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This study focussed on the development of fully biodegradable composites based on polybutylene succinate (PBS) in combination with raw materials from different processing stages of the pulp and paper industry. Sulfite pulp (SP), kraft pulp (KP) and screened sludge residue (SL) from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) were investigated as reinforcing fibres contributing to a circular economy. We report a comparative study of the physicochemical properties and mechanical performance of PBS composites reinforced with these cellulosic raw fibres and commercial pure microcrystalline cellulose (MC). The composites were characterised in tensile strength, elongation at break, modulus of elasticity, water absorption and wettability. The incorporation of the fibres into the polymer matrix was also investigated using torque rheometry. Critical concentrations were obtained with maximum incorporation in the range of 15–20 wt% for SP/KP and 25–30 wt% for SL. SP and KP composites showed at least as good physicochemical and mechanical properties as MC at the concentrations studied (0–20 wt%). SP-composites showed the highest tensile strength and modulus of elasticity. It was shown that these fibres from the pulp and paper industry can be used as reinforcement for PBS matrices without additional chemical purification and provide a valuable alternative to commercial microcrystalline cellulose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluating academic papers and groups is important in scholar evaluation and literature retrieval. However, current evaluation indices, which pay excessive attention to the citation number rather than the citation importance and unidirectionality, are relatively simple. This study proposes new evaluation indices for papers and groups. First, an improved PageRank (PR) algorithm introducing citation importance is proposed to obtain a new citation-based paper index (CPI) via a pre-ranking and fine-tuning strategy. Second, to evaluate the paper's influence inside and outside its research field, the focus citation-based paper index (FCPI) and diversity citation-based paper index (DCPI) are proposed based on topic similarity and diversity, respectively. Third, aside from the statistical indices for academic papers, we propose a foreign academic degree of dependence (FAD) to characterise the dependence between two academic groups. Finally, artificial intelligence (AI) papers from 2005 to 2019 are utilised for a case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined how a group of Chinese undergraduate students understood paraphrasing and source use conventions for research paper writing in English. Prior scholarship has generated valuable insights about novice second language (L2) writers' unconventional source use practices, but little is known about how these writers interpret and understand source use expectations for English academic writing. We followed a group of nine Chinese undergraduate students for an academic term as they learned to paraphrase and write with sources for their research paper assignments. Drafts of students' papers were collected and rounds of text-based interviews were conducted where students were asked to explain their source use decisions. Findings showed that the students actively and constantly referenced their source use knowledge of Chinese essay writing to help make sense of source use expectations for English academic writing, although their understanding of English academic source use as well as their rendition of culture may likely be viewed by expert academic writers as 'insufficient' or 'inadequate'. We conclude by highlighting the importance of foregrounding learner voice and acknowledging the legitimacy of the interpretations of novice L2 writers as intercultural informants in the teaching of English academic source use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifiable predictability in the citation counts of articles is significant in scientometrics and informetrics. Many metrics based on the citation counts can evaluate the scientific impact of research articles and journals. Utilising time series models, an article's citation counts up to the y th year after publication can be predicted by those up to the previous years. However, the typically used models cannot predict the fat tail of the actual citation distributions. Thus, based on cumulative advantage of the citation behaviour, we propose a method to predict the accumulated citation counts, by using a random number sampled from a power-law distribution to modify the results given by a recurrent neural network (RNN), long short-term memory. Extensive experiments on the data set including 17 journals in information science verified the effectiveness of our method by the good fittings on distributions and evolutionary trends of the citation counts of articles. Our method has the potential to be extended to predict other popular assessment measures such as impact factor and h -index for journals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The given text discusses various mathematical equations and concepts related to the bending behavior of fibers. It addresses issues with certain expressions and proposes alternative models that take into account the change in curvature of the fibers. The text also responds to criticisms raised by another researcher and provides clarification on certain equations and variables. Overall, the text provides a technical and detailed analysis of the topic of fiber bending. [Extracted from the article]

The perforated paper honeycomb structure with double-hole in cell walls is one kind of innovative sandwich structure also to improve drying process of traditional honeycomb paperboard. Based on the analytical calculation, experiment inspection and finite element analysis, this paper is focus on the paper honeycomb core layer with double-hole in cell walls, and especially studies the bending and folding deformation and the compressive strength under out-of-plane quasi-static compression for different humidity. The structure first appears elastic buckling and folds near the circular holes in the cell wall, and goes on buckling, folding and crushing until to the densification with the continuously increase of compression set. Its quasi-static compressive stress and strain curve mainly shows four kinds of compression deformation processes, such as linear elastic stage, elastic yielding stage, plastic collapse stage, and densification stage. The critical stress and plateau stress of the structure slowly decrease with the increase of humidity and aperture, and the multiple linear regression analysis result illustrates that the relative humidity has much more influence on the critical stress and plateau stress. For different humidity and aperture, the analytical calculation result is close to the experiment result. However, the finite element simulation result greatly deviates from the above two results, especially for relative humidity 50% and 60% cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematics is often treated as different from other disciplines, since arguments in the field rely on deductive proof rather than empirical evidence as in the natural sciences. A mathematical paper can therefore, at least in principle, be replicated simply by reading it. While this distinction is sometimes taken as the basis to claim that the results in mathematics are therefore certain, mathematicians themselves know that the published