bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adjuvant Intralesional Bevacizumab in Pediatric and Adult Populations With Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis: A Systematic Review
Authors: Gately Ursula E. , Zhang Nan , Karle William E. , Lott David G.
Published: July 2024

Objective:

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is a rare disease of the airway for which there is no known cure. Treatment involves the surgical removal or destruction of these lesions. There has been a long-standing debate over the effectiveness of the adjuvant intralesional injection of the immune modifying agent bevacizumab. This study is a systematic review investigating the effect of adjuvant intralesional bevacizumab on patients with laryngeal papillomatosis. The main objective was to assess functional outcomes and efficacy.

Data Sources:

Pubmed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science.

Review Methods:

Search words were “intralesional bevacizumab” AND “recurrent respiratory papillomatosis.” Sources were systematically identified using inclusion and exclusion criteria (ie, study publication must post-date 2000, must be peer-reviewed, investigate patients with RRP, apply bevacizumab intralesionally, not systemically). Findings were then collected and analyzed.

Results:

Ten studies were included for analysis. The majority of these studies found an increase in the surgical interval, voice outcomes, and a decrease in tumor burden in most patients. No studies reported side effects or lasting complications related to the bevacizumab injection.

Conclusion:

This systematic review provides further evidence for the safety of intralesional bevacizumab injections and their likely positive effect on disease control. Future research would benefit from the implementation of standardized documentation of RRP outcomes.
Transoral Robotic Surgery-Assisted Removal of Upper Aerodigestive Tract Foreign Bodies with Intraoperative Localization
Authors: Haugen Thorsen , Prichardo Priscilla , Hellums Ryan , Anil Joshua , Rajasekaran Karthik
Published: July 2024

Objective:

To describe the use of transoral robotic surgery (TORS) in conjunction with intraoperative localization techniques for removal of challenging upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) foreign bodies.

Methods:

Three cases were taken to the operating room for removal of UADT foreign bodies. Two of these cases had previously undergone failed surgery(s). TORS was performed in all 3 cases and intraoperative localization was used in 2 cases.

Results:

All foreign bodies were successfully removed.

Conclusion:

This case series is the largest-to-date on UADT foreign body removals using TORS. Additionally, the novel use of intraoperative localization techniques in conjunction with TORS is described. Such an approach can facilitate the identification of difficult-to-identify foreign bodies, as well as potentially decreasing operative time, number of operations, and associated morbidity.
Neighborhood Socioeconomic Context Predicts Pediatric Asthma Exacerbation
Authors: Kranjac Ashley W. , Kain Zeev N. , Ehwerhemuepha Louis , Weiss Michael , Jenkins Brooke N.
Published: July 2024

Causes of asthma exacerbation in children have been studied extensively at the individual level, but contributions of neighborhood-level factors are less explored. We test which distinctive residential characteristics produce variation in uncontrolled asthma among pediatric patients. We extracted electronic medical record data from pediatric patients living in Southern California and used multilevel modeling techniques to isolate which neighborhood characteristics drive inequitable asthma control. Above and beyond the individual-level factors known to predict inadequate disease control, neighborhoods with greater concentration of non-Hispanic black residents (odds ratios [OR] = 1.02; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.99-1.03; P < .05), higher proportions of female-headed households (OR = 1.01; 95% CI: 0.99-1.01; P < .05), and higher levels of ambient air pollution (OR = 1.05; 95% CI: 1.01-1.10; P < .001) associate with greater odds of asthma exacerbation. The interplay between community characteristics and asthma management during childhood is complex, and place-based initiatives are needed to narrow the gap in asthma exacerbation.
Prevalence and Mortality of Life-Threatening and Life-Shortening Diseases in Children and Adolescents in Germany
Authors: Burgio Nadja Melina , Jennessen Sven
Published: July 2024

This study provides prevalence and mortality data for 0- to 19-year-old children and adolescents with medically documented life-threatening and life-shortening diagnoses in Germany. A secondary data analysis of more than 12 million insured persons documented by the statutory health insurance funds in Germany from 2014 to 2019 was conducted in collaboration with the German Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds (GKV-SV) and the Institute for Applied Health Research Berlin (InGef), whose data sets vary in collection methods. Diagnosis prevalence and mortality were calculated based on selected International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes reported in inpatient and outpatient care settings. In Germany, the diagnosis prevalence of life-threatening and life-shortening diseases in children and adolescents ranges between 319 948 (InGef—adapted Fraser list) and 402 058 (GKV-SV). These diagnoses can be differentiated into different disease groups (Together-for-Short-Lives [TfSL] 1-4). The TfSL-1 group in which curative treatment can be feasible represents the largest one, with 190 865 persons. In 2019, approximately 1458 children and adolescents with life-threatening and life-shortening diseases died. The current diagnostic and mortality data of affected children and adolescents in Germany serve as the essential foundation for further research into the health care of the target group.
Conceptualizing and Measuring Support for Democracy: A New Approach
Authors: Claassen Christopher , Ackermann Kathrin , Bertsou Eri , Borba Lucas , Carlin Ryan E. , Cavari Amnon , Dahlum Sirianne , Gherghina Sergiu , Hawkins Darren , Lelkes Yphtach , Magalhães Pedro C. , Mattes Robert , Meijers Maurits J. , Neundorf Anja , Oross Dániel , Öztürk Aykut , Sarsfield Rodolfo , Self Darin , Stanley Ben , Tsai Tsung-han , Zaslove Andrej , Zechmeister Elizabeth J.
Published: July 2024

