bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Bacillus clausii CSI08, Bacillus megaterium MIT411 and a Bacillus cocktail on gastrointestinal health: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study
Authors: Rea K. , Colom J. , Simon E. A. , Khokhlova E. , Mazhar S. , Barrena M. , Enrique M. , Martorell P. , Perez B. Alvarez , Tortajada M. , Phipps C. , Deaton J.
Published: April 2023

In the present study, the safety, tolerance and impact of 1×109 cfu Bacillus clausii CSI08, 1×109 cfu Bacillus megaterium MIT411 and a probiotic cocktail containing Bacillus subtilis DE111®, Bacillus megaterium MIT411, Bacillus coagulans CGI314, and Bacillus clausii CSI08 with a total count of 2.0×109 cfu administered daily were assessed as compared with a maltodextrin containing placebo control. A total of 98 study participants received daily doses for 45 days, followed by a washout period of 2 weeks. A questionnaire to capture the incidence and duration of upper respiratory tract, urinary tract and/or gastrointestinal complaints and a diary to capture stool regularity and consistency was kept daily to record compliance throughout the 45 days. Faecal and blood samples were collected for microbiological and haematological analysis at the start and end of the treatment period. The probiotic cocktail significantly decreased the incidence of loose stools throughout the entire study. The recorded respiratory, urinary and gastrointestinal symptoms, defecation frequency and other stool consistency were not influenced. No clinically relevant changes in blood parameters, such as liver and kidney function and no serious adverse events appeared during and after administration. There were no changes in symptoms including sadness, irritability, energy, appetite, tension, stress, sleep, cardiovascular events, aches and pains, and dizziness as determined by a mood questionnaire administered to participants at baseline and at the end of the treatment period. Similarly, the measured inflammatory cytokines, antioxidant levels, cholesterol, triglycerides, free amino acids or minerals remained unaffected. There were no negative changes in alpha or beta diversity of the microbiota with any of the treatment groups. These promising data suggest that these treatments were safe and well tolerated, and further work with larger cohorts are justified to determine the efficacy of these potential probiotics in select demographic groups.

Trial registration number with clinicaltrials.gov at NCT 04758845.
Tenebrio molitor L. larvae inclusion in quail diet as a fat source: effects on performance, meat quality, and fatty acid composition
Authors: Beyzi S. Büyükkiliç , Özdemir M.
Published: April 2023

This study was conducted to determine the effects ofTenebrio molitor larvae inclusion in diets instead of soybean and fish oil on Japanese quail’s performance, carcass, and meat quality. A total of 180 7-day-old quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) of both sexes were housed in battery packs in a controlled environment room. Chicks were randomly allocated to three treatment groups, each with 5 replicate pens of 12 chicks. The dietary treatments were as follows: (1) control (C) group (soybean meal-based diet); (2) fish oil supplemented diet (FO, 30 g/kg DM fish oil); and (3)T. molitor larvae diet (TML, 100 g/kg DM), respectively. No differences were found between daily weight gain and daily feed intake (P>0.05). The final body weight was higher in quail-fed TML and lower in quailfed FO (P<0.01). The feed conversion ratio was improved with the TML diet in quail (P<0.05). Carcass weight was higher in the TML group than in the FO group (P<0.05). No differences between treatment groups were found in liver, heart, and spleen percentages (P>0.05); however, the proventriculus percentage was higher in FO than in the TML group. The chemical characteristics of breast meat were unaffected by dietary treatments (P>0.05). The fatty acids (FA) were similar primarily in quail breast meat fed C and TML diets; however, polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) was lower in the TML diet compared to the C diet (P>0.05). In the FO groups C14:0, C20:4 n6 and n-3 fatty acids (C18:3, C20:3, C20:5, C22:6), saturated FA, PUFA, and n-3/n-6 were increased, monounsaturated FA, PUFA n-6, and n-6/n-3 were decreased compared to the C and TML groups (P<0.01).
On the divisors of natural and happy numbers: a study based on entropy and graphs
Authors: Mayer B.L. , Monteiro L.H.A.
Published: April 2023

The features of numerical sequences and time series have been studied by using entropies and graphs. In this article, two sequences derived from the divisors of natural numbers are investigated. These sequences are obtained either directly from the divisor function or by recursively applying the divisor function. For comparison purposes, analogous sequences formed from the divisors of happy numbers are also examined. Firstly, the informational entropy of these four sequences is numerically determined. Then, each sequence is mapped into graphs by employing two visibility algorithms. For each graph, the average degree, the average shortest-path length, the average clustering coefficient, and the degree distribution are calculated. Also, the links in these graphs are quantified in terms of the parity of the numbers that these links connect. These computer experiments suggest that the four analyzed sequences exhibit characteristics of quasi-random sequences.
High-dimensional Lehmer problem on Beatty sequences
Authors: Zhao Xiaoqing , Yi Yuan
Published: April 2023

