bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Periodic co-continuous acoustic metamaterials with overlapping locally resonant and Bragg band gaps
Authors: Chen Yanyu , Wang Lifeng
Published: November 2014

This Letter reports a group of triply periodic co-continuous acoustic metamaterials exhibiting simultaneous wave filtering capability and enhanced mechanical properties. We numerically demonstrate the existence of complete band gaps in these acoustic metamaterials, which is attributed to the coupling effects of local resonances and Bragg scattering. Intrinsically, the coupling effects are governed by the topological arrangements of the co-continuous structures and mechanical properties of constituent phases. We further show that the frequency tunability of the complete band gaps can be achieved by tailoring the geometrical arrangements and volume fraction distribution of the co-continuous acoustic metamaterials. This work provides a clue to the design of mechanically robust acoustic metamaterials to absorb acoustic and elastic waves under harsh environments.
Business Angel Investment Activity in the Financial Crisis: UK Evidence and Policy Implications
Authors: Mason Colin M , Harrison Richard T
Published: November 2014

The 2008 financial crisis has transformed the financial environment for small and medium-sized enterprises, resulting in significant declines in the availability of bank lending and venture capital. This has prompted government intervention to improve the availability of debt and equity capital. Whereas there are comprehensive statistics on bank lending and venture capital investments, equivalent information on business angel investment activity is lacking. This paper draws upon three sources of evidence on business angel investment activity in the UK—business angel networks, Scottish angel groups, and individual angels—to reveal for the first time how the angel market has fared during the early stage of the financial crisis. While the evidence is not entirely consistent, it is clear that angel investment activity has held up since the onset of the financial crisis. This further emphasises the economic significance of business angels and underlines the need for ongoing government support. Policy options are reviewed.
Quo vadis, functional translatology?
Authors: Nord Christiane
Published: November 2014

Functional approaches to translation and Skopostheorie, on which many of them are based, have been around for more than thirty years now. Perhaps, therefore, it is time to take stock, trying to trace the development and spread of functionalist ideas and drawing some cautious conclusions as to where the future may lie. As a representative of the “second generation” and drawing on recent publications in journals and monographs on Translation Studies, I provide an overview of where young translation scholars who claim to take a “functionalist” viewpoint find themselves, what they are investigating, and which topics they consider worthy of research. Offering this insider view, I do not pretend, however, to present an objective picture of the functionalist approach nor to exhaustively cover the whole field of functionalism in translation and adjacent fields.
Predicate nominals in Papiamentu
Authors: Schmitt Cristina , Kester Ellen-Petra
Published: November 2014

This paper presents a comparative analysis of number in predicate nominals in Papiamentu and Brazilian Portuguese. While Papiamentu predicate nominals do not show plural agreement when the subject is plural, Brazilian Portuguese shows agreement in spite of the fact that both languages allow number neutral bare count nouns to appear in argument position. Using tools from Distributed Morphology, we provide an analysis that can explain why number morphology is not always realized in determinerless predicate nominals. We argue that the variation between the two languages arises from a difference between their respective vocabulary items. Papiamentu plural marker -
nan
cannot behave as a simple agreement marker, because it contains an additional definite feature (Schmitt & Kester 2005; Kester & Schmitt 2007). In Brazilian Portuguese, however, overt morphological number marking is the result of agreement with the subject DP.
Inalienable possession
Authors: Le Bruyn Bert
Published: November 2014

We argue that the use of the definite article in French inalienable possession constructions does not lead us to abandon a unified analysis of definite articles. We face two challenges. First, the definite article in French inalienable possession constructions does not seem to convey uniqueness:
Jean l�ve la main
�John raises the hand� is felicitous independently of whether Jean has one or two hands. Second, if the definite article in these constructions is a run-of-the-mill definite article we seem to be left without an explanation for the variation between French and English that led both Gu�ron (1983, 1985) and Vergnaud and Zubizarreta (1992) to assume that the definite article in French is structurally different from the one in English.
Structures of ‘emphatic topicalization’ in Bavarian
Authors: Lutz Uli
Published: November 2014

Bavarian emphatic topicalization as in its most simple form Dees wann-e wissert! (‘If I only knew that!’) differs markedly from topicalization in Standard German which does not allow for topicalization to the left of a lexical complementizer in V-final clauses. The paper reviews some basic properties of the various forms of Bavarian emphatic topicalization and discusses two recent approaches to its structural analysis and differences to its counterparts in Standard German.
Stability and convergence in case marking
Authors: Berg Kristian
Published: November 2014

In Modern Low German, there are signs for a newly emerging dative case

under Standard German influence. The present paper analyzes this case of

potential convergence, concentrating on definite articles of neuter gender.

