bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Factors Associated With Maintenance of Remission Following Change From Combination Therapy to Monotherapy in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Curtis Jeffrey R. , Emery Paul , Kricorian Greg , Yen Priscilla K. , Collier David H. , Bykerk Vivian , Haraoui Boulos
Published: April 2023

Objective

Some patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who persist in remission may decide to stop their therapy. We evaluated baseline characteristics associated with remaining in remission or low disease activity (LDA) following medication withdrawal.

Methods

The Study of Etanercept and Methotrexate in Combination or as Monotherapy in Subjects With Rheumatoid Arthritis (SEAM-RA) was a phase III, multicenter, randomized withdrawal, double-blind, controlled study in patients with RA on methotrexate (MTX) + etanercept (ETN). If remission (Simplified Disease Activity Index [SDAI] ≤ 3.3) was sustained through a 24-week run-in period, patients then entered a 48-week double-blind period and were randomized 2:2:1 to receive MTX monotherapy, ETN monotherapy, or continue combination therapy. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify baseline factors associated with remission or LDA at the end of both periods.

Results

Of 371 patients enrolled, 253 entered the double-blind period. After adjusting for other factors, covariates associated with achieving SDAI remission at the end of the run-in period included younger age, longer duration of MTX treatment, and less severe clinical disease variables. Covariates associated with maintaining remission/LDA at the end of the 48-week double-blind period included lower patient global assessment of disease activity (PtGA), lower C-reactive protein, rheumatoid factor (RF) negativity, longer RA duration in the MTX arm, shorter duration of ETN treatment, and lower magnesium.

Conclusion

These findings indicate patients with overall lower disease activity are more likely to remain in SDAI remission/LDA after switching from combination therapy to monotherapy. RF-negative status and lower PtGA scores were strongly associated with increased likelihood of remaining in remission/LDA with MTX or ETN monotherapy. (SEAM-RA;ClinicalTrials.gov:NCT02373813)
Les auto-blessures à l’adolescence au risque d’une lecture addictologique
Authors: Fierdepied Sophie , Ribadier Aurélien , Romano Hélène
Published: April 2023

Peu d’études françaises contemporaines se sont intéressées aux problématiques d’auto-blessures chez les adolescents dans une perspective addictologique. Cette recherche qualitative exploratoire inspirée de la grounded theory est réalisée auprès de huit jeunes reçus dans une Maison des Adolescents (MDA). Nous tentons de comprendre les nombreuses fonctions de cette conduite, ainsi que les spécificités des jeunes qui les pratiquent mises en perspective avec les fonctions retrouvées dans les pratiques addictives. Les jeunes rencontrés ont vécu des événements traumatogènes. Ils sont fragilisés sur le plan narcissique et identitaire et bouleversés par le processus pubertaire. Les auto-blessures, comme les conduites addictives, remplissent une fonction traumatolytique, de neutralisation, d’évacuation des affects non représentés qui s’expriment via le corps.
Semilattice relations on a semihypergroup
Authors: Gu Ze
Published: April 2023

In this paper, we give a unified method for constructing commutative relations, band relations and semilattice relations on a semihypergroup. Moreover, we show that the set of all commutative relations, the set of all band relations and the set of all semilattice relations on a semihypergroup are complete lattices.
Modeling the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant dynamics in the United States with booster dose vaccination and waning immunity
Authors: de León Ugo Avila-Ponce , Pérez Angel G. C. , Avila-Vales Eric
Published: April 2023

We carried out a theoretical and numerical analysis for an epidemic model to analyze the dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant and the impact of vaccination campaigns in the United States. The model proposed here includes asymptomatic and hospitalized compartments, vaccination with booster doses, and the waning of natural and vaccine-acquired immunity. We also consider the influence of face mask usage and efficiency. We found that enhancing booster doses and using N95 face masks are associated with a reduction in the number of new infections, hospitalizations and deaths. We highly recommend the use of surgical face masks as well, if usage of N95 is not a possibility due to the price range. Our simulations show that there might be two upcoming Omicron waves (in mid-2022 and late 2022), caused by natural and acquired immunity waning with respect to time. The magnitude of these waves will be 53% and 25% lower than the peak in January 2022, respectively. Hence, we recommend continuing to use face masks to decrease the peak of the upcoming COVID-19 waves.
Epidemiology of Suicide by Hanging in Fars Province, Iran (2011-2019): A Population-based Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Moftakhar Leila , Mirahmadizadeh Alireza , Amiri Sanaz , Rezaei Fariba , Azarbakhsh Habibollah
Published: April 2023

Objectives: Hanging is a common method of attempted suicide. This study investigated the epidemiological profile of attempted and completed suicides by hanging in southern Iran.Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 1167 suicide attempts by hanging between 2011 and 2019. All data related to suicide attempts by hanging were collected from the Fars Suicide Surveillance System. The trends in suicide cases and the mean age of attempted and completed suicides were plotted. The chi-square test was used to identify suicide-related factors. Crude rates of incidence, mortality, and standardized fatality during the study period were calculated. Finally, logistic regression was used to identify the predictors of death in individuals who attempted suicide.Results: The mean age of those who attempted suicide was 33.21±16.82 years; the majority were male (80.5%). The rate of attempted and completed suicide by hanging were 3.50 and 2.79 per 100 000 people, respectively. The case-fatality rate was calculated as 79.34%. The results of our study indicated an increasing trend in suicide attempts by hanging. The likelihood of death was 2.28 times higher in individuals with a previous history of suicide attempts and 1.85 times higher in those with a psychological disorder.Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest an increasing trend in attempted and completed suicide by hanging, especially among individuals with a history of suicide attempts and psychological disorders. It is necessary to take action to reduce the rate of suicide attempts and identify the underlying causes of suicide attempts by hanging.
Characteristics of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection in Hospitalized Children Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Thailand
Authors: Chaiut Wilawan , Sapbamrer Ratana , Dacha Sauwaluk , Sudjaritruk Tavitiya , Parwati Ida , Sumarpo Anton , Malasao Rungnapa
Published: April 2023

