bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Human Genetic Polymorphisms Contributing to Coronavirus Disease 2019 Susceptibility: A Bibliometric Analysis via CiteSpace
Authors: Zuchuang Wu , Pengfei Lv
Published: September 2023

A growing number of related research papers have been published in recent months about COVID-19 as a global pandemic. Research directions and hot topics can be identified by bibliometric analysis of these publications. Using the Web of Science database, we scanned the global literature
about COVID-19 from 2020 to 2022.A search using keywords such as “COVID-19” and “genetic polymorphisms” led to relevant publications. A bibliometric analysis of these articles was conducted using CiteSpace. We identified 438 publications on COVID-19 with genetic polymorphisms.
In terms of citation counts, Nature ranked first with 271 citations. Veronica Tisato, Giuseppe Fiorentino, Naoki Yamamoto, and Ingrid Fricke-Galindo were the most productive authors (each having 4 articles). The most cited organization is Tehran University of Medical Sciences with fourteen
articles. USA is the most prolific collaborator with 76 articles. The polymorphism in the interleukin-6 gene (IL-6) was first studied in 2020. ACE2 gene polymorphism has been the focus of research since 2021. A major contribution to this field was made by the USA. The relationship of ACE2
gene G8790A polymorphism with COVID-19 and severity may be future hotspots.
The Impact of Different Final Apical Preparation Diameters on the Efficiency of Photon-Induced Photoacoustic Streaming (PIPS) in Removing the Smear Layer at the Apical Third
Authors: Almadi Khalid H. , Alkahtany Mazen F.
Published: September 2023

Aims: Photon-induced Photoacoustic streaming (PIPS) as an adjunct to conventional irrigation (CI) using different final apical preparation diameters on smear layer (SL) Material and method: Clinical crown was removed from forty human mandibular molars standardizing root
length to 18 mm. Chamber was opened and straight-line access was established Working length was kept 1 mm short of the apex. Teeth were randomly divided into 4 investigated groups based on the final apical diameter. Group-1 (F1+CI+PIPS), Group-2 (F2+CI+PIPS), Group-3 (F3+CI+PIPS) and Group-4
(F3+CI) (Control). CI protocol (2.5% NaOCl+17% EDTA+2.5% NaOCl+distilled water). SEM magnification of 5000x dentinal tubules’ patency at the apical third of root canals was assessed. ANOVA and Tukey’s HSD test were used for data analysis (p = 0.05) Results: Group-3
(F3+CI+PIPS displayed the highest mean scores (3.64±0.50) of SL removal from the apical third of the canal. However, Group-1 (F1+CI+PIPS) exhibited the lowest mean scores (1.27±0.47). Intergroup comparison analysis revealed that Group 1 and Group 2 (F2+CI+PIPS) presented the
lowest and most comparable SL removal (p >0.05) Conclusion: Photon-induced Photoacoustic streaming should be considered as an adjunct therapy to improve the cleanliness of the Smear layer from the apical third.
Nursing Intervention in Oral Mucositis After Methotrexate Chemotherapy in Children with Hematological Tumors
Authors: Yu Benying , Du Lin , Chen Wenyan , Xu Banghong
Published: September 2023

Objective: To explore the nursing intervention and its clinical effect on oral mucositis after methotrexate (MTX) chemotherapy in children with hematological tumors. Methods: Two-hundred children with hematological tumors admitted to Nanjing Children’s Hospital between
January 2021 and August 2022 and treated with MTX chemotherapy after admission randomly dividing as control and experimental groups (n = 100 every group). Children given conventional clinical nursing and comprehensive oral care. Oral ulcer, quality of life, and satisfaction of children’s
parents after intervention were compared between 2 groups. Results: SF-36 score after nursing intervention significantly increasing in experimental group compared with that of control group, with a statistically significant difference (p<0.05). Satisfaction of children’s
parents significantly improving in experimental group compared with that of control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: Comprehensive oral nursing intervention is effective in preventing and treating oral mucositis, improving oral cleanliness and comfort, and developing good oral
hygiene habits, which is conducive to clinical rehabilitation in children undergoing MTX chemotherapy for hematological tumors.
Periodontal Diseases and Salivary Secretion of ABH Blood Antigens in Yemeni Patients
Authors: Obaid Jamil M. A. S. , Alkadasi Baleegh A. , Alahmari Manea M. M. , Alzahrani Ahmed A. , Aldhelai Thiyezen A. , Mohammed Shaima A. H. , Al-Gora’ee Ebtesam M. M. , Elayah Sadam A. , Al Moaleem Mohammed M.
Published: September 2023

