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Objective: This study aims to establish best practices and guidelines to ensure that experimental research utilizing Postmortem Human Subjects (PMHS) for injury prevention adheres to relevant ethical principles, which are also commonly accepted in research involving human tissues and living subjects. Furthermore, it reviews existing literature to underscore the pivotal role of PMHS testing in evaluating the efficacy of safety systems, with a particular focus on airbag performance. Methods: This paper conducts an examination of the primary ethical principles governing human subject research as outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki (1965) and traces their evolution up to the latest framework proposed by the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) in 2002. Input was solicited from international experts and laboratories experienced in PMHS testing to understand how these ethical principles are implemented in practice. This is complemented by a comprehensive review of literature that assesses the contribution of PMHS testing to airbag performance enhancements in frontal impacts. Results: The findings underscore the importance of informed consent from donors or their next-of-kin, as highlighted in CIOMS declarations, to ensure the ethical integrity of the donation process in line with international standards. The study also finds it customary for an independent review board to evaluate the research methodology and the necessity of employing PMHS tissue over alternative methods, such as computational models or crash test dummies. Despite various national regulations on human subject participation and living tissue research, no specific legal framework governing PMHS tissue use was identified. The systematic literature review revealed that PMHS testing has been crucial in identifying potential injury mechanisms not detected by Anthropomorphic Test Devices (ATD), significantly contributing to the enhancement of computer human body models and the biofidelity of crash test dummies. Conclusion: The International Council on the Biomechanics of Injury (IRCOBI) recognizes the need to provide guidance for research involving human cadaveric tissue to be conducted with the highest ethical standards. This study proposes five recommendations to ensure adherence to these ethical principles in PMHS testing, highlighting the paramount importance of obtaining informed consent and securing independent committee approval. Moreover, IRCOBI emphasizes that until a thorough understanding of tissue damage tolerance levels is achieved and human surrogates, such as ATDs or Human Body Models (HBM), reach full biofidelity, the use of human cadavers remains indispensable for developing effective injury prevention strategies and measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active wearable devices such as protective smart belts have been proposed to reduce hip impact in the event of a fall. This study primarily evaluated the feasibility and acceptance of a specific protective belt among selected patients identified as being at risk of falling who were admitted to an ICS Maugeri Neurorehabilitation Unit from September 2022 to April 2023. According to previous institutional observations, the device was worn between the 6th and 21st days of recovery. Out of 435 admitted patients, 118 were considered eligible, but 101 declined to participate (about 50% refused to wear the belt without first trying it on; the other 50% found it too heavy or difficult to manage). Among the 17 patients who accepted (users), 9 used the belt correctly. The remaining eight patients refused to wear it after 24 h, due to discomfort. Out of 435 patients admitted, we observed at least one fall in 49 patients, of whom 5 were eligible patients; 1 was a user who had quickly refused to use the belt and fell with mild damage. Two non-eligible patients and one eligible non-user patient experienced falls resulting in hip fractures; only in the latter case could the use of the belt have limited the damage to the hip. Difficulties in recruiting patients and low acceptance of the proposed intervention present further challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Injuries due to automobile safety devices have been reported and we report a rare fatality due to a defective airbag system. A compact hybrid car driven by a 37-year-old male at moderate speed had crashed through an unprotected manhole. The car had moved around 200 m before it came to a halt. The passers-by had noticed that the driver was unconscious, partly leaning forward with an inflated airbag. He was pronounced dead on admission. The car had sustained minor indentation on front bumper. Autopsy revealed a circular perforated laceration on the neck associated with completely transected right carotid artery and partially transected jugular vein. There was a 2 × 2-cm cylindrical metal object lodged at C4–C5 vertebrae level, and the remaining part of this was retrieved during scene investigation and identified as a part of a metal canister in the inflator component of the airbag system. There was a perforation in the airbag which was similar in size to the retrieved foreign body. The cause of death was ascertained as hemorrhagic shock due to bleeding from ruptured neck vessels caused by primary shrapnel projected from the faulty airbag system. Following the incident, the manufacturers replaced faulty airbag systems in similar models. If abnormally fatal injuries are observed, a scene visit along with automotive expert opinion would provide valuable insight into the incident. Such information would alert the general public on regular screening of safety measures and prompt manufacturers to recall faulty products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study undertakes the analysis of collision scenario using a car model with a dummy and airbags, in the event of a direct collision with a hard wall, one of the necessary studies of passive safety. To describe in detail, the input conditions, a simulation problem of the driver's seat displacements was performed and this displacements data was exported as boundary conditions for the collision simulation. The results simulation crash show that the calculated energy values and simulation results are approximately the same (7.381E+07 and 7.367E+07), energy is converted from kinetic energy into internal energy of the elements. The airbag deployment simulation results are similar to NHTSA's previous research, both in terms of graph shape and maximum value. The impact of the collision incident on the driver is not excessively large, as evidenced by surveys on head (HIC 300), thigh (F 2.8 kN), and neck (F 3.098 kN; T 190 Nm) injuries. However, the study proceeds to further analyze and assess the airbag's structure, examining its influence on these metrics, concluding that changes in the exhaust valve size (increase from 1000 mm2 to 2000 mm2 ) lead to a reduction in the evaluated parameters. These results suggest changes to the airbag structure to enhance driver safety, as well as a simpler simulation model to save analysis time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deploying an airbag when a vehicle occupant is too close to it can cause injury. An adaptive Airbag Control Unit (ACU) would improve the effectiveness of the safety system, provided it is aware of the actual position of the occupants once the crash is going to occur. Occupants can be monitored with vision-based and radar-based sensing in the vehicle, but the research question is whether other reliable devices exist. In this research, a real seat is equipped with four sensors in the supports from the floor, as well as an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and a microcontroller. The device is capable of identifying correct position or different Out of Position (OP) conditions and inform an adaptive ACU. The paper presents the seat layout