Objectives: This study compared the epidemiological and clinical manifestations of patients hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic at a tertiary care hospital in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand.Methods: This retrospective observational study utilized data from all cases of laboratory-confirmed RSV infection at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital from January 2016 to December 2021. Differences in the clinical presentation of RSV infection before (2016 to 2019) and during (2020 to 2021) the COVID-19 pandemic were analyzed and compared.Results: In total, 358 patients hospitalized with RSV infections were reported from January 2016 to December 2021. During the COVID-19 pandemic, only 74 cases of hospitalized RSV infection were reported. Compared to pre-pandemic levels, the clinical presentations of RSV infection showed statistically significant decreases in fever on admission (p=0.004), productive cough (p=0.004), sputum (p=0.003), nausea (p=0.03), cyanosis (p=0.004), pallor (p<0.001), diarrhea (p<0.001), and chest pain (p<0.001). Furthermore, vigilant measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including lockdowns, also interrupted the RSV season in Thailand from 2020 to 2021.Conclusions: The incidence of RSV infection was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand, which also changed the clinical presentation and seasonal pattern of RSV infection in children.
La implicación de España en actividades científicas sobre ciencia abierta. Análisis de proyectos y publicaciones científicas
Authors: De Filippo Daniela , Lascurain-Sánchez María Luisa
Published: April 2023

En este trabajo se presenta el desarrollo de un marco metodológico y conceptual para estudiar las actividades académicas sobre ciencia abierta en las que participan instituciones españolas. Se ha elaborado, también, una batería de indicadores para operacionalizar el análisis y estudiar los patrones de actividad de los diferentes sectores institucionales implicados. Utilizando una metodología cienciométrica, se han analizado los proyectos nacionales e internacionales concedidos en convocatorias competitivas y las publicaciones científicas sobre ciencia abierta. Los resultados obtenidos muestran una alta participación en proyectos europeos, que es una de las principales fuentes de financiación. Las universidades son el sector predominante en los proyectos nacionales (y también en las publicaciones, con una alta tasa de liderazgo); en los proyectos europeos la diversidad institucional es mayor. Destacan los tópicos relacionados con datos abiertos, innovación abierta, acceso abierto y ciencia ciudadana. Un 58% de los documentos están en acceso abierto y llegan al 62% al tratarse de publicaciones derivadas de proyectos financiados.
Competitividad de ciudades en el contexto latinoamericano: un análisis bibliométrico y de redes sociales
Authors: Sarmiento-Ramírez Yunier , Muñoz-Arroyave Elkin Argiro , Hechavaría-Pérez José Ramón , López-Martínez Alexandra , Pérez-Cutiño Yadira
Published: April 2023

La competitividad urbana se considera una de las prioridades de la Nueva Política Pública y su realidad, ya que la economía global ha cambiado drásticamente, destacando la importancia de la toma de decisiones locales y el desarrollo de políticas específicas para las ciudades. Este artículo analiza la producción científica sobre competitividad territorial de ciudades en el contexto latinoamericano. Para esto se realizó un estudio bibliométrico y de redes utilizando índices, técnicas de clasificación multivariante y softwares como el IBM-SPSS, VOS viewer y Gephi para el procesamiento de datos, construcción de redes e indicadores fundamentales de las redes sociales. El estudio destaca las producciones científicas más relevantes alineadas con la temática teniendo en cuenta el factor de impacto, citas y año de publicación, así como las categorías principales de análisis de los autores y la red social que se forma en función de las relaciones identificadas.
Coliving of de financialisering van Brusselse huizen
Authors: Casier Charlotte
Published: April 2023

Le coliving à Bruxelles consiste en la location, au sein d’un même bâtiment, de chambres accompagnées d’espaces communs et de services, opérée par des sociétés privées. Par sa formule tout-inclus meublée et flexible, cette offre de niche mais en croissance rapide s’adresse particulièrement aux jeunes expatrié·es présent·es à Bruxelles. L’analyse du développement de cette offre immobilière récente montre comment la financiarisation du secteur résidentiel locatif privé s’appuie sur la création de nouveaux produits formatés afin que les investisseurs puissent facilement y injecter leurs capitaux et en tirer des rendements élevés. À Bruxelles, le coliving est établi avant tout dans des maisons unifamiliales des quartiers du sud-est de la première couronne urbaine.
Maurice Goldring : histoire(s) au singulier. Quand le polar aide à comprendre et dépasser les contradictions de la géographie sectaire en Irlande et ailleurs
Authors: Robin Thierry
Published: April 2023