Let $ q $ be a positive integer. For each integer $ a $ with $ 1 \leqslant a < q $ and $ (a, q) = 1 $, it is clear that there exists one and only one $ \bar{a} $ with $ 1 \leqslant\bar{a} < q $ such that $ a \bar{a} \equiv 1(q) $. Let $ k $ be any fixed integer with $ k \geq 2, 0 < \delta_{i} \leq 1, i = 1, 2, \cdots, k. $ $ r_{n}\left(\delta_{1}, \delta_{2}, \cdots, \delta_{k}, \alpha, \beta, c; q\right) $ denotes the number of all $ k $-tuples with positive integer coordinates $ \left(x_{1}, x_{2}, \ldots, x_{k}\right) $ such that $ 1 \leq x_{i} \leq \delta_{i}q, \left(x_{i}, q\right) = 1, x_{1} x_{2} \cdots x_{k} \equiv c(q) $, and $ x_{1}, x_{2}, \cdots, x_{k-1} \in B_{\alpha, \beta} $. In this paper, we consider the high-dimensional Lehmer problem related to Beatty sequences over incomplete intervals and give an asymptotic formula by the properties of Beatty sequences and the estimates for hyper Kloosterman sums.
Nonlinear neural networks adaptive control for a class of fractional-order tuberculosis model
Authors: Pang Na
Published: April 2023

The problem of nonlinear adaptive control for a class of fractional-order tuberculosis (TB) model is studied in this paper. By analyzing the transmission mechanism of TB and the characteristics of fractional calculus, a fractional-order TB dynamical model is established with media coverage and treatment as control variables. With the help of universal approximation principle of radial basis function neural networks and the positive invariant set of established TB model, the expressions of control variables are designed and the stability of error model is analyzed. Thus, the adaptive control method can guarantee that the number of susceptible and infected individuals can be kept close to the corresponding control targets. Finally, the designed control variables are illustrated by numerical examples. The results indicate that the proposed adaptive controllers can effectively control the established TB model and ensure the stability of controlled model, and two control measures can protect more people from tuberculosis infection.
Fortune de la polychromie médiévale aux xixe et xxe siècles : une approche historiographique
Authors: Raynaud Clémence
Published: April 2023

Soulignée par Willibald Sauerländer en 2000, l’absence de la polychromie dans la bibliographie consacrée à la sculpture médiévale française semble constituer un phénomène persistant, en dépit des études de cas parues, ces vingt dernières années, à l’occasion de restaurations. Parmi les explications déjà apportées à ce silence, la présente étude propose une approche historiographique, peu développée jusqu’à présent. Dominée par le formalisme et la théorie focillonienne, l’histoire de la sculpture médiévale a longtemps privilégié l’art de la taille et le rapport tridimensionnel avec l’architecture. Alors qu’elle avait été prise en compte sous la monarchie de Juillet, la polychromie se trouva ainsi refoulée, dès la fin du xixe siècle, hors du cadre théorique qui s’imposa tout au long du siècle suivant.
Témoignage à propos du traitement des sculptures polychromées en France. Une spécialité récente
Authors: Serck-Dewaide Myriam
Published: April 2023

L’évolution du métier de conservateur-restaurateur de sculptures polychromées est décrite. La conception de la restauration scientifique naît en Allemagne, se poursuit en Belgique et atteint ensuite la France. Les personnalités qui établissent la méthodologie et la déontologie du métier devenu spécifique sont citées. Les difficultés à appliquer ces théories sont soulignées. La naissance des institutions internationales pour la conservation du patrimoine d’une part et des écoles spécialisées d’autre part permettront la diffusion des meilleures pratiques en restauration des sculptures en Europe. L’évolution remarquable des méthodes de laboratoires et de traitement en matière de nettoyage et de dégagement de la polychromie permettent une amélioration très positive du métier et de la protection de ce type d’œuvres d’art au xxie siècle.
La restauration du Christ Courajod : la luminosité d’une polychromie romane retrouvée
Authors: Cascio Agnès , Deschamps-Tan Stéphanie , Le Pogam Pierre-Yves
Published: April 2023

Chef-d’œuvre du département des Sculptures du musée du Louvre, le Christ dit Courajod (RF 1082) a été étudié puis restauré dans les ateliers du C2RMF entre 2007 et 2011. La polychromie de cette œuvre présentait un état de conservation médiocre, résultant essentiellement d’une tentative de dégagement non maîtrisé en 1956. Cette intervention a créé un état de surface confus induisant une perte de visibilité des qualités plastiques de la sculpture. L’élimination de l’ensemble des repeints a permis de découvrir une polychromie originale romane d’une facture remarquable et d’une grande finesse, aux coloris subtils jouant sur un contraste entre des carnations pâles, des cheveux et une barbe d’un noir soutenu et un périzonium d’un bleu intense rehaussé d’or.
Un Christ roman auvergnat retrouve son unité grâce à l’étude de la polychromie
Authors: Kargère Lucretia , Le Pogam Pierre-Yves , Levy-Hinstin Juliette , Pingaud Nathalie
Published: April 2023

