bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Aux frontières de la nation : Les trois temps de la laïcité québécoise
Authors: Tremblay Stéphanie , Cherblanc Jacques
Published: April 2020

Les débats sur la laïcité au Québec ne présentent aucun signe d’essoufflement alors que le gouvernement de la CAQ vient d'adopter à l’Assemblée nationale son projet de loi sur la laïcité (de l’État 16 juin 2019). Ce moment historique pour le Québec concernant l’articulation politique de sa laïcité offre une occasion de se pencher sur la trajectoire récente de cette notion afin de mieux repérer et comprendre comment cette dernière en est venue à incarner la primauté de certaines valeurs, comme la « neutralité » religieuse des membres de la fonction publique, incluant les enseignant.e.s. Cet article vise ainsi à retracer les principaux moments pivots de cette laïcité à la québécoise en découpant son évolution en trois temps, entre 1999 et 2013. À chaque période, qui cristallise un jalon important du débat politique, nous porterons attention à trois indicateurs : la définition de la laïcité à l’occasion d’une commission ou d’un projet de loi porté ou cautionné par le gouvernement ; le rapport revendiqué ou implicite à l’identité nationale ou à l’histoire dans le débat et ; les articulations avec l’École (institution, cours, enseignants, etc.). Nous verrons que la trajectoire de la laïcité s’impose par étape à chaque période, évoluant d’un débat structurel à un débat convictionnel.
Transcendance et transformation de soi dans la doctrine du pur amour selon madame Guyon
Authors: Blée Fabrice
Published: April 2020

La méditation de la pleine conscience, aujourd’hui très populaire, est souvent réduite à une perspective immanentiste postulant que la nature humaine possède en elle-même les ressources de son propre changement. Du point de vue spirituel, cela n’est pas sans dangers pouvant conduire à un vide méditatif artificiel. L’accès à une vie en plénitude ne va pas sans un rapport étroit à l’altérité, au Tout-Autre, réalité transcendante au coeur de la vie de prière. D’où la pertinence d’un dialogue entre théologie et sciences de la santé au sujet des pratiques contemplatives pour un discernement entre oeuvres (efforts personnels) et grâce. Cet article encourage ce dialogue en traitant de transcendence dans l’oeuvre de madame Guyon, mystique française du XVIIe siècle. Il en pose les fondements en décrivant la manière dont cette dernière conçoit la nature de l’expérience de la transcendance, ainsi que la façon dont cette expérience implique une transformation de soi et comment elle s’intègre au quotidien.
Les femmes salvatrices dans le cycle imagé de la synagogue de Doura-Europos
Authors: Hazan Olga
Published: April 2020

Dans la part sauvegardée du cycle imagé de la synagogue de Doura-Europos, trois panneaux, tous trois consacrés au thème du salut, rassemblent les personnages féminins les plus importants du cycle imagé. Deux de ces panneaux, qui représentent respectivement l’enfance de Moïse et l’institution de la fête de purîm, comportent des particularités qui invitent à les observer simultanément. C’est ce à quoi s’attache l’auteure de cet article, tout en tenant compte de l’emplacement de ces deux panneaux sur le mur ouest de la synagogue.
Sleep Symptoms Predict School Attendance After Pediatric Concussion
Authors: Saleem Ghazala T. , Slomine Beth S. , Suskauer Stacy J.
Published: April 2020

This study examined the relationship between postconcussive symptom domain and school attendance. Retrospective chart review was completed for 88 children aged 6 to 18 years who were evaluated within 30 days postinjury. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to assess the association of physical, cognitive, emotional, and sleep symptoms with extent of school attendance. A subgroup multiple regression analysis was conducted to evaluate whether age affected the relationship of symptoms to school attendance. After controlling for demographic variables and total number of symptoms, a higher number of postconcussive sleep symptoms strongly predicted less school attendance. Specifically, older children (≥14 years old) with more sleep symptoms demonstrated less school attendance. For children presenting for specialty care after concussion, sleep symptoms are unfavorably associated with return to school. Future work aimed at optimizing sleep regulation following concussion may assist with early reengagement in school as recommended by current concussion management guidelines.
Cristianesimo etico e socialismo metafisico in Mario Pomilio
Authors: Perna Valerio
Published: April 2020

Mario Pomilio è scrittore dimenticato, e invece il valore del suo messaggio risulta tuttora attuale. Nelle sue opere, come critico e scrittore, si evidenzia un percorso che vuole essere coerenza vissuta prima che teorizzata. Ricerche, domande e inquietudini risultano sempre legate alla religiosità e agli ideali politici dell’autore. Per l’intellettuale socialista lacerato dall’ansietà del mondo contemporaneo, la ricostruzione del “mito” nell’animo degli uomini si configura come esigenza di verità etiche assolute; per il credente immerso totalmente nella storia, la verifica della presenza di un Dio assente, manifesta l’esistenza di un testimone trascendente. In un contesto del genere, ogni azione comporta responsabilità morali senza alcuna compromissione. La scelta politica di Pomilio diventa così utopia morale: l’idea di una società più giusta, che percorre in sottofondo la storia e ne è il lievito. Allo stesso modo il suo cristianesimo è inquieto e interrogante, tanto da prospettare il bisogno di una nuova Sacra Scrittura: il mito del Quinto Evangelio.
A quality function deployment–based resource allocation approach for elderly care service: Perspective of government procurement of public service
Authors: Xu Lan , Zhang Yuting
Published: April 2020

