bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Parameter optimisation of laser cladding repair for an Invar alloy mould
Authors: Zhu Shichao , Chen Wenliang , Zhan Xiaohong , Ding Liping , Zhou Junjie
Published: October 2018

Laser cladding repair is an advanced technology for repairing Invar alloy moulds; however, the influences of various processing parameters on the quality of the Invar alloy moulds have yet to be determined. To explore the optimisation of laser cladding repair parameters, analyses of the geometric features and microstructure of the cladding layer were conducted. First, the influences of different powder feeding rates and scanning speeds on the dilution rate of the substrate were investigated by establishing a mathematical model of the laser power attenuation. Next, the influences of the parameters on the geometric features of the cladding layer were analysed. Finally, the influences of the parameters on the microstructure of the cladding layer were evaluated. At a laser power of 2300 W, a scanning speed of 3 m/min, and a powder feeding rate of 9 g/min, the best results of the width, height, dilution rate, roughness, and contact angle of the cladding layer were obtained. The results of this study indicated that excellent metallurgical bonding occurred between the cladding layer and the interface layer, and that the intended geometric features and desired microstructure of the cladding layer were obtained.
Computer simulation of tire rolling resistance using finite element method: Effect of linear and nonlinear viscoelastic models
Authors: Rafei Mehdi , Ghoreishy Mir Hamid Reza , Naderi Ghasem
Published: October 2018

This research work is devoted to the study of the effect of model parameters and material properties on tire rolling resistance. The main goal of this research is to investigate and clarify the effect of the adopted hyper-viscoelastic material model on tire rolling resistance simulation results. For this purpose, some new approaches were used and current shortcomings were introduced. Computer simulations were carried out using Abaqus standard command line. Linear and parallel rheological framework viscoelastic models were implemented and rolling resistance of a passenger car tire was determined. Different parametric simulations were carried out and the results were compared with rolling resistance data obtained from experimental tests. The results revealed that the calculated rolling resistance force depends on the implemented viscoelastic model. The linear viscoelastic model could not accurately predict the trend of rolling resistance with variation of tire inflation pressure and applied load. On the contrary, parallel rheological framework could cope with this trend. The parallel rheological framework model is more sensitive to inflation pressure. However, the sensitivity of both models to applied vertical load is nearly the same. Although cornering simulation is independent of the adopted viscoelastic model, the type of viscoelastic model could affect the footprint contact pressure contour.
Gearshift control strategies for hybrid electric vehicles: A comparison of powertrains equipped with automated manual transmissions and dual-clutch transmissions
Authors: Guercioni Guido Ricardo , Vigliani Alessandro
Published: October 2018

This article describes gearshift control strategies developed for a series-parallel hybrid electric vehicle architecture in which an electric machine is connected to the output of the transmission, thus obtaining torque filling capabilities during gearshifts. Two transmission systems are analyzed: hybrid automated manual transmission and hybrid dual-clutch transmission. The article focuses on the gearshift control strategies for the two transmission, splitting each gearshift into several phases. The objectives of each control phase, the equations for computing the set points for powertrain actuators, and the conditions that determine the passage from one shifting phase to the next are reported. Moreover, nonlinear dynamic models are described and used to verify through simulation the effectiveness of the controllers. Promising results, in terms of vehicle dynamic performance, are obtained for both transmission systems.
Assessment of material loss of retrieved magnetically controlled implants for limb lengthening
Authors: Foong Bryan , Panagiotopoulou Vasiliki-Christina , Hothi Harry S , Henckel Johann , Calder Peter R , Goodier David W , Hart Alister J
Published: October 2018

Purpose: We aimed to understand wear from the telescopic component of PRECICE nails, which are used for distraction osteogenesis of the femur or tibia. We also aimed to identify any correlation between implant performance and patient factors. Methods: This retrieval study involved 11 magnetically controlled intramedullary nails from nine patients who had achieved the targeted leg length. All the nails were assessed macroscopically and microscopically for wear. All implants were radiographed to assess the internal mechanism. A Talyrond 365 (Taylor Hobson, Leicester, UK) roundness measuring machine was used to generate three-dimensional surface maps of the telescopic components to allow for measurement of wear. Results: Visual assessment of all the nails showed evidence of wear from the telescopic component. The radiographs revealed that all the nails had intact internal mechanism and no evidence of fractured pins. The roundness measuring machine showed that the quantity of wear was lowest in the latest design of the PRECICE nail. There was no significant correlation between wear and the two patient factors (duration of the lengthening phase, the time of implantation) included in this study. Conclusion: This study is the first to investigate the performance of the three different designs of the PRECICE system with a focus on wear. We found that the latest design had the best implant performance. We are confident of the continued success of the PRECICE system and reassure surgeons and patients that they are unlikely to encounter problems with the implant related to wear.
A simplified model of a fueldraulic actuation system with application to load estimation
Authors: Puller Tomas , Lecchini-Visintini Andrea
Published: October 2018

