Global Strength Research Articles

Global database of ratios of particulate organic carbon to thorium-234 in the ocean: improving estimates of the biological carbon pump

Abstract. The ocean's biological carbon pump (BCP) plays a major role in the global carbon cycle. A fraction of the photosynthetically fixed organic carbon produced in surface waters is exported below the sunlit layer as settling particles (e.g., marine snow). Since the seminal works on the BCP, global estimates of the global strength of the BCP have improved but large uncertainties remain (from 5 to 20 Gt C yr−1 exported below the euphotic zone or mixed-layer depth). The 234Th technique is widely used to measure the downward export of particulate organic carbon (POC). This technique has the advantage of allowing a downward flux to be determined by integrating the deficit of 234Th in the upper water column and coupling it to the POC∕234Th ratio in sinking particles. However, the factors controlling the regional, temporal, and depth variations of POC∕234Th ratios are poorly understood. We present a database of 9318 measurements of the POC∕234Th ratio in the ocean, from the surface down to >5500 m, sampled on three size fractions (∼>0.7 µm, ∼1–50 µm, ∼>50 µm), collected with in situ pumps and bottles, and also from bulk particles collected with sediment traps. The dataset is archived in the data repository PANGAEA® under https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.911424 (Puigcorbé, 2019). The samples presented in this dataset were collected between 1989 and 2018, and the data have been obtained from published papers and open datasets available online. Unpublished data have also been included. Multiple measurements can be found in most of the open ocean provinces. However, there is an uneven distribution of the data, with some areas highly sampled (e.g., China Sea, Bermuda Atlantic Time Series station) compared to some others that are not well represented, such as the southeastern Atlantic, the south Pacific, and the south Indian oceans. Some coastal areas, although in a much smaller number, are also included in this global compilation. Globally, based on different depth horizons and climate zones, the median POC∕234Th ratios have a wide range, from 0.6 to 18 µmol dpm−1.

Network Structure of Physical, Cognitive, and Emotional Symptoms at Preseason Baseline in Student Athletes with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder.

Preexisting attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be a risk factor for worse outcome following sport-related concussion. We used a statistical and psychometric approach known as network analysis to examine the architecture of physical, cognitive, and emotional symptoms at preseason baseline among student athletes with ADHD. A cohort of 44,527 adolescent student athletes completed baseline preseason testing with ImPACT® between 2009 and 2015. A subsample of athletes reporting a diagnosis of ADHD and at least one symptom were included in this study (N=3,074; 14-18years old, 32.7% girls). All participants completed the 22-item Post-Concussion Symptom Scale at preseason baseline. Student athletes reported high frequencies of difficulty concentrating (boys/girls=50.7%/59.4%), emotional symptoms (nervousness: boys/girls=30.2%/51.0%; irritability: boys/girls=23.6%/34.8%; sadness: boys/girls=21.4%/39.7%), sleep/arousal-related symptoms (trouble falling asleep: boys/girls=39.5%/49.4%; sleeping less than usual: boys/girls=36.2%/43.4%; and fatigue: boys/girls=29.8%/36.4%), and headaches (boys/girls=27.6%/39.0%) during preseason baseline testing. The most central symptoms included dizziness, which was related to multiple somatic symptoms, and increased emotionality, which was related to a cluster of emotional symptoms. Girls reported symptoms at a greater frequency than boys, and there was evidence for variance in the global strength of the symptom network across gender, but not specific intersymptom relationships. In the absence of injury, symptoms that commonly occur after concussion interact and potentially reinforce each other among student athletes with ADHD at preseason. Symptoms common in ADHD (i.e., difficulty concentrating) are not necessarily the most central within the symptom network. These findings may inform more precise interventions for athletes with ADHD and prolonged recovery following concussion.

Implementation of Advanced Collaborative Platform for Project Based Learning in Naval Architecture Studies

In the education process it is of utmost importance to adequately prepare the student for the labor market in accordance with current achievements in the professional field. In doing so, the standard educational process is often not sufficiently aligned with the needs of the market, especially in terms of preparation for work in a collaborative project environment, which is expected in nowadays modern design company. Today, the industry uses advanced digital collaborative software solutions that integrate ideas, design, development and follow the product life cycle. Such software needs to be implemented in the contemporary education process. In this paper authors present the implementation of the 3DExperience Collaborative Platform in the education process of naval architecture, based on modeling of a sample ship in order to analyze its global strength. Students are being familiarized with team work, they are able to monitor their work and progress of their colleagues, influence on the execution of the tasks and adjust the course of the project, redistributing and reallocating the resources. All of this actions are comparatively realistic depiction of the real working environment. Finally, the application of VR technology for the visualization of the model of the ship is presented in order to better understand the project challenges, ship structure and control of the performed tasks. At the end of the paper, the authors give an overview of the achievements and also stress out guidelines for further application of the software in the education process. Next milestone in this ongoing process would be to produce a detailed model of the ship and its documentation and other production information.