Maurice Goldring est connu pour la qualité et la rigueur de ses nombreux travaux sur l’histoire politique irlandaise récente et contemporaine. Ses travaux ne se contentent pas d’analyser les mécanismes complexes qui tentent de légitimer le recours à la violence, voire à la terreur, dans le cadre de luttes et de revendications politiques, ils explorent également les apories éthiques auxquelles cette violence conduit. Ses écrits littéraires sont sans doute moins connus et fournissent pourtant un éclairage singulier et subtil sur la période des Troubles en Irlande du Nord (1969-1998), tout en utilisant les formats et les codes du roman policier, du roman universitaire, ou campus novel, ou encore du récit de « faction ». Cet article vise à contextualiser et à évaluer de manière critique cette œuvre littéraire au sein de son œuvre universitaire, tout en établissant des parallèles avec des auteurs contemporains tels que Eoin McNamee ou Brian McGilloway. Cela permet notamment la reconnaissance des mérites spécifiques d’une approche narrativiste de l’Histoire. Une historiographie différente émerge alors, complémentaire de l’approche scientifique classique des faits, offrant une réflexion dynamique et renouvelée sur le débat démocratique, ses impasses et la pragmatique contradictoire qui en découle.
Irlande du Nord 2022 : analyse d’une crise systémique en hommage à Maurice Goldring
Authors: Cauvet Philippe
Published: April 2023

Cet article poursuit un double objectif : rendre hommage à Maurice Goldring et analyser la situation politique complexe dans laquelle se trouve l’Irlande du Nord en 2022. En s’inspirant du parcours intellectuel et politique de Maurice Goldring, cet article décrit et analyse la crise actuelle et la paralysie des institutions locales. Il démontre que cette crise n’est pas simplement conjoncturelle, car elle ne peut se réduire à une simple conséquence du Brexit. Ses causes sont beaucoup plus profondes et systémiques : c’est le système de démocratie consociationnelle qui est à l’origine de cette paralysie car, depuis 1998, il a durablement conforté et renforcé les allégeances communautaires et polarisé le débat autour de la question constitutionnelle. Plutôt qu’à se transformer, il a incité les partis politiques et les électeurs à se replier sur la défense des intérêts de leurs communautés respectives, y compris au point de bloquer le fonctionnement des institutions démocratiques locales.
Designing an Effective Teaching Learning Environment for an Undergraduate Software Engineering Course
Authors: Abirami A. M. , Pudumalar S. , Pandeeswari S. Thiruchadai
Published: April 2023

Software engineering is a core theory course offered in undergraduate engineering programmes which deals with various systematic approaches, methods, and tools that can be employed for designing, developing, testing, and maintaining quality software applications. It is one of the challenging courses for the teaching faculty. After graduation, the students are expected to practice software engineering principles and practices in their prospective projects. In order to satisfy the industrial requirement, and to create industry ready software professionals, software engineering course is offered as theory cum practical course. This article focuses on setting up an effective learning environment for learning software engineering courses. The course is blended with traditional classroom teaching methodology along with a set of pedagogical practices, active learning strategies, ICT tools for content delivery and assessment. This enhanced approach in teaching learning methodology improves student learning outcomes, which in turn helps them to adopt corporate practices more easily.
Learn to Train Like You Fight
Authors: Karjalainen Mika , Ojala Anna-Liisa , Vatanen Marko , Lötjönen Jarno
Published: April 2023

This qualitative study includes nine semi-structured interviews with cybersecurity experts from different security-related organizations who are familiar with cybersecurity exercises. Its contribution to cybersecurity workforce development focuses on organizational learning rather than individual skills development and relevant competencies. It was found that the utilization of thematic analysis methods develop individual readiness and expertise. It also enhances the maturity of an organization's processes, roles, communication, and exercise capabilities. Moreover, the exercises increase social trust between individuals and organizations through business-to-business cooperation. However, there were several barriers and challenges in utilizing learned skills and competencies within an organization, including a need to increase the capacity of staff members who participate in the exercise.
The Role of Supply Chain Innovation for New Normal on the Relationship between SCM Practices and SMEs Performance
Authors: Sukati Inda , Awain Ali Mohsin Salim Ba , Ismaeel Raghed Ibrahim
Published: April 2023

This study proposes strategic partnerships with main suppliers (SPWMS), strategic partnerships with target customers (SPWTC), information sharing with supply chain partners (ISWSCP), internal supply chain integration (ISCI), and supply chain innovation (SCI) in new normal and SMEs performance. The result showed that: (1) SPWMS was a significant predictor of SMEs performance, (2) SCI in new normal was not a significant moderator of the relationship between SPWMS and SMEs performance, (3) SPWTC was a significant predictor of SMEs performance, (4) SCI in new normal did not significantly moderate the relationship between SPWTC and SMEs performance. (5) ISWSCP was a significant predictor of SMEs performance, (6) SCI in new normal was not a significant moderator of the relationship between ISWSCP and SMEs performance, (7) ISCI was the significant predictor of SMEs performance, (8) SCI in new normal was not a significant moderator of the relationship between ISCI and SMEs performance.
Credit Risk Models for Financial Fraud Detection
Authors: Xia Huosong , An Wuyue , Zuopeng (Justin) Zhang
Published: April 2023