In this work, a simplified model of the compressor variable stator vane fueldraulic actuation system of a jet engine is presented. The actuation system is a sub-assembly of the engine’s hydro-mechanical unit. A unique characteristic of the actuator is an internal cooling flow which prevents the overheating of fuel. It is shown that the effect of the cooling flow is well represented by a static input nonlinearity. The resulting model is of the Hammerstein structure. It is then shown that the model can be used for the estimation of the actuator’s external load. The results are validated using an accurate real system simulator.
Indian summer monsoon variability and vegetation changes in the core monsoon zone, India, during the Holocene: A multiproxy study
Authors: Kumar Kamlesh , Agrawal Shailesh , Sharma Anupam , Pandey Shilpa
Published: October 2018

We present the results of sediment texture, δ13C values, TOC, TN, TOC/TN, and magnetic susceptibility (χlf) of a 1.54-m deep sediment trench recovered from the core monsoon zone (CMZ) of central India, to understand the paleovegetational history and Indian summer monsoon (ISM) variability during the Holocene. The lower δ13C values, TOC/TN ratio, and magnetic susceptibility (χlf) from ~11.4 to 9.5 ka BP suggest enhanced ISM intensity, which is well correlated with other available ISM records from both terrestrial as well as marine archives. A gradual stepwise expansion of C4 plants during ~8.1 and 6.3 ka BP, ~6.3 to 4.7 ka BP, and ~3.0 to 2.0 ka BP suggests a gradual weakening of ISM. The highest δ13C values (–18.7‰) recorded at ~2.0 ka BP indicate the dominance of C4 plants suggesting the weakest phase of ISM in the study area. The expansion of C3 plants from ~2.0 to 1.6 ka BP indicates a sudden increase in ISM intensity. Subsequently, three stages of enhanced ISM have been recorded between ~1.6 and 0.93 ka BP, ~0.76 and 0.42 ka BP, and ~0.28 ka BP to present.
Effect of Polydeoxyribonucleotide on Angiogenesis and Wound Healing in an In Vitro Model of Osteoarthritis
Authors: Baek Ahreum , Kim Yoon , Lee Jin Woo , Lee Sang Chul , Cho Sung-Rae
Published: October 2018

Osteoarthritis (OA) is degenerative disease, leading to pain and functional disability. It is reported that polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) is a suitable therapy for OA. However, the therapeutic mechanisms of PDRN in OA are not fully understood. To investigate the effect of PDRN in an in vitro model of OA, interleukin (IL)-1β or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) was used to treat a human chondrocytic cell line in hypoxic conditions for 24 h (IL-1β group or control group). PDRN was then used to treat IL-1β group cells for 24 h (PDRN group). By Label-Based Human Antibody Array 1000, angiopoietin-2 (ANG-2), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), angiostatin, and endostatin, which were related to angiogenesis, were chosen for further validation studies. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis validated that the levels of PDGF and ANG-2, which were related to pro-angiogenesis, were significantly increased in the PDRN group compared with those in the control group or the IL-1β group. However, the levels of endostatin and angiostatin, which were related in anti-angiogenesis, were significantly decreased in the PDRN group compared with those in the control group or the IL-1β group. In the same manner, vascular endothelial growth factor, which was a mediator of angiogenesis, was significantly increased in the PDRN group compared with those in the control group or the IL-1β group. Furthermore, wound closure was significantly increased in the PDRN group compared with the control group or the IL-1β group by in vitro scratch assay. Moreover, PDRN decreased expression of metalloproteinase 13, as a catabolic factor for OA, but increased expression of aggrecan, which was an anabolic factor for OA. These data suggest that PDRN may promote angiogenesis and wound healing via down-regulation of catabolism and up-regulation of anabolism in an in vitro model of OA.
The Geography of Gender Inequality in International Higher Education
Authors: Myers Robert M. , Griffin Amy L.
Published: October 2018

The internationalization of higher education results in 4.6 million students attending colleges and universities outside their home countries. In the United States and other countries, there is significant underrepresentation of women among inbound international higher education students. Gender equality in education cannot be achieved so long as women are underrepresented in participation in this important educational venue. To better understand the drivers of gender inequalities in international higher education, this study examines the low participation rate by women coming to the United States by comparing it with participation data for women coming to the United Kingdom and Germany. Gender participation rates from both source regions and countries vary by destination country. By exploring the geography of gender inequality in international higher education, decision makers can better understand barriers to achieving international gender equality goals.
Investigation of hydrodynamic clutch with a magnetorheological fluid
Authors: Olszak Artur , Osowski Karol , Kesy Zbigniew , Kesy Andrzej
Published: October 2018

