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In order to perform multi-degree-of-freedom motion measurements of marine machinery, such as ship-borne mechanical platforms, in an absolute environment without a reference, absolute measurement methods using acceleration sensors and tilt gyroscopes are typically employed. However, the influence of wave forces on ship-borne mechanical platforms can cause coupling between different degrees of freedom, resulting in significant measurement disturbances that make efficient computation and real-time analysis challenging. To address these challenges, a correction method for the motion measurement of the ship-borne mechanical platform based on multi-sensor fusion is proposed by analyzing the influence of the inclination angle of the ship-borne mechanical platform on the sensor measurement based on the working principles of the acceleration sensor and angle sensor. In this article, we first analyzed the influence of the inclination angle on the integral effect in the heave direction. Then, we proposed a configuration using four groups of acceleration sensors to correct the integral effect. Finally, the optimal inclination angle is determined through Kalman filtering based on the measured values of the angle sensors and estimated values from the acceleration sensor sets. Experiments have proved that the average error of the corrected heave displacement signal is 25.34 mm, which is better than the integral displacement signal of a single acceleration sensor. At the same time, we use the acceleration sensor to calculate the roll angle and pitch angle of the ship-borne mechanical platform and combine it with the angle sensor signal to perform Kalman filtering. This filters out the errors caused by the shaking and instability of the mechanical platform and can more accurately estimate the true inclination of the platform. Therefore, this method can enhance the precision and accuracy of ship-borne mechanical platform motion signal acquisition, providing more valuable experimental data for research in marine engineering and related fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A recent change in local paediatric antifungal guidelines resulted in an increase in micafungin use. Micafungin is an expensive medicine costing AUD $80 per vial. The pharmacy aseptic production unit (APU) has the ability to compound doses to share vials of micafungin to minimise wastage. Aim: To determine whether aseptically compounded and individually prepared doses of micafungin would be more cost‐beneficial than nurses using whole vials prepared on the ward, and to determine which dose and numbers of doses would be most cost‐beneficial to compound. Method: A time and motion study of 20 patients determined how long it took for nurses and the pharmacy APU to prepare doses. An economic analysis of time, cost of labour, and consumables outlined the cost to make one to seven doses with doses ranging from 10 to 200 mg. Results: On average, it took the pharmacy APU 42 min and nurses 9 min to prepare a single dose. Aseptically compounding one dose, whole vials (doses of 50 mg increments), and doses near whole vials had no cost‐benefit. Aseptically compounding five doses or more had would result in a cost‐benefit. Conclusion: Depending on the dose required, cost savings could be obtained when the pharmacy APU prepared multiple doses, with a maximum saving of $350.10 for a 7‐day course. Determining baseline costs of micafungin preparation is relevant if there are future requests to compound medicines as the data could be extrapolated and applied to the new request. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preservation of the cultural heritage is a current challenge for modern societies. Thus, it is important to analyse the structural behaviour of historical buildings in order to detect and prevent future damage. This paper analyses the historical settlements of the Giralda tower of the Cathedral of Seville. Currently, it has a tilt which might have been caused by a differential settlement. With this aim, a detailed characterisation of the foundation and its geotechnical model has been carried out. An accurate 3D Finite Elements Model (FEM) has been used to analyse the settlements, taking into account the different construction phases, the loads, the time of execution and consolidation between phases. Finally, the 3D FEM results have been compared with other previous works and the in-situ measurements of the verticality of the tower. Therefore, the authors have found that the tilt to the south-east direction has been caused by the thicker, soft strata under this corner, which has caused differential settlement in this direction. Moreover, it should be highlighted that a good agreement between the settlements of the model and its real top displacements has been obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Sluggish diffusion' is probably the most debated aspect of the high entropy alloys in the literature over the past decade but there is almost complete absence of data on the energetics of lattice defects such as vacancies in these alloys. The present work reports the measurements of the enthalpies of vacancy formation (Δ H f v) by residual resistivity technique for binary Fe−45.3 at. pct Ni, ternary Fe−16 at. pct Cr–19 at. pct Ni, quaternary equiatomic Fe–Ni–Cr–Co, and quinary equiatomic Fe–Ni–Cr–Co–Mn alloys. It is observed that the enthalpy of vacancy formation increases from the studied binary to quinary alloys. A qualitative analysis is presented for understanding the role of the binary enthalpies of mixing (Δ H mix) of constituent elements on the enthalpy of vacancy formation. It is discerned that Δ H f v is governed more by the type of constituent elements rather than mere number of components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: The amount of time nurses spend with their patients is essential to improving the quality of patient care. Studies have shown that nurses spend a considerable amount of time on a variety of activities––which are often not taken into account while estimating nurse-to-patient care time allocation––that could potentially be eliminated, combined or delegated with greater productivity. The current