bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Compression behavior of soft PVC foams obtained by cardanol-derived plasticizer
Authors: Greco Antonio , Ferrari Francesca , Maffezzoli Alfonso
Published: March 2020

This work is aimed to study the application of a bio-based plasticizer, obtained by acetylation and epoxydation of cardanol, for the production of soft PVC foams. The use of epoxidized cardanol acetate allowed obtaining a more efficient foaming of soft PVC compared to phthalate plasticizer bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), mainly due to the lower viscosity attained in the decomposition range of azodicarbonamide (AZDC). As a consequence, the foams produced by epoxidized cardanol acetate showed a lower density compared to those produced with DEHP. The lower density yielded lower values of compressive modulus. However, the modulus was shown to be not only dependent on the density, but also showed a direct dependence on the type of plasticizer used, in addition to processing temperature and AZDC content. As a consequence, the specific compressive modulus also showed a direct dependence on the type of plasticizer, processing temperature and AZDC content. Such dependence was explained by considering different cellular morphologies developed during foaming under different processing conditions, including type of plasticizer. In particular, it was shown that the lower viscosity attained by epoxidized cardanol acetate plasticized PVC involved an increase of the average pore size of the foam, which was shown to be the main cause of the variation of the specific compressive modulus.
Utilizing the ICF to Enable Evidence-Based Practice Among Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors
Authors: Southwick Joshua D. , Grizzell Saara T.
Published: March 2020

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) provides an appropriate framework for conceptualizing cases within vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs. VR counselors can improve service delivery by using the framework and tools of the ICF, including the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0), the ICF Checklist 2.1, and the ICF Core Sets. VR counselors can more readily begin the initial step of evidence-based practice (i.e., formulating well-defined, answerable questions) by using the ICF framework and its tools to identify and categorize common barriers and facilitators among VR consumers. The ICF framework and its tools are described in relation to their potential utilization in VR practice. In addition, specific case examples are given, describing how VR counselors can incorporate ICF perspectives and tools into their practice. The authors briefly describe training resources, future directions, and other considerations for the use of the ICF in VR settings.
An Artificial Neural Networks approach to predict low-velocity impact forces in an elastomer material
Authors: Rodríguez-Sánchez Alejandro E
Published: March 2020

The study of the impact phenomenon on rubber-like materials has been traditionally related to lumped parameter modeling or discrete Finite Element models that require experimentation associated with the material behavior at a level of constitutive modeling, and additional testing to validate their operation in case of engineering applications. This article presents an Artificial Neural Network approach to predict and simulate the low-velocity impact force in a thermoplastic elastomer material. Neural network models were trained and validated with experimental data obtained from impact tests in a modified Charpy apparatus. An experimental setup and a data acquisition procedure were set out to record the impact forces on elastomer specimens. The coefficient of determination R2, the Root Mean Square Error, and the Maximum Absolute Error measures were implemented as error functions to evaluate the performance of the neural networks regarding experimental data. Results show that the proposed method helps to predict and derive impact force curves within the range of the training data, since errors below 1% regarding experimental values were obtained. The results also demonstrate that the neural networks can simulate impact force curves within the range of the experimental values without the need to involve parameters of material strain-rate sensitivity. In addition, the approach was tested in another material, and the corresponding results show good prediction capabilities since errors below 1% were obtained. Therefore, it is concluded that the presented artificial neural models, and the approach, could be useful to create solution spaces for low-velocity impact responses of thermoplastic elastomers.
Governing urban resilience: Organisational structures and coordination strategies in 20 North American city governments
Authors: Fastiggi Mary , Meerow Sara , Miller Thaddeus R
Published: March 2020

This paper describes how urban resilience governance is structured and coordinated in 20 North American cities (19 US and one Canadian) based on interviews with city officials. This co-produced research evolved out of conversations with city officials in Portland, Oregon, who were interested to learn how other cities were organising resilience work. Interviews focused on emerging definitions, organisational structures, internal and external coordination efforts, and practitioners’ insights. The paper includes a descriptive summary of how cities are structuring and coordinating resilience efforts. Additionally, we discuss how current trends in resilience coordination can inform future directions for urban resilience scholarship. We compare what practitioners view as key success factors against six commonly theorised characteristics for effective resilience governance. Overall, we find considerable overlap in lessons from theory and practice, including the benefits of a systems approach, the need for a clear definition of resilience, strong leadership, and stakeholder engagement. Practitioners use resilience to diagnose the overall health of their cities. Additionally, practice tends to emphasise limitations such as political turnover, trade-offs between centralised and dispersed organisation, and the need to carefully diagnose and scope resilience work, whereas the academic literature calls for multi-level and cross-scale governance and feedbacks and more transformative action. Given these insights, we highlight opportunities for new resilience scholarship, including analysing the benefits of the diagnostic phase of resilience planning, evaluating resilience goals to determine the best departmental fit, and understanding local barriers and trade-offs to adopting a broad systems approach.
InDisc: An R Package for Assessing Person and Item Discrimination in Typical-Response Measures
Authors: Ferrando Pere J. , Navarro-González David
Published: March 2020

