bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Agency in a Nationally Representative Sample of Women and Girls in the Philippines
Authors: Yoshioka Emily , Palatino Maylin , Nazareno Jennifer , Operario Don
Published: December 2020

This study examined the prevalence of intimate partner violence (Intimate Partner Violence) and its associations with sexual agency among women and adolescent girls in the Philippines. Data came from the 2017 Philippines National Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey of women and girls ages 15–49. Participants included 11,727 women and girls who reported having a current male partner. Survey measures included three indicators of Intimate Partner Violence (physical, sexual, emotional), ability to refuse sex, ability to insist on condom use, perception that a husband/boyfriend can be justified in hitting or beating his wife/girlfriend, and sociodemographic characteristics. Descriptive and multivariable statistical analyses were conducted, with survey weightings used to account for the complex survey design. Overall, 23.9% reported Intimate Partner Violence in their current partnership (10.1% physical violence, 3.4% sexual violence, 19.0% emotional violence), 11.2% believed a husband or partner could be justified in hitting or beating their wife, 10.5% reported being unable to refuse sex with their partner, and 20.4% were unable to ask their partner to use a condom. In multivariable analyses, experiences of sexual (OR .68; 95% CI .50, .92), physical (OR .83; 95% CI .68, 1.02), and emotional violence (OR .69; 95% CI .58, .81) were associated with lower adjusted odds of being able to ask a partner to use a condom. When placed in the same model, emotional violence had the strongest association with lower odds of negotiating condom use with partner (OR .70; 95% CI .57, .85). Perception that a husband/boyfriend can be justified in hitting or beating his wife/girlfriend was associated with lower ability to refuse sex and ask a partner to use a condom. Findings indicate a need for further investment in interventions to prevent Intimate Partner Violence and support the sexual health and agency of women and girls who have experienced Intimate Partner Violence in the Philippines.
Spanish Intimate Partner Violence Survivors Help-Seeking Strategies Across the Life Span
Authors: Sanz-Barbero Belén , Briones-Vozmediano Erica , Otero-García Laura , Fernández-García Cristina , Vives-Cases Carmen
Published: December 2020

Intimate partner violence (IPV) and its associated factors may vary according to women’s age. In this study, we analyze the effect of age on help-seeking behavior and the associated factors among women exposed to IPV in Spain. Using the Spanish Macrosurvey on Gender Violence of 2014, we analyzed the frequency of help-seeking behavior (police report, formal resources, and informal networks of support) in women who were exposed to lifetime physical/sexual or fear-based IPV ( n = 1,567 women). We used Poisson regression models to obtain variables associated with support resources. The analysis was carried out in three age groups: young women (16–29 years old), adults (30–49 years old), and older women (50 years and over). Our results show that informal support networks are the most used resource by all women´s age groups. The probability of filing a police complaint increases among women exposured to physical IPV (PRadult : 1.58;  PRelder : 2.17 ). The probability of using formal resources decreased among older women with low family socioeconomic status (PR: 0.80) and in adult women exposed to sexual IPV (PR: 0.78), and increased among young women and adult Spanish women (PRyoung: 1.65; PRadult: 1.34). The use of informal support networks increased among adult women with physical and mental health effects (PR: 1.22). In older women use of informal support networks was associated with the type of IPV (PRphysical: 1.14; PRsexual: 0.88). The presence of minors who witnessed IPV increased help-seeking behavior among adult and older women.

In conclusion, the knowledge of the differences in help-seeking strategies by women in different age groups could contribute to designing strategies to promote women’s ability to seek formal help when exposed to IPV.
Prevalence and Associated Factors of Intimate Partner Violence Among Married Women During COVID-19 Pandemic Restrictions: A Community-Based Study
Authors: Tadesse Abay Woday , Tarekegn Setegn Mihret , Wagaw Gebeyaw Biset , Muluneh Muluken Dessalegn , Kassa Ayesheshim Muluneh
Published: December 2020

Ethiopia has taken unprecedented preventive measures, such as confinement to home and closure of schools and offices to halt the spread of Corona virus pandemic in the country. Unfortunately, such orders may have been associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) against women but there is no study conducted to assess the magnitude of IPV during the lock-downs in the country. Thus, this study intended to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of IPV against women during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on sample of 617 married or cohabited women. A systematic random sampling technique was employed to identify and enroll women who are married. A logistic regression analysis was used to identify the predictors of IPV among women and all statistical analyses were carried out using STATA 14.2. In this study, amongst the 589 married women who were included in the analysis, 22.4% [95% CI: 19.1%, 25.9%] were experienced at least one form of IPV. Additionally, 11.0%, 20.0%, and 13.8% of women also experienced physical, psychological, and sexual IPVs respectively. After adjusting for covariate; being illiterate [AOR=2.37: 95% CI 1.29, 4.35], having illiterate husband [AOR=2.67: 95% CI 1.36, 5.21], having substance user husband (alcohol, chat or cigarettes) [AOR=2.75: 95% CI 1.42, 5.34], and community tolerant attitude to violence [AOR=2.97: 95% CI 1.17, 7.61] were the independent predictors of IPV amongst married women. In conclusion, the prevalence of IPV among married women was comparable to the national pre-COVID figure of IPV. Therefore, national and regional governments should work toward enhancing gender equality, coupled with addressing risk factors at multiple levels, using community- and institution-based approaches to prevent IPV and to specifically achieve SDG5 of eliminating violence against women by 2030.
Experiential Avoidance and Post-traumatic Stress Symptoms Among Child Abuse Counselors and Service Workers: A Brief Report
Authors: Miller Michelle L. , Gerhart James I. , Maffett Anissa J. , Lorbeck Angela , England Ashley Eaton , O’Mahony Sean
Published: December 2020