study aimed to calculate standard time for each activity category by quantifying the amount of time required by nurses to complete an activity category and determine the adjustment time that can be given during work, as well as determine factors that can be altered to improve the efficiency of nursing care on inpatient general wards of a governmental hospital. (2) Method: A time and motion study was conducted over two weeks using 1-to-1 continuous observations of nurses as they performed their duties on inpatient general wards, while observers recorded each single activity, and specifically the time and movements required to complete those activities. (3) Result: There was 5100 min of observations over 10 working days. Nurses spent 69% (330 min) of time during their 8 h morning shift on direct patient care, (19.4%) ward/room activities (18%), documentation (14%), indirect patient care (12%) and professional communication (5%). Around 94 min of activities seem to be wasted and can be potentially detrimental to nurses' overall productivity and threaten patient care quality. The standard number of hours that represents the best estimate of a general ward nurse regarding the optimal speed at which the staff nurse can provide care related activities was computed and proposed. (4) Conclusions: The findings obtained from time–motion studies can help in developing more efficient and productive nursing work for more optimal care of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearable devices that include pulse oximetry (SpO2) sensing afford the opportunity to capture oxygen saturation measurements from large cohorts under naturalistic conditions. We report here a cross-sectional analysis of 72 million SpO2 values collected from 33,080 individual participants in the Apple Heart and Movement Study, stratified by age, sex, body mass index (BMI), home altitude, and other demographic variables. Measurements aggregated by hour of day into 24-h SpO2 profiles exhibit similar circadian patterns for all demographic groups, being approximately sinusoidal with nadir near midnight local time, zenith near noon local time, and mean 0.8% lower saturation during overnight hours. Using SpO2 measurements averaged for each subject into mean nocturnal and daytime SpO2 values, we employ multivariate ordinary least squares regression to quantify population-level trends according to demographic factors. For the full cohort, regression coefficients obtained from models fit to daytime SpO2 are in close quantitative agreement with the corresponding values from published reference models for awake arterial oxygen saturation measured under controlled laboratory conditions. Regression models stratified by sex reveal significantly different age- and BMI-dependent SpO2 trends for females compared with males, although constant terms and regression coefficients for altitude do not differ between sexes. Incorporating categorical variables encoding self-reported race/ethnicity into the full-cohort regression models identifies small but statistically significant differences in daytime SpO2 (largest coefficient corresponding to 0.13% lower SpO2, for Hispanic study participants compared to White participants), but no significant differences between groups for nocturnal SpO2. Additional stratified analysis comparing regression models fit independently to subjects in each race/ethnicity group is suggestive of small differences in age- and sex-dependent trends, but indicates no significant difference in constant terms between any race/ethnicity groups for either daytime or nocturnal SpO2. The large diverse study population and study design employing automated background SpO2 measurements spanning the full 24-h circadian cycle enables the establishment of healthy population reference trends outside of clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the training load on professional soccer players during transition games performed with different bout durations and their effects on speed and jump tests. Fourteen young soccer players played a transition game of different bout durations: 15 (TG15), 30 (TG30), and 60 (TG60) seconds. Total distance covered (DC), accelerations and decelerations above 1.0 and 2.5 m·s-2 , rate of perceived exertion (RPE), maximal heart rate (HRmax) and above 90% (HR>90), distance covered between 18.0–20.9 km·h-1 (DC 18.0–20.9 km·h-1), 21.0–23.9 km·h-1 (DC 21.0–23.9 km·h-1), above 24.0 km·h-1 (DC>24.0 km·h-1), peak speed, sprint profile, sprint, and countermovement jump tests were recorded. TG15 obtained greater DC, DC>21.0 km·h-1 , Player load, Acc>2.5 m·s-2 than TG30 and TG60 (p <0.01) and Acc<2.5 m·s-2 , Dec>2.5 m·s-2 than TG60 (p <0.01). TG30 showed more HR>90 and RPE (p <0.01) than TG15, and DC, DC>18.0 km·h-1 , Player load, Acc>2.5 m·s-2 , Dec>2.5 m·s-2 , HR>90 and RPE than TG60 (p <0.01 and<0.05). Transition games showed lower sprint and jump results after the intervention (p <0.01). Bout duration has been configured as an important constraint that influences the transition games and the performance of soccer players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternative work arrangements have emerged as potential solutions to enhance productivity and work-life balance. However, accurate and objective measurement of work patterns is essential to make decisions about adjusting work arrangements. This study aimed at evaluating objective computer usage metrics as a proxy for productivity using RSIGuard, an ergonomics monitoring software. Data were collected from 789 office-based employees over a two-year period between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2018 at a large energy company in Texas. A generalized mixed-effects model was utilized to compare computer usage patterns across different days of the week and times of the day. Our findings demonstrate that computer output metrics significantly decrease on Fridays compared to other weekdays, even after controlling for total active hours. Additionally, we found that workers' output varied depending on the time of day, with reduced computer usage observed in the afternoons and a significant decrease on Friday afternoons. The decrease in the number of typos was much less than that in the number of words