InDisc is an R Package that implements procedures for estimating and fitting unidimensional Item Response Theory (IRT) Dual Models (DMs). DMs are intended for personality and attitude measures and are, essentially, extended standard IRT models with an extra person parameter that models the discriminating power of the individual. The package consists of a main function, which calls subfunctions for fitting binary, graded, and continuous responses. The program, a detailed user’s guide, and an empirical example are available at no cost to the interested practitioner.
The Power of Crossing SIBTEST
Authors: Li Zhushan
Published: March 2020

Crossing SIBTEST or CSIB is designed to detect crossing differential item functioning (DIF) as well as unidirectional DIF. A theoretical formula for the power of CSIB is derived based on the asymptotic distribution of the test statistic under the null and alternative hypotheses. The derived power formula provides insights on the factors that influence the CSIB power, including DIF effect size, standard error, and sample size. The power formula and those influencing factors are further discussed in the context of the item response theory (IRT) three parameter logistic model (3PL) model. Simulation results show the consistency between the theoretical power and the observed rejection rate. The power of CSIB is compared with the unidirectional SIBTEST in theory and through simulation.
Material Temporality: How materiality ‘does’ time in food organizing
Authors: Hernes Tor , Feddersen Jonathan , Schultz Majken
Published: March 2020

The organic and hence perishable nature of food makes it particularly useful for understanding how the temporal dimension of materiality influences organizing and innovation. We present, as our main theoretical contribution, the concept of ‘material temporality’ to account for the transformation of materials in time and their imagined states at different moments across time, which we label processual and epochal temporality, respectively. Our empirical study shows how two organizations in the beer and dairy industries searched for novel solutions in their past and future. We show how the organizations’ potential for more consequential innovation was greater when they engaged distant past or future epochal temporalities. However, distant epochal temporality may also become uncertain and contested through the lens of ongoing processual temporality. We discuss the implications of material temporality for industries other than food and for organizing in relation to the natural environment.
Turning crisis into opportunity? The Syrian refugee crisis and evolution of welfare policy for refugees in Turkey from a public choice theory perspective
Authors: Mccarthy Aslihan
Published: March 2020

The Turkish Government is under pressure to accommodate the Syrian population in its territories. Several strategies including devolution, co-production of public services and finally institutionalisation of social welfare for non-citizens have been employed by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) to respond to the needs of nearly four million Syrian refugees. This article explores political discourses in the presentation of these strategies from a public choice theory perspective. Accordingly, the main question is how social policy for refugees is justified to the public by the AKP. It is found out through a discourse analysis that instrumental interest to sustain political power is the driving force of policy making for refugees rather than humanitarian concerns in Turkey. The AKP continues populism in welfare policy formation for Syrian people and this is evident in its rhetoric evolving from religious fraternity to economic opportunism. In that context, this article brings the contradictory dynamics of social policies for Syrian refugees into light and uncovers the twists and turns of relevant political discourse.
Advances in simultaneous PET/MR for imaging neuroreceptor function
Authors: Sander Christin Y , Hansen Hanne D , Wey Hsiao-Ying
Published: March 2020

Hybrid imaging using PET/MRI has emerged as a platform for elucidating novel neurobiology, molecular and functional changes in disease, and responses to physiological or pharmacological interventions. For the central nervous system, PET/MRI has provided insights into biochemical processes, linking selective molecular targets and distributed brain function. This review highlights several examples that leverage the strengths of simultaneous PET/MRI, which includes measuring the perturbation of multi-modal imaging signals on dynamic timescales during pharmacological challenges, physiological interventions or behavioral tasks. We discuss important considerations for the experimental design of dynamic PET/MRI studies and data analysis approaches for comparing and quantifying simultaneous PET/MRI data. The primary focus of this review is on functional PET/MRI studies of neurotransmitter and receptor systems, with an emphasis on the dopamine, opioid, serotonin and glutamate systems as molecular neuromodulators. In this context, we provide an overview of studies that employ interventions to alter the activity of neuroreceptors or the release of neurotransmitters. Overall, we emphasize how the synergistic use of simultaneous PET/MRI with appropriate study design and interventions has the potential to expand our knowledge about the molecular and functional dynamics of the living human brain. Finally, we give an outlook on the future opportunities for simultaneous PET/MRI.
Constitutive invisibility: Exploring the work of staff advisers in political position-making
Authors: Laube Stefan , Schank Jan , Scheffer Thomas
Published: March 2020

