bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Shaking table test and theoretical analysis of the pile–soil–structure interaction at a liquefiable site
Authors: Li Peizhen , Yang Jinping , Lu Zheng 
Published: June 2018

SummaryPile foundations are widely used to support high‐rise buildings, in which piles transmit foundation loads to soil strata with higher bearing capacity and stiffness. This process alters the dynamic characteristics of the pile–soil–structure system in seismically active areas, especially at a liquefiable site. A series of shaking table tests on liquefiable soils in pile group foundations of tall buildings were performed to evaluate the liquefaction process and dynamic responses of the pile, soil, and structure. The soil was composed of two layers: the upper layer was a clay layer and the lower layer was saturated sand. These layers were placed in a flexible container that was excited by El Centro earthquake events and Shanghai Bedrock waves at different levels. The test results indicate that the pore pressure ratio is gradually enhanced as the amplitude of the input acceleration increases. The liquefied sand has a filtering effect on the vibration with a high frequency and an amplified effect on the vibration with a low frequency. With increased excitation, contact pressure and strain amplitudes of the pile increase, whereas the peak acceleration magnification coefficient decreases. The seismic responses of a structure with pile–soil–structure interaction are generally smaller than those on a rigid foundation.
Minimum‐weight design of high‐rise structures subjected to flexural vibration at a desired natural frequency
Authors: Alavi Arsalan , Rahgozar Peyman , Rahgozar Reza 
Published: June 2018

SummaryIn this paper, a parametric approach for design of high‐rise structures subjected to flexural vibration is proposed. The optimization problem is formed based on a preselected value for the fundamental natural frequency, and it is formulated for minimum structural weight. In a two‐step approach, first, an alternative formulation aimed at maximizing structural stiffness that in turn maximizes structure's fundamental frequency is introduced. Then, optimized results are used in obtaining a closed‐form solution of the actual problem. Because the resulting equations are rather complicated, approximate forms are developed in order to simplify the design process. In all relations, contributions from shear forces to lateral displacement are assumed to be negligible; hence, bending resistance is the only design variable, and its optimal value is computable using simple relations. Two numerical examples are presented in order to illustrate the efficiency of this method in practice.
A review of the current state of knowledge of proglacial hydrogeology in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru
Authors: Glas Robin , Lautz Laura , McKenzie Jeffrey , Mark Bryan , Baraer Michel , Chavez Daniel , Maharaj Laura 
Published: June 2018

The rapidly melting glaciers of Peru are posing new risks to regional dry season water supplies, and this is evident in the Cordillera Blanca, the mountain range with the world's largest concentration of tropical glaciers. Permanent ice loss is causing reductions to dry season streamflow, which is coupled with shifting demands and control over water access and entitlements in the region. A full evaluation of hydrologic inputs is required to inform future water management in the relative absence of glaciers. Over the last decade, new studies have shown groundwater to be a significant component of the regional water budget during the dry season, and it cannot be ignored when accounting for water quality and quantity downstream of the Cordillera Blanca's alpine catchments. Distinctive common features of the Cordillera Blanca's proglacial catchments are sediment‐filled valleys that were once under proglacial lake conditions. The combination of lake sediments with other alpine depositional features results in storage and interseasonal release of groundwater that comprises up to 80% of the valley's streamflow during the driest months of the year. We summarize the emerging understanding of hydrogeologic processes in proglacial headwater systems of the region's principal river, the Rio Santa, and make suggestions for future research that will more clearly characterize the spatial distribution of stored groundwater within the mountain range. As glaciers continue to recede, differences in aquifer thickness and groundwater residence time between alpine catchments in the region will increasingly control dry season water availability at the local and basin scale.This article is categorized under:Science of Water > Hydrological ProcessesScience of Water > Water and Environmental ChangeEngineering Water > Planning Water
Teaching the National Written Language to Deaf Students: A New Approach
Authors: Volpato Laura , Hilzensauer Marlene , Krammer Klaudia , Chan Melanie 
Published: June 2018