Outlier detection is currently applied in many fields, where existing research focuses on improving imbalanced data or enhancing classification accuracy. In the financial area, financial fraud detection puts higher demands on real-time and interpretability. This paper attempts to develop a credit risk model for financial fraud detection based on an extreme gradient boosting tree (XGBoost). SMOTE is adopted to deal with imbalanced data. AUC is the assessment indicator, and the running time is taken as the reference to compare with other frequently used classification algorithms. The results indicate that the method proposed by this paper performs better than others. At the same time, XGBoost can obtain a ranking of important features that impact the classification results when performing classification tasks, making the evaluation results of the model interpretable. The above shows that the model proposed in the paper is more practical in solving credit risk assessment problems. It has faster response times, reduced costs, and better interpretability.
Building the Metaverse
Authors: Singla Ashish , Gupta Nakul , Aeron Prageet , Jain Anshul , Garg Ruchi , Sharma Divya , Gupta Brij B. , Arya Varsha
Published: April 2023

Virtual worlds are progressing toward a holistic abstraction of the metaverse. While there is abundant literature and synthesis on virtual worlds and related constructs, the linkages between above scholarly work and the “metaverse” are scarce. This research study addresses this gap by focusing on three specific research pursuits: a comprehensive definition of the metaverse that subsumes virtual world literature and looks at the metaverse as a sociotechnical stack, exploring the design elements of the metaverse, and a synthesis of future research direction associated with metaverse. For achieving the above goals, a hybrid research methodology comprising bibliometric analysis and a rigorous qualitative analysis of case studies across four major metaverse players with varied end goals was employed. The interpretive qualitative analysis was further distilled by mapping the emergent themes to the theoretical lens of affordances. This work presents a novel framework of metaverse design, establishing theoretical linkages between the sociotechnical fabric and applications of the metaverse.
Does Servant Leadership Enhance Employee Creativity and Performance?
Authors: Zada Shagufta , Khan Jawad , Zada Muhammad , Saeed Imran , Jun Zhang Yong
Published: April 2023

Grounding on social learning theory, this study investigates the link between servant leadership, employee creativity, and work role performance. To examine the proposed model, the authors collected data from 289 nurses and doctors through a multi-wave (i.e., a time-lag) survey. In this study, servant leadership positively affects employee creativity and work role performance, and knowledge sharing partially mediates the relationship between servant leadership, employee creativity, and work role performance. The results show that self-efficacy directly moderates the positive relationship between servant leadership and knowledge sharing, and indirectly affects the link between servant leadership, employee creativity, and work role performance via knowledge sharing.
Aerodynamics and Propulsive Modeling of a Bi-Rotor Convertible Aircraft for the Identification of Trim Conditions in Longitudinal Flight
Authors:   University of Seville, Javier Francisco , Roncero Sergio , Reyes Marta
Published: April 2023

Increasing attention is being paid recently to eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) vehicles for different applications, such as Search and Rescue. Convertible aircraft such as tilt-rotors seem to be one of the most promising concepts. The dynamics modeling and simulation of these vehicles is very challenging due to their wide flight envelope (from hovering to horizontal flight) and to the reduced amount of available data. This paper presents a model for the dynamics of a Bi-Rotor Convertible Aircraft, the ProVANT-EMERGENTIa, with a general formulation of the forces and moments acting over it. The equations are simplified to determine longitudinal flight trim conditions using wind tunnel identified aerodynamic and propulsive models. Trimmable flight envelope maps were successfully calculated considering the aircraft state variables (flight path angle, airspeed, and angle of attack) and the longitudinal control inputs (control surfaces deflection, propeller orientation, and throttle lever position). The flight envelope was found to be limited either by the saturation of the control surfaces deflection when the pitch moments were too large, or by the throttle lever when the propeller air incidence angle was too low. The size and shape of the envelope was impacted by the flight path angle: more limited for climb conditions due to the excess of Thrust demanded and of the greater pitch moments involved; less restricted for descents because of the opposite reasons.
Motion Amplification and Camera-Based Full Field Vibration Techniques
Authors:   RDI Technologies, Hay Jeff
Published: April 2023

Motion Amplification is a video-processing technique that detects subtle motion and enhances that motion to a level visible with the naked eye. Motion Amplification Technology can resolve motions as small as 250 nanometers at 1 meter and can be performed live and in real-time on even a modest laptop, making it suitable for a range of applications from product design and testing to field-based machinery fault diagnosis and structural testing. The process involves the use of a high definition and high dynamic range video cameras where every pixel becomes an independent point sensor creating millions of continuous data points in an instant. This essentially turns a high-definition camera into a full field vibration acquisition device with over 2.3 million independent sampling locations.
Honeywell Aspire-Series Satellite Communication System Validation on the NRC Bell 412 Advanced System Research Aircraft
Authors:   National Research Council of Canada, Alexander Marc ,   Honeywell Aerospace Limited, Tolonen Erik
Published: April 2023

