19684 research outputs found
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Meso-scale Modeling for Progression of Damage in Stitched and Unstitched Composites Subjected to Tensile and Compression Loads
No full textThis paper deals with progressive damage modeling of three-dimensional (3D) stitched composites at the mesoscale level. It uses a 3D solid elements representation for global analysis and incorporates a mesoscale constitutive unit-cell model to simulate local damage response and matrix nonlinearity. This unit-cell model is based on realistic input from x-ray tomography of the composite part. Stitching affects the composite's mechanical properties differently under various loads and changes its damage mechanisms due to irregularities caused by the stitching. Simulations are conducted to investigate the impact of stitching on 3D composites at the mesoscale and compare the results with experimental data on the damage characteristics of 3D stitched composites. It is discovered that in the stitched composites under tensile loading, fiber damage is initiated at the crack area, resulting from the stitching process, and resin damage occurs in the stitching gap, where the fiber threads enter, and expands diagonally throughout the resin with increasing strain. While in the case of compression loading, the fiber damage starts in the area of the gap caused by the passage of the sewing fibers in the thickness direction, and the matrix damage spreads faster in the fibers in the transverse direction. The results show that stitching yields to a 22% and 28% increase in ultimate tensile and compressive strength, respectively. In both stitched and unstitched composite specimens, the formation of transverse cracks in the matrices and at the fiber interface, especially around the stitching area, are observed.</p
The UK Bribery Act 2010 Offence of Failure to Prevent Bribery:An Assessment of the Ministry of Justice Guidance on the ‘Adequate Procedures’ Defence from a Corporate Perspective
No full textThe UK Bribery Act 2010 stands out internationally as far-reaching in its scope. The Act creates the offence of failure by a commercial organisation to prevent bribery on its behalf. The offence is one of strict liability. However, if bribery does take place, the organisation has a defence if it can show that it had in place ‘adequate procedures’ designed to prevent associated persons from undertaking such conduct. Three months before the Act came into force in 2011, Ministry of Justice (MOJ) Guidance containing six principles to be followed by businesses was published by the Secretary of State. The aim of this chapter is to assess the MOJ Guidance as a source of practical guidance for companies. Having examined the Guidance and compared it with equivalents in other countries, especially the US, it is concluded that the MOJ Guidance is useful, but the advice it contains can be significantly enhanced by drawing on other sources
The Escalation of Stalking into Homicide:A Thematic Analysis of Offender Behaviours, Policing Failures, and the Requirement for a Stalkers Register and Risk Assessment Tool
No full textWith stalking and an escalation of such concerning behaviours being highly present in cases of homicide, the current study uses thematic analysis to locate common and uncommon victim demographics, behavioural risk factors, and issues in policing. Gathered from public media sources 32 cases of stalking which resulted in the murder or attempted murder of the victim were examined regardless of jurisdiction or background factors. Females, aged 25 and below, were most at risk of stalking-homicide conducted by a male perpetrator with whom they held a previous intimate relationship. Common themes within the demographics andbehavioural risk factors were developed into a proposed risk factor checklist, whilst the issues in policing highlighted space for development in the investigation of stalking victims and stalking-homicide cases
Recent dissertations in the analysis of metal genres:Foundational texts for the future
No full textThis retrospective surveys three recent doctoral dissertations on gender and nu metal, genre and metalcore and transformations of time within progressive/technical styles of metal. It advocates for the utility of dissertations, arguing for their importance as foundational texts within metal studies
Spironolactone for the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Acne in Adult Women:A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials
No full textThis systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of spironolactone for moderate to severe acne in adult women by synthesising data from randomised controlled trials (RCTs). The meta-analysis demonstrated that spironolactone significantly increased the odds of treatment success, with a pooled odds ratio (OR) of 2.51 compared to placebo or doxycycline. This analysis supports spironolactone as a highly effective treatment for moderate to severe acne in adult women, particularly in hormonally driven cases. Its efficacy, combined with its role as an alternative to long-term antibiotic therapy, makes it a valuable option for acne management in women population.</p
Truth in Financial Accounting
No full textPopular discourse about financial accounting suggests that accounting numbers, such as profit, are veridical insofar as they describe or reflect some portion of the world and misleadingly wrong or inaccurate insofar as they fail to do so. This chapter explains, through a review of key features of accounting practice, why a simple correspondence view is incorrect. Nevertheless, resonances with three broad approaches to truth can be found in aspects of accounting practice and thought. Without committing to any particular form of alethic pluralism, the chapter identifies points of connection between accounting and correspondence, coherentist and pragmatist accounts of truth. Therefore, although common sense notions of correspondence to the world might be naïvely in error, there is at least some reason to resist the idea that ‘anything goes’ with respect to the truth of financial accounting numbers
Early predictors of mathematics learning difficulty in rural Chinese children
