bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Concern for Intraoperative Distractions and Interference: An Observational Study Identifying, Measuring, and Quantifying Both within the Operating Theatre
Authors: Keogh Shane , Laski Deirdre
Published: December 2021

Background. Modern surgical research has broadened to include an interest into the investigation of surgical workflow. Rigorous analysis of the surgical process has a particular focus on distractions. Operating theatres are inherently full of distractions, many not pertinent to the surgical process. Distractions have the potential to increase surgeon stress, operative time, and complications. Our study aims to objectively identify, classify, and quantify distractions during the surgical process. Methods. 46 general surgical procedures were observed within a tertiary Irish hospital between June 2019 and October 2019. An established observational tool was used to apply a structured observation to all operations. Additionally, a nine-point ordinal behaviourally anchor scoring scale was used to assign an interference level to each distraction. Results. The total operative observation time was 4605 minutes (mean = 100.11 minutes, std. deviation: 45.6 minutes). Overall, 855 intraoperative distractions were coded. On average, 18.58 distractions were coded per operation (std. deviation: 6.649; range: 5–34), with 11.14 distractions occurring per hour. Entering/exiting (n = 380, 42.88%) and case irrelevant communication (n = 251, 28.32%) occurred most frequently. Disruption rate was highest within the first (n = 275, 32%) and fourth operative quartiles (n = 342, 41%). Highest interference rates were observed from equipment issue and procedural interruptions. Anaesthetists initiated CIC more frequently (2.72 per operation), compared to nurses (1.57) and surgeons (1.17). Conclusion. Our results confirm that distractions are prevalent within the operating theatre. Distractions contribute to significant interferences of surgical workflow. Steps can be taken to reduce overall prevalence and interference level by drawing upon a systems-based perspective. However, due to the ubiquitous nature of distractions, surgeons may need to develop skills to help them resume interrupted primary tasks so as to negate the effects distraction has on surgical outcomes. Data for the above have been presented as conference abstract in 28th International Congress of the European Association for Endoscopic Surgery (EAES) Virtual Congress, 23–26 June 2020.
Artemisinin Inhibits the Migration and Invasion in Uveal Melanoma via Inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathway
Authors: Farhan Mohd , Silva Marta , Xingan Xing , Zhou Zhiwei , Zheng Wenhua
Published: December 2021

Uveal melanoma is the most common primary ocular neoplasm in adults, with many patients ending up developing liver metastasis and facing a significant reduction of their life expectancy due to the lack of efficient treatments. Artemisinin is an antimalarial drug that has been widely used in the clinic and whose anticancer properties have also been described. Its reported safety, affordability, and ability to reach the ocular tissues point that it has a potential therapeutic agent against uveal melanoma. In the present study, we found that a subantimalaria dosage of artemisinin significantly attenuated the migration and invasion potential of uveal melanoma cells, in a concentration‐dependent manner. Assessment of the mechanisms underlying artemisinin anticancer action revealed that its use dramatically reduced the phosphorylation of PI3K, AKT, and mTOR in UM cells. Further inhibition of PI3K signaling, using LY294002, or of mTOR, by rapamycin, blocked the migration and invasion of UM cells similarly to artemisinin. In contrast, AKT or mTOR activator (Sc79 and MHY1485, respectively) attenuated the inhibitory effect of artemisinin on the migration and invasion abilities of UM cells, further validating that artemisinin’s anticancer effect is likely to be mediated via inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Artemisinin also induced mitochondrial membrane potential loss and apoptosis of UM cells, having no significant toxic effect on normal retinal neuronal cells RGC‐5 and epithelial cells D407. These findings and the reported safety of artemisinin’s clinical dosage strongly suggest the therapeutic potential of artemisinin in the prevention and treatment of uveal melanomas.
Parameter-Uniform Numerical Scheme for Singularly Perturbed Delay Parabolic Reaction Diffusion Equations with Integral Boundary Condition
Authors: Gobena Wakjira Tolassa , Duressa Gemechis File
Published: December 2021

Numerical computation for the class of singularly perturbed delay parabolic reaction diffusion equations with integral boundary condition has been considered. A parameter-uniform numerical method is constructed via the nonstandard finite difference method for the spatial direction, and the backward Euler method for the resulting system of initial value problems in temporal direction is used. The integral boundary condition is treated using numerical integration techniques. Maximum absolute errors and the rate of convergence for different values of perturbation parameter

ε

and mesh sizes are tabulated for two model examples. The proposed method is shown to be parameter-uniformly convergent.
The Construction of Territories in the Qin Empire
Authors: Tong Chun Fung
Published: December 2021