Professionals who counsel and serve survivors of childhood abuse may be at risk of experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can be exacerbated by cognitive and emotional processes. It is hypothesized that (1) a significant proportion of professionals who primarily serve child abuse survivors experience elevated levels of PTSD symptoms and (2) elevated PTSD symptoms are associated with psychological inflexibility processes, specifically increased experiential avoidance, cognitive fusion, and emotion regulation difficulties. Child abuse counselors and service workers ( N = 31) in a major metropolitan area were recruited for a small pilot study. Participants completed self-report measures of PTSD symptoms and levels of psychological flexibility processes. A significant proportion of counselors endorsed clinically significant PTSD symptoms ( n = 13, 41.9%). PTSD symptoms were significantly associated with experiential avoidance ( r = .54, p < .01) and emotion regulation difficulties ( r = .51, p < .01). These associations remained significant after controlling for the personality trait of emotional stability/neuroticism. These findings suggest that PTSD symptoms may be common among child abuse counselors and service workers, and these symptoms tend to be of greater intensity when responded to in avoidant and inflexible ways.
Sexual Harassment of Law Enforcement Officers: Findings From a Nationally Representative Survey
Authors: Taylor Bruce G. , Maitra Poulami , Mumford Elizabeth , Liu Weiwei
Published: December 2020

Sexual harassment continues to be a consistent destructive feature of American life and workplaces, especially in fields for which women are under-represented, such as law enforcement. We use one of the first nationally representative cross-sectional surveys ( n = 2,867) of female and male law enforcement officers (LEOs) to assess the prevalence of workplace sexual harassment victimization. Next, we assess how risk factors are related to this harassment through multivariable modeling. We observed large differences between rates of sexual harassment for female compared to male officers on both our measures of non-physical and physical workplace sexual harassment (sexual assault). Our combined measure of non-physical sexual harassment and sexual assault of female officers (71%) was in the range found in prior research and our 41% rate for male officers is also not trivial and requires attention from law enforcement leaders. We tested two competing hypotheses on whether female officers (and possibly some male officers not meeting certain definitions of masculinity) viewed as the most threatening by virtue of their job role in the male-dominated hierarchy will have the highest probability of being a victim of workplace sexual harassment (power-threat model) or whether those viewed as the most vulnerable officers will have the highest probability of sexual harassment victimization (vulnerable-victim model). We found greater support for the vulnerable-victim model. We discuss the implications of these results for guiding training and prevention strategies to address sexual harassment in the law enforcement workplace.
Co-occurring Threats to Agency Among Female Sex Workers in Baltimore, Maryland
Authors: Nestadt Danielle F. , Tomko Catherine , Schneider Kristin E. , Kerrigan Deanna , Decker Michele R. , Sherman Susan G.
Published: December 2020

Driven largely by the unequal distribution of power, female sex workers (FSW) globally bear a disproportionately high burden of HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and interpersonal violence. Prior literature has identified a number of multi-level factors that may serve to constrain FSWs’ agency, or their ability to define and take action to realize goals. Among these are work-based violence and substance use, which are potentiated by the criminalization of sex work and structural vulnerability. Quantitative research related to U.S.-based FSWs’ own sense of agency, as well as the barriers that may impede it, is sparse. We sought to identify patterns of various threats to agency and explore to what extent they were associated with perceived agency among a cohort of 381 FSW in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, using latent class analysis. Latent class indictors were past-six-month experience of client-perpetrated sexual violence, client-perpetrated physical violence, homelessness, food insecurity, arrest, daily crack-cocaine use, and daily heroin use. Perceived agency was measured using the short form of the Pearlin Mastery Scale. We identified three typologies of threatened agency among women in our sample: a “threatened by structural factors, drug use, and violence” class, a “threatened by structural factors and drug use” class, and a “less threatened” class. Mean perceived agency score was significantly lower for the class characterized by client-perpetrated violence than for either of the other classes. This suggests violence, in the context of deeper, structural power imbalances embedded in hunger, homelessness, and drug use, may dramatically reduce one’s sense of agency and operate as a critical barrier to empowerment. Our study adds important insights to the broader FSW community empowerment literature and supports the need for interventions to bolster both individual and collective agency among U.S.-based FSW, including interventions to prevent sex work-related violence.
Associations Between Endorsement of Inequitable Gender Norms and Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Youth in Nigeria: Violence Against Children Survey, 2014
Authors: Gilbert Leah K. , Annor Francis B. , Kress Howard
Published: December 2020