Although it is broadly acknowledged that democratic politics should operate through the public competition of binding positions, the careful development of these positions is commonly neglected. Providing ethnographic analysis of the work of staff advisers in parliamentary groups, the paper explores the invisible work invested into these competing positions. We argue that the invisibilization of work serves to accomplish a central tenet of democratic political discourse: the demonstration of resonance between constituents and elected politicians. The latter may be assisted by – but must not depend on – non-elected staff. Against this ‘sacred’ premise of representative democracy, the paper shows that and how political positions are based on invisible work and the work of invisibilizing. Building on laboratory and workplace studies, we specify the shape and function of invisibility by contrasting studies on invisible work in the natural sciences, in case law, and in party politics. In these instances, invisible work serves different discursive objects-in-formation: scientific facts, legal cases, and binding positions. Understanding invisible work, thus, leads us to consider different constitutive relevancies. In turn, these serve to specify established concepts in STS, such as ‘controversy,’ to better distinguish the day-to-day conduct of natural science from that of politics or law.
Marginal hosts: Short-term rental suppliers in Turin, Italy
Authors: Semi Giovanni , Tonetta Marta
Published: March 2020

Within the growing amount of literature on short-term rentals, which has started to increase in the past three years, research has focused mainly on world tourism cities, and intuitively on the cores of cities. Additionally, the economic actors serving as suppliers in the short-term rental sector are too often taken for granted. While existing research confirms the growing presence of real estate agencies and transnational investors who own or manage a significant number of apartment buildings with a purely corporate aim, what is more controversial is that which happens on the other side of the market: local homeowners becoming short-term rental sector suppliers. Focusing on the Italian city of Turin, the article contributes to this debate by exploring the profiles and economic lives of middle-class Airbnb ‘hosts’. Drawing on a set of in-depth interviews, the article provides a categorization of different types of, what we call, ‘marginal hosts’, and an analysis of their specificities and narratives. The study, carried out at a neighbourhood level, shows that the interplay between post-crisis austerity, which has impacted on occupations and income, homeownership and platform capitalism have provided new value-extraction opportunities. We will conclude by arguing that social class should be more specific to the analysis of short-term rental sectors, simultaneously underlining the need for further systematic research on suppliers.
The unlikely revival of private renting in Amsterdam: Re-regulating a regulated housing market
Authors: Hochstenbach Cody , Ronald Richard
Published: March 2020

Over the last decade, private rental sectors have been in rapid ascendance across developed societies, especially in economically liberal, English-speaking contexts. The Netherlands, and Amsterdam in particular, has also more recently experienced the reversal of a century-long decline in private renting. More unusually, the expansion of private renting in Amsterdam has been explicitly promoted by the municipal and national government, and in cooperation with social housing providers, in response to decreasing accessibility to, and affordability of, social rental and owner-occupied housing. This paper explores how and why this state-initiated revival has come about, highlighting how new growth in rent-liberalized private renting is a partial outcome of the restructuring of the urban housing market around owner occupation since the 1990s. More critically, our analysis asserts that restructuring of Amsterdam’s housing stock can be conceptualized as regulated marketization. Market forces are not being simply unleashed, but given more leeway in some regards and matched by new regulations. We also demonstrate various tensions present in this process of regulated marketization; between national and local politics, between existing housing and new construction, and between policies implemented in different time periods.
Laboratory Investigation of an Alternative Permeability Indicator to Determine Optimal Maintenance Timing for Open-Graded Friction Course
Authors: Wu Shenghua , Liu Li , Yao Gang , Zhang Juan , Tahri Omar
Published: March 2020

Open-graded friction course (OGFC) is a low impact development practice that provides a better pavement drainage solution and safer driving conditions. However, there exists a gap in understanding how internal pores in OGFC mix affect hydraulic conductivity, particularly when OGFC suffers the most rutting damage under the effects of high temperature and heavy traffic loading. There is also a lack of research on determining the optimal maintenance timing for an OGFC pavement. This study aims at characterizing the relationship of volumetric and permeability properties for OGFC slab specimens and quantifying permeability deterioration over time using a developed precipitation simulator and permeability measuring device and rutting test. Seven test temperatures (40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, and 70°C) were considered in the rutting test. The effect of clogging material size on permeability was also evaluated. The test results suggested that interconnected air void was lower than total air void, and higher rutting temperature resulted in reduced interconnected air void. The clogging experiment suggested that 0.3–0.6 mm material caused the most clogging while 0.075–0.15 mm material caused the least clogging. Based on this study, it is recommended to use a field measured rut depth as an alternative permeability indicator for determining optimal maintenance timing for an OGFC pavement using the correlation established between permeability and rut depth. A case study of OGFC pavement demonstrated that when the field measured rut depth reached 4.5 mm or higher, timely maintenance is needed.
Anchorage systems for reinforced concrete structures strengthened with fiber-reinforced polymer composites: State-of-the-art review
Authors: Wang Qiang , Zhu Hong , Zhang Bai , Tong Yixuan , Teng Fei , Su Weiqiang
Published: March 2020