The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and Honeywell Aerospace (EMS Aviation Technologies Inc. Canada) completed prototype testing of its helicopter Satellite Communications (SATCOM, Aspire 200 Series) system for certification assessment. As the NRC Bell 412 is experimental (fly-by-wire control system, upgraded engines and displays), the Honeywell HSD-400i system payload represented a surrogate integration on a standard Bell civil utility transport helicopter. Following NRC's airworthiness clearance, ground testing was completed with data collected encompassing aircraft performance, SATCOM performance, and radio frequency (RF) energy surveys. There was no negative influence of the integration or associated testing on aircraft engine or transmission performance. NRC aircraft radio frequency measurements indicated safe SATCOM RF energy outputs. Externally, higher RF energy output occurred in the aircraft's first quadrant (i.e.; nose and right of nose). Internally, higher RF energy occurred in the aircraft's cockpit decreasing towards the aft-cabin. Honeywell measurements of throughput, bandwidth, and linking via real time data analysis indicated acceptable SATCOM performance. Data rates for SATCOM reception and transmission were analyzed where worst case connectivity was assessed to be 25% less than those for best and baseline case rates. Overall, analyses by Honeywell engineers indicated that acceptable performance is expected for Aspire-200 systems integrated into transport utility class helicopters such as the NRC Bell 412 providing knowledge for Honeywell's substantiation of future SATCOM product Special Type Certificate applications.
Three Rotor Hub Flow Prediction Workshops (2016-2020) - What did we learn & What's next ?
Authors:   Pennsylvania State University, Schmitz Sven ,   US Army CCDC AvMC, Centolanza Louis , Jaffa Nicholas , Reich David , Tierney Charles , Thomas Mathew
Published: April 2023

The 'Rotor Hub Flow Prediction Workshops' have been productive collaborations between experimental and computational efforts in the important area of high-Reynolds number model testing of rotor hubs and associated complex interactional aerodynamics in the long-age wake as relevant to current and future rotorcraft. As such the hub flow workshops have joined the ranks of past successful collaborations such as the UH-60 Airloads and HART-II workshops. This paper begins by describing the basic physics of rotor hub flows and gives a brief summary of recent water-tunnel test campaigns. Following, the evolution of the hub flow workshops is summarized, with emphasis on the productive interactions between experimentalists and computational participants. A compilation of computational blind comparison results against measured data for all three workshops thus far is presented. Challenges associated with uncertainties in both experiments and computations and their effect on quantitative comparisons are discussed. In particular, emphasis is given to the 'Lessons Learned' on both sides and an outlook into remaining challenges and next research steps in the area of rotor hub flows is provided.
H160 Composite Fuselage: Multidisciplinary Approach
Authors:   Airbus Helicopters, Görlich Stefan , Arelt Rainer , Arent Jan-Christoph
Published: April 2023

The H160-B is the latest recently certified helicopter from Airbus Helicopters with extensive use of composite materials in the airframe. In this paper an overview of the fuselage architecture and its design will be provided. During the design phase emphasis was laid on close cooperation between all the involved engineering disciplines like architecture, design, stress, tooling, manufacturing simulation and production. Target was to achieve smaller tolerances resulting in better fit of the parts during assembly, increase first time right and show compliance with the latest airworthiness requirements. For composite parts this process will be shown using the examples of a main frame in prepreg technology and the Upper Deck Framework in RTM technology. The substantiation of the airframe was based on the similar new structure approach with analytical tools for numerical simulation that have been supported by tests of novel design features.
A Combined X-Ray CT and Mechanistic Characterization of Bearing Failure Mechanisms in Bolted Composite Components
Authors:   Global Engineering and Materials Inc., Lua Jim ,   NIAR at Wichita State University, Fulghum Ethan , Cui Xiaodong , Xiao Jian , Kariyawasam Supun , Saathoff Caleb
Published: April 2023

This paper presents the characterization of bearing failure mechanisms in composite joints with countersunk bolt by applying an X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) technique and a developed bearing failure model to build the physical mechanisms into the framework of continuum damage mechanics (CDM) in our composite bolted and bonded analysis tool for Abaqus (CB2ATA). The high-fidelity XCT was explored for the detection and characterization of bearing failure in bolted composite components without removing the fastener, which could introduce significant scatter in XCT scan due to its high density, compared with lightweight carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite laminates. A static bearing model was also developed for the damaged material response in the bearing region based on a micromechanics analysis in the longitudinal and transverse directions. In this study, single shear bearing (SSB) tests was firstly executed with XCT scan, and then progressive failure analyses were performed to explore the effects of bolt failure on the interaction of the intra- and inter-ply damages. The predicted load-displacement response was compared with experimental measurement, and the simulated failure patterns were compared with the XCT images. A new design was proposed using the enhanced analysis tool to achieve a dominant bearing failure mechanism on the basis of the current SSB test.
Quick Iteration Algorithm for Cylindrical Gear Contact Pattern Development
Authors:   Sikorsky a Lockheed Martin Co., Xu Biqiang
Published: April 2023

Gear load is transmitted by the engaged gear teeth. The load distribution on the engaged tooth surfaces directly determines gear tooth stress status and service life. The contact pattern, gear tooth contact pressure distribution, directly alters the maximum contact and bending stresses, is critical for drive system designs. For a real gear train, the deformations of gear blank, bearing, housing, etc. contribute to contact pressure distribution. It consequently changes local contact pressure and bending stress. To accurately predict the gear contact pressure and bending stress in service, the interaction of whole gear train components needs to be modeled in the gear tooth contact analysis. It is not computational efficient for general purpose FEA packages. Transmission3D (Calyx) is designed for gear contact pattern simulation for given gear tooth surface geometry. When the contact pattern deviates from the design target, how to design a new gear tooth geometry is an open issue and discussed in this paper. Inverse engineering concept with Boussinesq solution is invoked and implemented through Excel macro for gear tooth surface microgeometry design. The design iteration based on this developed method is fast and low cost for gear pattern development.
Novel Multi-Physics-based Modeling of a Quenching Process with Thermal-Metallurgical-Mechanical Interactions in Aluminum Component
Authors:   Global Engineering and Materials Inc., Lua Jim ,   University of Illinois, Yan Jinhui , Karuppiah Anand , Li Peipei , Stuebner Michael , Zhao Ze
Published: April 2023