This study explored the secretion trait as a risk factor for periodontal disease progression. 162 patients suffering from periodontal disease attended the Outpatient Dental Clinics at the Faculty of Dentistry, Ibb University, and 69 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. Clinical
evaluation for periodontal disease was carried out according to international guidelines and expressed by pocket probing depth (PPD), bleeding on probing (BOP), and clinical attachment level (CAL) parameters. A blood sample was collected and tested for blood grouping test, and a saliva sample
was analyzed for secretion using hemagglutination inhibition test. Secretor patients were 82% compared with 64% of healthy control. Mean score of BOB and PPD and the clinical magnitude of CAL parameters were increased within secretors. The development of periodontal diseases increased among
secretors by 2.61 times more than non-secretors (OR = 2.61, CI, 1.382–4.914, p = 0.004). Significant periodontal complaints associated with secretion are Bleeding gums (OR = 1.95, CI, 1.011–3.759, p = 0.049), malaligned teeth (OR = 4.49 (CI, 1.842–10.958), p
= 0.0001), gingival recession (OR = 2.48, CI, 1.322–4.648, p = 0.007), and teeth decay (OR = 1.86, CI, 1.006–3.438, p = 0.05). Secretion of ABH antigens is risk factor for progression of periodontal diseases. The odds of periodontal complaints, bleeding gums, malaligned
teeth, gingival recession, and tooth decay prove the ABH secretion effect.
Design of Low Power Temperature Sensor Based on 180 nm Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor Technology
Authors: Liang Wenbin , Luo Zhenzhen , Yu Xian , Chen Xiaoyan
Published: September 2023

CMOS temperature sensor is widely used in power monitoring system, power consumption is an important index. The digital filter power consumption is one of the main sources of the temperature sensor power consumption, and limiting the Digital filter power consumption becomes an important
method to realize the low power consumption of the temperature sensor. Based on this, a low power digital filter for CMOS temperature sensors is designed, and a precision adaptive digital filter is proposed, the filter is cascaded by a recursive CIC filter and a FIR filter based on a shift
adder, the order of CIC filter and FIR filter can be adjusted according to the difference between the measured temperature and the threshold temperature range set by the user, when the measured temperature is outside the threshold temperature range, the operation unit in the filter is selectively
switched off, which makes the power consumption of the filter decrease. For the temperature range that does not need to be monitored, the requirement of temperature measurement accuracy is usually not high, if high-precision temperature monitoring is still carried out, it will have a lot of
unnecessary power consumption, in this paper, an adaptive precision digital filter is used to solve the problem. In order to further reduce the power consumption of the temperature sensor, according to the characteristics of the slow change of the temperature signal, a single temperature conversion
combined with idle off mode is adopted, the FIR filter power consumption is reduced by 5.5% by optimizing the single temperature conversion operation. The temperature sensor is realized by 180 nm CMOS process. The results show that the sensor can achieve an accuracy of 0.47 °C in the temperature
range of −55–115 °C when the measured temperature is in the threshold temperature range, under 1.8 V supply voltage, the power consumption of the digital part of the sensor is 20.15 μw. When the measured temperature is outside the threshold temperature range, the
power consumption of the digital part of the sensor can be reduced by 11.3%.
Solar-Blind Ultraviolet Detection Based on Algan/GaN Heterojunction
Authors: Yang Lechen , Fu Kai , Xiong Min , Li Haijun , Shi Wenhua , Zhang Baoshun
Published: September 2023

A solar-blind ultraviolet metal-semiconductor-metal photodetector based on dual-color AlGaN/GaN heterostructure was fabricated and tested. The device showed good photo-response in solar-blind ultraviolet, by employing a single AlGaN/GaN layer. Spectrum responses of the photodetector
were investigated by changing the frequency of incident light signals and the bias voltages. The peak response was 0.288 A/W at 260 nm and 0.322 A/W at 366 nm at the bias of 5 V.
Condition Monitoring-Oriented Wind Turbine Early Fault Rule K-Nearest Neighbor Matching Method
Authors: Yin Xiangqing , Liu Yi , Gao Wenchao
Published: September 2023

Due to the lack of data cleaning links in traditional methods, there are many false alarms and the problem of susceptibility to noise during the monitoring process. For this reason, this paper proposes a condition monitoring-oriented wind turbine early fault rule k nearest neighbor
matching method. Obtain static and dynamic parameters through identification of wind turbine operating state parameters, use nuclear density estimation repair method to repair missing data, use rule k nearest neighbor matching method to remove abnormal data and noise data, and use ReliefF
algorithm to screen wind turbine operating faults based on data processing results feature. Finally, the uncertainty of the fault status of the wind turbine is analyzed, and the early fault monitoring platform of the wind turbine is established based on the analysis result to realize the early
fault monitoring of the wind turbine. Experimental results show that the method has better anti-noise performance and lower fault false alarm rate.
A Novel Carbon Nanotube Field Effect Transistors Based Triple Cascode Operational Transconductance Amplifier: An Optimum Design
Authors: Hashmi Faraz , Nizamuddin M. , Ahmad Wakeel
Published: September 2023

