Frequency Of Shaking Research Articles

The metabolic effects of habitual leg shaking: A randomized crossover trial.

The adverse effects of sedentary behavior on obesity and chronic diseases are well established. However, the prevalence of sedentary behavior has increased, with only a minority of individuals meeting the recommended physical activity guidelines. This study aimed to investigate whether habitual leg shaking, a behavior traditionally considered unfavorable, could serve as an effective strategy to improve energy metabolism. A randomized crossover study was conducted, involving 15 participants (mean [SD] age, 25.4 [3.6]; mean [SD] body mass index, 22 [3]; 7 women [46.7%]). The study design involved a randomized sequence of sitting and leg shaking conditions, with each condition lasting for 20 min. Energy expenditure, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and other relevant variables were measured during each condition. Compared to sitting, leg shaking significantly increased total energy expenditure [1.088 kj/min, 95% confidence interval, 0.69-1.487 kj/min], primarily through elevated carbohydrate oxidation. The average metabolic equivalent during leg shaking exhibited a significant increase from 1.5 to 1.8. Leg shaking also raised respiratory rate, minute ventilation, and blood oxygen saturation levels, while having no obvious impact on heart rate or blood pressure. Electromyography data confirmed predominant activation of lower leg muscles and without increased muscle fatigue. Intriguingly, a significant correlation was observed between the increased energy expenditure and both the frequency of leg shaking and the muscle mass of the legs. Our study provides evidence that habitual leg shaking can boost overall energy expenditure by approximately 16.3%. This simple and feasible approach offers a convenient way to enhance physical activity levels.

The tailless gecko gets the worm: prey type alters the effects of caudal autotomy on prey capture and subjugation kinematics.

Prey capture and subjugation are complex behaviors affected by many factors including physiological and behavioral traits of both the predator and the prey. The western banded gecko (Coleonyx variegatus) is a small generalist predator that consumes both evasive prey items, such as spiders, wasps, and orthopterans, and non-evasive prey items, including larvae, pupae, and isopterans. When consuming certain prey (e.g., scorpions), banded geckos will capture and then rapidly oscillate, or shake, their head and anterior part of their body. Banded geckos also have large, active tails that can account for over 20% of their body weight and can be voluntarily severed through the process of caudal autotomy. However, how autotomy influences prey capture behavior in geckos is poorly understood. Using high-speed 3D videography, we studied the effects of both prey type (mealworms and crickets) and tail autotomy on prey capture and subjugation performance in banded geckos. Performance metrics included maximum velocity and distance of prey capture, as well as velocity and frequency of post-capture shaking. Maximum velocity and distance of prey capture were lower for mealworms than crickets regardless of tail state. However, after autotomy, maximum velocity increased for strikes on mealworms but significantly decreased for crickets. After capture, geckos always shook mealworms, but never crickets. The frequency of shaking mealworms decreased after autotomy and additional qualitative differences were observed. Our results highlight the complex and interactive effects of prey type and caudal autotomy on prey capture biomechanics.

Effect of flunixin meglumine on pain-related behaviours following cautery disbudding in dairy goat kids.

The aim of this research was to evaluate the physiological and behavioural parameters in Saanen goat kids treated with flunixin meglumine compared with no analgesic treatment after cautery disbudding using a device fueled by propane gas. At 7days of age, 30 goat kids were randomly allocated to three groups: Sham (Sh) control, (i.e., simulating disbudding); Disbudding (Di), using thermal cauterization; Disbudding + Flunixin (DiFl), thermal cauterization + flunixin meglumine (2.2mg/kg body weight, 15min before treatment). Each kid was video-recorded for 30min before and after treatment to evaluate the frequency of head shaking, head scratching, body shaking, grooming, head rubbing, jumping, running, and bleating. Blood samples were taken 30min after disbudding to evaluate serum cortisol concentrations and white blood cell count. Heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) were measured using a stethoscope. Liveweight of goat kids was recorded at birth, -24h and 7days after treatment, and at 25days of age. The mean frequency of head shaking and head scratching was higher (p = 0.0001) after disbudding in Di (37.5 ± 47.8 and 33.32 ± 31.2) group compared to Sh (3.42 ± 3.58 and 2.2 ± 1.8) and DiFl, (4.02 ± 2.76 and 4.42 ± 3.72) groups. The frequency of jumping was higher (p = 0.022) for Di (3.74 ± 2.24) than that of DiFl (0.39 ± 0.92). The remaining behaviours did not show differences (p > 0.05). HR and RR were higher (HR: p < 0.0048; RR: p < 0.035) in group Di (HR: 156 ± 13.6; RR: 66 ± 14.8) than in Sh (HR: 138 ± 8.48; RR: 55.6 ± 5.4) and in DiFl (HR: 136 ± 6.38; RR: 52.8 ± 4.13). No differences were detected between live weight, serum cortisol and white blood cell count data (p > 0.05). Results show that flunixin meglumine was effective at reducing pain-related behaviours when given at the time of disbudding.