The purpose of this study was to assess whether the endorsement of inequitable gender norms about intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) and sexual behavior was associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization, IPV perpetration, and sexual risk behavior. Nigerian youth aged 13–24 ( n = 4,203) participated in the nationally representative, cross-sectional Nigeria Violence Against Children Survey (VACS) in 2014. Inequitable gender norms about IPVAW were assessed using six items from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), and inequitable gender norms about sexual behavior were assessed using four items adapted from the Gender-Equitable Men (GEM) scale. The number of inequitable gender norms endorsed was summed and associations with having been a victim or perpetrator of IPV and sexual risk behaviors were assessed using logistic regression. Endorsing 3 or more inequitable gender norms about either IPVAW or sexual behavior were both associated with increased odds of IPV victimization, perpetration, and sexual risk behaviors, after adjustment for demographic characteristics, witnessing violence in childhood, and having been a victim of other forms of childhood violence. Demonstrating that endorsement of inequitable gender norms about sexual behavior was associated with violence and that inequitable gender norms about IPVAW were associated with sexual risk behaviors further highlights potential linkages between violence and HIV.
Who Speaks and Who Listens: Revisiting the Chilly Climate in College Classrooms
Authors: Lee Jennifer J. , Mccabe Janice M.
Published: December 2020

Almost 40 years ago, scholars identified a “chilly climate” for women in college classrooms. To examine whether contemporary college classrooms remain “chilly,” we conducted quantitative and qualitative observations in nine classrooms across multiple disciplines at one elite institution. Based on these 95 hours of observation, we discuss three gendered classroom participation patterns. First, on average, men students occupy classroom sonic space 1.6 times as often as women. Men also speak out without raising hands, interrupt, and engage in prolonged conversations during class more than women students. Second, style and tone also differ. Men’s language is assertive, whereas women’s is hesitant and apologetic. Third, professors’ interventions and different structures of classrooms can alter existing gender status hierarchies. Extending Ridgeway’s gender system framework to college classrooms, we discuss how these gendered classroom participation patterns perpetuate gender status hierarchies. We thus argue that the chilly climate is an underexplored mechanism for the stalled gender revolution.
An Unusual Case of COVID-19 Presenting as Acute Psychosis
Authors: Lanier Cameron G. , Lewis Stacey A. , Patel Paras D. , Ahmed Ahmed Mohamed , Lewis Paul O.
Published: December 2020

Purpose

To report a case of COVID-19 presenting with acute psychosis, without the hallmark respiratory symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath associated with the novel virus.

Case Summary

A 58 year-old male presented with acute psychosis and no symptoms associated with COVID-19. He denied fever, chills, chest pain, shortness of breath, or gastrointestinal symptoms. The patient had a medical history of coronary artery disease, chronic hepatitis C, polysubstance abuse (including cocaine and alcohol), liver disease, anxiety, and panic disorder. Patient was confused, disruptive, unable to communicate, and admitted to hallucinations. Prior to transfer to a psychiatric facility, the patient developed a cough, triggering COVID-19 testing and a positive result. He was initially treated with hydroxychloroquine before this was discontinued. The patient was treated with haloperidol and lorazepam before returning to baseline. He was discharged home with continued isolation.

Conclusion

Acute psychosis, with or without other symptoms, appears to be a potential presentation of COVID-19 and should be considered by clinicians as a possible presenting manifestation. Other coronaviruses appear to have also been linked to neurological manifestations, including psychosis. Neurological manifestations of the virus vary widely, but have been reported multiple times. Treatment, as shown in this case report, appears to be supportive and symptom based for the associated psychotic symptoms. Optimal antiviral treatment is still yet to be clearly defined, as research continues on how to best treat the virus itself.
Effect of Adjunctive Dexmedetomidine in the Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal Compared to Benzodiazepine Symptom-Triggered Therapy in Critically Ill Patients: The EvADE Study
Authors: Collier Tia E. , Farrell Lane B. , Killian Aaron D. , Kataria Vivek K.
Published: December 2020

Objective:

This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of adjunctive dexmedetomidine for alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) treatment compared to symptom-triggered benzodiazepine therapy.

Methods:

This single-center, retrospective, cohort study evaluated patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) with AWS. Patients were divided into 2 groups: adjunctive dexmedetomidine or symptom-triggered therapy (control). Primary outcome was change in Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol (CIWA-Ar) score. Secondary outcomes assessed cumulative ICU benzodiazepine requirement and ICU/hospital length of stay (LOS). Safety outcomes evaluated incidence of adverse events, new onset seizures, and intubation. Propensity matching was performed to minimize differences between study groups.