Methodologically, a new corpus of spontaneous speech is used, alongside the

established Zwirner corpus from the middle of the last century. It turns out

that full forms of the definite article are rather stable – they retain the old Low

German two-way case system and thus defy convergence. Reduced forms, on

the other hand, do converge towards Standard German. Here, distinct dative

forms are dominant. This is in line with older findings about the decline of the

old dative case in Middle Low German.
12. The dynamics of terms and meaning in the domain of machining terminology in French and English
Authors: Bertels Ann
Published: November 2014

This chapter addresses the dynamics of terms and meaning in specialised communication by means of a semantic investigation into the domain of machining and metalworking terminology. The double quantitative analysis consists of the identification and quantification of specialised vocabulary as well as the quantification of the semantic analysis by means of a monosemy measure. This approach involves a statistical analysis in order to come to linguistic conclusions. Accordingly, the study aims to question the univocity ideal in a quantitative way. It focuses on the methodology and shows that an interdisciplinary approach can yield valuable results. The study is completed by a small analysis on an English test corpus from the same domain in order to explore the semantic differences between (culturally different) corpora.
Constraining hot plasma in a non-flaring solar active region with FOXSI hard X-ray observations
Authors: Ishikawa Shin-nosuke , Glesener Lindsay , Christe Steven , Ishibashi Kazunori , Brooks David H. , Williams David R. , Shimojo Masumi , Sako Nobuharu , Krucker Säm
Published: November 2014

We present new constraints on the high-temperature emission measure of a non-flaring solar active region using observations from the recently flown Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager (FOXSI) sounding rocket payload. FOXSI has performed the first focused hard X-ray (HXR) observation of the Sun in its first successful flight on 2012 November 2. Focusing optics, combined with small strip detectors, enable high-sensitivity observations with respect to previous indirect imagers. This capability, along with the sensitivity of the HXR regime to high-temperature emission, offers the potential to better characterize high-temperature plasma in the corona as predicted by nanoflare heating models. We present a joint analysis of the differential emission measure (DEM) of active region 11602 using coordinated observations by FOXSI, Hinode/XRT, and Hinode/EIS. The Hinode-derived DEM predicts significant emission measure between 1 MK and 3 MK, with a peak in the DEM predicted at 2.0–2.5 MK. The combined XRT and EIS DEM also shows emission from a smaller population of plasma above 8 MK. This is contradicted by FOXSI observations that significantly constrain emission above 8 MK. This suggests that the Hinode DEM analysis has larger uncertainties at higher temperatures and that > 8 MK plasma above an emission measure of 3 × 1044 cm−3 is excluded in this active region.
Interhospital Facility Transfers in the United States: A Nationwide Outcomes Study
Authors: Hernandez-Boussard Tina , Davies Sheryl , McDonald Kathryn , Wang N. Ewen
Published: November 2014

Objectives

Patient transfers between hospitals are becoming more common in the United States. Disease-specific studies have reported varying outcomes associated with transfer status. However, even as national quality improvement efforts and regulations are being actively adopted, forcing hospitals to become financially accountable for the quality of care provided, surprisingly little is known about transfer patients or their outcomes at a population level. This population-wide study provides timely analyses of the characteristics of this particularly vulnerable and sizable inpatient population. We identified and compared characteristics and outcomes of transfer and nontransfer patients.

Methods

With the use of the 2009 Nationwide Inpatient Sample, a nationally representative sample of U.S. hospitalizations, we examined patient characteristics, in-hospital adverse events, and discharge disposition for transfer versus nontransfer patients in this observational study.

Results

We identified 1,397,712 transfer patients and 31,692,211 nontransfer patients. Age, sex, race, and payer were significantly associated with odds of transfer (P < 0.05). Transfer patients had higher risk-adjusted inpatient mortality (4.6 versus 2.1, P < 0.01), longer length of stay (13.3 versus 4.5, P < 0.01), and fewer routine disposition discharges (53.6 versus 68.7, P < 0.01). In-hospital adverse events were significantly higher in transfer patients compared with nontransfer patients (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Our results suggest that transfer patients have inferior outcomes compared with nontransfer patients. Although they are clinically complex patients and assessing accountability as between the transferring and receiving hospitals is methodologically difficult, transfer patients must nonetheless be included in quality benchmark data to assess the potential impact this population has on hospital outcome profiles. With hospital accountability and value-based payments constituting an integral part of health care reform, documenting the quality of care delivered to transfer patients is essential before accurate quality assessment improvement efforts can begin in this patient population.
Recognition and identification of species in theBombus lucorum-complex – A review and outlook
Authors: Bossert Silas
Published: November 2014