This article presents the results of experimental investigations and simulations for a new design of a hydrodynamic clutch with a magnetorheological working fluid. The concept of magnetorheological fluid applications to improve the performance of a hydrodynamic clutch can be realized using resistant flow control inside a hydrodynamic clutch channel by changing the fluid shear stress with magnetic fields. The increase in the shear stress of a working fluid under a magnetic field causes an increase in the pressure drop in the channels, an increase in the flow losses, and a decrease in the transmitted power. Moreover, the steady-state and dynamic characteristics of the clutch are presented and the relations that occur between the design parameters are shown.
Palatal Measurements Pre- and Post-Furlow Cleft Palate Repair: Analysis of Palatal Lengthening and Comparison Within Cleft Types
Authors: Chang Brian L. , Yu Jason W. , Nikonova Elena , Low David W. , Taylor Jesse A. , Jackson Oksana
Published: October 2018

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to characterize intraoperative palatal lengthening with the modified Furlow cleft palatal repair and to determine whether lengthening correlated with preoperative cleft width, cleft type, or operating surgeon.

Design:

Retrospective study.

Setting:

Academic tertiary care pediatric hospital.

Patients:

One hundred eighty pediatric patients undergoing primary or secondary palatoplasty using the Furlow technique.

Interventions:

Cleft and palatal lengths and widths were measured pre- and post-Furlow cleft palatal repair.

Main Outcome Measures:

Immediate postoperative percentage change in surface palate length, straight palate length, and soft palate length.

Results:

The average cleft widest width and width at the hard–soft palate junction were 10.2 and 9.5 mm, respectively, and varied with Veau cleft type. Following Furlow palatoplasty, lengths of the curved, straight, and soft palate increased by 7.5%, 15.8%, and 30.6%, respectively. Degree of palatal lengthening varied among surgeons and Veau cleft type but was not related to cleft width. Seven (4.0%) patients developed postoperative oronasal fistulas. Patients with a Veau IV cleft and larger cleft widths were at an increased risk for fistula formation.

Conclusions:

This study demonstrates that overall palatal lengthening occurs with the modified Furlow technique. Long-term follow-up studies are needed to determine the clinical relevance of these findings.
Twitches, Blinks, and Fidgets: Important Generators of Ongoing Neural Activity
Authors: Drew Patrick J. , Winder Aaron T. , Zhang Qingguang
Published: October 2018

Animals and humans continuously engage in small, spontaneous motor actions, such as blinking, whisking, and postural adjustments (“fidgeting”). These movements are accompanied by changes in neural activity in sensory and motor regions of the brain. The frequency of these motions varies in time, is affected by sensory stimuli, arousal levels, and pathology. These fidgeting behaviors can be entrained by sensory stimuli. Fidgeting behaviors will cause distributed, bilateral functional activation in the 0.01 to 0.1 Hz frequency range that will show up in functional magnetic resonance imaging and wide-field calcium neuroimaging studies, and will contribute to the observed functional connectivity among brain regions. However, despite the large potential of these behaviors to drive brain-wide activity, these fidget-like behaviors are rarely monitored. We argue that studies of spontaneous and evoked brain dynamics in awake animals and humans should closely monitor these fidgeting behaviors. Differences in these fidgeting behaviors due to arousal or pathology will “contaminate” ongoing neural activity, and lead to apparent differences in functional connectivity. Monitoring and accounting for the brain-wide activations by these behaviors is essential during experiments to differentiate fidget-driven activity from internally driven neural dynamics.
Association of Fatigue With TPH2 Genetic Polymorphisms in Women With Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Authors: Han Claire J. , Jarrett Monica E. , Cain Kevin C. , Jun Sangeun , Heitkemper Margaret M.
Published: October 2018

Fatigue is the most common extraintestinal symptom in women with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Genetic polymorphisms of monoamines are associated with fatigue in many chronic diseases. In this pilot exploratory study, the primary aim was to determine whether genetic polymorphisms of tryptophan hydroxylase ( TPH1/TPH2), serotonin reuptake transporter ( SERT), or catechol-O-methyltransferase ( COMT) are associated with fatigue in women with IBS. Additionally, analysis explored whether these genetic associations with fatigue would be present when controlling for abdominal pain, psychological distress, feeling stressed, and sleepiness during the day. Secondary analysis of two randomized controlled trial baseline data sets in Caucasian women with IBS ( N = 185) was conducted. Participants kept a daily diary with one dimension (i.e., severity) for each of the 26 symptoms, including fatigue, for 28 days prior to randomization. DNA samples were tested for single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of TPH1 (four SNPs) /TPH2 (one SNP), SERT (one SNP), and COMT (one SNP). Analysis of covariance was used to examine associations of percentage of diary days with moderate to very severe symptoms with genetic polymorphisms. Only one SNP, TPH2 rs4570625, was significantly associated with fatigue ( p = .005). T-allele (low functional) carriers of TPH2 (i.e., G/T or T/T genotypes) reported a greater percentage of days with moderate to very severe fatigue than G/G homozygotes ( p = .001). Reduced synthesis of tryptophan in the central nervous system may contribute to reports of fatigue in women with IBS. Understanding genetic risk factors for fatigue may elucidate preemptive strategies to reduce fatigue in individuals with IBS.
Understanding the ways missing and murdered Indigenous women are framed and handled by social media users
Authors: Moeke-Pickering Taima , Cote-Meek Sheila , Pegoraro Ann
Published: October 2018