Results:

Overall, 147 patients were included, 56 in the dexmedetomidine group and 91 in the control group. Patient demographics were similar, however baseline CIWA-Ar score was statistically higher in the dexmedetomidine group. Following propensity matching, 55 patients were included in each group. No significant difference was noted for change in CIWA-Ar score (median, IQR) [3.8 (-0.4-12.3) dexmedetomidine vs. 5.4 (1.4-12.9) control, p = 0.223]. Secondary endpoints revealed increased benzodiazepine requirements (p = 0.001), prolonged ICU LOS (p = 0.050), and more frequent use of physical restraints (p = 0.001) in the dexmedetomidine group. While not statistically significant, the development of new onset seizures (p = 0.775) and intubation (p = 0.294) occurred more frequently in the dexmedetomidine group.

Conclusion:

The addition of dexmedetomidine to symptom-triggered benzodiazepines for AWS did not produce a significant change in CIWA-Ar scores from baseline compared to symptom-triggered therapy alone. The increased rate of new onset seizures and intubation warrant further investigation into the safety of dexmedetomidine in AWS.
Student Nurses’ Caring With Awareness in a Higher Education Institution in South Africa
Authors: Matshaka Lerato , Downing Charlene , Poggenpoel Marie
Published: December 2020

In caring with awareness, the student nurse is able to be present in the moment, while being with the patient. Such student nurses treat patients holistically, considering the patient’s mind, body, and spirit.

Purpose:

To elicit the importance of caring with awareness in order to facilitate student nurses’ caring toward patients.

Hypothesis:

There is a positive relationship between student nurses acting with awareness and caring.

Method:

A quantitative, descriptive, correlational, and contextual research design with a purposive sampling method was used in the study. Respondents ( n = 56) were student nurses in their third- and fourth-year level of study. Data were collected by use of a self-administered questionnaire.

Findings:

There was a negative correlation between acting with awareness and caring. There was no difference in caring among third- and fourth-year students.

Conclusion:

Student nurses may be caring for patients, but it does not necessarily mean they act with awareness in caring. Awareness should be cultivated among student nurses for them to be present in caring and provide holistic caring.
Knowledge management model for effective technology transfer at universities
Authors: Stemberkova Ruzena , Maresova Petra , David Oladipo Olalekan , Adeoye Funminiyi
Published: December 2020

Industry engagement and the application of universities’ research outcomes for shaping society to achieve a habitable environment are possible as a result of technology transfer. With reference to universities in the Czech Republic, this paper proposes a model of effective knowledge management for intellectual property created by university employees according to the structure of individual faculties and their main research focus. The ultimate goal is to achieve effective technology transfer through knowledge management. A review of previous technology transfer models, such as appropriability, dissemination, knowledge utilization, communication, use of a university technology transfer office, and the Triple Helix, shows that these models cannot effectively transfer technology individually but can do so in combination at different levels. Consequently, a knowledge management model is introduced in this study for the transfer of technology from universities. The introduction of technology transfer offices (TTOs) is expected to protect intellectual property, generate new knowledge and create access to valuable knowledge, among other benefits.
“Ḥokma of the Hands” in early Jewish sapiential tradition and the Letter of James
Authors: Wold Benjamin
Published: December 2020

In early Jewish wisdom literature, a Hebrew idiom occurs that combines “hands” with “wisdom.” This construct has been overwhelmingly translated along the lines of “manual wisdom” and implying craftsmanship or the work of an artisan. This article examines “wisdom of the hands” and argues that its meaning relates to acting wisely, as distinguished from merely acquiring knowledge or cognitive assent, and is used especially in the context of wielding authority. As such, this idiom may inform another rare expression, namely being “doers of the word” and not only “hearers” in James 1:22.
Optimization of compressed air assisted-turning-burnishing process for improving machining quality, energy reduction and cost-effectiveness
Authors: Nguyen Trung-Thanh , Le Chi-Hieu
Published: December 2020

The burnishing process is used to enhance the machining quality via improving the surface finish, surface hardness, wear-resistance, fatigue, and corrosion resistance, and it is mostly used in aerospace, biomedical, and automotive industries to improve reliability and performance of the component. The combined turning and burnishing process is therefore considered as an effective solution to enhance both machining quality and productivity. However, the trade-off analysis between energy consumption, surface characteristics, and production costs has not been well-addressed and investigated. This study presents an optimization of the compressed air assisted-turning-burnishing (CATB) process for aluminum alloy 6061, aimed to decrease the energy consumption as well as surface roughness and to enhance the Vicker hardness of the machined surface. The machining parameters for consideration include the machining speed, feed rate, depth of cut, burnishing force, and the ball diameter. The improved Kriging models were used to construct the relations between machining parameters and the technological response characteristics of the machined surface. The optimal machining parameters were obtained utilizing the desirability approach. The energy based-cost model was developed to assess the effectiveness of the proposed CATB process. The findings showed that the selected optimal outcomes of the depth of cut, burnishing force, diameter, feed rate, and machining speed are 0.66 mm, 196.3 N, 8.0 mm, 0.112 mm/rev, and 110.0 m/min, respectively. The energy consumption and surface roughness are decreased by 20.15% and 65.38%, respectively, while the surface hardness is improved by 30.05%. The production cost is decreased by 17.19% at the optimal solution. Finally, the proposed CATB process shows a great potential to replace the traditional techniques which are used to machine non-ferrous metals.
A large-scale approach for superhydrophobic coating fabrication
Authors: Ansari Ali , Nouri Nourooz Mohammad , Sekhavat Setareh , Asgari Ali
Published: December 2020

