bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Boundaries of Latino Sport Leadership: How Skin Tone, Ethnicity, and Nationality Construct Baseball's Color Line
Authors: McGovern Jen
Published: December 2016

Ethnoracial minorities constitute a sizeable percentage of the U.S. labor force, but are underrepresented in top management positions. Research examining the leadership gap focuses primarily on blacks and whites without giving ample attention to Latinos, whose experiences differ greatly based on phenotype, birthplace, and citizenship. This research uses an intersectional approach to examine how these categories overlap to influence Latino leadership in Major League Baseball. Using records data and descriptive statistics, the study shows that skin color and nationality influence leadership opportunities more than ethnicity does. Americans from all ethnoracial groups are more likely to lead than foreign‐born individuals. Regardless of ethnicity, white and light‐skinned individuals are more likely to be pitchers, catchers, managers, coaches, and broadcasters while dark‐skinned people are underrepresented in those roles. The data indicate that American‐born and light‐skinned Latinos have experiences similar to their white counterparts while foreign‐born and dark‐skinned Latinos merge into collective blackness. This hierarchal structure reinforces historical racialized meanings about race and points toward a racial classification system where individuals will be sorted based on multiple, overlapping categories.
Making It in a Cover Music Scene: Negotiating Artistic Identities in a “Kmart‐Level Market”
Authors: Scarborough Roscoe C.
Published: December 2016

This research examines how musicians understand art and commerce in a music scene dominated by cover bands. Drawing on thirty semi‐structured interviews and one hundred hours of ethnographic observation, I find that most musicians self‐identify as artists yet perceive social status to be rooted in commercial success. This research details what it means to “make it” in an art world that offers little institutional support or remunerative reward for artistry. Musicians employ three approaches to negotiate the disconnect between artistic identities and commercially defined status: segregating their artistic and commercial pursuits, locating artistry in their commercial work, and justifying their commercially viable activities as a means to attaining a comfortable lifestyle. This on‐the‐ground account of commercial influences’ effects on musicians informs post‐Bourdieusian research on fields of cultural production. I suggest that future research on culture producers must distinguish between social status—a position in a social hierarchy—and interpersonal respect. When esthetics are marginalized as a basis for status, musicians’ status becomes bound to employment opportunities and expansible relative to the extent of the scene.
Acquired Factor XIII inhibitor associated with mantle cell lymphoma
Authors: Nixon Christian P. , Prsic Elizabeth H. , Guertin Christine A. , Stevenson Ryan L. , Sweeney Joseph D.
Published: December 2016

BACKGROUND

Acquired Factor (F)XIII deficiency is a very rare bleeding diathesis with a potentially fatal outcome, previously described in the context of autoimmune disorders and leukemias. There is minimal information on autoantibody characterization and the role of antifibrinolytic therapy in patient management.

CASE REPORT

A 79‐year‐old woman with a 3‐month history of bruising and heavy menorrhagia presented with ongoing vaginal bleeding, symptomatic anemia, and a right thigh hematoma. Initial management included an axillary lymph node biopsy and coagulation evaluation. Pathologic examination of the biopsy specimen revealed mantle cell lymphoma. Clot solubility assay was consistent with a FXIII activity of less than 3%. An anti‐FXIII inhibitor was suspected, the epitope specificity of which was mapped by micropeptide array analysis to regions in the β‐sandwich and catalytic core domain of the FXIII‐A subunit. Management with cryoprecipitate, steroids, rituximab, and antifibrinolytic therapy resolved the bleeding diathesis and suppressed the inhibitor.

CONCLUSION

This is the first reported case of an acquired FXIII inhibitor associated with mantle cell lymphoma in which the epitope specificity of the pathologic autoantibody was accurately defined. Antifibrinolytic therapy played a prominent role in the prevention of bleeding complications in the window period between initiation of immunosuppression and disappearance of the pathologic anti‐FXIII autoantibody.
Chrysomya bezziana (Diptera: Calliphoridae) infestation: case report of three dogs in Malaysia treated with spinosad/milbemycin
Authors: Han Hock Siew , Sharma Reuben , Jeffery John , Noli Chiara
Published: December 2016

Background

Infestation of wounds with the larvae of Callophorid flies is relatively common in countries where these parasites are found. The most common species associated with infections in Southeast Asia is Chrysomya bezziana (Ch. bezziana), the Old World screw worm. Treatment consists of either subcutaneous injection of ivermectin or oral administration of nitenpyram combined with aggressive tissue debridement under general anaesthesia.

Objectives

To describe the treatment of cutaneous myiasis in three dogs caused by the larvae of Ch. bezziana in Malaysia and their treatment with spinosad plus milbemycin.

Results

In all dogs, a single oral dose of spinosad plus milbemycin at the recommended dosage of 31–62 mg/kg and 0.5–1.0 mg/kg, respectively, was able to kill all larvae within 8 h. Most dead larvae fell off the host and those remaining on the host were dead and easily removed with simple saline flushing and gentle debridement. Neither general anaesthesia nor aggressive mechanical debridement were needed in any patient.

