
The Cumulative Risk Assessment of Hepatotoxic Chemicals: A Hepatic Histopathology Perspective
Authors: Foster John R. , Semino-Beninel Giovanna , Melching-Kollmuss Stephanie
Published: January 2020

The increased concern on the consequence of exposure to multiple chemical combinations has led national regulatory authorities to develop different concepts to conduct risk assessments on chemical mixtures. Pesticide residues were identified as “problem formulation” in the respective European regulations and in this context, the European Food and Safety Authority has suggested to group pesticidal active ingredients (AIs) into cumulative assessment groups (CAGs) based on the toxicological properties of each AI. One proposed CAG, on the liver, currently consists of 15 subgroups, each representing a specific hepatotoxic effect observed in toxicity studies. Dietary cumulative risk assessments would then have to be conducted assuming dose additivity of all members of each CAG subgroup.

The purpose of this publication is to group AIs based upon the knowledge of the pathogenesis of liver effects to discriminate between primary end points (direct consequence of chemical interaction with a biological target) and secondary end points (which are a consequence of, or that arise out of, a previous pathological change). Focusing on the relevant primary end points strengthens and simplifies the selection of compounds for cumulative risk assessment regarding the liver and better rationalizes the basis for chemical grouping. Relevant dose additivity is to be expected at the level of the primary/leading pathological end points and not at the level of the secondary end points. We recognize, however, that special consideration is needed for substances provoking neoplasia, and this category is included in the group of primary end points for which chemicals inducing them are grouped for risk assessment.

Using the pathological basis for defining the respective CAGs, 6 liver subgroups and 2 gallbladder/bile duct groups are proposed. This approach simplifies the cumulative assessment calculation without obviously affecting consumer safety.
Indiscriminate Pathologic Examination of Pediatric Supraglottoplasty Specimens: An Evidence‐Based Approach toward Exempt Status
Authors: Elghouche Alhasan N. , Alwani Mohamedkazim M. , Matt Bruce H.
Published: January 2020

Objective

The primary aim of this study was to demonstrate that indiscriminate pathologic evaluation of supraglottoplasty specimens is unnecessary and does not influence postoperative management. The secondary objective was to determine the costs associated with pathologic evaluation of supraglottoplasty specimens.

Methods

A planned chart review was conducted to evaluate data from consecutive patients undergoing supraglottoplasty. Demographic data were extracted and pathology reports were reviewed. Projected cost savings were estimated based on 2018 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reimbursement rates for Current Procedural Terminology code 88304 (surgical pathology, gross and microscopic examination).

Results

A total of 1417 consecutive patients were identified. All specimens underwent gross and microscopic examination. Pathologic outcomes were categorized into 3 major categories: no diagnostic abnormality (n = 1069), chronic inflammation (n = 346), and other (n = 2). Pathologic evaluation did not alter postoperative management in any patient. Projected yearly and 5‐year cost‐ savings totaled $11,818.08 and $59,173.92, respectively.

Discussion

These findings demonstrate that pathologic examination of supraglottoplasty specimens adds no value to patient management. A more selective approach to pathologic examination of certain surgical specimens is an improvement opportunity to enhance the value of patient care by eliminating direct financial costs and “hidden costs” associated with unnecessarily increased workload.

Implications for Practice

Addressing inappropriate, indiscriminate pathologic examination of certain surgical specimens is a potential quality improvement opportunity that has a meaningful impact on the value of patient care and reduces strains on the workload of surgical and pathology department personnel.
Liquid culture, the art of life and dancing with Tracey Emin: A feminist art historian/cultural analyst’s perspective on Bauman’s missing cultural hermeneutics
Authors: Pollock Griselda
Published: January 2020

In this article I chart an indirect if not oblique path through my own theoretical formation as a social and feminist art historian, informed by Marxist cultural studies but deeply engaged with issues of difference and gender, to the response Zygmunt Bauman made to a book I gave him that I had reason to believe would resonate with his work. It did not. Indeed, my kind of theoretically informed visual and cultural analysis was indecipherable despite the influence of his writing after 1989 on my work. Gender was not a topic for Bauman. Feminist theory remained an impenetrable territory. Art (as opposed to culture) was not to be theorized. Yet, in his later work on liquid modernity, Bauman incorporated the idea that we are all now artists of life. Here I recognized an oblique and unjustified if not misdirected dismissal of the working-class British artist Tracey Emin. My article concludes with my reading of her video work, Why I Never Became a Dancer, which poignantly and defiantly exposes the social violence and violations of class, race and gender in British society which she experienced. I seek to demonstrate how Bauman’s acute, but often academically devalued, attentiveness to the vernacular and quotidian forms of cultural experience and its ability to register and reveal changing social forms and forces should have enabled him to see Emin’s work as equally acute and culturally significant.
Precision medicine and gut dysbiosis
Authors: Harris Cailin , Kim Peter T. , Waterhouse Dawn , Feng Zeny , Niergarth Jessmyn , Lee Christine H.
Published: January 2020