literature contains many mistakes. Reading a proof is not easy, and checking whether an argument constitutes a proof is surprisingly difficult. This article uses peer review of submissions to mathematics journals as a site where referees are explicitly concerned with checking whether a paper is correct and therefore could be published. Drawing on 95 qualitative interviews with mathematics journal editors, as well as a collection of more than 100 referee reports and other correspondence from peer review processes, this article establishes that while mathematicians acknowledge that peer review does not guarantee correctness, they still value it. For mathematicians, peer review 'adds a bit of certainty', especially in contrast to papers only submitted to preprint servers such as arXiv. Furthermore, during peer review there can be disagreements not just regarding the importance of a result, but also whether a particular argument constitutes a proof or not (in particular, whether there are substantial gaps in the proof). Finally, the mathematical community is seen as important when it comes to accepting arguments as proofs and assigning certainty to results. Publishing an argument in a peer-reviewed journal is often only the first step in having a result accepted. Results get accepted if they stand the test of time and are used by other mathematicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of print reading, being selected as a cover paper holds a crucial role in attracting greater attention and bolstering academic influence. It is important to assess its effect on scholarly attention and academic influence, particularly in light of the evolving reading habits among researchers. In this study, we empirically estimate the impact of ‘being selected as a cover paper’ on scholarly online attention (proxied by altmetric score) and academic influence (measured by citation counts). This analysis is based on a data set comprising 25,238 papers selected from 10 high-impact materials science journals (with journal impact factors exceeding 10) published between 2016 and 2020. Our findings indicate a positive correlation between ‘being selected as a cover paper’ and scholarly online attention, while its impact on academic influence is insignificant. Our results remain robust even when excluding the top 1% mostly cited papers, employing the negative binomial model and considering various time windows for estimation. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the impact of ‘being selected as a cover paper’ on scholarly online attention holds across nearly all topics, consistent with the baseline result. In addition, online platforms, such as Twitter and News outlets, exhibit a higher frequency of sharing research featured as cover papers. We offer suggestive evidence that ‘being selected as a cover paper’ is not solely contingent on its quality. These findings contribute to the development of a precise, dynamic and multi-dimensional evaluation framework, crucial for navigating the revolution of science communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patent citations received by a paper are considered one of the most appropriate indicators for quantifying the technological impact of scientific research. In light of the large number of published research outcomes, technology developers need an effective method to identify academic work with potential technological impact and so as to provide scientific theories for the generation of relevant technologies. Focusing on the technical field of artificial intelligence (AI), this study constructs a set of 47 features from seven dimensions and uses feature selection and machine learning models to accurately predict how research papers impact AI technology. The results show that the random forest model is superior to the other tested models in predicting AI patent citations of papers, with citation-related features (such as ‘PaperCitations’ and ‘Background’) playing a vital role in the prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the introduction of Special Sections in the periodical, inviting Guest Editors to submit proposals for thematic issues. Topics discussed include the process for proposal submission and evaluation; the importance of global relevance and high-quality content; and the journal's recent achievement of reaching Q1 ranking.

This study examines the interdisciplinarity scores of papers published in five major Economic journals by analysing their references. It also explores the relationship between interdisciplinarity and citation. The study considers the influence of the citation time window on accumulating citations and investigates the source of citation advantage for high interdisciplinarity papers. Empirical findings reveal a U-shaped curve relationship between the interdisciplinarity of papers and their citation frequency. Papers with high interdisciplinarity do enjoy a citation advantage, which primarily stems from the attention and citations from distant disciplinary papers and multidisciplinary journals. However, it often takes a longer time for the value of interdisciplinary papers to be recognised. Based on these findings, the study discusses the necessity and effectiveness of incentives for interdisciplinary research and provides recommendations for evaluating and managing interdisciplinary research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research presented in this paper supports claims by feminists and queer theorists that there are numerous and diverse sex/gender/desire categories (Bem, 1995). Taken from a broader digital ethnography of digital sex markets in the United Kingdom, the findings are based on ten in-depth interviews with those who identified as men or 'gender flexible' and who buy and/or sell sex within digital markets. The participants featured in this paper used digital sex markets as a space to explore and express non-normative/subversive sexual and gender identities. Yet for many of them, these subversive acts were bounded by the market, so they were able to uphold masculine heterosexual identities outside of sex markets. The relative privacy of digital sex markets empowered them to maintain heterosexist power, reducing the social risks of stigmatisation and ostracisation associated with subversive sexual and gender identities. The thematic analysis revealed the limitations of heteronormative and homonormative labels and assumptions of sex work relations, thus, prompting the need to write this paper. Framing sex markets in narrow binary terms, as either homosexual or heterosexual markets, or research participants as customers or workers do not reflect the fluidity and diversity evident in this small yet revealing sample. The study shows multiple and fluid expressions of sex/gender/desire; and a duality in market roles as workers and/or customers amongst men engaged in digital sex markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A standalone literature review was conducted to ascertain the extent and status of research on the practical inclusion of Chinese music in Western educational contexts. The study identified a body of journal articles and postgraduate theses on the topic. The papers were analysed to discern what might constitute best practice classroom approaches to teaching and learning Chinese music. Based on the review's criteria for inclusion – papers were in English, praxis-oriented, peer-reviewed and published over the past three decades – the study found that the number of publications was limited (19) and