In response to the rapidly growing demand for elderly care service in China, rational allocation of limited resources and improvement of public satisfaction have become one of the urgent problems to be solved in government procurement of elderly care services. With the aid of quality function deployment, a programming model is established to allocate resource with maximizing customer satisfaction. Taking home care service as an example, on the basis of identifying the elderly’s requirements, designing attributes, optimal allocation of limited resource is conducted based on the proposed approach. Results show that staff in the home care service center should pay more attention to improve their service attitude and service quality. Meanwhile, more resources should also be allocated to improve the specialization of the franchise center, and to increase the provision of professional medical personnel and purchase of common medicines for emergencies as well as facilities for rehabilitation. This study expands the field of elderly care service by introducing a more efficient resource-allocation approach, thus helping governments in decision-making.
Advanced measurement techniques for braided composite structures: A review of current and upcoming trends
Authors: Melenka Garrett W , Ayranci Cagri
Published: April 2020

Braiding is an advanced textile manufacturing method that is used to produce two-dimensional and three-dimensional components. Unlike laminated structures, braids have interlaced yarns that form a continuity between layers. This structure allows for improved impact resistance, damage tolerance, and improved through-thickness reinforcement. Despite the numerous advantages of braided composites, braids also have shortcomings. Their highly complex fiber architecture presents challenges in the availability and choice of the strain measuring and characterization techniques. Advanced measurement methods such as optical strain measurement, micro-computed tomography, and in situ strain measurement are required. Optical strain measurement methods such as digital image correlation and high-speed imaging are necessary to accurately measure the complex deformation and failure that braided composites exhibit. X-ray-based micro-computed tomography measurements can provide detailed geometric and morphologic information for braided structures, which is necessary for accurately predicting the mechanical properties of braided structures. Finally, in situ strain measurement methods will provide detailed information on the internal deformation and strain that exists within braided structures. In situ sensors will also allow for in-service health monitoring of braided structures. This paper provides a detailed review of the aforementioned sensing technologies and their relation to the measurement of braided composite structures.
Toward a Process-Transfer Model of the Endorser Effect
Authors: Wong Vincent Chi , Fock Henry , Ho Candy K.Y.
Published: April 2020

Previous research on the effects of celebrity endorsement has focused on the transfer of positive properties (likeableness, credibility, symbolic meanings, etc.) from the endorser to the product. Taking a different perspective, this study suggests that the way in which consumers evaluate an endorser (i.e., the cognitive process, such as applying family origin or achievement as the basis for evaluation) will carry over to the evaluation of the endorsed product (e.g., applying country of origin or performance as the criteria). Five experiments support this process-transfer account and show that it can be induced by subtle verbal/visual cues in advertisements. Because the process transfer is not inherently associated with positive/negative valence, it provides a theoretical rationale for explaining successful endorsements involving endorsers who are less favorable/credible, less of a “fit” with the product, or associated with some negative meanings, in addition to those involving positively or neutrally evaluated endorsers. The process-transfer model supplements existing models and provides a more comprehensive understanding of endorser effects. It provides marketers with a set of less stringent guidelines for selecting endorsers as well as valuable damage control tools for brands when an endorser screws up.
Emotions and Medical Decision-Making
Authors: Gengler Amanda M.
Published: April 2020

Sociologists have written surprisingly little about the role emotions play in medical decision-making, largely ceding this terrain to psychologists who conceptualize emotional influences on decision-making in primarily cognitive and individualistic terms. In this article, I use ethnographic data gathered from parents and physicians caring for children with life-threatening conditions to illustrate how emotions enter the medical decision-making process in fundamentally interactional ways. Because families and physicians alike often defined emotions as useful information to guide the decision-making process, both parties could leverage them in health care interactions by eliciting or demonstrating emotional investment, strategically deploying emotionally charged symbols, and using emotions as tiebreakers to help themselves and one another make choices in the midst of uncertainty. Constructing emotions as valuable in the decision-making process and effectively marshalling them in these ways offered a number of advantages. It could make decisions easier to arrive at, help people feel more confident in the decisions they made, and reduce interpersonal conflict. By connecting the dynamic role emotions can play in the interactive process through which medical decisions are made to the social advantages they can produce, I point to an underappreciated avenue through which inequalities in health care are perpetuated.
Thirst as an ingestive behavior: A brief review on physiology and assessment
Authors: Adams JD , Myatich Ali I , McCullough Alexis S
Published: April 2020

Background:

Thirst is a sensation normally aroused by a lack of water and associated with a desire to drink more fluid.