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites have been widely used to strengthen the deteriorated reinforced concrete structures due to their outstanding characteristics of light weight, high strength, as well as noncorrosion. A successful strengthening with the FRP composites would equip the existing structures with the prominent improvement in terms of the durability, ductility, and bearing capacity. Current studies indicate that a simple and reliable anchorage system for the FRP composites will help improve the performance of the strengthened structures both efficiently and economically. Up till now, various anchorage systems have been developed for the FRP composites. Therefore, it is necessary to select appropriate anchorage systems according to different needs and establish relevant design specifications. In view of the aforementioned objectives, this paper systematically summarizes the anchoring mechanism of anchorage systems for two commonly used FRP products (FRP laminates and FRP bars) in different strengthened systems. Additionally, a state-of-the-art review as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each anchorage system are presented. Finally, shortcomings in the current state of knowledge and recommendations beneficial to further study are put forward.
Dosage and Efficacy in Behavioral Interventions With Community Dwelling Older Adults: Lifestyle Redesign Revisited
Authors: Schelly David , Ohl Alisha , Nadres Ramona
Published: March 2020

Objectives: Behavioral interventions with community dwelling older adults often utilize multiple modes of treatment, which contributes to variation in participation and high rates of nonadherence. The objective of this report was to assess the treatment efficacy of one such study. Methods: We conducted an as-treated analysis of the Well Elderly II trial, where 322 individuals underwent 6 months of individual and group treatment and participated in community outings. We utilized inferential and graphical methods to assess the relationship between treatment received and depression change. Results: Individual treatment and community outings had similar small indirect effects on depressive symptoms, but a selection effect was present for individual treatment, where individuals with high baseline depression scores were the most likely to participate. Discussion: The results provide nuance that is unavailable using intent-to-treat. Future research should expand on our methods for as-treated analyses after intent-to-treat has shown aggregate improvements.
Ruins of pre-gentrification: Schrotthäuser and urban standstill in a postindustrial city
Authors: Ringel Felix
Published: March 2020

The Goetheviertel is the poorest district of Germany’s poorest city, the postindustrial harbour city of Bremerhaven. However, for many local inhabitants it is also the city’s most beautiful district with its 19th century architecture and central location, and any visitor of Bremerhaven would agree: this district is ripe for gentrification. Gentrification has been anticipated for the district at least since the 1980s when the city declared the Goetheviertel to be an investment area. Investors from all over the world bought property in the district, but, as many inhabitants underline today, they never really invested into the maintenance of their houses. The results are postindustrial ruins of a special kind: ruins of pre-gentrification. These ruins are former apartment houses whose ongoing decay materialises not just the general postindustrial decline of Bremerhaven, but results from the continued failure of the realization of gentrification. They are ruins of failed anticipation. As many of the people living in the district, these houses might still await a better future, but, statically speaking, time has run out for them. Their deterioration has deemed them scrap (‘Schrott’-) houses that are legally uninhabitable. They epitomize the standstill in urban renovation that dominates both district and city. However, this absence also produces spaces for those that are usually excluded from a gentrified future. The scrap houses’ material qualities therefore maintain the current district inhabitants’ local futures by delaying the gentrification everybody continues to foresee. This article maps their temporal agency in order to scrutinize social sciences approaches to the production of time. Whilst discussing recent contributions to the anthropological literature on time and infrastructure, I present these houses with their specific material properties as active partners in the co-production of time in this particular district, and its potential futures.
Sample selection, calibration and validation of models developed from a large dataset of near infrared spectra of tree leaves
Authors: Au Jessie , Youngentob Kara N , Foley William J , Moore Ben D , Fearn Tom
Published: March 2020