in detail and its testing in extensive driving experiments with multiple participants. Depending on the position of the driver, the identification is correct 45–100% of the time. Monitoring the occupant position by a sensorized seat is feasible and can improve the reliability of the onboard safety system when integrated with other occupant monitoring devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We studied the kinetic phenomenon of an airbag impact on eyes after trabeculectomy using finite element analysis (FEA), a computerized method for predicting how an object reacts to real-world physical effects and showing whether an object will break, to sequentially determine the responses at various airbag deployment velocities. Methods: A human eye model was used in the simulations using the FEA program PAM-GENERISTM (Nihon ESI, Tokyo, Japan). A half-thickness incised scleral flap was created on the limbus and the strength of its adhesion to the outer sclera was set at 30%, 50%, and 100%. The airbag was set to hit the surface of the post-trabeculectomy eye at various velocities in two directions: perpendicular to the corneal center or perpendicular to the scleral flap (30° gaze-down position), at initial velocities of 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 m/s. Results: When the airbag impacted at 20 m/s or 30 m/s, the strain on the cornea and sclera did not reach the mechanical threshold and globe rupture was not observed. Scleral flap lacerations were observed at 40 m/s or more in any eye position, and scleral rupture extending posteriorly from the scleral flap edge and rupture of the scleral flap resulting from extension of the corneal laceration through limbal damage were observed. Even in the case of 100% scleral flap adhesion strength, scleral flap rupture occurred at 50 m/s impact velocity in the 30° gaze-down position, whereas in eyes with 30% or 50% scleral flap adhesion strength, scleral rupture was observed at an impact velocity of 40 m/s or more in both eye positions. Conclusion: An airbag impact of ≥ 40 m/s might induce scleral flap rupture, indicating that current airbags may induce globe rupture in the eyes after trabeculectomy. The considerable damage caused by an airbag on the eyes of short-stature patients with glaucoma who have undergone trabeculectomy might indicate the necessity of ocular protection to avoid permanent eye damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objectives] To explore the trend of brands towards the design of waist protection products through data mining, and to provide reference for the design concept of the contour of waist protection pillow. [Methods] The structural design information of all waist protection equipment was collected from the national Internet platform, and the data were classified and a database was established. IBM SPSS 26. 0 and MATLAB 2018a were used to analyze the data and tabulate them in Tableau 2022.4. After the association rules were clarified, the data were imported into Cinema 4D R21 to create the concept contour of waist protection pillow. [Results] The average and standard deviation of the single airbag design were the highest in all groups, with an average of 0.511 and a standard deviation of 0.502. The average and standard deviation of the upper and lower dual airbags were the lowest in all groups, with an average of 0.015 and a standard deviation of 0. 120; the correlation coefficient between single airbag and 120° arc stretching was 0.325, which was positively correlated with each other (P < 0.01); the correlation coefficient between multiple airbags and 360° encircling fitting was 0.501, which was positively correlated with each other and had the highest correlation degree (P <0.01). [Conclusions] The single airbag design is well recognized by companies, and has received the highest attention among all brand products. While focusing on single airbag design, most brands will consider the need to add 120° arc stretching elements in product design. At the time of focusing on multiple airbag design, some brands believe that 360° encircling fitting elements need to be added to the product, and the correlation between the two is the highest among all groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We studied the kinetic phenomenon of an airbag impact on eyes with different axial lengths using finite element analysis (FEA) to sequentially determine the physical and mechanical responses of intraocular segments at various airbag deployment velocities. Methods: The human eye model we created was used in simulations with the FEA program PAM-GENERISTM. The airbag was set to impact eyes with axial lengths of 21.85 mm (hyperopia), 23.85 mm (emmetropia) and 25.85 mm (myopia), at initial velocities of 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 m/s. The deformation rate was calculated as the ratio of the length of three segments, anterior chamber, lens and vitreous, to that at the baseline from 0.2 ms to 2.0 ms after the airbag impact. Results: Deformation rate of the anterior chamber was greater than that of other segments, especially in the early phase, 0.2– 0.4 ms after the impact (P < 0.001), and it reached its peak, 80%, at 0.8 ms. A higher deformation rate in the anterior chamber was found in hyperopia compared with other axial length eyes in the first half period, 0.2– 0.8 ms, followed by the rate in emmetropia (P < 0.001). The lens deformation rate was low, its peak ranging from 40% to 75%, and exceeded that of the anterior chamber at 1.4 ms and 1.6 ms after the impact (P < 0.01). The vitreous deformation rate was lower throughout the simulation period than that of the other segments and ranged from a negative value (elongation) in the later phase. Conclusion: Airbag impact on the eyeball causes evident deformation, especially in the anterior chamber. The results obtained in this study, such as the time lag of the peak deformation between the anterior chamber and lens, suggest a clue to the pathophysiological mechanism of airbag ocular injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motor vehicle accidents are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Airbags aim to reduce the severity of motor vehicle accidents, but their deployment is not without risks. This study presents five cases presenting with diverse forms of upper extremity injuries following airbag deployment. The presented cases highlight the variety of clinical presentations, the differences in diagnostics in terms of imaging modalities, as well as the spectrum of possible outcomes from complete healing to decreased range of motion to persistent neurological symptoms. Understanding the mechanisms and presentations of such injuries can only help in improving and creating new strategies for the prevention of such injuries, as well as their management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a heuristic model used to evaluate the level of disorder in the synchronization of airbag operation with a moving phantom head during a frontal collision caused by a change in the longitudinal stiffness. The article describes three areas of research. The first presents the results of the strength tests of longitudinal models: reference and welded joint. Based on these, the relative stiffness decrease coefficient (SDC) of the longitudinal was determined. The second presents an analytical model of the airbag activation algorithm and the impact of SDC on its operation. The third determined the contact time of the phantom head with the airbag, taking into account the SDC. Based on the selected case study, a spatiotemporal analysis was conducted, indicating the level of disorder in the synchronization of the airbag with the moving phantom head due to the change in longitudinal stiffness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Science Technology & Engineering is the property of Chinese Society of Technology Economics 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.)