typed, indicating reduced work efficiency on Friday afternoons. These objective indicators provide a novel approach to evaluating the productivity during the workweek and can help optimize work arrangements to promote sustainability for the benefit of employers, employees, and the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue addressed: Wellbeing SA, an independent South Australian government agency, developed a Wellbeing Index for South Australia across a 12‐month period in 2021–2022 to enable the measurement of wellbeing outcomes for the state. Methods: The development of the Index was a methodical process based on two key emphases—evidence‐based action and working in partnership. The steps included a scoping of existing wellbeing measurement frameworks and then working with a broad range of partner agencies to define the purpose, scope and structure for the Index and subsequently the content (indicators, their measures and the most robust data available). Results: A Wellbeing Index for South Australia was launched in June 2022 on the Wellbeing SA website. It is structured against domains of physical, mental, social/community, Aboriginal cultural wellbeing and the underpinning determinants of wellbeing. Conclusions: The Index communicates the importance and the breadth of wellbeing outcomes addressed by the various health promotion and policy actors in South Australia and provides a sound basis for monitoring the wellbeing of the community over time. So what?: Measuring wellbeing is identified by proponents of a Wellbeing Economy as one useful mechanism, alongside legislation, policy and funding, for shaping a broader definition of a successful society. The health promotion community, and their partners, have a role to play in promoting the importance of a broad definition of wellbeing, and in identifying robust and meaningful indicators. This paper offers other jurisdictions insights into the process used, and challenges encountered, in creating the Index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

This article reports on a comprehensive synthesis of the literature on the role of working memory in second language (L2) writing. It starts with an overview and clarification of the construct and measurement of working memory, followed by an elaboration of major theoretical models informing the synthesized research. The article then presents a synthesis of the methods and results of the 16 studies that have been conducted on the associations between working memory and L2 writing. The methodological synthesis encompasses research design, methods of working memory, measurement of writing performance, methods of data elicitation for writing processes, and data analysis and reporting. The results of the synthesized studies demonstrate that (1) working memory is largely unrelated to overall writing proficiency; (2) it is predictive of specific aspects of L2 composition such as complexity, accuracy, and fluency; (3) the role of working memory varies as a function of genre, proficiency, target structure, instruction type, and task demands; and (4) verbal working memory, phonological short-term memory, visual-spatial working memory, and executive functions (inhibiting, shifting, and updating) have differential associations with the process and product aspects of L2 writing. The methods and results are discussed by identifying trends, accounting for disparities, clarifying confusion, recommending solutions, and proposing new directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibration measurements are essential for studying the dynamic properties of structures, as they can better capture the global characteristics of the structure. This paper proposes a three-dimensional measurement method based on projected structured light to address the challenge of measuring the vibration information of engine pipes during operation. By using the data obtained from this method and applying the time domain analysis method for modal analysis, the modal parameters of the engine under operating conditions can be obtained. The feasibility of this method is demonstrated by comparing it with different measurement methods, and it provides an effective solution for modal identification of engines under operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social network data are often constructed by incorporating reports from multiple individuals. However, it is not obvious how to reconcile discordant responses from individuals. There may be particular risks with multiply reported data if people's responses reflect normative expectations—such as an expectation of balanced, reciprocal relationships. Here, we propose a probabilistic model that incorporates ties reported by multiple individuals to estimate the unobserved network structure. In addition to estimating a parameter for each reporter that is related to their tendency of over- or under-reporting relationships, the model explicitly incorporates a term for 'mutuality', the tendency to report ties in both directions involving the same alter. Our model's algorithmic implementation is based on variational inference, which makes it efficient and scalable to large systems. We apply our model to data from a Nicaraguan community collected with a roster-based design and 75 Indian villages collected with a name-generator design. We observe strong evidence of 'mutuality' in both datasets, and find that this value varies by relationship type. Consequently, our model estimates networks with reciprocity values that are substantially different than those resulting from standard deterministic aggregation approaches, demonstrating the need to consider such issues when gathering, constructing, and analysing survey-based network data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accurate rating of hand activity and force is essential in risk assessment and for the effective prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. However, it is unclear whether the subjective ratings of workers and observers correlate to corresponding objective technical measures of exposure. Fifty-nine workers were video recorded while performing a hand-intensive work task at their workplace. Self-ratings of hand activity level (HAL) and force (Borg CR10) using