Aim:

The aims of this brief review are twofold: (a) to summarize the thirst mechanism in how it is initiated and diminished, and (b) to describe techniques to assess human thirst accurately in a variety of situations.

Discussion:

Thirst is maintained via a feedback-controlled mechanism, regulated by central and peripheral factors, as well as social and psychological cues. Most studies of thirst have focused on the initiation of water intake and the neural mechanisms responsible for this vital behavior. Less attention has been paid to the stimuli and mechanisms that terminate a bout of drinking and limit fluid ingestion, such as oropharyngeal and gastric signals, coupled with osmotic sensations. Thirst perception is typically assessed by subjective ratings using a variety of questionnaires, rankings, or visual analog scales. However, the appropriate perceptual tool may not always be used for the correct assessment of thirst perception.

Conclusions:

In considering the many factors involved in thirst arousal and inhibition, similar questions need to be considered for the correct assessment of this ingestive behavior.
Second chances in the second city: Public housing and prisoner reentry in Chicago
Authors: Hamlin Madeleine
Published: April 2020

In November 2014, the Chicago Housing Authority approved a pilot program to allow a limited number of individuals with criminal records to live in their housing programs. In this article, I contend that the pilot provides an important opportunity to institutionally recognize and extend material benefits to formerly incarcerated individuals for whom housing is both especially difficult to secure and especially important to find. Drawing on Wacquant, I argue that the pilot also offers an opening for key institutions of urban governance, such as housing authorities, to acknowledge their own role in perpetuating a pervasive “carceral continuum” that disciplines the urban poor and feeds mass incarceration. However, drawing on interviews with pilot organizers and participants, I show how the pilot responds to and replicates pervasive fears of crime that link poverty and criminality in particular. As a result, its cautious experimental design relegates participants to the status of test cases and exceptions, rather than normalizing their presence in public housing. The pilot further relies on a problematic and paradoxical understanding of “return” that obscures public housing’s historical role in the carceral continuum. In all of these ways, the logics of this pilot and others like it remain limited, thus undermining their potential to disrupt such carceral continuities.
Repetitive mTBI is associated with age-related reductions in cerebral blood flow but not cortical thickness
Authors: Clark Alexandra L , Weigand Alexandra J , Bangen Katherine J , Merritt Victoria C , Bondi Mark W , Delano-Wood Lisa
Published: April 2020

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and evidence suggests cerebrovascular dysregulation initiates deleterious neurodegenerative cascades. We examined whether mTBI history alters cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cortical thickness in regions vulnerable to early AD-related changes. Seventy-four young to middle-aged Veterans (mean age = 34, range = 23–48) underwent brain scans. Participants were divided into: (1) Veteran Controls ( n =  27), (2) 1–2 mTBIs ( n =  26), and (2) 3+ mTBIs ( n =  21) groups. Resting CBF was measured using MP-PCASL. T1 structural scans were processed with FreeSurfer. CBF and cortical thickness estimates were extracted from nine AD-vulnerable regions. Regression analyses examined whether mTBI moderated the association between age, CBF, and cortical thickness. Regressions adjusting for sex and posttraumatic stress revealed mTBI moderated the association between age and CBF of the precuneus as well as superior and inferior parietal cortices ( p’s < .05); increasing age was associated with lower CBF in the 3+ mTBIs group, but not in the VCs or 1–2 mTBIs groups. mTBI did not moderate associations between age and cortical thickness ( p’s >.05). Repetitive mTBI is associated with cerebrovascular dysfunction in AD-vulnerable regions and may accelerate pathological aging trajectories.
Outcome of Biomedical Waste Management Training Among Staff Nurses of Primary Health Centers of Hassan District
Authors: Gonibeedu Venkatesh , Sundar M. , Santhosh H. C. , Mallikarjuna Swamy D.
Published: April 2020

Introduction

Inadequate biomedical waste management not only poses significant risk of infection due to pathogens such as HIV and Hepatitis B and C virus but also carries the risk of water, air, and soil pollution thereby adversely affecting the environment and community at large. Therefore, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare commissioned implementation of an Infection Management and Environment Plan (IMEP) in health-care facilities. Hence, this study is undertaken to assess the knowledge, attitude, practice, and gaps in implementing the biomedical waste management practices at the primary health-care facilities. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the Primary Health Centers of Hassan District. Details of knowledge, attitude, and practice of biomedical waste management were collected through observation, staff interview, and record review on the predesigned questionnaire. A score of 0, 1, and 2 was given for noncompliant (0), partially compliant (1), and fully compliant (2), respectively, based on the compliance. A scoring system was devised to evaluate the effectiveness of training as good, average, and poor. A score of >70 was considered as good, 50 to 70 as average, and <50 as poor.

Results

The mean efficacy score was 63; knowledge was good with a score of 74, attitude was average with a score of 63, and practice was also average with a score of 54.