This paper discusses a triple-cascode operational transconductance amplifier (TCOTA) circuit’s design and modeling. These proposed TCOTAs are constructed using 45 nm Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MOSFETs) and Carbon Nanotube Field Effect Transistors (CNTFETs).
At the 45 nm technology node, three distinct varieties of CNT-based TCOTAs have been designed and contrasted with conventional CMOS-based TCOTAs. The performance of the CNT-based TCOTAs, particularly a pure CNT-TCOTA, has significantly improved, according to the assessment of the fundamental
aspects of all the devices. The DC gain has been enhanced by 73% when contrasting the pure CNT-TCOTA to the conventional CMOS-TCOTA, the CMRR has improved by 28%, and the power consumption has been reduced by 100.63%. Furthermore, in pure CNT-TCOTA, (FOM)1 and (FOM)2
have increased by 194% and 173%, respectively. It has also been investigated thoroughly how CNT-based OTAs perform by adjusting the CNT diameter (DCNT), pitch (S), and number of CNTs (N) at CL = 0.01 pF and 0.9 V power supply. It has been determined that using optimum
CNT quantity, the pitch between CNTs, and diameter values can further enhance their performance. The simulation and comparative studies of all circuit structures have reported that novel and remarkable improvement is distinguished in CNT-based TCOTA. According to simulation and comparative
assessments of all circuit structures, CNT-based TCOTA exhibits a novel and noteworthy improvement. Moreover, when compared to the conventional CMOS-TCOTA, the pure CNT-TCOTA has shown significant enhancement of 11.1% and 10.24% in GM and PM, respectively. Pure CNT-TCOTA has been demonstrated
to be highly stable by the stability analysis.
Analysis on Data Poisoning Attack Detection Using Machine Learning Techniques and Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Alsuwat Emad
Published: September 2023

One of the primary challenges of artificial intelligence in modern computing is providing privacy and security against adversarial opponents. This survey study covers the most representative poisoning attacks against supervised ML models. The major purpose of this survey is to highlight
the most essential facts on security vulnerabilities in context of ML classifiers. Data poisoning attacks entail tampering with data samples provided to method during training stage, which may lead to a drop in the correctness and accuracy during inference stage. This research gathers most
significant insights as well as discoveries from most recent existing literature on this topic. Furthermore, this work discusses several defence strategies that promise to provide feasible detection as well as mitigation procedures, as well as extra robustness against malicious attacks.
A Comparison of the Prognostic Value of Liver Fibrosis Scores in Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients With and Without Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: He Hao-ming , Zheng Shu-wen , Chen Yi-nong , Zhu Long-yang , Wang Zhe , Jiao Si-qi , Yang Fu-rong , Sun Yi-hong
Published: September 2023

Liver fibrosis scores have been demonstrated to be associated with poor prognosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, no studies have compared the prognostic value of these scores in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients with and without diabetes. We retrospectively enrolled 1576 AMI patients who underwent PCI. There were 177 all-cause deaths and 111 cardiac deaths during follow-up (median 3.8 years). The non-alcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score (NFS) showed a better prognostic value than the fibrosis-8 (FIB-8) score (Harrell’s C-index: 0.703 vs 0.671, P = .014) and the fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) score (Harrell’s C-index: 0.703 vs 0.648, P < .001) in the overall population. In the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic analysis, the NFS also had the highest area under the curve across all time points. Consistent results were observed in diabetic and non-diabetic populations. Adding the NFS to traditional cardiovascular risk factors significantly improved the prediction both for all-cause mortality (Harrell’s C-index: 0.806 vs 0.771, P < .001) and cardiac death (Harrell’s C-index: 0.800 vs 0.771, P = .014). The NFS showed a better prognostic value than the FIB-8 score and the FIB-4 score in patients with AMI undergoing PCI, which might be preferable for estimating the risk of mortality regardless of the presence or absence of diabetes.
The Species and Purpose of the ‘Young Man’ in Mark 14 and 16
Authors: James Rob
Published: September 2023

This article presents evidence that the νεανίσκος, “young man”, referred to in Mark 16 is intended to be read as a human being rather than as an angel. Matthew’s and Luke’s use of Mark 16 is examined to show that they too understood Mark in this way and chose to edit the text to replace the young man with one or two angels. Reading Mark 16 in this way elicits an easier linkage with the young man in Mark 14, and it is suggested that the author intended for such a connection to be made. Following Robin Scroggs and Kent Groff, this connection leads to the suggestion that the stripping and reclothing of the young man in Mark 14 and 16 is an allegory of baptism. Further evidence of this is presented in a tentative suggestion about the liturgical origins of some of Mark 16, and the observation that the word for the clothing worn by and taken from the young man in Mark 14 is only ever used elsewhere in the New Testament for the burial shroud of Jesus.
Adversaries or Cross-Organization Co-workers? Exploring the Relationship between Gig Workers and Conventional Employees
Authors: Maffie Michael David
Published: September 2023

