bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How can the research potential of the clinical quality databases be maximized? The Danish experience
Authors: Nørgaard M. , Johnsen S. P.
Published: January 2016

In Denmark, the need for monitoring of clinical quality and patient safety with feedback to the clinical, administrative and political systems has resulted in the establishment of a network of more than 60 publicly financed nationwide clinical quality databases. Although primarily devoted to monitoring and improving quality of care, the potential of these databases as data sources in clinical research is increasingly being recognized. In this review, we describe these databases focusing on their use as data sources for clinical research, including their strengths and weaknesses as well as future concerns and opportunities. The research potential of the clinical quality databases is substantial but has so far only been explored to a limited extent. Efforts related to technical, legal and financial challenges are needed in order to take full advantage of this potential.
Prognostic Value of Right Ventricular Tei Index in Dogs with Myxomatous Mitral Valvular Heart Disease
Authors: Nakamura K. , Morita T. , Osuga T. , Morishita K. , Sasaki N. , Ohta H. , Takiguchi M.
Published: January 2016

Background

The right ventricular (RV) Tei index (TX) has a significant correlation with the severity of pulmonary hypertension. However, the role ofRVdysfunction in dogs with myxomatous mitral valvular heart disease (MMVD) has not been addressed.

Objectives

To investigate the correlation between right ventricular Tei‐index (RVTX) and the prognosis for dogs withMMVD.

Animals

Thirty client‐owned dogs withMMVD.

Methods

Clinical cohort study. Dogs were divided into two groups on the basis of the onset of cardiac‐related death within 1 year of the first echocardiographic examination. Physical examination and echocardiographic variables were compared between the groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and multivariate logistic analysis were used to assess the comparative accuracy when identifying dogs with cardiac‐related death.

Results

The highest accuracy was obtained forRVTXwith an area under theROCcurve (AUC) of 0.95 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.81–0.99) followed by the left atrial to aortic root ratio with anAUCof 0.91 (95%CI0.74–0.98), peak early diastolic mitral inflow velocity with anAUCof 0.84 (95%CI0.64–0.94), and Doppler estimates of systolic pulmonary artery pressure with anAUCof 0.84 (95%CI0.61–0.95). According to the multivariate logistic regression analysis,RVTXwas the only independent correlate of cardiac‐related death within 1 year.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Right ventricular Tei‐index has a strong correlation with the prognosis for dogs withMMVD. The most significant independent predictor of death wasRVTXin this study.
Proprietary interests in organs in limbo
Authors: Nwabueze Remigius N
Published: January 2016

A host of activities jeopardise the safety of an excised organ: an organ transported across local, regional, state or national boundaries could be damaged or lost in transit. A thief might snatch the organ from the possession of the transplant team; a transplant surgeon could use the organ for the treatment of their relative or patient, a celebrity or an influential political figure, instead of transplanting the organ into the properly selected and designated recipient. Also, the organ could be damaged maliciously by a third party. Furthermore, a live donor might change their mind after the organ had been retrieved, or the intended recipient might die before a scheduled transplant, after the organ had been retrieved from a live donor. In the above cases, the organ is in a state of limbo, prompting an enquiry into the appropriate remedial responses of the law for a claimant. Non-proprietary remedies might be helpful in the above scenarios, but fail to provide the necessary continuing control. Accordingly, the first section of this paper considers whether positive law recognises the existence of proprietary interests in excised organs; absent such protection, this paper suggests that the law should recognise proprietary interests in excised organs.
Relationship between indocyanine green retention test, decompensation and survival in patients with Child‐Pugh A cirrhosis and portal hypertension
Authors: Lisotti Andrea , Azzaroli Francesco , Cucchetti Alessandro , Buonfiglioli Federica , Cecinato Paolo , Calvanese Claudio , Simoni Patrizia , Arena Rosario , Montagnani Marco , Golfieri Rita , Colecchia Antonio , Festi Davide , Mazzella Giuseppe
Published: January 2016

Background & Aims

Indocyanine green retention test (ICG‐r15) is a non‐invasive marker of functional hepatic reserve. Among patients with compensated cirrhosis, ICG‐r15 correlates to the degree of portal hypertension (PH); however, its prognostic relationship with the occurrence of decompensation events still requires clarification.

Methods

ICG‐r15 was prospectively measured in 154 patients with compensated cirrhosis. Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), Child–Pugh B‐C, MELD>15, bilirubin > 2 mg/dl, INR > 1.5 or portal vein thrombosis were excluded. All patients underwent laboratory tests, upper endoscopy and hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG). Decompensation, development of HCC, liver transplant and death were recorded and analysed through competing‐risk analysis.