Much of what we know about public support for democracy is based on survey questions about “democracy,” a term that varies in meaning across countries and likely prompts uncritically supportive responses. This paper proposes a new approach to measuring support for democracy. We develop a battery of 17 survey questions that cover all eight components of liberal democracy as defined by the V-Dem project. We then ask respondents from 19 national samples to evaluate these rights and institutions. We find considerable heterogeneity across countries in how our items cohere, especially in less developed contexts. Yet, those items that are more weakly connected with general support for liberal democracy tend to reveal the influence of political events and actors, arguably indicating weaknesses in political cultures. We further identify a concise subset of seven items that provide a reliable and valid measure of support for liberal democracy across our different samples.
Gender-Bender Narratives: Radicalizing Effects of Disinformation That Threatens Gender-Normative Views
Authors: Moskalenko Sophia , Romanova Ekaterina , Bloom Mia M.
Published: July 2024

Gender norms have become a focal point of cultural debate and wedge issues in political elections, leading to discussions on how they may impact political and psychological processes and potentially radicalize individuals who feel threatened by or uncomfortable as the norms shift. We investigated the relationship between beliefs about gender-threatening disinformation narratives and radicalization, and the role of “fragile” masculinity and femininity in this relationship. In an original sample of 1,698 participants, we found that belief in gender-challenging narratives had a direct and positive relationship with radical intentions in men, whereas fragile femininity mediated the relationship between gender identity-challenging narratives and radical intentions. These suggests that threatened gender norms and disinformation are both significant factors in the psychology of radicalization.
Development of motion control function library based on PLCopen specification
Authors: Jichun Wu , Yongda Yang , Wenliang Zhu , Mubang Xiao , Lianchao Zhang , Dapeng Fan
Published: July 2024

The motion control library is a standard set of functional blocks integrated in a programmable integration environment, which is of great significance for the rapid development of reconfigurable Programmable Automation Controllers (PAC). However, due to the encapsulation and concealment of function blocks and the incompatibility between software and hardware, the development efficiency of function blocks is low, which is not conducive to the development of autonomous, controllable PAC. Aiming at the above problems, the methods of function block opening and key technology are studied, and a kind of motion control function library architecture and rapid development method based on the PLCopen specification are proposed. A series of motion control function libraries are developed on domestic PLC software. An experimental platform based on domestic hardware and software was designed to verify the typical motion control function library. Experimental results show that this method can effectively shorten the development cycle and that the developed motion control module can meet the actual control needs.
Semantic mapping techniques for indoor mobile robots: Review and prospect
Authors: Song Xu , Liang Xuan , Huaidong Zhou
Published: July 2024

With the continuous development of robotics and computer vision technology, mobile robots have been widely applied in various fields. In this process, semantic maps for robots have attracted considerable attention because they provide a comprehensive and anthropomorphic representation of the environment. On the one hand, semantic maps are a tool for robots to depict the environment, which can enhance the robot’s cognitive expression of space and build the communication bond between robots and humans. On the other hand, semantic maps contain spatial location and semantic properties of entities, which helps robots realize intelligent decision-making in human-centered indoor environments. In this paper, we review the primary approaches of semantic mapping proposed over the last few decades, and group them according to the type of information used to extract semantics. First, we give a formal definition of semantic map and describe the techniques of semantic extraction. Then, the characteristics of different solutions are comprehensively analyzed from different perspectives. Finally, the open issues and future trends regarding semantic maps are discussed in detail. We wish this review provides a comprehensive reference for researchers to drive future research in related field.
Tillage depth dynamic monitoring and precise control system
Authors: Hu Kai , Zhang Wenyi , Qi Bing , Ji Yao
Published: July 2024