Clostridioides difficile Infection (CDI) is a leading cause of healthcare-associated infections in Canada, affecting the gastrointestinal tract which can lead to fever, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Effective treatment for patients with Recurrent CDI (rCDI) can be achieved by Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) by introducing the gut micro-organisms of a healthy person (donor) into the bowel of the affected individual. Research has shown that an increase in the specific bacterial phyla post-FMT may be partly responsible for this gut restoration and elimination of disease. Furthermore, in understanding the key bacteria associated with successful FMT, full treatment plans can be developed for the individual needs of the patient by matching an infected individual with a donor possessing ideal microbiota for the specific patient. This development of precision medicine and more systematic adoption of FMT can be the next step toward more rapid resolution of rCDI.
The “Best of 2019 List” of Health Promotion Researchers
Authors: Terry Paul E.
Published: January 2020

Each year, the editorial team of the American Journal of Health Promotion selects our “Best of List” of health promotion science from the prior year. This editorial features the Editor’s picks, the Editor in Chief’s favorites, and other award categories for the research and writing published in 2019 in this journal. Our criteria for selection include such factors as: whether the study addresses a topic of timely importance in health promotion, the research question is clearly stated and the methodologies used are well executed, whether the paper is often cited and downloaded, whether the study findings offer a unique contribution to the literature, and whether the paper is well written and enjoyable to read. Awardees in 2019 shared study findings that demonstrated the vital role of health policies in affecting behaviors and offered new insights into how to engage voices from communities, how intervention dose and reach impact outcomes, and how to better engage the most difficult to reach.
War and diplomacy on the world stage: Crisis bargaining before third parties
Authors: Wolford Scott
Published: January 2020

I analyze a three-actor model of crisis bargaining with two key features. First, diplomatic opposition raises the costs of war, but an informed state can avoid it by conveying restraint to a supporter. Second, the means of conveying restraint may fail to convince an enemy tempted to risk war of the informed state’s willingness to fight. I derive three results. First, war is more likely when third parties believe the informed state to be generally restrained. Second, the threat of opposition that modestly affects the costs of war discourages risky bluffing. Third, the threat of opposition that substantially raises the costs of war can lead states to mask a true willingness to fight, securing diplomatic support at the price of an elevated risk of war despite the availability of a credible signal. Building diplomatic coalitions to prevent balancing can simultaneously make credible communication that averts war both easy and unattractive.
Delegation and political turnover
Authors: Sasso Greg
Published: January 2020

We study a two-period delegation model with an uncertain future principal. In the first period, an incumbent principal decides whether to delegate policy-making authority to an agent or make policy herself. Before the second period, there is an election, and another principal with different preferences may take power. The main result is that the incumbent can exploit the uncertainty about the future principal to extract policy surplus from the agent. The agent’s uncertainty about the future principal pushes him to implement a policy that both principals accept. The surplus from this compromise policy makes the incumbent better off than she would be without the possibility of turnover. We also find that when costs are low, policy stability can increase as elections become more competitive, as the agent has more incentive to implement a compromise policy. We then allow the incumbent to appoint the agent. We show that as the incumbent becomes more likely to retain office, she prefers more policy conflict with the agent.
Leakage, heat transfer and thermal deformation analysis method for contacting finger seals based on coupled porous media and real structure models
Authors: Wang Qiang , Hu Ya-Ping , Ji Hong-Hu
Published: January 2020

Finger seal is a type of compliant seal configuration that has superior sealing performance compared with conventional labyrinth seals and brush seals. However, complex working conditions lead to leakage, thermal gradient and deformation, which can be more serious for a contacting finger seal due to frictional heating. In this paper, a leakage and thermal performance analysis method coupled with porous media and a real structure model was developed to numerically simulate the leakage, heat transfer and thermal deformation characteristics of a contacting finger seal. The method innovatively established a porous media fluid dynamics and heat transfer model and modified the frictional heating model by introducing the concept of a friction work conversion ratio. Then, the thermal deformation of the fingers was calculated on the basis of pressure and temperature results by using the thermal-stress module of ANSYS Workbench. The results show that the leakage analysis porous media model has good calculation accuracy and most of the fluid leaks through the finger foot, while the pressure drops mainly in this field. The highest finger temperature occurs at the downstream side of the contact surface between the finger foot and the rotor. The largest thermal deformation of each laminate occurs at the finger foot toe and increases slightly along the flow direction. Additionally, the largest relative circumferential thermal deformation can reduce the gap between the fingers by approximately 5%, which is beneficial for reducing leakage. It is suggested to increase the seal inner diameter at the finger foot toe but decrease it at the finger foot heel during the design process to decrease wear and leakage.
Effects of Reynolds number and loading distribution on the aerodynamic performance of a high subsonic compressor airfoil
Authors: Wang Ming-Yang , Li Zi-Liang , Zhao Sheng-Feng , Zhang Yan-Feng , Lu Xin-Gen
Published: January 2020