Results

The study group was composed of 134 patients who were followed for a median of 39 months. During follow‐up, 46 patients (34.3%) developed liver decompensation. Hepatocellular carcinoma occurred in 18 patients and two patients died from non‐liver‐related causes. The 1‐, 2‐ and 3‐year cumulative incidences of decompensation were 9.7%, 28.4% and 33.4% respectively. Patients with ICG‐r15 < 10% did not experience any decompensation events during follow‐up, while the 3‐year cumulative incidence of decompensation of patients with ICG‐r15 between 10% and 22.9% was 29.2% and that of patients with ICG‐r15 ≥ 23% was 70.0% (P < 0.001). ICG‐r15 gave the lowest pseudo‐log‐likelihood value, in comparison to oesophageal varices present, MELD, low platelet count and HVPG.

Conclusions

ICG‐r15 appears to be strictly related to liver decompensation, longitudinally confirming the preliminary findings of its correlation with PH among patients with compensated cirrhosis, and can be used for patient prognostication.
Viral eradication reduces all‐cause mortality in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection: a propensity score analysis
Authors: Tada Toshifumi , Kumada Takashi , Toyoda Hidenori , Kiriyama Seiki , Tanikawa Makoto , Hisanaga Yasuhiro , Kanamori Akira , Kitabatake Shusuke , Yama Tsuyoki , Tanaka Junko
Published: January 2016

Background & Aims

Eradication of hepatitis C virus (HCV) by interferon (IFN)‐based therapy has been reported to reduce all‐cause mortality rates in patients with chronic HCV infection. However, the impact of HCV eradication on non–liver‐related mortality including the causes of death has not been sufficiently investigated in patients with chronic HCV infection.

Methods

We enrolled 2743 patients with chronic HCV infection. Causes of death, incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and all‐cause mortality including non–liver‐related diseases, were analysed.

Results

Of these 2743 patients, 587 achieved sustained virological response (SVR) (eradication of HCV) by IFN‐based therapy (IFN‐SVR), 475 did not (without HCV eradication) (IFN‐non‐SVR), or 1681 did not receive IFN‐based therapy (non‐IFN patients) (Cohort 1); of these, 309 were selected from IFN‐SVR and non‐IFN groups using propensity score matching (Cohort 2).The median follow‐up duration was 11.4 years. In Cohort 1 patients, mortality rates from non–liver‐related diseases were 71.0% (22/31) in IFN‐SVR patients, 34.9% (37/106) in IFN‐non‐SVR patients and 50.0% (248/496) in non‐IFN patients respectively. In Cohort 2 patients, mortality rates from non–liver‐related diseases were 72.2% (13/18) in IFN‐SVR patients and 46.8% (29/62) in non‐IFN patients respectively. The eradication of HCV reduced all‐cause mortality (hazard ratio (HR), 0.265; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.058–0.380) including non–liver‐related mortality (HR, 0.439; 95% CI, 0.231–0.834) and the incidence of HCC (HR, 0.275; 95% CI, 0.156–0.448).

Conclusions

Eradication of HCV reduced not only liver‐related mortality but also non–liver‐related mortality in patients with chronic HCV.
Application of multivariate statistical techniques in microbial ecology
Authors: Paliy O. , Shankar V.
Published: January 2016

Recent advances in high‐throughput methods of molecular analyses have led to an explosion of studies generating large‐scale ecological data sets. In particular, noticeable effect has been attained in the field of microbial ecology, where new experimental approaches provided in‐depth assessments of the composition, functions and dynamic changes of complex microbial communities. Because even a single high‐throughput experiment produces large amount of data, powerful statistical techniques of multivariate analysis are well suited to analyse and interpret these data sets. Many different multivariate techniques are available, and often it is not clear which method should be applied to a particular data set. In this review, we describe and compare the most widely used multivariate statistical techniques including exploratory, interpretive and discriminatory procedures. We consider several important limitations and assumptions of these methods, and we present examples of how these approaches have been utilized in recent studies to provide insight into the ecology of the microbial world. Finally, we offer suggestions for the selection of appropriate methods based on the research question and data set structure.
Two Novel Approaches to Reduce False Alarm Due to Non‐Earthquake Events for On‐Site Earthquake Early Warning System
Authors: Hsu Ting‐Yu , Wu Rih‐Teng , Chang Kuo‐Chun
Published: January 2016

An on‐site earthquake early warning system (EEWS) can provide more lead‐time at regions that are close to the epicenter of an earthquake because only seismic information of a target site is required. Instead of leveraging the information of several stations, the on‐site system extracts some P‐wave features from the first few seconds of vertical ground acceleration of a single station. It then predicts the intensity of the forthcoming earthquake at the same station according to these features. However, the system may be triggered by some vibration signals that are not caused by an earthquake or by interference from electronic signals, which may consequently result in a false alarm at the station. Thus, this study proposes two approaches to distinguish the vibration signals caused by non‐earthquake events from those caused by earthquake events based on support vector classification (SVC) and singular spectrum analysis (SSA). In the first approach (Approach I), the fast Fourier transform algorithm and the established SVC model are employed to classify the vibration signals. In the second approach (Approach II), a SSA criterion is added to Approach I for the purpose of identifying earthquake events that are classified as non‐earthquake events by the SVC model with increased accuracy. Both approaches are verified by using data collected from the Taiwan Strong Motion Instrumentation Program and EEW stations of the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering. The results indicate that both of the proposed approaches effectively reduce the possibility of false alarms caused by an unknown vibration event.
Review: Multiple system atrophy: emerging targets for interventional therapies
Authors: Stefanova N. , Wenning G. K.
Published: January 2016