Near infrared spectroscopy is widely used to rapidly and cost-effectively collect chemical information from plant samples. Large datasets with hundreds to thousands of spectra and reference values are increasingly becoming more common as researchers accumulate data over many years or across research groups. These datasets potentially contain great spectral and chemical variation and could produce a broadly-applicable calibration model. In this study, partial least squares regression was used to model relationships between near infrared spectra and the foliar concentration of two ecologically-important chemical traits, available nitrogen and total formylated phloroglucinol compounds in Eucalyptus leaves. The nested spatial structure within the extensive dataset of spectra and reference values from 80 species of Eucalyptus was taken into account during calibration development and model validation. Geographic variation amongst samples influenced how well available nitrogen could be predicted. Predictive error of the model was greatest when tested against samples from different Australian states and local government areas to the calibration set. In addition, the results showed that simply relying on spectral variation (assessed by Mahalanobis distance) may mislead researchers into how many reference values are needed. The prediction accuracy of the model of available nitrogen differed little whether 300 or up to 987 calibration samples were included, which indicated that an excessive number of reference values were obtained. Lastly, a suitable multi-species calibration for formylated phloroglucinol compounds was produced and the difficulties associated with predicting complex chemical traits were discussed. Directing effort towards broadly applicable models will encourage sharing of calibration models across projects and research groups and facilitate the integration of near infrared spectroscopy in many research fields.
Antibiotic Residues in Chickens and Farmers’ Knowledge of Their Use in Tay Ninh Province, Vietnam, in 2017
Authors: Thi Huong-Anh Nguyen , Van Chinh Dang , Thi Tuyet-Hanh Tran
Published: March 2020

Antibiotic residues in chicken meat samples is a serious public health concern due to their harmful effects on consumers’ health. We conducted this research in 2017 to determine antibiotic residues in chicken meat samples and to describe the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of farmers on the antibiotic uses in poultry farms at Tay Ninh province. Farmers who raised chickens at their farmhouses were surveyed using a KAP survey questionnaire, and 106 chicken meat samples were analyzed for 29 kinds of antibiotic residues. The results showed that 27.4% samples were positive with 11 kinds of 4 antibiotic groups: fluoroquinolones, sulfonamides, tetracycline, and macrolides. A total of 50.9% farmers needed to improve their knowledge on the appropriate use of antibiotics. Although 54.7% famers had positive attitude, just 17% had good practices. It was recommended that the levels of antibiotic residues in chickens should be communicated to food safety and veterinary authorities, chicken farmers, and the general public. Enhancing the training and coaching for each group of farmers to improve their knowledge and practices on the appropriate use of antibiotics in raising chickens is needed. Local government should enhance the level of control and punishment for drug sellers and end users regarding the use of banned antibiotics in chickens.
Working Memory, Processing Speed, and Memory Functioning Are Minimally Predictive of Victoria Symptom Validity Test Performance
Authors: Resch Zachary J. , Soble Jason R. , Ovsiew Gabriel P. , Castillo Liliam R. , Saladino Kevin F. , DeDios-Stern Samantha , Schulze Evan T. , Song Woojin , Pliskin Neil H.
Published: March 2020

A sound performance validity test is accurate for detecting invalid neuropsychological test performance and relatively insensitive to actual cognitive ability or impairment. This study explored the relationship of several cognitive abilities to several performance indices on the Victoria Symptom Validity Test (VSVT), including accuracy and response latency. This cross-sectional study examined data from a mixed clinical sample of 88 adults identified as having valid neurocognitive test profiles via independent validity measures, and who completed the VSVT along with objective measures of working memory, processing speed, and verbal memory during their clinical neuropsychological evaluation. Results of linear regression analyses indicated that cognitive test performance accounted for 5% to 14% of total variance for VSVT performance across indices. Working memory was the only cognitive ability to predict significant, albeit minimal, variance on the VSVT response accuracy indices. Results show that VSVT performance is minimally predicted by working memory, processing speed, or delayed verbal memory recall.
Single-agent temozolomide may be an effective option for late adjuvant therapy in patients with melanoma
Authors: Tas Faruk , Erturk Kayhan
Published: March 2020

Background

Late adjuvant therapy is the term to define the treatment administered following complete resection of metastatic or relapsed disease.

Objective

To assess the efficacy of single-agent temozolomide, a standard agent is used for metastatic melanoma in late adjuvant chemotherapy for cutaneous melanoma.

Methods

Twenty-seven adult cutaneous melanoma patients whose relapses were completely resected were included in this study. Temozolomide was administered as follows: peroral, 200 mg/m2 once daily for five consecutive days of a 28-day treatment cycle for six cycles.

Results

The median age was 55 years and men were predominant (74%). Median follow-up time was 23.6 months (range, 3.6–122.6 months). Any type of relapse occurred in 14 (51.9%) patients, and five patients relapsed while on chemotherapy. Almost all relapses ( n = 13, 93%) occurred within the first two years of follow-up. The relapse rates were found 37.4 and 49.1% in the first and second years of follow-up, respectively. Moreover, after fifth year of onset of chemotherapy, relapse rate was found only 51.9%. The median relapse-free survival (RFS) was 12.9 months, and 1-, 2-, 3-, and 5-year RFS rates were 60, 46, 39, and 39%, respectively. The estimated median overall survival was 23.6 months. All patients survived first year ( n = 27, 100%), and the overall survival rates for 2, 3, and 5 years were 81, 48, and 48%, respectively.