Collision analysis utilizing electronic data recorders, videos, traffic signal timing data, and other electronic records adds valuable input but can be a challenge to tie together due to the lack of a finite time stamp or common recording rate. However, overlapping data streams that have a common point-in-time identifier can be resolved. A strategic approach was developed by the author for unifying and validating the vehicle positions and time-distance reconstruction. The method outlines the steps for establishing known data points, forming a common time line, identifying overlapping information, and linking together independent records. A case study demonstrates a crash at a traffic signal-controlled intersection in which each vehicle entered on their respective green lights without conflict; however, the collision still occurred. The crash reconstruction will highlight driver options and demonstrate the value of combining multiple data streams into one time line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Protective equipment, including seatbelts and airbags, have dramatically reduced the morbidity and mortality rates associated with motor vehicle collisions (MVCs). While generally associated with a reduced rate of injury, the effect of motor vehicle protective equipment on patterns of chest wall trauma is unknown. We hypothesized that protective equipment would affect the rate of flail chest after an MVC. Materials and Methods: This study was a retrospective analysis of the 2019 iteration of the American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Program (ACS-TQIP) database. Rib fracture types were categorized as non-flail chest rib fractures and flail chest using ICD-10 diagnosis coding. The primary outcome was the occurrence of flail chests after motor vehicle collisions. The protective equipment evaluated were seatbelts and airbags. We performed bivariate and multivariate logistic regression to determine the association of flail chest with the utilization of vehicle protective equipment. Results: We identified 25,101 patients with rib fractures after motor vehicle collisions. In bivariate analysis, the severity of the rib fractures was associated with seatbelt type, airbag status, smoking history, and history of cerebrovascular accident (CVA). In multivariate analysis, seatbelt use and airbag deployment (OR 0.76 CI 0.65–0.89) were independently associated with a decreased rate of flail chest. In an interaction analysis, flail chest was only reduced when a lap belt was used in combination with the deployed airbag (OR 0.59 CI 0.43–0.80) when a shoulder belt was used without airbag deployment (0.69 CI 0.49–0.97), or when a shoulder belt was used with airbag deployment (0.57 CI 0.46–0.70). Conclusions: Although motor vehicle protective equipment is associated with a decreased rate of flail chest after a motor vehicle collision, the benefit is only observed when lap belts and airbags are used simultaneously or when a shoulder belt is used. These data highlight the importance of occupant seatbelt compliance and suggest the effect of motor vehicle restraint systems in reducing severe chest wall injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed and compared the effectiveness of the rotating seat of autonomous vehicles and that of an airbag in traditional vehicles as head protection measures in a frontal crash. Driver frontal crash models of traditional and autonomous vehicles and a head finite element model were established. Four evaluation indexes were used for comparison. The airbag proved more effective than seat rotation in terms of injury criteria and brain tissue injury risk under frontal crash conditions with and without brake involvement. A segmented protection measure based on crash acceleration values is proposed to improve crash safety in future autonomous vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Airbags have substantially reduced mortality and morbidity, while ocular injuries caused by airbags have been reported. We applied a three-dimensional finite element analysis (FEA) model we have established for evaluation of the deformation of an intact eyeball of various axial lengths induced by an airbag impact at various impact velocities. Methods: A model human eye we have created was used in simulations with an FEA program, PAM-GENERIS™ (Nihon ESI, Tokyo, Japan). The airbag was set to impact eyes with various axial lengths of 21.85 mm (hyperopia), 23.85 mm (emmetropia) and 25.85 mm (myopia), at initial velocities of 30, 40, 50 and 60 m/s. Changes in the shape of the eye and the strain induced were calculated. Deformation of the eye in a cross-sectional view was displayed sequentially in slow motion. Results: We found that considerable damage, such as corneal or scleral lacerations, was observed especially at higher impact velocities, such as 50 or 60 m/s, in eyes with any axial length. Deformation was most evident in the anterior segment. The decrease rate of axial length was greatest in the hyperopic eye, followed by the myopic eye, and the emmetropic eye. Conclusions: It was shown that hyperopic eyes are most susceptible to deformation by an airbag impact in this simulation. The considerable deformation by an airbag impact on the eye during a traffic accident shown in this study might indicate the necessity of ocular protection to avoid permanent eye damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the feasibility of implementation of a passive safety feature in the form of an under-fuselage airbag in the rescue systems of small aircraft. The paper presents a multidisciplinary approach for the viability of the implementation. It presents the development of mathematical model for airbag performance analysis. The model is validated against the experimental data to account for various simplifications. Validated mathematical model is used to design a full-scale airbag for the chosen airplane to perform in the designed range. Weight penalty for increased safety is determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Silk is the property of Zhejiang Sci-Tech University Magazines 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.)

The unfixed flame propagation velocity of a gas explosion and the fixed response time of explosion suppression devices are the important reasons for the poor protective effect of active explosion suppression. A flexible explosion suppression method based on buffer energy absorption is detailed in this study. The explosion suppression system consists of an explosive characteristic monitoring system, an explosion suppression agent system, and an explosion suppression airbag. An empty pipe experiment and an explosion suppression experiment with a flexible-airbag gas-explosion suppression device were conducted in a 20.5 m-long pipe with an inner diameter of 180 mm. The flame propagation velocity and maximum overpressure values were compared between the two groups of experiments. The experimental results show that the flame wave propagation can be completely suppressed by the explosion suppression device under certain pressure. The occurrence time of maximum overpressure at each pressure measuring point is also analyzed. P3 is generally later than P4, which verifies the existence of energy absorption and explosion suppression effect of airbag. Finally, the energy absorption effect of the airbag is analyzed theoretically. The shock wave overpressure calculated in the sealing limit state of the airbag is 0.3432 MPa, and the maximum error is 7.8%, which provides reliable guidance and prediction for the experimental process in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Public Administration & Civil Service / Memlekettìk Basķaru Ža̋ne Memlekettìk Ķyzmet is the property of Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan / Akademiya Gosun 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.)