The laminar-turbulent transition process on the compressor blade surface is often induced by the laminar separation flow at low Reynolds number ( Re). In the present study, numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the structure of the laminar separation bubble and its effects on the profile loss of a high subsonic compressor airfoil under different Re conditions, and the mechanism for the performance deterioration of compressor airfoil at low Re was clarified. Besides, the airfoil was redesigned to obtain a series of airfoils with different loading distributions, and the aerodynamic performance of these airfoils was compared and analyzed in detail. According to the simulation results, the laminar separation bubble mainly determined the loss generation process of a compressor airfoil. When Re decreased from 12 × 105 to 1.5 × 105, the laminar separation bubble on the suction surface grew thicker and the length was increased by 11.2% of the axial chord. As such, the reversed flow inside the laminar separation bubble became more obvious and the turbulence level downstream of the maximum thickness of laminar separation bubble was increased. Also, the growth in the turbulent boundary layer was enhanced, causing more serious flow blockage and wake mixing. According to the Denton's profile loss model, the larger trailing edge loss caused by the stronger displacement effect of laminar separation bubble was supposed to be the main reason for the performance deterioration of compressor airfoil under low Re conditions. The ultra-front loading distribution for airfoil has the possibility to suppress or even eliminate the negative effect of laminar separation bubble, and the profile loss was decreased by 26.7% at Re = 1.5 × 105; however, the less significant performance improvement was observed at some higher Re. Moreover, the ultra-front loaded airfoil was less sensitive to the inlet turbulence level and the superiority still holds even at some supercritical conditions.
Effect of injection position on fuel spray and mixture preparation of a free-piston linear engine generator
Authors: Yuan Chenheng , Li Jiahui , He Liange , He Yituan
Published: January 2020

Fuel spray and mixing in linear engines is coupled by dynamics, combustion, and gas exchange, which differs from that in conventional engines. This work presents a system simulation to reveal the multi-process coupling effect of injection position on the fuel spray and mixing of a free piston linear diesel engine (FPLE). A full-cycle fuel spray model which couples with dynamic, combustion, and gas exchange is established to predict the coupled effect on mixture formation. The results indicate that the variable injection position changes the FPLE motion through multi-process coupling effect, resulting in different boundary conditions for fuel spray and mixing. Relatively large injection advance position leads to more residual gas, fast speed, intense turbulence, low gas pressure, and temperature at the moment of injection for mixture formation. The earlier fuel injection generally makes the longer spray penetration, smaller Sauter mean diameter of droplets, less fuel impingement, faster fuel evaporation rate, and more evaporated fuel mass. However, too early injection does not support the above results. Suggesting that in order to achieve homogeneous combustion mode, the large injection advance position injection schedule operation is a good choice for the FPLE due to its long ignition delay duration for fuel atomization, evaporation, and mixing.
Antibodies against carbamylated vimentin exist in systemic lupus erythematosus and correlate with disease activity
Authors: Li Y , Jia R , Liu Y , Tang S , Ma X , Shi L , Zhao J , Hu F , Li Z
Published: January 2020

Objectives

Antibodies against carbamylated protein (anti-CarP) were found to be a promising marker to evaluate joint damage and disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, whether anti-CarP antibodies were present in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) remained ambiguous. We have therefore undertaken this study to assess the levels of serum anti-CarP antibodies and to evaluate their clinical value in SLE.

Methods

Serum levels of antibodies against carbamylated-vimentin (anti-Carp) were measured by enzyme immunosorbent assay in 100 patients with SLE, 76 with RA, 17 with primary Sjögren syndrome (pSS), and 68 healthy controls. Data analyses between anti-Carp antibodies and other laboratory measures were performed using SPSS 24 software for Windows.