This essay revisits the territoriality of the Qin empire by examining the spatial division underneath its commandery-county system. With the universal implementation of centralized administration, scholars usually believe that the Qin empire exerted strong control across its territories. But new Qin sources suggest otherwise. It is evident that the Qin regime devised multiple schemes to structure its empire into three concentric zones with asymmetrical political relations. The respective features and functions of these zones were consonant with those of the center, semiperiphery, and periphery in the “core-periphery” model. The regime’s spatial strategy can be understood as a compromise made to accommodate the diverse landscape in different parts of its vast empire, especially in the newly conquered regions. This reminds us that despite having installed the unitary commandery-county system, the territorial control wielded by the Qin regime in its new territories was tenuous at best.
The Status of Crimea and the Sea of Azov as a Jurisdictional Hurdle in Ukraine v. Russia
Authors: Schatz Valentin Johannes
Published: December 2021

On 21 February 2020, the arbitral tribunal constituted under Annex vii of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (unclos) in the Dispute Concerning Coastal State Rights in the Black Sea, Sea of Azov, and Kerch Strait (Ukraine v. the Russian Federation) rendered its award concerning preliminary objections. This comment focuses on the arbitral tribunal’s findings concerning Russia’s two most important and far-reaching objections, both of which concern jurisdiction ratione materiae. First, it argues that the arbitral tribunal convincingly declined jurisdiction over those of Ukraine’s claims, which would have required the arbitral tribunal to decide the dispute between Ukraine and Russia concerning sovereignty over Crimea. Second, this comment analyzes the arbitral tribunal’s conclusion that the parties’ dispute concerning the status of the Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait was not of an exclusively preliminary character and must, therefore, be reserved for the proceedings on the merits.
Policy Framing and Comparative Discourse Analysis
Authors: Miranda Matthew Manuelito S.
Published: December 2021

Quezon City and the City of Baguio enacted anti-discrimination ordinances to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT+) persons. The 2014 Quezon City Gender-Fair Ordinance (QCGFO) and the 2017 Anti-Discrimination Ordinance of the City of Baguio (ADOCB) criminalized discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or expression. With similar societal contexts, these two cities legislated two different anti-discrimination ordinances. Using comparative discourse analysis, this case study compares their formulation and framing. Data were gathered and evaluated through library research, documents analysis, and key informant interviews. With contextualization and process-tracing, this article also describes discursive policy frames that were utilized in formulating these ordinances. The QCGFO protects the local LGBT+ community, while the ADOCB considers multiple social sectors. These policies may provide potential opportunities to integrate intersectionality in anti-discrimination policy-making. In all, this study offers exploratory insights on policy framing strategies for anti-discriminatory policies in two contextually similar Philippine localities.
Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition
Authors: Grassi Simonetta
Published: December 2021

This article gives an overview of the thrust and core provisions of the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition 20 years after its adoption. It examines the interlinkages between illicit firearms trafficking and other crimes and the ability of the Firearms Protocol to address these threats, as well as its ties to other international instruments in this area and existing challenges and responses in its implementation.
Human Trafficking and Corruption of Public Officials
Authors: Garciandia Rosana
Published: December 2021

Most countries in the world have adopted legislation tackling human trafficking and are allocating resources to fighting it. However, the content of such domestic legislation differs from country to country and its enforcement remains a challenge in many cases. In this fragmented landscape, one of the challenges in the enforcement of anti-trafficking legislation is the corruption of anti-trafficking law enforcement authorities. This article focuses on the connection between corruption and human trafficking, and on the intersection between the UN legal frameworks against human trafficking and corruption on this specific issue. The article proceeds in two parts: part 1 presents the factual connection between trafficking and corruption; part 2 analyses the intersection between the two legal frameworks and identifies some areas where there is potential for enhanced coordination.
Tackling Climate Change in China: A Hybrid Approach
Authors: Poderati Giuseppe , Ou Shutian
Published: December 2021

This article argues that climate change policies should be designed as far as possible with the involvement of civil society at large, as it is an existential problem that concerns the whole of humanity. It is suggested that in the Chinese context, the legal system and political decision-making processes could better address climate change for example, through the participatory processes promoted by the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development 1992 and subsequent instruments. The article explores the possibility of adopting a hybrid approach in China by developing an interactive platform linking the relevant components of civil society in order to gather critical expertise and insights from the community as a whole. A hybrid approach would be directed at combining the current top-down approach with a bottom-up approach, which would potentially contribute to an increase in transparency and accountability in legislative and political decision-making processes to produce the best possible legal approaches and policy strategies for addressing climate change.
Survival and Sovereignty: Forces on the Rise in Aurelio Tolentino’s Novels
Authors: Garcia Loida L.
Published: December 2021