the Hand Activity Threshold Limit Value® were assessed. Four ergonomist observers, in two pairs, also rated the hand activity and force level for each worker from video recordings. Wrist angular velocity was measured using inertial movement units. Muscle activity in the forearm muscles flexor carpi radialis (FCR) and extensor carpi radialis (ECR) was measured with electromyography root mean square values (RMS) and normalized to maximal voluntary electrical activation (MVE). Kendall's tau-b correlations were statistically significant between self-rated hand activity and wrist angular velocity at the 10th, 50th, and 90th percentiles (0.26, 0.31, and 0.23) and for the ratings of observers (0.32, 0.41, and 0.34). Significant correlations for force measures were found only for observer-ratings in five of eight measures (FCR 50th percentile 0.29, time > 10%MVE 0.43, time > 30%MVE 0.44, time < 5% −0.47) and ECR (time > 30%MVE 0.26). The higher magnitude of correlation for observer-ratings suggests that they may be preferred to the self-ratings of workers. When possible, objective technical measures of wrist angular velocity and muscle activity should be preferred to subjective ratings when assessing risks of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores staff work patterns in an Australian residential aged care facility and the implications for high‐quality care. Rarely available minute by minute, time and motion, and ethnographic data demonstrate that nurses and care staff engage in high degrees of multitasking and mental switching between residents. Mental switching occurs up to 18 times per hour (every 3 min); multitasking occurs on average for 37 min/h. Labor process theory is used to examine these outcomes and to explore the concepts of high demand and high commitment as core components of work intensification. These conditions of work result in high levels of cognitive burden and stress on staff in managing the multitasking and mental switching, exacerbated by lack of knowledge about residents associated with labor force casualization. These new interpretations of data in relation to mental and manual labor can contribute to understanding, and, therefore, problem solving, in the aged care sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: While the idea of the resilience of information systems security exists, there is a lack of research that conceptualizes, defines and specifies a way to measure it as a dynamic capability. Drawing on relevant cybersecurity and dynamic capabilities literature, this study aims to define Information Systems Security Resilience (ISSR) as a "dynamic capability of a firm to respond to, and recover from, a security attack" and test it as a new construct. Design/methodology/approach: The authors employ a methodology including multiple phases to develop and test this construct of ISSR. The authors first interview senior managers from various organizations to establish the face validity of the construct; then develop and analyze a pilot survey for internal validity and reliability; and finally, design and deploy a field survey to test and externally validate the construct. Findings: The authors conceptualize and define the construct of ISSR as a dynamic capability, develop a scale for its measurement and test it in a pilot and field survey. The construct is valid, and the measurement tool works. It demonstrates that resilience is something that is done, rather than had. As a capability, organizations need to track and measure ISSR, which is what this tool provides the ability to do. Originality/value: This research contributes to the information systems and cybersecurity literature and offers valuable insights for organizations to manage their security effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Ciencia Administrativa is the property of Universidad Veracruzana 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.)

Distributed teams are a reality for several companies nowadays, many authors covered their benefits and problems, and the rate of adoption of such team's structure by companies is growing fast. Since these teams are more present in companies, a performance measurement system must get adapted to fulfill the gap of not having a vast theory about the subject. To fill that gap, this paper brings results from previous steps in the research (Systematic Literature Review and Qualitative analysis of the data). It presents to a group of experts to reach a consensus on which capabilities are essential to managing/developing distributed teams' performance. The experts were exposed to the information following a Delphi Panel format and provided output that reached consensus and refined the list. The experts indicated that a group of six capabilities (engagement, development of a culture of performance measurement, organizational learning, alignment between planning and execution, accurate information and consistency) are essential to have their performance measurement system working correctly and reaching all functions. The work also identified the success factors for virtual teams, providing directions for the adoption and the monitoring of this kind of team that gained importance during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yarkovsky effect causes the semimajor axis drift of near-Earth asteroids. The drift can be detected by a precise orbit determination process. Using the proposed algorithm, 2233 out of 27,078 near-Earth asteroids are chosen as the initial candidates. Out of these initial candidates, 769 have a measurable Yarkovsky effect with a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) larger than 1, and 166 have a measurable Yarkovsky effect with an S/N larger than 3. The ratio between retrograde and prograde near-Earth asteroids is plotted with respect to their size. An average ratio of 2 is found for asteroids with an absolute magnitude between 14 and 21. The measurement work is carried out based on orbit determination software developed by the authors that considers a high-precision dynamical model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of China Forest Products Industry is the property of China Forest Products Industry 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.)