Results

The levels of serum anti-CarP antibodies in patients with SLE were significantly higher than those in healthy controls. In addition, anti-CarP antibodies were present in SLE patients lacking the disease-specific antibodies, including anti-Smith–negative patients (24.4%, 21/86), anti-dsDNA–negative patients (29.3%, 12/41), anti-nucleosome–negative patients (21.4%, 9/42), and antiribosomal P protein antibody–negative patients (23.7%, 18/76). There were significant differences between the anti-CarP–positive and anti-CarP–negative SLE patients in clinical and laboratory features, such as age, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein, rheumatoid factor, third-generation cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP3), anticardiolipin, D-dipolymer, complement 3, immunoglobulin G (IgG), red blood cell count (RBC) and hemoglobin. After adjusting for age and disease duration, the high levels of anti-CarP antibodies were still correlated with low RBC, hemoglobin and high ESR, IgG and CCP3. Active SLE patients demonstrated higher anti-CarP IgG than inactive patients. Moreover, the levels of anti-CarP were significantly higher in SLE patients with arthralgia and/or arthritis than in those without joint involvement.

Conclusions

Anti-CarP antibodies were present in SLE patients and associated with the disease severity. These might provide a potential supplement to other specific autoantibodies for diagnosis of SLE and serve as a promising marker for measuring joint damage in the disease.
In Human Memory, Good Can Be Stronger Than Bad
Authors: Sedikides Constantine , Skowronski John J.
Published: January 2020

Some researchers assert that the psychological impact of negative information is more powerful than that of positive information. This assertion is qualified in the domain of human memory, in which (a) positive content is often favored (in the strength of memories for real stimuli or events and in false-memory generation) over negative content and (b) the affect prompted by memories of positive events is more temporally persistent than the affect prompted by memories of negative events. We suggest that both of these phenomena reflect the actions of self-motives (i.e., self-protection and self-enhancement), which instigate self-regulatory activity and self-relevant processes.
Of Modernity, House Prices and Suspending Singularity of Time
Authors: Goyal Yugank
Published: January 2020

Why do we buy houses as opposed to renting one? This question, in its simplistic formulation captures, inter alia, some of the most fundamental emotions of temporal values that we impose on ourselves. Yet, the question has attracted little scholarly scrutiny. The article, using this question as a case, attempts to excavate the silences of our imagination of time in the cacophony of modernity. Time has had varying versions of existence in the modern world. When time is singular, it has the same meaning attributed to by everyone in the same community. A pluralistic conception of time is the exact opposite. I use discount rates as a unique entry point to understand how people view their future (time), and thereby a conceptual aperture to see if time is losing its singularity or not. More importantly, how so. I collected data on house prices in India in five major metropolitan cities in India and compared those prices with rental values. The crude estimation is a useful proxy to observe discount rates, and consequently, varying conceptions of time. I show that time has become a homogenized entity for people falling in similar economic class while it has lost its singularity for those within the same social class (community). This gets folded into questions of ethical implications of modernity’s impact on one’s aspirations.
Histories, Identities and the Subaltern Resistance in Goa
Authors: Parobo Parag D.
Published: January 2020

Spectacular outbreaks against the Portuguese receive regular scholarly attention. Resistance qualifies as an act against the colonial state, and in doing so, the dominant castes have succeeded in misrecognizing their social dominance. Fixing dominance on the colonial state narrows the agency of resistance and, consequently, produces a framework that leads to an emphasis on the formal properties of colonial power, ignoring its local and micro-context in which the dominant castes are deeply implicated. In addition, the dominant castes are relocated and redefined as primordial nationalists whose every act signals resistance. These two tendencies on the notion of resistance have been in vogue for at least a century, and the problem—existence of local dominance—is held in analytical abeyance. This article analyses the scholarly framework on the concept of resistance in Goa and examines the interplay of subaltern resistance, more particularly through identity and temple ownership with the workings of power.
Effectiveness of a Holistic Capacity-Building Program for Volunteers in Community-Based End-of-Life Care
Authors: Wang Qianrong , Chan Iris K. W. , Lou Vivian W. Q.
Published: January 2020

Objective:

Despite the importance of volunteers in end-of-life care (EoLC), ways to empower their engagement therein remain unclear. The aim of our study was to examine the effectiveness of a holistic capacity-building program for volunteers in community-based EoLC.

Methods:

Applicants completed a capacity-building program in four steps: motivational screening, core competence training, internships, and in-service supervision. Screening involved completing a self-administered risk assessment and being interviewed by a social worker, and a questionnaire was developed to evaluate the effectiveness of training at pretraining, posttraining, and 6-month follow-up.

Results:

Of 171 applicants, 88 completed core competence training after screening, and 53 continued volunteering for the 6 months that followed. Their competence in EoLC, awareness of self-care, and death work competence significantly improved after training and remained intact at 6-month follow-up.