Le Metropolitan Museum of Art de New York et le musée du Louvre à Paris possèdent respectivement un torse et une tête de Christ roman auvergnat. L’appartenance de ces deux fragments à une seule et même œuvre a été largement discutée. L’étude approfondie de la structure et surtout de la polychromie des deux éléments (la polychromie originale comme les nombreux repeints) semble lever définitivement le doute en faveur de l’homogénéité de l’ensemble.
Le retable de Carrières-sur-Seine : étude des vestiges d’une riche polychromie du xiie siècle
Authors: Cascio Agnès , Deschamps-Tan Stéphanie , Le Pogam Pierre-Yves
Published: April 2023

À l’occasion de sa présentation lors de l’exposition temporaire « Les premiers retables (xiie-début du xve siècle). Une mise en scène du sacré » au musée du Louvre en 2009, le retable de Carrières-sur-Seine a bénéficié d’une étude puis d’une restauration effectuée entre 2006 et 2008. La polychromie de cette sculpture, lacunaire à 90 %, qui plus est extrêmement fragile, a été refixée, nettoyée et certains repeints ont été éliminés. Bien qu’associé au premier art gothique par les circonstances de sa commande, ce retable présente une polychromie relevant encore de l’esthétique romane, fondée sur une harmonie de couleurs vives et contrastées, telles le rouge vermillon, le bleu lapis-lazuli, le blanc et l’or. Les architectures et les rinceaux qui encadrent les scènes étaient également vivement colorés de rouge, de vert et de bleu.
A Systematic Literature Review on Factors Affecting Customer Engagement in Mobile Applications
Authors: Sobti Naina , Sharma Vikas , Khanna Kirti
Published: April 2023

The purpose of this research study is to understand the key factors that affect customer engagement in mobile applications. This paper is an attempt at synthesizing all the available literature in this area through a systematic literature review methodology using PRISMA of 31 papers from the year 2000 to December 2021 extracted from Scopus, and arriving at a conceptual framework and proposed model which can be tested empirically later in future research studies. The concept of customer engagement has been widely researched and analysed over the past decade, but the factors affecting customer engagement in mobile applications have emerged in the literature in recent years only, and specific factors have not been highlighted can be discussed in more detail. This study proposed a conceptual framework which shows that mainly three factors are responsible for mobile app engagement which are hedonic factors, utilitarian factors, and social factors.
Blockchain in the Metaverse
Authors: S. N. Sangeethaa , S. Jothimani
Published: April 2023

This chapter seeks to provide a thorough investigation of blockchain for the metaverse in order to better understand its function in the metaverse. An introduction to blockchain and the metaverse is given first, along with a focus on the reasons for using it for the metaverse. There is discussion of the layers of blockchain and the metaverse. The next section discusses technological aspects of blockchain-based approaches for the metaverse, including data collection, storage, sharing, interoperability, and privacy protection. We outline the technological difficulties of the metaverse for each perspective before highlighting how blockchain can be useful. Additionally, we look into how blockchain will affect important metaverse supporting technologies including the Internet of Things, digital twins, multi-sensory and immersive applications, artificial intelligence, and big data. Finally, some prospective avenues for advancing research, innovation, and development in the direction of blockchain's potential usage in the metaverse are provided.
Cultural Marketing in the Digital Era
Authors: Taneja Sanjay , Gupta Muskan , Bhushan Padam , Bhatnagar Mukul , Singh Amandeep
Published: April 2023

The practice to maintain or build relationships with various people of different cultures is defined as cultural marketing. The more meaningful the relationships are built with customers, the more it helps to grow the brand of the company. With the advancement of digital gadgets, cultures got affected positively. Marketers seek the help of various characters belonging to different cultures for shooting ads regarding promotions of products. While designing ads for promotions, marketers must observe recent trends of cultures to make their promotion ads successful. The motive behind doing this is to impact people from different traditions. This strategy has a positive impact on people to influence them in a shorter period. Cultures are the beliefs of people and marketers should pay more attention to them when designing any product or any strategy to promote the product. Culture affects consumers' lifestyles, so brands do focus on them to win their confidence that brands are well-versed with the demands of their customers and want a long-term relationship.
Metaverse
Authors: Rani Kavita , Singh Satinderpal
Published: April 2023

In this chapter, the main study focus will be on the emerging opportunities and challenges to the metaverse in digital marketing domain and will provide more detailed scoping review of the concept. The findings from the literature conceptualize the prevailing opportunities and upcoming challenges for metaverse in digital marketing and offers guidance in the form of future research directions. The opportunities to metaverse discussed in this chapter can prove to be gamechanger for digital marketing field. It is clear that metaverse will give new dimension to marketing, especially to digital marketing, and if it is used to its potential can change the landscape of marketing industry for good. Although a number of opportunities are presented by metaverse, on the flip side it also has some challenges which need to be faced and sorted to provide seamless and uninterrupted services to users and to earn profits at the same time.
A Research on Online Teaching Behavior of Chinese Local University Teachers Based on Cluster Analysis
Authors: Liu Bing , Luo Xiaobing , Lu Shui-lin
Published: April 2023