Aurelio Tolentino (1869–1915) is best remembered as the first nationalist dramatist who was in and out of prison because of his mutinous writings. His five extant novels manifest the sociopolitical struggle of early 20th-century Filipinos from the worldview of a versatile author. Tolentino’s fiction from 1909 to 1914 unveils how the colonized adapted ingrained, rigid, and conventional Spanish influences to the liberal and materialistic scheme imposed by the United States. A sociohistorical approach was used to investigate Tolentino’s narratives, revealing a people with a pliant but firm character brought about by their four centuries of subjugation. The literary method used in the study likewise illuminates the economic and literary struggles of the author as an ex-convict. The novels illustrate how the suppressed survived and yearned for sovereignty from the dual domination that beset the land.
Laughter as Strategies in Business Communication Between Thai and Burmese Professionals
Authors: Kanchanapoomi Tabtip , Trakulkasemsuk Wannapa
Published: December 2021

Laughter is not just an element in human communication that signifies happiness and enjoyment, it can be used as a communication strategy to lubricate successful interaction including business communication. Nonetheless, not many studies have paid attention to laughter in business communication. Therefore, this paper sheds light on how Thai and Burmese participants used laughter in a restaurant and in a business meeting in Yangon, Myanmar. Audio data was collected together with various pieces of ethnographic data, for example, participant observations reported from extensive field notes, semi-structured interviews and audio recordings. The analysis was based on the classification of laughter adopted from Hayakawa (2003), and Murata and Hori (2007). The findings reveal that laughter is deployed as a communication strategy with different purposes such as to make fun of work, to ease tension and to threaten other interlocutors and unveil those factors which stimulate the laughter in informal and formal settings.
The Influence of Negative Orthographic Neighborhood in the Lexical Decision Task: Valence and Arousal Contributions
Authors: Camblats Anna-Malika , Gobin Pamela , Mathey Stéphanie
Published: December 2021

This study investigated whether the visual recognition of neutral words might be influenced by the emotional dimensions (i.e., valence and arousal) of orthographically similar lexical representations, and whether this might also depend on emotional-related traits of participants (i.e., alexithymia). To this end, 108 participants performed a lexical decision task with 80 neutral words with a higher frequency orthographic neighbor that varied in valence (from neutral to negative) and arousal (from low to high). The main finding was the expected interaction effect between the valence and arousal of the neighbor on the lexical decision times of neutral stimulus words. Longer reaction times were found when the valence score of the neighbor decreased from neutral to negative for words with a low-arousal orthographic neighbor while this emotional neighbor effect was reversed for words with a high-arousal negative neighbor. This combined influence of the valence and arousal of the neighbor was interpreted in terms of increased lexical competition processes and direct influence of the affective system on the participant’s response. Moreover, this interaction effect was smaller when the level of alexithymia of the participants increased, suggesting that people with a higher level of alexithymia are less sensitive to the emotional content of the neighbor. The results are discussed within an interactive activation model of visual word recognition incorporating an affective system with valence and arousal dimensions, with regard to the role of the alexithymia level of participants.
Study of the optimization of embroidery design parameters for the Technical Embroidery Machine: derivation of the correlation between thread consumption and electrical resistance
Authors: Rho Soo Hyeon , Lee Suhyun , Jeong Wonyoung , Lim Dae-Young
Published: December 2021

The smart textile industry has become increasingly interested in textile products with electronic functions. In these smart textile products, sensing and data communication are conducted through conductive circuits by conductive threads. In embroidery technology that uses conductive threads as the material for the conductive line as a circuit, their resistance is an important factor when designing a product. The main purpose of this study was to derive an equivalent circuit model and a calculation equation for the consumption of conductive threads according to the embroidery design parameters. The effects of the embroidery design parameters on the appearance and electrical characteristics of the conductive line were also analyzed. The appearance and electrical characteristics of the embroidered conductive line were different when the embroidery design parameters were not the same. The calculation equation for the consumption of conductive threads could establish a quantitative system that could indicate the line resistance of an embroidered conductive line using the embroidery design parameters and the given thread resistance.
Influence of quadrat characteristics on the evolution of the dispersion effect for fiber–water dispersions
Authors: Shi Yunlong , Guan Xiaoyu , Qian Xiaoming
Published: December 2021

Dispersing fibers in a water dispersion is an important issue for many fiber-based materials that significantly affects the mechanical and many other properties of materials. However, the measurement and assessment of the dispersion effect remains a significant challenge. In this study, we presented an image analysis method based on quadrat analysis from ecology and geography, transforming the issue of the dispersion effect into the statistics of point distribution. Furthermore, we changed the type of sampling and adjusted the shape, size and numbers of each quadrat to investigate its influences on the evaluation results. Our results showed that the area of one quadrat had a more obvious effect on the evaluation results compared to the number of quadrats. In addition, having a quadrat of an optimum shape enlarged the difference in various dispersion effects; the results of a square quadrat exhibited stably in both complete coverage and random sampling. Quadrat analysis realizes good measurement of dispersion states as a result of image processing and offers an assessment of the dispersion effect in a fiber–water dispersion.
Bridging or breaking: An ethic of communication for missional engagement
Authors: Zarns Phil
Published: December 2021