that in terms of established pedagogical approaches they engaged, some gaps existed, certain pedagogies were minimally represented and some were perhaps too recent to have been trialled. Even so, the study concluded that while best practice is an elusive notion, Chinese music forms and styles appear to be compatible with a range of educational settings and Western-oriented music teaching and learning approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aim to map the intellectual structure of destination image (DI) research and its theoretical development in two longitudinal periods: firstly, from 2001 and before the outbreak of Covid-19 and approval of vaccines (2001–2020); and secondly, during Covid-19 (2021–2023). This is the first article to use co-citation analysis that focuses solely on DI, identifying the main clusters, intellectual turning points, and citation burst papers in this field. Studying bibliometrics pre- and during Covid-19 can help to understand the impact of the pandemic on research output and the shift in research focus. This methodology expands tourism science by recognising the intrinsic nature of DI from an evaluative and relational point of view. Co-citation refers to the cited not the citing papers. The results in the first period show: 1) theoretical background on DI associated with branding from Destination Management Organisations (DMO); 2) the components of DI and their relationship with visitor behaviour; 3) how the Internet and User-Generated Content (UGC) have become the main sources to perceive DI. Whereas, in the second period, two main shifts have been identified: 1) the impact of the pandemic on tourism and perceived travel risk; 2) the emergence of a new approach focusing on the engagement of people with the destination through life experiences. The conclusions could help suppliers, DMOs, and policymakers to understand the components of DI before and during the pandemic, as well as provide valuable insights for the tourism industry to adapt to the new normal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literary reading is under transformation. Digital devices supplement traditional paper books with e-books and audiobooks, and at the same time, ubiquitous digital connection challenges focused reading. Based on a qualitative interview study with adult leisure readers, this article explores how affordances offered by digital technologies influence reading habits. Informants demonstrate how e-books and audiobooks enhance reading experiences, as digital affordances influence the how and the when of literary consumption. Three prominent findings are stated. (1) Readers adapt reading mode to the situation, and experienced readers have developed strategies to maximise the ultimate combination of title, format and reading conditions. (2) Digital reading favours lighter texts. This dimension is more substantial for audiobooks, relating to the wide choice of combining audiobooks with other activities. (3) Being devoted readers motivates people to develop strategies to ensure further reading. These strategies effectively make readers practically and temporally disconnect to immerse in literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigated whether female and male authors in the field of life sciences and biomedicine differed in their tendency for citation and citation sentiment. The data comprised two sets, cited set and citing set. Cited set comprised 17,237 articles whereas citing set comprised 115,935 articles. The cited set which is from the area Life Sciences & Biomedicine and published during 2012–2016 was retrieved from the Web of Science Medline. The citing set and its citation contexts were retrieved using the Colil database. The analysis was done using a combination of homophily analysis, regression analysis and a chi-square test. The covariates in the regression analyses were features related to authors, journal, institution, country and abstract readability. The homophily analysis showed a significant tendency for female (8%) and male (14%) authorship teams to cite papers by the same gender composition teams. In addition, the results of regression analysis (Model 1) and pairwise comparisons showed that male-authored papers received a significant higher positive sentiment compared with female-authored papers. The results of regression analysis (Model 2) showed a small significant positive association between gender similarity of cited and citing authorship teams and the sentiment score. However, further analysis using the chi-square test showed a significant lower tendency for women to use positive terms when citing the research findings of papers with the same gender composition. Men, in contrast, used significantly more positive terms when citing papers with the same gender composition. Finally, lay summary for a cited paper, country similarity and the venue of cited publication when it was a mega journal had a positive significant association with the sentiment score received. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of the Internet and big data, the PageRank (PR) algorithm is a constantly evolving research field. However, there is no systematic research to explore the overall development trend of the PR domain. This article evaluates 1446 articles related to the PR algorithm and provides a thorough understanding of the PR field through the main path analysis (MPA). Through two basic main paths, a number of papers that play a leading role have been identified, which outline the backbone of the PR domain. Based on the analysis of multiple main paths, four main subareas have been investigated. There are accelerating the computation of PR, comprehensive applications of PR, researches on academic impact assessment and age preference in network evolution. Finally, this article discusses the research findings and the future directions of the PR field. It is the first attempt to identify the development trend of the PR domain through MPA, thus providing an insight into the knowledge evolution of the PR field over the past two decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Semantic Web in general and the Linked Open Data Initiative, in particular, are a growing movement for organisations to make their existing data available in a machine-readable format. Thus, institutions are highly encouraged to publish, share and interlink their data publicly. The more data are opened on the Web (Open Data), the more integrated sets of data will be connected in the Semantic Web (Linked Open Data). Within this context, libraries can complement their data by linking it to other, external data sources. The purpose of this article is to identify papers that refer to linked data in libraries, emphasising the ways that linked data empower libraries to put their knowledge in the context of the open-world, thus enhancing semantic technology innovations. The study considered papers published between 2008 and 2019 in English and presents the collected literature by grouping it according to the topic each paper refers to. The results show that libraries are facing a period of continuing change which present several challenges and indicate that they are moving towards developing new practices, policies and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a method for calculating the degrees of freedom of multi-loop hybrid folding mechanisms, which is used to calculate the degrees of freedom of multi-loop hybrid folding mechanisms, redefines the problem of not being able to determine whether the