The media plays a large role in facilitating negative racial and gender ideologies about Indigenous women. In Canada, as we struggle with the national crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW), researchers have collected data from social media (SM) and identified that subversive texts about Indigenous women perpetuate a racialized violent discourse. Given that many Indigenous peoples, including Indigenous youth, have smart phones and/or other ways to access SM they too are exposed to the discourse that subjugates, vilifies and dehumanizes Indigenous women, many of whom are family or community members. Our research investigates the messages shared on #MMIW and identifies a reframing by hashtag users. The results assist in understanding how SM plays a role in perpetuating stereotypes about Indigenous peoples but also how SM can be used to mitigate those messages.
Design methodology for monolithic layer radial passive magnetic bearing
Authors: Parambil Lijesh K
Published: October 2018

Passive magnetic bearings (PMBs) are considered to be one of the economical and effective methods for levitating two surfaces in relative motion. This obviates the use of lubrication, provides zero wear, and negligible friction, thereby making the operation maintenance free. Due to these advantages, the modeling and design of the PMBs were given substantial importance in many studies. However, a well-defined designing procedure to achieve desired load carrying capacity for the given space constraints for the intended PMB application is yet to be established. Prior studies were performed on PMBs for achieving maximum load carrying capacity, but no design methodology was proposed that could facilitate easier design of a PMB in lesser computational time. In the present work, a very effective and a straightforward method is proposed to design a PMB for its paramount output. For this, dimensions of PMBs from the literature are considered for analysis and a set of equations are proposed for the determination of mean radius, axial length, and clearance for a given inner and outer radii of single layer PMBs. Finally, an equation is provided for estimating the load carrying capacity for the determined dimensions of PMB from the proposed design procedure. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is demonstrated by considering the dimensions of PMBs from 10 literature.
Materialising links between air pollution and health: How societal impact was achieved in an interdisciplinary project
Authors: Garnett Emma , Green Judith , Chalabi Zaid , Wilkinson Paul
Published: October 2018

Societal impact is an increasingly important imperative of academic funding. However, there is little research to date documenting how impact is accomplished in practice. Drawing on insights from Actor–Network Theory, we explore the research–policy interface within an interdisciplinary research project on the relationships between air pollution and human health. Health policy impact was important to the researchers for moral as well as pragmatic reasons but it was a goal that was seen as potentially in tension with that of doing science. In fields such as air pollution and health, networks of policymakers and researchers are inevitably entangled, and we found that processes of engagement operated to delineate science from policy. Health was initially black-boxed and under-explicated, used as a signifier in itself for societal impact. By mobilising networks of policy actors, brought together in workshops to rank the importance of policy scenarios for the research team, the connections between air pollution and health were materialised and made actionable. This was achieved by framing existing data sets, emission technologies, policy expertise, pollutant species and human health in particular ways and, in doing so, excluding others. The process of linking air pollution and health research to achieve societal impact not only influenced how these phenomena were known but, critically, enabled and constrained potential policy responses. Tracing these research arrangements made the material discursive processes of ‘impact’ visible and analysable as objects of social science scholarship, and therefore generated a productive site for critically engaging with processes of environment and health science and policy.
Online consumer activism: Challenging companies with Change.org
Authors: Minocher Xerxes
Published: October 2018

Within this article, I explore how consumer activists use the petition site Change.org to successfully resist and challenge corporate business practices. Bringing together literature from communication, political science and consumer behaviour, and using case studies of two successful campaigns, I trace a process of online consumer activism where the comments of individuals pursuing personal publicity aggregate to attract negative media attention to a brand, leading to subsequent corporate behaviour change. This process of online consumer activism illustrates a dynamic interplay between online spaces of participation, personal publicizations and the formation of identities for both consumers and companies, furthering our understanding of how online spaces are being used for digital anti-corporate activism.
The epistemology of algorithmic risk assessment and the path towards a non-penology penology
Authors: Mehozay Yoav , Fisher Eran
Published: October 2018