Abstract
Deaf people across Europe struggle to have equal access to written information as the main language of instruction in school is the spoken language. The “Deaf Learning” project (2015-1-PL01-KA204-016) aims at improving the above-mentioned situation by developing a face-to-face course supported by a Moodle course according to the needs of young deaf adults. Within the project, the partners developed a framework for lessons ranging from A1 to B2 (on the basis of the Common European Framework for Languages, CEFR) to improve reading and writing skills in the respective national languages. The teaching materials for level A1 consist of 30 lessons in pdf printable version, and 6 Moodle lessons. To make the course suitable for the very heterogeneous group of deaf learners, the structure of the lessons was designed so that teachers can adapt it to the needs of the deaf students. The Moodle lessons are kept simple and visual; they include sign language videos, images, and H5P interactive contents. The teaching materials have been tested in Italy for the main target group (17 participants aged 16–25 years) and in Austria for all other interested parties (3 participants aged over 30 years) through face-to-face lessons. The participants’ feedback was incorporated into the materials.
Accessible Player Experiences (APX): The Players
Authors: Beeston Jen , Power Christopher , Cairns Paul , Barlet Mark 
Published: June 2018

AbstractIn research and practice into the accessibility of digital games, much of the work has focused on how to make games accessible to people with disabilities. With an increasing number of people with disabilities playing mainstream commercial games, it is important that we understand who they are and how they play in order to take a more user-centered approach as this field grows. We conducted a demographic survey of 154 players with disabilities and found that they play mainstream digital games using a variety of assistive technologies, use accessibility options such as key remapping and subtitles, and they identify themselves as gamers who play digital games as their primary hobby. This gives us a richer picture of players with disabilities and indicates that there are opportunities to begin to look at the accessible player experiences (APX) players have in games.
Mobile Online Courses for the Illiterate: The eVideo Approach
Authors: Patzer Yasmin , Lambertz Johanna , Schulz Björn , Pinkwart Niels 
Published: June 2018

AbstractMore than half of Germany’s functional illiterates are gainfully employed adults. This paper presents the eVideo approach that aims at people with poor basic education. The course “eVideo mobile - digital media in hospitality industry” is a game-based work-related eLearning course. It is based on an inclusive eLearning platform. Basic educational skills are addressed in workplace-related interactive videos and exercises on different competency levels. In a small pilot study users were observed while using the course and afterwards questioned in interviews.
Requirements Engineering for People with Cognitive Disabilities – Exploring New Ways for Peer-Researchers and Developers to Cooperate
Authors: Heumader Peter , Edler Cordula , Miesenberger Klaus , Wolkerstorfer Sylvia 
Published: June 2018

AbstractDigital technologies can improve the daily lives of people with cognitive disabilities, allowing them to participate and communicate in society. However the success of a technical product depends not only on the price or lifespan, but also on its user experience. To ensure user satisfaction when creating new technology or products, it is necessary to know their needs. This article presents methods of requirements analysis and elicitation for digital participation together with people with cognitive impairments.
The Inaccessibility of Video Players
Authors: Wild Gian 
Published: June 2018

AbstractWe conducted a series of tests of 37 major video players, both free and paid, on the market. Initially we tested on a PC on Google Chrome and excluded video players that contained what we called “show-stoppers”: serious accessibility failures. The remaining video players were then tested with people with vision impairments reliant on various screen readers. Any video players that contained show-stoppers were excluded from any additional testing. Thirdly, we tested on two different mobile devices, again excluding video players that contained show-stoppers. Finally, we tested with an iPad and a Bluetooth keyboard. At the end of the testing only two players remained: AblePlayer and OzPlayer.
Assessment of the potential for dredged material dispersal from dumping sites in the Gulf of Gdańsk
Authors: Cieślikiewicz Witold , Dudkowska Aleksandra , Gic-Grusza Gabriela , Jędrasik Jan 
Published: June 2018

Abstract
Purpose
Environment-friendly management of sites used for disposal of locally generated sedimentary material involves designation of an optimal dumping site location which will render the dredged material re-usable for beneficial purposes. The objective of this research was to determine whether wind, waves, and currents can induce transport of sediment from offshore dumping sites located at intermediate depths in the southern Baltic.