Marine structures such as ships, oil platforms, and oceanographic systems are permanently at risk of fouling affecting the performance of these structures. Antifouling paints were used to address the concerns associated to marine organisms, but they release toxic materials. This paper presents a new one-step environmentally friendly super hydrophobic coating considering the effect of particle size as well as weight percentage which is feasible in large-scale applications. Firstly, the aluminum flakes are become hydrophobic using silanization method. Then, they are mixed with polyester triglycidyl isocyanurate (TGIC) and are sprayed electrostatically. To assess the fabricated surfaces, effect of mixing time, weight percentage and particle size on the super hydrophobicity are evaluated using scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), contact angle measurement, and image processing. This method leads to a super hydrophobic coating with water contact angle about 152°. The super hydrophobic surface with particle size less than 45 µm results in higher resistance to algae settlement providing an excellent antifouling feature. The uniformity resulted from the particle size range 0–45 µm prevents any micro organisms settlement on the surface so that, after sixth day only some tiny algae are appeared on the surface sides.
Influence of process variables on machining characteristics in turning of novel AM alloy
Authors: Dutta Sunil , Narala Suresh Kumar Reddy
Published: December 2020

In this paper, the machinability of a fabricated AM alloy (Mg-7 wt%Al-0.9 wt%Mn) has been examined. The novel AM alloy was subjected to turning using a systemized CNC setup. The input turning variables: feed ( f), cutting speed ( v), and depth of cut (DOC) were suitably altered to analyze effects on response variables such as cutting force ( Fc), cutting temperature ( T), and tool life ( TL). Subsequently, the microstructure characterization of the machined surface was done for validating the experimental results. The experimental results established the influence of input parameters on response variables. The cutting force was mostly dominated by DOC, and the cutting temperature was predominantly influenced by cutting speed. The SEM images exhibited the adverse effect of higher values of input parameters on the surface condition. The finest surface was observed at f: 0.1 mm/rev, DOC: 0.5 mm, and v: 115 m/min. Further, the analysis of tool life was done by assessing the flank wear; the measured data showed the significant influence of cutting speed on flank wear. The maximum tool life of 51 min was achieved at the lowest levels of three input parameters.
Influences of the scanning strategy on surface roughness in selective laser melting
Authors: Chang Shyang-Jye , Wei Zhi-Xuan
Published: December 2020

Selective laser melting (SLM) is a powder-based additive manufacturing technology that can be used to fabricate high-density components with complex geometry. Several studies have investigated the process parameters that affect surface quality. However, most researchers have ignored the importance of the scanning strategy. In this study, the Taguchi method was used to investigate the relation between warpage and fundamental parameters (laser power, scanning speed, overlap, and scanning angle) to fabricate stable and undistorted specimens. Moreover, several scanning strategies (offset scanning, line scanning, meander scanning, meander scanning with hatch vector, and lightning scanning) were applied to explore the influences on surface quality. The results revealed that meander scanning and lightning scanning generated consistent specimens without large deformation. The process parameters, such as an increased 45° scanning direction and 30% overlap, optimized the surface quality. A lower scanning speed (500 mm/s) could generate lower Ra of specimens, with the exception of lightning scanning with an increased 45° scanning direction. This study may contribute to the growing understanding of the scanning strategy in SLM.
Design and performance analysis of a thermoelectric air-conditioning system driven by solar photovoltaic panels
Authors: Aboelmaaref Moustafa M , Zayed Mohamed E , Elsheikh Ammar H , Askalany Ahmed A , Zhao Jun , Li Wenjia , Harby K , Sadek S , Ahmed Mahmoud S
Published: December 2020