Risk assessments are increasingly carried out through algorithmic analysis. In this article, we argue that algorithmic risk assessment cannot be understood merely as a technological advancement that improves the precision of previous methods. Instead, we look at algorithmic risk assessment as a new episteme, a new way of thinking and producing knowledge about the world. More precisely, we argue that the algorithmic episteme assumes a new conception of human nature, which has substantial social and moral ramifications. We seek to unravel the conception of the human that underlies algorithmic ways of knowing, specifically with regard to the type of penology it informs. To do so, we recall the history of criminological knowledge and analytically distinguish algorithmic knowledge from the two previous epistemes that dominated the field – the rational and pathological epistemes. Under the algorithmic episteme, consciousness, reason, and clinical diagnosis are replaced by a performative conception of humanness, which is a-theoretical, predictive, and non-reflexive. We argue that the new conceptualization assumed by the algorithmic episteme leads to a new type of penology which can be described as lacking a humanistic component, bringing Malcolm Feeley and Jonathan Simon’s “new penology” to fruition as a non-penology penology.
How the height and the area of the annulus fibrosus affect the range of motion behavior: A stochastic analysis
Authors: Jaramillo S Héctor E
Published: October 2018

The annulus fibrosus has substantial variations in its geometrical properties (among individuals and between levels), and plays an important role in the biomechanics of the spine. Few works have studied the influence of the geometrical properties including annulus area, anterior / posterior disc height, and over the range of motion, but in general these properties have not been reported in the finite element models. This paper presents a probabilistic finite element analyses (Abaqus 6.14.2) intended to assess the effects of the average disc height ( h p) and the area ( A) of the annulus fibrosus on the biomechanics of the lumbar spine. The annulus model was loaded under flexion, extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation and analyzed for different combinations of h p and A in order to obtain their effects over the range of motion. A set of 50 combinations of h p (mean = 18.1 mm, SD = 3.5 mm) and A (mean = 49.8%, SD = 4.6%) were determined randomly according to a normal distribution. A Yeoh energy function was used for the matrix and an exponential function for the fibers. The range of motion was more sensitive to h p than to A. With regard to the range of motion the segment was more sensitive in the following order: flexion, axial rotation, extension, and lateral bending. An increase of the h p produces an increase of the range of motion, but this decreases when A increases. Comparing the range of motion with the experimental data, on average, 56.0% and 73.0% of the total of data were within the experimental range for the L4–L5 and L5–S1 segments, respectively. Further, an analytic equation was derived to obtain the range of motion as a function of the h p and A. This equation can be used to calibrate a finite element model of the spine segment, and also to understand the influence of each geometrical parameter on the range of motion.
Looking for community in community news: An examination of public-spirited content in online local news sites
Authors: Harlow Summer , Chadha Monica
Published: October 2018

Scholars have questioned the extent to which journalism’s public-service values can be reconciled with the financial responsibilities of running an online, entrepreneurial news site. This study explores that debate using content analysis and secondary survey data to examine the links between financial sustainability, technological innovation, and community-centric content at online local news sites in the United States. Results suggest that ownership, revenue, financing mechanisms, and mission relate to the extent to which online, local news sites fulfill the civic engagement criterion of community news. High-revenue and advertising-supported sites published less public-spirited content than lower-earning sites with alternative funding mechanisms. Non-profit and foundation/university/grant-financed sites incorporated more interactive features than the other sites. Ultimately, this study suggests that the sustainability of online community news sites, in terms of finances and community engagement mission, seems to be tied to new, alternative ways of thinking about funding and ownership.
Haven: Sharing receptive music listening to foster connections and wellbeing for people with dementia who are nearing the end of life, and those who care for them
Authors: Garabedian Claire E , Kelly Fiona
Published: October 2018

This paper reports on research exploring the effects of music played for 12 dyads: a care home resident (‘resident’) with dementia and someone closely connected to him/her (‘carer’). Six individualised music interventions (3 live and 3 pre-recorded) were played by the first author on solo cello within five Scottish non-NHS care homes. All interventions were video-recorded. Semi-structured interviews with carer participants, key staff, and managers explored their responses to interventions. Thick descriptions of video recordings and interview transcripts were thematically coded using Nvivo. A key finding was that structural elements of the interventions combined with characteristics of the music played facilitated an internalised experience of ‘haven’; sonically transporting listeners away from their present reality and fulfilling the basic human needs for inclusion, comfort, identity, occupation and attachment.
Public knowledge of late-life cognitive decline and dementia in an international sample
Authors: Van Patten Ryan , Tremont Geoffrey
Published: October 2018

Background and objectives

One method of mitigating global increases in dementia prevalence involves assessing public knowledge and then educating laypeople. We measured knowledge of late-life pathological cognitive decline in a diverse, international sample using a standardized, validated instrument. Research design and methods: We assessed 3619 international respondents recruited through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk with a 44-item dementia knowledge survey and 18 sociodemographic items.