The optimization of the engineering system is becoming more and more significant as time progresses, and a large number of metamodel-based multi-objective optimization methods have been proposed during the past decades. For a metamodel-based multi-objective optimization method, the accuracy of the solution is greatly influenced by the prediction accuracy of the metamodels. This study developed a novel metamodel-based multi-objective optimization method using an adaptive multi-regional ensemble of metamodels (AMEM) to get an optimization method with higher accuracy and efficiency. Two strategies were employed in this new metamodel-based multi-objective optimization method. One strategy is that several stand-alone metamodels, i.e., polynomial regression (PR), radial basis function (RBF), and Kriging (KRG) were combined into an ensemble of metamodels (EM) using the weight sum approach. The other strategy is that new design points were dynamically added into various local regions where the Pareto optimal designs are located, and each basis model and its weight factors were regenerated simultaneously, which adaptively improved the accuracy of the constructed adaptive multi-regional ensemble of metamodels. Besides, two novel approaches for selecting new design points from Pareto optimal set were proposed in this study. The performance of this novel metamodel-based multi-objective optimization method was evaluated using twelve mathematical functions and two practical engineering optimization problems. The twelve mathematical functions were typically selected from previous studies, and the two practical engineering optimization problems are crashworthiness optimization of triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS)-filled tube (one design variable) and buffer performance optimization of airbags used in the re-entry capsule (two design variables). To compare the advantages of this method, the optimization of these problems was also implemented by common metamodel-based methods. The results showed that the adaptive multi-regional ensemble of metamodels-based multi-objective optimization method is more accurate than the common methods in both mathematical functions and engineering optimization problems. In addition, the adaptive multi-regional ensemble of metamodels-based multi-objective optimization method has better efficiency than the common method, especially in practical engineering optimization problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cylindrical airbag is widely used in the landing buffer field with a simple structure. It is a three-dimensional closed structure, so the folding model is difficult to establish. Because the modeling process of the existing methods is complex and these methods are difficult to use in the actual folding process, a new direct folding method was proposed in this paper. In the method, the two end faces of the cylindrical airbag are recessed inward, and the cylindrical surface is flattened into a sheetlike structure; then, its finite-element model is established. The folded cylindrical airbag was inflated, and the deployed shape was the same as that of the initial unfolded model after inflation. Moreover, the maximum errors of the equivalent cross-sectional diameter, maximum length, and volume of the inflated airbag were less than 4%, which shows that the method is reasonable and feasible. Based on this method, three finite-element models of cylindrical airbags in different folding states were established, and then the effects of folding mode, inflation rate, and ambient pressure on the deployment process of the folding airbag were studied. In the landing buffer analysis, this method was used to model the folded secondary airbag when establishing the finite-element model for the cushioning dynamic of the combined airbag. The simulation results are in good agreement with the drop test results, which also verifies the effectiveness of this folding method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Previous research on occupant protection systems for wheelchair-seated occupants focused on frontal impacts, while similar studies on side impacts are very limited. The objective of this study was to identify the major injury concerns for wheelchair-seated occupants in side impacts and develop restraint systems to mitigate such injury concerns. Methods: Seven sled tests in side impact conditions were first conducted at 30 km/h with a 24 g peak deceleration. An ES2-RE ATD and surrogate wheelchair base (SWCB) were used in all tests, which varied armrest design, width of the SWCB, and wheelchair tiedown conditions. These sled tests set up the baseline performance and provided validation data for computational models. A set of validated MADYMO models were then used to investigate the safety concerns and potential restraint solutions for wheelchair-seated occupants in side impacts. Simulations covered nearside and farside impacts, inboard or outboard D-ring locations, varied wheelchair locations relative to the side door, varied seatbelt anchorage locations, and a few Center Airbag To Contain Humans (CATCH) designs. Finally, another set of sled tests were conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of varied CATCH designs for protecting wheelchair-seated occupants in farside impacts. Results: Simulations suggested that wheelchair-seated occupants might fall from the wheelchair in farside impacts, while in nearside impacts the seatbelt and curtain airbag can provide reasonable protection to occupants using wheelchairs. The CATCH design, a curtain airbag mounted to the roof centerline with tethers attached outboard of the wheelchair station, was effective at preventing the ATD from falling off the wheelchair. Results from sled tests to iterate CATCH parameters confirmed that the concept was effective at retaining occupants seated in wheelchairs under farside impact loading. Conclusions: This study is the first to investigate wheelchair-seated occupant protection in both nearside and farside impacts. The injury concerns identified in farside impacts and the CATCH design can potentially help improve the protection of wheelchair-seated occupants in side impacts in the future. The CATCH design has potential to improve farside protection for occupants in traditional seating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of National University of Defense Technology / Guofang Keji Daxue Xuebao is the property of NUDT Press 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 Journal of Shenyang Agricultural University is the property of Journal of Shenyang Agricultural University Editorial Department 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 Chinese Journal of High Pressure Physics is the property of Chinese Journal of High Pressure Physics Editorial Office 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.)

In this study, a novel expandable bicycle helmet, which integrates an airbag system into the conventional helmet design, was proposed to explore the potential synergetic effect of an expandable airbag and a standard commuter-type EPS helmet. The traumatic brain injury mitigation performance of the proposed expandable helmet was evaluated against that of a typical traditional bicycle helmet. A series of dynamic impact simulations on both a helmeted headform and a representative human head with different configurations were carried out in accordance with the widely recognised international bicycle helmet test standards. The impact simulations were initially performed on a ballast headform for validation and benchmarking purposes, while the subsequent ones on a biofidelic human head model were used for assessing any potential intracranial injury. It was found that the proposed expandable helmet performed admirably better when compared to a conventional helmet design--showing improvements in impact energy attenuation, as well as kinematic and biometric injury risk reduction. More importantly, this expandable helmet concept, integrating the airbag system in the conventional design, offers adequate protection to the cyclist in the unlikely case of airbag deployment failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To report a rare incidence of corneal endothelial cell loss following airbag injury. Observation: A 27-year-old female who sustained a motor vehicle accident with airbag deployment presented with hand motion vision in the left eye. Ocular examination demonstrated corneal abrasion, significant corneal stromal edema with descemet folds, and a central pachymetry of 999 µm. The patient was managed with topical steroids and antibiotic drops. One week later, specular microscopy revealed a central endothelial cell count of 