COVID-19 boosted online teaching and yielded a significant amount of valuable data, yet utilizing it for education is a challenge. This study employed the K-means clustering method to analyze the online teaching behavior data of 1147 courses from a local university in East China. As a result, five types of courses with distinct teaching behaviors were identified: resource preparation (4.1%), online classroom interaction (3.6%), task evaluation (9.2%), active interaction (15.5%), and inactive interaction (67.6%). By examining the relationship between these course types and academic performance, the authors discovered no significant difference in the academic performance of students in the three course groups (i.e., resource preparation, online classroom interaction, and task evaluation) and students in the inactive interaction course group. However, there was a significant disparity in academic performance between students in active interaction courses and students in inactive interaction courses. These findings can assist teachers in planning online teaching activities more effectively and improving teaching outcomes.
Enhancing the Readiness for Change Role of Intentional Behaviour, Planfulness, and Learning Through Experimentation
Authors: Pahwa Mohit , Rangnekar Santosh
Published: April 2023

In the prevalent VUCA (volatile-uncertain-complex-ambiguous) environment, the readiness for change has become an antidote to survive and thrive. Drawing on change readiness theory, the present study investigates the hypothesised framework, which elucidates whether and how intentional behaviour influences the readiness for change through planfulness and learning through experimentation as mediators in series. Data has been collected from 271 employees working in the manufacturing and I.T. service industries in North India. Structural equation modeling results indicated that intentional behaviour is positively related to readiness for change; furthermore, planfulness and learning through experimentation partially mediated the relationship. The findings highlight important implications for researchers, and management practitioners in developing a proactive mindset, planfulness ability, and fostering a learning culture among employees to enhance their change readiness for successful change initiatives and technology adoption.
Behavioral Acceptance of Electronic Government in Jordan
Authors: Al-Haddad Shafig , Sharabati Abdel-Aziz Ahmad , Al Khasawneh Mohammad , Mazahreh Seif Aiman , Kawar Yazeed Turki
Published: April 2023

Due to the development of communication and information technology, all organizations employ electronic communication to reach their customers and users, especially in developed nations where governments use e-government to support their residents with needed services. In Jordan, the use of e-government services is not as well adopted as in developed nations, because some Jordanians do not trust e-government services due to many reasons, which are discussed in this research; therefore, this study's goal is to determine dimensions that affect people's intentions to use e-government and its effect on e-government actual use in Jordan. The study looks into the factors that impact individuals' intentions and actual e-government usage, including attitudes toward behavior, credibility, and subjective norms that are derived from perceived usefulness, ease of use, awareness, trust in the government, incentives, trust in service delivery, transactional security, and social influence. A total of 352 online questionnaires were gathered, the majority of which were completed by college students who are between the ages of 18 and 29. The findings indicate that perceived ease of use, incentives, and perceived usefulness influence attitudes toward behavior, while awareness does not affect attitudes toward behavior. Trust in service delivery, transactional security, and trust in government affect credibility. Social influences affect subjective norms. Attitudes toward behavior and subjective norms affect intention to use, using intention affects actual usage, while credibility does not affect using intention. Finally, the results are helpful to Jordanian organizations including the Jordanian government. Recommendations are provided in the last section.
College English Flipped Classroom Teaching System Based on Smart Sensor Network
Authors: Wu Yunli
Published: April 2023

This study aims at the autonomy dimension of students in the college English flipped classroom based on the help of a sensor network to investigate and explore the status quo in each stage of the college English flipped classroom, analyse the shortcomings, and propose teaching suggestions. The college English curriculum reform has been in effect for more than 10 years since it started in 2004. Under the foreshadowing of information-assisted teaching, the flipped classroom teaching model also influences the reform of the Chinese traditional teaching model. The research conducted a one-semester flipped classroom teaching of college English in the subjects' classes. The study analyses the data using SPSS software for correlation analysis and finds that the correlation coefficient (r value) between the total score of autonomy and English performance is 0.904, the sig value is <0.05, and the two component values are highly correlated. Student autonomy is not only important in the English flipped classroom but also has a significant impact on students' performance.
Personalized Education Resource Recommendation Method Based on Deep Learning in Intelligent Educational Robot Environments
Authors: Li Sisi , Yang Bo
Published: April 2023