Conclusion

There is a need for retraining of all the staff and strict supportive supervision by the district health authorities to ease the implementation requirements.
Dual-energy CT to differentiate gallbladder polyps: cholesterol versus adenomatous
Authors: Yin Sheng Nan , Chi Jing , Liu Li , Ding Ning , Ji Yi Ding , Yuan Jian Mao
Published: April 2020

Background

Dual-energy computed tomography (DE-CT) scans were acquired to identify cholesterol and adenomatous gallbladder (GB) polyps, which have not been well evaluated before surgery.

Purpose

To evaluate the DE-CT findings of GB polyps 1.0–2.0 cm in size and differentiate between cholesterol and adenomatous polyps.

Material and Methods

Forty-six patients with GB polyps were surgically treated from December 2017 to December 2019 and divided into two groups according to their postoperative pathologic results: a cholesterol group with 26 patients and an adenomatous group with 20 patients. All of these patients underwent DE-CT imaging with tube voltages of 80 kVp and 140 kVp within two weeks before surgery. Mean attenuation values were measured for every GB polyp at 80/140 kVp and at 40/140 keV. The mean attenuation value changes between 140 kVp and 80 kVp (MAVC140–80 kVp) and mean attenuation value changes between 100 keV and 40 keV (MAVC100–40 keV) were calculated.

Results

The CT image parameters of all 46 patients with GB polyps were analyzed. There were significant differences in MAVC140–80 kVp and MAVC100–40 keV between cholesterol and adenomatous polyps ( P <0.05); these values were positive for cholesterol polyps and negative for adenomatous polyps.

Conclusion

The unique energy spectrum information provided by DE-CT scans is helpful in differentiating between cholesterol and adenomatous polyps 1.0–2.0 cm in size.
Arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging at short post-labeling delay reflects cerebral perfusion pressure verified by oxygen-15-positron emission tomography in cerebrovascular steno-occlusive disease
Authors: Itagaki Hiroshi , Kokubo Yasuaki , Kawanami Kanako , Sato Shinji , Yamada Yuki , Sato Shinya , Sonoda Yukihiko
Published: April 2020

Background

Arterial transit time correction by data acquisition with multiple post-labeling delays (PLDs) or relatively long PLDs is expected to obtain more accurate imaging in cases of the cerebrovascular steno-occlusive disease. However, there have so far been no reports describing the significance of arterial spin labeling (ASL) images at short PLDs regarding the evaluation of cerebral circulation in ischemic cerebrovascular disease.

Purpose

To clarify the role of short-PLD ASL in cerebrovascular steno-occlusive disease.

Material and Methods

Fifty-three patients with cerebrovascular steno-occlusive disease were included in this study. All patients underwent ASL magnetic resonance imaging and 15O-PET within two days of each modality. To compare the ASL findings with each parameter of PET, the right-to-left (R/L) ratio, defined as the right middle cerebral artery (MCA) value/left MCA value, was calculated.

Results

There is a significant correlation between the ASL images at a short PLD and the ratio of cerebral blood flow and cerebral blood volume by 15O-PET, which may accurately reflect the cerebral perfusion pressure. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that ASL images at PLD 1000 and 1500 ms were more accurate than at PLD 2000–3000 ms for the detection of a ≥10% change in the PET cerebral blood flow.

Conclusion

ASL images at shorter PLDs may be useful at least as a screening modality to detect the changes in the cerebral circulation in cerebrovascular steno-occlusive disease. We must evaluate ASL images at multiple PLDs while considering the arterial transit time of each case at present.
Negative emotions in community-dwelling adults with prediabetes and hypertension
Authors: Zhuang Qianling , Wu Lirong , Ting Wang , Jie Lin , Zou Jingying , Du Jiangang
Published: April 2020

Objective

The purpose of this study was to investigate negative emotions and factors related to the risk of mental disorders in individuals with prediabetes and hypertension.

Methods

A total of 504 community-dwelling adult men and women in Suzhou, China, were enrolled and questionnaires used to obtain sociodemographic data, anxiety and depression scores, and current status of common metabolic indicators, including blood glucose level and blood pressure.

Results

Anxiety and depression scores in participants with prediabetes and hypertension were significantly higher than those in participants with normal blood glucose levels and normal blood pressure. Correlation analysis revealed that age, sex, smoking, duration of disease, physical activity, blood pressure and fasting plasma glucose levels were key factors accelerating the progression to both anxiety and depression in all participants.