Global workers must work toward an appropriate ethic of communication both corporately and personally to effectively engage all recipients of the gospel. Further, an ethic of communication for missional engagement must be biblically faithful and culturally appropriate in order to create ‘bridging encounters’ with potential recipients of the gospel (Kraft and Gilliland, 2005: 53). ‘Bridging encounters’ consist of communicative pathways that build common ground for engagement regardless of the level of agreement; they demonstrate cultural consideration, engagement, and respect of participants’ ideas, which works well in a postmodern age that values conversation. Since the 1920s, missiological characterization has provided a rhetoric of the ‘unsaved’, ‘unincorporated’, and ‘unreached’1 when describing people groups. This rhetoric of ‘un-’ may unintentionally cause breaking encounters instead of bridging encounters. Designating people groups as ‘in’ or ‘out’ can create a sense of ‘othering’ between global workers and recipients of the gospel. The consequent psychological friction proves detrimental to creating personal bridging encounters where individuals communicate the gospel in a more fluid manner (Bhargava and Manoli, 2015).
Nepantlera Pedagogy in an Immigrant Youth Theater Project: The Role of a Hmong Educator in Facilitating the Exploration of Culture and Identity
Authors: Ngo Bic , Chandara Diana
Published: December 2021

Background/Context:

Community-based youth theater programs afford youth opportunities to explore and “author” new identities by “performing writing.” Yet, we know much less about the ways in which immigrant youth are exploring struggles and changes within their families and ethnic community. We particularly lack research about the roles of immigrant adult educators in youth programs, and the significance to the pedagogical process of their experiences, being, and modes of interacting with young people who share with them a common ethnicity.

Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study:

The purpose of the study is to explore the role of a community-based Hmong immigrant educator as a “nepantlera,” or boundary-crossing “guide” in Hmong youth’s negotiation of culture and identity. It is guided by three questions: (1) How does nepantlera pedagogy move beyond self–other dichotomies? (2) How does nepantlera pedagogy facilitate rewriting the self to construct new visions of ethnic identity? and (3) How does nepantlera pedagogy entail risking the personal?

Setting:

The research setting was a Hmong community-based arts organization in an urban center in the Midwestern United States.

Population/Participants/Subjects:

Three 1.5-generation Hmong American adult staff of a community-based organization, one Korean American teaching artist from a local theater company, and 11 second-generation Hmong American adolescents participated in the study.

Research Design:

The study draws from a critical ethnographic investigation of the culturally relevant practices of a youth theater project within a Hmong coethnic organization.

Data Collection and Analysis:

Ethnographic data collection occurred over the 4-month program cycle of the theater project. Data sources include field notes from participant observations, semi-structured interviews, audio and video recordings of the activities, work products, and documents about the program and organization. The data were analyzed with thematic analysis techniques.

Findings/Results:

The findings suggest that the nepantlera pedagogy of the Hmong immigrant educator fostered opportunities for Hmong youth to (1) disrupt binaries between first-generation and second-generation immigrants by exploring not only differences but also commonalities; (2) imagine new ethnic selves by exploring and rewriting a Hmong edict against same-last-name relationships; and (3) experience the vulnerability of their Hmong educator through disclosure about his personal life.

Conclusions/Recommendations:

The nepantlera pedagogy of an immigrant educator within a coethnic community-based organization brings a perspective from the nepantla, or “in-between,” of culture and identity that provides immigrant youth with a deeper level of cultural knowledge and connectedness to navigate their multiple worlds.
Exploring synergy in a mobile learning model for piano playing ornaments exercise with local musical heritage
Authors: Loo Fung Ying , Chai Khai Ern , Loo Fung Chiat , Chua Yan Piaw
Published: December 2021

This study addresses the potential of a mobile learning model that integrates local Malaysian musical heritage in piano ornaments finger exercise. An asynchronous model adapted from the concept of karaoke was designed aiming at a synergy of piano exercise, edutainment, and heritage education with visual and auditory accompaniments. We aimed to raise interest and motivation for piano playing ornaments exercise among learners during practice while raising awareness of local musical heritage. A total of 30 piano students aged 13 to 15 years participated in this intervention study; they were equally divided into a control group and an experimental group. The pre- and post-intervention assessments revealed an increase in the levels of motivation, awareness of local musical heritage, and perceived satisfaction factors for the new mobile learning model.
Accuracy in perceptions of a partner’s sexual goals
Authors: Elsaadawy Norhan , Impett Emily A. , Raposo Stephanie , Muise Amy
Published: December 2021