Conclusions and clinical importance

Oral spinosad plus milbemycin is a safe, licensed and effective treatment at the recommended dose for the rapid elimination of Ch. bezziana myiasis, with no need for sedation or anaesthesia.
Postvaccination wounds associated predominantly with Arcanobacterium phocae in mink (Neovison vison) at three mink farms
Authors: Molenaar Robert J. , Buter Rianne , Sroka Agnieszka
Published: December 2016

Background

The emerging skin disease fur animal epidemic necrotic pyoderma (FENP) has been attributed to infection with Arcanobacterium phocae (ABP). The exact pathogenesis and risk factors of FENP have yet to be elucidated.

Animals

Three mink from each of three different mink farms (A–C) with postvaccination skin wounds at the vaccination site and six mink from an unaffected mink farm (D) that had used the same vaccine batch and vaccination site (hind leg).

Methods and results

All mink from farms A–C had severe necrotizing to necropurulent dermatitis where they were vaccinated intramuscularly in the hind leg. ABP was the sole bacterium cultured from six of nine wounds. Using 16S–23S rDNA intergenic spacer region and BOX‐PCR, the ABP isolates from these wounds were indistinguishable from isolates originating from several cases of FENP.

Conclusions and clinical importance

This is the first report of FENP‐like lesions at the site of vaccination, in the days following the procedure, associated with ABP. At farms with FENP vaccination, procedures should be considered carefully.
COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE THYROID GLANDS IN EIGHT HYPERTHYROID CATS PRE‐ AND POSTMETHIMAZOLE TREATMENT COMPARED WITH SEVEN EUTHYROID CATS
Authors: Bush Jennifer L. , Nemanic Sarah , Gordon Jana , Bobe Gerd
Published: December 2016

Hyperthyroidism is the most common feline endocrinopathy; thyroid computed tomography (CT) may improve disease detection and methimazole dose selection. Objectives of this experimental pre‐post with historical case‐control study were to perform thyroid CT imaging in awake or mildly sedated hyperthyroid cats, compare thyroid gland CT appearance in euthyroid and hyperthyroid cats pre‐ and postmethimazole treatment, and determine whether thyroid size or attenuation correlate with methimazole dose needed for euthyroidism. Premethimazole treatment, eight hyperthyroid cats received CT scans from the head to heart, which were compared to CT of seven euthyroid cats. Total thyroxine levels were monitored every 3–4 weeks. Postmethimazole CT was performed 30 days after achieving euthyroid status. Computed tomography parameters recorded included thyroid length, width, height, attenuation, and heterogeneity. Median time between CT was 70 days (53–213 days). Mild sedation was needed in five hyperthyroid cats premethimazole, and none postmethimazole. Thyroid volume was significantly larger in hyperthyroid cats compared to euthyroid cats (785.0 mm3 vs. 154.9 mm3; P = 0.002) and remained unchanged by methimazole treatment (−4.5 mm3; P = 0.50). Thyroid attenuation and heterogeneity decreased with methimazole treatment (96.1 HU vs. 85.9 HU; P = 0.02. 12.4 HU vs. 8.1 HU; P = 0.009). Methimazole dose ranged from 2.5 to 10 mg daily with a positive correlation between pretreatment thyroid gland volume and dose needed to achieve euthyroidism (P = 0.03). Euthyroid and hyperthyroid cats are easily imaged awake or mildly sedated with CT. Methimazole in hyperthyroid cats significantly lowers thyroid attenuation and heterogeneity, but not size.
Determination of Classroom Pre-Service Teachers’ State of Personal Innovativeness
Authors: Yorulmaz Alper , Çokçalişkan Halil , Önal Halil
Published: December 2016

Today, in every passing moment, a new piece of information is acquired and the accumulation of this information leads to social and technological developments. Therefore, today, individuals are expected to rapidly adjust to innovations. As such, individuals should be open to innovations and willing to adopt innovations; that is, they need to be innovative. In this regard, most of the responsibility for training innovative individuals within formal education should be assumed by classroom teachers as they are working in the first stage of compulsory education. In order to be able train innovative individuals, classroom teachers should posses the characteristics of innovativeness. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was set to be to determine the pre-service classroom teachers’ state of innovativeness and investigate it in relation to different variables. The current study was conducted on 322 pre-service classroom teachers randomly selected from among the classroom teachers attending a university in 2014-2015 academic year. In the collection of the data, “Personal Innovativeness Scale” adapted to Turkish by Kılıçer and Odabaşı (2010) was employed. In the current study, the internal consistency of the scale was found to be .74. At the end of the study, it was found that the pre-service classroom teachers’ mean personal innovativeness level is medium and the state of their innovativeness varies depending on gender in favor of the female pre-service teachers. Moreover, the male pre-service teachers were found to be more resistant to change than the female pre-service teachers. The grade level and academic achievement variables were found to be not significantly affecting the pre-service classroom teachers’ state of innovativeness. In light of these findings, it was suggested that pre-service teachers should be given adequate training during their pre-service education so that they could design activities to educate their prospective students as innovative individuals.
Nonlubricated Sliding Wear Behavior Study of SiC–B4C–Si Cermet Against a Diamond Indenter
Authors: Sahani P. , Chaira D.
Published: December 2016