folding units are in series and parallel during the assembly process, summaries the two cases of redundant constraints, gives the calculation principle of multi-loop hybrid folding mechanisms, calculates the degrees of freedom for The calculation of degrees of freedom for the assembly of a variety of different crease folding units is carried out to verify the accuracy and feasibility of the degree of freedom calculation rule proposed in this paper. The control of the hand claw is improved and the number of drives added to the envelope type paper folding hand claw to capture space debris is reduced, greatly improving the reliability and stability of the paper-folding hand claw in space capture work, which is of great significance to the problem of calculating degrees of freedom after the assembly of paper folding units and the analysis of degrees of freedom of complex paper folding mechanisms and their design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People frequently assume that attitudes towards the government's involvement in the economy differentiate left- from right-wing politics. This paper compares this idea to a version of acceptance of inequality theory, where acceptance of inequality is the principal element of left–right competition, but the specific inequality motivating individuals' left–right choice may differ. Using multilevel regression models with survey data from the World Values Survey, as well as two case studies, this paper finds that: (a) acceptance of inequality is a better context-independent predictor of left-right self-placements around the world; and (b) in the Netherlands and Denmark, the correlation between acceptance of an inequality (regarding class or immigration) and right-wing self-placement is stronger when the specific issue dimension is salient to citizens. However, the paper finds no equivalent interaction effect for attitudes towards economic statism. The evidence thus supports the view that the left–right dimension concerns acceptance of inequality, rather than economic interventionism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Journal assessment is of great significance to promote the development of academic platforms. Citation analysis is a recognised tool to assess the citation performance of journals. However, due to the shortcomings such as the inflated Journal Impact Factor and heterogeneity of the citations, additional dimensions are necessary to be considered to balance with the article citation. This article constructs a three-dimensional journal assessment framework to measure the comprehensive influence of a journal based on article citation, author and institution influence. The CRITIC-Entropy weighting method is employed to calculate the weighted average scores for the three dimensions, respectively. Then, a newly defined Pareto-dominated set-based sum of TOPSIS score (PDS-based STS) approach is developed to assess the comprehensive influence of journals. A sample of 76 journals in Economics field is selected to demonstrate the effectiveness and validity of the proposed assessment method. The Chartered Association of Business Schools' Academic Journal Guide 2021 (CABS-AJG 2021) which is an expert-based journal rating is chosen as a baseline model. It has been found that the assessment method using PDS-based STS shows a more rational journal ranking than that based on the Journal Impact Factor if using the CABS-AJG 2021's ratings as the benchmark model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars of International Relations (IR) and Global Historical Sociology alike have recently become more and more interested in Eurasian order(s). Yet, most recent works on Eurasian historical international relations approach the subject from a long durée perspective, mostly focusing on "big polities" from a "high altitude." Central Asia, or "Turkestan," and its constitutive polities such as the khanates of Bukhara, Khiva, and Khoqand and the vast array of nomadic groups surrounding them are yet terra incognita in IR, specifically with respect to the pre-Tsarist period. By relying on both primary and secondary sources, this inductive research reveals how precolonial Central Asia was an interpolity order on its own, premised on heteronomy and based on the institutions of sovereignty between the khanates and suzerainty between khanates and nomads; territoriality; Sunni Islam; trade and slavery; diplomacy; and war and aq oyluk. This paper contributes to filling this gap, and to the broader literature on Eurasian historical orders, in three respects. First, it adds granularity, detail, and specificity to current IR knowledge on Eurasia by looking at smaller polities as opposed to empires, which as noted have been the main analytical focus so far. Second, the paper adopts an emic approach to uncover local practices, institutions, and norms of precolonial Central Asia, thus adding to the recent "Global IR" debate. Third, by focusing on a case where heteronomy was the rule, this paper adds a new case to the literature on the entrenchment and durability of heteronomy in historical IR and contributes to its theory-building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The failure behavior and load-carrying capacity of Nomex honeycomb sandwich panels under three-point bending are experimentally and numerically studied. The failure modes observed in experiments are core shear failure and face-sheet/core debonding. A detailed model considering Nomex paper and resin coating is built with Abaqus/explicit simulation. The Hill 1948 quadratic anisotropic yield criteria are adopted to describe the plastic behavior of Nomex paper and the principal stress criteria are used for predicting the failure of resin coating. The effectiveness of the proposed meso-scale model is validated by comparing the experimental and the numerical results. The effects of geometric parameters on the bending behaviors are discussed in detail. It is shown that the ultimate force and bending stiffness of Nomex honeycomb sandwich panels is significantly influenced by the core orientation, resin thickness and cell size. The cutting position has no effect on the ultimate force and bending stiffness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assembly is an essential part of aero-engine manufacturing, and the assembly quality will affect the engine's stability and service life. Spindle inertia is an essential factor affecting aero-engine dynamic performance. Assembly can affect the spindle inertia of the aircraft engine, which in turn affects the dynamic performance of the engine. This paper proposes a transfer model of spindle inertia based on machining error transmission, studying the variation law of spindle inertia of multi-stage rotors under the influence of assembly, providing an optimized assembly method with minimized spindle inertia. The influence law of machining errors on spindle inertia is analyzed through the simulation and probability density method. The assembly results of the designed rotors verify the effectiveness of the inertia transfer and assembly model. The results show that the spindle inertia of multi-stage rotors is affected by machining errors, and the spindle inertia can be adjusted by changing the assembly methods. This paper provides a new idea for the transmission and adjustment of spindle inertia of assembly rotors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue positions of political actors are often ambiguous, resulting in uncertainty on the part of voters. Such ambiguity constitutes