Conclusions:

The four-phase capacity-building program effectively empowered volunteers to provide EoLC for elderly persons in their communities.
Home Visiting Work: A Transdisciplinary Study
Authors: Bräutigam Barbara , Lüngen Sarah , Müller Matthias
Published: January 2020

Purpose:

Home visiting (HV) work represents an expanding, extremely promising, and commonly practiced approach that can be seen in various areas of social work as well as health care. This report presents the results of the research study “‘home treatment’ (HT)—transdisciplinary research in HV work.”

Method:

It is the first German study that has used qualitative and quantitative methods to collect data from different professions in respect to this topic. From the point of view of the professionals, the study underlines that HV work principally seems to be a good base for establishing a professional and confidential relationship. They attribute more sustainability and participation from the clients to home-based interventions than other forms of help. After a short introduction about the current situation of HV work, the research project will be explained and the qualitative and quantitative methods described.

Results:

The results of the “HT Questionnaire” will be presented in 10 sections and the qualitative results in a model for reflection based on three points of view and five main topics.

Discussion:

Finally, some ethical and safety aspects will be discussed.
Formal Communications’ Role in Knowledge Work: Evidence From Projects
Authors: Rogers Priscilla S. , Pawlik Lisa A. , Shwom Barbara L.
Published: January 2020

To investigate the contribution of formal communications (FCs) to problem-solving knowledge work, this study examines survey, interview, and observational data from 212 teams who produced contracting documents, reports, and PowerPoint presentations while working on projects for diverse organizations worldwide. The study found that these FCs engaged teams in a contextual–conceptual dynamic involving interactive pairs of integral work activities. The findings validate, integrate, and extend prior scholarship on organizational genres, writing to learn, and the role of material texts in the work process, leading to a comprehensive framework that pinpoints opportunities for managing FCs to achieve their fullest potential.
Children’s Self-Reports About Illness-Related Information and Family Communication When a Parent Has a Life-Threatening Illness
Authors: Eklund Rakel , Kreicbergs Ulrika , Alvariza Anette , Lövgren Malin
Published: January 2020

Children’s experiences of information and family communication when a parent has a life-threatening illness have been sparsely studied, though such information is important for the child’s wellbeing. The aim of this study was to explore children’s reports of illness-related information and family communication when living with a parent with a life-threatening illness. Forty-eight children, aged 7 to 19 years, were recruited from four specialized palliative home care units in Stockholm, Sweden. All but one child reported that someone had told them about the parent’s life-threatening illness; however, two thirds wanted more information. A quarter of the teenagers reported that they had questions about the illness that they did not dare to ask. Half of the children, aged 8 to 12, reported that they felt partially or completely unable to talk about how they felt or show their feelings to someone in the family. Interventions are needed that promote greater family communication and family–professional communication.
Free vibration of microscale frameworks using modified couple stress and a combination of Rayleigh–Love and Timoshenko theories
Authors: Mustapha Khameel B
Published: January 2020

A model is proposed for investigating the size-dependent frequency response of arbitrarily oriented microscale frames used in the build-up of lattice structures with micro unit cells. The model employs the Rayleigh–Love, the Timoshenko and the modified couple stress theories to overcome the weaknesses of the conventional theories. Descriptions of the model and finite element implementation are presented. Predictions from the reduced forms of the model agree with published results. The frequency analyses of different microscale frames reveal the influence of material lengthscale, dead weight, lateral inertia and orientation angles. For small aspect ratios, neglecting the lateral inertia effect incurs a substantial error in predicting the frequencies of higher modes, but only marginally affects the lower modes. The resonant frequencies exhibit a sharp drop in the presence of dead weight, but it increases in the presence of material lengthscale.
Parametric optimization of a frequency-up-conversion piezoelectric harvester via discontinuous analysis
Authors: Onsorynezhad Saeed , Abedini Amin , Wang Fengxia
Published: January 2020

In this study, the dynamical and electrical behaviors of an impact-based frequency-up-conversion energy harvester were studied based on discontinuous dynamics theory. This analytical study enables us to better understand the response of an impact-based frequency-up-conversion energy harvester as system parameters change, hence, guiding us to design a high-efficiency energy harvester via optimizing the values of the critical parameters of the system. For a given base excitation, the optimum gap to maximize the output power was obtained. The energy harvester consists of a sinusoidal vibrating piezoelectric bimorph and a stopper. The equations of the piezoelectric bimorph, which was modeled as an Euler–Bernoulli beam, were obtained based on the linear piezoelectric constitutive law. The generated voltage and power of the energy harvester were obtained via discontinuous dynamics analysis. Furthermore, the bifurcation diagrams of period-1 and period-2 motions were presented as the excitation frequency varying. To better understand the effect of different parameters on the performance of our system, the bifurcation trees of the period-1 motion versus varying excitation frequency were analytically obtained for different initial gap distances between the piezoelectric beam and the stopper. In addition, the bifurcation diagram of period solutions with a constant excitation frequency and varying gap distance was also attained.
Dynamic model of a helical gear pair considering tooth surface friction
Authors: Wang Cheng
Published: January 2020