Solar cooling technologies can play a vital role in renewable energy applications development. Thermoelectric systems have shown promising advantages over traditional refrigeration systems such as high thermal comfort, active adaptability, no moving parts, and refrigerants free. In this work, a novel thermoelectric air-conditioning system (TEACS) driven by photovoltaics (PV) is experimentally and theoretically investigated under the hot climate conditions of Sohag city (30°26′N, 42°31′E), Egypt for air conditioning of a typical small-size office room under different thermal loads. During day time, PV panels produce electricity which utilized to drive the TEACS directly and to charge batteries that store electricity to be exploited during nighttime. Moreover, a numerical model implemented in TRNSYS coupled with MATLAB software is developed to evaluate the performance of the proposed TEACS. The influences of varying the input electric current on the coefficient of performance (COP), cooling capacity, and average air room temperature are also studied. The results showed that a design point with an input current of 2.5 A for a cooling capacity of 30 W could be selected to maximize the cooling performance, in which the COP of the TEACS is found to be 2.2. Moreover, the daily average air temperature of the conditioned room was found to be 23.5, 25.5, 27.5, 28.5, and 30.5  °C for internal thermal loads of 0.0 W, 65.0 W,130.0 W, 195.0 W, and 260.0 W, respectively, at average air intake temperature of 36  °C, daily average input current of 4.28 A and air volume flow rate of 14.4 m3/h. It can be concluded that the TEACS powered by PV could be considered as a proper alternative to the traditional vapor compression systems.
Dynamic surface control based on high-gain disturbance observer for electro-hydraulic systems with position/velocity constraints
Authors: Wang Yunfei , Zhao Jiyun , Ding Haigang , Zhang He
Published: December 2020

The electro-hydraulic system is widely used in industrial production due to its high power-to-weight ratio, but the heavy-duty characteristics make the electro-hydraulic system subject to large disturbance force even if the actuator moves slightly, especially in mobile machines and multi-actuators system. Therefore, a position and velocity constraints method based on barrier Lyapunov function is proposed to guarantee the tracking error limited in a strict range to avoid the large disturbance force. Besides, the external disturbance, parameters uncertainty and modeling errors in the asymmetric cylinder electro-hydraulic systems affect the accuracy of position tracking seriously. So a high-gain disturbance observer is designed to estimate the lumped disturbance of the system, which can avoid ampliﬁcation of the noise during the states measurement. In addition, dynamic surface control based on backstepping method is adopted to avoid the derivative explosion phenomenon when calculating the derivatives of virtual control inputs, which reduces the computational complexity of the system significantly. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed controller, proportional-integral controller and adaptive controller are designed to be compared with the high-gain disturbance observer–based dynamic surface controller with the backstepping method, and the comparison results show that the proposed controller has a more precise trajectory tracking performance.
3D orthogonal multi-resolution analysis of flow structures around an improved vehicle external mirror
Authors: Dong Lin , Rinoshika Akira
Published: December 2020

This paper proposes vehicle door mirrors with a tip shape and ditch to reduce the aerodynamic drag. The mean drag coefficients Cd of various mirror models were first measured using load cells within a 103–105 Reynolds number range in a wind tunnel. The Cd of controlled mirrors with different ditch widths remained constant at approximately 0.75 and was lower than that of conventional mirrors. Using a large eddy simulation (LES), the 3D flow structures around modified and conventional mirrors were numerically analyzed at a Reynolds number of 2.8 × 105. Based on a three-dimensional orthogonal wavelet multi-resolution technique, the instantaneous three-dimensional vorticity and velocity were decomposed into three wavelet levels or scales: large scale with a 62 mm central scale, intermediate scale with a 29 mm central scale, and small scale with a 16 mm central scale. This indicated that the length of the region of the vorticity iso-surfaces in an improved door mirror model as the tip ditch decreases. Because the tip ditch produced the more streamwise vortices, the large-scale spanwise vortices were suppressed. The streamwise vortices and spanwise vortices of the small- and intermediate-scale structures increased, which is mainly caused by the ditch in the tip.
Improvement of the adhesive bonding properties of an polyamide 6 injection molded fiber reinforced plastic component by laser beam pre-treatment
Authors: Weiland Josef , Dittmar Hagen , Beier Christoph JA , Ramesh Chiranth , Marx Bernd , Schiebahn Alexander , Jaeschke Peter , Overmeyer Ludger , Reisgen Uwe
Published: December 2020

Fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP) are widely used in the automotive industry due to their lightweight construction potential. Especially, injection-molded components are very popular because of their short cycle times. Unfortunately, this manufacturing process results in some disadvantages for delayed adhesive bonding. On the one hand, such thermoplastics have a very low surface energy (Polyamide 6 (PA6) 36 mJ/m), on the other hand residues of release agents on the surface hinder adhesion between product and adhesive. These disadvantages have to be overcome by the right surface pre-treatment process. Currently, a solvent-containing process is usually used for this purpose. If necessary, the use of primer is common. In the presented paper, the pre-treatment process of an injection-molded component made of polyamide 6 reinforced with glass short-fibers is presented. First, material-specific properties are measured. The influence of laser pre-treatment at 355 nm and 1064 nm wavelength is investigated. Measurements of surface free energy and surface roughness are conducted. The bonding strength is validated by peel test and tensile shear tests. The shear strength was doubled by laser pre-treatment at a medium energy level, partially cohesive failure of the adhesive was achieved. Both investigated wavelengths led to a great improvement of bonding strength at suitable parameters.
AEB effectiveness research methods based on reconstruction results of truth vehicle-to-TW accidents in China
Authors: Peng Yong , Yu Weifeng , Wang Xinghua , Xu Qian , Wang Honggang , Wu Wenguang
Published: December 2020