Analysis of Liquefaction Potential of Coastal Sands Using Laminar Box System

Liquefaction is considered as one of the geotechnical risks caused during an earthquake in a saturated sand deposit. Due to their loose, saturated, and cohesionless nature, the sands in the coastal area are susceptible to liquefaction when subjected to cyclic loading. This effect leads to an alteration of soil structure from a stable to an unstable liquid form. The study of liquefaction in Kerala, which is in earthquake zone III, has not been done much earlier and that would be beneficial because of increasing infrastructural development in these areas. This study presents the development of a laminar soil container for shaking table tests in Kerala, and the response of the excess pore water pressure at various locations of the contained sand. The laboratory investigation is intended to understand the effect of gradation of soil and amplitude of base shaking on the generation of excess pore water pressure at varying relative density of soil (30%, 40% and 50%) but at a constant frequency of shaking (1 Hz). The test results have indicated that soil liquefaction resistance decreases as the amplitude of base shaking increases and the relative density of soil decreases. Also, sand with a lower percentage of finer sand content and larger mean grain size showed higher resistance to liquefaction.

Effectiveness of an app for perinatal home visitation by nurses in preventing infant abuse in Japan

Abstract Background In Japan, public health nurses provide home visitation with pregnant women who are at high risk for child maltreatment, but its effectiveness in preventing child maltreatment has not been evaluated because contents and quality of home visitation vary from municipality to municipality. This study aims to evaluate whether the tablet app developed to standardize and assist perinatal home visitation by public health nurses is effective in preventing child maltreatment. Methods An intervention study was conducted in 2018 in Adachi City, Tokyo, Japan. Public health nurses at two public health centers used the tablet app when they support high-risk pregnant women through home visitation and interviews, while public health nurses at the other three public health centers provided support as in the past. Because two public health centers were different in usage of the app, the treatment group was further divided into two groups: active and inactive. As fatal abuse among infants, frequency of shaking and smothering was assessed as an outcome through a self-reported questionnaire at the 4-month health check, and compared between the active treatment group, inactive treatment group, and control group, using multiple logistic regression (N = 5,651). Results Prevalence of infant abuse was 0.82% in the active treatment group, 1.34% in the inactive treatment group, and 1.50% in the control group. When adjusted for parental demographics and parenting situations, mothers in the active treatment group were less likely to shake or smother their baby than those in the control group (Odds ratio: 0.51, p = 0.093). Conclusions It possibly suggests that the tablet app developed to assist perinatal home visitation by public health nurses was effective in preventing infant abuse. Key messages An intervention study was conducted at public health centers in Adachi City, Tokyo, Japan, using the tablet app developed to standardize and assist perinatal home visitation by public health nurses. The finding suggested that the tablet app may be effective in preventing shaking and smothering among 4-month old infants.

Post-operative pain behaviour associated with surgical castration in donkeys (Equus asinus).

