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Accurate prediction of tool tip dynamics is vital for understanding machine tool behavior and chatter. Traditional methods involve several impact tests, finite element simulations, and the receptance coupling (RC) approach. However, substructure coupling necessitates multiple experiments and encounters difficulties due to complexities of capturing rotational dynamics. The intricate nature of RC inhibits its widespread industrial applicability in predicting tool tip dynamics. We introduce machine learning (ML)-based approach relying on a few experiments and computer vision to predict dynamics. Comparative analysis with direct experiments shows the ML-based method's potential to expedite dynamic identification with accuracy, chatter prediction, and machining process optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel in-situ monitoring technology for ceramic additive manufacturing is demonstrated providing a direct observation technology. • Direct observation allows for the direct quantification of both overall processing and the multi-physical dynamics of fabrication. • The general profile provides the manufacturing status, including information on fracture and structural parameters. • Unit signal analysis contributes to quantifying the effect of ceramics on the fabrication behavior in terms of rheological, curing, and mechanical behavior. Ceramic additive manufacturing is an innovative technology for developing complex ceramic structures, while a direct understanding of the physical phenomena occurring in sequential layers remains challenging, affected by the material design such as the presence of inorganic particles and their contents. This study provides a direct analysis of how the ceramic particles influence fabrication behavior utilizing an in-situ monitoring system. The force profile provides immediate feedback on fractures and geometric design, with the fluctuation in force directly corresponding to specific structural characteristics and stability during the fabrication. Furthermore, the multi-physical dynamics was investigated with a unit signal based on the effect of ceramic on the rheological-curing-mechanical behavior. For example, the mechanical behavior was characterized in real-time, as shown through an intensified peak of 6.6 kPa during the manufacturing of a ceramic composite, a 5.6 times increase compared to pure resin. The monitored data quantified the geometric dynamics and the multi-physical mechanism in real-time, achieved from the data on the overall fabrication status and the unit signal analysis of continuous manufacturing. This method can improve the reliability of ceramic additive manufacturing by providing insight into how ceramics impact fabrication behavior on sequential layers in real-time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine the effects of bioprocessing on the bioactive components of isoflavone-enriched soybean leaves (IESLs) using Tricholoma matsutake mycelia. To optimize fermentation conditions, various brown rice ratios and fermentation periods were compared. Subsequently, a ratio of 8:2 (aglycones: 1873.57 μg/g) soybean leaves to brown rice and a fermentation period of 8 days (aglycones: 3623.58 μg/g) were determined to be optimal for efficient fermentation conditions. Isoflavone derivatives were altered throughout the bioprocessing process, with the fermentation stage indicating a bioconversion to isoflavone-aglycones. Using time-of-flight mass spectrometry, twenty functional metabolites were identified. The heat maps indicated a significant concentration of glycoside phytoestrogens at the fermentation stage during bioprocessing. The highest levels of total phenolics (8.49 GAE mg/g), total flavonoids (2.87 RE mg/g), and digestive enzymatic inhibitory activities (1 mg/mL; α-glucosidase 73.25%, pancreatic-lipase 58.26%) were seen in fermented IESLs. This study discovered that bioprocessing IESLs with T. matsutake mycelia has the potential to enhance aglycone phytochemicals in the bioproducts. [Display omitted] • The optimal conditions for IESLs fermentation were IESLs + brown rice (BR) ratio of 8:2 (w/w) and an 8-day fermentation period. • Isoflavone derivatives were bioconverted from glycosides to aglycones as bioprocessing progressed. • Daidzin content (1666.09 μg/g.→ 215.86 μg/g) decreased, while daidzein content (790.51 μg/g → 2472.77 μg/g) increased during fermentation. • A total of 20 functional metabolites were altered as the bioprocessing progressed. • Digestive enzyme inhibitory activity also increased as the bioprocessing process advanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2009.06.008 Byline: Jihyun Lee (a), Jeong-Hoon Park (a), Myung-Jae Park (a), Chin-Wan Chung (a), Jun-Ki Min (b) Keywords: Distributed query processing; Semantic mapping; Query optimization; Distributed ontologies; Semantic Web Abstract: In this paper, we propose an intelligent distributed query processing method considering the characteristics of a distributed ontology environment. We suggest more general models of the distributed ontology query and the semantic mapping among distributed ontologies