Results

Results suggested that the following sociodemographic variables are associated with less overall knowledge: young age, male gender, low educational attainment, born in a developing nation, of ethnic minority status, not married, and less prior dementia experience. Specific knowledge gaps emerged in cerebrovascular disease, delirium versus dementia, treatment of behavioral dementia symptoms, Alzheimer’s disease genetics, Parkinson’s disease symptoms, and characteristics of chronic traumatic encephalopathy and subjective cognitive decline. Discussion and implications: Findings may facilitate effective multinational dementia education initiatives by providing specific recommendations as to which sociodemographic populations and content knowledge domains will benefit the most from limited resources.
Trust evaluation based on evidence theory in online social networks
Authors: Wang Jian , Qiao Kuoyuan , Zhang Zhiyong
Published: October 2018

Trust is an important criterion for access control in the field of online social networks privacy preservation. In the present methods, the subjectivity and individualization of the trust is ignored and a fixed model is built for all the users. In fact, different users probably take different trust features into their considerations when making trust decisions. Besides, in the present schemes, only users’ static features are mapped into trust values, without the risk of privacy leakage. In this article, the features that each user cares about when making trust decisions are mined by machine learning to be User-Will. The privacy leakage risk of the evaluated user is estimated through information flow predicting. Then the User-Will and the privacy leakage risk are all mapped into trust evidence to be combined by an improved evidence combination rule of the evidence theory. In the end, several typical methods and the proposed scheme are implemented to compare the performance on dataset Epinions. Our scheme is verified to be more advanced than the others by comparing the F-Score and the Mean Error of the trust evaluation results.
WmFall: WiFi-based multistage fall detection with channel state information
Authors: Yang Xu , Xiong Fangyuan , Shao Yuan , Niu Qiang
Published: October 2018

Traditional fall detection systems require to wear special equipment like sensors or cameras, which often brings the issues of inconvenience and privacy. In this article, we introduce a novel multistage fall detection system using the channel state information from WiFi devices. Our work is inspired by the fact that different actions have different effects on WiFi signals. By fully analyzing and exploring the channel state information characters, the falling actions can be distinguished from other movements. Considering that falling and sitting are very similar to each other, a special method is designed for distinguishing them with deep learning algorithm. Finally, the fall detection system is evaluated in a laboratory, which has 89% detection precision with false alarm rate of 8% on the average.
Father 2 Son: The Impact of African American Father–Son Sexual Communication on African American Adolescent Sons’ Sexual Behaviors
Authors: Harris Allyssa L. , Fantasia Heidi Collins , Castle Courtney E.
Published: October 2018

Parent–child sexual communication has been associated with reducing adolescent sexual risk behaviors. Limited research on parent–child sexual communication has been conducted on African American (AA) adolescent males who are at increased risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV/AIDS. The purpose of this research was to examine AA father–son sexual communication and the effect of contextual factors on the sexual risk behaviors. The final sample consisted of 96 AA adolescent males, ages 16–21 years. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the variables of interest (neighborhood characteristics, father–son closeness and connectedness, father–son communication, sexual permissiveness, condom attitudes, sexual risk behaviors). A path model was developed and tested. Results demonstrated that AA father–son closeness and connectedness were related to father–son communication. AA father–son communication was negatively related to sons’ permissiveness and positively related to condom attitudes. Sons’ permissiveness positively predicted their sexual risk behaviors. AA sons’ condom attitudes did not negatively or positively predict their sexual risk behaviors. The findings from this study demonstrate that AA father–son communication is an important factor in decreasing AA adolescent males’ sexual risk behaviors and HIV risk.
A hierarchical optimization strategy for position and thickness optimization of constrained layer damping/plate to minimize sound radiation power
Authors: Zhang Dongdong , Qi Tang , Zheng Ling
Published: October 2018

A hierarchical optimization strategy is proposed to optimally design constrained layer damping materials patched on the base plate for minimizing sound radiation power. A sound radiation optimization model is established by taking positions and thicknesses of constrained layer damping materials as design variables, and added mass as constraints. The hierarchical optimization procedure is implemented, in which evolutionary structural optimization method is employed to get optimal position layouts of constrained layer damping materials, and genetic algorithm is used to find optimal thickness configurations of constrained layer damping materials by taking the plate with optimal position layouts of constrained layer damping materials as initial structure. Two sound power sensitivities are formulated and compared for position optimization. Numerical examples in which unweighted/weighted objective functions are considered are presented, optimal positions and thickness configurations of constrained layer damping materials patched on the plate are obtained and discussed. The results demonstrate that the proposed strategy is very effective to achieve larger sound power reduction by reconfiguring the thickness of constrained layer damping materials for the results of position optimization.
Numerical simulation of micron and submicron droplets in jet impinging
Authors: Wu Jiandong , Xu Jiyun , Wang Hao
Published: October 2018