Conclusions

More attention should be paid to negative emotions in individuals with prediabetes and hypertension. These findings could help to inform health providers in developing interventions for this population.
Measuring the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Transport Target and Accessibility of Nairobi’s Matatus
Authors: Fried Travis , Tun Thet Hein , Klopp Jacqueline M. , Welle Benjamin
Published: April 2020

The urban Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) includes the target to provide “access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all” by 2030. However, debate exists around the best indicator to measure this target, and few actual measurements exist. This is in part because basic transit data are missing from many of the world’s cities, including in Africa where popular or “informal” systems dominate. This paper explores how to make progress in measuring indicators for the SDG transport target using Nairobi’s minibus system, matatus, as a case study. We partially measure the SDG indicator for the city as currently defined by the UN and then compare the SDG measurement to a location-based accessibility indicator that incorporates income data, travel times, and land-use considerations for Nairobi’s highly monocentric spatial urban form. We show that although the SDG analysis suggests generally favorable transit coverage, it also points to underlying transport inequalities for low-income residents. The more fine-grained location-based accessibility analysis reveals rapidly decreasing accessibility to opportunities as distance increases from the city’s central business district. This accessibility-based analysis further highlights income-based transport inequalities, identifying opportunities for improving integrated transport for residents living on the city’s near and far peripheries. Improving non-motorized transport access for those living in low-income areas with high access potential would also be important to improve access. We recommend that cities start using open-source software and open data to measure a variety of indicators needed for data-driven policy, to meet SDG 11.2 and go further to improve access to opportunities for all residents.
Application of Fault Tree Analysis and Swiss Cheese Model to the Overspeed Derailment of Puyuma Train in Yilan, Taiwan
Authors: Jong Jyh-Cherng , Lai Yung-Cheng (Rex) , Young Cheng-Chung , Chen Yu-Fu
Published: April 2020

On October 21, 2018, a Puyuma express train went overspeed through a sharp curve and derailed in Yilan, Taiwan. This accident resulted in 18 fatalities and 267 injuries. Although such accidents occur once in a while worldwide, this case of an overspeed derailment from a train-set equipped with an automatic train protection (ATP) system (similar to the function of Positive Train Control (PTC) in the U.S.) is rare. A temporary investigation team was appointed by the Executive Yuan, the highest administrative organ in Taiwan, and the investigation was completed within 2 months. This paper presents the process, analysis, findings, and recommendations from the accident investigation. The accident was first analyzed using fault tree analysis to identify potential causes and contributing factors of this derailment. The results were then categorized into layers of defenses by using a Swiss cheese model. We further extended the original Swiss cheese model to a “time-dependent Swiss cheese model” to demonstrate how the barriers were penetrated at different times by incorporating the timestamps of important events. Another modified Swiss cheese model called “causal relationship Swiss cheese model” was presented to further demonstrate the causal relationships. With the proposed process and models, the immediate causes and contributing factors were quickly identified and presented in a way that could be easily understood by the general public. The results showed that the ATP system (or the PTC) cannot guarantee 100% safety. A review of the safety culture and corresponding procedures is important to ensure the safety of railway operations.
Comparison of Seismic Performance of Socket and Pocket Connections for Reinforced Concrete Bridge Column Base Hinges
Authors: Jones Jared , Shoushtari Elmira , Saiidi M. “Saiid” , Itani Ahmad
Published: April 2020

The goal of this study was to evaluate two connection types for reinforced concrete two-way rebar hinges and to assess their seismic performance if incorporated in accelerated bridge construction applications. Two large-scale models of bridge systems were tested on shake tables; the first utilized a pocket connection with the opening preformed in the column and the second implemented a socket connection with the opening preformed in the footing. Both bridges were subjected to multiple ground motions ranging from 30% to 225% of the design level earthquake. Rebar hinge behavior during the earthquakes including interface slippage, rotation, reinforcement strains, observed damage, and bent forces were used to evaluate the connections and their relative merit and to make recommendation for implementation in the field.
Physical Exercise Interventions Targeting Cognitive Functioning and the Cognitive Domains in Nondementia Samples: A Systematic Review of Meta-Analyses
Authors: Turner David T. , Hu Mandy X. , Generaal Ellen , Bos Daniel , Ikram M. Kamran , Heshmatollah Alis , Fani Lana , Ikram M. Arfan , Penninx Brenda W. J. H. , Cuijpers Pim
Published: April 2020

Objective:

We investigated whether physical exercise interventions improve cognitive functioning in nondementia populations.

Methods:

We conducted a systematic review of meta-analyses including only randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Two reviewers completed a systematic search of PubMed, Embase, PsychInfo, and Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials. Study characteristics, effect size data, and heterogeneity estimates were extracted and presented in tabular form. Methodological quality was assessed by 2 reviewers using the AMSTAR-2 checklist. The validity of results was considered based on AMSTAR-2 scores and study characteristics.

Results:

We included 11 meta-analyses: 6 focused on disease-free older adults and 5 on mild cognitive impairment (MCI) excluding dementia. These meta-analyses summarized 97 unique RCTs. Methodological quality ranged from critically low to high. For overall cognitive functioning, which was the outcome of 6 meta-analyses, 1 showed improvement due to exercise interventions in disease-free older adults ( g = 0.29, P < .01), while 2 reported nonsignificant effects. In patients with MCI, 3 meta-analyses reported significant benefits of exercise interventions on overall cognitive functioning ( g = 0.25-0.57, P < .01). For cognitive domains such as attention and memory, there was limited evidence of beneficial effects of exercise demonstrated in either disease-free or MCI samples.