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a fatal orphan neurodegenerative disorder that manifests with rapidly progressive autonomic and motor dysfunction. The disease is characterized by the accumulation of α‐synuclein fibrils in oligodendrocytes that form glial cytoplasmic inclusions, a neuropathological hallmark and central player in the pathogenesis of MSA. Here, we summarize the current knowledge on the etiopathogenesis and neuropathology of MSA. We discuss the role of α‐synuclein pathology, microglial activation, oligodendroglial dysfunction and putative cell death mechanisms as candidate therapeutic targets in MSA.
Living with dementia in hospital wards: a comparative study of staff perceptions of practice and observed patient experience
Authors: Innes Anthea , Kelly Fiona , Scerri Charles , Abela Stephen
Published: January 2016

Aims and objectives

To ascertain the experiences, attitudes and knowledge of staff working in two Maltese hospital wards and the observed experiences of people with dementia living there. To examine the impact of recommendations made in October 2011 for improving the psychosocial and physical environments of the wards 1 year later.

Background

There is an increasing policy recognition of the need for a better trained and educated dementia care workforce and of ensuring that the environmental design of care settings meets the needs of people with dementia.

Design and methods

At both time points, three established and validated data‐collection methods evaluated (i) staff/patient interaction and patient experience, (ii) the extent to which the wards met dementia friendly principles and (iii) staff views about their work environment and their perceptions about their practice. Sixteen (five male and 11 female) patients with dementia and 69 staff in the two wards participated in the study.

Results

We noted small but important changes; however, the physical and psychosocial environments of the wards did not always align to current recommendations for dementia care, with staff perceptions of care delivery not always reflecting the observed experiences of care of those living with dementia.

Conclusions

Comparing staff questionnaire data with observational methods offered a unique opportunity to understand multiple perspectives in a complex hospital setting. Incorporating these perspectives into staff and management feedback allowed for recommendations that recognised both patient‐centred values and staff constraints.
Enhancing the Photocatalytic Activity of Sr4Al14O25: Eu2+, Dy3+ Persistent Phosphors by Codoping with Bi3+ Ions
Authors: García Carlos R. , Oliva Jorge , Romero Maria Teresa , Diaz‐Torres Luis A.
Published: January 2016

The photocatalytic activity of Bismuth‐codoped Sr4Al14O25: Eu2+, Dy3+ persistent phosphors is studied by monitoring the degradation of the blue methylene dye UV light irradiation. Powder phosphors are obtained by a combustion synthesis method and a postannealing process in reductive atmosphere. The XRD patterns show a single orthorhombic phase Sr4Al14O25: Eu2+, Dy3+, Bi3+ phosphors even at high Bismuth dopant concentrations of 12 mol%, suggesting that Bi ions are well incorporated into the host lattice. SEM micrographs show irregular micrograins with sizes in the range of 0.5–20 μm. The samples present an intense greenish‐blue fluorescence and persistent emissions at 495 nm, attributed to the 5d–4f allowed transitions of Eu2+. The fluorescence decreases as Bi concentration increases; that suggest bismuth‐induced traps formation that in turn quench the luminescence. The photocatalytic evaluation of the powders was studied under both 365 nm UV and solar irradiations. Sample with 12 mol% of Bi presented the best MB degradation activity; 310 min of solar irradiation allow 100% MB degradation, whereas only 62.49% MB degradation is achieved under UV irradiation. Our results suggest that codoping the persistent phosphors with Bi3+ can be an alternative to enhance their photocatalytic activity.
Molecular evolution and functional characterisation of haplotypes of an important rubber biosynthesis gene in Hevea brasiliensis
Authors: Uthup T. K. , Rajamani A. , Ravindran M. , Saha T.
Published: January 2016

Hydroxy‐methylglutaryl coenzyme‐A synthase (HMGS) is a rate‐limiting enzyme in the cytoplasmic isoprenoid biosynthesis pathway leading to natural rubber production in Hevea brasiliensis (rubber). Analysis of the structural variants of this gene is imperative to understand their functional significance in rubber biosynthesis so that they can be properly utilised for ongoing crop improvement programmes in Hevea. We report here allele richness and diversity of the HMGS gene in selected popular rubber clones. Haplotypes consisting of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the coding and non‐coding regions with a high degree of heterozygosity were identified. Segregation and linkage disequilibrium analysis confirmed that recombination is the major contributor to the generation of allelic diversity, rather than point mutations. The evolutionarily conserved nature of some SNPs was identified by comparative DNA sequence analysis of HMGS orthologues from diverse taxa, demonstrating the molecular evolution of rubber biosynthesis genes in general. In silico three‐dimensional structural studies highlighting the structural positioning of non‐synonymous SNPs from different HMGS haplotypes revealed that the ligand‐binding site on the enzyme remains impervious to the reported sequence variations. In contrast, gene expression results indicated the possibility of association between specific haplotypes and HMGS expression in Hevea clones, which may have a downstream impact up to the level of rubber production. Moreover, haplotype diversity of the HMGS gene and its putative association with gene expression can be the basis for further genetic association studies in rubber. Furthermore, the data also show the role of SNPs in the evolution of candidate genes coding for functional traits in plants.
Safety Does Not Happen by Accident: Antecedents To A Safer Warehouse
Authors: deVries Jelle , deKoster René , Stam Daan
Published: January 2016