Vehicle-to-TW accidents are one of the largest components of traffic accidents system in China, which always leads to severe accident consequences because the cyclists are vulnerable road users and drive at a high collision velocity. With the development of information and communication technology, automated Emergency Braking (AEB) system has been applied to modern vehicles, which can perform emergency braking automatically in dangerous situations and mitigate the consequence of accident. The purpose of this study is to propose a method to identify the mechanism that affects the effectiveness of AEB functions under real-life vehicle-to-TW traffic accident scenarios with Chinese county characteristics. Through the analysis and reconstruction for the sampling accident case-by-case, the whole process of the accident has been reproduced. The trajectory analysis program determines the accident triggering conditions and then generates the virtual physical parameters of the triggering conditions through the virtual sample generation method based on the initial sample. In parallel, the AEB effectiveness simulation program has been established. Plug in parameters of AEB system generated by the Latin hypercube sampling to the AEB effectiveness simulation program for getting the mechanism that affect the effectiveness of AEB functions. The AEB system parameters generated by Latin hypercube sampling are inserted into the AEB effectiveness simulation program to obtain the mechanism that affects the effectiveness of the AEB function. Under the multi-objective optimization problem of accident avoidance rate, technical cost and occupant comfort, the optimal parameters and multi-objective values of AEB are obtained by the NSGA-II algorithm. These results can adapt to Chinese actual traffic conditions to a certain extent, and provide a reliable basis for the research and development of AEB system in China.
A framework for development of real-world motorcycle driving cycle in India
Authors: Sithananthan Masilamani , Kumar Ravindra
Published: December 2020

This paper proposed a framework for development of real-world driving cycle in India after a thorough review and comparison of motorcycle driving cycles used in different countries. A limited state-of-the art work for the development of driving cycles for motorcycles is available. The motorcycle driving cycles developed by different countries differ from each other in terms of their driving cycle characteristics, emission factors, and fuel economy. This paper reviewed the parameters of real-world driving cycles of motorcycles and compares the same with legislative cycles concerning their characteristics and emissions. The parameters of real-world driving cycles and Indian legislative cycle (IDC) deviate significantly from other legislative cycles in the range of −97% to +1172% and −74% to 284% respectively. The emission factors of the legislative cycle do not match with the realistic emissions measured by real-world driving cycles. This is due to the reason that the legislative cycles do not represent the current traffic scenario and hence need to be revised. A framework is proposed to develop a real-world driving cycle in India.
Effects of deep cryogenic treatment on machinability, hardness and microstructure in dry turning process of tempered steels
Authors: Kam Menderes
Published: December 2020

This study investigated the effects of Deep Cryogenic Treatment (DCT) on machinability, hardness, and microstructure in dry turning process of AISI 4140 (48-51 HRc) tempered steels with ceramic cutting tools on the surface roughness (Ra). DCT process of steels has shown significant improvement in their mechanical properties. In this context, experiments were made with Taguchi L16 method and optimum values were determined. Three different values for each control factors as: different heat treated samples, cutting speeds (160, 200, 240, 280 m/min), feed rates (0.08, 0.12, 0.16, 0.20 mm/rev) were selected. As a result, the lowest Ra value was found to be 0.159 µm for the DCTT36 sample at a cutting speed of 240 m/min, a feed rate of 0.08 mm/rev. The optimum Ra value was the lowest for the DCTT36 sample compared to the other samples as 0.206 µm. The hardness values of the micro and macro were highest for the DCTT36 sample. Microstructural point of view Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) point of view, the DCCT36 sample showed that best results owing to its homogeneity. It was concluded that lower Ra values can be obtained with ceramic cutting tool in dry turning experiments according to the studies in the literature review. It is thought to be preferred as an alternative to cylindrical grinding process due to lower cost.
An improved dynamic load-strength interference model for the reliability analysis of aero-engine rotor blade system
Authors: Zhao Bingfeng , Xie Liyang , Zhang Yu , Ren Jungang , Bai Xin , Qin Bo
Published: December 2020

As the power source of an aircraft, aero-engine tends to meet many rigorous requirements for high thrust-weight ratio and reliability with the continuous improvement of aero-engine performance. In this paper, based on the order statistics and stochastic process theory, an improved dynamic load-strength interference (LSI) model was proposed for the reliability analysis of aero-engine rotor blade system, with strength degradation and catastrophic failure involved. In presented model, the “unconventional active” characteristic of rotor blade system, changeable functioning relationships and system-component configurations, was fully considered, which is necessary for both theoretical analysis and engineering application. In addition, to reduce the computation cost, a simplified form of the improved LSI model was also built for convenience of engineering application. To verify the effectiveness of the improved model, reliability of turbojet 7 engine rotor blade system was calculated by the improved LSI model based on the results of static finite element analysis. Compared with the traditional LSI model, the result showed that there were significant differences between the calculation results of the two models, in which the improved model was more appropriate to the practical condition.
Effects of a particle placed on the ossicles for microphoneless cochlear implant design
Authors: Kurt Serkan , Ozsonmez Ahmet G
Published: December 2020