The nonlubricated sliding wear of SiC–B4C–Si cermets against a diamond indenter was studied. The cermets containing 2, 5, 10, and 20 wt.% of Si were fabricated by both conventional sintering and spark plasma sintering (SPS) techniques. It has been observed that wear depth, volume of the wear debris, and wear rate increases with increasing applied load for both cases. Minimum wear depth and lowest wear rate was obtained for the cermet containing 10 wt.% Si. Three-body abrasion is the main wear mechanism which results in surface delamination, and formation of grooves and cavities on the damaged surface.
A Study on Slurry Erosion Behavior of High Chromium White Cast Iron
Authors: Al-Bukhaiti M. A. , Abouel-Kasem A. , Emara K. M. , Ahmed S. M.
Published: December 2016

High chromium white irons (HCCIs) are used extensively throughout the mineral processing industry to handle erosive and corrosive slurries. This study is an investigation of the effect of impact angle and velocity on slurry erosion of HCCI. The tests were carried out using a rotating whirling-arm rig with particle concentration of 1 wt. %. Silica sand which has a nominal size range of 500–710 μm was used as an erodent. The results were obtained for angles of 30 deg, 45 deg, 60 deg, and 90 deg to the exposed surface and velocities of 5, 10, and 15 m/s. The highest erosion resistance of HCCI was at normal impact and the lowest at an angle of 30 deg, irrespective of velocity. The low erosion resistance at an oblique angle is due to large material removal by microcutting from ductile matrix and gross removal of carbides. The effect of velocity, over the studied range from 5 m/s to 15 m/s, on the increase in the erosion rate was minor. The change of impact velocity resulted in changing the slurry erosion mechanisms. At normal incidence, plastic indentation with extruded material of the ductile matrix was the dominant erosion mechanism at low impact velocity (5 m/s). With increasing impact velocity, the material was removed by the indentation of the ductile matrix and to smaller extent of carbide fracture. However, at high impact velocity (15 m/s), gross fracture and cracking of the carbides besides plastic indentation of the ductile matrix were the dominant erosion mechanisms.
The Nuclear Option: Evidence Implicating the Cell Nucleus in Mechanotransduction
Authors: Szczesny Spencer E. , Mauck Robert L.
Published: December 2016

Biophysical stimuli presented to cells via microenvironmental properties (e.g., alignment and stiffness) or external forces have a significant impact on cell function and behavior. Recently, the cell nucleus has been identified as a mechanosensitive organelle that contributes to the perception and response to mechanical stimuli. However, the specific mechanotransduction mechanisms that mediate these effects have not been clearly established. Here, we offer a comprehensive review of the evidence supporting (and refuting) three hypothetical nuclear mechanotransduction mechanisms: physical reorganization of chromatin, signaling at the nuclear envelope, and altered cytoskeletal structure/tension due to nuclear remodeling. Our goal is to provide a reference detailing the progress that has been made and the areas that still require investigation regarding the role of nuclear mechanotransduction in cell biology. Additionally, we will briefly discuss the role that mathematical models of cell mechanics can play in testing these hypotheses and in elucidating how biophysical stimulation of the nucleus drives changes in cell behavior. While force-induced alterations in signaling pathways involving lamina-associated polypeptides (LAPs) (e.g., emerin and histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3)) and transcription factors (TFs) located at the nuclear envelope currently appear to be the most clearly supported mechanism of nuclear mechanotransduction, additional work is required to examine this process in detail and to more fully test alternative mechanisms. The combination of sophisticated experimental techniques and advanced mathematical models is necessary to enhance our understanding of the role of the nucleus in the mechanotransduction processes driving numerous critical cell functions.
Effects of Size of Microchannels on Thermo-Electrical Performance of an Internally Cooled Li-Ion Battery Cell
Authors: Mohammadian Shahabeddin K. , Zhang Yuwen
Published: December 2016

Thermal management of Li-ion batteries utilizing internal cooling method is the promising way to keep these batteries in an appropriate temperature range and to improve the temperature uniformity. In this study, three-dimensional transient thermal analysis was carried out to investigate the effects of size of embedded microchannels inside the electrodes on the thermal and electrical performances of a Li-ion battery cell. Based on the ratio of the width of microchannels to the width of the cell, different cases were designed; from the ratio of 0 (without any microchannels) to the ratio of 0.5. The results showed that increasing the size of the microchannels from the width ratio of 0 to the width ratio of 0.5 can reduce the maximum temperature inside the battery cell up to 11.22 K; it can also improve the temperature uniformity inside the battery cell. Increasing the electrolyte flow inlet temperature from 288.15 K to 308.15 K can enhance the temperature uniformity inside the battery and the cell voltage up to 33.20% and 2.79%, respectively. Increasing the electrolyte flow inlet velocity from 1 cm/s to 10 cm/s can reduce the maximum temperature inside the battery cell up to 8.09 K.
Intensification of Chemically Assisted Melt–Water Explosive Interactions
Authors: Sansone Anthony A. , Taleyarkhan Rusi P.
Published: December 2016