a challenge to representation, as it prevents voters from getting a clear understanding of parties' positions. Ironically, despite growing interest in the concept, the concept itself is remarkably ambiguous: different studies use different conceptualisations of ambiguity, which hampers theory integration. This paper proposes a three-dimensional conceptualization of ambiguity: party positions are ambiguous to the extent that parties deemphasize them, remain vague or are inconsistent on them. A review of 103 studies establishes the prevalence of these three dimensions in the literature, shows that most studies focus on a single dimension, and reveals lacunae in the current research on ambiguity. Based on the three-dimensional conceptualisation, the paper then develops a preliminary framework on the causes of ambiguity, outlines key gaps in the literature and suggests promising avenues of theory development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper unpacks our efforts as external evaluators to work toward decolonizing our evaluation practice. Undertaking this writing exercise as a form of reflective practice demonstrated that decolonization is much more complex than simply translating materials, organizing locals to collect data, and building participants' capacity around Western modalities. While this complexity is clear in the decolonization literature, practice-based examples that depict barriers and thought processes are rarely presented. Through this paper, we deconstruct our deeply held beliefs around what constitutes good evaluation to assess the effectiveness of our decolonizing approach. Through sharing our critical consciousness-raising dialoguing, this paper reports our progress thus far and provides information and provocations to support others attempting to decolonize their practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) can support safety-critical applications such as the safe and fast movement of emergency vehicles while preventing crashes, delays, and congestion involving emergency vehicles. A simulation approach to evaluate ambulance transit using VANET capabilities is presented in this paper for a real-life road network taken in and around the University of Missouri–Kansas City, USA. Three different VANET functional scenarios are compared with a base scenario (SC-1) which depicts the present-day traffic pattern and vehicle behaviors. In the three scenarios, the second one (SC-2) adds vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications along with the present-day traffic pattern; ambulances use VANETs simply to announce their arrival. The third scenario (SC-3) provides functionalities for ambulances to rerouting when they learn about a current or an anticipated road congestion. And the fourth scenario (SC-4) adds vehicle rerouting capabilities, so ambulance routes can be sent to vehicles, and they can avoid the ambulance path. Performance results are presented and evaluated for metrics such as delay, packet drop ratio, the average speed of the ambulance, average vehicle density, and ambulance message interval time. From the simulation results, it was observed that the ambulance transit time reduces by 12.52%, 14.65%, and 18.75% for SC-2, SC-3, and SC-4, respectively, as compared with SC-1, while the average ambulance speed increases by 14.49%, 15.57%, and 20.90% for SC-2, SC-3, and SC-4, respectively, when compared with SC-1. This paper provides substantial evidence that VANET capabilities for emergency vehicles can enhance crash protection and reduce the commute time for emergency response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is intended to assess all Australian students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 to ensure equity and inclusion. This paper explores the extent to which equity and inclusion are achieved for students with disability through NAPLAN reporting. Document analysis of publicly accessible NAPLAN reports, technical reports, handbooks and protocols was conducted to evaluate how this cohort is represented in NAPLAN reports. This paper demonstrates the paucity of NAPLAN reporting about students with disability. It highlights opportunities for NAPLAN data from this cohort to be reported and used to inform educational decisions at all levels (teachers, schools, systems and parents) for students with disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To mitigate the impact of fault iconic feature shift and feature missing due to missing data values on bearing fault diagnosis, this paper proposes a fault diagnosis method based on a spatial frequency filter and a Multi-Scale feature recombination calibration network (MSRCN). First, the fault features are converted into frequency band features and feature enhancement is realized using Mel filters to weaken the effect of fault feature offset. Then, the spatial calibration module (SC) in the MSRCN is utilized to further improve the fault feature distribution and eliminate the fault feature offset problem. Next, to solve the fault feature missing problem, the remaining fault features are sampled by multi-scale reorganization using MSRCN to obtain new fault features, which overcomes the effect of fault feature missing on fault diagnosis. Finally, experiments are conducted on CWRU and XJTU-SY rolling bearing datasets to verify that the algorithm can effectively solve the fault feature offset and missing problem. Meanwhile, the experimental results prove that the algorithm proposed in this paper can realize high-precision fault diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the acquisition of surface electromyographic (sEMG) signals commonly requires powerful and expensive equipment or systems. The signal analysis also requires additional equipment to process independently, which is time-consuming and the results are difficult to understand and directly apply to wearable robots. Therefore, this paper developed a sEMG signal device with a simple structure and high-performance cost ratio. The hardware architecture consists of a two-stage small-size amplifier with a total gain of 1000 and a band-pass filter from 10 to 150 HZ. Since real measured sEMG signals are usually corrupted by various types of noises, this paper designed an envelope processing to obtain the sEMG envelope signal which has stronger anti-interference ability than the raw signal, and it is also easier to apply to wearable robots. The proposed system is evaluated quantitatively by the experimental test and electrode groups analysis. In addition, the feasibility and effectiveness of the system is performed by measuring the sEMG signal of the forearm muscle group of four volunteers during motion action and extract the time domain feature to control a wearable robot. The sEMG envelope successfully manipulates the wearable robot with four different actions, whose precision is as high as a conventional sEMG device. The proposed system is promising in providing the reliable control interface of a wearable robot based on the sEMG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To promote the application of a new type of bionic energy-efficient sandwich plate with light weight and high strength in the construction field, a drop hammer impact test was adopted to determine the impact mechanical properties and influencing mechanism of fiber reinforced cement-based energy-efficient honeycomb plates with different core fillers (shredded straw and glass beads). The results show that compared with unfilled honeycomb plates (CHP), the contact force–time