On a daily basis, thousands of employees suffer from severe occupational accidents worldwide. These accidents not only lead to negative consequences for the physical and mental health of employees, but also to high costs for companies and the society as a whole. A large share of these accidents take place in warehouses. Prior research has demonstrated the critical role of leadership, and especially safety‐specific transformational leadership (SSTL), in reducing warehouse accidents. Yet several important questions concerning SSTL remain: What effects does SSTL have on outcomes other than safety, and what determines whether leaders display SSTL behaviors? To answer these questions, this research studies the relationship between SSTL of warehouse managers and not only occupational accidents, but also quality and productivity. Moreover, it investigates the managers who are most likely to display SSTL. Data from 87 warehouse managers and 1233 employees were used to test the conceptual model. The results suggest that the dispositional prevention focus of the manager (one of two possible motivational strategies that people deploy) positively relates to SSTL, and that SSTL negatively relates to occupational accidents. Furthermore, SSTL and its identified negative relationship with occupational accidents does not appear to have detrimental impact on productivity or quality. These results extend existing models of SSTL and safety, and can help companies to reduce the number of accidents and the associated costs by selecting and developing safety‐specific transformational leaders.
Dual Sourcing Under Random Supply Capacities: The Role of the Slow Supplier
Authors: Tan Burcu , Feng Qi , Chen Wen
Published: January 2016

Sourcing from multiple suppliers with different characteristics is common in practice for various reasons. This paper studies a dynamic procurement planning problem in which the firm can replenish inventory from a fast and a slow supplier, both with uncertain capacities. The optimal policy is characterized by two reorder points, one for each supplier. Whenever the pre‐order inventory level is below the reorder point, a replenishment order is issued to the corresponding supplier. Interestingly, the reorder point for the slow supplier can be higher than that of the fast even if the former has a higher cost, lower reliability, and smaller capacity than the latter, suggesting the possibility of ordering exclusively from an inferior slow supplier in the short term. Moreover, the firm may allocate a larger portion of the long‐term total order quantity to the slow supplier than to the fast, even if the former does not possess any cost or reliability advantage over the latter. Such phenomena, different from the observations made in previous studies, happen when the demand is uncertain and the supply is limited or unreliable. Our observations highlight the importance of incorporating both demand uncertainty and supplier characteristics (i.e., cost, lead time, capacity and uncertainty) in a unified framework when formulating supplier selection and order allocation strategies.
Heterogeneous Submission Behavior and its Implications for Success in Innovation Contests with Public Submissions
Authors: Bockstedt Jesse , Druehl Cheryl , Mishra Anant
Published: January 2016

Innovation contests are increasingly adopting a format where submissions are viewable by all contestants and the information structure changes during the contest. In such an “unblind” format, contestants must weigh the costs of revealing their submissions against the benefits of improving their submissions through emerging information. We take a closer look at how contestants solve problems in innovation contests with public submission of solutions—that is, unblind contests, by examining the implications of their submission behavior for contest outcomes. We analyze the submission behavior in terms of three dimensions: the position of first submission by the contestant, the number of submissions the contestant makes, and the length of active participation by the contestant. The econometric analysis of a large dataset of unblind innovation contests and participating contestants indicates that, despite the potential for free riding and intellectual property loss from disclosure of submissions, contestants who have a lower position of first submission are more likely to succeed in the contest. Further, we find some evidence of a curvilinear relationship between a contestant's number of submissions and her likelihood of success, indicating a potential “quality–quantity” trade‐off in unblind innovation contests. Finally, our findings indicate that increasing the length of participation in a contest has a positive effect on a contestant's likelihood of success. Departing from prior studies on innovation contests, where a contestant's success is assumed to be a function of her prior experience and problem‐solving skills, our study provides new empirical evidence that, in innovation contests with public submissions, the submission behavior of a contestant also plays an explanatory role in a contestant's success.
REGIONAL HUMAN CAPITAL DISTRIBUTION AND DISPARITIES IN TURKEY
Authors: Erdem Umut
Published: January 2016