Intimate partners engage in sex for a variety of reasons, and their perceptions of each other’s sexual goals play an important role in intimate relationships. How accurate are these perceptions of a partner’s sexual goals and is accuracy associated with relationship quality and sexual satisfaction for the couple? To answer these questions, we conducted a 21-day dyadic daily experience study of 121 couples, which we analyzed using two different approaches to examine accuracy: the profile approach and the Truth and Bias Model. Results from these two approaches demonstrated that people’s perceptions of their partner’s sexual goals were indeed accurate, but that accuracy was not associated with relationship quality or sexual satisfaction for the perceiver or their partner. Rather, perceiving a partner’s sexual goals in normative (or socially desirable) ways was associated with relationship quality and sexual satisfaction for both the perceiver and their partner. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Politics of alliance in the farmers’ march to Parliament in India
Authors: Fadaee Simin
Published: December 2021

On 30 November 2018 tens of thousands of Indian farmers marched to Parliament and demanded a special session to discuss the deepening agrarian crisis. The protest march to Parliament was only the latest in a series of protest marches which had been organized by an umbrella group of over 200 farmers’ organizations from all over India. Moreover, for the first time, an alliance of different activist groups, political parties, trade unions and students had cohered to support the farmers and their cause. Despite its political, empirical and theoretical significance, research on the formation of alliances has gained scant attention in sociological research. Based on original research, this article suggests alliance building should be understood with reference to political opportunities, processes of meaning attribution and framing, and as a strategy, which facilitates worthiness, unity, numbers and commitment (WUNC displays, as outlined by Charles Tilly).
A reference tissue forward model for improved PET accuracy using within-scan displacement studies
Authors: Mandeville Joseph B , Levine Michael A , Arsenault John T , Vanduffel Wim , Rosen Bruce R , Sander Christin Y
Published: December 2021

We report a novel forward-model implementation of the full reference tissue model (fFTRM) that addresses the fast-exchange approximation employed by the simplified reference tissue model (SRTM) by incorporating a non-zero dissociation time constant from the specifically bound compartment. The forward computational approach avoided errors associated with noisy and nonorthogonal basis functions using an inverse linear model. Compared to analysis by a multilinear single-compartment reference tissue model (MRTM), fFTRM provided improved accuracy for estimation of binding potentials at early times in the scan, with no worse reproducibility across sessions. To test the model’s ability to identify small focal changes in binding potential using a within-scan challenge, we employed a nonhuman primate model of focal dopamine release elicited by deep brain microstimulation remote to ventral striatum (VST) during imaging by simultaneous PET and fMRI. The new model reported an unambiguously lateralized response in VST consistent with fMRI, whereas the MRTM-derived response was not lateralized and was consistent with simulations of model bias. The proposed model enabled better accuracy in PET [11C]raclopride displacement studies and may also facilitate challenges sooner after injection, thereby recovering some sensitivity lost to radioactive decay of the PET tracer.
The Buffering Effect of Perceived Parental Social Support in the Longitudinal Relationship Between Homophobic Cyberbullying and LGBTQIA Adolescents’ Health Outcomes
Authors: Wright Michelle F. , Wachs Sebastian
Published: December 2021

This 1-year longitudinal study examined the moderating effect of perceived parental social support in the associations between homophobic cyberbullying involvement (victimization and bystanding) and suicidal ideation, non-suicidal self-harm, and subjective health complaints among 467 adolescents ( Mage = 13.81 years; 59% female) who identified as LGBTQIA. Results showed that homophobic cyberbullying involvement were both related positively to suicidal ideation, non-suicidal self-harm, and subjective health complaints 1 year later. Parental support did not moderate the relationship between homophobic cyberbullying involvement and subjective health complaints. However, parental support moderated the relationship between homophobic cyberbullying involvement (both victimization and bystanding) and suicidal ideation and non-suicidal self-harm. Hence, the present study highlights the need for more research on homophobic cyberbullying, the crucial role parents can play in mitigating negative outcomes of involvement in homophobic cyberbullying, and the development of inclusive anti-cyberbullying prevention programs that acknowledge the needs of LGBTQIA adolescents.
Extramedullary plasmacytoma of the nasal inferior turbinate: a case report
Authors: Liu Yan , Yuan Xiaopei , Peng Xiaohong , Xing Zhiming , Yu Lisheng
Published: December 2021

An extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP) is a rare neoplasm characterized by monoclonal proliferation of plasma cells without features of multiple myeloma. Most EMPs occur in the head and neck region, especially in the aerodigestive tract. We herein report a case of an EMP arising from the nasal inferior turbinate. The mass was surgically removed, and a short cycle of radiotherapy was performed after the surgery. There was no recurrence of the tumor after 1 year of follow-up. These result may be useful for physicians who encounter similar situations in clinical practice.
French adaptation of a film music stimulus set: Normative emotional ratings of valence and arousal prompted by music excerpts
Authors: Nineuil Clémence , Dellacherie Delphine , Samson Séverine
Published: December 2021