The goal of this article is to analyze the problem of low computational efficiency and propagation error rate in entity recognition and relation extraction. This paper proposes a personalized education resource recommendation algorithm framework XMAMBLSTM based on deep learning in an intelligent education robot environment. XMAMBLSTM uses XLNet to assign word vectors to text sequences, employs a Multi-Bi-LSTM layer to represent complex information of word vectors, and combines a multi-headed attention layer to realize weight distribution of each word vector. The experimental results show that compared with the traditional collaborative filtering algorithm, the comprehensive evaluation indexes of the proposed method, based on the intelligent education robot environment on the two platforms, are higher than 5.05% and 17.3%, respectively.
A Computational Comparison of Three Nature-Inspired, Population-Based Metaheuristic Algorithms for Modelling-to-Generate Alternatives
Authors: Yeomans Julian Scott
Published: April 2023

In “real life” decision-making situations, inevitably, there are numerous unmodelled components, not incorporated into the underlying mathematical programming models, that hold substantial influence on the overall acceptability of the solutions calculated. Under such circumstances, it is frequently beneficial to produce a set of dissimilar–yet “good”–alternatives that contribute very different perspectives to the original problems. The approach for creating maximally different solutions is known as modelling-to-generate alternatives (MGA). Recently, a data structure that permits MGA using any population-based solution procedure has been formulated that can efficiently construct sets of maximally different solution alternatives. This new approach permits the production of an overall best solution together with n locally optimal, maximally different alternatives in a single computational run. The efficacy of this novel computational approach is tested on four benchmark optimization problems.
Policy Inconsistencies and Community Development
Authors: Supu Valeria Tafadzwa
Published: April 2023

Since 1980, rural communities in Zimbabwe have historically suffered poverty and underdevelopment despite being endowed with rich natural resources. The government of Zimbabwe established community share ownership trusts (CSOTs) in 2011 under the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act (IEE Act) to accomplish the beneficiation of locals. Policies are important for they provide consistency and clarity. Under the Act, it was mandatory for companies operating to give back to the community. In 2017, the Second Republic indicated in the Financial Bill that indigenisation terms had been revised and companies would operate with or without CSOTs. This paper advances the argument that Zimplats Mhondoro Ngezi Chegutu Zvimba community share ownership trust (ZMNCZCSOT) has been playing a significant role in community development prior to changes in the IEE Act. After changes, intervention has been minimal, focusing mainly on previously initiated projects. Data was collected using primary and secondary sources; that is, through face to face interviews with key stakeholders and from documentary sources.
Incremental Innovation, Government Subsidies, and New Venture Growth
Authors: Li Weiming , Li Dan , Li Chunyan , Feng Hui , Wang Shuo
Published: April 2023

Based on resource-based theory, signal transmission theory, government intervention theory, and firm growth theory, this study constructs a model of new venture growth from the perspective of incremental innovation through theoretical derivation and empirical research. The goal is to clarify the mechanism of the role of incremental innovation, government subsidies, and new venture growth. This article takes the GEM-listed enterprises from 2009 to 2018 as the research sample to empirically test the hypothesis of correlation, and the results show that: (1) Incremental innovation has a significant positive effect on both government subsidies and new venture growth; (2) Government subsidies have a significant positive effect on new venture growth and play a partial mediating role in the relationship between enterprises incremental innovation behavior and new venture growth; and (3) Media coverage positively moderates the relationship between incremental innovation and government subsidies, that is, there is a signal transmission phenomenon among start-ups, government departments, and external investors.
A Narrative Review for Clinical Applications of Magic
Authors: Wu Xiang-Chi , Tseng Horng-Ta , Lin Yi-Wen , Tsai Chien-Sung , Lin Feng-Yen
Published: April 2023

Magic is an art form that has been traced back 1000 years ago. Previous studies have been conducted to investigate the positive effects magic could bring on human beings. Herein, we organize studies on the positive effects and the use of magic tricks in aspects of performing, witnessing, discovering the secrets of magic, and finally, in educational settings. We discovered that magic not only benefits well-being with physical and mental improvement but also works well as a therapeutic use for hospitals, pediatric settings, and rehabilitation for patients with functional loss. With research on the human mind developing rapidly, magic could also be a great study tool for exploring human cognition and perception. We conclude that magic has already brought about a great number of promising effects in various settings. Therefore, in this manuscript, we discuss how performing and perceiving magic tricks could bring positive effects on researchers and human beings.
Virus Infection and Severe Asthma Exacerbations
Authors: Nguyen Thuy Van Thao , Tran Tuan Anh , Le Vu Thuong , To Kien Gia
Published: April 2023

Context:

Virus infection is a well-known risk factor for asthma exacerbations in temperate and subtropical countries, particularly in atopic children. However, the risk has not been well-described in tropical countries including Vietnam.

Aims:

To compare the odds of virus infection in hospitalized children with severe versus moderate asthma exacerbations.

Settings and Design:

A cross-sectional study was conducted at Children’s Hospital 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Children who were admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with severe or moderate asthma exacerbations were recruited for the study.

Materials and Methods:

Data were collected from interviews and medical records. Virus infection was confirmed by multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction. Inhalant allergy was confirmed by a skin prick test with common indoor aeroallergens.