compared with the previous works. Our approach rewrites a distributed ontology query into multiple distributed ontology queries using the semantic mapping, and we can obtain the integrated answer through the execution of these queries. Furthermore, we propose a distributed ontology query processing algorithm with several query optimization techniques: pruning rules to remove unnecessary queries, a cost model considering site load balancing and caching, and a heuristic strategy for scheduling plans to be executed at a local site. Finally, experimental results show that our optimization techniques are effective to reduce the response time. Author Affiliation: (a) Division of Computer Science, Department of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejon 305-701, Republic of Korea (b) School of Internet-Media Engineering, Korea University of Technology and Education, Byeongcheon-Myeon, Cheonan, Chungnam 330-708, Republic of Korea Article History: Received 30 October 2008; Revised 30 March 2009; Accepted 7 June 2009

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2008.08.014 Byline: Jun-Ki Min (a), Jihyun Lee (b), Chin-Wan Chung (b) Keywords: XML; Query processing; Update Abstract: In this paper, we propose an efficient encoding and labeling scheme for XML, called EXEL, which is a variant of the region labeling scheme using ordinal and insert-friendly bit strings. We devise a binary encoding method to generate the ordinal bit strings, and an algorithm to make a new bit string inserted between bit strings without any influences on the order of preexisting bit strings. These binary encoding method and bit string insertion algorithm are the bases of the efficient query processing and the complete avoidance of re-labeling for updates. We present query processing and update processing methods based on EXEL. In addition, the Stack-Tree-Desc algorithm is used for an efficient structural join, and the String B-tree indexing is utilized to improve the join performance. Finally, the experimental results show that EXEL enables complete avoidance of re-labeling for updates while providing fairly reasonable query processing performance. Author Affiliation: (a) School of Internet-Media Engineering, Korea University of Technology and Education, Byeongcheon-myeon, Cheonan, Chungnam 330-708, Republic of Korea (b) Division of Computer Science, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejon 305-701, Republic of Korea Article History: Received 21 April 2008; Revised 9 August 2008; Accepted 11 August 2008 Article Note: (footnote) [star] The preliminary version of this paper was published in DASFAA 2007.

Ceramic additive manufacturing has been drawn massive attention as a novel processing for directly fabricating complex ceramic architectures. However, the uncured monomer causes defects in producing green body, debinding and sintering process in case of stereolithography. Therefore, high conversion of cured layer is required for the reliability and stability. Here, we report facilitation mechanisms of ceramic particles with acceleration and phase transition occuring in on-propagating matrix in suspension; scattering, free volume and micro-gel.. Scattering, lengthening the path of UV light, demonstrates higher efficiency of initiation confirmed with 1.6 times increased initial slope of heat flow. The free volume, securing the volumetric reaction site even in solidifying resin, indicates 0.45 times faster rate and two times rapider acceleration, respectively. Finally, micro-gel, generated as a result of steric hindrance between ceramic particles and glassified matrix with a prolonged diffusion, exhibits increase up to 26% in two phases systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Directly written circuits on polymeric housings can reduce weight and enhance flexibility due to the wiring of electronic devices and systems in automotive and aerospace parts. These circuits must conform to a variety of geometries while maintaining electrical conductivity after deformations. To address these challenges, a hybrid copper-based ink has been developed capable of self-healing. Low melting temperature metals such as indium can work as a self-healing agent in response to deformational processes such as thermoforming. A new generation of devices is conceptualized utilizing printable hybrid copper-based ink, sintered and healed within a few milliseconds via intense pulsed light (IPL). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite attempts to shed light on the precarity and resilience of international students, there has been thus far little engagement with the emotional dynamics of their lived experiences in times of crisis and the implications of these for the geographies of international student mobility. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 13 international (i.e., non-UK) doctoral students in a UK university during the COVID-19 pandemic, we examine how emotions are attached to different places and spaces, and how they are mobilised in various ways as students navigate uncertainties. Building on Kenway and Fahey's concept of 'emoscapes', we demonstrate that central to the (im)mobility of international students are emotions produced in and constitutive of particular spaces and in relation to various scales. We showcase the significance of the material and embodied dimensions of learning in the emotional life of internationally mobile students, which informs how the well-being of these students should be and could be supported at policy and practice levels. By illustrating the way in which emotional geographies are produced in pandemic times, we consider whether the emotional dynamics of international students in a time of crisis have the potential to both reconfigure and reproduce the uneven geographies of international student mobility. • Emotions, both produced in and constitutive of particular spaces and in relation to various scales, are central to the (im)mobility of international students. • Emotions (albeit immaterial and thus unable to be seen) are expressed in discourses, practices, and embodied experiences. • International students' emotional dynamics have the potential to reconfigure and/or reproduce the uneven geographies of ISM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to establish the topographical and zonal T2 patterns of multi-resolution MRI in medial tibial cartilage in a canine model of osteoarthritis (OA), initiated by the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) transection surgery, and studied after 8-weeks and 12-weeks post-surgery. Articular cartilage from healthy, two stages of contralateral, and of OA knees were quantitatively imaged by the MRI T2 protocols at two imaging resolutions (100 and 17.6 μm/pixel). The zonal T2 changes at five topographical locations (anterior (AMT), exterior (EMT), posterior (PMT), central (CMT) and interior (IMT) medial tibia) and subsequent two averaged regions (covered by meniscus and exposed) were analyzed. At each location, full-thickness cartilage was studied in four sub-tissue zones (superficial, transitional, upper and lower radial zones). Tissue degradation can be detected by measurable changes of T2, which is resolution- and orientation-dependent. T2 changes ranging from +28.82% increase (SZ, PMT) to −23.15% decrease (RZ1, AMT) in healthy to disease (8C), with the largest increase of T2 in the surface tissue. Various location-dependent patterns of degradation are found over the tibial surface, most commonly shown in early-stage OA (8C) on the anterior site, different from the posterior. Finally, the contralateral cartilage has specific degradation patterns, different from those in OA cartilage. This is the first quantitative and highest multi-resolution characterization of cartilage at five topographical locations over the medial tibial plateau with fine zonal resolution in an animal model of OA, which would benefit future investigation of human OA in clinics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize, rice, and potato starches were dispersed with phytate at pH 7, 9, and 11, and were subjected to dry-heating at 130 °C for 12 h. The residual phosphorus content and structural characteristics revealed that the treatment resulted in starch phosphorylation. Further, pasting viscosity, clarity, solubility, and swelling power were analyzed to determine the physicochemical properties of the phosphorylated starch. These heat-treated starches retained phosphorus mainly in the form of monostarch monophosphate. Phosphorylation increased the peak viscosity and decreased the pasting temperature in maize and rice starches, but not in potato starch. Paste clarity, solubility, and swelling power were also increased in phosphorylated maize and rice starches. Phosphorus content, paste clarity, solubility, and swelling power were the highest at pH 7, but the maximum paste viscosity was at pH 9. These results indicate that phytate can be used for starch phosphorylation, with the reaction efficiency based on the botanical source of the starch and the reaction pH. • Starch was phosphorylated by heat treatment in the presence of phytate. • High degree of phosphorylation was possible in starch treated at pH 7. • Phytate phosphorylated maize and rice starches effectively but did not potato starch. • Phosphorylated starch showed high peak viscosity and low pasting temperature. • Phytate-mediated phosphorylation induced high paste clarity and swelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present new data about the correlation between religiosity and cognitive abilities. At the individual level of analysis the correlation is r  = −0.199 and at the country level of analysis the correlation is r  = −0.420 with a test of fluid intelligence and r =  −0.536 with PISA 2015 science scores. These correlations can be reduced by partialling out measures of traditional values, power distance and conservatism/liberalism. They can also be reduced by partialling out economic and political indices. Our findings indicate that it is the broad Conservative Syndrome that correlates negatively with cognitive abilities, and religiosity is only a part of it. Cognitive ability is becoming an increasingly important predictor of social conservatism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the predictability of