Human capital is a major driver of regional growth and provides insight into degrees of regional disparity (Barro & Lee ). Addressing these disparities is crucial to economic stability and cohesion in Turkey; therefore, we investigated the regional distribution of human capital and its evolution between 2008 and 2012. We used district level address‐based population registration system data from 957 districts to analyze regional human capital disparities and report significant results. Specifically, regional disparities in human capital are decreasing in Turkey, but enormous regional district level disparities persist. A disparity exists between the western and eastern regions in human capital at both primary and secondary educational levels. However, this east–west dualism almost disappears with regard to human capital at the tertiary educational level, which is heavily concentrated in Turkey's major cities (Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Kocaeli, and Bursa).
Litigious, Pedagogical, Redemptive, Lethal: Iosif Volotskii's Calculated Insults
Authors: GOLDFRANK DAVID
Published: January 2016

Iosif Volotskii is renowned especially for the political and cultural significance of the monastery he founded and his successful campaign against the accused “Novgorod” or “Judazing” heretics of his day. It is well recognized that his massive influence was due in part to his sharp pen, but no one so far has examined the role of his insults, something no less a figure than Aristotle recognized as a potent rhetorical device. This essay shows how Iosif was masterful in treating rhetorical insults as reliable premises in his syllogistic arguments, whose subject matter ranged from simple scrapes over runaways—to or from his monastery—to sincere homiletics in the interest of his community and other believers, to doctrinal disputes with the imagined or real heretics of his discourses, to vicious quarrels over the survival of his cloister his own status as ordained priest‐abbot, and to campaigns in favor of imprisoning and executing alleged heretics. In turn, Iosif’s very successes in public life and against his opponents led to his likewise being the recipient of such insults against his confrontational tactics, monastery’s riches, and advocacy of the death penalty for dissidence. Late medieval Muscovy was no place for sissies.
Viral Genome Tethering to Host Cell Chromatin: Cause and Consequences
Authors: Aydin Inci , Schelhaas Mario
Published: January 2016

Viruses are small infectious agents that replicate in cells of a host organism and that evolved to use cellular machineries for all stages of the viral life cycle. Here, we critically assess current knowledge on a particular mechanism of persisting viruses, namely, how they tether their genomes to host chromatin, and what consequences arise from this process. A group of persisting DNA viruses, i.e. gamma‐herpesviruses and papillomaviruses (PV), uses this tethering strategy to maintain their genomes in the nuclei during cell division. Thus, these viruses face the challenge of viral genome loss during mitosis, as they are transported with the host chromosomes to the nascent daughter nuclei. Incidentally, another group of viruses, certain retroviruses and PV, have adopted this tethering strategy to deliver their genomes into the nuclei of dividing cells during cell entry. By exploiting a phase in the cell cycle when the nuclear envelope is disassembled, viruses bypass the need to engage with the nuclear import machinery. Recent reports suggest that tethering may induce severe cellular consequences that involve activation of mitotic checkpoints, causing missegregation of host chromosomes and genomic instability, which may contribute to cancer.
The Innovation Performance of Irish and Foreign‐owned Firms: The Roles of R&D and Networking
Authors: Doran Justin , O'Leary Eoin
Published: January 2016

This paper contributes to the growing evidence that Irish and foreign‐owned firms based in Ireland conduct their innovation activities differently from each other. It tests the Cohen and Levinthal hypothesis, separately for Irish and foreign‐owned firms, that undertaking R&D and collaborating with external networks together enhance the probability of product and process innovation. To control for potential endogeneity of the external networking variables, a two‐step procedure is used with predicted probabilities used as instruments in the estimated production functions. Based on data from the Irish Community Innovation Survey 2006 to 2008, the results suggest that Irish‐owned firms which engage in external networks with public knowledge sources, while simultaneously undertaking R&D, are more likely to innovate than firms which perform these two activities individually. Irish‐owned firms which engage in backward networking for product and forward networking for process innovation while also undertaking R&D are less likely to be innovative, perhaps suggesting a substitution effect. These results for Irish‐owned firms provide some support for Cohen and Levinthal's hypothesis. However, foreign‐owned firms seem to behave differently, being largely self‐contained and relying exclusively on intramural R&D for innovation as the external networking variables, both individually and when interacted with R&D, have no effect on innovation likelihood.
Geometrical Kinematic Analysis of a Planar Serial Manipulator Using a Barycentric Formula
Authors: Lee Chan , Lee Jeh Won , Seo TaeWon
Published: January 2016

The kinematics, instantaneous motion, and statics of a manipulator have recently been determined algebraically. In the past, such studies did not provide any intuition about the equation. Robot designers had to use a numerical method or trial-and-error solver with unintuitive equations. Alternatively, all algebraic processes have their own geometrical meaning. Geometric analysis provides intuition for designing the linkages of a robot. Screw theory and barycentric formulas are used to find meaningful geometric measures. The kinematics and statics of a manipulator are described by an axis screw and its reciprocal line screw. The barycenter of a triangle with edges and a perpendicular distance between the two screws are useful geometric measures for geometric analysis. This study provides a geometric interpretation of the kinematics and statics of a planar manipulator using a barycentric formula.
Computer Aided Ergonomics Through Parametric Biomechanical Simulation
Authors: Miehling Jörg , Schuhhardt Jürgen , Paulus-Rohmer Florian , Wartzack Sandro
Published: January 2016

Computer aided ergonomics and particularly biomechanical simulations hold high potential for the implementation of the virtual product development paradigm in the field of human-centric design. Unfortunately, the relation between efforts to be invested to the insights gained by musculoskeletal simulations is still not sufficient for a widespread industrial application.