This article explores how gig workers interact with more conventional employees. Drawing on original qualitative and quantitative data from Instacart shoppers and grocery store staff, this article shows how Instacart’s algorithmic management system pushes shoppers to mistreat in-store staff. Yet for shoppers who frequently interact with staff, the author finds they develop cooperative, cross-organization co-worker relationships. These relationships grant shoppers access to resources typically reserved for staff, allowing them to navigate the algorithmic constraints that Instacart places on them. Findings show that platform companies’ use of algorithmic management tools can spill over to negatively affect the working conditions of conventional workers; but also, that gig workers can improve their own conditions by building relationships with their conventional peers.
Impact of Airbnb Host Profile Photos on Guest Star Ratings Based on Cultural Differences in China and the United States
Authors: Jang Hyunkyu
Published: September 2023

This research analyzed the profile photos and star ratings of 45,000 Airbnb hosts in China and the United States, investigating cultural differences in host and guest behavior. The results indicated the existence of cultural differences in the degree of facial disclosure and in facial expressions and their influence on guest ratings. More specifically, first, fewer hosts in China revealed their faces in profile photos than hosts in the United States. Second, in China, star ratings given by guests to hosts who did not disclose their faces were lower than to hosts who did disclose their faces, but in the United States, there was an even greater reduction in ratings for hosts who did not disclose their faces. Third, the facial expressions of hosts in China did not look as happy as those in the United States. Fourth, happy facial expressions of hosts had a more positive impact on guest ratings in China than in the United States. These findings highlight the importance of using profile photos showing happy facial expressions and this is especially important in China.
Protective Factors in Forensic Practice: The Added Value of the SAPROF-Extended Version Pilot in Relation to Aggressive Incidents
Authors: Cappon Leen , Jentsch Armin , Roggeman Saskia , de Vries Robbé Michiel
Published: September 2023

Protective factors are now commonly included in comprehensive risk assessment. This study concerns an initial validation of the new SAPROF-Extended Version (SAPROF-EV) pilot, containing modifications and additions to the original SAPROF. For 139 forensic psychiatric inpatients, assessment results with the SAPROF-EV pilot and HCR-20V3 were compared with aggressive incidents. Results show good predictive validity for the SAPROF-EV pilot for all outcomes and incremental predictive validity for both the (modified) original SAPROF and the full SAPROF-EV pilot over the HCR-20V3. For the outcome aggression toward others, the additional SAPROF-EV factors provide incremental predictive validity over the (modified) original SAPROF. In addition, the user feedback from clinicians highlights experienced additional value of the new factors for treatment guidance. Based on the findings from this study, the SAPROF-EV pilot will be adjusted further into an improved and enhanced version of the SAPROF.
Predictive value of transesophageal echocardiography combined with contrast transthoracic echocardiography for embolic stroke of undetermined source
Authors: Huang Wei , Wang Hebo
Published: September 2023

Objective

In this study, we aimed to assess the predictive value of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) combined with contrast transthoracic echocardiography (cTTE) for embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS).

Methods

A total of 52 patients with ESUS were examined by TEE and cTTE. The detection rate of patent foramen ovale (PFO) and right-to-left shunt (RLS) grade were compared in patients with ESUS between cTTE alone and cTTE combined with TEE. The Risk of Paradoxical Embolism (RoPE) score, PFO diameter, and PFO length of patients with PFO-associated ESUS and non-PFO-associated ESUS were compared by cTTE alone and cTTE combined with TEE. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was utilized to determine the effect of RoPE score and PFO diameter on patients with PFO-associated ESUS.

Results

The positive rate of PFO detected by cTTE alone (46.15%) was lower than that detected by cTTE combined with TEE (69.23%). The proportion of patients with RLS grade I + II + III detected by cTTE combined with TEE (69.23%) was higher than that detected by cTTE alone (46.15%). Both the RoPE score and PFO diameter were significantly greater in the patients with PFO-associated ESUS than in the patients with non-PFO-associated ESUS ( p < .05). The combination of RoPE score and PFO diameter had the largest area under the ROC curve (AUC = 0.875), which was larger than the AUC alone of RoPE score (AUC = 0.819) and PFO diameter (AUC = 0.783) ( p < .05).

Conclusion

The combination of cTTE and TEE is helpful to the diagnosis of ESUS patients caused by PFO and to judge the degree of RLS.
Female CEOs and firm performance during COVID-19 pandemic: An empirical analysis of Italian-listed firms
Authors: Tiscini Riccardo , Ciaburri Mirella , Magnanelli Barbara Sveva , Nasta Luigi
Published: September 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a disruptive and unexpected event that has impacted businesses worldwide. It is necessary to investigate the characteristics of companies that enable them to face and respond to this critical situation more effectively. The purpose of the present study is to determine whether the presence of a female CEO during unanticipated critical events affects a company’s performance. Given the increasing significance of gender at the highest levels of management, more research has been conducted on female leadership. However, there is limited research on female leadership during disruptive periods and events. Over the course of 3 years (2017–2020), an empirical analysis was conducted on a sample of Italian publicly traded companies, meaning that data was collected and analyzed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results indicate that female leadership during the pandemic has a positive impact on the performance of the company.
Strain gauge-based method to determine in-cylinder projectile velocity and gas pressure
Authors: Vattaparambil Sreedharan Sreejith , Tiwari Nachiketa , Mathur Girijesh , Dwivedi Rituraj
Published: September 2023