This paper investigates avenues for controlled initiation and augmentation of the mechanical and thermal energetic output of shock-triggered vapor explosions (VEs) with Al–GaInSn alloys; furthermore, enabling a means for impulsive hydrogen gas generation within milliseconds. Using a submerged electronic bridgewire detonator or rifle primer caps as the shock trigger for VE initiation, experiments were conducted with 10 g melt drops at initial temperature between 930 K and 1100 K, aluminum mass contents between 0.3 wt.% and 20 wt.%, and water temperatures between 293 K and 313 K. It was found that combined thermal–chemical Al–GaInSn–H2O explosive interactions can readily be controllably induced via shocks and are of greater intensity than the pure (spontaneous) thermally driven explosions observed with unalloyed Sn and GaInSn. Shock pressures up to 5 MPa were recorded about 10 cm from the explosion zone; a factor of 5 higher than the ∼1 MPa over pressures generated from spontaneous GaInSn–H2O explosions reported in our previous study. Al–GaInSn–H2O explosive interactions also exhibited rapid enhancements to the “impulse” H2 production rate. Hydrogen/vapor bubble volumes up to 460 ml were observed approximately 4 ms after the explosion, equating to a mechanical work and instantaneous power output of 47 J and 11.75 kW, respectively. In comparison with available, analogous, triggered-explosion studies with Al melt drops, our Al–GaInSn alloy melt at 1073 K generated up to 18 times (∼2000%) more hydrogen per gram of aluminum when compared with experiments with molten Al at a much higher melt temperature of 1243 K.
Entropy Generation in Laminar and Turbulent Natural Convection Heat Transfer From Vertical Cylinder With Annular Fins
Authors: Senapati Jnana Ranjan , Dash Sukanta Kumar , Roy Subhransu
Published: December 2016

Entropy generation due to natural convection has been calculated for a wide range of Rayleigh number (Ra) in both laminar (104 ≤ Ra ≤ 108) and turbulent (1010 ≤ Ra ≤ 1012) flow regimes, for diameter ratio of 2 ≤ D/d ≤ 5, for an isothermal vertical cylinder fitted with annular fins. In the laminar regime, the entropy generation was predominantly caused by heat transfer (conduction and convection) and the viscous contribution was negligible with respect to heat transfer. But in the turbulent regime, entropy generation due to fluid friction is significant enough although heat transfer entropy generation is still dominant. The results demonstrate that the degree of irreversibility is higher in case of finned configuration when compared with unfinned one. With the deployment of a merit function combining the first and second laws of thermodynamics, we have tried to delineate the thermodynamic performance of finned cylinder with natural convection. So, we have defined the ratio (I/Q)finned/(I/Q)unfinned. The ratio (I/Q)finned/(I/Q)unfinned gets its minimum value at optimum fin spacing where maximum heat transfer occurs in turbulent flow, whereas in laminar flow the ratio (I/Q)finned/(I/Q)unfinned decreases continuously with the increase in number of fins.
A Computational Simulation of Using Tungsten Gratings in Near-Field Thermophotovoltaic Devices
Authors: Watjen J. I. , Liu X. L. , Zhao B. , Zhang Z. M.
Published: December 2016

Near-field thermophotovoltaic (NFTPV) devices have received much attention lately as an alternative energy harvesting system, whereby a heated emitter exchanges super-Planckian thermal radiation with a photovoltaic (PV) cell to generate electricity. This work describes the use of a grating structure to enhance the power throughput of NFTPV devices, while increasing the energy conversion efficiency by ensuring that a large portion of the radiation entering the PV cell is above the band gap. The device contains a high-temperature tungsten grating that radiates photons to a room-temperature In0.18Ga0.82Sb PV cell through a vacuum gap of several tens of nanometers. Scattering theory is used along with the rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) to calculate the radiation energy exchange between the grating emitter and the TPV cell. A parametric study is performed by varying the grating depth, period, and ridge width in the range that can be fabricated using available fabrication technologies. It is found that the power output can be increased by 40% while improving the efficiency from 29.9% to 32.0% with a selected grating emitter as compared to the case of a flat tungsten emitter. Reasons for the enhancement are found to be due to the enhanced energy transmission coefficient close to the band gap. This work shows a possible way of improving NFTPV and sheds light on how grating structures interact with thermal radiation at the nanoscale.
Mechanical Characterization of Brain Tissue in Compression
Authors: Shafiee Abbas , Ahmadian Mohammad Taghi , Hoviattalab Maryam
Published: December 2016