Materials and methods
The problem was addressed by exploring potential sediment transport from two sites located in the Gulf of Gdańsk at depths of about 20 m. A total of 29 combinations of hydrodynamic variables, representing the most extreme possible situations in the area, including eight theoretical uniform wind fields over the entire Baltic Sea from the W, NW, N, NE, E, SE, S, and SW sectors, the wind speed of 30 m s−1, as well as 21 historical extreme storms, retrieved from the HIPOCAS project database, were used.

Results and discussion
The bottom velocities resulting from waves and currents at the dumping sites considered were computed using wave models (WAM, SWAN) and the M3D hydrodynamic model (based on the POM model). To estimate the velocities critical for bedload transport, formulae developed by Soulsby (1997) and Sawamoto and Yamashita (Proc Coastal Sediments 87:415–423, 1987) were used. The volumetric bedload transport was computed based on Meyer-Peter and Müller (1948). The model simulations demonstrated that, for the storm conditions analyzed, the current velocity in the area of the two dumping sites would be so low that it would practically not affect the magnitude of the bottom sediment transport. Thus, the resultant volume of bedload transported would be equal to that generated by the wave action. For the heaviest historical storm, the maximum transport is about 3 × 10−5 m2 s−1.

Conclusions
Under conditions of theoretical storms, the bottom orbital velocities would be higher and the resultant sediment transport would reach almost 7 × 10−5 m2 s−1 for northerly winds. However, this value is still very low compared with the volume of sediment being dumped. The findings of this study may prove useful in designation of future dumping sites.
Imputation Match Bias in Immigrant Wage Convergence
Authors: Hersch Joni , Shinall Jennifer Bennett 
Published: June 2018

Abstract
Although immigrants to the United States earn less at entry than their native-born counterparts, an extensive literature has found that immigrants have faster earnings growth that results in rapid convergence to native-born earnings. However, recent evidence based on U.S. Census data indicates a slowdown in the rate of earnings assimilation. We find that the pace of immigrant wage convergence based on recent data may be understated in the literature as a result of the method used by the census to impute missing information on earnings, which does not use immigration status as a match characteristic. Because both the share of immigrants in the workforce and earnings imputation rates have risen over time, imputation match bias for recent immigrants is more consequential than in earlier periods and may lead to an underestimate of the rate of immigrant wage convergence.
The Effects of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals on the Educational Outcomes of Undocumented Students
Authors: Hsin Amy , Ortega Francesc 
Published: June 2018

AbstractDeferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is the first large-scale immigration policy to affect undocumented immigrants in the United States in decades and offers eligible undocumented youth temporary relief from deportation as well as renewable work permits. Although DACA has improved the economic conditions and mental health of undocumented immigrants, we do not know how DACA improves the social mobility of undocumented immigrants through its effect on educational attainment. We use administrative data on students attending a large public university to estimate the effect of DACA on undocumented students’ educational outcomes. The data are unique because they accurately identify students’ legal status, account for individual heterogeneity, and allow separate analysis of students attending community colleges versus four-year colleges. Results from difference-in-difference estimates demonstrate that as a temporary work permit program, DACA incentivizes work over educational investments but that the effect of DACA on educational investments depends on how easily colleges accommodate working students. At four-year colleges, DACA induces undocumented students to make binary choices between attending school full-time and dropping out of school to work. At community colleges, undocumented students have the flexibility to reduce course work to accommodate increased work hours. Overall, the results suggest that the precarious and temporary nature of DACA creates barriers to educational investments.
Hegel and Bataille on Sacrifice
Authors: Goggin W. Ezekiel 
Published: June 2018