non-cognitive variables for students' mathematics achievement, based on large-scale international databases of the TIMSS 2003, 2007, and 2011, and the PISA 2003 and 2012. We synthesized empirical evidence about 65 non-cognitive variables, which were categorized into 13 research domains of educational psychology— affect, curriculum/content exposure, homework, learning and instructional time, motivation, personality traits, planned behavior, school climate, self-beliefs/social-cognitive theory, self-regulatory learning style/strategies, teacher behavior, value, and vocational interest . Our analyses showed that a group of self-beliefs constructs, in particular, self-efficacy in PISA, confidence in TIMSS, and educational aspiration, in both TIMSS and PISA, were the best predictors of individual-level student achievement in mathematics. The present review supports the claim that students' projective judgements about their own ability and future selves are particularly important for their academic achievement. We discuss potential educational initiatives to maximize educational outcomes of students from diverse cultural and national backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the methods for analyzing disinfection by-products (DBPs) to determine which were most suitable for ballast water in an approval test according to the Procedure for Approval of Ballast Water Management Systems that make use of Active Substances (G9). The existing analysis methods are optimized for drinking water. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the characteristics of ballast water, which has high levels of total residual oxidants (TROs) and salinity, prior to applying the existing methods. Sample preservation, pre-treatment and instrumental analysis methods were summarized based on certified test methods and the G9 final approval reports. Following the assessment, applicable methods were selected in consideration of the matrix effect arising from the high levels of TROs and salinity. The applicability was assessed using seawater and brackish water. The results are expected to be applied to the G9 test as well as in investigations of DBPs in ballast water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the G8 and G9 approval tests for ballast water management systems, organic carbon additives are frequently supplemented into test water to satisfy the water quality requirements. Because organic additives can affect the approval test, the additive selected, and its use and validation should be included in the test report. This study assessed the effects of organic carbon additives on the concentration of total residual oxidants (TROs) and the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs). The concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in test water containing additives varied depending on the type of additive, but all additives, except for methylcellulose, had concentrations similar to or higher than the theoretical values. There was a low concentration of particulate organic carbon (POC) compared to the amount of corn starch added. Over the course of the five-day holding time, TRO concentrations tended to decrease. In general, substances with a large molecular size had a higher DBP concentration than their counterparts with a smaller molecular size, some of which, however produced the highest DBP concentrations due to their molecular structure. The results suggest that the formation of DBPs is affected by the reaction with TROs, molecular size, and molecular structure in a complex manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher-order thinking has long been confirmed as a critical predictor of success, both in academia and the workplace. Widespread endeavors to foster higher-order thinking have involved implementing instructional design interventions that engage learners in complicated cognitive activities. One representative design approach is the technology-enhanced learning environment (TEL), in which technological affordances are used to facilitate learners' higher-order thinking activities. For such design factors to work as intended, however, learner factors such as epistemological beliefs, attitudes toward technology use, and approaches to learning must lay the groundwork for the design intervention. This study investigated how learner factors interactively affected higher-order thinking in the contexts of TEL. A total of 487 undergraduates enrolled in various courses across seven universities in South Korea participated in this study. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that learners' higher-order thinking was strongly and directly affected by deep learning approaches, but not by epistemological beliefs or attitudes toward technology use. Instead, these two factors indirectly affected higher-order thinking, mediated through the learner's deep learning approach. The theoretical and practical implications of the results for promoting higher-order thinking in TEL contexts are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of microcracks in polymer coatings degrades the structural stability and lifespan of the protective layers. Enhancing the polymer-coated surfaces with self-healing properties has attracted considerable attention as it increases the reliability and lifespan of polymer systems. Herein, the strength and self-healing properties of polyurethane/graphene oxide (PU/GO) composite materials were improved using two GO treatments, referring to mechanical milling and chemical treatment with HF. When GO was surface treated for 5 h with an HF concentration of 40%, and PU/GO was heated 80 °C for 6–8 h, the over 80% healing efficiency can be obtained. The HF-treated GO-reinforced composites demonstrated high self-healing efficiency and remarkable mechanical performance, making them a promising self-healing material for protecting structural composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we summarize recent findings from large-scale international surveys (PISA and TIMSS) of relevance to the predictability gradient hypothesis (Stankov, 2013). Non-cognitive measures are divided into two groups on the basis of their correlation with mathematics achievement. Many have low ( r < 0.20) correlations. The best predictors of cognitive performance are a cluster of self-beliefs consisting of confidence, self-efficacy, anxiety, and self-concept. These appear to be the most potent influences underpinning Cattell's (1987) investment theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence. Self-beliefs affect cognitive performance either as impediments (anxiety) or facilitators (good calibration of self-efficacy and confidence). This information about the role of self-beliefs can inform future efforts at intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Free and bound phenolic acids were measured in the pulp and peel of four varieties of apples using high resolution mass spectrometry. Twenty-five phenolic acids were identified and included: 8 hydroxybenzoic acids, 11 hydroxycinnamic acids, 5 hydroxyphenylacetic acids, and 1 hydoxyphenylpropanoic acid. Several phenolics are tentatively identified for the first time in apples and include: methyl gallate, ethyl gallate, hydroxy phenyl acetic acid, three phenylacetic acid isomers, 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid, and homoveratric acid. With exception of chlorogenic and caffeic acid, most phenolic acids were quantified for the first time in apples. Significant varietal differences (p < 0.05) were observed in both peel and pulp. The levels of total phenolic acids were higher in the pulp as compared to apple peel (dry weight) in all varieties. Coumaroylquinic, protocatechuic, 4-hydroxybenzoic, vanillic and t-ferulic acids were present in free forms. With exception of chlorogenic acid, all other phenolic acids were present only as bound forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary This study compared the effect of three foot conditions (untreated, short foot [SF] exercise, and Tape) on knee and ankle muscle activity during forward descending of stairs in subjects with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) and a pronated foot. Surface electromyography activities in the vastus medialis oblique (VMO), vastus lateralis (VL), and abductor hallucis (AbdH) were recorded during forward descending stairs; Surface electromyography data were expressed as percentages of the maximal voluntary isometric contraction. A total of 18 subjects (6 males and 12 females) with PFPS and a pronated foot participated in the current study. The SF exercise was associated with significantly greater AbdH muscle activity compared to the tape condition during forward descending stairs. However, there was no significant difference in VMO or VL muscle activity, or in the VMO/VL muscle activity ratio, among the three foot conditions. The SF exercise was the most effective method of increasing AbdH muscle activity during forward descending stairs in subjects with PFPS and a pronated foot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persons with single-sided deafness (SSD) typically complain about the impaired ability to locate sounds and to understand speech within background noise. However, the findings from previous studies suggest that paying attention to sounds could mitigate the degraded spatial and speech-in-noise perception. In the present study, we characterize the pattern of cortical activation depending on the side of deafness, and attentional modulation of neural responses to determine if it can assist better sound processing in people with SSD. For the active listening condition, adult subjects with SSD performed sound localization tasks. On the other hand, they watched movies without attending to speech stimuli during passive listening. The sensor-level global field power of N1 and source-level N1 activation were computed to compare the active- and passive-listening conditions and left- and right-sided deafness. The results show that attentional modulation differs depending on the side of deafness: active listening increased the cortical activity in individuals with left-sided deafness but not in those with right-sided deafness. At the source level, the attentional gain was more apparent in left-sided deafness in that paying attention enhanced brain