The biomechanical behavior of brain tissue is needed for predicting the traumatic brain injury (TBI). Each year over 1.5 million people sustain a TBI in the United States. The appropriate coefficients for modeling the injury prediction can be evaluated using experimental data. In the present paper, using an experimental setup on bovine brain tissue, unconfined compression tests at quasi-static strain rates of ε. = 0.0004s−1, 0.008s−1 and 0.4s−1 combined with a stress relaxation test under unconfined uniaxial compression with ε. = 0.67s−1 ramp rate are performed. The fitted visco-hyperelastic parameters were utilized by using obtained stress-strain curves. The finite element analysis (FEA) is validated using experimental data.
Experimental Analysis of the Elastic Modulus of Periodontal Ligament in Nanoindentation
Authors: Yang Yu , Tang Wencheng , Wang Yao jun
Published: December 2016

The periodontal ligament (PDL) is a soft connective tissue which exhibits an inhomogeneous, nonlinear, and anisotropic material properties. and the elastic modulus of different positions on each section are not the same, analysis of the material properties of PDL enables a better understanding of biomechanical features for tooth movement. The aim of this study was to study the elastic modulus of different section of PDL in nanoindentation. Experimental results indicate that the average elastic modulus elastic modulus in midroot are lower than cervical margin and apex, and there is large change in the circumferential regions.
Optimal Design for Rice Straw Briquetting Process Based on Experiments
Authors: Wang Yu , Sun Yu , Wu Kai , Xia Xianfei
Published: December 2016

Ineffective utilization of agricultural crop straw is a big problem in agricultural developing countries. In this study, optimization design was carried out for the rice straw briquetting process based on experiments. A briquetting test platform designed by the authors was used to measure the specific energy consumption, extrusion pressure, as well as the density and compressive strength of the products made by rice straw under different technological parameters. These parameters included moisture content, temperature, pressure and pressing speed. Finally, optimal technological parameters were provided based on the experimental data. Results show that, lower energy consumption and better products quality are achieved when the moisture content is within 15% ∼ 20%, the temperature is within 110 °C ∼ 120 °C, the pressure is within 50 MPa ∼ 60 MPa and the pressing speed is within 40 mm/min ∼ 60 mm/min.
Bilinear Amplitude and Frequency Approximation for Nonlinear Systems With Gaps or Prestress
Authors: D’Souza Kiran , Tien Meng-Hsuan
Published: December 2016

Analysis of the dynamics of bilinear systems is critical for a variety of civil, mechanical and aerospace structures that contain gaps or prestress that are caused by cracks, delamination, joints or interfaces amongst components. Recently, a method was developed called bilinear amplitude approximation (BAA) to estimate the response of bilinear systems without gaps or prestress. This method was developed on the idea that the bilinear system can be separated into two time intervals both of which the system behaves as a distinct linear system: (1) the open state and (2) the closed or sliding state. In order to couple the linear vibrational response for each time interval, both geometric and momentum constraints are applied as transition conditions between the states. This paper expands the previous BAA method for the case where there are either gaps or prestress in the system. The new method requires the forcing magnitude to be known so that it can accurately determine when the system transitions between the two states, and the new equilibrium positions for each state for a given forcing magnitude. The new method also finds the bilinear frequency of the system, which cannot be computed using the bilinear frequency approximation (BFA) method previously developed since that method is only accurate for the zero gap and no prestress case. The new BAA and BFA methods are demonstrated on single degree of freedom and three degree of freedom systems for a variety of forcing conditions.
A Method of Generating Swept Volume From Motion Captured With Depth Sensors Using an Open Source Graphic System
Authors: Wan Jian , Wang Nanxin , Pakko Robert
Published: December 2016

One of the common usages of a captured human body motion in automotive application is creating swept volumes of the body surfaces based on the trajectories of its motion. Recent development of depth sensors enables fast and natural motion capture without attaching markers on subjects’ bodies. Microsoft Kinect is one of widely used depth sensors. It can track a whole body motion and output a skeleton model.

A new method is developed to create the swept volumes from the motion captured by Kinect using an open source graphic system. The skeleton motion is recorded in a file format that is flexible to retain the skeleton’s structure and acceptable to various graphic systems. The motion is then bound with a surface manikin model in the graphic system, where the swept volumes are generated. This method is more flexible and portable than utilizing a commercial digital manikin, and potentially provides more accurate result.
Modelling and Experimental Comparison of Fluid Structure Coupling for Thin Sheet Metal Tanks Using Statistical Energy Analysis
Authors: Shende Ketan V. , Keltie Richard
Published: December 2016

Acoustic response of flat surfaces in contact with a fluid volume is of some interest for the design of automotive fuel tanks, fluid containers and underwater applications [1]. As this response can be related to the surface vibration response in the linear domain, the effect of fluid structure coupling on the vibration response of the structure is studied in this paper. Advances in the computational abilities have increased the focus of analysis-led approaches in the design of thin sheet metal tanks. Conventional finite element (FE) based approaches are useful at low frequencies but are highly sensitive to geometrical details and local effects at higher frequencies. With changing input parameters, finite element approaches could prove to be computationally expensive during the initial design phase of such structures.

Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) is an energy based approach and was used to study the fluid structure coupling effect on the vibration characteristics of a simple rectangular parallelepiped thin sheet metal tank. A thin steel tank (thickness/min. characteristic dimension <0.01) was excited by a broad band uniform power spectral density white noise signal and the spatial and frequency averaged acceleration responses were compared. Some parameters like the damping loss factor and the excitation force were calculated from the experimental measurements and used as input for SEA simulations. Coupling loss factors were calculated from tests and the trend lines were found to be in agreement with the theoretical calculations. The SEA simulation model results were compared with the conventional FE based approach for reference. Variance studies were used to compute the envelope for the SEA simulation response for a 90% confidence interval. The SEA and the test results comparison was quantified by a correlation coefficient which indicated a moderately strong correlation (>0.5) between the SEA and experimental results.
An Impulsive Method for the Analysis of Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters for Intelligent Tires
Authors: Doria Alberto , Moro Federico , Desideri Daniele , Maschio Alvise , Zhang Zhifeng
Published: December 2016

Piezoelectric harvesters used for feeding the sensors of intelligent tires experience impulse excitation when the harvester enters the contact patch of the tire. The design, development and set up of advanced harvesters characterized by new materials, optimized shape and specific solutions for tuning require the possibility of testing prototypes in the laboratory simulating the actual working conditions and in particular impulsive events. The aims of tests are manifold: verification of mechanical and electrical performance, comparison with numerical models and updating, identification of parameters of the harvester that are difficult to measure directly. In this paper a testing method based on hammer excitation of an harvester mounted on a specific testing rig is presented. The testing rig is simple and low cost. It makes possible the measurement of the frequency response function (FRF) between output voltage and input acceleration. Design requirements for the testing rig are reported and a validation of the realized system is presented. A multimodal mathematical model is developed in MATLAB to simulate the impulse response of the harvester and in particular to stress the effect of higher order modes. Results show the dominance of the fundamental mode in the response of the tested harvesters. Calculated and experimental results are in good agreement.
Flexible Cellular Structures of a Non-Pneumatic Tire
Authors: Meng Fanhao , Lu Dengfeng , Yu Jingjun
Published: December 2016

Taking the tire of the lunar rover as the research background, this paper provides two design concepts of non-pneumatic tires (NPTs) with a compliant cellular solid spoke component. In this study, a series of degrees of freedom (DOFs) and stiffness analysis of NPTs with cellular structures are investigated with the same vertical loading conditions using a commercial finite element analysis tool, ANSYS. The research found that the tread relative to the hub only has in-plane translational degree of freedom in the radial direction, without other DOFs. According to this finding, using the improved design method based on the existing cellular structures and the synthetic design method based on the principle of compliant mechanism, two cases of cellular structures are designed: (i) cross arcs cell and (ii) rectangular cell. Analysis of the influence of geometric parameters of the cell on the performance of NPTs is critical to further improve the performance of the NPTs. Finally, by optimizing the geometrical parameters of the cellular structure, the performance of the NPTs with the cross arcs cell and rectangular cell can be enhanced.
Polynomial Chaos Expansion Sensitivity Analysis for Electromechanical Impedance of Plate
Authors: Bakhtiari-Nejad Firooz , Sepehry Naserodin , Shamshirsaz Mahnaz
Published: December 2016

Piezoelectric wafer active sensors (PWAS) have been the widely used in impedance based damage detection applications. A most important matter in impedance method is applied voltage to PWAS and measuring current in PWAS. In this paper, for modeling of impedance based structural health monitoring, a 3D spectral finite element method (SFEM) is developed for plate structure with PWAS. Because of high frequency application of impedance method, high degree of freedom (DOF) is needed for modeling of impedance of PWAS attached on the plate. Uncertainty of plate and PWAS parameters could be effect on the natural frequencies of structure. So, impedance signal of modeling would be different based on uncertainty parameters. Polynomial chaos expansion (PC) is a probabilistic method consisting in the projection of the model output on a basis of orthogonal stochastic polynomials in the random inputs. In this paper, PCE is used for sensitivity analysis of the electromechanical impedance of plate structure with PWAS.
Modeling and Simulation of a Wind Turbine Gear Set With Hydrodynamic Bearings Attached to an Induction Generator
Authors: Okabe Eduardo Paiva , Izuka Jaime , Masarati Pierangelo
Published: December 2016

This work presents the numerical modeling and simulation of a wind turbine gearset with hydrodynamic bearings and an induction generator. Transmissions based on epicyclic gear trains applied to wind turbines have some advantages, i.e., compactness, robustness and low maintenance requirement. The early stages of the development of such mechanism need numerical results in order to design it properly. The complexity of this machine requires a multidisciplinary approach to model and simulate a system comprising of mechanical, fluid and electrical components. The bearing model is integrated to the kinetics of the gearbox, allowing a precise evaluation of the journal bearing’s movements. Through a multidisciplinary multibody dynamics software, the gearbox dynamics, the bearing behavior and the induction generator are calculated in a single system. The numerical solution of the hydrodynamic lubrication problem of a finite bearing is achieved using the finite element method. The hydrodynamic bearing and the induction generator are implemented as a user module in MBDyn software, which makes them available to model and simulate other types of rotating machinery. Simulations of two different conditions showed a better damping property when compared to rolling bearings, in this gearset.
Quantitative Analysis of the Effort-Fatigue Tradeoff in the Conceptual Design Process: A Multistate EEG Approach
Authors: Nguyen Philon , Nguyen Thanh An , Zeng Yong
Published: December 2016

