bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Drivers’ Attention Level by a Driving Simulator
Authors: Bartolozzi Riccardo , Frendo Francesco 
Published: December 2013

Diagnosis systems for evaluating driver’s attention level have become very important in the last years and have gained an increasing attention from automotive manufacturers; indeed, traffic crashes represent worldwide one of the main public health problems and many accidents are demonstrated to be due to drivers’ hypovilance. In this work a driving simulator and specific test tools were developed to validate the possibility of monitoring the drivers’ attention level and capability.
The driving simulator is equipped with a fixed cockpit and a single front screen. The cockpit reproduces the man-machine interface of a typical medium class car with automatic transmission, i.e. the driver interacts with the simulator by means of the throttle and brake pedals and the steering wheel. The pedals are endowed with passive feedback systems, whereas an electric motor applies an active feedback torque on the steering wheel.
From the software point of view, the simulator is managed by four PCs connected by a LAN. Two of them are dedicated to the simulation of vehicle dynamics and for data logging, while the other two run the graphical scenario software. This includes a motorway area connected to an urban area with an autonomous traffic.
The vehicle model was built with a block architecture in the Matlab/Simulink environment and is run in real-time by using the xPC Target toolbox. A specific block, consisting of an in-house developed 14 d.o.f. model, was set up to represents vehicle dynamics.
The driving simulator is currently employed in experimental campaigns acquiring about 60 signals of driver’s input and vehicle quantities. In order to evaluate the drivers’ attention level, two specific tests were developed, which aim at measuring the drivers’ reaction time and ability in sudden events such as a brake manoeuvre or a sudden lateral skid.
In the paper the driving simulator hardware and software are presented. The tests procedures, which were developed to investigate the driver’s attention, are also discussed with reference to some tests.
CFD Evaluation of the Pressure Losses in a Reciprocating Compressor: A Flexible Approach
Authors: Balduzzi Francesco , Ferrara Giovanni , Babbini Alberto , Pratelli Guido 
Published: December 2013

Pressure losses in the suction and discharge components of a reciprocating compressor are the main irreversibilities that affect the global system efficiency; their prediction is a critical issue for the evaluation of the absorbed power.
Flow coefficients for automatic valves are often derived from experimental data obtained on a dedicated test bench. Conversely, there is a lack of information concerning the flow behavior in the other components along the gas path and their losses are often taken into account by correcting the valve’s flow coefficient by means of an empirical correlation.
CFD simulation of the entirety of the suction and discharge systems is a viable alternative for the prediction of the global pressure losses, although these simulations are very demanding in terms of computational resources.
This paper presents an approach to reducing the computational effort required to perform the CFD analysis of a reciprocating compressor.
A set of CFD simulations with different suction system geometry configurations has been performed in order to evaluate the dependence of a component pressure loss on the losses of the upstream components. The losses along the suction system can then be evaluated separately from the valve loss by neglecting the presence of the valve itself. The valve can be replaced by an equivalent porous region that straightens the outgoing flow. This approach leads to a decrease in both the mesh size and complexity, and an increase in general applicability.
Optimization of the Global Static and Dynamic Performance of a Vehicle Body by Means of Response Surface Models
Authors: Mihaylova Pavlina , Pratellesi Alessandro , Baldanzini Niccolò , Pierini Marco 
Published: December 2013

Concept FE models of the vehicle structure are often used to optimize it in terms of static and dynamic stiffness, as they are parametric and computationally inexpensive. On the other hand they introduce modeling errors with respect to their detailed FE equivalents due to the simplifications made. Even worse, the link between the concept and the detailed FE model can be sometimes lost after optimization.
The aim of this paper is to present and validate an alternative optimization approach that uses the detailed FE model of the vehicle body-in-white instead of its concept representation. Structural modifications of this model were applied in two different ways — by local joint modifications and by using mesh morphing techniques. The first choice was motivated by the strong influence of the structural joints on the global vehicle performance. For this type of modification the plate thicknesses of the most influent car body joints were changed. In the second case the overall car dimensions were modified.
The drawback of using detailed FE models of the vehicle body is that they can be times bigger than their concept counterparts and can thus require considerably more time for structural analysis. To make the approach proposed in this work a feasible alternative for optimization in the concept phase response surface models were introduced. With them the global static and dynamic performance of the body-in-white was represented by means of approximating polynomials. Optimization on such mathematical models is fast, so the choice of the optimization algorithm is not limited only among local-search strategies.
In the current study Genetic Algorithm was used to increase the chances for finding better design alternatives. Two different optimization problems were defined and solved. Their final solutions were presented and compared in terms of structural modifications and resulting responses. The approach in this paper can be successfully used in the concept phase as it is fast and reliable and at the same time it avoids the problems typical for concept models.
Real-Time Simulation for Virtual Surgery in a PGD Framework
Authors: Niroomandi Siamak , Bordeu Felipe , Alfaro Iciar , Gonzalez David , Leygue Adrien , Cueto Elias , Chinesta Francisco 
Published: December 2013