The tillage depth (TD) serves as a pivotal criterion for assessing the operational excellence of rotary tillers, yet the current TD control methods are plagued by a myriad of issues including subpar precision and sluggish responsiveness. The present study aimed to develop a high-precision TD monitoring model that incorporates the tilting attitude of the tractor, and investigate the impact of tractor attitude inclination and lifting hydraulic cylinder stroke on TD. The TD stability control system based on electro-hydraulic control was developed, and the model identification method was adopted to derive the accurate control function. The fuzzy adaptive PID (FAPID) method was adopted to effectively improve the response speed and resisting disturbance capacity of the electro-hydraulic system. Then the co-simulation model of the electro-hydraulic control system was constructed. Under the excitation of step and sine functions, the FAPID control algorithm can reduce the rise time by more than 50%, and the displacement tracking error is also effectively reduced. To verify its effectiveness, the experimental platform was constructed, and then field test trials of TD were conducted. The test results indicate that, under various operational conditions, the developed TD control device can effectively reduce the standard deviation of TD by 0.302–0.464 and decrease the variation coefficient of TD by 2.47%–2.92%. The online monitoring and precise control device of TD investigated in this paper can effectively improve the quality of tillage machinery.
A Tribute to My Friend Donna Rockwell
Authors: Granger Nathaniel
Published: July 2024

We all have the capacity to love, but the courage to do so must be cultivated! Once in a lifetime, if we are lucky, we meet that someone who has against insurmountable odds mastered the courage to love. One who doesn’t simply talk it but whose very being exudes love. I consider myself of all people most fortunate to have befriended such a one in the person of Donna Rockwell. It is only through developing one’s total personality to the capacity of loving one’s neighbor with “true humility, courage, faith and discipline” that one attains the capacity to experience real love, and this should be considered a rare achievement. My friend, Donna Rockwell accomplished this! This little woman, small in stature yet a giant in the lives of so many, dared to love. And for this, Donna will forever be revered as a power-house in my life and in the field of Existential-Humanistic Psychology.
Castro, Soho, Chueca, Le Marais. An international approach to queer urban spaces of symbolic capital accumulation
Authors: Carpio-Pinedo Jose , López-Baeza Jesús
Published: July 2024

LGBTQ+ neighbourhoods and venues in our cities have fulfilled many vital functions for LGBTQ+ people and for society as a whole. Generally identified through the concentration of consumption spaces that host meetings between LGBTQ+ people, they have a great symbolic value in the fight for their rights and against intolerance. At a time when doubts arise about their future, there are far fewer spatial, quantitative and systematic analyses of these concentration patterns, especially from an international and comparative approach to the phenomenon. The digitisation of our daily lives generates big data that make possible avenues of research that were hitherto impossible, not only in detail and extent, but also in the nature of the questions to answer. In this article, we analyse Foursquare location-based social big data to quantify and spatialise clustering patterns of queer places and symbolic capital in four LGBTQ+ neighbourhoods (Castro in San Francisco, Soho in London, Chueca in Madrid and Le Marais in Paris) and take similar spaces with no LGBTQ+ identity as a reference. In doing so, the greater accumulation of symbolic capital in LGBTQ+ spaces is revealed and measured in these four cities. In future, similar studies could capture trends like the gentrification of these environments, to help policymakers make data-driven decisions to promote more inclusive and diverse cities.
Who Benefits? Building a Critical Service-Learning Model
Authors: Maddox Patricia L. , Trost Jennifer L.
Published: July 2024

As a best practice, community-engaged courses should benefit students, community, and faculty through centering the needs and goals of each entity. Ensuring reciprocity and centering sustainable authentic relationships requires great care, intention, time, and a clear strategy to execute. We describe how our intercollegiate and co-instructed Introduction to Sociology courses utilized a critical service-learning model to create authentic, sustainable, and reciprocal relationships between students, community, and university. Drawing from high-impact practices, we saw reciprocity in our learning communities where the partner organization and members benefited, students learned firsthand about a social issue, and the university committed to a community partner. Using case study methodology, we analyzed the experience of students within the course, interactions with each other, and our partner’s reflections. From this experience, we provide recommended practices for educators interested in employing critical service learning focused on authentic relationships and students as agents of social change.
The Science of Charles C. Moskos: From Institution to Occupation
Authors: Butler John Sibley
Published: July 2024

This commentary addresses Professor Charles C. Moskos, Jr.’s Institutional/Occupational Framework (I/O) for the study of organizational change within the military. The first section examines the integration of military organizations with other organizations, and the second section is my recollections when Moskos was formulating the thesis. The final section comments on my experiences under Professor Moskos as his PhD Student.
Krylov subspace model order reduction of linear dynamical systems with quadratic output
Authors: Bu Yan-Ping
Published: July 2024