AbstractIn Georges Bataille’s view, the Hegelian interpretation of kenotic sacrifice as passage from Spirit to the Speculative Idea effaces the necessarily representational character of sacrifice and the irreducible non-presence of death. But Hegel identifies these aspects of death in the fragments of the 1800 System. In sacrificial acts, subjectivity represents its disappearance via the sacrificed other, and hence is negated and conserved. Sacrifice thus provides the representational model of sublation pursued in thePhenomenologyas a propaedeutic to Science. Bataille’s critique clarifies the fragments of the 1800 System, contextualizing Hegel’s rehabilitation of kenotic sacrifice in thePhenomenology. Bataille’s poetics parodies Hegelian kenosis via repetition of material difference, enacting an ecstatic temporality which Hegel perhaps suppresses as the condition of his system. Finally—if Bataille is correct in his assessment—the system would be subjected to a reversal, with radical implications for the philosophy of religion.
Physical parameter estimation with MCMC from observations of Vela X-1
Authors: Zhang Lan , Wang Feilu , Xue Xiangxiang , Yuan Dawei , Wei Huigang , Zhao Gang 
Published: June 2018

We present a parameter estimate for continua, and He-like triplets of the high resolution X-ray spectra with a Bayesian inference and a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) tool. The method is applied for Vela X-1 with three different orbital phases ($\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}$), Eclipse, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}=0.25$, and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}=0.5$, which are adopted from the Chandra High-Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer (HETGS). A parameterized two-component power-law model [Sako et al., Astrophys. J. 525, 921 (1999)] and a multi-Gaussian model are applied to model these continua and He-like triplets, respectively. A uniform distribution over each parameter is used as the prior belief. Posterior probability distribution functions of parameters and the covariances among them are explored by using the MCMC method. The main advantages are (i) all model-based parameters are set to be free instead of artificially fixing some of the parameters during the data-model fitting; (ii) the contributions from satellite lines are considered; (iii) backgrounds are treated as a correction to the observation errors; and (iv) the confidence interval of each parameter is given. The fitted results show that the column density of scatter component ($N_{\text{H}}^{\text{scat}}$) varies from phase to phase, which imply a non-spherical structure of the stellar wind in Vela X-1. Moreover, the wind velocities derived from main lines of each set of He-like triplets show better self-consistency than those in previous publications, which could provide a reliable approach for the diagnostics of photoionized plasma in astrophysical objects and the laboratory.
Criminal law in the shadows: creating offences in delegated legislation
Authors: Chalmers James , Leverick Fiona 
Published: June 2018

AbstractSubstantial numbers of criminal offences are created in the UK in delegated legislation, often carrying heavy maximum penalties. The majority are created in statutory instruments passed under the negative resolution procedure, which offers very limited opportunity for scrutiny and does not involve a parliamentary vote. This phenomenon has slipped under the radar of orthodox criminal law scholarship, where debate has focused primarily on the criteria that should be used to determine the content of the criminal law and on the principles to which such offences should conform, rather than on the process of creating criminal offences. Creating offences in delegated legislation raises questions of democratic legitimacy and has resulted in criminal offences being created which do not conform to basic principles of fair notice and proportionality of penalty. To address this, we propose that parliamentary approval should be required for all serious offences. It would be impractical to do this for all criminal offences, and direct participation in the legislative process via consultation can act as an alternative (or additional) legitimating principle. This does, however, require that the consultation process complies with certain basic minimum requirements, and we explain how these requirements might appropriately be framed.
Vicarious liability and the beautiful game – liability for professional and amateur footballers?
Authors: Morgan Phillip 
Published: June 2018