The recognition of cryptic species represents one of the major challenges in current taxonomy and affects our understanding of global diversity. In practice, the process from discovery to acceptance in the scientific community can take an extensive length of time. A prime example is the traditionally difficult taxonomy of the cryptic bumblebee species belonging to theBombus lucorum-complex. The status of the three European species in the group –Bombus lucorumand the closely relatedBombus cryptarumandBombus magnus– has recently become widely accepted, primarily due to investigations of nucleotide sequences and marking pheromones. In contrast, doubts prevail concerning the validity of species identification based on morphology. As a consequence, our knowledge of the species is muddled in a mire of unreliable and confusing literature data from a large number of authors over the centuries. To clarify this issue, this paper provides a recapitulation of the historical literature and highlights the milestones in the process of species recognition. Further, the possibility of a morphologically based species identification is discussed in the context of new molecular data. Finally, this review outlines the current challenges and provides directions for future issues.
ENVIRONMENTS and EOL: identification of Environment Ontology terms in text and the annotation of the Encyclopedia of Life
Authors: Pafilis Evangelos , Frankild Sune P , Schnetzer Julia , Fanini Lucia , Faulwetter Sarah , Pavloudi Christina , Vasileiadou Aikaterini , Leary Patrick , Hammock Jennifer , Schulz Katja , Parr Cynthia Sims , Arvanitidis Christos , Jensen Lars Juhl
Published: November 2014

The association of organisms to their environments is a key issue in exploring biodiversity patterns. This knowledge has traditionally been scattered, but textual descriptions of taxa and their habitats are now being consolidated in centralized resources. However, structured annotations are needed to facilitate large-scale analyses. Therefore, we developed ENVIRONMENTS, a fast dictionary-based tagger capable of identifying Environment Ontology (ENVO) terms in text. We evaluate the accuracy of the tagger on a new manually curated corpus of 600 Encyclopedia Of Life (EOL) species pages. We use the tagger to associate taxa with environments by tagging EOL text content monthly, and integrate the results into the EOL to disseminate them to a broad audience of users.

Availability and implementation:

The software and the corpus are available under the open-source BSD and the CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0 licenses, respectively, athttp://environments.hcmr.gr

Contact:

pafilis@hcmr.gr;lars.juhl.jensen@cpr.ku.dk
Crystal structures of Ca(ClO4)2·4H2O and Ca(ClO4)2·6H2O
Authors: Hennings Erik , Schmidt Horst , Voigt Wolfgang
Published: November 2014

The title compounds, calcium perchlorate tetrahydrate and calcium perchlorate hexahydrate, were crystallized at low temperatures according to the solid–liquid phase diagram. The structure of the tetrahydrate consists of one Ca2+cation eightfold coordinated in a square-antiprismatic fashion by four water molecules and four O atoms of four perchlorate tetrahedra, forming chains parallel to [01-1] by sharing corners of the ClO4tetrahedra. The structure of the hexahydrate contains two different Ca2+cations, each coordinated by six water molecules and two O atoms of two perchlorate tetrahedra, forming [Ca(H2O)6(ClO4)]2dimers by sharing two ClO4tetrahedra. The dimers are arranged in sheets parallel (001) and alternate with layers of non-coordinating ClO4tetrahedra. O—H...O hydrogen bonds between the water molecules as donor and ClO4tetrahedra and water molecules as acceptor groups lead to the formation of a three-dimensional network in the two structures. Ca(ClO4)2·6H2O was refined as a two-component inversion twin, with an approximate twin component ratio of 1:1 in each of the two structures.
Crystal structure of poly[μ6-adipato-diaquadi-μ2-oxalato-didysprosium(III)]
Authors: Li Zhi-Feng , Zhang Yi-Chao , Hu Xiao-Qin , Wang Chun-Xiang
Published: November 2014

In the title coordination polymer, [Dy2(C6H8O4)(C2O4)2(H2O)2]n, the asymmetric unit consists of one Dy3+cation, one half of an adipate anion, two halves of oxalate anions and one coordinating water molecule. The adipate and oxalate ions are located on centres of inversion. The Dy3+cation has a distorted tricapped trigonal–prismatic geometry and is coordinated by nine O atoms, four belonging to three adipate anions, four to two oxalate anions and one from an aqua ligand. The cations are bridged by adipate ligands, generating a two-dimensional network parallel to (010). This network is further extended into three dimensions by coordination of the rigid oxalate ligands and is further consolidated by O—H...O hydrogen bonds. A part of the adipate anion is disordered over two positions in a 0.75:0.25 ratio.
Crystal structure of 2-(4-methylbenzylidene)malononitrile
Authors: Amiri Ouafa , Rakib El Mostapha , Hannioui Abdellah , Saadi Mohamed , El Ammari Lahcen
Published: November 2014

The molecule of the title compound, C11H8N2, is approximately planar (r.m.s.deviation for all non-H atoms = 0.023 Å). The malononitrile C—C—C angle is 113.54 (13)°. In the crystal, molecules stack head-to-tail along [010]. There are no significant intermolecular interactions present.
Crystal structure of 4-bromo-N-(2-hydroxyphenyl)benzamide
Authors: Moreno-Fuquen Rodolfo , Melo Vanessa , Ellena Javier
Published: November 2014