The aim of this study was to obtain French affective norms for the film music stimulus set (FMSS). This data set consists of a relatively homogeneous series of musical stimuli made up of film music excerpts, known to trigger strong emotion. The 97 musical excerpts were judged by 194 native French participants using a simplified normative procedure in order to assess valence and arousal judgments. This normalization will (1) provide researchers with standardized rated affective music to be used with a French population, (2) enable the investigation of individual listeners’ differing emotional judgments, and (3) explore how cultural differences affect the ratings of musical stimuli. Our results, in line with those obtained in Finland and Spain, demonstrated the FMSS to be robust and interculturally valid within Western Europe. Age, sex, education, and musical training were not found to have any effects on emotional judgments. In conclusion, this study provides the scientific community with a standardized-stimulus set of musical excerpts whose emotional valence and arousal have been validated by a sampling of the French population.
Which Aggregation Fits Best? The Use of Linear Regression to Show the Influence of Temporal and Spatial Aggregation of Sparse Probe Vehicle Data on the Explanation of Travel Time Reliability
Authors: Kranzinger Stefan , Steinmaßl Markus
Published: December 2021

Aggregation of sparse probe vehicle data (PVD) is a crucial issue in travel time reliability (TTR) analysis. This study, therefore, examines the effect of temporal and spatial aggregation of sparse PVD on the results of a linear regression analysis where two different measures of TTR are analyzed as the dependent variable. Our results show that by aggregating the data to longer time intervals and coarser spatial units the linear model can explain a higher proportion of the variance in TTR. Furthermore, we find that the effects of road design characteristics in particular depend on the variable used to represent TTR. We conclude that the temporal and spatial aggregation of sparse PVD affects the results of linear regression explaining TTR.
Parametric Study of Track Support Structure to Minimize the Occurrence Possibility of Rail Corrugation
Authors: Cui Xiaolu , Li Tong , Huang Bo , Ding Haohao
Published: December 2021

Changing the track support structure is an effective method to suppress or eliminate rail corrugation in practical engineering. Rail corrugation on small-radius curves with booted short sleepers is the main research object in the present paper. A relevant finite element model of the wheelset-track system supported by booted short sleepers is built combined with the dynamic analysis of the vehicle-track system. The effects of various parameters of booted short sleeper structure on the wheel–rail friction-induced vibration are investigated by complex eigenvalue analysis. Considering the interaction of multiple parameters in the booted short sleeper structure, the multi-parameter fitting equation forecasting the possibility of rail corrugation is obtained using the least squares algorithm. Results show that wheel–rail friction-induced oscillation is a contributing factor in the formation of rail corrugation. Controlling wheel–rail friction-induced oscillation with a frequency of about 300 Hz is beneficial to suppress the possibility of rail corrugation in sections with booted short sleepers. Lower fastener stiffness or greater vertical fastener damping make it less likely that rail corrugation will occur. Rail corrugation is not generated when the vertical stiffness of the fastener is controlled below 20 MN/m in the booted short sleeper.
Taxi Utilization Rate Maximization by Dynamic Demand Prediction: A Case Study in the City of Chicago
Authors: Li Tianyi , Qi Guo-Jun , Stern Raphael
Published: December 2021

The explosive popularity of transportation network companies (TNCs) in the last decade has imposed dramatic disruptions on the taxi industry, but not all the impacts are beneficial. For instance, studies have shown taxi capacity utilization rate is lower than 50% in five major U.S. cities. With the availability of taxi data, this study finds the taxi utilization rate is around 40% in June 2019 (normal scenario) and 35% in June 2020 (COVID 19 scenario) in the city of Chicago, U.S. Powered by recent advances in the deep learning of capturing non-linear relationships and the availability of datasets, a real-time taxi trip optimization strategy with dynamic demand prediction was designed using long short-term memory (LSTM) architecture to maximize the taxi utilization rate. The algorithms are tested in both scenarios—normal time and COVID 19 time—and promising results have been shown by implementing the strategy, with around 19% improvement in mileage utilization rate in June 2019 and 74% in June 2020 compared with the baseline without any optimizations. Additionally, this study investigated the impacts of COVID 19 on the taxi service in Chicago.
Activity Sequence Generation Using Universal Mobility Patterns
Authors: Ectors Wim , Kochan Bruno , Janssens Davy , Bellemans Tom , Wets Geert
Published: December 2021