Micron droplet deposition onto a wall in an impinging jet is important for various applications like spray cooling, coating, fuel injection, and erosion. The impinging process is featured by abrupt velocity changes and thus complicated behaviors of the droplets. Either modeling or experiment for the droplet behaviors is still challenging. This study conducted numerical modeling and compared with an existing experiment in which concentric dual-ring deposition patterns of micron droplets were observed on the impinging plate. The modeling fully took into account of the droplet motion in the turbulent flow, the collision between the droplets and the plate, as well as the collision, that is, agglomeration among droplets. Different turbulence models, that is, the v2− f model, standard k–ε model, and Reynolds stress model, were compared. The results show that the k–ε model failed to capture the turbulent flow structures and overpredicted the turbulent fluctuations near the wall. Reynolds stress model had a good performance in flow field simulation but still failed to reproduce the dual-ring deposition pattern. Only the v2− f model reproduced the dual-ring pattern when coupled with droplet collision models. The results echoed the excellent performance of the v2− f model in the heat transfer calculation for the impinging problems. The agglomeration among droplets has insignificant influence on the deposition.
Health care providers’ roles and responsibilities in management of polypharmacy: Results of a modified Delphi
Authors: Farrell Barbara , Thompson Wade , Black Cody D. , Archibald Douglas , Raman-Wilms Lalitha , Grassau Pamela , Patel Tejal , Weaver Lynda , Eid Khaled , Winslade Nancy
Published: October 2018

Background:

Little is known about the roles that allow interprofessional teams to effectively manage older patients experiencing polypharmacy.

Objectives:

To identify and examine the consensus on salient interprofessional roles, responsibilities and competencies required in managing polypharmacy.

Methods:

Four focus groups with 35 team members practising in geriatrics were generated to inform survey development. The sessions generated 63 competencies, roles or responsibilities, which were categorized into 4 domains defined by the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative. The resulting survey was administered nationally to geriatric health care professionals who were asked to rate the importance of each item in managing polypharmacy; we sought agreement within and across professions using a confirmatory 2-round Delphi method.

Results:

Round 1 was completed by 98 survey respondents and round 2 by 72. There was high intra-professional and interprofessional consensus regarding the importance of competencies among physicians, nurses and pharmacists; though pharmacists rated fewer competencies as important. Less consensus was observed among other health care professionals or they indicated the nonimportance of competencies despite focus group discussion to the contrary.

Discussion:

Although there is a strong consensus of polypharmacy management competencies across team members who have been more traditionally involved in medication management, there continue to be health care providers with differing understandings of competencies that may contribute to reduced reliance on medication. Lower importance ratings suggest pharmacists may not acknowledge or recognize their own potential roles in interprofessional polypharmacy management.

Conclusion:

Further exploration to understand the underutilization of professional expertise in managing polypharmacy will contribute to refining role clarity and translating competencies in practical settings, as well as guiding educators regarding curricular content.
Shift models for dose-finding in partially ordered groups
Authors: Horton Bethany Jablonski , Wages Nolan A , Conaway Mark R
Published: October 2018

Background

Limited options are available for dose-finding clinical trials requiring group-specific dose selection. While conducting parallel trials for groups is an accessible approach to group-specific dose selection, this approach allows for maximum tolerated dose selection that does not align with clinically meaningful group order information.

Methods

The two-stage continual reassessment method is developed for dose-finding in studies involving three or more groups where group frailty order is known between some but not all groups, creating a partial order. This is an extension of the existing continual reassessment method shift model for two ordered groups. This method allows for dose selection by group, where maximum tolerated dose selection follows the known frailty order among groups. For example, if a group is known to be the most frail, the recommended maximum tolerated dose for this group should not exceed the maximum tolerated dose recommended for any other group.

Results

With limited alternatives for dose-finding in partially ordered groups, this method is compared to two alternatives: (1) an existing method for dose-finding in partially ordered groups which is less computationally accessible and (2) independent trials for each group using the two-stage continual reassessment method. Simulation studies show that when ignoring information on group frailty, using independent continual reassessment method trials by group, 30% of simulations would result in maximum tolerated dose selection that is out of order between groups. In addition, the two-stage continual reassessment method for partially ordered groups selects the maximum tolerated dose more often and assigns more patients to the maximum tolerated dose compared to using independent continual reassessment method trials within each group. Simulation results for the proposed method and the less computationally accessible approach are similar.