BackgroundRecognising pain in donkeys is challenging because they are stoic.ObjectivesTo identify the responses of donkeys before and after surgical pain.Study designProspective, short‐term longitudinal pre‐ and post‐intervention observations.MethodsForty adult donkeys underwent surgical castration after sedation with intravenous (IV) xylazine, induction with guaiphenesin/thiopental IV and maintenance of anaesthesia with isoflurane and local anaesthetic blockade. Four hours after recovery from anaesthesia, flunixin meglumine 1.1 mg/kg, dipyrone 10 mg/kg and morphine 0.2 mg/kg IV were administered. Behavioural responses exhibited by the animals housed in individual stalls were recorded in four 30‐min videos: before castration (M0), and 3.5‐4.0 hours (M1), 5.5‐6.0 hours (M2) and 23.5‐24.0 hours after recovery from anaesthesia (M3). To exclude the influence of insects, the behaviour of six apparently pain‐free donkeys was compared with and without the presence of faeces and urine in the stall.ResultsWhen compared with presurgical baseline behaviours (M0), after surgery (M1) donkeys raised their pelvic limbs more (P = .003). When compared with M1, after analgesia (M2), the median frequencies of ear movements (44 vs 16; P < .001), head shaking (7 vs 1; P < .001), head turning (5 vs 0; P < .001) and lifting of the both limbs (7 vs 0; P = .008) decreased; feeding (0 vs 29; P < .001) and water intake (0 vs 0, range 0‐1 vs 0‐7; P = .05) increased. The dirty stall increased tail (53 vs 80; P = .03), head (16 vs 30; P = .03) and ear movements (50 vs 78; P = .04).Main limitationsThe dirty stall and presence of insects possibly contributed to the expression of behaviours unrelated to pain.ConclusionLifting the pelvic limbs was the only specific pain behaviour after castration in donkeys. Analgesia restored appetite and water intake and reduced the frequency of head shaking and turning, ear movement and lifting the limbs. Tail, head and ear movements are unspecific responses related both to pain and a dirty stall, and are confounding factors when pain is assessed in donkeys in the presence of insects.

Dynamic response of wrap-faced cement treated reinforced clayey soil retaining walls

This paper presents model studies conducted on geotextile wrap faced reinforced soil walls under dynamic conditions mounted on a shake table. Untreated and cement-treated clay soils were used as backfill soils. Numerical modeling has been done by PLAXIS software. The surcharge pressure, frequency of shaking, base acceleration, and a different number of reinforcement layers were varied in model tests. The influence of these various parameters at different elevations of the retaining wall, settlement at the crest, and horizontal face displacement are presented in this paper. All model walls were subjected to 20 cycles of sinusoidal shaking, and the slope was kept at 45°. It was seen that vertical crest settlement and horizontal displacement of reinforced soil wall decrease with an increase in reinforcing layers.

On the formation and morphology of coherent particulate structures in non-isothermal enclosures subjected to rotating g-jitters

The strategy undertaken in the author’s earlier work [M. Lappa, “The patterning behaviour and accumulation of spherical particles in a vibrated non-isothermal liquid,” Phys. Fluids 26(9), 093301 (2014) and M. Lappa, “On the multiplicity and symmetry of particle attractors in confined non-isothermal fluids subjected to inclined vibrations,” Int. J. Multiphase Flow 93, 71–83 (2017)] based on the use of polarized (purely translational) vibrations for achieving the segregation or accumulation of solid particles in specific regions of an initially dilute dispersion is further pursued by allowing the direction of vibrations to change in time with respect to the applied temperature difference. In particular, the potential of the considered approach in separating the particles from the liquid is explored under the assumption that the angular velocity by which the vibrations axis rotates about a fixed axis is of the same order of magnitude or smaller (one or two orders of magnitude) than the frequency of shaking. A new family of particle coherent structures is identified in the physical space, which can be distinguished from the companion category of particle attractors for fixed vibration direction due to its increased symmetry properties. It is shown how the average nonlinear effects produced by the rotation of the vibration axis, together with those induced by the finite size of the enclosure, accumulate over time leading to the observed fascinating variety of symmetrical patterns.