Background: Nowadays, as a result of globalization, markets are more competitive, and customers are more demanding. To respond to these challenges, organizations must develop mechanisms for continuous improvement in order to eliminate waste and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of processes. Thus, the present study carried out at an industrial unit responsible for the customization of cork stoppers for wines had as its main objectives to identify and eliminate or at least reduce waste; improve production and internal logistics flows; balance workloads; improve productivity; reduce lead time; motivate employees and promote the spirit of continuous improvement. Methods: The action-research methodology was used, whereby several cycles of data recovery and analysis, identification and implementation of opportunities for improvement, assessment and standardization were carried out. Therefore, the Total Flow Management (TFM) model was implemented, and several methods and tools were used, such as Value Stream Mapping (VSM), work measurement and 5S's. Results: Several wastes and overloads were identified, and some actions were implemented, such as workload balancing, layout changes, implementation of visual management and supermarkets. That said, it was possible to reduce lead time by 4 days, improve productivity from 26.63 ML (a thousand cork stoppers)/h to 35.75 ML/h, and promote flexibility. In addition, employees were motivated, and a culture of continuous improvement was fostered. Conclusions: This project demonstrated that it is possible to implement improvement actions, with good results, without high investments, as well as motivating employees and taking advantage of their best capabilities. Additionally, it was demonstrated that the use of TFM can be very useful in continuous improvement, with evident improvements in production and internal logistics flows. So, this project demonstrated the practical implementation of TFM regarding basic reliability, production and internal logistics flow, and the simultaneous use of several methods and tools to implement continuous improvement. Thus, significant improvements were possible on the factory floor, as well as improving employee motivation their personal development and encouraging the focus on continuous improvement. Therefore, it responds to the gap identified in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of low-energy Ar+ ion irradiation on the work function of stainless steel AISI 304L (SS-304L) was studied by varying energy and fluence of Ar+ ion. The irradiation of Ar+ ions on stainless steel creates several vacancies in the target material which resulted a change in work function. The retarding field diode method was used for the measurement of work function. Results reveal work function decreases with an increase in ion energy (for fixed ion fluence) of irradiated Ar+ ion. Furthermore, it was observed that at varying ion fluence (for fixed ion energy) the decrease in work function value was more prominently, but at higher fluence, it again increases. In both (energy and fluence) cases of irradiation, the displacement per atom (DPA) in the material has been estimated with the stopping range using the SRIM-2013.00 program and is correlated with the experimental observation. Overall, the maximum work function was observed to be decreased by ~ 7.28% relative to the pristine sample in the case of fluence variation keeping the energy constant at 30 keV. The results indicate that low-energy ion irradiation can be utilized for work function modulation of materials and can be optimized by controlling ion fluence. The results are useful for further understanding of corrosion rate of materials and the data are extremely important for various nuclear reactors, where these materials are used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep foundation pit excavation (DFPE) for metro stations in soft layers can cause strata deformation, impairing the safety and performance of nearby existing structures. This paper aims to explore the impact of DFPE on an adjacent oil pipeline using numerical simulations and field tests. Using the project of Xinxingcun Station of Tianjin Metro Line 4 in China as a case study, two approaches of layered excavation (LE) and bench excavation (BE) are proposed for DFPE. The deformation induced by the two approaches was analyzed using the FE method. The maximum vertical settlement of the oil pipeline caused by LE was 8.1 mm, compared with the maximum vertical settlement of 12.5 mm caused by BE. In practice, LE was selected as the construction scheme for the DFPE in Xinxingcun Station. Some field measurement work on pipeline deformation was conducted, and the results were in good agreement with the numerical simulation. Lastly, the change pattern in the pipeline-soil gap was studied. The angle of the position with peak gap width increased from 25° to 110°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Prestressed rebars are usually used to apply vertical prestress to concrete to prevent web cracking. The reduction of working stress will affect the durability of the structure. However, the existing working stress detection methods for prestressed rebars still need to be improved. To monitor the working stress of rebars, a magnetic resonance sensor was introduced to carry out experimental research. The correlation between rebar stress and the sensor's induced voltage was theoretically analyzed using the magnetoelastic effect and magnetic resonance theory. A working stress monitoring method for prestressed rebars based on magnetic resonance was proposed. Working stress monitoring experiments were carried out for 16 mm, 18 mm, and 20 mm diameter rebars. The results showed that the induced voltage peak-to-peak value and the rebar prestress were nonlinearly correlated under different working conditions. Correlations between the characteristic indicators and the rebar working stress were obtained using nonlinear and linear fit. The cubic polynomial segmented fit outperformed the gradient overall linear fit, with the goodness of fit R2 greater than 0.96. The average relative error values of working stress monitoring were less than 5% under different working conditions. This provides a new method for working stress measurement of vertical prestressed rebars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of China Harbour Engineering is the property of Editorial Office of China Harbour Engineering 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.)