The tooth surface friction is one of the main sources of gear vibration and noise. The current challenging problems in research of a helical gear pair dynamics considering tooth surface friction include the following: (1) Calculation accuracy of the tooth surface friction factor needs to be improved. (2) The meshing process of a helical gear pair has not been fully taken into account in a dynamic model. To solve these problems, a dynamic model of a helical gear pair considering tooth surface friction is proposed in this article. First, based on the tooth contact analysis and loaded tooth contact analysis of a helical gear pair, excitation of time-varying meshing stiffness, the sliding friction coefficient on tooth surface, and the arm of friction force are preliminarily calculated. Second, the dynamic model of a helical gear pair considering tooth surface friction is built and solved, in which the dynamic meshing force/speed/displacement is calculated. The sliding friction coefficient on tooth surface, arm of friction force, and dynamic equations form a coupled system. By decoupling calculation, the model system equations are solved. Finally, an example is presented to verify the proposed model.
Closed-form expressions for the steady-state response of damped transmission line conductors considering their bending stiffness
Authors: Ceballos Marcelo A , Stuardi José E
Published: January 2020

This paper begins with a brief compilation of analytical models typically used to calculate the dynamic response of a conductor span belonging to an overhead transmission line, with a Stockbridge-type damper located near one of its ends. In most of analyses found in the literature, the calculation of the response is done through the superposition of waves that propagate in both longitudinal directions impinging and reflecting at the span ends and at the damper attachment points. The approach proposed in this paper allows obtaining the response as the steady-state solution of the governing differential equations providing suitable analytical expressions for conductors with bending stiffness, which are dispersive media for propagating waves. Using these analytical solutions, the influence of bending stiffness on the efficiency and on the optimal mechanical impedance of the damper, which are of great importance in damper design, can be described explicitly. At the same time, the proposed methodology avoids the need of numerical models or approximate formulas to calculate the bending strains in critical points of the conductor with a single damper.
A frequency domain blind identification method for operational modal analysis using a limited number of sensors
Authors: Li Xinhui , Antoni Jerome , Brennan Michael J , Yang Tiejun , Liu Zhigang
Published: January 2020

Operational modal analysis is an experimental modal analysis approach, which uses vibration data collected when the structure is under operating conditions. Amongst the methods for operational modal analysis, blind source separation–based methods have been shown to be efficient and powerful. The existing blind source separation modal identification methods, however, require the number of sensors to be at least equal to the number of modes in the frequency range of interest to avoid spatial aliasing. In this article, a frequency domain algorithm that overcomes this problem is proposed, which is based on the joint diagonalization of a set of weighted covariance matrices. In the proposed approach, the frequency range of interest is partitioned into several frequency ranges in which the number of active modes in each band is less than the number of sensors. Numerical simulations and an experimental example demonstrate the efficacy of the method.
Home Visiting Nurses’ Job Stress and Error Incidents
Authors: Yoshimatsu Keiko , Nakatani Hisae
Published: January 2020

The current study examined the relationship between home visiting nurses’ job stress and error incidents to provide a better understanding of risk management for home visiting nursing services. Home visiting nurses often perform patient care alone, under great mental and physical stress, increasing the risk of human error when executing tasks. A mail survey was distributed to 437 home visiting nurses working at agencies in 71 locations in Japan. The questionnaires were anonymously completed and included items on career history, experiences of job stress, and experiences of incidents. Answers were collected from 230 participants. After eliminating incomplete responses, 146 questionnaires were included in the analyses. Participants’ average age was 48.5 ± 9.3 years, and they had an average of 7.2 ± 5.6 years of experience in home visiting nursing services. In total, 21 (14.4%) were administrators, and 125 (85.6%) were staff nurses. Administrators experienced more no-harm incidents in which an error occurred but did not result in client injury than did staff nurses ( p < .05) and scored higher on three items of job stress (quantitative overload, fit to the job, and supervisor support) ( p < .05). Harmful incidents were positively associated with quantitative overload ( p < .05) and work environment ( p < .01). These results suggest that there is a limit to the extent to which an administrator can offer safe care. A less stressful working environment and active information exchange rooted in a culture of medical safety should reduce the number of incidents.
Cadmium-Induced Renal Cell Toxicity Is Associated With MicroRNA Deregulation
Authors: Lemaire J. , Van der Hauwaert C. , Savary G. , Dewaeles E. , Perrais M. , Lo Guidice J. M. , Pottier N. , Glowacki F. , Cauffiez C.
Published: January 2020