This paper presents Krylov subspace model order reduction of linear dynamical systems with quadratic output. To reach this goal, the quadratic transfer function with two variables is taken into consideration. The Krylov subspaces are established at the finite and the infinite frequency points where both the one-sided and the two-sided projection cases are discussed. The moment matching is accordingly studied and the quadratic transfer function of the reduced system resulting from the two-sided projection case can match more moments. Finally, numerical results illustrate the performance of the proposed Krylov model order reduction methodology.
Prescribed-time leader-follower consensus and containment control for nonlinear multi-agent systems with event-triggered control protocols
Authors: Lu Wangming , Yu Zhiyong , Xu Xuening , Jiang Haijun
Published: July 2024

This paper discusses the prescribed-time leader-follower consensus and containment control problems for a class of nonlinear multi-agent systems with external disturbances. First, an event-triggered control protocol with sign function is proposed, which can ensure that all agents achieve consensus within a prescribed time. Second, as the sliding mode control has the advantage of good robustness to external disturbances, an improved event-triggered control protocol is designed by using the integral sliding mode control method and some sufficient conditions are derived for achieving the prescribed-time leader-follower consensus. Moreover, the prescribed-time containment control problem for multi-agent systems with multiple leaders is investigated by using the event-triggered control strategy. It is shown that Zeno behavior can be excluded in the above consensus issues by choosing parameters appropriately. Finally, several numerical examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed approaches.
Safe tracking control for unmanned autonomous helicopter under actuator faults and outside disturbances
Authors: Wang Mingliang , Wang Ting , Wang Zhijie , Li Tao
Published: July 2024

This paper considers the problem on tracking control for the medium-scale unmanned autonomous helicopter (UAH) system under external disturbances, actuator faults, and full state constraints. In comparison with existing results, this paper does not only consider asymmetric state constraints but also jointly take the faults and disturbances into account on the UAH system, estimating and compensating for them separately, which can effectively enhance the tracking performance. First, the dynamics of nonlinear UAH system is divided into the position subsystem and the attitude one. Second, an improved barrier Lyapunov function (BLF) is constructed to handle the problem of asymmetric state constraints. Third, in order to estimate the external disturbances and actuator faults, two coupled generalized proportional integral observers (GPIOs) and two fault estimators are designed, respectively. Fourth, based on above estimations, improved BLFs, and backstepping method, two tracking control laws for the position and attitude loops are presented and an overall closed-loop system is established. Then, a sufficient condition ensuring uniform boundedness of tracking and estimation errors is derived. Finally, some simulating results demonstrate the effectiveness and advantage of the proposed control scheme.
Robust fractional-order PID controller assisted by active disturbance rejection control for the first-order plus time-delay systems
Authors: Zheng Weijia , Li Xiaorong , Chen YangQuan , Wu Ze-Hao , Wang Xiaohong
Published: July 2024

Time-delay characteristics of various industrial processes may degrade the stability and dynamic performance of the control systems. Aiming at the problems of the existing methods in dealing with the time delay plant, a modified fractional-order proportional–integral–derivative (FOPID) controller for the first-order plus time-delay (FOPTD) system is developed. Assisted by a modified active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) scheme with increased observer bandwidth, the proposed FOPID controller inherently obtains good robustness to time-delay uncertainties and external disturbances. In addition, taking advantage of the fractional-order operator, the proposed controller can provide larger stability margin over the proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controller. By suitably establishing the relation between ADRC and FOPID controller parameters, the proposed controller can be analytically tuned based on the common design indices. A practical tuning guideline is developed according to frequency-domain characteristic analysis, making the proposed controller more acceptable to industrial application. The performance of the ADRC-based FOPID controller is tested by the control simulation of some typical FOPTD systems and a diesel engine speed regulation system. The efficiency of the ADRC-based FOPID controller is demonstrated by the comparisons with some existing controllers.
How Parents Play: Play Style as a Function of Gender of Parent, Gender of Child, and Play Context
Authors: Liu Chao , Harrist Amanda W. , Cookston Jeffrey T. , Carrillo Sonia
Published: July 2024

Positive effects of parent–child play have been documented but little is known about what drives this play. We observed eight-one children (kindergarten through 1st grade) of their play with the mother and father separately to determine how the play role of parents changed based on parent gender, child gender, and play context. Two significant 3-way interactions were identified: (1) parents of boys acted more often as directors in a puppet game, as facilitators in a building block game, and as co-players in a ball game, whereas parents of girls were more likely to be co-players in the puppet and building block games but facilitators in the ball game; (2) fathers tended to be directors more often than co-players in the ball game, while the opposite was true for mothers. Findings point to the important interplay of gender and context in determining the roles that parents enact when playing with children.
The associations between self-compassion and adult attachment: A meta-analysis
Authors: Huang Mengdi , Wu Eileen Zheng
Published: July 2024