85Kr is a major radioactive byproduct released during nuclear fuel reprocessing and an important atmospheric indicator for nuclear safety and environmental monitoring. In this work, we report on online monitoring of atmospheric 85Kr activities with time resolution of 1.5 hours. An automated Kr purification system and an atom trap based 85Kr measurement system work synchronously in the experiment. The Kr purification system features temperature-controlled cryogenic distillation and gas chromatography, which allows direct sampling of ambient air and continuous operation. The separated Kr is fed into an atom trap capable of measuring the abundance of 85Kr with micro-L size Kr samples. The sample consumption is 3 L STP of air per measurement with a 1.5 hour processing time. Compared to the conventional monitoring method based on proportional counting, both the measurement time and sample size (10 m3 and 1 week) are reduced by several orders of magnitude. The 85Kr analysis technology demonstrated in this work allows analysis of atmospheric 85Kr activities with hourly resolution, enabling applications such as online monitoring of nuclear fuel reprocessing plants and tracing of atmospheric circulation patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the exhaustion of the IPv4 addresses, the promotion and deployment of IPv6 has been accelerating.Dual-stack technology allows devices to enable both IPv4 and IPv6 protocols, which means that users are facing more security risks.Although the existing work can realize the identification and measurement of some dual-stack servers, the following problems still exist.Dual-stack host identification requires deep protocol identification of host services, but this method consumes too much scanning resources.Besides, network service providers may provide consistent services on distributed hosts, making it difficult to guarantee the accuracy of dual-stack host identification through service fingerprints.To solve these problems, the LAN service discovery protocol was used to bind host services to IP addresses, and a dual-stack host discovery method based on SSDP and DNS-SD protocols was proposed.In IPv4 network environment, the target host was induced to actively send a request to the constructed IPv6 server through SSDP protocol, and then the IPv6 address was extracted from the server’s log.Or the service list of the target host and its corresponding AAAA record was enumerated through the DNS-SD protocol and the IPv6 address of the target host was obtained, in order to realize the discovery of the dual stack address pairs.With this method, IPv6 addresses was obtained directly from the IPv4 host, which ensured the accuracy of the discovered dual-stack host.At the same time, only request packets for specific protocols were needed during the discovery process, which greatly saved scanning resources.Based on this method, the SSDP hosts and DNS-SD hosts accidentally exposed to the global IPv4 network were measured.A total number of 158k unique IPv6 addresses were collected, of which 55k were dual-stack host address pairs with globally reachable IPv6 addresses.Unlike existing work that focused on dual-stack servers, this method mainly targeted end-users and client devices, and built a unique set of active IPv6 devices and dual-stack host address pairs that have not been explored so far.Through the analysis of the obtained IPv6 address addressing type, it shows that IPv6 address is mainly generated in a random manner, which greatly reduces the possibility of IPv6 hosts being discovered by scanning.In particular, by measuring the ports and services of dual-stack hosts, we found that the security policy differences of dual-stack hosts on different protocol stacks.Especially, IPv6 protocol stack exposes more high-risk services, expanding the attack surface of hosts.The research results also show that the infeasibility of IPv6 address space traversal scanning mitigates the security risks of IPv6, but incorrect network configuration greatly increases the possibility of these high-risk IPv6 hosts being discovered and users should revisit IPv6 security strategy on dual-stack hosts.

This research was conducted to enhance the productivity of the targeted sewing line at the ABC textile company. The existing SAMs, the capacity of the sewing line for various operations, and several required machines were collected. Moreover, the obtained figures were observed and analyzed by using time study and motion study, and certain improvements were made at the sewing line. Results indicated that SAMs for operations A and B were minimized by -13.64% and -14.54% respectively; whereas, SAM for operation C was increased by 16.67%. Machine requirement for operation C was increased by 100%; moreover, the capacity for operations A, B, and C was increased by 12%, 12.69%, and 40% respectively. When it is to production activities, the little improvements play a significant role in boosting the productivity of the production system. Optimal allocation of human resources, machines, and time are the benefits of line balancing. This can be made possible with the application of the line-balancing framework. With every passing day, the nature and type of article vary at the sewing line thus it is highly needed for the company to get the model developed for an automated line balancing application. Moreover, this work can be extended by the development of a line-balancing framework considering the nature of production.