Cadmium is an environmental pollutant well known for its nephrotoxic effects. Nevertheless, mechanisms underlying nephrotoxicity continue to be elucidated. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged in recent years as modulators of xenobiotic-induced toxicity. In this context, our study aimed at elucidating whether miRNAs are involved in renal proximal tubular toxicity induced by cadmium exposure. We showed that cadmium exposure, in 2 distinct renal proximal tubular cell models (renal proximal tubular epithelial cell [RPTEC]/human telomerase reverse transcriptase [hTERT] and human kidney-2), resulted in cytotoxicity associated with morphological changes, overexpression of renal injury markers, and induction of apoptosis and inflammation processes. Cadmium exposure also resulted in miRNA modulation, including the significant upregulation of 38 miRNAs in RPTEC/hTERT cells. Most of these miRNAs are known to target genes whose coding proteins are involved in oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis, leading to tissue remodeling. In conclusion, this study provides a list of dysregulated miRNAs which may play a role in the pathophysiology of cadmium-induced kidney damages and highlights promising cadmium molecular biomarkers that warrants to be further evaluated.
Introduction: Songs that Sing the Crisis: Music, Words, Youth Narratives and Identities in Late Modernity
Authors: Guerra Paula , Feixa Pàmpols Carles , Blackman Shane , Ostegaard Jeanette
Published: January 2020

In this special edition on popular music, we seek to explore Simon Frith’s (1978, The sociology of rock, London, UK: Constable, p. 39) argument that: ‘Music’s presence in youth culture is established but not its purpose’. ‘Songs that sing the crisis’ captures contemporary accounts, which build upon popular music’s legacy, courage and sheer determination to offer social and cultural critique of oppressive structures or political injustice as they are being lived by young people today. Young people have consistently delivered songs that have focused on struggles for social rights, civil rights, women’s rights and ethnic and sexual minorities rights through creative anger, emotion and resistance, and we know that music matters because we consciously feel the song (DeNora, 2000, Music in everyday life, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). However, in the aftermath of the post-2008 global economic and cultural crises, young people, in particular, have faced austerity, social hardship and political changes, which have impacted on their future lives (France, 2016, Understanding youth in the global economic crisis, Bristol: Policy Press; Kelly & Pike, 2017, Neo-liberalism and austerity: The moral economies of young people’s health and well-being, London, UK: Palgrave). This special issue assesses the key contestation where popular music is a mechanism to not only challenge but to think through ordinary people’s experience and appeals for social justice. The present introduction starts by presenting the historical and theoretical background of this research field. Then, it introduces the articles about the songs that sing the crisis in Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Finland, Norway, Egypt and Tunisia through the rhythms of rap, hip-hop, fado, electronic pop, indie rock, reggaeton, metal and mahragan.
Piano-accompanied solfège reading experiences of preservice music teachers
Authors: Guven Elif
Published: January 2020

This study examines how piano-accompanied solfège reading practices of preservice music teachers ( N = 28) affect their performance on their musical hearing, reading, and writing (MHRW) classes. A pretest–posttest design with control groups was employed. The data were analyzed by 2 × 2 split-plot analysis of variance (ANOVA) and one-way ANOVA. Consequently, a significant difference was not found between the MHRW performance scores of the experimental and control groups. An analysis of mean performance scores revealed that the scores received by the control group were higher than those of the experimental group after the practice. Follow-up interviews that were held with 14 students after the experimental implementation revealed that students believed piano-accompanied courses were more useful, and they felt more comfortable with piano accompaniment. Although MHRW performance scores indicated that piano-accompanied solfège reading practices did not have a significant effect on preservice music teachers’ MHRW performances, it helped them participate in courses more enthusiastically.
Introduction: Ethical issues in educational research
Authors: Butterwick Shauna , Head George , Madalinska-Michalak Joanna , Raykov Milosh , Taylor Alison , Taylor-Neu Robin , Zgaga Pavel
Published: January 2020

This special issue of the European Educational Research Journal (EERJ) addresses the issues surrounding current concerns regarding the ethical conduct of research in education. The impetus for ethical regulation of educational research has come from our institutions; therefore, by its very nature it is bureaucratic and often perceived by researchers as obstructive and even unethical. The papers herein tackle these problematic matters by interrogating the difficult questions surrounding ethical processes and charting academics’ experiences of and reactions to them. The issue argues that academics need to take possession of this debate through practice so that it becomes an aid to research, enhancing the conduct of research and the dignity, privacy and humanity of researchers and their participants.
Running thermoregulation effects using bioceramics versus polyester fibres socks
Authors: Escamilla-Martínez Elena , Gómez-Martín Beatriz , Sánchez-Rodríguez Raquel , Fernández-Seguín Lourdes M , Pérez-Soriano Pedro , Martínez-Nova Alfonso
Published: January 2020