In the title compound, C13H10BrNO2, the mean plane of the non-H atoms of the central amide C—N—C(=O)—C fragment (r.m.s. deviation = 0.004 Å) forms a dihedral angle of 73.97 (12)° with the hydroxy-substituted benzene ring and 25.42 (19)° with the bromo-substituted benzene ring. The two aromatic rings are inclined to one another by 80.7 (2)°. In the crystal, molecules are linked by O—H...O and N—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming chains along [010]. The chains are linked by weak C—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming sheets parallel to (100), and enclosingR33(17) andR32(9) ring motifs.
Crystal structure of (4R,5S)-4-methyl-3-methylsulfinyl-5-phenyl-1,3-oxazolidin-2-one
Authors: Silveira Gustavo Pozza , Silva Vinicius Flores da , Oliver Allen G.
Published: November 2014

The absolute structure of the chiral asymmetric indole precursor title compound, C11H13NO3S, was confirmed by refinement of the Flack and Hooft parameters and is that expected based on the starting materials for the synthesis. The phenyl group subtends a dihedral angle of 56.40 (5)° with the mean plane of the oxazolidinone ring, which adopts an envelope conformation, with the C atom bearing the methyl group as the flap. In the crystal, no significant directional interactions beyond van der Waals contacts are observed.
Crystal structures of ZnCl2·2.5H2O, ZnCl2·3H2O and ZnCl2·4.5H2O
Authors: Hennings Erik , Schmidt Horst , Voigt Wolfgang
Published: November 2014

The formation of different complexes in aqueous solutions is an important step in understanding the behavior of zinc chloride in water. The structure of concentrated ZnCl2solutions is governed by coordination competition of Cl−and H2O around Zn2+. According to the solid–liquid phase diagram, the title compounds were crystallized below room temperature. The structure of ZnCl2·2.5H2O contains Zn2+both in a tetrahedral coordination with Cl−and in an octahedral environment defined by five water molecules and one Cl−shared with the [ZnCl4]2−unit. Thus, these two different types of Zn2+cations form isolated units with composition [Zn2Cl4(H2O)5] (pentaaqua-μ-chlorido-trichloridodizinc). The trihydrate {hexaaquazinc tetrachloridozinc, [Zn(H2O)6][ZnCl4]}, consists of three different Zn2+cations, one of which is tetrahedrally coordinated by four Cl−anions. The two other Zn2+cations are each located on an inversion centre and are octahedrally surrounded by water molecules. The [ZnCl4] tetrahedra and [Zn(H2O)6] octahedra are arranged in alternating rows parallel to [001]. The structure of the 4.5-hydrate {hexaaquazinc tetrachloridozinc trihydrate, [Zn(H2O)6][ZnCl4]·3H2O}, consists of isolated octahedral [Zn(H2O)6] and tetrahedral [ZnCl4] units, as well as additional lattice water molecules. O—H...O hydrogen bonds between the water molecules as donor and ZnCl4tetrahedra and water molecules as acceptor groups leads to the formation of a three-dimensional network in each of the three structures.
Crystal structure of (2S,4S)-5,5-dimethyl-2-(pyridin-2-yl)-1,3-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid
Authors: Laskar Payel , Kuwamura Naoto , Yoshinari Nobuto , Konno Takumi
Published: November 2014

In the title compound, C11H14N2O2S, the thiazolidine ring has an envelope conformation with the C atom bonded to the carboxylic acid group at the flap. Two C atoms of the thiazolidine ring adoptSconformations. In the crystal, O—H...N hydrogen bonds between the amine and carboxylic acid groups construct a helical chain structure along thea-axis direction. The chains are further connectedviaweak C—H...π contacts, forming a layer parallel to theacplane.
Preparation, purification, crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of dual-domain β-propeller phytase fromBacillussp. HJB17
Authors: Lu Fang , Guo Gangxin , Li Qianqian , Feng Duo , Liu Yong , Huang Huoqing , Yang Peilong , Gao Wei , Yao Bin
Published: November 2014

β-Propeller phytases (BPPs) are abundant in nature. Recently, dual-domain BPPs have been found in which the typical BPP domain is responsible for phytate hydrolysis. The dual-domain BPP (PhyH) fromBacillussp. HJB17 was obtained with an incomplete N-terminal BPP domain (PhyH-DI; residues 41–318) and a typical BPP domain (PhyH-DII; residues 319–644) at the C-terminus. PhyH-DI was found to act synergistically (with a 1.2–2.5-fold increase in phosphate release) with PhyH-DII, other BPPs (PhyP and 168PhyA) and a histidine acid phosphatase. The structure of PhyH was therefore studied with the aim of explaining these functions. PhyH with the secreted signal peptide of the first 40 amino acids deleted (PhyHT) was cloned and expressed inEscherichia coli. Purified and active PhyHT protein was obtained by refolding from the precipitant. PhyHT was crystallized using the vapour-diffusion method. The crystal grew in a condition consisting of 0.2 Msodium acetate trihydrate, 0.1 MTris–HCl pH 9.5, 25%(w/v) polyethylene glycol 4000 using 1 mg ml−1protein solution at 289 K. A complete data set was collected from a crystal to 2.85 Å resolution using synchrotron radiation at 100 K. The crystal belonged to space groupP1211, with unit-cell parametersa= 46.82,b= 140.19,c= 81.94 Å, α = 90.00, β = 92.00, γ = 90.00°. The asymmetric unit was estimated to contain one molecule of PhyHT.
Opinion paper: paying for scholarly communication: the future as
a guide to the past
Authors: Naylor Bernard
Published: November 2014