Large aluminum forging parts are increasingly used in aerospace structures to enable structural unitization. In the fabrication of heat treatable aluminum parts for the aerospace industry, quenching is a crucial step to suppress the precipitation to retain the supersaturation of the solid solution, control the distortion, and minimize the residual stress in aluminum alloys. Because of the complex interaction between temperature, phase-transformation, and stress/strain relation that depends on the temperature distribution and the microstructure of the workpiece, there is no performance informed quenching process that can be applied reliably to reduce the high scrap rate of airframe aluminum forging parts with a significant amount of residual stress and distortion. The development of a quicker and more reliable qualification and certification procedure is so important given the stringent constraints on cost and schedule. The primary goal of this study is to develop a multi-physics tool to perform simulations with optimized quenching parameters to achieve minimum distortion. A high-fidelity thermal multi-phase fluid-structure interaction (FSI) model is applied to simulate fluid dynamics and temperature fields in the quenchant tank. The developed immersogeometric modeling approach is used next for an efficient model generation of a 3D workpiece with various dipping orientations. Given the temperature and pressure profiles predicted from the FSI based heat transfer module, residual stress and distortion prediction modules are developed by including temperature and pressure fields mapping and temperature and strain rate dependent property evolution via Abaqus’ userdefined subroutines. Verification and demonstration studies are performed using aluminum coupons dipped into a quenching tank of two different orientations with and without agitation. Time histories of the temperature and residual stress fields were predicted to explore the relationship between the process and performance.
A Study of Hormonal and Anthropometric Parameters in Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
Authors: Kambale Tushar , Sawaimul Komal Devanand , Prakash Supriya
Published: April 2023

Introduction:

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrinopathy with a complex metabolic disorder. PCOS is characterized by reproductive hormonal imbalances leading to the clinical presentation of hyperandrogenism and infertility. PCOS is also showing an increased prevalence of several other conditions such as obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) when compared with women without PCOS. The principal symptoms in patients with PCOS are irregular menstruation, acne, and excessive amounts of androgenic hormones. The Rotterdam PCOS consensus workshop has given specific criteria to establish PCOS diagnosis only after exclusion of other known disorders. Obesity is a common finding of women with PCOS, but it is not part of the diagnostic criteria. PCOS has metabolic characteristics that include prominent defects in insulin action and beta-cell function, defects that confer a substantially increased risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. PCOS women have an increased level of luteinizing hormone (LH) and a decreased level of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which leads to disorders in the regulation of the menstrual cycle. The values of LH and FSH are dependent on the day of the menstrual cycle in which the hormones are measured. Obesity also has an influence on these values.

Objectives:

The objective of this study was to compare the hormonal and anthropometric parameters in women with PCOS and healthy control group.

Materials and Methods:

This study was carried out in the Department of Pathology, Dr. D Y Patil Medical College and Research Centre, Pune, Maharashtra. Fifty female patients aged 16–40 years diagnosed with PCOS by known criteria were included in the study and compared with 50 healthy control group females.

Conclusion:

Elevated levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone, LH, FSH, and prolactin along with increased body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio were predictors of PCOS and the early metabolic abnormalities.
Hearing loss classification via AlexNet and Support Vector Machine
Authors: Wang Jing
Published: April 2023

This paper presents a new method for detecting hearing loss. Our approach is first to use AlexNet to extract the features. Then, we use the Support Vector Machine as a classifier to classify the images. 10-fold cross-validation results showed that the sensitivities of the healthy control group, the left-sided hearing loss group, and the right-sided hearing loss group in this method were 94.67%, 94.00%, and 95.17%, respectively, achieving a very good effect compared with other hearing loss detection methods. In conclusion, our method is effective for the identification of hearing loss.
On the Landis conjecture for the fractional Schrödinger equation
Authors: Kow Pu-Zhao
Published: April 2023

In this paper, we study a Landis-type conjecture for the general fractional Schrödinger equation

((-P)^{s}+q)u=0

. As a byproduct, we also prove the additivity and boundedness of the linear operator

(-P)^{s}

for non-smooth coefficents. For differentiable potentials

q

, if a solution decays at a rate

\exp(-|x|^{1+})

, then the solution vanishes identically. For non-differentiable potentials

q

, if a solution decays at a rate

\exp(-|x|^{\frac{4s}{4s-1}+})

, then the solution must again be trivial. The proof relies on delicate Carleman estimates. This study is an extension of the work by Rüland and Wang (2019).
Quenched small deviation for the trajectory of a random walk with random environment in time
Authors: Lv You , Hong Wenming
Published: April 2023

Рассматриваются вероятности малых уклонений случайного блуждания в случайной среде, меняющейся во времени. По сравнению с результатом Могульского ("Малые уклонения в пространстве траекторий", ТВП, 19:4 (1974), 755-765) для случайного блуждания с независимыми одинаково распределенными шагами, в случайной среде порядок уклонений оказывается меньше, что выражается в терминах условной дисперсии при фиксированной среде и при усреднении по среде.
Na styku. Performanse naturo-kulturowe w strefach kontaktu i konfliktu
Authors: Bal Ewa , Fox Dorota , Wąchocka Ewa
Published: April 2023