The feet, covered by socks and shoes during running, undergo an increase of temperature. The aim of this study was to reduce heat generation in the feet of athletes during running by wearing novel thermoregulatory socks impregnated with bioceramic materials. Thirty male athletes ran a half-marathon (21.0975 km) wearing polyester based with bioceramic fibres (zirconium silicate and titanium oxide) and control socks (polyester). The average temperatures were measured with a thermographic camera (FLIR e60bx) before and after the run. Nine regions of interests were evaluated in the plantar surface and eight in the dorsum. Before running, the plantar region with the highest temperature was the inner midfoot (plantar arch) with 30.3 ± 2.1°C on the control sock and 30.2 ± 2.1°C on the bioceramic one. After running, smaller temperatures were found at the plantar surface of five regions of interests: heel, inner midfoot, first and fifth metatarsal heads and first toe and all the dorsal regions of the bioceramic socks. The amount of temperature reduction from the bioceramic sock was between –1.1 and –1.3°C in heel, inner midfoot, first MTH and first toe (plantar) and 1.3°C at the dorsum of first and fifth toes. Polyester-based socks with bioceramic fibre materials, due to far-infrared radiation, promote cooler temperatures on the sock surface after running. This effect is more effective in heel, the inner midfoot and the first MTH and could help improve the behaviour of the sock to make it denser in bioceramics and preventing running lesions, like blisters.
Hybrid chaotic firefly decision making model for Parkinson’s disease diagnosis
Authors: Dash Sujata , Abraham Ajith , Luhach Ashish Kr , Mizera-Pietraszko Jolanta , Rodrigues Joel JPC
Published: January 2020

Parkinson’s disease is found as a progressive neurodegenerative condition which affects motor circuit by the loss of up to 70% of dopaminergic neurons. Thus, diagnosing the early stages of incidence is of great importance. In this article, a novel chaos-based stochastic model is proposed by combining the characteristics of chaotic firefly algorithm with Kernel-based Naïve Bayes (KNB) algorithm for diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease at an early stage. The efficiency of the model is tested on a voice measurement dataset that is collected from “UC Irvine Machine Learning Repository.” The dynamics of chaos optimization algorithm will enhance the firefly algorithm by introducing six types of chaotic maps which will increase the diversification and intensification capability of chaos-based firefly algorithm. The objective of chaos-based maps is to select initial values of the population of fireflies and change the value of absorption coefficient so as to increase the diversity of populations and improve the search process to achieve global optima avoiding the local optima. For selecting the most discriminant features from the search space, Naïve Bayesian stochastic algorithm with kernel density estimation as learning algorithm is applied to evaluate the discriminative features from different perspectives, namely, subset size, accuracy, stability, and generalization. The experimental study of the problem established that chaos-based logistic model overshadowed other chaotic models. In addition, four widely used classifiers such as Naïve Bayes classifier, k-nearest neighbor, decision tree, and radial basis function classifier are used to prove the generalization and stability of the logistic chaotic model. As a result, the model identified as the best one and could be used as a decision making tool by clinicians to diagnose Parkinson’s disease patients.
Stimulation of Erythrocyte Membrane Blebbing by Naproxen Sodium
Authors: Ilyas Sajida , Jilani Kashif , Sikandar Muhammad , Siddiq Saba , Riaz Muhammad , Naveed Ayesha , Bibi Ismat , Nawaz Haq , Irfan Muhammad , Asghar Asma
Published: January 2020

Naproxen sodium is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) having antipyretic and analgesic properties, mainly used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Eryptosis is an alternative term used for suicidal erythrocyte death. In the current study, eryptotic effect of naproxen sodium characterized by membrane blebbing was investigated in erythrocytes after 48 hours of treatment with different concentrations (1-25 µM). The experimental work related to investigation of eryptosis was done by cell size measurement and confirmation of calcium role in the induction of membrane blebbing. As a possible mechanism of eryptosis, oxidative stress induced by naproxen sodium was determined by catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase activities. Similarly, hemolytic effect of naproxen sodium was also determined by hemolysis measurement. Results of our study illustrated that the therapeutic doses (10-25 µM) of naproxen sodium induce oxidative stress, confirmed by significant decrease in superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase activities that lead to the triggering of cell death by eryptosis and hemolysis.