Addresses the effect of
the anticipated near‐future change from print‐on‐paper to
electronically published journals on the way in which users will pay
for access to authors’ work. Compares two methods of payment:
“just in case” ‐ like the current subscription; and
“just in time” ‐ payment at the time of use. Takes the
view that each type of access will need to generate its own share of
the revenue needed to keep the information source economically
viable. Raises the question: if payment for access to
tomorrow’s electronic product can be fine‐tuned in this way,
why can this not also be done for access to yesterday’s
print‐on‐paper journals?
Documentary letter of credit fraud risk management
Authors: Zhang Yanan
Published: November 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore and examine, in a systematic manner, possible preventive measures that commercial parties can take in order to prevent or reduce documentary letter of credit (L/C) fraud in international transactions.

Design/methodology/approach

In the context of international transactions, considering documentary L/C fraud as a risk, the paper searched preventive measures that different parties involved can adopt, from both business perspective and legal perspective.

Findings

The paper provides a number of specific measures which buyers, sellers, and banks in international L/C transactions can take in business to reduce L/C fraud. The option of banks providing additional services of checking further the validity or authenticity of some documents under the L/C, by charging additional prices, has reflected the needs of some business parties. However, this is proposed to be optional rather than compulsory for banks. The lawyers can also play an important role by adopting preventive legal mentality to help and provide advice to different parties in applying the preventive and proactive approach. More importantly, the author recommends that buyers or sellers maintain close cooperation with their banks and lawyers in implementing preventive and proactive measures.

Practical implications

The paper can be a helpful source of advice for business enterprises likely to be involved in international documentary L/C transactions.

Originality/value

This paper fulfils the gap of a holistic study on how to prevent international documentary letter of credit fraud.
Safeguarding adults at risk in the NHS through inter‐agency working
Authors: Williams Simon
Published: November 2014

Purpose

The paper aims to appraise professional practice in safeguarding vulnerable adults. It will examine the mechanisms in place and discuss how future policy will affect multi‐agency working in this field.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines recent consultations, policy development, inspectorate reports and legal guidance surrounding the issue of safeguarding adults in England and Wales, and suggests ways in which inter‐agency working can be strengthened.

Findings

Safeguarding systems need to be timely, rigorous and transparent to increase levels of public confidence and to ensure that the people who are at most risk of being abused are safe when accessing public services. The concept of safeguarding adults is increasingly being integrated into government policy and there are many successful examples of safeguarding partnership working in England and Wales. However, there are also substantial barriers that hinder organisations from working together effectively, such as different cultures, practices and ideologies.

Originality/value

The paper explores the fact that there needs to be clarification of roles and responsibilities and integration of processes, and acceptance of true multi‐agency working. There is a danger that instead of providing extra protection for adults at risk, multiple routes will result in a lack of co‐ordination.
Enhancing staff payment systems at Hughes Supply: Providing employees with a range of tailored, modern payment options
Authors: Romans Jay , Lucarelli Caryl , Graham Lindsay
Published: November 2014

When some Hughes Supply employees failed to receive their paychecks, the organization took the opportunity to develop a range of payment choices to suit the needs of its diverse workforce. Here, the Hughes Supply HR team explain how ePayroll was successfully introduced.
Mullins’ effect and damage accumulation in perfluoroelastomers
Authors: Drozdov A.D.
Published: November 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a constitutive model in cyclic viscoplasticity of perfluoroelastomers that accounts for the Mullins effect and to determine adjustable parameters in the stress‐strain relations by fitting observations in mechanical tests.

Design/methodology/approach

A perfluoroelastomer with a complicated internal structure is modeled as an equivalent incompressible, permanent, non‐affine network of chains with constrained mobility. Its viscoplastic response at finite strains is treated as sliding of junctions between chains with respect to their reference positions. Damage accumulation is associated with acceleration of plastic flow of junctions driven by growth of free volume. Stress‐strain relations are derived by using the Clausius‐Duhem inequality.

Findings

Constitutive equations are developed that correctly describe the mechanical behavior of perfluoroelastomers under cyclic loading with stress‐ and strain‐controlled deformation programs and arbitrary numbers of cycles. Adjustable parameters in the stress‐strain relations are found by matching experimental data in uniaxial tensile tests. Numerical simulation demonstrates that the model adequately predicts characteristic features of the Mullins effect.

Originality/value

A constitutive model is derived that can be applied for description of the viscoplastic response in perfluoroelastomers at cyclic loading with complicated deformation programs and prediction of their time to failure under fatigue conditions.
Frequency and response analysis for cellular honeycomb structures under Hamilton system
Authors: Hou Xiu‐hui , Deng Zi‐chen , Zhou Jia‐xi
Published: November 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the frequency and response of hexagonal cell honeycomb structures under Hamilton system.