Statistical Analysis Used:

Associations among age, gender, passive smoking, child’s history of eczema, family history of asthma, virus infection, and inhalant allergy with the odds of severe asthma exacerbations were tested by binary logistic regressions. Multivariable logistic regression was done to measure the association between virus infection with the odds of severe asthma exacerbations adjusted for passive smoking. The odds ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were reported to show the strength of the associations.

Results:

Nearly half of the children were infected by a virus (48.5%) and had passive smoking (49.2%). The percentage of children with a positive skin prick test was 83%. The most common indoor aeroallergen was house dust mites (81.1%). The odds of severe asthma exacerbations in children with virus infection was three times higher than that in those without virus infection (OR: 3.21, 95% CI: 1.20‐8.60, P = 0.021).

Conclusions:

Immunization and other healthcare programs should be deployed to prevent asthmatic children from virus infection and passive smoking to reduce the risk of severe asthma exacerbations.
Injury Assessment in Non-Standard Seating Configurations in Highly Automated Vehicles Using Digital Twin and Active Learning
Authors: Hyncik Ludek , Talimian Abbas , Vychytil Jan , Kleindienst Jan , Gharbi Slim , Ziazopoulos Pantelis
Published: April 2023

Human-driven vehicles are going to be replaced by highly automated vehicles as one of the future mobility trends. Even though highly automated vehicles’ active safety systems can protect against vehicle-to-vehicle accidents, the traffic mix between human-driven vehicles and highly automated vehicles is still a potential source of vehicle collisions. Additionally, occupants in highly automated vehicles will be passengers not necessarily dealing with driving anymore, so there will be a considerable number of non-standard seating configurations. Those configurations are not able to be assessed for safety by hardware testing due to their number, variability and complexity. The objective of the paper is the development of a fast virtual approach to identify the passengers’ injury risk in non-standard seating configurations under multi-directional impact scenarios and severity. We deploy the concept of surrogate modeling, where we introduce a digital twin for the expected automated vehicle interiors. Non-standard seating configurations are represented by a simplified model of four seats located in the vehicle. These seats are occupied by a previously developed scalable human body model representing passengers of variable anthropometry. Thanks to the vehicle interior simplification and the hybrid human body model, thousands of simulations describing the impacts identified can be run. Based on the numerical simulations describing impact scenarios, a fast and lean artificial intelligence (AI) model actively learns a digital twin to approximate injury risk predictions for a huge number of possible crash scenarios fast. An impact scenario concerns a seating configuration occupied by up to 4 passengers (a seat can be empty) of variable height, weight, age and gender and crash direction and severity (velocity). Behind AI, the machine learning method uses supervised classifiers that are trained to predict injury severity based on the given input. There are 8 trained classifiers per passenger, each one for a body segment, where multi (predicting 4 injury severity levels) and binary (predicting injury or non-injury levels) classifications are compared. The machine learning accuracy is compared by the Mattheus correlation coefficient, where the presented digital twin AI approach reasonably approximates the numerical solution.
Examination of Detroit Assurance
Ⓡ
4.0 Video Radar Decision Unit (VRDU) Records for Use in Crash Analysis
Authors: Plant David , Grimes Wesley , Cheek Timothy , Austin Timothy , Steiner John , Higgins Bradley , Lombardi Kristina , DiSogra Matthew
Published: April 2023

The Daimler Detroit AssuranceⓇ 4.0 collision mitigation system is able to assist a driver in various aspects of safely operating their vehicle. One capability is the Active Brake Assist (ABA), which uses the Video Radar Decision Unit (VRDU) to communicate with the front bumper-mounted radar to provide information about potential hazards to the driver. The VRDU may warn the driver of potential hazards and apply partial or full braking, depending on the data being gathered and analyzed. The VRDU also records event data when an ABA event occurs. This data may be extracted from the VRDU using Detroit DiagnosticLink software. This paper presents an overview of the VRDU functionality and examines aspects of VRDU data such as the range and resolution of data elements, the synchronicity or timing of the recorded data, and application of the data for use in the analysis of crashes. Various tests were performed using a truck equipped with Detroit AssuranceⓇ 4.0 in a manner designed to trigger VRDU records. VRDU data was compared to data collected from the J1939 CAN Bus and from a Racelogic VBOX 3i 100 Hz GPS Data logger.
Testing of Heavy Truck Advanced Driver Assistance Systems and Crash Mitigation Systems
Authors: Austin Timothy , Grimes Wesley , Cheek Timothy , Plant David , Steiner John , Higgins Bradley , Lombardi Kristina , DiSogra Matthew , Wilcoxson Gregory
Published: April 2023

Modern heavy vehicles may be equipped with an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) designed to increase highway safety. Depending on the vehicle or manufacturer, these systems may detect objects in a driver’s blind spot, provide an alert when the ADAS determines that the vehicle is leaving its lane of travel without the use of a turn signal, or notify the driver when certain road signs are detected. ADASs also include adaptive cruise control, which adjusts the vehicle’s set cruise speed to maintain a safe following distance when a slower vehicle is detected ahead of the truck. In addition, the ADAS may have a Collision Mitigation System (CMS) component that is designed to help drivers respond to roadway situations and reduce the severity of crashes. CMSs typically use radar or a combination of radar and optical technologies to detect objects such as vehicles or pedestrians in the vehicle’s path. If the CMS determines that a collision event is likely, interventions such as audible and visual warnings, partial braking, or automatic full braking may occur.