Conclusions:

Exercise may improve overall cognitive functioning in disease-free older adults, but there is too little high-quality evidence to conclude whether this is achieved through improvement in any of the specific cognitive domains assessed. There is clearer evidence that exercise may improve cognitive functioning in MCI, but again there is limited evidence across most cognitive domains.
Multiple limit-cycles shimmy characteristics of dual-axle steering mechanism considering the wheel alignment parameters
Authors: Daogao Wei , Wei Zhang , Wenhao Zhai , Yinjie Zhu , Wei Wang , Ping Jiang , Bofu Wu , Hao Jiang , Jun Liu , Andong Yin , Gensheng Jiang
Published: April 2020

In this study, a nine degree of freedom mathematical model of dual-axle steering mechanism considering the wheel alignment parameters is established. Taking one multi-axle vehicle with dual-axle mechanism for example, the numerical method is used to analyze the effects of the wheel alignment parameters on multiple limit-cycles shimmy characteristics. The results show that the variation of the camber angle, the toe angle, and the caster angle will cause the maximum swing angles of first and second axle and the speed ranges of multiple limit-cycles shimmy to change. In addition, taking the caster angle as an example, the effects of matching of different wheel alignment parameters for the first and second axle on multiple limit-cycles shimmy characteristics were discussed. It is found that the effects which the caster angle of second axle having on multiple limit-cycles shimmy characteristics of dual-axle steering mechanism are much more greater than the caster angle of first axle's effects. This finding can provide theoretical guidance for suppressing multiple limit-cycles shimmy of the multi-axle vehicle with dual-axle steering mechanism.
Transient performance of the mixed flow and radial flow variable geometry turbines for an automotive turbocharger
Authors: Kannan Ramesh , Prasad BVSSS , Koppa Sridhara
Published: April 2020

In our previous paper, the steady-state test results of a mixed flow turbine with variable nozzle vanes for a turbocharger are reported. In this paper, the transient response of the same mixed flow turbine along with that of a similarly sized radial flow turbine is presented. The turbine size is suitable for handling the flow capacity of the diesel engines with swept volume up to 1.5 L. The previous experimental test set up is modified by adding a quick-release valve – actuation system before the turbine inlet to obtain a transient response. The radial and mixed flow turbines are tested for different turbine inlet pressures and for various opening positions of the nozzle vanes while matching the turbine mass flow parameters between radial and mixed flow turbines. Typically at nozzle vane openings corresponding to 50% mass flow parameter and 1.5 bar (abs) pressure at the inlet to the turbine, the transient response time for the turbine with mixed flow variable nozzle vanes configuration is about 0.770 s, as compared to 0.858 s for the turbine with radial flow variable nozzle vanes configuration.
Design and optimization of electric bus monocoque structure consisting of composite materials
Authors: Kunakorn-ong Pathawee , Ruangjirakit Kitchanon , Jongpradist Pattaramon , Aimmanee Sontipee , Laoonual Yossapong
Published: April 2020

This paper proposes a novel design methodology for electric-bus structures by implementing the finite element method via ABAQUS™ and linear programming via MATLAB™. A monocoque sandwich-structured fiber-reinforced composite bus with a maximum driving range of 300 km is conceived using the proposed methodology. The bus-body structure is designed based on safety criteria such as vehicle registration regulations, the strength of the bus structure under various driving conditions, bending- and torsion-stiffness requirements, and the rollover testing standard of UN ECE R66. A procedure developed to systematically conduct parametric studies by varying the core and face thicknesses of the sandwich structure of each component is presented. Multivariate functions are formulated to determine the correlations of structural responses with changes in geometric parameters. Linear programming is implemented to minimize the mass of the bus structure under design constraints. The proposed monocoque bus structure meets all requirements, and its body mass is 63.3% less than the benchmark value.
Multi-objective parametric optimization on machining of Inconel-825 using wire electrical discharge machining
Authors: Shandilya Pragya , Rouniyar Arun Kumar , Saikiran D
Published: April 2020