Design/methodology/approach

Taking orthotropic sandwich cylinder as the analytical model, the basic equilibrium equations are transformed into Hamilton system, where the canonical transformation, the extended Wittrick‐Williams algorithm and the precise integration method can be applied to calculate the frequency and the responses of the honeycomb sandwich structures.

Findings

For the cellular structures, the basic frequency is the most important which can be affected greatly by the wave number. It is also found that the displacement mode shape is dominated by the radial displacement and the axial principal stress is much higher than that of the radial or the circumferential principal stress for the sandwich cylinders.

Originality/value

A new solution procedure is proposed for the cellular structures by constructing the Hamilton matrix in the cylindrical coordinates. The analysis system is thus transformed from Lagrange to Hamilton.
Dynamic reliability of aircraft hydraulic pipelines under random pressure pulsation and vibration
Authors: Liu Wei , Liu Yongshou , Yue Zhufeng
Published: November 2014

Purpose

Pressure pulsations and vibration working condition lead to dynamic troubles in hydraulic devices. It is highly desirable to be able to estimate the durability at the design stage so that appropriate maintenance period can be determined for safety and reliability. The purpose of this paper is to propose a quantitative evaluation method for pulsation and vibration based on reliability.

Design/methodology/approach

Pressure pulsations are approximately treaded as a stationary random process. The principle of transform function and fluid network chain rules are used to disassemble the hydraulic power unit into the series‐system. Mean square deviation of dynamic stress under the pumping source white noise exciting was calculated based on frequency responses. Statistical regularity of displacement and stress responses of pipelines under external random vibration are obtained by the spectrum analysis. Both the first‐passage failure criterion and fatigue damage accumulation failure criterion are adopted to analyze the dynamic pressure reliability of hydraulic pipelines.

Findings

The terminal joint, bellow pipe and pipe clamps are verified as the weak location of the pipelines. The mean square deviations of pulsations and vibration response influence the pipelines reliability. The results indicated that the preventative design method of controlling the pressure below 10 per cent of rated pressure does not meet the security specification of the hydraulic power unit.

Originality/value

The paper proposes a quantitative evaluation method for random pressure pulsation and external vibration based on reliability, which provides a new approach for the safety assessment and design of hydraulic pipelines.
Investigating relationships within the Index of Learning Styles: a data driven approach
Authors: Viola Silvia Rita , Graf Sabine , Kinshuk  , Leo Tommaso
Published: November 2014

Learning styles are incorporated more and more in e‐education, mostly in order to provide adaptivity with respect to the learning styles of students. For identifying learning styles, at the present time questionnaires are widely used. While such questionnaires exist for most learning style models, their validity and reliability is an important issue and has to be investigated to guarantee that the questionnaire really assesses what the learning style theory aims at. In this paper, we focus on the Index of Learning Styles (ILS), a 44‐item questionnaire to identify learning styles based on Felder‐ Silverman learning style model. The aim of this paper is to analyse data gathered from ILS by a data‐driven approach in order to investigate relationships within the learning styles. Results, obtained by Multiple Correspondence Analysis and cross‐validated by correlation analysis, show the consistent dependencies between some learning styles and lead then to conclude for scarce validity of the ILS questionnaire. Some latent dimensions present in data, that are unexpected, are discussed. Results are then compared with the ones given by literature concerning validity and reliability of the ILS questionnaire. Both the results and the comparisons show the effectiveness of data‐driven methods for patterns extraction even when unexpected dependencies are found and the importance of coherence and consistency of mathematical representation of data with respect to the methods selected for effective, precise and accurate modelling.
Service use by families with children adopted from Romania
Authors: Castle Jenny , Rutter Michael , Beckett Celia , Colvert Emma , Groothues Christine , Hawkins Amanda , Kreppner Jana , O'Connor Thomas , Stevens Suzanne , Sonuga‐Barke Edmund
Published: November 2014

Service use between six and 11 years of age is reported for children adopted from Romania into UK families, and compared with that for children adopted within the UK before six months of age. Between six and 11, there had been only one adoption breakdown, and about one in ten couples experienced a marital breakdown. Apart from continuing concerns over hepatitis B carrier status in a small number of children, physical health problems were not a prominent feature. By contrast, nearly one‐third of the children from Romania placed in UK families after the age of six months received mental health services provision ‐ a rate far higher than the 11 to 15% in the groups adopted before the age of six months. Such provision was strongly related to research assessments of mental health problems and largely concerned syndromes that were relatively specific to institutional deprivation (quasi‐autism, disinhibited attachment and inattention/overactivity). There were similar differences between the UK adoptees and the adoptees from Romania entering the UK after six months of age in major special educational provision and, again, the findings showed that the provision was in accord with research assessments of scholastic achievement. The between group differences for lesser special educational provision were much smaller and there was some tendency for the early adopted groups to receive such provision for lesser degrees of scholastic problems than the children adopted from Romania who entered the UK after six months of age. The policy and practice implications of the findings are briefly discussed.
Mental health services for young people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds: the current challenge
Authors: Kurtz Zarrina , Street Cathy
Published: November 2014