Previous work has established that rank ordered single-day activity sequences from various study areas exhibit a universal power law distribution called Zipf’s law. By analyzing datasets from across the world, evidence was provided that it is in fact a universal distribution. This study focuses on a potential mechanism that leads to the power law distribution that was previously discovered. It makes use of 15 household travel survey (HTS) datasets from study areas all over the world to demonstrate that reasonably accurate sets of activity sequences (or “schedules”) can be generated with extremely little information required; the model requires no input data and contains few tunable parameters. The activity sequence generation mechanism is based on sequential sampling from two universal distributions: (i) the distributions of the number of activities (trips) and (ii) the activity types (trip purposes). This paper also attempts to demonstrate the universal nature of these distributions by fitting several equations to the 15 HTS datasets. The lightweight activity sequence generation model can be implemented in any (lightweight) transportation model to create a basic set of activity sequences, saving effort and cost in data collection and in model development and calibration.
Engaging Your Feelings: Emotion Contagion and Public Engagement on Nonprofit Organizations’ Facebook Sites
Authors: Li Zongchao Cathy , Ji Yi Grace , Tao Weiting , Chen Zifei Fay
Published: December 2021

This study investigated nonprofit organizations’ (NPOs) emotion-based content strategies on Facebook and publics’ engagement behaviors. More than 52,000 Facebook posts and corresponding comments were collected from the top 100 NPOs in the United States. The emotion-carrying status and valence of the messages were analyzed with computer-assisted sentiment analysis procedures. Results confirmed emotion-carrying posts and posts with negative emotions led to increased public engagement as indexed by the volumes of likes, shares, and comments. The presence of emotions and valence of the NPOs’ posts were also found to have a diffusion effect on user comments.
Comparing the Effectiveness of Post-Scandal Apologies From Nonprofit and Commercial Organizations: An Extension of the Moral Disillusionment Model
Authors: Chapman Cassandra M. , Hornsey Matthew J. , Mangan Heidi , Gillespie Nicole , La Macchia Stephen , Lockey Steven
Published: December 2021

There is a double standard in public responses to scandals: Nonprofits are penalized more harshly than commercial organizations for the same transgression (the “moral disillusionment effect”). However, previous research—focused on commercial organizations—has sometimes shown that a positive reputation can insure organizations against the negative effects of scandals. In light of this, we asked whether a second double standard exists when it comes to trust repair: Can nonprofits regain trust and consumer support more quickly than commercial organizations after apologizing? Two experiments ( combined N = 805), considering responses to sexual exploitation and fraud scandals, replicated and extended the moral disillusionment effect. Trust and consumer support were partially restored following an apology (and even a statement acknowledging the scandal without apologizing), but the rate of repair was the same for nonprofits and commercial organizations. Nonprofit managers should therefore implement internal controls to prevent violations and issue public responses when scandals emerge.
Kinetostatic analysis, manufacturing, and experimental application of a press machine based on Stephenson II mechanism
Authors: Jomartov Assylbek , Halicioglu Recep , Kuatova Moldir
Published: December 2021

Press machine tools are often used in important industrial establishments, such as automobiles, aerospace, and aviation; these machine tools must be produced with high precision. Therefore, studies related to improving press tools and enhancing their precision are being conducted. In this study, a press machine tool based on the Stephenson II mechanism is proposed. Compared to that of conventional crank presses, this mechanism increases the slider balance using a ternary link and unique connecting rods. Thus, the slider precision can be improved with a small addition to the mechanism, and load transmission can be ensured in a balanced manner. To test the contribution of the mechanism, dynamic analysis is performed using the kinetostatic method, and the dynamic data of the mechanism are obtained. Subsequently, a press machine prototype is designed and manufactured. The experimental results are verified against the theoretical results, confirming that the proposed press machine tool based on the Stephenson II mechanism has better characteristics than those of the conventional press machine owing to the favorable distribution of forces on the slide and lower reaction to the slide guides.
Study on dynamic mechanical properties and constitutive model description of Inconel718
Authors: Fan Yihang , Wang Bing , Hao Zhaopeng
Published: December 2021

In this study, the effects of strain rate and temperature on the flow stress of Inconel718 were analyzed by Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) experiment and quasi-static compression experiment. The classical JC constitutive model was established by combining the quasi-static compression experiment with the SHPB experiment. According to the effects of different grain sizes and [Formula: see text] phase on dislocation pile-up, the dislocation pile-up theory was introduced to modify the JC constitutive model. The modified constitutive model was compiled in FORTRAN language, and VUMAT user material subroutine was called and secondary development was carried out to establish the polycrystalline simulation model with different grain sizes. The uniaxial tensile and compression simulation process of polycrystal with different grain sizes was performed. Through comparing the simulation results with the experimental data. The correlation coefficient R, between the simulation and experimental values, is 0.97,981, and the average relative error is only 3.72%. The accuracy of the modified constitutive model was verified.
Cavitation in a high-speed aviation axial piston pump over a wide range of fluid temperatures
Authors: Chao Qun , Xu Zi , Tao Jianfeng , Liu Chengliang , Zhai Jiang
Published: December 2021