We analyze here the use of proper generalized decompositions (PGD) for real-time simulation of living soft tissues in virtual surgery environments. These tissues are usually modeled as hyperelastic solids, and therefore present important difficulties for their simulation under real-time constraints (i.e., feedback rates on the order of1 kHz).
PGD techniques provide with physics-based meta-models without any prior computer experiment, that can be used on-line for the simulation under such severe constraints. These metemodels are constructed on the assumption of the problem to be multi-dimensional, with parameters as additional space dimensions. These parameters, in this case, are taken as the position of contact of surgical tool and organ, modulus of the contact force and orientation (a 9D problem). PGD techniques allow to solve efficiently these high-dimensional problems without the burden associated to the application of mesh-based techniques to these problems.
Injection Pressures of a Bio-Oil Driven Non-Road Diesel Engine: Experiments and Simulations
Authors: Niemi Seppo , Kiijärvi Jukka , Laurén Mika , Hiltunen Erkki 
Published: December 2013

The depletion of global crude oil reserves, increases in fossil fuel prices and environmental issues have encouraged the search for and study of bio-derived fuels. For years, fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) have already been used successfully. High-quality hydrogenated vegetable oil and Fischer-Tropsch biofuels have also been developed.
Fuel refining processes, however, consume energy increasing CO2 emissions. For profitability reasons, large-scale industrial production is also required. Several distributed energy producers are instead willing to utilize various local waste materials as fuel feedstock. The target is local fuel production without any complicated manufacturing processes.
Crude bio-oils are therefore also interesting fuel options, in particular for medium-speed diesel engines capable of burning such bio-oils without any major problems. Nevertheless, waste-derived crude bio-oils have also been studied in Finland in high-speed non-road diesel engines. One option has been mustard seed oil (MSO). Mustard has been cultivated in fallow fields. Non-food mustard seeds have been used for fuel manufacturing.
In the performed studies with MSO, the exhaust smoke and HC emissions decreased, NOx remained approximately constant, and the thermal efficiency was competitive compared with operation on ordinary diesel fuel oil (DFO). The number of exhaust particles tended, however, to increase and deposits were formed in the combustion chamber, particularly if the engine was also run at low loads with MSO. On the whole, the results were so promising that deeper analyses of engine operation with MSO were considered reasonable.
The kinematic viscosity of crude bio-oils is much higher than that of FAMEs or DFO. Consequently, the injection pressure tends to increase especially at the injection pump side of an in-line injection pump system. The flow characteristics of crude bio-oil also differ from those of DFO in the high-pressure pipe. With bio-oil, the flow seems to be laminar. The bulk modulus of bio-oils is also different from that of DFO affecting the rate of the injection pressure rise.
In the present study, a turbocharged, inter-cooled direct-injection non-road diesel engine was driven with a mixture of MSO (95%) and rape seed methyl ester (RME, 5%), and standard DFO. The engine was equipped with an in-line injection pump.
First, the injection pressures at pump and injector ends of the high-pressure injection pipe were measured for both fuels as a function of crank angle. Furthermore, a model was created for the injection system based on the method of characteristics.
Free software called Scilab was adopted for numerical simulation of the model. Despite a few limitations in the built model, the results showed clear trends and the model can be used to predict changes in the fuel injection process when the fuel is changed.
The Role of Placental Locations on Fetus Mortality in Road Traffic Accidents
Authors: Moustafa Moustafa , Acar B. Serpil , Acar Memis 
Published: December 2013

The aim of this study is to investigate the possible role of placental location on the risk of placental abruption in road traffic accidents involving a pregnant driver. Placental abruption accounts for around 50–70% of fetal deaths in motor vehicle accidents. The computational pregnant occupant model, ‘Expecting’, which has a multi-body fetus and a finite element uterus model was developed at Loughborough University and is used in this investigation.
The placenta is located in the upper region of the uterus near the fundus in ‘Expecting’. Four locations for the placenta; anterior, posterior, lateral left, lateral right cases are modelled and used in simulations in this study. These models are used to simulate a range of frontal impacts of severity 15 kph and 30 kph. Three cases of occupant restraint: three-point seatbelt with an airbag, three-point seatbelt only and airbag only conditions are investigated. The maximum strains developed in the uterus and utero-placental interface (UPI) have been estimated and compared for these scenarios in order to investigate placental abruption that leads to fetal loss. Placenta located at anterior position is found to be at higher risk than other positions considered.
Carriage of Clostridium difficile by Wild Urban Norway Rats (Rattus norvegicus) and Black Rats (Rattus rattus)
Authors: Himsworth Chelsea G. , Patrick David M. , Mak Sunny , Jardine Claire M. , Tang Patrick , Weese J. Scott 
Published: December 2013