Knowledge of internal ballistic pressure and projectile velocity is required to ensure gun safety, reliability, calculation of its range, and evaluation of ammunition. However, existing methods for determining the same are either overly complex, costly or have limitations in their applicability. In this work, the authors address this need by proposing a reliable, simple, cheap, and non-destructive method for determining in-bore pressure, projectile velocity, and acceleration profile using strain measurements. Data from strain gauges were used to detect the projectile’s arrival time at different locations in the barrel and computed projectile velocity and acceleration as a function of projectile position. Finally, acceleration data was used to calculate the pressure behind the projectile. Results were verified using alternative experimental and simulation techniques on two different barrels with different ammunition. It was found that the proposed method works well and thus can be reliably used in similar applications elsewhere.
Studies of high-performance fabric-based laminated hull material for stratospheric airship
Authors: Chouhan Shikha , Ghosh Shankha , Butola Bhupendra Singh , Joshi Mangala
Published: September 2023

In terms of communications and scientific observations, a stratospheric airship can be an effective alternative to the artificial satellites in Earth’s orbit. For an airship to float in the low air-density stratosphere, it must be designed with light, flexible, and strong materials. In the present study, we have designed and developed six different coated and laminated structures by using high-performance para-aramid fabric, polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC)-coated biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate (BOPET), and polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) films. The developed coated and laminated stratospheric airship structures demonstrate excellent performance even in the harsh environmental conditions such as very low atmospheric pressure (∼0.001 atm), extreme temperatures (80°C in the day and −80°C in the night;), high UV irradiation, and ozone as well as atomic oxygen. In order to analyze the effect of the harsh environmental conditions existing in stratospheric atmosphere on physico-mechanical properties such as tensile strength, tear strength, peel strength, and helium (He) gas barrier of the prepared laminate structures, they were evaluated after exposure in simulated accelerated artificial weathering conditions up to 400 h. The developed multilayered laminated structures exhibited superior He-gas permeability (0.04 L/m2/24 h), high tensile strength (>820 N/cm), and good tear strength (401–477 N/cm) with relatively low areal density (207–262 g/m2). Furthermore, all the laminates also demonstrated very low degradation in mechanical properties, that is, 3%–8% in peel strength, 1%–3% in tear strength, and 1%–2% in tensile strength under artificial weathering conditions up to 400 h.
A novel application of titanium suboxide to enhance the flame retardancy, thermal stability, and thermal and electrical conductivity of silicone rubber
Authors: Feng Fengzhen , Xu Siyi , Liu Haodong , Li Jianxi
Published: September 2023

This study investigates the impact of Titanium Suboxide (Ti4O7) on the flame retardancy, mechanical properties, thermal stability, and electrical and thermal conductivity of silicone rubber composites. The addition of 1.0 part of Ti4O7 to the silicone rubber composites results in a total heat release (THR) of 45 MJ/m2, which is 45.7% lower than the silicone rubber without Ti4O7, leading to a decrease in the peak of heat release rate (PHRR). Furthermore, Ti4O7 exhibits temperature stability at low temperatures and acts as a physical barrier, inhibiting the early decomposition of silicone rubber and enhancing the thermal stability of the composites. However, at temperatures exceeding 450°C, the catalytic activity of Ti4O7 is activated, promoting the decomposition of the silicone rubber composites and generating more residue. The addition of an appropriate amount of Ti4O7 can further improve the mechanical properties of the silicone rubber composites and enhance their electrical and thermal conductivity.
Sport Officiating as Aggression Work: A Positioning Analysis of Gendered Emotion Management
Authors: Zanin Alaina C. , Marr Chandler , Avalos Brianna L.
Published: September 2023

This study documents how sports officials negotiate aggression from cisgender male athletes as a key feature of their occupational role. Through an ethnographic case study of a collegiate intramural athletic organization, sports officials ( N = 24) were observed while officiating and interviewed about their experiences with athlete aggression. Utilizing a phronetic iterative approach and positioning theory as an analytic framework, three organizational storylines were identified that contribute to the implicit, often gendered, rules related to the experience and expression of aggression in this context. Findings also indicated that male and female officials differed in their positioning strategies in response to athlete aggression, through (a) confidence positioning, (b) stoic positioning, (c) expert positioning, and (d) coercive positioning. Implications for how aggression work and positioning theory might build on past emotion management literature are discussed.
Cure behavior and mechanism of cyanate ester with aromatic amines at room temperature
Authors: Zhou Junjie , Guo Kangkang , Wang Fan , Zhu Yaping , Qi Huimin
Published: September 2023