2200/mm2 with pleomorphism, polymegathism, and a decreased central corneal thickness of 569 µm. A repeat of specular microscopy 6 months later showed a decreased central endothelial cell count of 1611/mm2 with recovered visual acuity of 20/30. Conclusion: Corneal endothelial loss is a severe complication of ocular airbag injury. Serial ophthalmic assessment is recommended because endothelial cell loss may continue for some time after the initial impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method to evaluate the effectiveness of wearable airbag protectors for motorcyclists is proposed in this work. The mitigation of thoracic injury severity in relevant accident conditions was investigated by a multimodel numerical approach. A set of impact conditions, obtained from previous work using multibody models, was used as input data to support the detailed analysis of injury risk with finite element models. The HUMOS II human model and an airbag model were validated from experimental data and coupled to evaluate the performance of the protector. Multiple frontal thoracic impact conditions were simulated on the human model by testing the airbag protector and reference simulations without any protection. A reduction on the skeletal AIS score of 1 was obtained, while the probability of sustaining severe soft tissue injuries was reduced by up to 22% with the safety device. Impact velocity and impactor shape were identified as relevant injury risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: To report a rare incidence of corneal endothelial cell loss following airbag injury. OBSERVATION: A 27-year-old female who sustained a motor vehicle accident with airbag deployment presented with hand motion vision in the left eye. Ocular examination demonstrated corneal abrasion, significant corneal stromal edema with descemet folds, and a central pachymetry of 999 µm. The patient was managed with topical steroids and antibiotic drops. One week later, specular microscopy revealed a central endothelial cell count of 2200/mm2 with pleomorphism, polymegathism, and a decreased central corneal thickness of 569 µm. A repeat of specular microscopy 6 months later showed a decreased central endothelial cell count of 1611/mm2 with recovered visual acuity of 20/30. CONCLUSION: Corneal endothelial loss is a severe complication of ocular airbag injury. Serial ophthalmic assessment is recommended because endothelial cell loss may continue for some time after the initial impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Field data have shown significant benefit from driver airbag for occupant protection in frontal crashes. However, vehicle modifiers almost always permanently deactivate airbags for wheelchair-seated drivers. The objective of this study was to conduct sled tests and computational simulations to answer whether driver airbags should be deactivated for drivers seated in wheelchairs.Methods: Five sled tests were conducted under a 48-kph 20-g frontal crash pulse all with driver airbag. Seat-belt fit (good, poor, and unbelted), airbag deployment time (proper and late), and occupant size (midsize male and small female HIII ATDs) were varied in the tests. The 2006 Chrysler Town-and-Country minivan was selected as the nominal vehicle environment, and a surrogate wheelchair with a docking securement system was used for all sled tests. ATD injury measures for the head, neck, chest, and lower extremities were recorded in each test, and were used for validating a set of MADYMO models. Parametric studies with a total of 28 MADYMO simulations were then conducted to investigate the airbag effects on occupant injury risks with varied occupant size, belt fit, and impact angle (0, 15, and 30 deg).Results: The sled tests showed potential safety concerns for wheelchair-seated drivers with a poor belt fit or without a belt. Specifically, the unbelted midsize male ATD sustained high femur forces and the small female ATD with poor belt fit sustained high chest deflections. The parametric simulations showed that airbag generally improved the protection for wheelchair-seated drivers. It is especially useful for unbelted wheelchair-seated drivers, and is also helpful for reducing the head and neck injury risks regardless of the belt condition, occupant size, and impact angle.Conclusions: This is the first study using sled tests and computational simulations to investigate the effects of airbag deployment on injury risks of wheelchair-seated drivers. Overall, the results showed little basis for concern that the energy of deploying a driver airbag in today's vehicles will cause serious-to-fatal injuries to drivers seated in wheelchairs. The results of this study therefore support the idea that driver airbags generally offer tangible safety benefits for a wide range of wheelchair-seated drivers in frontal crashes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of car crash sensing and identification technology, the application of pre-triggering airbag system is becoming an important option to improve vehicle safety. Thus, the present study aims to investigate the injury protection ability of pre-triggering airbag system and optimize its performance in frontal crashes regarding the key physical parameters. A driver restraint system model established and validated by National Crash Analysis Center was employed and validated for studying the injury protection ability of pre-triggering airbag system. Then, the influences of airbag triggering time, airbag volume scaling factor, inflator mass flow, and exhaust orifice size of pre-triggering airbag system on driver's head and chest injuries were analyzed. Finally, the weighted injury criterion was selected as the evaluation index to optimize the pre-triggering airbag system. The results show the pre-triggering airbag should be designed with a larger airbag volume and inflator mass flow rate and smaller exhaust orifice. The optimized restraint system design presents a reduction of weighted injury criterion values in 100% and 40% overlapped frontal impacts reaching 25.63% and 42.23%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hip fractures caused by the falls in the elderly can lead to serious injuries that diminish their quality of life. The soft pads and wearable airbag have been developed and commercialized to prevent hip fractures of the elderly. In this study, the hip impact simulator was developed and the impact forces of six types soft pads and the hip protection airbag were measured by using the hip impact simulator. In addition, the distribution of the impact force and maximum contact area were also measured by attaching the pressure sensor on the surrogate pelvis of the hip impact simulator. Experiments were performed depending on the conditions protecting the surrogate pelvis (unpadded, soft pad, airbag) and the fall from 20 to 40 cm heights were repeated three times depending on each condition. The hip protection airbag decreased the mean pressure applied on the hip joint by decreasing a peak impact force according to the increased maximum contact area compared to the unpadded and soft pad conditions at all fall heights. Therefore, it can be concluded that the hip protection airbag can prevent the hip fracture by effectively attenuating impact force during falls in the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Seatbelts and airbags are the most important devices protecting drivers from cervical spine injury (CSI) following motor vehicle collisions (MVCs). However, there have been few reports on the radiographic characteristics of CSI sustained by restrained, airbag-deployed drivers.Methods: A single-center, retrospective observational study was conducted using prospectively acquired data. Between January 2011 and December 2017, 564 restrained drivers, whose vehicle had been severely damaged in MVCs, underwent whole-body computed tomography for evaluation of bodily injuries. The drivers were dichotomized into airbag (+) group (n = 218) and airbag (−) group (n = 139), after excluding 207 drivers in whom airbag deployment status was unknown.Results: Eight and nine drivers sustained CSIs in the airbag (+) and airbag (−) group, respectively. The frequency of CSI did not differ significantly between the two groups (3.7% vs. 6.5%, p = 0.31). All eight CSIs in the airbag (+) group were classified as hyperextension injuries, and four of them sustained concomitant spinal cord injuries caused by dislocation. Within the airbag (+) group, the drivers with CSIs were significantly older than those without CSIs (65.2 ± 18.5 vs. 44.8 ± 18.7 years, p = 0.002).Conclusion: Although it is without doubt that the combination of seatbelt and airbag reduces the frequency and severity of CSIs