In a typical cochlear implant design, the ambient sound is detected via a microphone and the transmission unit of the implant is placed at the back of the auricle. However, this design has several drawbacks. Firstly, the subject cannot bath or swim comfortably with the microphone unit on, and secondly having an external attached unit which may be visible is cosmetically disturbing. Herein, the idea is to explore obtaining the acoustic signals that would directly drive the cochlear nerves, without using a microphone, in which only the vibrations of the ossicles are employed. Thus, the natural filter caused by the anatomy of the ear may be maintained. The proposed method is to place or attach a micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS) type of tiny and lightweight accelerometer to sense or detect the vibrations of ossicles, namely malleus, incus and stapes. A quick analysis or first-thought revealed that physically longer extension of the incus is the most suitable and/or convenient place to attach such a sensor. The model adopted has been optimized to match the amplitude and phase response of the human ear from a system analysis point of view. Some simulation experiments had been done to study and understand the possible loading effects of placing a sensor on the incus. Purpose of the simulations is testing the feasibility before the very difficult surgical procedures. Preliminary results indicate that placing a sensor of weight up to 36 mg does not seriously affect the amplitude and the phase response of the ear. This study is yet another example of how simulations of physiological systems can be advantageous and facilitating in the design of biomedical systems.
Difficult Turned Easy: Suggestion Renders a Challenging Visual Task Simple
Authors: Landry Mathieu , Da Silva Castanheira Jason , Sackur Jérôme , Raz Amir
Published: December 2020

Suggestions can cause some individuals to miss or disregard existing visual stimuli, but can they infuse sensory input with nonexistent information? Although several prominent theories of hypnotic suggestion propose that mental imagery can change our perceptual experience, data to support this stance remain sparse. The present study addressed this lacuna, showing how suggesting the presence of physically absent, yet critical, visual information transforms an otherwise difficult task into an easy one. Here, we show how adult participants who are highly susceptible to hypnotic suggestion successfully hallucinated visual occluders on top of moving objects. Our findings support the idea that, at least in some people, suggestions can add perceptual information to sensory input. This observation adds meaningful weight to theoretical, clinical, and applied aspects of the brain and psychological sciences.
Victimhood in Swedish political discourse
Authors: Aronson Olov
Published: December 2020

In contemporary politics, the category of victimhood confers rights and recognition. An inclusive discussion about the construction and conferral of victimhood, which includes individuals from different social backgrounds, need be informed by the possible uses of victimhood in political discourse. The present study investigates how individuals and groups are positioned as victims by mainstream Swedish politicians. A constructionist discourse analysis inspired by positioning theory was performed of eight longer political speeches and fifty-six addresses to the Swedish parliament, held over the course of a year. The results suggest that individuals in the ‘normal’ majority, comprising the most numerous and normatively dominant group of society, were positioned as victims. Heterodox minorities, which had fundamentally different morals and political ambitions compared to the ‘normal’ majority, were positioned as offenders. The study argues that a more inclusive construction of victimhood could be accomplished by engaging with heterodox minorities through dialogue.
Pandemic outbreaks (COVID-19) and sectoral carbon emissions in the United States: A spillover effect evidence from Diebold and Yilmaz index
Authors: Alola Andrew Adewale , Bekun Festus Victor
Published: December 2020

This article extend the body of knowledge in the environmental sustainability literature by exploring the spillover effect across the United States’ carbon emissions from sectoral energy consumption: from the commercial sector (CEM), transport sector (TEM), industrial sector (IEM), residential sector (REM), electric power sector (EEM). From this perspective, this study accounted for world pandemic uncertainty index (WPU) in retrospect of global episodes (coronavirus pandemic), crude oil price (WTI), and disposable income per capita (DIC). To this end, the novel spillover methodology of Diebold and Yilmaz is employed in the context of the United State for the period January 1996-February 2020. Our Study shows that total spillover effect from the forecast error variance decomposition (FEVD) is 51.1%, while the rest 48.9% of the forecast variance is attributed to the idiosyncratic shocks. Furthermore, a significant contribution of 113.9% spillover effect from uncertainty due to pandemics to TME, IEM, REM, EEM, CEM, DIC, and WTI. Our study adds to the spillover index and computed the net spillover index between the outlined variables that shows the variance between the contribution of spillover to and from the spillover dynamics. Importantly, the study found that WTI, DIC, IEM, EEM, and CEM received a net spillover shock of 63.80%, 25.90%, 48.80%, 26.10%, and 53.3% from the total spillover index. However, WPU, TEM and REM are a net transmitter of spillover effect of 111.7%, 56.90%, and 48.50% respectively. These outcomes are instructive as decision-makers, stakeholders, and players in the energy sector and oil/energy market are required to pay more focus on sectors that are a net transmitter of spillover shocks such as the world pandemic uncertainty and as well those that are net receivers.