Conclusion

The proposed continual reassessment method for partially ordered groups ensures appropriate maximum tolerated dose order and improves accuracy of maximum tolerated dose selection, while allowing for trial implementation that is computationally accessible.
Morphological characteristics of the sigmoid notch of the distal radius affect the stress distribution patterns in the distal radioulnar joint
Authors: Tsukuda Yukinori , Kawamura Daisuke , Matsui Yuichiro , Iwasaki Norimasa
Published: October 2018

The aim of this study was to clarify the effects of morphological patterns of the sigmoid notch on the stress distribution across the articular surface of the distal radioulnar joint using a computed tomography osteoabsorptiometry method. Fourteen wrists from 13 patients were classified into two groups according to the type of sigmoid notch, namely the ‘C’ type and ski-slope sigmoids, and the percentages of high-density areas on the articular surface were quantitatively analysed. The percentage of the high-density area of the dorsal region in the ski-slope sigmoid group was significantly greater than that of the ‘C’ type sigmoid group (16% vs 4.1%) and of the volar region of the ski-slope sigmoid group (16% vs 2.4%). The results indicate that bony morphological differences in the radial sigmoid notch affect the stress distribution pattern through the distal radioulnar joint.
Why does global democracy not inspire explanatory research? Removing conceptual obstacles toward a new research agenda
Authors: Agné Hans
Published: October 2018

Democratic practices exist in politics within and beyond individual states. To date, however, it is only the democratic practices within states that have been analyzed in search for causal explanations of political outcomes, for example, peace and human rights protection. Having established the problematic nature of this situation, the purpose of this article is to explain why the situation emerges in political science and then to suggest a strategy to overcome it. The lack of attention to global democracy, or democracy beyond the state more generally, in explanatory theory is suggested to depend on prevalent but unnecessary conceptual delimitations of democracy which contradict standard assumptions about international politics. Those contradictions can be avoided, however, by defining democracy as rule by the largest group. It is argued that the concept of rule by the largest group, while protecting traditional virtues of democracy such as freedom and equality of individual persons in politics, allows scholars to describe a wider range of international practices than have been available for empirical research based on the dominating conceptions of democracy in normative and empirical literatures. Most fundamentally, it frees future research on the effects of democracy beyond the state from a key risk of self-contradiction.
Epigenetics
Authors: Hillman Sarah C , Dale Jeremy
Published: October 2018

Genetics is explored as both part of our undergraduate medical training and then postgraduate education in general practice. Epigenetics is a rapidly progressing field that will increasingly become part of our everyday practice as we enter an era of personalised medicine. But what is epigenetics and how does it differ from genetics? Why is it important to GPs? Epigenetics is a relatively new concept, but one with wide reaching and important implications for everyday clinical practice. Here we aim to describe the concepts behind epigenetics, discuss the inheritability of the epigenome, and its importance and applicability to patients in general practice.
Fostering a European criminal law culture
Authors: Sicurella Rosaria
Published: October 2018

“Trust” is currently a crucial concept in the political and legislative discourse of European institutions, as well as in some of the most notable decisions of the Court of Justice. However, unlike mutual recognition, trust is not in itself enshrined in the treaty. Indeed, mutual trust is an essential element of the European construction. The Luxembourg Court took a quite radical position on presumed mutual trust. However, a more substantial understanding of mutual trust as the core objective and, at the same time, the foundation of European Union’s criminal justice policy is required, essentially based on the idea of developing a shared legal culture while maintaining (at least in part) national diversity in criminal law. This article aims at showing that fostering mutual trust requires that the latter is not approached only as a legal concept but rather as a notion resting also on an inherent subjective dimension. This calls for non-legal forms of trust building aimed at enhancing awareness of other Member States’ legal systems and commonalities. In particular, attaining a deeper knowledge of these differing systems and thereby enhancing mutual understanding is essential in order both to nurture the belief that other Member States are reliable and trustworthy and to instill an attitude of “openess to others’ vision” that is expected to improve judicial cooperation, and more generally integration of Member States’ legal systems, and a true dialogue among legal practitioners and criminal law scholars. Indeed, developing such a shared vision of criminal justice will presumably lead to the progressive definition and development of common legal concepts as the basic contents for a European legal theory of criminal law.
Democratic incumbent resilience in the post-1980 Senate
Authors: Goedert Nicholas
Published: October 2018

In the period since the Reagan revolution that disrupted decades of Democratic control of the United States Senate, Democratic senators have proved remarkably resilient when running for reelection. Over the past 600 Senate elections since 1980, Republican incumbents have been defeated at more than twice the rate of Democrats, but won open seat elections at a significantly higher rate. This partisan disparity also appears in incumbent vote share, and is statistically and substantively robust to a range of model specifications accounting for existing theories. A series of explanations drawn from existing research explored in this paper fail to explain this trend, suggesting the need for future research targeting partisan differences in perceptions of parties in Senate campaigns.