A neutron tomography study: probing the spontaneous crystallization of randomly packed granular assemblies

We study the spontaneous crystallization of an assembly of highly monodisperse steel spheres under shaking, as it evolves from localized icosahedral ordering towards a packing reaching crystalline ordering. Towards this end, real space neutron tomography measurements on the granular assembly are carried out, as it is systematically subjected to a variation of frequency and amplitude. As expected, we see a presence of localized icosahedral ordering in the disordered initial state (packing fraction ≈ 0.62). As the frequency is increased for both the shaking amplitudes (0.2 and 0.6 mm) studied here, there is a rise in packing fraction, accompanied by an evolution to crystallinity. The extent of crystallinity is found to depend on both the amplitude and frequency of shaking. We find that the icosahedral ordering remains localized and its extent does not grow significantly, while the crystalline ordering grows rapidly as an ordering transition point is approached. In the ordered state, crystalline clusters of both face centered cubic (FCC) and hexagonal close packed (HCP) types are identified, the latter of which grows from stacking faults. Our study shows that an earlier domination of FCC gives way to HCP ordering at higher shaking frequencies, suggesting that despite their coexistence, there is a subtle dynamical competition at play. This competition depends on both shaking amplitude and frequency, as our results as well as those of earlier theoretical simulations demonstrate. It is likely that this involves the very small free energy difference between the two structures.

Estimation of maximum mass velocity from macroseismic data: A new method and application to archeoseismological data

An important task in seismic hazard assessment is the estimation of intensity and frequency of rare strong seismic shaking, in particular, the long-term peak ground velocity values (PGVs). A recently proposed method is suitable for simply estimating PGVs based on the examination of the magnitude of displacements of rock blocks. The effectiveness of this method is demonstrated by results of studies on the source zones of two large earthquakes and a vicinity of one strong explosion. In this study, the method is applied to the examination of archeoseismological data from the ancient Rehovot-ba-Negev city and other ancient cities from the Negev desert (in Southern Israel) where numerous evidences of presumable seismic damage were found earlier. The cities and also a sophisticated irrigation system within the region, which existed in the Negev desert, were abandoned however in the middle of the seventh century. The abandonment could be caused by a combined effect, from not only the cessation of the state support from Byzantium as a result of the Arab conquest but also the severe destruction from the strong earthquake that hit the area at that time. The intensities of the seismic events that hit the cities were estimated earlier, which are within the range of 8–9. Our estimates indicate that the PGV values are about 1.5 m/s. Hence, the magnitude of the causative earthquake could be in the range M ≈ 6.5–7.5, and the location of the epicenter might be at a distance of a few dozens of kilometers from the ancient Rehovot-ba-Negev city, while the other variants associated with the earthquake seem to be less probable.

A Generic Velocity Profile for Basin Sediments in California Conditioned on VS30

The near‐surface soil layers of sedimentary basins play a critical role in modifying the amplitude, frequency, and duration of earthquake ground shaking and, thus, are an important factor to consider in ground‐motion simulations, the development of site amplification factors, and earthquake hazard evaluations on a regional scale. In this article, we present a sediment velocity model (SVM) that translates V_(S30) and a proxy that describes the stiffness of the near‐surface sediments into a 1D velocity profile suitable for use in wave‐propagation‐based ground‐motion predictions. We develop the SVM based on the statistics of 914 measured velocity profiles. We conduct a validation study and show that the SVM can satisfactorily predict both 1D shear‐wave velocity profiles and linear site amplification factors. Lastly, we propose two correlations that enable the stochastic realization of the SVM profiles.

Application of Microtremor Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio (MHVSR) Analysis for Site Characterization: State of the Art

Nakamura (Q Rep Railway Tech Res Inst 30:25–33, 1989) popularized the application of the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) analysis of microtremor (seismic noise or ambient vibration) recordings to estimate the predominant frequency and amplification factor of earthquake shaking. During the following quarter century, popularity in the microtremor HVSR (MHVSR) method grew; studies have verified the stability of a site’s MHVSR response over time and validated the MHVSR response with that of earthquake HVSR response. Today, MHVSR analysis is a popular reconnaissance tool used worldwide for seismic microzonation and earthquake site characterization in numerous regions, specifically, in the mapping of site period or fundamental frequency and inverted for shear-wave velocity depth profiles, respectively. However, the ubiquity of MHVSR analysis is predominantly a consequence of its ease in application rather than our full understanding of its theory. We present the state of the art in MHVSR analyses in terms of the development of its theoretical basis, current state of practice, and we comment on its future for applications in earthquake site characterization.