Objectives: Self-compassion, the capacity to hold a compassionate attitude towards oneself without self-criticism when in distress, has been conceptualized to originate from receiving secure caregiving. Attachment theory offers a framework to explain self-compassion as effective coping with resources from healthy activation of the attachment system. Recent research has increasingly explored the connections between self-compassion and attachment security. Our meta-analysis seeks to consolidate existing evidence by statistically synthesizing findings on the relationship between self-compassion and the two dimensions of attachment: anxiety and avoidance. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted, and based on the inclusion criteria, the authors found data from 46 studies with a total size of 17,650 participants. Inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed journals and dissertations published in English that used quantitative and validated methods to measure attachment and self-compassion in participants aged 16 years and older. Results: We found robust negative correlations between self-compassion and both attachment anxiety ( r = −.42) and avoidance ( r = −.32), with age significantly moderating the relationship between avoidance and self-compassion. Subscale analyses suggested that each of the six components of self-compassion is significantly associated with attachment insecurity. Conclusions: The results highlight the robust associations between self-compassion and adult attachment, as well as significant associations between the individual components of self-compassion and adult attachment. Additionally, age emerges as a potentially influential moderator. Future research should further examine the causal mechanism of these associations and include correlations for self-compassion’s individual dimensions.
Extracorporeal life support use in patients with bronchopulmonary dysplasia: A single center case series
Authors: Dantes Goeto , Davis Carolyn , Van Anderlecht Katya , Davis Joel , Lima Lisa , Linden Allison F , Paden Matthew , Keene Sarah
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Preterm pediatric patients with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) represent a subgroup previously deemed high risk candidates for ECLS (extracorporeal life support) due to suspected high mortality or increased post ECLS morbidity. The aim of this study was to determine outcomes for patients with an established history of BPD who subsequently required ECLS.

Methods

A single center retrospective review was performed between 01/2010-06/2022 for patients less than 2 years of age, born prematurely (<32 weeks) with a subsequent diagnosis of BPD, and who required ECLS for respiratory failure. Demographic and clinical data, including ECLS data, were collected. Speech, language, feeding/swallowing, cognitive, hearing, vision, or motor function deficits were obtained with a median follow up of 42 months following discharge.

Results

Nineteen patients met criteria. The median birth weight and gestational age was 0.86 kg (IQR 0.73, 1.0) and 26 weeks (IQR 25, 27), respectively. The median chronological age at cannulation was 12.1 months. The most common etiologies for respiratory failure requiring ECLS were viral (68.4%) and bacterial (21.1%) pneumonia. Survival to decannulation was 78.9% (15/19) and survival to hospital discharge was 63.2% (12/19). Amongst survivors to discharge, 42% (5/12) required new or additional home oxygen and 50% (6/12) were noted to have neurodevelopmental/behavioral concerns on follow up at 1 year with 25% (3/12) with concerns beyond a year.

Conclusion

Patients with underlying BPD who require ECLS have comparable mortality and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes to non-BPD patients with respiratory failure. This information can be useful when considering ECLS candidacy and providing family counseling.
Wind power development: A historical review
Authors: Möllerström Erik , Gipe Paul , Ottermo Fredric
Published: July 2024

Wind power only received occasional attention since the introduction of electricity until the 1970s, when a revived interest in alternative energy sources spurred the development thread that led to today’s wind turbines. Although attention and financial support at the time were directed toward government-funded MW-scale wind turbines, the small models developed in the late 1970s for the Danish market were ultimately the way forward. The wind industry has since matured, as evidenced by the lower specific power and higher capacity factors of recent turbine models and the similarity between their power curve shapes. Moreover, this study highlights two historical accomplishments by Europeans that are sometimes incorrectly credited to Americans: the first wind turbine to generate electricity was built in 1883 by Austrian Josef Friedländer and the Danish Agricco (1919) became the first public grid-connected wind turbine.
Investigating Objective and Subjective Factors Influencing the Frequency and Purpose of E-Scooter Trips
Authors: Kothawala Alimurtaza , Haddad Angela , Ozbilen Basar , Circella Giovanni , Saridakis Charalampos , Wadud Zia , Yang Yuanxuan , Grant-Muller Susan , Castellanos Sebastian , Bhat Chandra R.
Published: July 2024

In this study, for the first time in the literature as far as we are aware, we model e-scooter use frequency and use purpose jointly, allowing for multiple use purposes. In doing so, we consider individual and household sociodemographics and psycho-social lifestyle considerations, as well as a residential location indicator. The analysis uses data collected through a survey of e-scooter users in Washington, D.C., U.S., administered electronically between September 2021 and December 2022. The results from our analysis indicate that gender, income earnings, motorized vehicle ownership in the household, a green lifestyle propensity, and a positive perception of e-scooters, in general, are the most important determinants of use frequency. Also, there are distinct demographic groupings between e-scooter use for hedonic (leisure and tourism-related) pursuits and utilitarian (shopping, work/appointments, and transit connections) pursuits. By understanding how changes in key influencing variables can affect use frequency and purpose, we provide richer insights for policy and initiatives involving frequency and integration, perceptions and marketing, sustainability, equity and accessibility, and mixed land-use practices.
Intermittent Electrification with Battery Locomotives and the Post-Diesel Future of North American Freight Railroads
Authors: Lu Alex , Allen John G.
Published: July 2024