following MVCs, the CSIs sustained in restrained, airbag (+) drivers may not always be mild, and elderly drivers may be at an elevated risk of CSI. In addition, the possibility of a causal role of airbags in CSI requires consideration in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of airbags and seatbelts in the prevention of facial fractures and slight facial injuries in relation to the speed and kinetic energy experienced in frontal collisions. All cases of vehicle occupants who had been in frontal collisions and had subsequently been examined in the Institute for Emergency Medical Assistance and the Clinical Center of Montenegro in 2017 were analyzed. There were 29 cases of facial fractures (Group 1), 35 cases of slight facial injuries (including nondisplaced nasal fractures) (Group 2), and 26 cases of occupants who had suffered no facial injuries (control Group 3). In all assessed cases all of the subjects had been wearing a seatbelt and the airbag had deployed at the time of impact. A frontal collision is defined as a collision in which the principal force acts within a range of 90° from the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. Using the mass and the speed of the vehicles, the total kinetic energy (KE) of all frontal collisions being analyzed was calculated. The cut-off value of total KE in frontal collisions that were associated with either facial fractures or slight facial injury was estimated using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The cut-off amounts of KE were then used to calculate the barrier equivalent velocity (BEV). The BEV for a vehicle of average mass was estimated to be 55.7 km/h (34.6 mph) in Group 1, and 49.2 km/h (30.6 mph) in Group 2. Airbags and seatbelts are effective in preventing facial injuries in vehicles of average mass that are traveling at speeds under 49.2 km/h (30.6 mph) at the point of impact, but they do not protect from facial fractures when the vehicle speed exceeds 55.7 km/h (34.6 mph). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the designed anti-capsizing airbag of passenger ship sailing inland-river, this paper presents the anti-capsizing airbag devices, its principles, and the studies on the safety volume of anti-capsizing airbag; furthermore, the influences of anticapsizing airbag on the ship stability are analyzed. The results indicate that the anti-capsizing airbag improves the ship stability and the ship safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear safety system is investigated by the airbag in which the earthquake-resistance performance is manifested. Most degrees’ earthquake could be compromised, which is different from the conventional earthquake regulation where the fixed regulation as 6.5 or 7.0 in Richter magnitude scale is used. Assuming some variable in the simulations, the volume is obtained. In the simulations, at 307th day (at this time, 2,601.94 10,000 pascals), the volume is 9.58647 m3. So, one side of the airbag is proposed as the size of 2.124318 meters. The perfect safety system for the earthquake is constructed in the nuclear power plants (NPPs). This skill could be applicable to the other kinds of industry for the earthquake protections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a pre-impact fall detection algorithm using a custom-made inertial sensor was optimized, and a spring-trigger airbag system was developed for preventing injuries from falls. Four different types of simulated falls were performed by 20 healthy volunteers (age 23.4 ± 4.4 years), and six different daily activities were tested in 14 elderly subjects (age 71.8 ± 4.0 years). An inertial sensor unit was used to measure acceleration, angular velocity, and vertical angle during all activities. Thresholds of 0.9 g acceleration, 47.3°/s angular velocity, and 24.7° vertical angle were determined on the basis of optimizing lead time and accuracy in pre-impact fall detection. A belt-type airbag system consisted of a polyurethane inner skin, an artificial leather outer shell, and a spring-trigger inflator. To evaluate the accuracy of the airbag system, 10 healthy adult males (age 28.5 ± 2.7 years) wore the system and performed three sets of simulated falls. Fall detection was achieved 401.9 ± 46.9 ms before impact on average, and the airbag inflated without fail during the falls (100% sensitivity). In all daily activities, no airbag inflation occurred (100% specificity). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Improving human health is a long-lasting endeavour of mankind. In the field of social life cycle assessment (SLCA), the importance of human health is often highlighted, and further development of impact assessment methods has been recommended. The purpose of this article is to present a method for assessing human health impacts within SLCA.Methods: By using a systematic combining approach, knowledge and experience about assessing human health impacts were obtained from three previously conducted case studies. The first case study was about an airbag system, the second about a catalytic converter and the third about gold jewellery. The disability-adjusted life years (DALY) indicator was used for impact assessment in all three case studies.Results and discussion: Both positive and negative human health impacts associated with the products were identified and assessed in the three case studies. For the airbag system, avoided health impacts in the use phase outweighed health impacts during production. For the catalytic converter, whether health impacts avoided exceeded health impacts caused or not depended on which time perspective regarding impacts was employed. Gold jewellery does not help avoiding any health impacts but caused considerable health impacts when produced at a certain location. Based on experience from these case studies, a generic human health impact assessment method was developed, and a life cycle human health typology for products was developed based on the method. The method provides a basis for analysis and interpretation of health impacts along product life cycles, and it is therefore important to report both positive and negative health impacts separately for different actors.Conclusions: The developed human health impact assessment method involves the assessment and comparison of both positive and negative human health impacts along product life cycles. In addition to the products assessed in the three case studies, we suggest additional products that could be particularly interesting to assess with the developed method, including medicines, seat belts, other conflict minerals, alcoholic beverages and products with a high chemical impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The goal of the study was to develop experimental chest loading conditions that would cause up to Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) 2 chest injuries in elderly occupants in moderate-speed frontal crashes. The new set of experimental data was also intended to be used in the benchmark of existing thoracic injury criteria in lower-speed collision conditions.Methods: Six male elderly (age >63) postmortem human subjects (PMHS) were exposed to a 35 km/h (nominal) frontal sled impact. The test fixture consisted of a rigid seat, rigid footrest, and cable seat back. Two restraint conditions (A and B) were compared. Occupants were restrained by a force-limited (2.5 kN [A] and 2 kN [B]) seat belt and a preinflated (16 kPa [A] and 11 kPa [B]; airbag). Condition B also incorporated increased seat friction. Matching sled tests were carried out with the THOR-M dummy. Infra-red telescoping rod for the assessment of chest compression (IRTRACC) readings were used to compute chest injury risk. PMHSs were exposed to a posttest injury assessment. Tests were carried out in 2 stages, using the outcome of the first one combined with a parametric study using the THUMS model to adjust the test conditions in the second. All procedures were approved by the relevant ethics board.Results: Restraint condition A resulted in an unexpected high number of rib fractures (fx; 10, 14, 15 fx). Under condition B, the adjustment of the relative airbag/occupant position combined with a lower airbag pressure and lower seat belt load limit resulted in a reduced pelvic excursion (85 vs. 110 mm), increased torso pitch and a substantially lower number of rib fractures (1, 0, 4 fx) as intended.Conclusions: The predicted risk of rib fractures provided by the THOR dummy using the Cmax and PC Score injury criteria were lower than the actual injuries observed in the PMHS tests (especially in restraint condition A). However, the THOR dummy was capable of discriminating between the 2 restraint scenarios. Similar results were obtained in the parametric study with the THUMS model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Though the mortality rate for motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) has been decreasing since the 1960s with the advent of the first federal seat belt laws in 1968, MVC remains a leading cause of death for individuals aged 1 to 44 years. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of frontal (FABs) and side airbags (SABs) and electronic stability control (ESC) on the components of the MVC mortality rate.Methods: The MVC mortality rate from 1994 to 2015 was separated into its components of exposure of vehicles, exposure of travel, collision density, injury incidence, and case fatality rate. Year was categorized on the availability of safety technology in vehicles: 1994-1997 (first-generation FABs mandated), 1998-2001 (sled-certified, second-generation FABs mandated), 2002-2006 (increasing prevalence of SABs and ESC), 2007-2011 (advanced airbags mandated), and 2012-2015 (ESC mandated, SAB in over 90% of vehicles, introduction of advanced safety systems). Relative contributions (RCs) of the components to changes in the MVC-related mortality rate were calculated as the absolute value of the component's beta coefficient divided by the sum of the absolute values of all components' beta coefficients. Negative binomial regression-estimated rate ratios (RRs) for the changes in the rate of each component by year category compared to the prior year category.Results: Significant decreases in the MVC mortality rate were observed for 2007-2011 and 2012-2015. The decrease in 2007-2011 was due in most part to an 18% decrease in the injury incidence (RR = 0.82, P < .0001, RC = 63%), though there was a noted contribution by the decrease in vehicle miles traveled (RR = 0.95, P < .0001, RC = 15%). The continued decrease in mortality in 2012-2015 was due is most part to the 10% decreased case fatality rate (RR = 0.90, P < .0001, RC = 66%) because there was no significant change in the vehicle miles traveled and injury incidence.Conclusions: The results of this study highlight the effects of vehicle safety technologies on the MVC-related mortality rate and can help direct prevention efforts. Through the study period, there was no meaningful contribution to decreases in the MVC-related mortality rate due to components related to exposure (i.e., vehicles per population and the rate of vehicle miles traveled), suggesting that prevention efforts at decreasing exposure prevalence would have little effect on the MVC-related mortality rate. Instead, prevention efforts should continue to focus on event-phase methods to decrease injury occurrence and mitigate injury severity during the collision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energetic materials such as a mixture of guanidine nitrate (GN)/basic copper nitrate (BCN) are used as gas generators in automotive airbag systems. However, at the time of the airbag inflation, the gas generators release toxic combustion gases such as CO, NH, and NO. In this study, we investigated the combustion and thermal decomposition behaviors of GN/BCN mixture, focusing primarily on their exhaust gas composition. As a result, when the exhaust gas of the combustion under constant pressure in an inert gas stream was analyzed using a detection tube, the amount of NO (mainly NO) yielded greater decrease with increasing atmospheric pressure as compared to the amounts of CO and NH. Thus, provided GN/BCN is ignited in a closed container, a large amount of NO is presumed to have been released during the initial stage of combustion, which yielded comparatively low pressure. Results of the thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TG/DSC/FTIR) indicated that the GN/BCN mixture caused endothermic decomposition at 170 °C and exothermic decomposition at 208 °C, which was accompanied by 66% mass loss. The decomposition gases, CO, NO, and HO, were detected via FTIR spectrum. Because NO was not detected in the combustion gas, it was suggested that the detected NO was generated at a low temperature and decomposed in high-temperature combustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a comprehensive theoretical model of an in-position occupant restrained by seatbelt and airbag in an in-line frontal vehicle barrier impact is proposed. A novel approach is adopted in formulating the occupant motion based on occupant interaction with the seatbelt and airbag. Also, the airbag model developed in this paper simulates for airbag deflation both before and during occupant interaction. The proposed model is validated against test results by the system identification method through parameter optimisation. The optimisation problem is stated as a mixed integer non-linear programming problem to be solved by genetic algorithm. The results obtained with the proposed model are in good agreement with test results with a root mean square deceleration error of 0.13837 g. Furthermore, the computational time for the model has been estimated to be exceptional. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives: We report on a patient who suffered traumatic axonal injury (TAI) of various neural tracts despite airbag deployment following mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), which was demonstrated by diffusion tensor tractography (DTT). Case description: A 58-year-old female patient suffered from head trauma resulting from an in-car traffic accident. At the time of head trauma, her head and face hit the deployed airbag after flexion-hyperextension-rotation injury. The patient’s Glasgow Coma Scale score was 15. Since the day of head trauma, she began to feel headache and upper back pain at the mid-thoracic area. At 7 days after onset, she began to feel pain on the left hand, which spread to the right hand and leg: throbbing and cold pain without allodynia or hyperalgesia (visual analogue scale score: 5). She also felt mild weakness of all four extremities and mild memory impairment. On 4-week DTT, the corticospinal tract showed partial tearing at the subcortical white matter level in both hemispheres . The right fornical crus and right anterior cingulum were discontinued, and narrowing and partial tearing were observed in both spinothalamic tracts. Conclusions: TAI of four kinds of neural tracts was demonstrated in a patient with mild TBI despite airbag deployment, using DTT. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Injury information for vehicle occupants from the body regions of the head, thorax, abdomen, and upper and lower extremities, due to the restraints and interior parts of the vehicle, were extracted from the 2009 ~ 2012 NASS/CDS database. For those cases with high occurrence frequency, a detailed and comprehensive data analysis was performed to find the relationship between the accident, occupant, vehicle, and injury data. A numerical frontal impact sled model with the Hybrid III dummy and the GHBMC human body model was constructed to simulate and identify those injury risks according to NASS/CDS. Among the 5,734 injuries to the aforementioned body regions from frontal crashes are, listed by frequency of occurrence, the lower extremity (27.8 %), upper extremity (21.3 %), thorax (15.1 %), face (10.9 %), spine (8.7 %), head (7.3 %), and abdomen (6.9 %). The main injury sources to the head were the windshield, side structure, and steering wheel. For the thorax and abdomen they were the seat belt and steering wheel. For the lower extremity it was the instrument panel. The main injury patterns for the head were the concussion and the contusion. For the thorax they were vessel laceration and lung contusion. For the abdomen they were laceration and contusion of the organs. For the lower extremity they were bone fracture and ligament rupture. The steering wheel and seat positions were main factors affecting head and thorax injury risks. From the sled impact simulation, high injury risks of the head and thorax were assessed respectively at conditions of steering column tilt down and rear most seat position, which correlated well with the findings from the NASS/CDS data analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We studied the correlation between airbag deployment and eye injuries using 2 different data sets.Methods: The registry of the Finnish Road Accident (FRA) Investigation Teams was analyzed to study severe head- and eyewear-related injuries. All fatal passenger car or van accidents that occurred during the years 2009-2012 (4 years) were included (n = 734). Cases in which the driver's front airbag was deployed were subjected to analysis (n = 409). To determine the proportion of minor, potentially airbag-related eye injuries, the