No full textMathematics learning difficulty (MLD) can be manifested in the early years of primary school, yet its early indicators remain largely unexplored, particularly in the context of rural children. This study sought to address this gap by investigating the early predictors of MLD in rural Chinese children. The first wave of assessments conducted on 106 rural preschoolers (aged 40–60 months) encompassed IQ, spatial skills, short-term and working memory, visual attention, and vocabulary. Two years later, in Grade 1, their mathematics achievement was assessed, leading to the identification of 26 children with MLD (25 % percentile cut-off). After adjusting for age, it was found that children with MLD scored lower on preschool measures of spatial skills and visual attention compared to their typically achieving peers. Logistic regression analyses further revealed that lower preschool visual attention scores were indicative of a higher MLD probability in Grade 1. Also, a longer duration of boarding preschool attendance was associated with a lower MLD probability. This study thus provides novel insights into early cognitive and contextual factors that contribute to the later identification of MLD in rural Chinese children. Educational relevance and implications statement: The present study revealed that disparities in spatial skills and visual attention, measured in preschool, differentiated rural Chinese children with and without mathematics learning difficulty (MLD). Additionally, visual attention and boarding school experience during preschool appeared to be uniquely predictive of the likelihood of MLD two years later. Practically, visual attention could be considered to be included in the early screening tools to detect children potentially at risk of developing MLD, at least in rural Chinese settings. Moreover, despite concerns about the well-being of children receiving institutionalized residential childcare at a young age, the practice of boarding during preschool in rural China appears to exert some beneficial effects on children's math development.</p
Efficacy and Safety of Roflumilast Cream in Atopic Dermatitis:A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials
No full textThis systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy and safety of roflumilast cream in treating atopic dermatitis (AD) by analysing data from three randomised controlled trials. The results demonstrated significant improvement in treatment success with roflumilast compared to vehicle creams, with a modest increase in mild adverse events, supporting its potential as an effective and well-tolerated treatment for AD.</p
A comparative study of WSP control methods:Effects on wear and RCF evolution in railway wheels
No full textWheel Slide Protection (WSP) controller is a critical component in modern railway trains, which is designed to mitigate wheel sliding behaviours while minimising wheel/rail interface material degradation at braking operations. This study presents a novel vehicle-track coupled dynamics model, incorporating variable friction conditions and a non-Hertzian wheel/rail contact model to more accurately reflect the real-world scenarios. Three types of on-board WSP controllers are integrated into this compositive model: (i) re-adhesion controller, (ii) sliding-mode controller, and (iii) PID-based controller. In addition, a prediction model for long-term wheel tread wear and rolling contact fatigue (RCF) evolutions is introduced utilising real-time calculations of non-Hertzian wheel/rail interactions. The effects of different WSP control algorithms on wheel tread wear and RCF progression are investigated through the extensive numerical simulations. The results indicate that the sliding-mode and PID-based controllers outperform re-adhesion controllers in reducing wheel/rail longitudinal interactions and vibrations, and further contributing to smoother operations. Moreover, it is shown that lower WSP control thresholds significantly reduce wheel tread wear and RCF development in contrast to the higher thresholds which exacerbate these issues. Interestingly, while sliding-mode and PID-based controllers reduce vibrations more effectively, they also result in higher wear and RCF growths when compared to re-adhesion controller, particularly with a high control threshold. The findings provide a theoretical foundation for optimising WSP control systems in railway operations with the goal of enhancing durability, reducing maintenance costs, and improving overall train performances
Emerging and sustaining infrastructures of care:reflections on the possibilities of ethical collaboration between academics and practitioners
No full textIn this commentary, we examine the concept of “infrastructures of care”, exploring how they emerge and are sustained through academic-practitioner collaborations in the context of climate action and sustainability. Drawing on our experiences of workshop-based collaboration, we argue that beyond disciplinary alignments and institutional agendas, a sharing of ethical commitments is central to fostering meaningful and long-term collaboration and partnerships. This commentary builds on our reflections from a workshop that we organised, in which we engaged with practitioners across a range of grassroots organisations in Scotland, committed to issues of circular economies, community food justice, creative practice, and heritage. The workshop was a micro-study of coming together and engaging in an open-ended, multilateral dialogue about how we could help each other while being cognisant and mindful of each other's time, capacities, and expectations. Conversations and ideas for collaborations emerged organically in this workshop, however, progressing these collaborations into meaningful transformative action came with a host of institutional challenges. Inspired by Susan Leigh Star and Lauren Berlant, we argue that, for infrastructures of care to thrive and be sustained, the invisible labour of multiple actors across contexts needs much greater foregrounding. For academics, the tensions that persist between infrastructuring care, and the ongoing necessity to adhere to institutional metrics, need continuous negotiation
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