Changing attitudes, regulations, public policy, and international treaties concerning fossil fuels are likely to lead freight railroads toward carbon-neutral technologies, yet only electric traction matches the performance of diesel-electric locomotives. The tremendous power requirements of freight trains make efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions challenging, but the prospect of 7.2 megawatt-hour battery-electric locomotives (BELs) offers promise, and intermittent electrification can facilitate battery charging. Train performance calculations under simulated real-world conditions show four 7.2 megawatt-hour BELs can power 8,000-ton trains up to 230 mainline miles unassisted, with average energy consumption of 12.5 watt-hours/ton-mile. This permits discontinuous electrification of major freight lines, leaving “gaps” of up to 200 mi to reduce capital costs, especially in rugged terrain or where the power grid is sparse. Massive onboard battery arrays and intermittent access to the electrical grid for traction power and recharging provide great energy savings by recycling energy now lost when traveling downhill or braking. A case study of a hypothetical Class I railroad found intermittent electrification with BELs more than 60% more cost-effective than contiguous electric districts, and dramatically reduced engine changes. To reduce railroad GHG emissions, governments must support technical development, show that electrification works in various North American settings, and develop institutional-financial frameworks to incentivize intermittent electrification with BELs, all in the context of massive environmental and capacity upgrades to electrical networks. Given proper assistance and incentives, early 21st century railroads may find discontinuous overhead-wire electrification offers great promise in operating terms.
Blue Unmanned Aircraft Systems Explained: The Current Drone Market, Flight Regulations, and Debunking Common Misconceptions
Authors: Salinas Jose Capa , Lewandowski Tyler
Published: July 2024

The unmanned aircraft system (UAS) sector is a rapidly evolving domain characterized by fast technological advancement, diverse use cases, and an intricate regulatory environment. As a result, understanding and navigating the UAS industry presents a complex challenge for operators, manufacturers, regulatory authorities, and data users alike. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the UAS market in the United States, with a particular focus on the Defense Innovation Unit’s (DIU’s) Blue Small UAS (sUAS) initiative. This paper provides an overview of the current UAS market in the U.S., accounting for 49 manufacturers from 11 countries. The study offers a breakdown of market shares and identifies the significant players, primarily the U.S. and China, where 53% and 18% of all manufacturers reside, respectively. It also discusses the impact of the newly introduced Remote ID regulations and the compliance among UAS manufacturers with these regulations. Moreover, the study covers the Blue sUAS list, addressing its origins and purpose, as well as the often-misunderstood implications for the broader UAS market. The study clarifies that Blue-listed UAS are not exclusively superior or the only options for purchase by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) or other U.S. government (USG) agencies. Moreover, it highlights that the Blue sUAS list’s suitability for military applications does not automatically render it optimal for civilian use, especially in infrastructure applications. This research aims to deepen understanding and stimulate informed discussion around the U.S. UAS market, regulatory compliance, the Blue sUAS list, and the broader implications for drone usage in both military and civilian contexts.
The Development of the Smartphone Proficiency Questionnaire for Chinese Older Adults (SPQ-COA)
Authors: Du Ningyi , Zhao Qingxian , Zhang Chunyu , Ma Guojie , Zhuang Xiangling
Published: July 2024

While mobile technology is rapidly evolving, it remains a challenge for some older adults to use smartphones worldwide. To address this issue through tailored skill training and product design, this study developed a questionnaire to assess the smartphone proficiency of older adults. The Smartphone Proficiency Questionnaire for Chinese Older Adults (SPQ-COA) assessed proficiency based on 30 up-to-date tasks (e.g., mobile payment), that covered common operations in daily life of Chinese older adults. The questionnaire was distributed to 452 older adults (age ≥60), as well as 100 young adults (age: 18–30) as a control group. The questionnaire performed well in terms of reliability, difficulty, and discrimination. Among older adults, higher scores were associated with lower age, longer daily use duration, more years of use, higher monthly income, and higher education level, further validating the questionnaire. Overall, the SPQ-COA is a valid tool for evaluating Chinese older adults’ smartphone usage skills.
Gendered Vulnerability in Necropolitical Bordering: Displaced Men’s Material and Affective Abandonment in Greece
Authors: Paul Oska , Masood Meena
Published: July 2024

