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Backbone moment-rotation models for partial-strength steel endplate connections
No full textPhenomenological rotational spring models are critical components of system-level numerical simulations that employ the concentrated plasticity approach. These models must accurately capture the nonlinear behavior and degradation mechanisms in structural members and connections. Robust models for partial strength/semi-rigid steel flush and extended endplate connections are currently missing. Using the large amount of experimental data in the literature for endplate connections, complemented with parametric continuum finite element simulation, robust nonlinear models are developed. The models characterize the nonlinear monotonic backbone moment-rotation response up to failure as well as the post-failure response. The models achieve high accuracy metrics with 75 % of the data being predicted with an error of less than ±10 %. Statistical metrics are also provided to quantify the model uncertainty. The regression-based models are consistent, in definition and format, with those found in existing modelling guidelines/standards such as ASCE 41. The proposed models support robust nonlinear analysis procedures, particularly as part of the performance-based evaluation, retrofit, and design framework
Effect of repurposed simvastatin on disability progression in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS-STAT2): a phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
No full textBackground: Despite the success of immune modulation in the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis, disability progression is a major problem driven by multiple mechanisms. Comorbidities (eg, vascular risk) and ageing are thought to augment these neurodegenerative pathologies. In the phase 2b MS-STAT trial of simvastatin (80 mg) versus placebo in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), the adjusted difference in brain atrophy rate between groups was -0·254% per year: a 43% reduction. In this phase 3 MS-STAT2 trial, we aimed to assess the efficacy of simvastatin versus placebo in slowing the progression of disability in SPMS.Methods: This phase 3, randomised, double-blind, parallel group, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted at 31 neuroscience centres and district general hospitals in the UK. Participants aged 18-65 years with a diagnosis of SPMS and an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) of between 4·0 and 6·5 were eligible and randomly assigned (1:1) to oral simvastatin (80 mg) or matched placebo for up to 4·5 years, based on a minimisation algorithm within an independent and secure online randomisation service. All participants, site investigators, and the trial coordinating team were masked to treatment allocation. The primary outcome was time to 6-month EDSS confirmed disability progression (an increase of at least 1 point if EDSS score at baseline visit was less than 6·0 or an increase of 0·5 point if EDSS score at baseline visit was 6·0 or more) assessed in all randomly assigned participants (intention-to-treat analysis) without imputation. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03387670) and is on the ISRCTN registry (ISRCTN82598726). The study is completed.Findings: Between May 10, 2018, and July 26, 2024, 1079 patients were screened for eligibility and 964 participants were randomly assigned, with 482 (50%) in the placebo group and 482 (50%) in the simvastatin group. Of all 964 participants, 704 (73%) were female and 260 (27%) were male, with a mean age of 54 years (SD 7). 173 (36%) of 482 participants in the placebo group and 192 (40%) of 482 participants in the simvastatin group had 6-month confirmed disability progression (adjusted hazard ratio 1·13 [95% CI 0·91 to 1·39], p=0·26). Although no emergent safety issues were seen, there was one serious adverse reaction (rhabdomyolysis) in the simvastatin group. 12 (2%) of 482 participants in the placebo group and five (1%) of 482 participants in the simvastatin group had a cardiovascular serious adverse event.Interpretation: The MS-STAT2 trial did not show a treatment effect of simvastatin in slowing disability progression in SPMS. Simvastatin use in multiple sclerosis should be confined to existing vascular indications
Mapping relationships among gross motor skills in 16,989 children using network analysis
No full textThe development of gross motor skills during childhood is crucial for shaping more complex movements and laying the groundwork for physical activity, and subsequently lifelong health and enhanced well-being. Performance in motor skills improves throughout development, with the greatest improvements occurring during childhood. Understanding the relationships between developing gross motor skills is essential for informing educational and intervention practices. A total of 16,989 children aged 3–11 years underwent assessment of gross motor skills. Using network analysis, gross motor skills networks were constructed for the entire sample, and stratified by age and sex. The accuracy and stability of the networks were assessed, and centrality and bridge statistics were estimated for each node. The results indicated that running and two-hand catching exhibited higher centrality and bridge statistics compared to the other nodes in the all-sample network. Additionally, it was observed that the strength between nodes decreased and their distance increased with age. These results highlight the importance of specific gross motor skills due to their significant role in relation to other skills within the network. Gross motor skills progress towards increased independence and specialisation during development, indicating the importance of early educational interventions where children could benefit from educational practices focused on catching and running.</p