Simulation study of vibratory harvesting of Chinese winter jujube (Zizyphus jujuba Mill. cv. Dongzao)

Chinese winter jujube is rich in nutrition, but its harvesting is labor-intensive. A feasible method for mechanical harvesting of Chinese winter jujube is vibration harvesting. Currently, harvesting shakers for jujube were designed and optimized mainly based on imperial method through field experiments which are complex, time-consuming and limited by time and environment. In order to improve the rationality in shaker design, a better understanding of the interaction between the shaker and the tree is necessary. The aim of this study was to develop a simulation framework for predicting the responses of trees under vibration excitation with a shaker using finite element methods, and find relationships between the responses and the excitation frequencies. Field experiments were conducted using a shaker at five frequencies (5, 10, 15, 20, and 25Hz) with three replicated trees. The input force was measured by a tension sensor and the acceleration of trees was measured by tri-axial acceleration transducers. The trees were modeled using Autodesk Inventor 2014 and then simulated by finite element method in ANSYS 15.0. In simulation, the tree model was divided to two parts, including branches and trunk. For both parts, the wood’s mechanical properties were determined experimentally. Results show that the acceleration value of experiment is generally larger than that of simulation, and it increases from the bottom of branch to the top. The acceleration curves in both experimental and simulation conditions and the distribution nephograms indicated that the greater frequency of tree shaking generates greater acceleration. The mean correlation coefficients of acceleration between experiment and simulation is 0.62. The average resultant accelerations of measured and simulated showed a good alignment in changing trends. It can be concluded that the simulation is promising for studying the response of trees under the vibration excitation of the shaker.

027 Effect of dehorning and multialleviation treatment on the growth, behavior, and blood parameters of Korean cattle bull calves

This study was performed to determine the effects of dehorning and multialleviation treatment (MAT) on growth, behavior, and blood parameters of Korean cattle. Thirty-six Korean cattle bull calves (172.0 kg BW and 223 d of age) were allocated to 4 treatments (n = 9/group): no dehorning without MAT injection, no dehorning with MAT injection, dehorning without MAT injection, and dehorning with MAT injection. Multialleviation treatment included 5 mL of 2% lidocaine hydrochloride injection for local anesthesia in each horn and 2 mg/kg BW of 50 mg/mL flunixin meglumine intravenously for anti-inflammation in the neck immediately prior to dehorning. For the no-MAT groups, a 0.9% NaCl placebo solution was used. Dehorning was performed using a Barnes dehorner, and a cautery iron was used to stop bleeding. Blood was collected immediately before and h 0.5, h 5, d 1, d 3, d 7, and d 14 after dehorning and MAT injection. Feed intake was recorded daily, and BW was measured on the day prior to the experiment and at d 14. Behavior was measured between h 0 and 3 after dehorning. All data were analyzed using 2-way ANOVA with the main effects of dehorning and MAT, using the mixed model procedure. Dehorning did not affect (P > 0.08) weight gain. Dehorning decreased eating (P < 0.01) and increased lying (P < 0.05) behaviors, but MAT did not affect these behaviors. A dehorning × MAT interaction was observed (P = 0.01) for head shaking. Dehorning tended (P = 0.06) to increase head shaking, and MAT decreased head shaking in the dehorning group but not in the no dehorning group. Dehorning increased (P < 0.001) circulating cortisol concentrations only at h 0.5, but MAT did not affect cortisol concentrations. Dehorning increased (P < 0.01) glucose concentrations at h 0.5 and tended (P = 0.07) to increase glucose concentrations at h 5, but MAT did not affect glucose concentrations. In conclusion, dehorning changed behaviors (eating, lying, and head shaking) and increased cortisol concentrations at h 0.5 without affecting growth. Multialleviation treatment decreased frequency of head shaking, but it did not alleviate cortisol concentrations and did not affect eating and lying frequencies. Our study indicates that additional strategy, in addition to the MAT, is recommended for alleviating dehorning stress of male calves.