results were compared to the data for all new eye injury patients (n = 1,151) recorded at the Emergency Clinic of the Helsinki University Eye Hospital (HUEH) during one year, from May 1, 2011, to April 30, 2012.Results: In the FRA data set, the unbelted drivers showed a significantly higher risk of death (odds ratio [OR] = 5.89, 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.33-10.9, P = 2.6E-12) or of sustaining head injuries (OR = 2.50, 95% CI, 1.59-3.97, P = 3.8E-5). Only 4 of the 1,151 HUEH patients were involved in a passenger car accident. In one of the crashes, the airbag operated, and the belted driver received 2 sutured eye lid wounds and showed conjunctival sugillation. No permanent eye injuries were recorded during the follow-up. The calculated annual airbag-related eye injury incidence was less than 1/1,000,000 people, 4/100,000 accidents, and 4/10,000 injured occupants.Conclusions: Airbag-related eye injuries occurred very rarely in car accidents in cases where the occupant survived and the restraint system was appropriately used. Spectacle use did not appear to increase the risk of eye injury in restrained occupants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past earthquakes have highlighted the vulnerability of masonry infills in the out-ofplane direction. To investigate this vulnerability, it is necessary to test some samples of infills in the out-of-plane direction taking into consideration that the main problem in the simulation of the out-of-plane response is their test setup and calculation of out-of-plane force applied to the infills. One can suggest that multiplying the pressure inside the airbag times its effective area (area of the airbag in full contact with infill) can lead to calculation of the out-of-plane force; but in this paper, it is concluded that the distance between the reaction wall keeping the airbag and the infill affects the effective area of the airbag. When the distance between the reaction walls and the masonry infill wall is smaller, the effective area is closer to the nominal area of the airbag. The effective contact area of the airbag is calculated by dividing the load measured in load cells by the pressure inside the airbag. Based on this result, it is also recommended to use load cells in the test setup to measure the out-of-plane force instead of its calculation by the pressure inside the airbag. After the installation of the out-of-plane test setup, one specimen representing the contemporary construction typology in North of Portugal was tested. In order to investigate its out-of-plane behavior, quasi-static testing was performed on a masonry infill built inside a reinforced concrete frame by means of an airbag system to apply the uniform out-of-plane load to each component of the infill. The main advantage of this testing setup is that the out-of-plane loading can be applied more uniformly in the walls, contrarily to point load configuration. The test was performed under displacement control by selecting the mid-point of the infill as control point. Input and output air in the airbag was controlled by using a software to apply a specific displacement in the control point of the infill wall. Four load cells were attached to the reaction frame to measure the out-of-plane force. Deformation and crack pattern of the infill confirm the formation of arching mechanism and two-way bending of the masonry infill. Until collapse of the horizontal interface between infill and upper beam in RC frame, the infill bends in two directions. However, the failure of that interface that is known as weakest interface due to difficulties in filling the mortar between bricks of last row and upper beam results in the crack opening trough a well-defined path and the consequent collapse of the infill. It is also investigated that the collapse of the infill was happened suddenly unlike the specimens tested by [1]. This is related to the presence of higher axial force on top of the columns in [1] that resulted in formation of a two-way arching mechanism supported on four sides. Besides, it seems that the presence of higher axial force on top of the columns can compensate the defects of upper interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The technological development of application specific VDMOS and lateral trench power MOSFETs is described. Unlike general-purpose trench vertical DMOS, application specific trench DMOS comprise devices merged or optimized for a specific function or characteristic. Examples include the bidirectional lithium ion battery disconnect switch, the airbag squib driver with safety redundancy, the antilock breaking systems solenoid driver with repeated avalanche operation, and various forms of synchronous rectifiers (including integrated Schottky and pseudo-Schottky operation). Trench lateral DMOS include all implant quasi-vertical, lateral trench, and lateral trench charge balanced devices. Trench power MOSFET packaging addresses multichip surface mount, DrMOS, low inductance, and clip lead packages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to obtain information about the current knowledge and habits of parents who transport children in cars in Brazil.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using specifically designed self-report questionnaires to parents of children attending a private pediatric office in a town in southwest Brazil. Data were collected regarding children's age, gender, height, and weight and possession of an automobile child restraint system (CRS), its type, frequency and adequacy of use, and reasons for not possessing or not using the devices. Parents were asked whether their cars were equipped with airbags and about the use of the restraints in seats with airbags.Results: We interviewed parents of 293 children transported in cars who met the criteria for use of a CRS. Children were younger than 1 year in 15.3% of the cases, between 1 and 4 years in 38.6%, and older than 4 in 46.1%. Cars were equipped with CRS in 78.5% of the cases, but in only 58% of the cases was the device proper for child's age and adequately installed in the seat. Among owners of the devices, 84.3% reported that they always used it. Reasons for infrequency were forgetting the device at home or in another car (6.4%), the child disliking the device (3.2%), or the false impression that the child was grown enough not to use it (3.2%)l 87.1% did not justify why they did not always use the CRS. Considering type of CRS, correct installation of the seat, and frequency of use, only 44.4% of children under 1 year, 69.9% of those 1 to 4 years, and 52.6% over age 4 were protected. Only 28.6% of the parents knew that children should never be positioned in a seat with active airbags.Conclusion: Considering appropriateness for age, correctness of installation (in the back seat in the correct orientation), and frequency of use, only 50.85% (149/293) of the children were reported as always protected with a CRS. Children between 1 and 4 years were more likely to always use a CRS in this Brazilian survey. We were also able to identify an important gap in the knowledge about airbags among parents. Further efforts are needed to correct those distortions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astronauts need the lander for decelerate and bridle the speed when they land on the space surface slowly. This lander could be controlled velocity magnitude in any direction or orientation and provide protection. The landers consist of airbags and parachutes. The airbag is a type of vehicle safety device, have a soft cushioning and is an occupant restraint system. The parachute provides to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by the hauling. Space protection equipments must have some properties because of astronaut's entry, descend and landing in safely. Textiles in airbags provide these properties especially which are light weight, low gas permeability, high strength, low cost, low temperature flexibility and low coefficient of friction. For textiles in parachutes must have properties such as smooth, porosity, air permeability, high strength, cost-effective, stability light weight and good in drag and lift. Airbags and parachutes in space protection equipment's are improved in systems provide easy stability. Recently, inflatable technologies for space protection equipments plays a fundamental role in building re-entry capsule. It can be performed a variety of pre-flight analyses to ensure the success of the tests of protection systems from day to day. In this review, space protection systems, their textile materials and properties, their advantages and disadvantages are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]