Conclusion

Single-agent temozolomide may be a rational and prudent option for late adjuvant therapy in melanoma patients if/when novel therapies, such as targeting and immune therapies, are not accessible or available.
Validity of Risk Assessment Instruments Among Juveniles Who Sexually Offended: Victim Age Matters
Authors: Krause Chiara , Roth Alexander , Landolt Markus A. , Bessler Cornelia , Aebi Marcel
Published: March 2020

Research has identified meaningful subtypes among the heterogeneous population of juveniles who sexually offended (JSO). However, studies that test the validity of risk assessment tools with JSO subtypes are limited. This study compared JSO who offended against a child victim (JSO-C) and JSO who offended against an adolescent/adult victim (JSO-A) with regard to rates of recidivism and the predictive validity of two risk assessment tools (Estimate of Risk of Adolescent Sexual Offense Recidivism [ERASOR] and Juvenile Sexual Offender Assessment Protocol-II [J-SOAP-II]). Data were analyzed from case files of 185 JSO-C and 297 JSO-A aged 12 to 18 years ( M = 14.11, SD = 1.44) from a consecutive sample of JSO with contact sexual offenses. A total of 34 (7.1%) juveniles reoffended sexually, with no significant difference between the subtypes. The present results suggest that the ERASOR, particularly the structured professional judgment, and to a lesser degree the J-SOAP-II are better suited to predicting sexual recidivism in JSO-A than in JSO-C.
Anomalous dynamic response and failure of sandwich structures subjected to underwater impulsive loads
Authors: Huang Wei , Deng Sihua , Zhou Wu , Liu Jiayi , Mu Zhongcheng , Zhang Wei
Published: March 2020

Dynamic response of metallic sandwich structures subjected to water-based impulsive loadings is analyzed experimentally. The effects of the core, the impulsive intensity, and the loading area on the transmitted impulse, transverse deflection, failure modes, and associated mechanisms are identified and quantified. The four kinds of sandwich structures with the weak face–core interface strength are subjected to underwater impulses of three intensities, with a divergent underwater explosive simulator. The results show that the asymmetric failure mode and reverse deformation caused by the counterintuitive behavior are significant failure modes for the sandwich structures. This anomalous response is confirmed to depend on the effects of the core, the impulsive intensity, and the loading area. The core effect influences the magnitude and the asymmetric distribution of transmitted impulse, which is considered as the main reason for the counterintuitive behavior of sandwich structures. The deflection of the sandwich panels, as well as the failure modes, is also discussed.
An assessment of refined hierarchical kinematic models for the bending and free vibration analyses of laminated and functionally graded sandwich cylindrical panels
Authors: Punera Devesh , Kant Tarun
Published: March 2020

An effort is made in this study to systematically develop and evaluate two-dimensional (2D) displacement-based higher order theories for stress and vibration analyses of moderately thick laminated and functionally graded (FG) sandwich cylindrical shell panels. Comparison of various displacement models is presented in order to assess the contribution of thickness stretching effects in laminated and sandwich shells. The equivalent single layer (ESL) approach is followed and a refined thickness criterion is adopted to enhance the accuracy of present formulation for moderately thick to thick cylindrical shell panels. Contribution of membrane and bending deformations is examined using the hierarchical kinematic models. Governing set of equations is obtained using energy minimization based on a variational approach and solution is obtained subsequently with Navier’s method for cylindrical shells with all edges on diaphragm (simple) supports. Effective FG material properties are obtained using Voigt’s rule of mixture with power law gradation. Solutions are compared with the available three dimensional (3D) solutions and a comparative assessment is done for different higher order theories. The present study accentuates the necessity of including transverse normal strain in the theory for FG sandwich panels.
Co/aniline blue/silicon sandwich hybrid heterojunction for photodiode and low-temperature applications
Authors: Kacus Hatice , Sahin Yilmaz , Aydogan Sakir , Incekara Umit , Yilmaz Mehmet
Published: March 2020