Wire electrical discharge machining is a thermal energy-based non-conventional machining process which can machine conductive materials with high precision. In this present work, machining of Inconel-825 was performed using wire electrical discharge machining. Multi-objective parametric optimization was performed for maximum cutting rate and minimum surface roughness using teaching–learning-based optimization, grey relational analysis, and genetic algorithm. Four wire electrical discharge machining parameters, namely spark off time (SOFF), spark on time (SON), peak current (IP), and angle of cutting (A) were considered. Comparison of optimum wire electrical discharge machining parameters through teaching–learning-based optimization, grey relational analysis, and genetic algorithm was performed. The better optimum solution for wire electrical discharge machining parameters was obtained using teaching–learning-based optimization and optimum values were at IP (1 A), SON (30 µs), SOFF (12.5 µs), and A (44.8°) with cutting rate as 19.744 mm/min and surface roughness as 1.331 µm. The optimum results obtained using optimization techniques were validated with the experimental results and error was observed to be within 5%. Moreover, response surface models were developed to predict the cutting rate and surface roughness in terms of wire electrical discharge machining parameters using analysis of variance.
Older age at infection and nulliparity are associated with long-term non-progression in female sex workers infected with non-subtype B HIV-1
Authors: Mochache Vernon , Richardson Barbra A , Masese Linnet N , Graham Susan M , Mandaliya Kishorchandra , Kinuthia John , Jaoko Walter , Overbaugh Julie , McClelland R Scott
Published: April 2020

Studies have reported on HIV-infected, antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naïve individuals who show minimal disease progression despite prolonged infection. The characteristics of these long-term non-progressors (LTNPs) are not well-characterized in populations predominantly infected with non-subtype B HIV-1. Female sex workers in Mombasa, Kenya who acquired HIV-1 were studied to ascertain immunologic disease progression. Long-term non-progression was defined as an ART-naïve duration of infection ≥7 years and a majority of CD4+ cell counts ≥600 cells/µl with a non-declining CD4+ trend. Correlates of long-term non-progression were determined using multivariable logistic regression. Between February 1993 and March 2014, 332 women acquired HIV-1. Of these, 77 (23%) had ≥7 years of follow-up and 13 (17%) were categorized as LTNPs. Factors associated with long-term non-progression included age >30 years at infection (aOR = 9.41, 95% CI: 1.48–59.86, P = 0.005) and nulliparity (aOR = 20.19, 95% CI: 1.36–299.90, P = 0.03). Each log10 copies/ml increase in viral load (VL) set point was associated with a lower likelihood of being a LTNP (aOR = 0.31, 95% CI: 0.12–0.79, P = 0.01). These findings suggest that age and parity may influence the likelihood of long-term non-progression through mechanisms that are not mediated by the effects of these variables on VL. Future studies should seek to determine whether the associations presented are reproducible.
“What about men?”: Ideological dilemmas in online discussions about intimate partner violence committed by women
Authors: Venäläinen Satu
Published: April 2020

Whether intimate partner violence (IPV) is a gendered phenomenon or not is a question that continuously arouses debate both among scholars and the general public. This article analyses meaning-making around IPV and gender in online discussions that focus on IPV committed by women. The analysis draws upon critical discursive psychology, and identifies ideological dilemmas, interpretative repertoires and subject positions related in the discussions to the relevance of gender, on the one hand, and gender equality, on the other. The ideological dilemmas focused on the relevance of gender revolve around a gender-neutral repertoire and a gendered difference repertoire, while those focused on gender equality centre on the opposing repertoires of gender equality as a commonplace value and gender equality gone wrong. A more detailed examination of how these repertoires are constructed, negotiated, and used in the discussions reveals a pattern where discursive devices such as factualisation techniques are employed in combination with an affectively emphatic style of expression in ways that, for the most part, work to discredit the value of feminist understandings of links between IPV, gender, and power, while, instead, valorising seeming gender neutrality.
Reframing agency in complexity-sensitive peacebuilding
Authors: Randazzo Elisa , Torrent Ignasi
Published: April 2020

This article examines how the growing complexity of peacebuilding settings is transforming the classic notion of purposeful agency into a non-purposeful, adaptive form of being in such contexts. Through an analysis of critical peacebuilding literature and a reflection on the UN’s peacebuilding practices in the field, the article first argues that complexity has been gradually replacing linear, top-down strategies with approaches seeking to draw attention to interdependencies, relationality and uncertainty. The article then suggests that engaging with complexity has critical implications for the traditional understanding of purposeful agency in the peacebuilding milieu that go beyond those of the governmentality critique, which conceptualizes the complexity turn as a strategy for extending control over post-conflict societies. Complexity is eventually conceived of in the article as a performative contextual quality that stems from the non-linear, co-emergent and unpredictable entanglement of interactions between actors in peacebuilding processes. This state of entanglement hinders the autonomous, purposeful agential condition of these actors in war-torn scenarios – in this article, peacebuilding implementers specifically – in which agency seems more and more restricted to its adaptive nature.
Digitalization: A Strategic Approach for Development of Tourism Industry in India
Authors: Kumar Suneel , Shekhar
Published: April 2020