Nie da się ukryć, że mieszkając w Polsce, jesteśmy dzisiaj częścią świata utożsamianego z globalną Północą, opisywanego przez Arjuna Appaduraia i Achille Mbembego, ale jednocześnie żyjemy w miejscu, gdzie trajektorie historycznych procesów i wektory energii społecznych niekoniecznie są z tym światem zbieżne. Trwa tu bowiem nieustanny proces negocjowania geopolityki naszego poznania albo aktualizowanie różnicy między Wschodem a Zachodem Europy – różnicy, którą wojna Rosji z Ukrainą odgrywa w nowej odsłonie. (…) Trzeba zatem zdać sobie sprawę z tego, że określone wyobrażenia o globalnych podziałach świata często stanowią kognitywną matrycę lokalnych stref kontaktów międzykulturowych. (…) Ale efekty spotkań w owych strefach kontaktu wydają się całkowicie emergentne i wydarzeniowe, co usprawiedliwia wybór metodologii i narzędzi ich badania. Podstawowym narzędziem diagnostycznym stref kontaktu i konfliktu są dla nas performansy naturo-kulturowe, które sytuują człowieka w przestrzeni relacji ze środowiskiem naturalnym, terytorium, społecznym otoczeniem oraz indagują wyodrębnione w ten sposób związki, nadając im nową dynamikę i wykładnię. Performans pełni tu zatem funkcję epistemiczną, na równi z innymi, uznanymi zwykle za bardziej „naukowe”, sposobami badania i konceptualizowania świata.
Vertrieben aus Hamburg: Die Ärztin Rahel Liebeschütz-Plaut
Authors: Fischer-Radizi Doris
Published: April 2023

Ein Porträt vom Leben, Werk und Wirken der Ärztin Rahel Liebeschütz-Plaut. Rahel Liebeschütz-Plaut - 1923 die erste habilitierte Ärztin an der Medizinischen Fakultät in Hamburg und dritte habilitierte Ärztin überhaupt in Deutschland - musste als Jüdin nach der Machtergreifung der Nationalsozialisten ihren Beruf aufgeben. Bis sie 1938 mit ihrer Familie nach England emigrierte, hatte sie auf vielen Ebenen die zunehmende Entrechtung und Isolation der Juden erlebt. Um ihren Enkelkindern die Gründe für die Auswanderung zu erklären, hat sie berührende Erinnerungen an die Zeit in Hamburg von 1932 bis 1938 verfasst, die hier erstmals veröffentlicht werden. Den Erinnerungen ist eine Biographie vorangestellt, die Aspekte der Juden- und Frauenemanzipation aufgreift und eine ungewöhnliche Familiengeschichte erzählt. Im dritten Teil des Buchs wird die Bedeutung von Rahel Liebeschütz-Plauts wissenschaftlicher Forschung im historischen Kontext beschrieben.
EFFECT OF AMLODIPINE ON MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE-INDUCED CARDIAC OXIDATIVE STRESS IN RATS
Authors: Egbuonu A. C. C. , Alaebo P. O. , Atasie O. C. , Obike J. C. , Anoliefo C. L. , Iroerunachi G. F. , Lewechukwu E. C. , Egwu I. C. , Okeohia D. S. , Obinna F. C. , Okeke U. B. , Nwokenna H. , Ndukamma F. N. , Nwaiwe M. N. , Oti I. G.
Published: April 2023

Monosodium glutamate, MSG, induces oxidative stress which underlies many ailments including inflammation and heart dysfunctions. Amlodipine, AML, an anti-hypertensive could result to unknown effects on the cardiac oxidative function when co-taken with MSG. This study evaluated the effect of AML against experimental MSG-induced cardiac oxidative stress. Thus, rats orally and for 14 consecutive days received MSG (8000 mg/Kg/day). Cardiac oxidative stress bio-indicators: malondialdehyde, MDA, nitric oxide, NOX, glutathione peroxidase, GPX, superoxide dismutase, SOD, catalase, CAT, albumin, ALB, total protein, TP, magnesium, Mg, and zinc, Zn were determined. MSG significantly (p < 0.05) increased MDA and Zn but decreased others without altering NOX content compared to control rats in consistency with induction of cardiac oxidative stress in the rats. AML dose-dependently mitigated these MSG-induced oxidative effects. Thus, AML can protect against MSG-induced cardiac oxidative stress in the rats. Keywords: Monosodium glutamate, Amlodipine, Oxidative stress, Heart, Nitric oxide
ASSESSMENT OF ACTIVATED CARBON FROM Cocos nucifera HUSKS-CLAY COMPOSITES IN THE REMOVAL OF METALS FROM AQUEOUS-MEDIA
Authors: Adigwe I. P. , Konne J. L. , Cookey G. A.
Published: April 2023