The temperature dependence of the current–voltage and room temperature capacitance–voltage measurements of Co/aniline blue/ n-Si sandwich-type rectifying device was investigated.Furthermore, the effects of the illumination on the current–voltage measurements were tested with 100 mW/cm2 light intensity, and it was seen that Co/aniline blue/ n-Si sandwich-type device showed a clear response to illumination, and it may be a candidate for solar cells or photodiode applications. The rectifying device parameters, such as the barrier height (Ф), the ideality factor ( n), the rectification ratio, and the series resistance ( Rs), were obtained as a function of temperature using thermionic emission, Cheung function, and Norde function. The interface state densities versus energy were obtained. The Richardson constant ( A*) obtained from the In( Io/ T2) versus 1000/ T plot was much less than the theoretical value for n-Si. The mean Schottky barrier height[Formula: see text] and the standard deviation ( σo) were calculated using the apparent Schottky barrier height Фap versus 1/2  kT plot. So, it has been found to be 1.08 eV and 0.15 V (260–460 K) and 0.79 eV and 0.10 V (100–260 K), respectively. The results were discussed based on the presence of two Gaussian distributions of Фb potential in the contact area of Co/aniline blue/ n-Si/Al device.
Enriching the intersection of service and transformative learning with Freirean ideas: The case of a critical experiential learning programme in Brazil
Authors: Dal Magro Rosane , Pozzebon Marlei , Schutel Soraia
Published: March 2020

In this article, we examine the value of combining transformative and service learning pedagogical practices in management education programmes to encourage management students to be more critical and reflexive regarding serious contemporary issues like social inequality and sustainability. We draw on a long-term management education experience conducted in the northeastern region of Brazil, where international students learn how to develop a real-time community-based project with local inhabitants. We argue that while service learning approaches promote pragmatic action-based principles, transformative learning acts at the epistemic level, contributing to change in values. In addition, Paulo Freire’s ideas are integrated to reinforce critical and reflexive dimensions of the learning experience. Our results offer a process-based model showing how a critical experiential learning pedagogy might lead to the development of community-based competences, which, in turn, might lead to changes in the deeply held values of the participants. Freire’s emancipatory ideas are applied not only regarding the relationship between teachers and students, but also to the distinction between Western and non-Western societies, going beyond questioning of the destructive consequences of financial capitalism to question the hegemony of one worldview over all other possible ones.
Contextual determinants of parental reflective functioning: Children with autism versus their typically developing siblings
Authors: Enav Yael , Erhard-Weiss Dana , Goldenberg Amit , Knudston Marguerite , Hardan Antonio Y , Gross James J
Published: March 2020

Parental reflective functioning is defined as holding in mind one’s child’s thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and intentions and reflecting on how these mental states may be affecting the child’s behavior. Although parental reflective functioning is often treated as a stable feature of the parent, there is growing appreciation that it may be shaped by the context in which the parent is operating. In this study, we examined parental reflective functioning using the Parental Developmental Interview when parents were talking about their interactions with their child with autism versus the child’s typically developing siblings. Our sample included 30 parents who had a child between the ages of 3 and 18 years with a clinical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and at least one typically developing child. Findings indicated that parents exhibited significantly higher reflective functioning when interacting with their child with autism spectrum disorder versus the typically developing siblings, and the difference was moderated by parental self-efficacy. The evidence for a disparity in parental reflective functioning between children with autism spectrum disorder and their typically developing siblings (especially for parents with low parental self-efficacy) warrants further investigations that might lead to the development of effective interventions.

Lay Abstract

In this study, we examined parental reflective functioning using the Parental Developmental Interview when parents were talking about their interactions with their child with autism versus the child’s typically developing siblings. Our sample included 30 parents who had a child between the ages of 3 and 18 years with a clinical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and at least one typically developing child. Findings indicated that parents exhibited significantly higher reflective functioning when interacting with their child with autism spectrum disorder versus the typically developing siblings, and the difference was moderated by parental self-efficacy.
Facilitating sensorimotor integration via blocked practice underpins imitation learning of atypical biological kinematics in autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Foster Nathan C , Bennett Simon J , Causer Joe , Elliott Digby , Bird Geoffrey , Hayes Spencer J
Published: March 2020

The reduced efficacy of voluntary imitation in autism is suggested to be underpinned by differences in sensorimotor processing. We examined whether the imitation of novel atypical biological kinematics by autistic adults is enhanced by imitating a model in a predictable blocked practice trial order. This practice structure is expected to facilitate trial-to-trial sensorimotor processing, integration and encoding of biological kinematics. The results showed that neurotypical participants were generally more effective at imitating the biological kinematics across all experimental phases. Importantly, and compared to a pre-test where imitation was performed in a randomised (unpredictable) trial order, the autistic participants learned to imitate the atypical kinematics more effectively following an acquisition phase of repeatedly imitating the same model during blocked practice. Data from the post-test showed that autistic participants remained effective at imitating the atypical biological kinematics when the models were subsequently presented in a randomised trial order. These findings show that the reduced efficacy of voluntary imitation in autism can be enhanced during learning by facilitating trial-to-trial processing and integration of sensorimotor information using blocked practice.