Research has highlighted problems in accessing mental health services for people from minority ethnic groups. Much of this literature is focused on adults. The Minority Voices study aimed to identify and describe the perceptions and use of mental health services from the viewpoint of black and minority ethnic (BME) young people aged between 12 and 25 in England and Wales, and to examine initiatives designed to improve the access to, and acceptability of, services for these young people. It used a mixed methods approach, including a literature review, national service mapping, in‐depth interviews and focus groups in four sample areas and action research in preparing materials designed by BME young people. A number of issues that impede access to services, and that are specific to them, were identified and explored with young people from BME groups. These include concerns related to discrimination and racism, confidentiality, family and community pressures, uncertainty about any help they may receive, and marked fears of the stigma that surrounds mental health difficulties. Within services, a lack of capacity of targeted services and of cultural competence were highlighted. The research concluded that there is a need to improve awareness of mental health and information about services among BME communities, and for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to work with these communities to explore ways in which acceptable and appropriate mental health expertise can be made more readily available through both informal and mainstream provision.
Interview with John Coughlan From policy to practice: translating the Children Act 2004 reforms on the ground ‐ a view from a Director of Children's Services
Authors: Kaoukji Dwan , Little Michael
Published: November 2014

The government's vision for children's services in England and Wales, Every Child Matters (DfES, 2003), and the subsequent Children Act 2004 are ground‐breaking in that they encourage local authorities to focus on child outcomes and demand the integration of previously separate services, such as social care and education. Previous articles in this series were by Herbert Laming (2006), whose inquiry helped pave the way for the 2004 legislation, and Tom Jeffery (2006), the Director‐General of the central government Directorate for Children, Young People and Families. In this article, John Coughlan, one of the new Directors of Children's Services, gives his perspective on implementing the new legislation at local authority level. What follows is an edited transcript of John Coughlan's comments.
The potential of secondary data sources to explore the life chances of looked‐after children in the care system in the UK
Authors: Attar Shalhevet , Parker Gillian , Wade Jim
Published: November 2014

Several studies have used secondary data sources in order to learn about outcomes for adults who have been in contact with the care system in childhood. This article discusses two of the large‐scale longitudinal datasets in the UK that are available to researchers and which include information on adults who were looked after in childhood: The National Child Developmental Study (NCDS) and The British Cohort Study (BCS70). These databases are considered to be among the best sources available to investigate long‐term outcomes for looked‐after children in the UK. This article describes these databases and the use made of them by researchers exploring the life chances of looked‐after children. It also identifies the advantages as well as the limitations of these datasets and presents implications for this field of research.
Towards better outcomes for children globally: alternative perspectives on international development
Authors: Crewe Emma
Published: November 2014

Contrary to prevailing wisdom, international development does not either succeed or fail. It does both. With reference to case study material gleaned from working with both grant‐makers and international civil society organisations, this article critiques both the assumptions and organisation of development. Development initiatives create small islands of beneficial change for children but in general suffer from donor‐led managerial approaches, the dominance of upward accountability to Northern agencies, poor relationships and the tendency to both generalise and simplify. Globally, governments and civil society are failing to protect millions of vulnerable children and promote their participation in decision‐making. But better outcomes for children are possible. This article articulates the problems but also demonstrates how: (1) partnerships could be reoriented so that power relations are continually challenged; (2) planning mechanisms could be more focused and efficient; and (3) innovation, learning and reflective action could be promoted so that practice is appropriate to the context and therefore promotes better outcomes for children.
Random assignment in programme evaluation and intervention research: questions and answers
Authors: Dynarski Mark , Grosso Patricia
Published: November 2014

This brief article seeks to answer, with examples, some of the more common questions that policy‐makers and practitioners in children's services often ask about randomised controlled trials (RCTs). It is essentially a primer, and those wishing to read further on these issues might find it helpful to start with the books discussed in the review article by Hobbs and colleagues in this special edition (p40).
Lessons for conducting random assignment in schools
Authors: Ritter Gary , Holley Marc
Published: November 2014

The use of random assignment can be effective and appropriate in the evaluation of programmes that serve children in schools. Because random assignment creates pre‐treatment equality between treatment and control groups, this methodology is particularly effective for understanding the impact of an intervention. Contemporary research on educational experiments has tended to focus on programme results rather than on their origin or implementation. While programme results are important, they provide little guidance to those interested in designing and implementing programme evaluations that use random assignment. This article shares the practical lessons learned from three educational experiments with researchers and practitioners interested in pursuing evaluations that use random assignment.
Institutionalising science‐based practices in children's services
Authors: Hill Laura , Parker Louise , McGuire Jenifer , Sage Rayna
Published: November 2014