Varying percentages (0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9 g) of Kono-Boue pure clay (control) and acid activated carbonized Cocos nucifera husk clay composites (AACCHCC) respectively were assessed for their effectiveness in the removal of Cu2+, Cd2+, Pb2+ and Cr2+ from aqueous media by batch adsorption technique using AAS-analyzer. The adsorbents were characterized using Energy-dispersive X–Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The adsorption parameters were determined based on optimal conditions of adsorbent dosage (0.90 g), initial adsorbate concentration (10.00 mg/L), pH (7.00), contact time of 60.00 mins (AACCHCC) and 80 mins (control) and at 300 rpm. Optimum percentage adsorptions of 98.29, 88.71, 99.47 and 60.30% respectively were obtained when the control was used as adsorbent and 99.99, 99.93, 99.80 and 86.15% respectively for the AACCHCC. EDXRF showed that AACCHCC was richer in K, Ca, and Ce than the control while SEM showed wider dispersed polycrystallites. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms used to describe the equilibrium data showed better fits for Langmuir (a monolayer homogenous model) while the kinetic studies fitted the pseudo-second order kinetic better. The study has shown that AACCHCC is a more effective adsorbent with a shorter uptake time of 60 mins than the control.
β-SITOSTEROL ISOLATED FROM ETHYL ACETATE LEAF EXTRACT OF Cissus populnea AND THE ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY
Authors: Danladi A. H. , Ushie O. A. , Egwaikhide P. A.
Published: April 2023

β-Sitosterol was isolated from ethyl acetate leaf extract of Cissus populnea and characterized using H-NMR spectroscopy analysis. The antimicrobial activity of the leaf extract was also investigated in this study. Column chromatography was used to fractionate the ethyl extract, and thin layer chromatography was used to monitor the fractions. The result of the study showed that all isolates of Cissus populnea leaf inhibited or exhibited antibacterial and antifungal activities against tested microbes, with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of Cissus populnea fractions against tested microbes or organisms ranging from 6.25 to 100g/ml. The majority of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) activity levels were lower than the MBC levels. A lower MIC value indicates that fewer plant fragments (isolates) are needed to prevent organism growth.; thus, plants with lower MIC scores are more effective antimicrobial agents.
PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBRANE FUEL CELL; EMPIRICAL REVIEW ON THE DEGREE OF SULPHONATION
Authors: Idibie C. A.
Published: April 2023

Empirical review on the degree of sulphonation of polymeric materials for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) was carried out. Fuel cell generally applies the principle of electrochemistry in which chemical energy is converted directly into electrical energy. Amongst the league of fuel cells, the proton exchange membrane fuel cell is the most promising. However, the central component of PEMFC is the ionic polymer membrane that must be rendered conductive. This study showed that the measure of sulphonation is pivotal in achieving conductivity of the polymer for fuel cell application. The study revealed that for an optimum conductivity to be achieved, optimum degree of sulphonation (DS) is needed. The recognized factors that affect the optimum degree of sulphonation were the type of sulphonating agent (as chlorosulponic acid achieved 39.04% and 50.21% differential increment over both sulphuric acid and fuming sulphuric acid, respectively), sulphur content (while the lowest Sc of 1.76% achieved 9.13% DS, the highest Sc achieved 20.04% DS), optimum acid concentration (as DS of 20.04 % was achieved with 1.6 mmol/g as against 2.0 mmol/g of 16.76 %), nature of the polymer base material (as more –SO3H groups attached to aliphatic polymers than aromatic), optimum time and stirring speed, optimum temperature, and optimum weight of the base polymer. The study was able to unravel that the degree of sulphonation can be determined via elemental sulphur analysis either by analytical or titrimetric method. The study also showed that the degree of sulphonation can be predicted correctly using a predictive model.
ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF LINOLEIC ACID FROM THE LEAVES OF Cnidoscolus aconitifolis (Miller) I. M. Johnston
Authors: Iheanacho E. K. , Igwe O. U. , OnyemachI P. E. N.
Published: April 2023

Linoleic acid [9Z, 12Z)]-octadeca-9,12-dienoic acid was isolated from the leaves of Cnidoscolus aconitlius, (Euphorbiaceae), a medicinal plant widely used as vegetable and in folkloric medicine in Niger Delta area of Nigeria where it is known as “Hospital too far”. The air-dried and pulverized leaves of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius was extracted with distilled methanol, using soxhlet apparatus. Isolation and purification were carried out using column and thin layer chromatographic technique. Structural elucidation using 1H-NMR, 13C-DEPT, COSY, HSQC, HMBC and with literature values confirmed the isolated compound as linoleic acid.
SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERISATION OF NI(II) COMPLEX OF L-LEUCINE
Authors: Oladunni N. , Anweting I. B. , Okon I. E.
Published: April 2023

Synthesis of [NiL2 ].2H2O (L = L-leucine) was carried out in basic solution and the complex was analysed using gravimetric analysis, molar conductivity measurements, UV-Visible and IR spectroscopies. Molar conductivity measurements showed that the composition of the metal complex corresponds to a metal-amino acid ligand ratio of 1:2. The IR spectrum showed that L-leucine functions as bidentate ligand with coordination involving the carboxyl oxygen and the nitrogen of the amino group. The result also suggests the presence of water of crystallization in the complex. Electronic spectrum and magnetic susceptibility measurements suggested a four-coordinate local symmetry around Ni (tetrahedral) ions. The results also intimate that the ligand, L-leucine, is a weak field ligand as it formed high spin complex with Ni(II) ions. Metal content and hydration water analyses showed that the complex of Ni contains two moles of water of crystallization. The results also hinted that the Ni(II) complex has no aqua ligand in their inner coordination sphere.