Herein, the catalytic effects of aromatic amines with different structures on the room temperature curing of bisphenol E cyanate (BECy) have been studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Our results revealed that the mixed amine comprised of aniline and N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine (AN/NNDPA) bearing primary amino groups in its structure was a highly effective catalyst for the room temperature curing of cyanate esters. When the cyanate ester and mixed amine were combined at a molar ratio of 100:5 and cured at room temperature for 5 days, the curing degree of BECy resin reached 79.7%. The room temperature curing mechanism of the BECy-AN/NNDPA system was investigated using pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (PY GC-MS). Our results showed that the formation reactions of the intermediate structure and cyclotrimerization reactions occurred during the room-temperature curing process. The activation energies of BECy and different aromatic amine systems at different heating rates were determined using non-isothermal DSC. The results further demonstrated the catalytic effect of AN/NNDPA on the cyanate ester curing reaction. BECy-AN/NNDPA cured at room temperature has suitable heat resistance and a 5% weight loss temperature (Td5) of 361°C.
The economic circularity of informality? Evidence from patterns of informal business innovation in Bandung
Authors: Phelps Nicholas A , Aritenang Adiwan
Published: September 2023

Urban (physical) and business informality and economic circularity may come together in cities of the global South. In this paper we explore the intersection of business and urban informality and circular economy outcomes in community-based clusters of informal businesses. These intersections are revealed in the relationship of businesses to the home, the localization of linkages (including the use of recycled materials) and the relationship of businesses to the local communities in which they are embedded. We draw on data from 203 questionnaire survey returns from five kampung-based footwear and clothing industry clusters in the Indonesian city of Bandung. The research confirms the ambiguity of the relationship between individual business dynamics and the communities in which they are embedded. Our findings suggest some points of policy leverage centred on business and community institutions, and lead on to avenues for research that might elaborate the ambiguous relationship between business and social innovation with respect to sustainable urban development.
Adaptive finite-time fault-tolerant control for Robot trajectory tracking systems under a novel smooth event-triggered mechanism
Authors: Zhu Wenxing , Wang Lihui
Published: September 2023

The problem of adaptive finite-time fault-tolerant control with smooth event-triggered mechanism is addressed for quadrotor trajectory tracking systems. In light of recent studies on fault-tolerant control in the field of nonlinear systems, this article focuses on quadrotor trajectory tracking systems with actuator faults and disturbances. Different from the previous works, an ingenious smooth event-triggered mechanism is proposed to circumvent the discontinuous triggered signal and alleviate the communication burden simultaneously, which is of great significance to increase the operation life of the quadrotor. Subsequently, the finite-time performance function is designed to guarantee the prescribed tracking performance. Furthermore, a novel finite-time convergent adaptive fault-tolerant controller is proposed via the time-varying barrier Lyapunov function technique. The radial basis function neural networks are utilized to deal with the nonlinear approximation, and the adaptive laws are developed to accurately estimate the unknown model uncertainty, thus effectively handling the challenge of the controller design caused by the actuator faults and disturbances. Under the developed adaptive fault-tolerant controller, all the closed-loop system signals are bounded and the tracking errors are convergent within finite time. Meanwhile, the Zone behavior can be excluded by the positive sampling intervals. Finally, two examples are employed to verify the effectiveness and advantages of the suggested control scheme.
Actuator fault-tolerant control for discrete Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy systems using the matrices norms approach
Authors: Hamadou Meroua , Belarbi Khaled
Published: September 2023

The apparition of faults is a well-known phenomenon in automatic control systems. Faults cause undesired behaviour and disruption of a controlled plant, which can lead to damage. This article addresses the actuator fault problem for nonlinear systems described by a discrete time Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy systems. An active fault-tolerant control based on a fault estimator is designed using the matrices norms approach instead of the usual Lyapunov stability theory. In this work, we consider the case where the premise variables do not depend on the unmeasurable variables. This allows the separate design of the gains of the controller, the observer and the estimator. Two nonlinear systems represented by discrete Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy models are studied to investigate the validity of the proposed method.
Adaptive backstepping human-cooperative control of a pediatric gait exoskeleton system with high- and low-level admittance
Authors: Narayan Jyotindra , Kalita Bhaben , Dwivedy Santosha K
Published: September 2023

Post-neurological disorder, passive-assist training disregards human involvement during robot-aided lower-limb rehabilitation. This work presents a novel human-cooperative framework based on the admittance and trajectory control scheme to administer the subject–exoskeleton interaction for pediatric gait rehabilitation. Initially, the mechanical design and dynamic analysis of an existing exoskeleton system are briefly attended. Thereafter, an admittance model is designed in the outer loop, which recasts the desired human trajectory into a reference trajectory. As an inner-loop control scheme, a robust adaptive backstepping controller is designed to trace the reference gait trajectory under parametric uncertainties and external disturbances. Lyapunov stability analysis is solved to guarantee the uniform boundedness of the control signals. Moreover, the well-known problem of “explosion of complexity” and “overparameterization” is avoided through the design of the robust adaptive backstepping control scheme. The performance of the proposed robust adaptive backstepping-based human-cooperative control is studied under the low- and high-level admittance model. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed control is validated with a variable structure adaptive robust-based human-cooperative control. The co-simulation results show that the proposed control with low-level admittance allows the subject to participate in the training process more frankly. The proposed robust adaptive backstepping-based human-cooperative control tracks the reference gait more promisingly than the variable structure adaptive robust-based human-cooperative control for both admittance levels.
Adaptive output-feedback control for uncertain nonlinear systems with function control coefficients
Authors: Zhang Yu , Jin Shaoli , Sun Yibing
Published: September 2023