activation in both hemispheres. In addition, SSD participants with larger cortical activities in the right primary auditory cortex had shorter durations of deafness. Our results indicate that the side of deafness can change top-down attentional processing in the auditory cortical pathway in SSD patients. • Paying attention actively modulates sound processing at the cortical level in individuals with single-sided deafness. • Attentional modulation was more prominent in patients with left-sided deafness than those with right-sided deafness. • N1 cortical activity was related to the behavior sound localization and the duration of deafness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study, by analyzing the PISA 2003, 2009, and 2012 datasets, finds virtually no direct relationships between students' general attitude toward school and their academic achievement in reading and mathematics. The lack of substantial relation between attitude and achievement was found for the majority of 64 countries who participated in the PISA 2012 survey. The finding was also consistent across subgroups of students, by gender, family SES, countries' OECD membership, and variations in the within-country modal grades, as well as for students at the lower and higher levels of attitude or achievement. A moderately strong relationship between attitude and achievement was shown only among students at the highest end of the SES spectrum and in a handful of countries (i.e., Qatar, Iceland, and Australia). Structural equation modeling shows that attitude toward school is at best indirectly related to achievement but the strength of that indirect link is rather small as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new hole-blocking material, 2-(9,9′-spirobi[fluoren]-5-yl)-4-phenylbenzo [4,5]thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidine (SBF-BTPym), was designed and synthesized using spirobifluorene and electron transport moieties. The high triplet energy and high thermal stability of the spirobifluorene moiety were suitable for designing the hole-blocking material for blue fluorescent organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The electron deficiency of benzothienopyrimidine allowed good electron transport properties, and a deep highest occupied molecular orbital energy level of −6.55 eV suppressed leakage of the holes from the emitting layer (EML) to the adjacent layer. Blue fluorescent OLEDs consisting of a triplet-triplet annihilation–induced host were fabricated using SBF-BTPym. The maximum external quantum efficiency of the blue fluorescent device was 7.2%, which was higher than that of the device without a hole-blocking layer by 10%. According to transient electroluminescence analysis, exciton confinement in the EML is mainly responsible for the improved efficiency. [Display omitted] • A novel hole blocking material using spirobifluorene and benzothieno-pyrimidine segments. • High triplet energy hole blocking material for blue fluorescent organic light-emitting diodes. • Successful exciton confinement in the emitting layer using the hole blocking layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the effect of exercise interventions on balance and postural stability in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Embase, Scopus, Pubmed (Medline), and Web of Science. Databases were searched using the terms Idiopathic Scoliosis, Physiotherapy, and balance. The articles were published in English in peer-reviewed journals from January 2012 to July 2022. Two authors independently applied the inclusion criteria to potential studies. Methodological quality was assessed using the PEDro scale. A best-evidence grading system was used to determine the strength of the evidence. Ten studies met the inclusion criteria. PEDro scale values ranged from 2 to 6 (mean, 3.6), indicating a low level of scientific rigor. In this sample, spinal stabilization exercises were most often examined (n=3), followed by Schroth's exercise (n=2), stretching and self-elongation exercise (n=2), exercise protocol of Moe and Blount, physiotherapeutic scoliosis specific exercise, and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation exercise (n=1). The most frequent outcomes investigated were the center of pressure variance (n=3), postural sway (n=2), overall stability index (n=2), body alignment changes (n=1), plantar pressure (n=1), and subjective postural perception (n=1). Emerging evidence was found that spinal stabilization exercises improved postural balance while stretching and self-elongation exercises did not affect the postural balance in patients with AIS. Physical therapists will be able to apply physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercise and spinal stabilization exercises to manage balance impairments of patients with AIS, while further studies providing more robust evidence are needed. No conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to identify the main dimensions of social attitudes across 33 countries. Altogether, 20 social attitude scales were administered, mostly to university students (N = 6938). A series of factor analyses showed that three factors exist