Tyre chips as compressible inclusions in earth-retaining walls

This paper investigates the performance of retaining wall models using recycled tyre chips as compressible inclusions under dynamic loading through shaking table tests. Scrap tyre derived tyre chips of 10 × 10 mm size and about 20 mm length have been used in this study. The 600 mm high model wall is constructed in a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) container and instrumented with pressure sensors, displacement transducers and accelerometers at different locations. The dynamic responses of the retaining walls to the variations in the acceleration and frequency of base shaking are monitored and discussed. It is observed from these tests results that the horizontal displacement and incremental lateral earth pressure responses of the retaining wall models are significantly reduced by the inclusion of the tyre chips. Reduction of the lateral earth pressure and displacement makes possible lower design requirements that entail smaller dimensions of the retaining wall with reduced material cost.

Behavioural response of dairy goat kids to cautery disbudding

Behavioural changes associated with cautery disbudding of female Saanen dairy goat kids were assessed. At 4±2days of age, kids were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: (i) disbudded with a cautery iron (CAUT, n=5) and (ii) sham handled and not disbudded (SHAM, n=5). Animals were video recorded 12h pre- and post-treatment in the home pen. One trained observer recorded the frequency of 11 behaviours: allogrooming, body shaking, ear biting, feeding, head butting, head rubbing, head scratching, head shaking, jumping, running and self-grooming. In addition, total lying duration and number of lying bouts were measured using accelerometers. The mean post-treatment frequencies (corrected for the frequencies pre-treatment) were compared between treatment groups. CAUT and SHAM kids performed the same behaviours before and after treatment, however the frequency of certain behaviours changed in response to disbudding. Behaviours (mean±SEM) that were significantly different between CAUT and SHAM kids were: head shaking (31.2±3.11 vs. 17.5±1.79; P=0.03), head scratching (15.8±5.90 vs. 2.2±1.11; P=0.04), head rubbing (4.2±0.77 vs. 0.8±0.27; P=0.02) and body shaking (6.1±0.36 vs. 8.8±0.49; P=0.02). Self-grooming was performed at much higher frequencies in CAUT than SHAM kids, however due to a large variation between individuals, this was not significantly different between treatments. There was no evidence of a difference in lying duration or number of lying bouts between treatments (P≥0.75). Allogrooming, ear biting, feeding, head butting, jumping, running, and self-grooming did not vary significantly across treatments (P≥0.06). Changes in the frequency of head shaking, head scratching, head rubbing and body shaking may reflect pain associated with cautery disbudding in goat kids and could be used to assess pain mitigation strategies in future studies.

The effects of ovarian biopsy and blood sampling methods on salivary cortisol and behaviour in sows

In reproductive physiology research, experimental animals are often subjected to stressful procedures, including blood sampling and biopsy. In this present study, presence of pain or distress induced by four different procedures was examined using a measurement of salivary cortisol levels and activity observations in sows. The treatments were: 1) PAL: The ovary was palpated through the rectum without snaring, 2) TUB: transvaginal ultrasound-guided biopsy of the ovary was conducted without snaring, 3) SNA: a soft rope snare was placed around the maxilla, 4) CAT: A soft rope snare was placed around the maxilla, and an intravenous catheter was inserted through the ear vein of the sows. Activities, social cohesion and other pain-related behaviour, and salivary cortisol concentrations were recorded. Salivary cortisol concentrations in CAT sows increased in response to the procedure (P<0.05), whereas the other treatments did not trigger a significant response. The CAT sows had higher cortisol concentrations than the other groups for 10min after initiation of the procedures (P<0.01), and they maintained higher cortisol levels than the PAL and TUB groups 15min post-treatment (P<0.05). Furthermore, the CAT sows showed the highest frequency of head shaking (P<0.001) and trembling behaviour (P<0.05) during the 1h post-treatment. Summarizing, the catheterization procedure might induce a short-term pain or stress response during and after the procedure in terms of pain-related behaviour and salivary cortisol status. We suggest that TUB might not cause appreciable pain or distress.