This article addresses the global adaptive output-feedback state regulation problem for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems with generalized control coefficients. Remarkably, the system under investigation simultaneously possesses function control coefficients, input matching uncertainty, and unknown growth rate, which is essentially different from the closely related existing literature. Such nonlinearities from function control coefficients and uncertainties from unknown growth rate bring great technical difficulties to controller design. A novel dynamic gain is introduced to deal with the extra system nonlinearities from function control coefficients and unknowns from the growth rate. In addition, the extended state observer is developed to reconstruct the unmeasured states of the system. By integrating the dynamic gain and extended state observer, an adaptive output-feedback controller is designed, which ensures that the states of the system globally converge to zero, and the estimation of the input matching uncertainty converges to its actual value. Two simulation examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Impact of Product Line on Shopping Motivations of Consumers in E-commerce—A Correspondence Analysis
Authors: Nalluri Padmaja , Rao R. Srinivasa
Published: September 2023

An increasing number of e-commerce sites offering products globally have created a highly competitive marketplace across various market segments. E-retailers look to update their sites regularly to facilitate consumer decision-making. This article examines consumers’ motivational factors when shopping online and their association with online shopping sites offering different product lines delineating one online shopping site from another. Significant online shopping motivational factors identified through the literature review such as ease of navigation and website content, personalized services, discounts/promotional offers, range of products, familiarity with an e-store, reviews on-site, cancellation and returns policy, product quality and logistics were mapped with a few popular e-commerce sites in India offering different product lines, using correspondence analysis. Findings suggest consumers give more importance to quality, ease of navigation and website content, and personalized services when shopping at e-commerce platforms offering limited product lines like grocery/apparel. In contrast, good reviews, good logistics, clear order cancellations and return policy are more important when shopping at e-commerce sites providing an extensive product line. Such information can assist e-retailers in improvising their services to gain customer satisfaction and differentiate their website from others.
Attitudes and Perceptions on Advance Care Planning Among Chinese-Speaking Older Australians
Authors: Yeoh Ling H. , Tan Benjamin , Rhee Joel , Sinclair Craig
Published: September 2023

Background

Current literature indicates low uptake of advance care planning (ACP) among the Chinese-speaking community in Australia. To increase the uptake of ACP among the Chinese-speaking community, a better understanding of their attitudes and perceptions on end-of-life (EOL) matters, and ACP is required.

Objective

This study aimed to identify significant events and social and cultural factors that influence participants’ values and characterize the attitudes and perceptions towards ACP among older Chinese-speaking Australians.

Methods

A qualitative study explored participants’ experiences through semi-structured one-to-one interviews. The interviews were conducted in Mandarin, Cantonese or English, then translated and transcribed into English. The transcripts were coded and analysed thematically.

Results

Twenty participants were recruited (14 female, six male). Participants typically reported a preference to make health-related decisions autonomously. Their perspectives were grounded in past experiences of illnesses and EOL decision-making of loved ones, personal values, and perceived needs. Family dynamics and intimacy of relationships appeared to influence the role and responsibility of family members in EOL decision-making and ACP. Most participants perceived the need to engage in ACP only when encountering significant health changes or higher care needs.

Conclusion

Healthcare professionals should initiate ACP discussion using culturally appropriate communication with consideration of personal values, past experiences and family dynamics. Efforts should be invested in raising public awareness of ACP within the Chinese-Australian community.
WordSword: An Efficient Online Word Reading Assessment for Global English
Authors: Ho Jana Chi-San , McBride Catherine , Lui Kelvin Fai Hong , Łockiewicz Marta
Published: September 2023

The development of efficient and reliable online assessments has become increasingly important in the digital era. We developed a 10-min online word reading assessment of global English based on the existing paper-and-pencil version of our English silent word reading test. The test includes two parts, namely, random word recognition and contextual word reading. A total of 889 participants (437 children and 392 adults; 62.7% female) took part in the study. They were from various regions including mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, Poland, the United States, and the Philippines. Reliability and validity analyses on various demographics samples (by age and country/region of origin) demonstrated that the WordSword Test is highly reliable and valid (e.g., the correlation of this test with other English reading measures were above .80). Education level was positively correlated with test performance, while the correlations between age and test performance were not consistent. Ninety-seven children participants also took the paper-and-pencil version of the WordSword Test. The correlation between performances on the online and paper-and-pencil versions of the test was .879, one year apart. With more children and adults taking the WordSword Test, we ultimately hope to establish norms by area, grade level, and age.
Transcorporeal Witnessing: Re-Figuring Toxic Entanglements Through the Arts
Authors: Eppert Claudia , Conrad Diane
Published: September 2023