Wearable system using printed interdigitated capacitive sensor for monitoring atopic dermatitis in patients
No full textRecent advances in sensor technology offer the potential to transform dermatology by enabling continuous monitoring and objective, data-driven assessment of skin conditions. This work presents a novel wearable device for non-invasive assessment of atopic dermatitis (AD) severity in patients. The device uses a bespoke interdigitated capacitor (IDC) sensor, sensitive only to biomarkers of AD, namely stratum corneum (SC) hydration. The sensor is integrated into a flexible textile armband and paired with a compact readout circuit, capable of transmitting real-time SC hydration data via a custom graphical user interface (GUI). The device exhibited excellent measurement repeatability and stability under different environmental conditions. It was tested on 13 patients with the condition and demonstrated strong correlation with the standard clinical assessment tools such as the Corneometer ( r=0.595 , p<0.05 ). The e-textile IDC sensor identified a difference of 3–5 pF between skin with symptoms of the condition compared to skin without, while showing significantly less variability compared to the Corneometer. The improved stability and accuracy, combined with the conformal form-factor and ability to perform continuous measurements make the e-textile IDC sensor a much better candidate for at-home monitoring of AD in patients, compared to the current standard tool
Mining online reviews by deep learning-based UIE-ERNIE for AI-empowered live streaming product selection
No full textIn recent years, live streaming selling has experienced rapid growth, and become a widely adopted online sales way. The selection of products for live streaming is critical to attracting and retaining customers, thereby enhancing the reputation of live streaming rooms. However, given the frequent concerns about product quality in live streaming, a product selection approach that incorporates consumer preferences and the characteristics of live streaming room is essential. To address this challenge, this study introduces an AI-empowered large-scale group decision making (LSGDM) approach for live streaming product selection. Firstly, online reviews about live streaming products from e-commerce platforms, such as ``JD.com'' and ``Taobao'', are collected by utilizing the Octopus crawler software. Then, a deep learning-based Universal Information Extraction with ERNIE (UIEERNIE) is firstly introduced to mine online reviews, which can automatically identify product attributes that consumers care about, and can clearly classify sentiments in the reviews. Furthermore, linguistic hesitant-Znumbers (LHZNs) are employed to concisely represent evaluation information. Finally, an online reviews-driven case study is formulated to illustrate the applicability of the proposed method. Compared with the LDA and TF-IDF, mining reviews by UIE-ERNIE offers higher accuracy and efficiency without complex preprocessing. Sensitivity analysis is performed to explore the effects of the number of experts, online reviews and consensus threshold for the decision process. Comparative analysis indicates that the LHZNs significantly improve consensus degree. Overall, this study proposes an AI-empowered approach for live streaming product selection, combining real customer online reviews with expert evaluations to support decision-making
John T. Koch, Mikael Fauvelle, Barry Cunliffe and Johan Ling, editors: presenting counterpoints to the dominant terrestrial narrative of European prehistory review
No full textA cooperative virtual exchange within the economics curriculum: A pilot study on embedding elements of global competence within an economics course
No full textThe increasing interconnectivity of the global economy has fuelled higher education (HE) efforts to promote international exchange projects; however, these are not an option for many students. Virtual Exchange (VE) projects have gained traction over the last decade and are now well-established in higher education as a tool to build intercultural communication and global competence (Dooly, 2022; Stevens Initiative, 2023). Building on this established practice, our study contributes to the literature by augmenting a VE with a cooperative group-based learning exercise embedded within an economics module (course), an intersection that remains underexplored in both theory and implementation, and one which we believe combines the benefits of both virtual exchanges and cooperative learning. This combination presents an opportunity for economics students to develop deeper learning of the subjects they are studying while developing elements of global competence. This paper presents a novel pilot cooperative VE learning program between students at a university in the USA and a university in the UK. Students jointly undertake a cooperative learning exercise to produce output for a summative assessment. We measure their intercultural sensitivity, an element of global competence, pre and post the VE and find preliminary indications that this experience positively impacted students, particularly in the dimension of interaction engagement and confidence and particularly for female students and students who are multilingual. The paper contributes to the literature by presenting the novel combination of cooperative learning within a VE, outlining a timeline of practical steps for implementation to support other educators who may want to replicate this project and providing preliminary evidence of the potential impact of such projects on students’ intercultural sensitivity, a key subset of global competence
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