The term vulnerability has become increasingly integral to humanitarian legislation, policies, discourse, and procedures in contexts of displacement. While people categorized as “vulnerable persons” are ostensibly entitled to specialized care, this categorization is widely used to divide people into those “legitimate” and “illegitimate” to receive basic rights and care. Critical feminist scholarship has highlighted how gender is the dominant lens through which vulnerability is constructed and recognized. This affects all people during displacement. However, here we address the implications of this framework for men’s experiences of displacement, exploring as a case study the issue of housing for displaced people in Greece. Drawing on our independent fieldwork and interviews with humanitarians and displaced men, we demonstrate how gendered conceptions of vulnerability are not only integrated into institutionalized immigration apparatuses but also circulate in the everyday discourses, practices, and affective economies that constitute the Greek care regime. The result is that a form of necropolitics is exercised against men, forcing them to reside in conditions of slow violence and permanent injury. We address the gendered nature of this necropolitics as well as the gender-specific consequences for men at Europe’s borders.
A Latent Profile Analysis of Protean Career Attitude and Vocational Identity Status
Authors: Moon Eun Young , Park Jungkyu , Ka Yohan
Published: July 2024

This study aimed to examine individuals with adaptive protean career attitudes in the current era. Data were obtained from surveying 672 South Korean adults in their 30s and 40s, each with at least one year of work experience. Participants were categorized based on their protean career attitudes and vocational identity status, with subsequent exploration of their relationships with meaning in life, differentiation of self, and resilience. Data analysis involved latent profile analysis, maximum likelihood analysis, and BCH analysis. Results revealed three groups: “diffused wanderer,” “organizational adapted citizen,” and “protean career identity.” The study confirmed the influence of meaning in life and differentiation of self within these profiles, along with differences in resilience. This research offers valuable insights into the characteristics of adaptable individuals based on their “protean career identity.”
A comprehensive cutting tool adaptation method for multi-feature part based on evolutionary game algorithm
Authors: Huo Yunliang , Zhou Yunqing , Liu Junbo , Zhang Ming , Li Zhenlong
Published: July 2024

The adaptation of cutting tools is the key link in machining. Although a large amount of work has been done to achieve tool selection for a single feature, there is relatively little research on tool scheme adaptation for multi-feature parts. Considering the factors of matching, efficiency, cost, and environment, a comprehensive optimization method for a multi-feature part tool scheme is proposed in this work. First, the critical tool of a complex feature is defined, and a tool combination method with complex single features is proposed to generate an efficient tool strategy. Then, a tool scheme optimization model for multi-feature parts is constructed in which each machining feature is mapped to a game player in the model space, and the set of available tools is mapped to the player strategies. In addition, the classical evolutionary game algorithm is improved to adapt to the model, according to the difference in the features number and type of different parts. Finally, a square test piece is taken as a case to verify the proposed method. The result shows that the method presented in this work can efficiently obtain the customer-preferred tool scheme for the part.
Advancing architectural frameworks for vibration signature classification in rotating machinery
Authors: Yorston Cole , Chen Cheng , Camelio Jaime
Published: July 2024

Advancements in data-driven predictive maintenance have significantly improved digital twin applications for rotating machinery, offering robust solutions for smart manufacturing challenges. These improvements are crucial since equipment failures can cause extensive and costly disruptions to both maintenance schedules and operations. As precision and reliability are critical in production processes, undetected fluctuations in operating frequencies can swiftly escalate to complete part failure, leading to prolonged repairs and productivity loss. This study explores an integrated dataflow pipeline, specifically through Siemens’ MindSphere, to enable continuous predictive maintenance and enhance data acquisition and management. Particularly, conditions such as normal operation, mass balance, rotating imbalance, and mechanical looseness are classified using support vector machine (SVM), neural network (NN), and K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) methods for the purpose of comparing results. Our results highlight the efficacy of ensemble techniques in collecting and diagnosing vibration signatures, thereby enabling proactive maintenance. To classify various failure signatures, we have proposed a framework to interpret time-series and frequency-dependent data for determining failure types. This research exemplifies how merging data-driven methods with digital twin can improve the accuracy and reliability of condition monitoring. Additionally, we introduce a cloud-based architecture for the diagnosis of rotating machinery, utilizing Application Programming Interface (API) configurations, and develop a real-time dashboard for streaming and visualizing classified data, fostering immediate and informed decision-making.
Trajectory planning and tracking of dynamic lane change for autonomous buses considering vehicle stability in dynamic traffic scenarios
Authors: Nie Zhigen , Zhou Yi , Lian Yufeng
Published: July 2024