Over the past 30 years, researchers have documented effective, theory‐based programmes and practices that improve the health and well‐being of children. In order to produce measurable improvements in public health, such practices must be institutionalised; however, there are a number of barriers to translating what we know from science to what we do in practice. In the present article, we discuss a number of those barriers, including: cultural differences between those who espouse a public health, prevention science approach versus those who espouse a strengths‐building, health promotion approach; practical difficulties in documenting the evidence base for existing or newly developed programmes and practices; and inflexibility of standardised programmes and resulting insensitivity to local contexts. We discuss common ground between prevention and promotion perspectives and highlight emerging methods that facilitate the adoption of science‐based practice into community‐based services.
Takāful standards and customer perceptions affecting takāful practices in Pakistan: a survey
Authors: Akhter Waheed , Hussain Tajammal
Published: November 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to attempt to see the effectiveness of operational and transformational standards raised by joint working group of Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) and International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) as well as respondents' perceptions about Takāful (Islamic insurance) practices in Pakistan.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of two questionnaires were designed for this purpose: one for Takāful operators in Pakistan and other for insurance customers. For the first questionnaire, three Takāful operators were visited at Karachi. For the second questionnaire, a sample of 150 insurance customers was surveyed at Rawalpindi. Descriptive statistics and Chi‐square test was used to analyze the data.

Findings

Reporting standards and internal controls were found to have low level of observance among Takāful operators in Pakistan. The survey of insurance customers revealed that majority of the respondents (91 percent) are unaware of Takāful concept. Education was found to be the single important factor affecting income of the respondents, their perceptions and level of Takāful awareness.

Research limitations/implications

The survey is conducted at one major city of the country based on convenient sampling technique and its results have been generalized for the entire country. However, actual results might differ when a sufficiently large sample is taken from all the main cities of the country.

Practical implications

The study would help the policy makers to focus on strengthening regulatory framework for Takāful. It will also help Takāful operators in understanding public perceptions about Takāful and devising strategies to promote Takāful business to the vast population of Pakistan.

Originality/value

This is the first empirical research conducted on Takāful in Pakistan that analyzes the Takāful practices both from managerial perspective as well as from regulatory perspective.
WAVE A model based language for manipulator control
Authors: Paul R.
Published: November 2014

This paper describes a symbolic manipulator control language, WAVE. WAVE resembles a computer machine language and has been used for performing such tasks as a the assembly of a “Model T” water pump, the block manipulation needed to solve the “Instant Insanity” puzzle, bruch caligraphy, crank turning, the two handed mounting of a door hinge, and the assembly of a pencil sharpener. The language specifies motions, provides force and touch control and is capable of interacting with external vision systems. A model of the manipulator is maintained to translate positions in rectangular co‐ordinates into joint angles and to predict joint inertias and gravity loads. Programming is interpretative and uses a PDP‐10 computer running under time‐sharing. The planning programm calculates manipulator trajectories and dynamic constants and writes an executable program on a disk.
Under water bilateral servo manipulator
Authors: Hotta H. , Ohtuka K. , Natori K. , Umeda K. , Asaoka M. , Yuzawa S.
Published: November 2014

As Japan is surrounded by the sea, the research done for the development of this manipulator is stressed as being very important.
Unified control systems for industrial robots
Authors: Yurevich E.I. , Obukhov V.A. , Andrianov Yu.D.
Published: November 2014

For the purpose of controlling industrial robots attached to various types of technological equipment the configuration structures and unification principles were investigated and the unified controlling systems of positional and cyclic type developed.
Robotics in 1984
Authors: Engelberger J.F.
Published: November 2014

An often asked question is “Where does the UK stand in the field of robotics?”. An honest answer to this would be “Probably, dead last ” However, judging by the attendance and visitors to the Robots 79 conference and exhibition held in Nottingham last March and the growth of the British Robot Association over the past 18 months the UK is becoming very much aware of the benefits of robotics. Another question that is also put, which is a leading one, “Isn't the slowness of the UK in adopting robotics the result of trade union resistance?” Whilst UK union leadership is something apart it is doubtful if it is the nub of the problem. Almost universally around the world management is more worried about robotics than are the unions. Management in the executive suite talking about robots thinks they're talking dirty. Instead they might better have been open in discussing the introduction of robots with union people, telling them of the benefits and of the productivity gains and of the manner in which the product is to be introduced.
HOW TO GET MORE BANG FROM YOUR TELEVISION BUCKS
Authors: Eastlack Joseph O.
Published: November 2014

With continuing, apparently unending, television network media inflation, most major television advertisers are seeking more efficient ways to reach target consumers with their commercials. Some of the actions which have been advocated include:
A SEARCH FOR CONSTANTS: THE “HEAVY USER” REVISITED!
Authors: Cook Victor J. , Mindak William A.
Published: November 2014

As in the case with computers and automobiles, marketing seems to seek constantly new and improved models.