This contribution shows how parametric biomechanical simulations can be used to gain specific indications on how interaction points of human-centric products are to be designed to meet the competencies of a given target user. This is demonstrated using cycling and rowing as two exemplary activities involving the entire human body. These activities are empirically well studied and electromyographic as well as force measurements are available.

The comparison of the biomechanical simulations to the real-world scenario permits the validation of the proposed parametric approach as well as the applied models. This is a prerequisite for its application along the product engineering process.
Systematic Use of Instant Centers in the Dynamics Analysis of Single-DOF Planar Mechanisms
Authors: Di Gregorio Raffaele
Published: January 2016

Many even complex machines employ single-dof planar mechanisms. The instantaneous kinematics of planar mechanisms can be fully understood by analyzing where the instant centers (ICs) of the relative motions among mechanism’s links are located. ICs’ positions depend only on the mechanism configuration in single-dof planar mechanisms and a number of algorithms that compute their location have been proposed in the literature. Once ICs positions are known, they can be exploited, for instance, to determine the velocity coefficients of the mechanism and the virtual work of the external forces applied to mechanism’s links. Here, these and other ICs’ properties are used to build a novel dynamic model and an algorithm that solves the dynamic problems of single-dof planar mechanisms. Then, the proposed model and algorithm are applied to a case study.
Towards Automated Design of Mechanically Functional Molecules
Authors: Manion Charles A. , Arlitt Ryan , Tumer Irem , Campbell Matthew I. , Greaney P. Alex
Published: January 2016

Metal Organic Responsive Frameworks (MORFs) are a proposed new class of smart materials consisting of a Metal Organic Framework (MOF) with photoisomerizing beams (also known as linkers) that fold in response to light. Within a device these new light responsive materials could provide the capabilities such as photo-actuation, photo-tunable rigidity, and photo-tunable porosity. However, conventional MOF architectures are too rigid to allow isomerization of photoactive sub-molecules. We propose a new computational approach for designing MOF linkers to have the required mechanical properties to allow the photoisomer to fold by borrowing concepts from de novo molecular design and graph synthesis. Here we show how this approach can be used to design compliant linkers with the necessary flexibility to be actuated by photoisomerization and used to design MORFs with desired functionality.
Synthesis of Structure Borne Vehicle Interior Noise due to Tire/Road Interaction
Authors: Palanivelu Sakthivel , Ramarathnam Krishna Kumar
Published: January 2016

The pneumatic tire is one of the important sources of noise and vibration in a vehicle. Modern vehicles have implemented good preventive and control measures for power unit and aerodynamic NVH. Hence, the tire/road interaction has become a dominant source. Riegel and Wiedemann [1] have reported the dominance of tire/road interaction over engine and wind sources, in contributing to vehicle interior noise. Vehicle interior noise due to tire/road interaction consists of two components, namely structure borne noise caused due to low frequency excitation (below 500 Hz) and air borne component which are due to mid and high frequency excitation (above 500 Hz). Experimental Transfer Path Analysis (TPA) is a tool to identify whether the source or transmission path needs to be altered for reducing the cabin noise. This paper describes the successful implementation of experimental TPA to synthesize structure borne vehicle interior noise due to tire/road interaction on a sedan class passenger car.

As a first step, the required local structural Frequency Response Functions (FRFs) and Noise Transfer Functions (NTFs) are determined in the laboratory for the vehicle without tire/wheel assembly by hammer impact test, by hitting at the spindle interface (paths). The second step is to repeat the test with tire/wheel assembly by an impact on the tire at the contact patch to get the same set of structural FRFs. The third step is to conduct a road test. The operational acceleration responses as well as interior sound pressure levels are measured for both engine on and off conditions for the same measurement points considered during the laboratory tests. These operational data are further combined with local structural FRFs of the vehicle to estimate the operational loads at the transfer paths using matrix inversion method. Then, the NTFs are multiplied with operational loads to synthesis the contribution of individual paths to the total structure borne vehicle interior noise. Lastly, path and vector contribution analysis are carried out from the TPA results to identify the critical paths for the critical frequencies. Moreover in this work the TPA is not only used to synthesize the structure borne interior noise, but also to estimate the road input excitation. Hence the tire force transmissibility from contact patch to vehicle spindle is determined. The estimated road excitation can be used in a parametric study to address the influence of tire design in contributing to structure borne vehicle interior noise.
Sketch Beautification in Air
Authors: Feng Nianteng , Jaiswal Prakhar , Rai Rahul
Published: January 2016