This article seeks to extend discourses of embodiment by deploying Alaimo’s concept of transcorporeality in the context of our grappling with complexities of bearing witness to deforestation and ecological destruction in Alberta’s Tar Sands. Transcorporeality captures senses of porosity among human, nonhuman, and more-than-human bodies and constitutes a productive perspective from which to ethically engage with ecological destruction. Through our artwork and dialogic exchange with each other, and our embodied thinking with the works of other artists and scholars concerned with ecological atrocity, we attend to challenges, nuances, and possibilities of witnessing in ways that both attune to our embodiment and seek to decenter the human. We contend that arts-based practices of being, knowing, and doing offer openings for re-figuring the toxic entanglements that pervade current ecological relations and illustrating pathways toward more regenerative futures.
Collective Learning in Project-Oriented Organisations in Infrastructure Planning: Interaction for Adaptation
Authors: de Groot Bert , Leendertse Wim , Arts Jos
Published: September 2023

Collective learning across project teams and organisational levels enables project-oriented organisations in infrastructure planning to adapt to changing contexts. This paper aims to deliver insight in the conditions and arrangements for collective learning in such organisations and the role that programmes and communities of practice (CoPs) as different types of hubs can play in interaction for adaptation. As part of a case study of a project-oriented public infrastructure administrator, we conducted a cross-study analysis, interviews with board members and directors, and focus groups with professionals from the studied organisation and other infrastructure administrators. Although programmes and CoPs as hubs appear to facilitate interaction with a wider context differently, interaction through these hubs can lead to the broadening of views and a shared understanding about organisational adaptations and the accompanying decisions and actions in the fragmented landscape of project-oriented organisations.
Lifestyle habits, health indicators and sociodemographic factors associated with health-related quality of life and self-esteem in adolescents
Authors: Jiménez Boraita Raúl , Gargallo Ibort Esther , Dalmau Torres Josep María , Arriscado Alsina Daniel
Published: September 2023

Background

Mental health is defined as a state of emotional, psychological, and social well-being, and has been shown to be positively associated with self-esteem and quality of life. It is important to note that mental health is dynamic and influenced by a wide range of social, biological, and behavioral factors. Therefore, the aim this study was to describe the health-related quality of life and self-esteem in adolescents, examining their relationship with various health indicators, lifestyle habits, and sociodemographic variables.

Method

A cross-sectional study was conducted with a representative sample of 761 students (14.51 ± 1.63 years). Health-related quality of life, self-esteem, satisfaction with body image, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, physical activity practice, hours of nightly sleep, maximum oxygen consumption, body mass index, academic performance, and various sociodemographic factors of all participants were analyzed.

Results

Regression analysis showed that body satisfaction and academic performance were associated of both health-related quality of life and self-esteem. Additionally, physical activity, age, and favourable settings for physical activity engagement were also found to be related to health-related quality of life, whilst adherence to the Mediterranean diet, hours of nightly sleep, maximum oxygen consumption and socioeconomic status were associated with self-esteem.

Conclusions

Given the associations found between health-related quality of life and self-esteem with lifestyle habits and sociodemographic indicators, there is an urgent need to develop interdisciplinary and cross-cutting promotion strategies to improve the mental health of adolescents.
Language contact phenomena in multiword units: The code-switching–calquing continuum
Authors: Hennecke Inga , Wiesinger Evelyn
Published: September 2023

Aims and objectives:

Code-switching and calquing are two widespread language contact phenomena in bilingual speech. While both phenomena have been discussed extensively in research on language contact in the past decades, only very few studies systematically investigate code-switching and calquing of and within multiword units or constructions. In our contribution, we aim at developing a more differentiated account of code-switching and calquing of and within multiword units and constructions, bringing together recent usage-based psycholinguistic and Construction Grammar theories and modeling with cognitively oriented approaches to language contact and bilingualism.

Design:

We analyze and discuss corpus data from the Corpus of Spanish in Southern Arizona (CESA) from first-, second-, and third-generation bilingual Spanish–English speakers in Arizona.

Data and analysis:

The corpus analysis focuses on code-switching and calquing of and within N Prep N, NN(N), and Adj N/N Adj patterns (N = noun, Prep = preposition, Adj = adjective).

Findings/conclusions:

The analysis highlights the importance of both lexically specific multiword units and partially and fully schematic constructions in code-switching and calquing as well as a continuum between constructions situated closer to the lexical or to the syntactic pole.

Originality:

Whereas multiword sequences have been found to play an important role in (mostly first language [L1]) acquisition, use, and processing, the role of multiword units and constructions in bilingual speech has been much less studied so far.

Significance/implications:

The study shows that both lexically specific constructions or multiword units as well as partially or fully schematic constructions play a central role in code-switching and calquing. The study argues that code-switching and calquing may ultimately be viewed as a continuum, since the speakers rely on similar, highly frequent, and productive constructions and their interlingual correspondences for both phenomena.