The aim of the present study is to identify the factors that propel tourism industry to opt for digitalization and establish a hierarchical relationship among them. The paper further seeks to address how digitalization impacts various stakeholders in tourism industry. Also, various challenges that are arising in course of digitalization in tourism industry are identified and suggestions have been made to resolve these issues. The study makes use of interpretive structural modelling (ISM) to develop a strategic framework related to digitalization in the industry. MICMAC (cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification) analysis is used to identify the nature of the factors identified in the framework developed. The results of strategy adopted conclude that customer demand for digitalization, growing essence of sharing economy and presence of social media are important contributors to the enhancement of digitalization in tourism industry. The study highlights the implications for the strategy makers as the outputs from ISM di-graph will allow them to identify and focus more on factors driving the digitalization system and address the various shortcomings in the process effectively.
Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) Practices and Millennial Employees’ Turnover Intentions in Tourism Industry in Malaysia: Moderating Role of Work Environment
Authors: Islam Md Asadul , Jantan Amer Hamzah , Yusoff Yusmani Mohd , Chong Choo Wei , Hossain Md Shahadat
Published: April 2020

This study examines the role of green human resource management (GHRM) practices, such as green recruitment and selection, green training, green performance management, green involvement and green rewards, and pays attention on the turnover intention of the millennial employees working in the hotels (3-, 4- and 5-star). Moreover, the study examines the moderating role of work environment on the relationship between those GHRM practices and turnover intention. Researchers collected 162 useful survey questionnaires from 200 distributed questionnaire among the millennial employees, who work in hotels. Analysis of the data through partial least squares structural equation modelling reveals that the green involvement and green pay and reward only impact on reducing turnover intention of millennials while other GHRM practices do not have direct impact on turnover intention of millennials. Interestingly, this study does not find any moderating effect of work environment on the relationship between GHRM practices and turnover intention of millennials working in hotels in Malaysia. This study extends the literature relating to GHRM and work environment and turnover intention of millennials. Furthermore, this is the first empirical research ever done so far relating to GHRM practices and turnover intention of millennials in hotel industry literature. Implications of the findings, as well as research limitations and directions for future scholars, have been discussed.
Why regional parties succeed at the sub-national level in India
Authors: Shrimankar Dishil
Published: April 2020

Existing scholarship in comparative politics has either focused on regionalism or on political and economic decentralisation to explain the growth of regional parties. Using quantitative evidence from India, I show that a hitherto ignored explanation, the level of regional branch autonomy within polity-wide parties, also has a significant impact on the growth of regional parties. When regional branches of polity-wide parties have autonomy, regional parties find it difficult to grow. In contrast, regional parties benefit electorally when regional branches of polity-wide parties are less autonomous. To further account for endogeneity between regional party growth and regional branch autonomy, I use quantitative and qualitative evidence to show that the growth of regional parties is not positively correlated with more regional branch autonomy.
Exceptional states: The political geography of comparative penology
Authors: Brangan Louise
Published: April 2020

It is now common in the sociology of punishment to lament that comparative penology has not matured as an area of research. While there have been seminal works in the comparative canon, their conceptual tools tend to be drawn from grand narratives and macro-structural perspectives. Comparative researchers therefore lack concepts that can help capture the complexity of penality within a single nation, limiting the cross-national perspective. Why is this relative lack of comparative refinement still the case? This article investigates this question by looking specifically at penal exceptionalism, a concept central to comparative penology. While punitiveness as a comparative and descriptive category has been critiqued, its converse, penal exceptionalism remains prevalent but undertheorised. Examining exceptionalism reveals that it is not merely the macro-structural approach to comparison that has limited the development of cross-national sociology of punishment, but the Anglocentric assumptions, which are the bedrock of comparative penology. In this essay, I argue that penal exceptionalism versus punitiveness is an Anglocentric formulation. These taken-for-granted assumptions have become so central to the comparative enterprise that they act as a barrier to developing new innovative comparative frameworks and concepts. The article concludes by suggesting some methodological strategies that are intended as a way of helping comparative penology to expand its toolkit and support the ongoing development of more equitable criminological knowledge.
Bolt-looseness detection by a new percussion-based method using multifractal analysis and gradient boosting decision tree
Authors: Wang Furui , Song Gangbing
Published: April 2020

Among various building blocks, bolted connections are the most widely used components, which can be employed to hold the integrity of entire structures. Looseness detection of bolted connections has been an attractive topic in multiple fields including aerospace and mechanical engineering, since loose-induced bolt failures may lead to costly disasters. Recently, several structural health monitoring methods have been applied to detect bolt looseness; however, they are often impeded in practical use due to the requirement for constant sensor–structure interaction. Thus, the potential of the percussion-based method in detecting bolt looseness has been noticed. In this article, considering the drawbacks existing in prior investigations (e.g. manual feature selection), a new percussion-based method was proposed to inspect bolt looseness. Based on the multifractal analysis and the joint mutual information maximization method, the feature sets of percussion-induced sound signals were selected automatically, which effectively avoided highly experienced personnel for manual feature selection. Subsequently, after feeding extracted feature sets into a gradient boosting decision tree model, we trained a classifier to achieve the identification of bolt looseness. Compared to current percussion-based methods for bolt-loosening detection, the method we proposed in this article has higher accuracy, which is proven by experimental results. Finally, as a rapid and non-invasive structural health monitoring approach, our method can be applied to detect damages in other structures and thus guides future investigations.