at the pancultural level: Morality, Nastiness and Religiosity. Furthermore, Morality and Nastiness did not correlate with each other, but Religiosity correlated with both Morality and Nastiness. This suggests that one can be religious and both moral or nasty. Only one factor – Conservatism – emerged at the ecological level (i.e., between-countries analysis). The largest cross-cultural differences were found on the dimension of Religiosity, followed by Nastiness and then by Morality. The clear distinction emerged between South East Asia, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa on one hand, scoring high on all three factors, and Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Anglo regions on the other, scoring low on all three factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultra-precision manufacturing (UPM) machines are used to fabricate and measure complex parts having micrometer-level features and nanometer-level tolerances/surface finishes. Therefore, random vibration of the machine due to ground excitations and residual vibration stemming from onboard disturbances must be mitigated using vibration isolation systems. A long-standing rule of thumb in vibration isolation system design is to locate the isolators in such a way that the vibration modes of the isolated machine are decoupled. However, prior work by the authors has demonstrated that coupling vibration modes of passively-isolated UPM machines could provide conditions for drastic reduction of residual vibrations compared to decoupling. The authors’ analysis was based on the restrictive assumption that the isolated machine was modally damped. The key contribution of this paper is in investigating the effect of mode coupling on the residual vibrations of UPM machines with non-proportional (NP) damping—which is more realistic than modal damping. It also analyzes the effects of mode coupling on the reduction of ground vibrations (i.e., transmissibility). The analyses reveal that, even though NP damping changes the vibration behavior of the machine compared to modal damping, mode coupling still provides ample opportunities to reduce residual vibration and transmissibility. Guidelines for properly designing a UPM machine to best exploit mode coupling for vibration reduction are provided and validated through simulations and experiments. Up to 40% reduction in residual vibration and 50% reduction in transmissibility are demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fluorescence switch that consists of DNA-templated silver nanoclusters (DNA-AgNCs) triggered by silver ion (Ag + ) is developed to detect Ag + . The mechanism of the fluorescence switching of DNA-AgNCs is investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy, DNA hybridization assay and mass spectrometry. Ag + induces a dimeric structure of Cyt 12 -AgNCs by forming a bridge between two Cyt 12 -AgNCs, where Cyt 12 is cytosine 12-mer; this dimer formation causes the fluorescence change of Cyt 12 -AgNCs from red to green. Using this Ag + -triggered fluorescence switch, we successfully detected Ag + at concentrations as low as 10 nM. Furthermore, we quantitatively detected the Ag + in the Silmazin ® , which is dermatological burn ointment having silver sulfadiazine. Ag + detection using this fluorescence switch has high selectivity and sensitivity, and short response time, and can be used successfully even in the presence of other metal ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to investigate how resource strategies, which intend to reduce waste and increase recycling, influence on human exposure to hazardous chemicals from material recycling. In order to examine the flows of hazardous chemicals in recycled material, a mass flow analysis of plastics and paper at European level, including the flow of phthalates, i.e. di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), and benzyl-butyl phthalate (BBP), has been performed. The result for the year 2012 shows that 26% of plastic wastes and 60% of paper consumed in Europe were recycled. This corresponds to the finding that approximately 4% of DEHP and BBP and 18% of DBP annual demands in Europe as raw material re-enter the product cycle with recycled plastics and paper. To examine the potential contribution of the phthalate exposure through recycled plastics and paper, a case study assessing the childhood exposures to phthalates from foods packed in recycled paper and plastics has been performed for 2-year-old children in Denmark. The result verifies that an increase in recycled paperboard and PET bottles in food packaging material causes a significant increase in childhood exposure to DBP corresponding to an additional exposure of 0.116–0.355 μg/kg bw/day; up to 18% of the total DBP exposure in Danish 2-year-olds. While most of the DEHP exposure can be explained, more than 50% of DBP and 70% of BBP exposure sources still remain to be identified. Finally, a conceptual framework for a circular economy based on sustainable and clean resource flows is proposed in order to increase material recycling without increasing adverse health effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]