Lay Abstract

Autistic people sometimes find it difficult to copy another person’s movement accurately, especially if the movement is unfamiliar or novel (e.g. to use chop sticks). In this study, we found that autistic people were generally less accurate at copying a novel movement than non-autistic people. However, by making a small adjustment and asking people to copy this movement for a set number of attempts in a predictable manner, we showed that autistic people did successfully learn to copy a new movement. This is a very important finding for autistic people because rather than thinking they cannot copy new movements, all that needs to be considered is for parents/guardians, teachers and/or support workers to make a small adjustment so that learning occurs in a predictable manner for new skills to be successfully acquired through copying. The implications from this study are wide-ranging as copying (imitation) and motor learning are important developmental processes for autistic infants and children to acquire in order to interact within the world. Therefore, practising these behaviours in the most effective way can certainly help the developmental pathway.
Randomized controlled trial of a sibling support group: Mental health outcomes for siblings of children with autism
Authors: Jones Emily A , Fiani Theresa , Stewart Jennifer L , Neil Nicole , McHugh Susan , Fienup Daniel M
Published: March 2020

Typically developing siblings of a child with autism spectrum disorder may be at increased risk of mental health difficulties. A support group is one approach to improve mental health outcomes for typically developing siblings. During support groups, typically developing siblings discuss their feelings, learn coping strategies and problem-solving skills, and develop a peer network. We conducted a randomized controlled trial comparing a support group to an attention-only social control group. Some areas of mental health improved. Autism spectrum disorder symptom severity in the sibling with autism spectrum disorder moderated effects. Findings suggest continuing to examine what areas of mental health and adjustment are improved with support groups and subgroups of typically developing siblings for whom support groups might be particularly effective.

Lay abstract

Typically developing siblings of a child with autism spectrum disorder may show mental health difficulties. A support group is one approach to help typically developing siblings. During support groups, typically developing siblings discuss their feelings, learn coping strategies and problem-solving skills, and develop a peer network. We compared a support group to participation in a similar group without a focus on the sibling with autism spectrum disorder. Some areas of mental health improved. Improvements were also impacted by autism spectrum disorder symptom severity in the sibling with autism spectrum disorder. Findings suggest continuing to examine how support groups can help typically developing siblings and for which siblings support groups might be particularly effective.
How accurate are autistic adults and those high in autistic traits at making face-to-face line-of-sight judgements?
Authors: Freeth Megan , Morgan Emma , Bugembe Patricia , Brown Aaron
Published: March 2020

Being able to follow the direction of another person’s line-of-sight facilitates social communication. To date, much research on the processes involved in social communication has been conducted using computer-based tasks that lack ecological validity. The current paradigm assesses how accurately participants can follow a social partner’s line-of-sight in a face-to-face scenario. In Study 1, autistic and neurotypical adults were asked to identify which location, on a grid of 36 potential locations, the experimenter was looking at on a series of discrete trials. All participants (both autistic and neurotypical) were able to effectively make line-of-sight judgements, scoring significantly above chance. Participants were also just as effective at making these judgements from either a brief, 1s, glance or from a prolonged, 5s, stare. However, at the group level, autistic participants were significantly less accurate than neurotypical participants overall. In Study 2, potential variation in performance along the broad autism phenotype was considered using the same paradigm. Bayesian analyses demonstrated that line-of-sight judgement accuracy was not related to the amount of autistic traits. Overall, these findings advance the understanding of the mechanistic processes of social communication in relation to autism and autistic traits in a face-to-face setting.

Lay abstract

In order to effectively understand and consider what others are talking about, we sometimes need to follow their line-of-sight to the location at which they are looking, as this can provide important contextual information regarding what they are saying. If we are not able to follow other people’s line-of-sight, this could result in social communication difficulties. Here we tested how effectively autistic and neurotypical adults are at following a social partner’s line-of-sight during a face-to-face task. In a first study, completed by 14 autistic adult participants of average to above-average verbal ability and 14 neurotypical adult participants, we found that all participants were able to effectively follow the social partner’s line-of-sight. We also found that participants tended to be as effective at making these judgements from both a brief, 1s, glance or a long, 5s, stare. However, autistic adults were less accurate, on average, than neurotypical adults overall. In a second study, a separate group of 65 neurotypical adults completed the same line-of-sight judgement task to investigate whether task performance was related to individual variation in self-reported autistic traits. This found that the amount of self-reported autistic traits was not at all related to people’s ability to accurately make line-of-sight judgements. This research isolates and furthers our understanding of an important component part of the social communication process and assesses it in a real-world context.