Trajectory planning and tracking of lane change are critical technologies for autonomous buses. Characteristics of the buses susceptible to stability problems resulting from the high height, large passenger capacity and long lengths, coupling the dynamic traffic with the dynamic changes in the states of adjacent vehicles and road adhesion coefficient, put forward great challenges in lane change for autonomous buses (ABs). To cope with the foregoing challenges, a framework is proposed to achieve the trajectory planning and tracking of dynamic lane change for ABs. For trajectory planning approach, the trajectory planning and replanning is optimized in the safe range of longitudinal length of the lane-changing trajectory to obtain the real-time reference trajectory, combining consideration of vehicle yaw, roll stability and lane-changing efficiency. The minimum longitudinal length of lane-changing trajectory determined by the yaw stability and roll stability of ABs, combined with the maximum length formed by the adjacent vehicles with dynamic states, form the real-time safe range for lane-changing trajectory planning. For trajectory tracking approach, a tracking approach using model predictive control based on multipoint preview is proposed to achieve the real-time planned trajectory tracking considering buses stability. The effectiveness of the proposed strategy is evaluated by simulating an experimentally validated Trucksim model in different dynamic traffic scenarios to demonstrate the capability of the strategy in trajectory planning and tracking, and guaranteeing vehicle stability for dynamic lane change of ABs.
Research on multi-vehicle formation control based on improved artificial potential field method
Authors: Zhang Hao , Wei Chao , He Yuanhao
Published: July 2024

Multi-vehicle formation can perform various special tasks in unstructured environment. How to take into account the safety of vehicles in avoiding obstacles and the ability to maintain formation has a certain research value. In this paper, the four-circle model of vehicle is established first, and the circle radius is adjusted according to the state of vehicle, so as to describe the safety boundary of vehicle. The improved RRT algorithm is used for the whole route planning, and the discrete path points are used as vehicle guidance. Then the artificial potential field is constructed, and the formation coordination potential field is proposed, so that the vehicles can cooperate with other vehicles to keep the preset formation as far as possible when avoiding obstacles. Then the control quantity of the vehicle is calculated according to the force condition of the vehicle in the potential field by the double exponential sliding mode control method. Finally, the effectiveness of the method is verified by the simulation experiments of triangle formation and circular formation under different working conditions, and the formation error is reduced by about 20%.
Mechanical and in vitro study of 3D printed silk fibroin and bone-based composites biomaterials for bone implant application
Authors: Ansari Ali Imran , Ahmad Sheikh Nazir , Kumar Navin
Published: July 2024

When treating orthopaedic damage or illness and accidental fracture, bone grafting remains the gold standard of treatment. In cases where this approach does not seem achievable, bone tissue engineering can offer scaffolding as a substitute. Defective and fractured bone tissue is extracted and substituted with porous scaffold structures to aid in the process of tissue regeneration. 3D bioprinting has demonstrated enormous promise in recent years for producing scaffold structures with the necessary capabilities. In order to create composite biomaterial inks for 3D bioprinting, three different materials were combined such as silk fibroin, bone particles, and synthetic biopolymer poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL). These biomaterials were used to fabricate the two composites scaffolds such as: silk fibroin + bovine bone (SFB) and silk fibroin + bovine bone + Polycaprolactone (SFBP). The biomechanical, structural, and biological elements of the manufactured composite scaffolds were characterized in order to determine their suitability as a possible biomaterial for the production of bone tissue. The in vitro bioactivity of the two composite scaffolds was assessed in the simulated body fluids, and the swelling and degradation characteristics of the two developed scaffolds were analyzed separately over time. The results showed that the mechanical durability of the composite scaffolds was enhanced by the bovine bone particles, up to a specific concentration in the silk fibroin matrix. Furthermore, the incorporation of bone particles improved the bioactive composite scaffolds’ capacity to generate hydroxyapatite in vitro. The combined findings show that the two 3D printed bio-composites scaffolds have the required mechanical strength and may be applied to regeneration of bone tissue and restoration, since they resemble the characteristics of native bone.
Learning From Aggregated Opinion
Authors: Oktar Kerem , Lombrozo Tania , Griffiths Thomas L.
Published: July 2024

The capacity to leverage information from others’ opinions is a hallmark of human cognition. Consequently, past research has investigated how we learn from others’ testimony. Yet a distinct form of social information— aggregated opinion—increasingly guides our judgments and decisions. We investigated how people learn from such information by conducting three experiments with participants recruited online within the United States ( N = 886) comparing the predictions of three computational models: a Bayesian solution to this problem that can be implemented by a simple strategy for combining proportions with prior beliefs, and two alternatives from epistemology and economics. Across all studies, we found the strongest concordance between participants’ judgments and the predictions of the Bayesian model, though some participants’ judgments were better captured by alternative strategies. These findings lay the groundwork for future research and show that people draw systematic inferences from aggregated opinion, often in line with a Bayesian solution.