Physiological signals are at the core of affective and cognitive engineering methods which aim at providing a more humancentric perspective to engineering concepts and systems. Labelling physiological signals with meaningful words such as concentration, fatigue or effort is a hard task. Although those labels are well-documented in the medical and related literature, their meaning gets lost in translation in engineering and design sciences. Multistate analysis of physiological signals aims at alleviating this process by identifying pittfalls and errors backed by hard numerical and statistical evidence. In this paper, we use multistate analysis of EEG signals to revisit the effort-fatigue tradeoff in the conceptual design process. Many rules of thumb and intuitions may exist about the effort-fatigue tradeoff and the goal is to provide a quantitative framework where this tradeoff can bear meaning. Following our multistate analysis, we define different types of fatigue (TYPE 1-5 Fatigue) which behave differently based on our numerical analysis and conclude that fatigue and by extension effort are multidimensional concepts.
Development of 3D Equipment Interaction With Predictive Dynamics in Human Motion Simulation
Authors: Chung Hyun-Joon , Xiang Yujiang
Published: December 2016

3D equipment interaction module in human motion simulation is developed in this paper. A predictive dynamics method is used to simulate human motion, and a helmet is modeled as the equipment that is attached to the human body. We then implement this method using the predictive dynamics task of walking. A mass-spring-damper system is attached at the top of the head as a helmet model. The equations of motion for the helmet are also derived in a recursive Lagrangian formulation within the same inertial reference frame as the human model’s. The total number of degrees of freedom for the human model is 55 — 6 degrees of freedom for global translation and rotation, and 49 degrees of freedom for the body. The helmet has 7 degrees of freedom, but 6 of them are dependent to the human model. The movement of the helmet is analyzed due to the human motion. Then, the reaction force between the human body and the equipment is calculated. Once the reaction force is obtained, it is applied to the human body as an external force in the predictive dynamics optimization process. Results include the motion of equipment, the force acting on body at the attachment point, the joint torque profiles, and the ground reaction force profiles at the foot contacting point.
A Data- and Knowledge-Driven Methodology for Generating Eco-Industrial Park Architectures
Authors: Hein Andreas M. , Jankovic Marija , Farel Romain , Yannou Bernard
Published: December 2016

Industrial symbiosis can be understood as the substitution of new resources used in an industrial process by another resource that would otherwise be discarded. Industrial symbiosis can thereby create new revenue streams and at the same time reduce environmental impact. The initial step in creating an industrial symbiosis is the identification of potential substation relationships between production plants. This step is challenging, as information about the companies is often not available. Several software tools have been developed in order to identify potential symbiosis opportunities. However, these tools have the shortcoming that they require extensive data input from companies owning the production plants. This requirement limits the number of companies for which symbiosis opportunities are identified. In this paper, we propose a data-driven methodology for identifying industrial symbiosis and generating eco-industrial park architectures. The methodology is based on meta-models of industrial plants for identifying plant attributes for certain types of plants, correlations that estimate the rough amount of resource supply and demand of a plant, and a rule-based system that identifies symbiosis opportunities based on knowledge from successful symbioses. Based on the symbiosis opportunities, approach generates eco-industrial park architectures that are optimal in terms of economic and environmental performance. Finally, we apply the methodology to a case study of the existing Kalundborg eco-industrial park to evaluate if the methodology is capable of finding existing symbioses. We conclude that the methodology can be applied to screening industrial zones with standard types of industrial plants. However, the results depend on the types of existing industrial plant meta-models in the database. Future work will focus on extending the data and knowledge base; and validating the methodology by its application to other existing eco-industrial parks.
Mixed-Variable Metamodeling Methods for Designing Multi-Material Structures
Authors: Xu Hongyi , Chuang Ching-Hung , Yang Ren-Jye
Published: December 2016

To establish metamodels for the multi-material structure design problems, the material selection of each component is considered as a categorical design variable. One challenging task is to establish an accurate mixed-variable metamodel. It is critical to reduce the prediction error of the mixed-variable metamodel in order to achieve a feasible design with superior performance in the metamodel-based optimization. This paper investigates two different strategies of mixed-variable metamodeling: “feature separating” strategy and “all-in-one” strategy. A supervised learning-aided method is proposed to improve the “feature separating” metamodels. The proposed method is compared with several existing mixed-variable metamodeling methods on three engineering benchmark problems to understand their relative merits. These methods include Neural Network (NN) regression, Classification and Regression Tree (CART) and Gaussian Process (GP). A new Polynomial Coefficient Metric is developed to quantify the adequacy of training data. This study provides insight and guidance for establishing proper metamodels on multi-material structural design problems.
Taking Advantage of Data Generated by Products: Trends, Opportunities and Challenges
Authors: van der Vegte Wilhelm Frederik
Published: December 2016