curves of energy-efficient plates have an obvious secondary peak, and the size of the damaged area on the back side of the upper skin is significantly reduced. Additionally, the presence of fillers in the energy-efficient plates provide a certain constraint on the deformation of honeycomb walls and skins, and slightly increase the size of the secondary peak. Furthermore, this study qualitatively reveals the influence mechanisms of the flexural stiffness of the sandwich plates, the morphology of damaged skins and fillers, the deformation pattern of the honeycomb core. The results provide a reference for subsequent research on the influence of different fillers on sandwich plates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microstructures of specified shapes have been widely applied in electronics, communication, optics, avionics, medical science, and the automotive field. The ultraprecision single-point diamond turning lathe is a core instrument used in microstructure preparation. As a key technical indicator of an ultraprecision lathe, the servo control accuracy of a system directly affects the machining accuracy of the lathe. Because the profile error of microstructures machined by the slow tool servo of the ultraprecision lathe is at the micrometer level, any disturbance reduces the accuracy of parts machining. This paper proposes a tracking error prediction model based on the force–displacement coupled servo model to study the mechanism of action for the cutting force disturbance on a servo control system. The repeated positioning error of an ultraprecision lathe's linear axis is added to the force–displacement coupled servo model to propose a more practical profile error prediction model and analyze the effect of the cutting force on the part profile. The experimental results indicate that the force–displacement coupled servo tracking error and profile error prediction model proposed in this paper is more accurate than the existing tracking error modeling method without cutting force disturbance. In addition, this paper analyzes how the cutting force in ultraprecision machining affects the servo system and part profile, which provides a reference for subsequent ultraprecision lathe error analysis and improved machining accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the energy dissipation mechanism of the internal flow field of the full tubular pump during reverse power generation and pump conditions, utilizing CFD and model test methods to research the device's hydraulic characteristics, internal flow field and entropy production. The results indicate that the reverse power generation and pump conditions' performance curves have opposite trends. Under PRPG conditions, the flow uniformity and weighted average angle of the impeller inlet flow field are smaller and the inlet flow field is poor. The stator-rotor gap flow under PRPG conditions increases with the increase in total flow, the gap flow under the design flow is 2.88 L/s, and the torque is 7.35 N·m. Under the PRPG condition, the turbulent and wall entropy production ratio increases gradually with the flow increase. Under the design flow rate, the entropy production rate of the impeller is 55.07%, and the entropy production rate of the impeller is the largest among the components under different flow rates. The entropy production of the outlet channel rises significantly with the flow rate. The research results of this paper provide a theoretical basis for the distribution of energy loss in reverse power generation of the full tubular pump. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 1942 and 1945, Jewish inmates of a forced labour camp and later Auschwitz subcamp at Blechhammer (Blachownia Slaska, Upper Silesia) worked alongside British prisoners of war on the construction site of a giant synthetic fuel facility, the Oberschlesische Hydrierwerke. This paper examines the multifaceted forms of interaction between these two groups, who were situated at the opposite ends of a spectrum ranging from high survival rates to certain death. By reframing the Jewish inmates' perceptions of the POWs, it seeks to shed new light on a controversial debate on the nature of the relationship between them and the British prisoners. The paper argues that important aspects have been missing from this debate, as the Jewish inmates were not sufficiently represented and not viewed as active protagonists. The relations between Jews and British POWs were not one-sided, but rather interdependent in complex ways. Both groups used these contacts to gain strategic information on the war and jointly contributed to the Allied resistance effort. The barter with British POWs played a crucial role in the collective and individual survival strategies of Jewish inmates, whereas the British increasingly depended on the Jewish inmates to procure basic foods, when German rations ceased to be allocated. An analysis of the effects of British aid-giving showed that the actual impact on the physical survival of the emaciated inmates was negligible. However, these gifts were commonly interpreted as humanitarian gestures by both sides. Altogether, the British were encouraging symbols of resistance against the Nazi regime in the eyes of the inmates. Negative experiences were rarely corroborated and were often linked to poor English language skills, or a stronger identification with other nationalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, reusable launch vehicle technology (RLV) has become a research hotspot in the aerospace field and one of the major development trends in this industry. With reference to the aircraft carrier's arresting cable technology, this paper puts forward a novel cable-net buffer device for recovering the first stage of launch vehicle. The device can transfer load through a cable-pulley mechanism, and then complete the first stage recovery by losing the kinetic energy and gravitational potential energy of the first stage through hydraulic dampers and preloaded counterweights. In order to analyze the performance of this cable-net buffer device, the finite element software ABAQUS is adopted to establish a rigid-flexible coupling dynamic model. In this model, the cable-pulley mechanism is simulated by connector and shell elements, the damping force of the hydraulic dampers by VUAMP subroutine, and the preloaded counterweights by mass point. And then, performance evaluation indexes of this buffer device are proposed in this paper. Meanwhile, the dynamic simulation, using the established dynamic model, is carried out under different device design parameters and working condition parameters. On the one hand, the simulation results show that the tower span and damping force have remarkable effects on the buffer performance. On the other hand, among all working condition parameters, only the fall point deviation has a significant effect on the buffer performance, but this effect is less than that of the design parameters. Finally, combing the dynamic model and the surrogate model technique, this paper obtains feasible boundaries of design parameters of the device for the subsequent detailed design of it. Researches in this paper will provide new ideas for the development of RLV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how writers in the South Korean broadcasting industry have collectively struggled against their precarious working conditions and faced distinctive difficulties in taking their collective actions, including unionization. Based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 23 research participants, this paper examines why and how these South Korean writers have established various forms of collective worker organization: from a professional association to informal grassroots communities, to a women-only trade union, to two unions of media workers who are freelance or on contract. I argue that the activism of these writers reflects the intersection of different identities, ranging from women to freelancers to cultural workers and that their activism promotes the idea that working creatively, autonomously and equitably should be recognized as a basic labour right. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Urban Studies (Sage Publications, Ltd.) is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Besides its use as a powerful systems analysis tool, simulation has also been used for decades in educational settings as a teaching and learning method. Simulation can replace or augment real-world inquiry-based experiences by providing learners with a low-cost and risk-free experimentation platform to develop knowledge and skills in a simulated environment. This paper presents an overview of current applications and the ongoing transition from physical experimentation to digital simulations and immersive simulated learning environments in engineering education. The paper highlights major implementation and research gaps related to simulation-based learning and immersive simulated learning environments, namely, lack of integration with learning theories and limited formal assessments of effectiveness. Potential implementation approaches and important areas for future educational research are discussed and exemplified in response to the identified gaps. The discussions presented are intended for simulationists, educational researchers, and instructors who are interested in designing and/or utilizing engineering education interventions involving simulated learning environments and immersive technologies in their teaching and educational research. In particular, the Immersive Simulation-Based Learning (ISBL) approach discussed in the paper provides a framework for simulationists to reuse the models developed as part of their simulation projects for educational purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the wake of financial, sovereign debt and health crises, public interventions in the European economy have taken on a new level of breadth, marking a reentry in force of the state in economic life that goes beyond the regulatory state. Yet, these interventions do not follow the old Keynesian interventions neither, being shaped through a particular logic of investment that link public and private actors in a particular configuration. The introduction to this special issue lays out this configuration for the case of the EU and its Member States through the concept of "European Investor state." By this concept, we refer to the redefinition of the role of European states in the economy as an "investor," in reference to private investment funds, which the state seeks both to imitate and to enroll. The paper embeds this redefinition of state intervention in the context of the 2010s in Europe, characterized by worries about "secular stagnation" and growing concern about an "investment gap," interpreted as the failure of financial markets to invest in productive sectors, especially when risky. The budgetary constraints and the ideological outlook then shaped the specific financial and off-balanced sheet tools of the investor state. Finally, the paper explores the implications of the Covid-crisis on this intervention model. It concludes that despite major changes in fiscal policy at the EU level, this approach is likely to persist, because of the lasting interpretation in terms of "investment gap," which only public-private collaborations are seen to be able to fill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing is a popular control system testing method because it bridges the gap between modeling/simulation and experiments. Instead of designing a full hardware-based experiment to validate the results of a simulation, the plant hardware can be replaced with an emulator device that responds to exogenous inputs and effectively emulates the dynamic behavior of a system. This approach can be more cost-effective and modular, since the emulated plant system can be modeled in a simulation environment, implemented on a simplified piece of hardware and changed quickly without having to fabricate new parts. This paper develops the hardware and control scheme for a certain type of HIL device called a dynamic load emulator that consists of a 1-DOF linear hydraulic dynamometer equipped with in-line sensing to measure both its own position and the force exerted on it by a device-under-test. This measured force is passed to a real-time model of the emulated dynamic system. The model outputs the emulated system position, and a closed-loop controller is used to emulate this position. The emulator controller incorporates both model-based feedforward and standard feedback PI control. This paper characterizes the dynamometer-based dynamic load emulator and its controller, determining its hardware limitations and validating its capabilities when experiencing a force input from a linear spring with known parameters. Additionally, this paper demonstrates the ability of the emulator to represent the dynamics of a 1-DOF robotic joint when actuated by a pair of fluidic artificial muscles (FAMs). The primary contribution of this work is to allow for more comprehensive testing of FAM configurations, topologies, and controllers for a wide range of parameters, because the same hardware can be used to emulate multiple systems. As a result, this work will lead to more cost-effective, time-efficient, and energy-efficient designs of robotic systems and the FAMs used to actuate them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has always been the case that work in confined spaces has high difficulty and complexity, and robots are usually required to replace humans to perform the corresponding operations. For the maintenance work in the fuel tank of a certain type of aircraft, a continuum robot with 32 staggered orthogonal joints is designed in this paper. To solve the motion problem of this robot, this paper combines the end-following method with the Jacobi inverse kinematics method, and proposes an end-following-segmented Jacobi method, which improves the accuracy and efficiency of the inverse kinematics solution. A ray path-planning algorithm for continuum robots is proposed for the job requirements of this robot and the specific operating environment inside an airplane fuel tank, and it is compared with the rapidly-exploring random trees (RRT) algorithm and particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. The experimental results show that the planning time of the ray path-planning algorithm is less compared with the RRT algorithm and the PSO algorithm, and the paths obtained are shorter. Finally, a path-following simulation is performed on a 32-joint continuum robot model to verify the followability of the ray path algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a gait control method considering lateral stability for a four-wheeled foot robot that can realize wheel-foot transformation to achieve foot-stable walking, uses the CPG gait generator to study the generation methods of different gait patterns of the robot, selects the Hopf oscillator to establish the whole CPG control network, and