The axial piston pump in aerospace applications needs to operate over a wide range of fluid temperatures from −54°C to 135 °C. The fluid properties at such extreme temperatures will significantly affect the cavitation that is one of the major limiting factors for the efficiency and reliability of aviation axial piston pumps. However, it appears that very little of the existing literature studies the effects of extreme fluid temperatures on the pump cavitation. This paper aims to examine the temperature effects on the cavitation in an aviation axial piston pump. First, we develop a three-dimensional (3D) transient computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to investigate the pump cavitation and validate it experimentally. Second, we use the validated CFD model to investigate the temperature effects on the pump cavitation by changing the fluid properties including viscosity, density, and bulk modulus. The numerical results show that low fluid temperature makes the aviation axial piston pump suffer serious cavitation due to high viscosity, leading to delivery flow breakdown, unacceptable pressure pulsation, and delayed pressure built up. In contrast, high fluid temperatures have minor effects on the cavitation although they increase the pressure pulsation and built-up time slightly.
Techno-economic analysis of nitrogen-doped graphene/water nanofluid in various heat exchangers (A unified analysis)
Authors: Alkhulaifi Yousif M , Shuja Shahzada Zaman , Yilbas Bekir Sami
Published: December 2021

Nitrogen-doped graphene (NDG)/water nanofluid is one of the emerging working fluids toward achieving high heating rates in heat transfer devices. In the present study, thermal performance improvement and techno-economic analysis of a double pipe, shell and tube, and plate heat exchangers are presented while incorporating NDG/water nanofluid as a working fluid. The variable properties of NDG nanofluid are incorporated and the influence of nanoparticle concentrations and mass flow rates on the device thermal performance and related costs are evaluated. The findings demonstrate that device heat transfer area and costs are adversely affected by using NDG/water nanofluid in all types of heat exchanging devices considered. An increase in heat transfer area is associated with the decrease of the specific heat capacity of the working fluid. The increase of heat transfer area can be as high as 58.5%, 45.1%, and 67.0% for double pipe, shell and tube, and plate heat exchangers, respectively. In addition, area increase becomes persistent with other types of nanoparticles used in the carrier fluid.
A randomized controlled study of acupuncture for pain relief during first trimester surgical termination of pregnancy performed under local analgesia
Authors: Ng Dorothy Yuet Tao , Lo Alexandra , So Emily Wing Sze , Wong Grace Ching Yin , Li Raymond Hang Wun , Wong Yu Yeuk , Ng Ernest Hung Yu
Published: December 2021

Background:

Acupuncture reduces pain levels in many painful conditions. This study compared pain levels during surgical termination of first trimester pregnancy by suction evacuation (SE) under local analgesia with and without the use of acupuncture.

Methods:

In all, 60 nulliparous women undergoing SE before 10 weeks of gestation were randomly assigned into one of the following three groups in a 1:1:1 ratio according to a computer-generated randomization list. In the control group, women received oral diazepam 5 mg and intramuscular (i.m.) injection of pethidine 30 and 15 min, respectively, prior to SE. In the acupuncture group, women received acupuncture 10 min before SE until the end of SE while oral diazepam 5 mg and i.m. injection of normal saline were given. In the combined group, women received acupuncture in addition to the drugs in the control group. Data from 52 participants were analysed. Pain scores during and after SE, post-operative side-effects and satisfaction levels were compared.

Results:

The three groups had similar baseline characteristics. The median pain levels during SE differed significantly between the control, acupuncture, and combined groups (80, 50 and 66 mm, respectively, p = 0.03). Pain levels during SE in the acupuncture and combined groups were significantly lower than that of the control group. However, the anxiety scores did not differ between the three groups after SE (p = 0.86).

Conclusion:

Acupuncture can provide additional benefit in terms of pain relief in women undergoing first trimester termination of pregnancy by SE under local analgesia.
Design, fabrication, and testing of an active camber rotor blade tip
Authors: Ferede Etana , Gandhi Farhan
Published: December 2021

This paper presents a morphing blade design for wind turbine application with flexibility in chord-wise bending while providing sufficient stiffness to carry the aerodynamic loads. The NACA64 profile is selected for the camber morphing blade demonstrator. A corrugation concept is chosen because it is relatively easy to manufacture and provides sufficient stiffness to resist deformation due to the aerodynamic loads (through the provision of effective stringers) while providing the required flexibility for chord-wise bending. A mechanical actuation mechanism is employed to achieve the desired morphing angle and increase the stiffness of the morphing airfoil section to resist aerodynamic loading. The design of a morphing blade demonstrator is presented together with the manufacturing process. Finally, an experimental study is conducted where the morphing angle is measured for increasing actuation load and compared with FE analysis showing good agreement between the experimental results and results from the finite element analysis in addition to achieving the desired morphing angle.