ABSTRACT

Clostridium difficile
is an important cause of enteric infections in humans. Recently, concerns have been raised regarding whether animals could be a source of
C. difficile
spores. Although colonization has been identified in a number of domestic species, the ability of commensal pests to serve as a reservoir for
C. difficile
has not been well investigated. The objective of this study was to determine whether urban rats (
Rattus
spp.) from Vancouver, Canada, carry
C. difficile
.
Clostridium difficile
was isolated from the colon contents of trapped rats and was characterized using ribotyping, toxinotyping, and toxin gene identification. Generalized linear mixed models and spatial analysis were used to characterize the ecology of
C. difficile
in rats.
Clostridium difficile
was isolated from 95 of 724 (13.1%) rats, although prevalence differed from 0% to 46.7% among city blocks. The odds of being
C. difficile
positive decreased with increasing weight (odds ratio [OR], 0.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.53 to 0.87), suggesting that carriage is more common in younger animals. The strains isolated included 9 ribotypes that matched recognized international designations, 5 identified by our laboratory in previous studies, and 21 “novel” ribotypes. Some strains were clustered geographically; however, the majority were dispersed throughout the study area, supporting environmental sources of exposure and widespread environmental contamination with a variety of
C. difficile
strains. Given that urban rats are the source of a number of other pathogens responsible for human morbidity and mortality, the potential for rats to be a source of
C. difficile
for humans deserves further consideration.
An
rhs
Gene Linked to the Second Type VI Secretion Cluster Is a Feature of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strain PA14
Authors: Jones Cerith , Hachani Abderrahman , Manoli Eleni , Filloux Alain 
Published: December 2013

ABSTRACT

The type VI secretion system (T6SS) of Gram-negative bacteria has been involved in various processes, notably bacterial competition and eukaryotic cell subversion. Most
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
strains possess three T6SS gene clusters, but only the function of the first T6SS (H1-T6SS) has been clearly elucidated. It is involved in the secretion of three toxins (Tse1 to -3) that target bacterial competitors. In the case of the H2- and H3-T6SS, no clear function has been assigned, and only one effector has been associated with these systems. Yet the H2-T6SS was proposed to promote
P. aeruginosa
internalization in nonphagocytic epithelial cells. Although the H2-T6SS genetic organization is conserved across
P. aeruginosa
isolates, one feature is the presence of an additional transcriptional unit in the PA14 strain H2-T6SS cluster, which is divergent from the core H2-T6SS genes. A specific set of four genes encodes an Hcp protein (Hcp2), a VgrG protein (VgrG14), an Rhs element (PA14_43100 or RhsP2), and a protein with no homologies with previously characterized proteins (PA14_43090). In this study, we engineered a
P. aeruginosa
PA14 strain carrying an arabinose-inducible H2-T6SS on the chromosome. We showed that arabinose induction readily promotes assembly of the H2-T6SS, as seen by monitoring Hcp2 secretion. We further studied the secretion fate of VgrG14 and RhsP2, but these were not detectable in the extracellular medium. We finally investigated whether activation of the PA14 H2-T6SS gene cluster could influence phenotypic traits such as internalization in eukaryotic cells, and we reported noteworthy differences compared to strain PAO1, which may be accounted for by the described genetic differences.
Essentiality of DevR/DosR Interaction with SigA for the Dormancy Survival Program in Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Gautam Uma S. , Sikri Kriti , Vashist Atul , Singh Varshneya , Tyagi Jaya S. 
Published: December 2013

ABSTRACT

The DevR/DosR regulator is believed to play a key role in dormancy adaptation mechanisms of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
in response to a multitude of gaseous stresses, including hypoxia, which prevails within granulomas. DevR activates transcription by binding to target promoters containing a minimum of two binding sites. The proximal site overlaps with the SigA −35 element, suggesting that DevR-SigA interaction is required for activating transcription. We evaluated the roles of 14 charged residues of DevR in transcriptional activation under hypoxic stress. Seven of the 14 alanine substitution mutants were defective in regulon activation, of which K191A, R197A, and K179A+K168A (designated K179A*) mutants were significantly or completely compromised in DNA binding. Four mutants, namely, E154A, R155A, E178A, and K208A, were activation defective in spite of binding to DNA and were classified as positive-control (pc) mutants. The SigA interaction defect of the E154A and E178A proteins was established by
in vitro
and
in vivo
assays and implies that these substitutions lead to an activation defect because they disrupt an interaction(s) with SigA. The relevance of DevR interaction to the transcriptional machinery was further established by the hypoxia survival phenotype displayed by SigA interaction-defective mutants. Our findings demonstrate the role of DevR-SigA interaction in the activation mechanism and in bacterial survival under hypoxia and establish the housekeeping sigma factor SigA as a molecular target of DevR. The interaction of DevR and RNA polymerase suggests a new and novel interceptable molecular interface for future antidormancy strategies for
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
.
Interactions between microfinance programmes and non-economic empowerment of women associated with intimate partner violence in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Dalal Koustuv , Dahlström Örjan , Timpka Toomas 
Published: December 2013