Now that all kinds of products are increasingly getting connected to the Internet, it is expected that it will become easier to collect data on how they are actually used during the middle-of-life stage of their product lifecycles. At the same time, a growing number of data analytics technologies offers opportunities to transform this data into actionable knowledge. Over the years, such knowledge extracted from usage data has already become a reliable input for managing maintenance and related services, but other uses such as feedback to design — where product data management systems have started to offer support for data collection practices — and providing advice to end users are now also being considered. Most data from sensors and other product-embedded information devices are collected in batches and analyzed retrospectively. In order for companies to further benefit from data collection in terms of efficacy and acceptance in society, two key challenges are (i) finding ways to effectively use data analytics techniques — which currently do not seem to be used to their full potential, and (ii) finding a good trade-off between respecting privacy and yet producing useful knowledge.
Designing in Excess Capability to Handle Uncertain Product Requirements in a Developing World Setting
Authors: Allen Jeffrey D. , Mattson Christopher A. , Thacker Kendall
Published: December 2016

Products designed for the developing world often go unused or under used by the intended individuals. Designers with experience in developed areas of the world naturally apply their values to the products they design. This results in a misjudgment of the actual requirements of individuals in developing areas. When the products do not have the ability to adapt to the actual user requirements, long-term adoption is not achieved. The ability of a product to adapt to new or changing requirements has been shown to extend the service life of large complex engineered systems (e.g., aircraft carriers, aircraft, communication systems, and space craft). These systems must remain in service for extended periods of time, even though the environments and requirements may change dramatically. The ability of these complex systems to adapt to meet these new requirements is a valuable attribute. Applying these proven techniques to products designed for the developing world can address the issue of misunderstood requirements. Adaptability is achieved, in this paper, by incorporating appropriate excess capabilities into the original design. These excess capabilities can be identified and analyzed using a numerical search methodology. This paper presents a methodology for increasing the adaptability, and therefore adoptability of products designed for the developing world by incorporating strategically determined excess capabilities.
Resilience Assessment Based on Time-Dependent System Reliability Analysis
Authors: Hu Zhen , Mahadevan Sankaran
Published: December 2016

Significant efforts have been recently devoted to the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of resilience in engineering systems. Current resilience evaluation methods, however, have mainly focused on business supply chains and civil infrastructure, and need to be extended for application in engineering design. A new resilience metric is proposed in this paper for the design of mechanical systems to bridge this gap, by investigating the effects of recovery activity and failure scenarios on system resilience. The defined resilience metric is connected to design through time-dependent system reliability analysis. This connection enables us to design a system for a specific resilience target in the design stage. Since computationally expensive computer simulations are usually used in design, a surrogate modeling method is developed to efficiently perform time-dependent system reliability analysis for resilience assessment. System resilience assessment is then investigated based on the developed time-dependent system reliability analysis method. The connection between the proposed resilience assessment method and design is discussed through the sensitivity analysis and component importance measure. Two numerical examples are used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed resilience assessment method and the associated sensitivity analysis and component importance measure.
Advances in Balance and Biofeedback Measurement: The Case for Health-Based, Postural Serious Games
Authors: Lim Theodore , Yurchenko Daniil , Rajendran Gnanathusharan , Sivanathan Aparajithan , Ritchie James
Published: December 2016

Health games are increasingly seen as a means to address issues from therapy and rehabilitation. Yet, as a transformative technology, rarely have such games been explored or exploited to assist research into pathologies. Serious games for research (SGR) to uncover pathologies would allow clinicians to develop new differential diagnostics while providing a positive experience for the subject. This paper is not about game design; nevertheless it presents an outlook to considerations that could be taken forward when developing health-based SGRs for pathomechanics, etiopathogenesis and biofeedback. This work relates to preliminary studies on balance challenges manifested in pathologies of the central nervous system. As technology advancements seek to augment human sensory contact between virtual and real worlds this may impact on how virtual environments are used and designed in future. As a consequence heightened sensory (or lack of thereof) may result in falls, for example users with vestibular disorder — because postural stability is a key aspect of motor ability that allows individuals to sustain and maintain the desired physical position of their body Here, our investigation is specific to functional correspondence of the incidental properties in human body sway between healthy subjects and subjects with dyslexia. Our early results suggest postural sway between healthy subjects and those with mild disorders can be distinguished.
Mobility Optimization and Control of a 4x4 HE-Vehicle in Curvilinear Motion on Stochastic Terrain
Authors: Vantsevich Vladimir V. , Paldan Jesse R. , Farley Blair K.
Published: December 2016

This paper presents a new method for optimizing mobility of a 4×4 hybrid-electric vehicle through control of wheel power distribution. First, a mobility index is used to calculate optimal power distribution for improved mobility using a Lagrangian multiplier. A control algorithm is developed for altering the wheel power distribution in order to follow a trajectory path which is calculated for optimum mobility. An inverse vehicle dynamics math model of a 4×4 vehicle is used in which a task is assigned as a required velocity to test in two simulated curvilinear maneuvers.