Computer-based sketches are geometrically accurate and can be rendered formally. However, existing interfaces of sketching are complex, non-intuitive, and require considerable learning time for novice users. In our work, we aim to develop an intuitive gesture-based sketching interface that provide designers with the freedom of sketching in the air, without touching or wearing any physical device. With our novel sketching system, users could draw letters, symbols, and drawings using non-contact depth-sensing cameras, such as SoftKinetic and Leap Motion. The system records user’s hand trajectory as raw sketch. The sketch is analyzed and beautified to express user’s intent more accurately. Beautification process involves segmenting the sketch into different segments and rebuilding it to form a more beautified sketch. In this process, we use 2/3rd power law which provides novel kinematic features of segments and helps to improve beautification. Our results show encouraging performance for a broad range of writing styles and drawings in the air.
Transfer Printing of Stretchable Electronics on Conformal Surfaces
Authors: Sharma Apoorv , Rai Rahul
Published: January 2016

In this paper, we outline a hybrid process to print stretchable electronic circuits on non-planar surfaces. Using this process, the stretchable structures, generated using traditional printed circuit board fabrication technology can be printed on conformal surfaces using transfer printing by PDMS membranes. Three different configurations of stretchable structures for use in the circuits are also compared for their robustness of shape representation and structural strength. The application of the proposed process is illustrated through application examples.
A Design Implementation Process for Robotic Hand Synthesis
Authors: Hassanzadeh Neda , He Xiangwei , Perez-Gracia Alba
Published: January 2016

The design of multi-fingered robotic hands can follow a kinematic synthesis approach, in which a trajectory or set of points and higher derivatives are defined for each fingertip. The output of the dimensional synthesis is a set of joint axes, effectively defining the basic kinematic structure of the hand. In the case of spatial motion, there seems to be a big gap between the results of the dimensional synthesis and a real and effective detailed design of the robotic hand, this being one of the reasons why synthesis is not regularly used in the design of robotic hands.

This work aims to reduce the gap from kinematic synthesis to detailed, computer-aided design of robotic hands. In order to do so, the output of the dimensional synthesis is first used as the input of a link-based optimization process, aim to bring to reasonable values requirements such as link lengths, internal friction forces and obstacle avoidance, including self-intersection. The optimized results are automatically imported to a popular solid modeling software, creating reference geometry for parts, and joint axes and anchor points for the final hand assembly. At the same time, a database of hand parts is presented to the user to select and adapt in order to create a first realistic assembly of the robotic hand.

The output of the process is a first detailed design of the robotic hand, which can be a good starting point for the designer to implement transmission and actuation in further stages.
Autonomous Microgrid Design Using Classifier-Guided Sampling
Authors: Backlund Peter B. , Eddy John P.
Published: January 2016

Identifying high-performance, system-level microgrid designs is a significant challenge due to the overwhelming array of possible configurations. Uncertainty relating to loads, utility outages, renewable generation, and fossil generator reliability further complicates this design problem. In this paper, the performance of a candidate microgrid design is assessed by running a discrete event simulation that includes extended, unplanned utility outages during which microgrid performance statistics are computed. Uncertainty is addressed by simulating long operating times and computing average performance over many stochastic outage scenarios. Classifier-guided sampling, a Bayesian classifier-based optimization algorithm for computationally expensive design problems, is used to search and identify configurations that result in reduced average load not served while not exceeding a predetermined microgrid construction cost. The city of Hoboken, NJ, which sustained a severe outage following Hurricane Sandy in October, 2012, is used as an example of a location in which a well-designed microgrid could be of great benefit during an extended, unplanned utility outage. The optimization results illuminate design trends and provide insights into the traits of high-performance configurations.
Mixed Exact and Approximate Position Design of Planar Linkages via Geometric Constraint Programming (GCP) Techniques
Authors: Mirth John A.
Published: January 2016

The synthesis of mechanisms to reach multiple positions can often be satisfied by the specification of a combination of exact and approximate positions. Geometric Constraint Programming (GCP) uses industry standard parametric modeling software to obtain solutions to planar synthesis problems. This paper demonstrates the capability of GCP to solve problems that contain a combination of exact and approximate positions. The approximate positions are added to existing GCP design approaches by the application of geometric constraints to locate moving points on a mechanism within specified circular target zones. The target zones are used to guide the coupler point of a linkage along an approximate path between critical precision positions. The approach applies to the synthesis of both four-bar and complex linkages. In complex linkages, the target zones can be applied to multiple points on the linkage to better coordinate the motion of one or more floating links with the overall mechanism motion. The methods presented in the paper focus on the use of 2 exact positions plus 2–3 approximate positions. Examples are provided for the solution of rigid-body guidance problems for both four-bar and six-bar linkages. As with many GCP solutions, the graphical solutions presented are well within the capabilities and understanding of both undergraduate students and the practicing engineer.
A Cascade Microfluidic Device for High Quality Mitochondria Extraction
Authors: Li Ching-Wen , Yen Pao-Hsin , Wang Gou-Jen
Published: January 2016