This work focuses on leveraging deep learning for agricultural applications, especially for spray pattern segmentation and spray cone angle estimation. These two characteristics are important to understanding the sprayer system such as nozzles used in agriculture. The core of this work includes three deep-learning convolution-based models. These models are trained and their performances are compared. After the best model is selected based on its performance, it is used for spray region segmentation and spray cone angle estimation. The output from the selected model provides a binary image representing the spray region. This binary image is further processed using image processing to estimate the spray cone angle. The validation process is designed to compare results obtained from this work with manual measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nurses in psychiatric inpatient care spend less time than desired with patients and investigation of the nature of nursing in this setting is needed. This study explores how nursing activities in psychiatric inpatient wards is distributed over time, and with a time-geographic perspective show how this relates to places. Observations were used to register place, activity, and time. A constructed time-geographic chart mapped the nurses' path which showed that nurses spent little time in places where patients are. There might be constraints that affect nursing. Nurses need to evaluate where time is spent and interventions that facilitate relationships are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Pelvic floor muscles (PFM) are important for lumbar stability. However, the relationship between lumbar and hip motion angle changes (MAC) caused by PFM contraction and each PFM's function remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To clarify the lumbar spine and hip motion changes produced by PFM contraction and the relationship between MAC and PFM function. METHODS: In 21 healthy females, motion angle was measured for prone hip extension movement using natural movement (NM), PFM contracting movement (PM), and reducing lumbar movement (RM) methods. The PFM functional indices were bladder base elevation distance, continuous bladder base elevation time, and pelvic floor location. RESULTS: The PM showed no significant difference in lumbar motion angle but had significantly smaller hip motion than the NM (NM; 26.1 ± 8.3, PM; 29.2 ± 11.0). MAC was significantly greater in RM (lumbar spine; 4.4 ± 3.2, hip; 5.9 ± 8.7) than in PM (lumbar spine; 0.4 ± 4.4, hip; 3.1 ± 5.1) for both the lumbar spine and hip. Lumbar spine and hip MAC of PM was significantly correlated with pelvic floor location (lumbar spine; r = - 0.44, hip; r = 0.54). CONCLUSION: PFM contraction does not attenuate lumbar spine motion but reduces hip motion. MAC due to PFM contraction during lumbar movement tasks is related to the PFM functional index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Railway Standard Design is the property of Railway Standard Design 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.)

The narrow cross section of cloud and aerosol properties retrieved by L2 algorithms that operate on data from EarthCARE's nadir-pointing sensors is broadened across-track by an algorithm that is described and demonstrated here. This scene construction algorithm (SCA) consists of four components. At its core is a radiance-matching procedure that works with measurements made by EarthCARE's Multi-Spectral Imager (MSI). In essence, an off-nadir pixel gets filled with retrieved profiles that are associated with a (nearby) nadir pixel whose MSI radiances best match those of the off-nadir pixel. The SCA constructs a 3D array of cloud and aerosol (and surface) properties for entire frames that measure ∼6000 km along-track by 150 km across-track (i.e., the MSI's full swath). Constructed domains out to ∼15 km across-track on both sides of nadir are used explicitly downstream as input for 3D radiative transfer models that predict top-of-atmosphere (TOA) broadband solar and thermal fluxes and radiances. These quantities are compared to commensurate measurements made by EarthCARE's Broadband Radiometer (BBR), thus facilitating a continuous closure assessment of the retrievals. Three 6000 km ×200 km frames of synthetic EarthCARE observations were used to demonstrate the SCA. The main conclusion is that errors in modelled TOA fluxes that stem from use of 3D domains produced by the SCA are expected to be less than ±5 W m -2 and rarely larger than ±10 W m -2. As such, the SCA, as purveyor of information needed to run 3D radiative transfer models, should help more than hinder the radiative closure assessment of EarthCARE's L2 retrievals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prescribing dialysate sodium is the responsibility of the physician, but there are currently no clear guidelines for this prescription. Furthermore, there is quite frequently a significant difference between prescribed and measured dialysate sodium. Several arguments, both theoretical and experimental, suggest that dialysate sodium should be adjusted individually in such a way as to result in a decreasing sodium profile that takes into account the patient's predialytic natremia. The generalization in clinical routine of this strategy requires the integration into the hemodialysis monitor of software making the machine capable to automatically adjust the dialysate sodium at each session. The only three such softwares that have been integrated into hemodialysis machines for routine clinical use are discussed. All three work with conductivity measurements as a surrogate for sodium concentrations. Although there are only a few publications on the use of these softwares in clinical practice, they appear to result in improved intradialytic tolerance to the dialysis treatment, better control of hypertension, and reduced thirst, leading to decreased interdialytic weight gain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an experimental setup using a coffee mug, a low delta-temperature model Stirling engine, and a gas pressure sensor. The experiment is targeted toward first-year calculus-based physics labs and was designed to be implemented at low cost (approximately $120 for engine and pressure sensor) and minimal modification to off-the-shelf components for an instructor. The gas pressure sensor we used plugs directly into a USB port, and no data acquisition hub was required. Software to operate the sensor is available from the manufacturer at no additional cost. A sample student procedure handout is provided in Appendix B. Modifications for use in high school physics, algebra-based college physics, and upper-division thermodynamics courses are presented in Appendix A. Two simple modifications to the Stirling engine are required: (1) drilling a hole in the top plate of the Stirling engine and gluing a Luer lock fitting over the hole; and (2) 3D printing a spool that is then hot glued to the driveshaft of the Stirling engine. A more advanced experiment can be performed by 3D printing two gears and using a rotary motion sensor to track the phase of the system. A video demonstration of these modifications is provided. Student calculations of work done by the engine show good correlation with predicted theoretical calculations. Students also rated the experimental procedure highly for both interest and understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Ciencias Sociales (13159518) is the property of Revista de Ciencias Sociales de la Universidad del Zulia Venezuela 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.)