analyzes the relevant parameters in its mathematical model; To analyze the CPG output signal and gait generation strategy in terms of joint swing angle and foot-end coordinates, to model the CPG gait generator model using Simulink, to verify the Walk gait and Tort gait by numerical simulation; The lateral adjustment of the body is introduced into the motion control of the robot, the Walk gait, the Tort gait, and the transition strategy between gaits are simulated and verified. The trajectory of the foot end of the robot is analyzed during in situ rotation and turn-turn walking, and the CPG control network for in situ rotation and turn-turn walking is established and simulated to verify the correctness of gait generation. The gait generation and conversion strategy studied in this paper can meet the stability of the robot's walking, and at the same time, can be converted between gait according to the road conditions and the demand for travel speed, and also provides a high reference significance for the research of multiple gait control methods for quadruped robots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Urban Studies (Sage Publications, Ltd.) is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Urban Studies (Sage Publications, Ltd.) is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper proposes a qualitative methodological framework grounded in the interpretation of skeuomorphs. Scholarly attention to this phenomenon has largely come from the spheres of archaeology and design/technology. Drawing on Benjamin's ideas about the interpretive scope of objects, I propose that skeuomorphs reflect the social conditions of their creation and can therefore be the starting point for generating a series of contemporary sociological insights. The proposed framework is applied to two case studies for the purpose of clarification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses experiences of everyday racism as narrated by South Sudanese refugee-background informants living in Australia. The paper draws on accounts of verbal and physical attacks reported during a sociolinguistic interview about the refugee experience and adaptation to the Australian lifestyle. The study contributes to the exploration of features of refugee narratives, using the socio-interactional approach to narrative analysis. Selected stories about racism are explored using positioning theory, paying attention to the discursive strategies narrators use to position themselves in the interactional world of the interview setting as well as the story-world. Their narratives demonstrate that despite the harsh experiences of everyday racism, they position themselves as resilient and strong individuals. They do this by drawing on their refugee history and making references to harder times. However, the stories also reveal their mitigation strategies to soften the accounts and either downplay or deny racism. However, by sharing their stories and making explicit evaluative statements about social injustice, they mobilise their agency to make their story heard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the publishing success of less experienced researchers including early career researchers in a selection of library and information science journals. The study includes all authors of articles and reviews published in 10 library and information science journals during a 20-year period (2001–2020). The prior publication of each author is determined at the time of publication in one of the ten journals. The analysis includes 14,612 publications and publication histories of 36,417 authors. The results show that there are considerable differences between journals, and that the share of publications by less experienced researchers has generally decreased over time. Library automation journals publish considerably more publications by early career researchers than information science journals do. Publications in these 10 library and information science journals are being published by authors with an increasing publishing experience and fewer papers are being published by author teams with little experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high-speed elevator car is subject to violent horizontal vibration due to the wind pressure generated by the ventilation hole of the elevator rapid operation, improper adjustment of the gap and steps at the joint of the elevator car guide rail, pitting corrosion or wear on the guide surface of the guide shoe, inadequate installation and adjustment of the guide shoe or guide rail and so on. Aiming at the problems of poor transient convergence and real-time performance, low control accuracy and stability of the existing active control algorithm for the horizontal vibration control variables of the elevator car system, a transient response feedback control strategy with specified performance is proposed in this paper. Firstly, a six degree of freedom elevator car system model is established, and the state space equation is constructed based on the linear fractional transformation algorithm; Secondly, a class of preset transient performance function is introduced to construct the convergence boundary in advance to ensure that the system control variables are strictly constrained within this boundary, and the stability of the transformed variables is ensured by equivalent transformation; Finally, four different control methods including passive control, H2/H∞ control, PID control and transient response feedback control proposed in this paper are compared and analyzed by using MATLAB under two typical guideway excitation. The simulation results show that the proposed transient response feedback control strategy reduces the root mean square value and maximum value of the horizontal displacement acceleration of the elevator car system by more than 81%, effectively suppresses the horizontal vibration of the elevator car, and ensures the transient and steady-state performance of the elevator car system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lower-skilled workers face increasing pressures. Their bargaining position is declining under the twin pressures of globalisation and technological change; and they risk losing access to better positions as firms' pay and conditions arrangements increasingly drift apart. Rising between-firm differences partly come about through increasing separation of lower-skilled workers into lower-paying firms with worse conditions, thereby reducing their opportunities further. Such polarisation is partly driven by (domestic) outsourcing where main firms take certain tasks that are seen as non-core out of their payroll, instead purchasing those same tasks from another official employer or temporary employment agency while retaining control. Outsourcing generally brings worse conditions and lower pay. This paper uses cross-national European data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) along with contextual data to study how outsourcing – proxied by moves to business services providers or temporary employment agencies – contributes to a worse labour market position of lower-educated workers over time. I find that (1) domestic outsourcing is increasing over time across Europe; (2) outsourced workers are working under generally worse conditions than their counterparts; and (3) this process is not universal: it hits harder in sectors with greater technological innovation and can be alleviated by union density and worker representation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]