In this research, a series of controlled tests were conducted using over the road heavy trucks to evaluate the responses of different CMS systems currently available. The testing examined CMSs manufactured by Daimler and Bendix as installed in Freightliner, Kenworth, and International heavy trucks. Individual tests included driving toward both stationary and moving Global Vehicle Targets (GVTs) to trigger a CMS event. This paper summarizes the tests conducted and reviews the responses received from the tested CMSs. In general, there were fewer system responses as closing speed increased, the alignment offset increased, or the angle, relative to the roadway, of the GVT increased.
Using Multi-Fidelity Turbulence Modelling Approaches to Analyse DrivAer External Aerodynamics
Authors: Altmann Peter , Giangaspero Giorgio , Zastawny Marian , Landi Simone , Lardeau Sylvain , Mays Michael
Published: April 2023

Increasing fuel and electricity prices create high pressure to develop efficient external aerodynamics of road cars. At the same time, development cycles are getting shorter to meet changing customer preferences while physical testing capacities remain limited, creating a pressing need for fast and accurate turbulence models to predict aerodynamic performance.

This paper introduces and discusses different turbulence modelling approaches beyond the well-known and established models used today in the industry. The RANS Lag Elliptic Blending (Lag EB) k − ϵ model, which enables highly accurate steady-state RANS, was chosen as the baseline approach. As a medium fidelity approach Scale-Resolving Hybrid (SRH) model was utilized, which modifies a RANS base model to produce a smooth transition between URANS and LES behavior. The Wall-Modelled LES (WMLES) method was chosen for high fidelity simulations.

To validate the presented models, a detailed set of experimental data from the 3rd Automotive CFD Prediction Workshop was utilized. Simulations were run on the grid provided for the workshop; in addition, a reviewed volume mesh was utilized. The numerical results of the aforementioned turbulence models are discussed against experimental results of the DrivAer baseline case and its variant with front wheel deflectors. In addition to force coefficients, flow field visualizations are available, providing additional insights.

The simulations show an excellent agreement for the Lag EB runs with the experimental data for the baseline model in terms of drag prediction. Scale-resolving simulations require appropriate numerical set-up for accurate drag prediction. The impact of the front wheel deflector on drag is consistently predicted by all three methods.
A Physics Based Methodology for the Estimation of Tire Performance on Ice and Snow
Authors: Kim Changsu , Lugaro Carlo , O'Neill Alexander , Park Kisoo , Choi Seungryul , Gil Gibin
Published: April 2023

The automotive industry’s journey towards fully autonomous vehicles brings more and more vehicle control systems. Additionally, the reliability and robustness of all these systems must be guaranteed for all road and weather conditions before release into the market. However, the ever-increasing number of such control systems, in combination with the number of road and weather conditions, makes it unfeasible to test all scenarios in real life. Thus, the performance and robustness of these systems needs to be proven virtually, via vehicle simulations.

The key challenge for performing such a range of simulations is that the tire performance is significantly affected by the road/weather conditions. An end user must therefore have access to the corresponding tire models. The current solution is to test tires under all road surfaces and operating conditions and then derive a set of model parameters from measurements. The key disadvantages of this approach are high costs and turnaround times. Furthermore, the validity of the model is limited to the tested operating conditions.

This paper describes an alternative approach where a physics-based adjustment tool – developed in co-operation with Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) – allows for tire models parameterized on a high-friction surface (e.g., asphalt) to be adjusted to snow, scraped ice, and polished ice conditions, without additional measurements. The tool delivers qualitatively correct tire friction characteristics, thus allowing for the digital robustness and performance evaluations of control systems. The potential of this methodology is demonstrated through both single tire measurement and full vehicle testing validation activities.
A Methodology for Multi-Objective Design Optimization (MDO) of Automotive Suspension Systems
Authors: Ganesh Lingadalu
Published: April 2023

Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) should innovate ways to delight customers by creating affordable products with improved drive experience and occupant comfort. Vehicle refinement is an important initiative that is often take-up by the project teams to ensure that the product meets the customer’s expectations. A few important aspects of vehicle refinement include improving the Noise Vibration Harshness (NVH), ride and handling performance pertaining to the Functional Image (FI) of the product. Optimizing the suspension design variables to meet both ride and handling performance is often challenging as improving the ride will have a deteriorating effect on handling and vice-versa. The present work involves Multi-Objective Design Optimization (MDO) of the suspension system of an automotive Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) platform considering both ride and handling requirements, simultaneously. Using advanced simulation tools (ADAMS) and a Design of Experiments (DoE) based approach, functional forms were derived for the objective function and constraint variables. The mathematical forms of the predictive models were obtained from various machine learning based algorithms. Trade studies were done to arrive at optimal design decisions. In the available literature, there are very few machine learning based optimization studies done considering both ride and handling attributes, simultaneously, covering a wide range of Design Verification Plans (DVPs).
The Methodology of the System-Level Topology Optimization for Road Booming Noise
Authors: Park Jong Ho , Hwang Kwang Hyeon
Published: April 2023

Most sub-compact vehicles with the rear multi-link system have road booming noise issues due to bending modes in the rear cross-member. Many engineers in the vehicle industry solve this problem by implementing a dynamic damper on the rear cross-member. However, the additional component of the rear cross-member increases cost and weight. This paper presents the methodology of the system-level optimization for rear cross-member structures to improve road booming noise. A feature extraction methodology is introduced. This method makes possible the application of topology optimization results to real design, rather than the results just being used as a concept suggestion.
Topography Optimization of a Sheet Metal Assembly of Repetitive Features
Authors: Krishnan Paranthaman , Yang Zane
Published: April 2023

An ability to design automotive systems with optimum parameters has become very crucial in the competitive industry. Today, there are many shape optimization algorithms to choose, depending on the nature of the design parameters. Compared with the topology optimization, a topography optimization can be a good alternative. Because of the less number of design variables required for the same optimization model, the topography optimization process is generally faster. In this study, an assembly consisting of several identical sheet metal components is employed for demonstrating the effectiveness of topography optimization, in which various beads are to be derived with appropriate heights and widths, where needed, at the discretion of the algorithm to attempt to render the design variables within the constraints. The identical pieces are arranged around an axis of revolution such that the geometric shape is cyclic symmetric at a constant angular spacing. Despite the geometric symmetry, however, the entire 360-degree assembly has to be modeled in the finite element analysis, to account for the overall lateral stiffness. Thus, during the course of optimization, it is necessary to impose a constraint known as pattern repetition for the evolved shapes of the design such that each component has the identical features for the purpose of simplicity and cost-effectiveness in manufacturing. The responses from the finite element solution in the form of lateral and rotational stiffness as well as maximum stresses are used as the design constraints and objective function. It turns out that the topography algorithm used in this study seems smart enough to figure out a set of design variables to meet some seemingly contradictory constraints.
Hardware-Based Cyber Security for Connected Vehicles
Authors: Harrison Lee , Pickford James
Published: April 2023

There continues to be massive advancements in modern connected vehicles and with these advancements, connectivity continues to rapidly become more integral to the way these vehicles are designed and operated.

Vehicle connectivity was originally introduced for the purpose of providing software updates to the vehicle’s main system software, and we have seen the adoption of Over The Air updates (OTA) become mainstream with most OEMs. The exploitation of this connectivity is far more reaching than just basic software updates. In the latest vehicles it is possible to update software not just on the main vehicle systems, but to potentially update embedded software in all smart ECUs within the vehicle.

Only using the connectivity to push data to the vehicle is not making full use of the potential of this increased connectivity. Being able to collect vehicle data for offline analysis and processing also brings huge benefits to the use of this technology.

Using these technologies brings not only great advantages and ease of use, but it also provides an extremely attractive threat landscape for modern cyber attackers – which must be appropriately secured to guard against such threats.

The technology described in this paper provides a comprehensive solution to the problems of vehicle intrusion and in-life threat management - using hardware monitors to provide low-latency and reliable threat detection.
Evaluation of Vehicle System Performance of an SAE J1939-91C Network Security Implementation
Authors: Mokhadder Mohomad , Zachos Mark , Potter John
Published: April 2023

CAN bus network proved to be efficient and dynamic for small compact cars as well as heavy-duty vehicles (HDV). However, HDVs are more susceptible to malicious attacks due to lack of security in their intra-vehicle communication protocols. SAE proposed a new standard named J1939-91C for CAN-FD networks which provides methods for establishing trust and securing mutual messages with optional encryption. J1939-91C ensures message authenticity, integrity, and confidentiality by implementing complex cryptographic operations including hash functions and random key generation. In this paper, the three main phases of J1939-91C, i.e., Network Formation, Rekeying, and Message Exchange, are simulated and tested on Electronic Control Units (ECUs) supporting CAN-FD network. Numerous test vectors were generated and validated to support SAE J1939-91C. The mentioned vectors were produced by simulating different encryption and hashing algorithms with variable message and key lengths. Moreover, the output vectors of each phase were passed to the subsequent phase to build up a complete scenario. The obtained simulation results will be used in the future for assessing the benefits of the standard as well as identifying potential strengths or possible shortcomings of the new protocol and to help suggest recommended enhancements and modifications.