Recent researches have demonstrated that cells ingest mitochondrial by endocytosis to repair cell damage. This new mitochondrial therapy approach can be used for curing particular disease of neuropathy related diseases. Hence the obtainment of high quality and healthy mitochondria play an important role in mitochondrial based disease therapy. In this study, we propose a cascade microfluidic device for green extraction of healthy mitochondria. The geometry of the device was designed using the commercially available COMSOL package. Soft lithography process was than conducted to realize the device of PDMS. We used C2-GFP cells to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed cascade microfluidic device. The total protein assay kit (complex I-V) was conducted to examine the extractive protein and the SDS page (Tom 20) was used for measuring the activity of the extracted mitochondria. Experimental results illustrate that the complex I-V expression of the extracted mitochondria by the proposed device is much higher than that of the extracted mitochondria by conventional kit. Furthermore, the results of the Tom 20 expression also demonstrate that our device is able to extract more amounts of mitochondria than the conventional kit.
Course-Based Undergraduate Research: A Review of Models and Practices
Authors: Harris Anne , Babkoor Mohammed , Gu Tianchang , Kremer Gül E.
Published: January 2016

Based on the available evidence from published literature, we reviewed the effectiveness of Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs). In many cases, CUREs present open-ended, complex problems that student teams tackle. Our review of 41 published articles, additional archival research, and semi-structured interviews identified multiple benefits of CUREs, including their ability to introduce larger numbers of students to research than is possible within traditional, apprenticeship-style models for undergraduate research experiences. We identified outcomes of CUREs as well as obstacles to their successful implementation. We recommended a set of features for consideration for future CURE implementers. A brief comparison of CURE with REU, or Research Experience for Undergraduate, is also included in the paper.
Reliability-Based Design Optimization in X-Space Using Ensemble of Gaussian Reliability Analyses (EoGRA)
Authors: Lin Po Ting , Lin Shu-Ping
Published: January 2016

Reliability-Based Design Optimization (RBDO) algorithms have been developed to solve design optimization problems with existence of uncertainties. Traditionally, the original random design space is transformed to the standard normal design space, where the reliability index can be measured in a standardized unit. In the standard normal design space, the Modified Reliability Index Approach (MRIA) measured the minimum distance from the design point to the failure region to represent the reliability index; on the other hand, the Performance Measure Approach (PMA) performed inverse reliability analysis to evaluate the target function performance in a distance of reliability index away from the design point. MRIA was able to provide stable and accurate reliability analysis while PMA showed greater efficiency and was widely used in various engineering applications. However, the existing methods cannot properly perform reliability analysis in the standard normal design space if the transformation to the standard normal space does not exist or is difficult to determine. To this end, a new algorithm, Ensemble of Gaussian Reliability Analyses (EoGRA), was developed to estimate the failure probability using Gaussian-based Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) in the original design space. The probabilistic constraints were formulated based on each kernel reliability analysis for the optimization processes. This paper proposed an efficient way to estimate the constraint gradient and linearly approximate the probabilistic constraints with fewer function evaluations. Some numerical examples with various random distributions are studied to investigate the numerical performances of the proposed method. The results showed EoGRA is capable of finding correct solutions in some problems that cannot be solved by traditional methods.
A New Concept to Form Arc Cylinders to Parabolic Troughs Using Optimal Forces
Authors: Li Lifang , Guo Bin , Deng Zongquan , Guo Pengzhen
Published: January 2016

Large parabolic concentrating mirrors are an important component of many solar energy systems. They need to be relatively precise against disturbances as gravity, thermal gradients, wind loading, etc. Here, a new method is proposed to transform a cylindrical reflector surface that is easy to manufacture into a parabolic surface for use in large solar concentrators. This is achieved by applying a finite number of optimal point loads using actuators along the back of the cylindrical reflector surface. The paper details a finite element optimization method used to obtain the optimal force magnitudes to transform an arc cylinder into a parabolic trough. It also presents an analysis of the power boost realized at the receiver in going from a circular to parabolic cross-section. The proposed method is analyzed using theoretical derivations, numerical calculations and finite element model calculated in the finite element software ADINA. FEA shape results are optically ray-traced and focal errors are to evaluate the deformed shape. The mechanics can also be used to control other deformable optical surfaces. This concept has potentials to provide precision large parabolic trough concentrators at a substantially lower cost than conventional methods.
Automatic Placement of the Human Head Thanks to Ergonomic and Visual Constraints
Authors: Boualem Bilal , Chablat Damien , Moussaoui Abdelhak
Published: January 2016

This article aims to create automatic placement and trajectory generation for the head and the eyes of a virtual mannequin. This feature allows the engineer using off-line programming software of mannequin to quickly verify the usability and accessibility of a visual task. An inverse kinematic model is developed taking into account the joint limits of the neck and the eyes as well as interference between the field of view and the environmental objects. This model uses the kinematic redundancy mechanism: the head and eyes. The resolution algorithm is presented in a planar case for educational reasons and in a spatial case.