Effect of Slope Angle on Seismic Response of Unreinforced and Reinforced Soil Slopes in Shaking Table Tests

This paper studies the effect of slope angle on the seismic response of unreinforced and reinforced soil slopes through a series of laboratory shaking table tests. Slopes were constructed using clayey sand and geogrids were used for reinforcing the slopes. The slope angle varies from 45°, 60° and 75° in different tests and the quantity and location of reinforcement is varied in different tests. Acceleration of base shaking varies from 0.1 to 0.3 g in the model tests and the frequency of base shaking was 2–10 Hz in different tests. The slope is instrumented with ultrasonic displacement sensors and accelerometers at different elevations. The response of different slopes is compared in terms of the horizontal displacements of the slope and acceleration amplifications measured at different elevations. At all frequency levels and base acceleration conditions, unreinforced slopes showed higher acceleration amplifications and increased displacements with the increase in steepness It was also observed from the test results that increase in steepness of the slope has detrimental effects on both acceleration amplifications and displacement response of unreinforced as well as reinforced model soil slopes.

Pattern transition, microstructure, and dynamics in a two-dimensional vibrofluidized granular bed.

Experiments are conducted in a two-dimensional monolayer vibrofluidized bed of glass beads, with a goal to understand the transition scenario and the underlying microstructure and dynamics in different patterned states. At small shaking accelerations (Γ=Aω^{2}/g<1, where A and ω=2πf are the amplitude and angular frequency of shaking and g is the gravitational acceleration), the particles remain attached to the base of the vibrating container; this is known as the solid bed (SB). With increasing Γ (at large enough shaking amplitude A/d) and/or with increasing A/d (at large enough Γ), the sequence of transitions/bifurcations unfolds as follows: SB ("solid bed") to BB ("bouncing bed") to LS ("Leidenfrost state") to "2-roll convection" to "1-roll convection" and finally to a gas-like state. For a given length of the container, the coarsening of multiple convection rolls leading to the genesis of a "single-roll" structure (dubbed the multiroll transition) and its subsequent transition to a granular gas are two findings of this work. We show that the critical shaking intensity (Γ_{BB}^{LS}) for the BB→LS transition has a power-law dependence on the particle loading (F=h_{0}/d, where h_{0} is the number of particle layers at rest and d is the particle diameter) and the shaking amplitude (A/d). The characteristics of BB and LS states are studied by calculating (i) the coarse-grained density and temperature profiles and (ii) the pair correlation function. It is shown that while the contact network of particles in the BB state represents a hexagonal-packed structure, the contact network within the "floating cluster" of the LS resembles a liquid-like state. An unsteadiness of the Leidenfrost state has been uncovered wherein the interface (between the floating cluster and the dilute collisional layer underneath) and the top of the bed are found to oscillate sinusoidally, with the oscillation frequency closely matching the frequency of external shaking. Therefore, the granular Leidenfrost state is a period-1 wave as is the case for the BB state.

Association between maternal intimate partner violence victimization during pregnancy and maternal abusive behavior towards infants at 4 months of age in Japan

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether maternal intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization during pregnancy is associated with abusive behavior by the mother towards infants at 4 months of age. A population-based sample of 6590 mothers with 4-month-old infants participated in this study in Japan. Abusive behavior was assessed via questionnaire and defined as frequency of shaking and smothering during the preceding month. Both verbal and physical IPV during pregnancy were assessed retrospectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used, adjusting for types of IPV and potential covariates, specifically postpartum depression. Maternal exposure to verbal and physical IPV during pregnancy was reported by 10.9% and 1.2% of women, respectively. In the adjusted model, women exposed to verbal IPV alone were significantly more likely to abuse offspring (odds ratio: 1.59, 95% confidence interval: 1.17–2.16) while exposure to physical IPV did not have an additive effect for abusive behavior. Maternal victimization by verbal, but not physical IPV was associated with maternal abusive behavior towards their 4-month-old infant. Screening for verbal abuse during pregnancy might be an efficient approach to identify high-risk mothers of infant abuse.