After two disastrous fires in Travnik in 1903, the Austro-Hungarian administration designed a new and secure mosque building model typology following a distinctive style of Habsburg-Bosnia. In order to understand the interventions which were carried out in that time, the research team examined the limited plan documentation from the 1990s. and collected the basic measurements by working on-site. Because of extended requirements, and new target areas being developed later in the project, more data for further research was needed. This paper will examine the possibilities of supplementing the existing materials collected on site by including new secondary sources into the processing. It will discuss the extent of combining data from different sources collected by means of crowdsourcing to conduct photogrammetric models and improve the quality of its result. Also, it will show how this material can refine already existing data and contribute to the precise documentation of the built heritage of Travnik, in particular to the 3D plan set of Varoška Mosque. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferioli, D, Conte, D, Rucco, D, Alcaraz, PE, Vaquera, A, Romagnoli, M, and Rampinini, E. Physical demands of elite male and female 3×3 international basketball matches. J Strength Cond Res 37(4): e289–e296, 2023—This study aimed to (1) characterize the physical demands of 3 × 3 basketball games during live playing time and ball possession and (2) assess the differences in physical demands between male and female players. Following an observational design, video footage from 27 games of the International Basketball Federation 3 × 3 World Cup 2019 were analyzed from 104 international 3 × 3 basketball players (n = 52 male and n = 52 female players) resulting in a total of 216 (104 male and 112 female) individual game samples. Manual frame-by-frame time-motion analyses determined the relative frequency (n·min−1) and duration (%) for several physical demands at different intensities, according to sex, during the live playing time and in ball possession phases. Linear mixed models for repeated measures and effect size (ES) analyses revealed small non-significant differences in the intermittent profile of 3 × 3 basketball games according to sex (total movements per minute, male = 39.3 (38.6–40.1); female = 40.2 (39.5–41.0), estimated marginal means with 95% confidence intervals). Female competitions had significantly greater number of low-intensity activities (LIA, small ES) and high-intensity activities (HIA, small ES) performed per minute over longer games (small ES), whereas male players had more recovery activities (small ES). During ball possession, male players spent a larger amount of time performing LIA (small ES) than female players, who displayed both the greatest number of HIA and the highest percentage of playing time performed at high intensity (small ES). Overall, these findings suggest that basketball coaches should design sex-specific training sessions based on the specific match demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hospital pharmacy dispensaries are busy work environments where staff are involved in a variety of work‐related tasks. The proportion of time spent on daily tasks, task prioritisation, multitasking, and interruptions remains largely unknown. Aim: To examine the tasks performed and proportion of time pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in a hospital pharmacy inpatient dispensary spend on various work‐related activities. Method: Pharmacists and technicians working in the inpatient dispensary of a large metropolitan health service were directly observed by trained researchers. Tasks were recorded using Work Observation Method By Activity Timing (WOMBAT), a validated technique developed for direct observation studies of health professionals. Timed tasks were allocated to domains detailing the task performed, who performed it, who they interacted with, and where the task was performed. Data were analysed descriptively with independence of 95% confidence intervals (CI) demonstrating statistical significance. Results: Twelve pharmacists and 13 technicians were observed for 107.4 h. Tasks that contributed the greatest proportion of time were: the preparation of discharge prescriptions: pharmacists 32.1% (95% CI 29.9–34.3%) and technicians 21.0% (95% CI 18.3–23.7%); inpatient medication supply 22.5% (95% CI 21.5–23.5%) and 49.3% (95% CI 47.3–51.3%) and; inter‐professional communication 13.6% and 14.7% (non‐significant [NS]). Tasks were completed independently 89.6% (pharmacists) and 88.9% (technicians) of the time. Pharmacists and technicians were interrupted 6.7 and 5.1 times per hour (p < 0.05), respectively; 8.6% and 9.5% (NS) of the time was spent undertaking at least two tasks simultaneously. Conclusion: This is the first study to examine task time distribution within a hospital inpatient dispensary. Pharmacists and technicians spend the greatest proportion of time on direct medication dispensing‐related activities. This study demonstrates a high frequency of multitasking and interruptions, both of which are known risks for dispensing errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Al-Anbar University Journal of Economic & Administration Sciences is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) 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.)