AbstractVicarious liability has a greater reach within both professional and amateur football than previously thought. The newly-expanded doctrine has opened up vicarious liability for amateur players, and within grassroots teams. A greater range of torts may also now trigger vicarious liability, such as acts of on and off-pitch violence. The Football Association will need to review the scope of the National Game Insurance Scheme, which significantly lags behind this expanded exposure to vicarious liability.Examining vicarious liability in the context of football also reveals significant problems with the current approach to vicarious liability within unincorporated associations. This category developed in the context of institutional abuse within highly-organised religious institutions; it does not mean that this category of vicarious liability should be applied to grassroots sporting organisations in the same way. For instance there is scope to apply a different test at stage two. It is argued that the courts will need to tighten up this category so as not to unnecessarily expose members of grass roots organisations to vicarious liability which is able to be executed against their personal assets. Both amateur and professional clubs may also wish to carefully consider their selection of players.
Constitutions and bills of rights: invigorating or placating democracy?
Authors: Jones Brian Christopher 
Published: June 2018

AbstractChampions of constitutions and bills of rights regularly portray them as possessing significant, sometimes mysterious, powers. One characterisation is that newly implemented constitutions may invigorate a democracy, particularly at the ballot box. This paper challenges that notion by scrutinising a relatively unexplored area of constitutional performance: voter turnout. In particular, it examines a number of jurisdictions that have recently implemented constitutions and bill of rights, finding that in many of them, voter turnout decreased after passage, sometimes significantly. As the argument for a codified British constitution endures, the findings of this paper provide provisional evidence that those advocating for such a device should be wary of touting its potentially invigorating democratic effects. Ultimately, however, the paper calls for more research into the area of constitutions and democratic performance, such as voter turnout.
Selenium supplementation lowers insulin resistance and markers of cardio-metabolic risk in patients with congestive heart failure: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Authors: Raygan Fariba , Behnejad Milad , Ostadmohammadi Vahidreza , Bahmani Fereshteh , Mansournia Mohammad A. , Karamali Fatemeh , Asemi Zatollah 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThis study was carried out to evaluate the effects of Se supplementation on metabolic profiles in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). This randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed among fifty-three subjects with CHF, aged 45–85 years old. Subjects were randomly allocated into two groups to take either 200 µg/d of Se as Se yeast (n 26) or placebo (n 27) for 12 weeks. Metabolic profiles were assessed at baseline and at the end of trial. Compared with the placebo, Se supplementation led to significant reductions in serum insulin (−18·41 (sd 27·53) v. +13·73 (sd 23·63) pmol/l, P<0·001), homoeostatic model of assessment for insulin resistance (−1·01 (sd 1·61) v. +0·55 (sd 1·20), P<0·001) and a significant increase in quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) (+0·007 (sd 0·03) v. −0·01 (sd 0·01), P=0·007). In addition, Se supplementation significantly decreased LDL-cholesterol (−0·23 (sd 0·29) v. −0·04 (sd 0·28) mmol/l, P=0·03) and total-:HDL-cholesterol ratio (−0·47 (sd 0·31) v. −0·06 (sd 0·42), P<0·001), and significantly increased HDL-cholesterol levels (+0·18 (sd 0·19) v. +0·02 (sd 0·13) mmol/l, P=0·001) compared with the placebo. In addition, taking Se supplements was associated with a significant reduction in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (−1880·8 (sd 3437·5) v. +415·3 (sd 2116·5) ng/ml, P=0·01), and a significant elevation in plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (+30·9 (sd 118·0) v. −187·9 (sd 412·7) mmol/l, P=0·004) and total glutathione levels (+33·7 (sd 130·4) v. −39·2 (sd 132·8) µmol/l, P=0·003) compared with the placebo. When we applied Bonferroni correction for multiple outcome testing, QUICKI (P=0·11), LDL-cholesterol (P=0·51), hs-CRP (P=0·17), TAC (P=0·06) and GSH (P=0·05) became non-significant, and other metabolic profiles did not alter. Overall, our study supported that Se supplementation for 12 weeks to patients with CHF had beneficial effects on insulin metabolism and few markers of cardio-metabolic risk.