ObjectiveThis study aims to examine the associations between microfinance programme membership and intimate partner violence (IPV) in different socioeconomic strata of a nationally representative sample of women in Bangladesh.MethodsThe cross-sectional study was based on a nationally representative interview survey of 11 178 ever-married women of reproductive age (15–49 years). A total of 4465 women who answered the IPV-related questions were analysed separately using χ2tests and Cramer's V as a measure of effect size to identify the differences in proportions of exposure to IPV with regard to microfinance programme membership, and demographic variables and interactions between microfinance programme membership and factors related to non-economic empowerment were considered.ResultsOnly 39% of women were members of microfinance programmes. The prevalence of a history of IPV was 48% for moderate physical violence, 16% for severe physical violence and 16% for sexual violence. For women with secondary or higher education, and women at the two wealthiest levels of the wealth index, microfinance programme membership increased the exposure to IPV two and three times, respectively. The least educated and poorest groups showed no change in exposure to IPV associated with microfinance programmes. The educated women who were more equal with their spouses in their family relationships by participating in decision-making increased their exposure to IPV by membership in microfinance programmes.ConclusionsMicrofinance plans are associated with an increased exposure to IPV among educated and empowered women in Bangladesh. Microfinance firms should consider providing information about the associations between microfinance and IPV to the women belonging to the risk groups.
Suitability of emergency department attenders to be assessed in primary care: survey of general practitioner agreement in a random sample of triage records analysed in a service evaluation project
Authors: Thompson Mary I W , Lasserson Daniel , McCann Lloyd , Thompson Matthew , Heneghan Carl 
Published: December 2013

ObjectivesTo assess the proportion of emergency department (ED) attendances that would be suitable for primary care and the inter-rater reliability of general practitioner (GP) assessment of primary care suitability.Design of studySurvey of GPs’ agreement of suitability for primary care on a random anonymised sample of all ED patients attending over a 1-month period.SettingED of a UK Hospital serving a population of 600 000.MethodFour GPs independently used data extracted from clinical notes to rate the appropriateness for management in primary care as well as need for investigations, specialist review or admission. Agreement was assessed using Cohen's κ.ResultsThe mean percentage of patients that GPs considered suitable for primary care management was 43% (range 38–47%). The κ for agreement was 0.54 (95% CI 0.44 to 0.64) and 0.47(95% CI 0.38 to 0.59). In patients deemed not suitable for primary care, GPs were more likely to determine the need for specialist review (relative risks (RR)=3.5, 95% CI 3.0 to 4.2, p<0.001) and admission (RR=3.9, 95% CI 3.2 to 4.7, p<0.001). In patients assessed as suitable for primary care, GPs would initiate investigations in 51% of cases. Consensus over primary care appropriateness was higher for paediatric than for adult attenders.ConclusionsA significant number of patients attending ED could be managed by GPs, including those requiring investigations at triage. A stronger agreement among GPs over place of care may be seen for paediatric than for adult attenders. More effective signposting of patients presenting with acute or urgent problems and supporting a greater role for primary care in relieving the severe workflow pressures in ED in the UK are potential solutions.
Assisting a child with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC): a qualitative deep analysis of parents’ experience and caring needs
Authors: Graffigna Guendalina , Bosio Caterina , Cecchini Isabella 
Published: December 2013

ObjectiveThis study was aimed to explore parents’ experience of assisting children affected by tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) with subependymal giant-cell astrocytoma (SEGA) manifestation, in order to understand their caring needs and expectation of support.Setting and procedureThe study was designed according to the qualitative method of interpretative description and implied two sequential phases of data collection. The first phase was based on in-depth interviews with 18 Italian caregivers of children living with TSC. The second phase of the research was based on an online forum with 30 caregivers of children living with TSC.Participants48 Italian caregivers, assisting patients with TSC with SEGA manifestation have been involved in the study.ResultsWhen a TSC diagnosis is made, the whole family is affected psychologically. TSC has a great impact on families’ quality of life and on their ability to cope with the disease and support the child's ability to recover and reach an acceptable level of well-being. Caregivers report the experience of losing control and the feeling of loneliness and abandon from the healthcare system.Conclusion and practice implicationsFamilies of children affected by TSC need targeted psychosocial assistance in order to support patients and caregivers and facilitate their social integration.