A fast evaluation method for fatigue strength of maraging steel: The minimum strength principle

The relationship between fatigue strength and tensile properties has drawn widespread concern in recent decades. It is gradually recognized that the fatigue strength is dependent on the strength of the weakest zone in materials, while the regular tensile test could only obtain the global strength. The present study, for the first time, constructed a fast evaluation method, in which extremely slender specimens were employed. It is found that, when the specimen is slender enough, i.e., the soft oriented grain could occupy the whole section of the specimen, the strength of the soft domain could be related to the fatigue strength. In the 18Ni maraging steels, the fatigue crack would nucleate in the precipitate free zone (PFZ), which is the soft domain. Furthermore, the fatigue strength of fully reversed loading test nearly equals to the yield strength of the PFZ measured by the slender tensile test. This founding may shed light on the fast evaluation of fatigue strength, which could bring great economic benefits and save invaluable time.

Effects of intake fluctuation and chemical reaction on operating stability of a small displacement gasoline engine: An experimental and numerical study

In this work, the cycle to cycle variation (CCV) of a small displacement gasoline engine is investigated by experiment combined with CFD. Firstly, engine operating stability was tested: As increase of engine speed, the influence of load on CCV gradually declines. Below 4000 r/min, CCV gap is 4.47% between 40% and 100% load, when engine speed rises to 5500–7000 r/min, this gap declines to 1%. Then, the influences of intake fluctuation and chemical reaction on CCV was explored through specific simulation case matrix. The cyclic variation of in-cylinder global flow strength corresponds to intake fluctuation, but the ultimate working CCV is decided by flow field’s macroscopical motion. The area of outer enveloping quadrilateral of flow locations in normal intake scenario is larger than average intake scenario by 53.42% at top dead center (TDC), which is close to CCV’s increase amplification between these two scenarios. Further, this gap is enlarged to 278.06% from misfire to normal combustion scenario, chemical reaction has a more obvious effect on motion of flow field. Whatever intake fluctuation or chemical reaction, they contribute to engine CCV by affecting flow field’s motion which plays a key role on flame propagation in such a limited space of combustion chamber.

Synchronized Dynamics of Hyperchaotic Flows via an Improved Finite-Time Adaptive Controller Design

We proposed a performance-improved finite-time adaptive synchronizing controllers and parameter update laws for coupling the dynamics of identical 4D hyperchaotic flows. The four-dimensional hyperchaotic flows consists of 12 terms and 11 system parameters and possessed very rich dynamics and larger parameter space. The performance of the proposed finite-time adaptive synchronizing controller was enhanced by the introduction of scalar quantities known as global controller strength coefficients and parameter update strength coefficients respectively, into the algebraically-derived control and parameter update structures, in order to constrained overshoots of the trajectories of the coupled systems and accelerate their rate of uniform convergence in finite time. Numerical simulation results obtained confirmed that the uniform asymptotic convergence rate of the coupling trajectories was faster, while the parameter update laws give a stable identification of the unknown system parameters in a global synchronizing time. A comparative analysis of the convergence time of the proposed adaptive controllers with recently published works indicated that the proposed controller has faster rates of uniform convergence of system trajectories.

GLOBAL SCRUTINY OF INDIA'S FIGHT AGAINST CORONA

India's relative success in fighting corona pandemic makes the concerned observers inquisitive of global strategic canvas, positional strengths and implementation challenges that have emerged for India. An attempt to respond to the threefold query is made in this brief analysis.
 Keywords: India, Corona, Public Health, Ancient Therapy, Globalisation

Gender-based examination of the association between individual symptoms of alcohol use disorder, major depressive disorder, and suicidal behaviors: a network analysis of data from the Korean Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study

BackgroundWe aimed to investigate the gender differences in the associations between the individual symptoms of AUD and MDD and SB using a network analysis. MethodsData from the 2011 and 2016 Korean Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study were analyzed. Variables were assessed using the Korean version of Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Of 11,124 total participants, 907 endorsing screening questions for AUD and MDD were included. The undirected and directed network structures of AUD, MDD, and SB were estimated and centrality and bridge centrality indices were examined. ResultsThe overall undirected network structure and global strength did not differ between genders. While three AUD symptoms had high strength indices in network structure for both genders, depressed mood for men and worthlessness/guilt for women were the bridge symptoms linking other MDD symptoms and AUD symptoms to SB and had the strongest influence on SB. Directed network indicated that for men, AUD symptoms were related to SB via MDD symptoms with tolerance being a dominant item. For women, none of the AUD symptoms were related to MDD symptoms and SB, and insomnia/hypersomnia was a dominant item. Worthlessness/guilt was the directly linked to SB in the directed network analysis for both genders. LimitationsCross-sectional design and the use of combined dataset with different time points. ConclusionsSome differential associations at the level of individual symptoms of AUD and MDD with SB were observed between men and women. Targeting to the central and bridging symptoms may improve the outcomes of SB interventions implemented among patients with AUD or MDD.

Eating disorder psychopathology in adults and adolescents with anorexia nervosa: A network approach.

The aim of this study was to assess and compare eating disorder feature networks in adult and adolescent patients with anorexia nervosa. Patients seeking treatment for anorexia nervosa in inpatient and outpatient settings were consecutively recruited from January 2008 to September 2019. Body mass index was measured, and each patient completed the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire. The sample comprised 547 adolescent and 724 adult patients with anorexia nervosa. Network analysis showed that in both adults and adolescents, the most central and highly interconnected nodes in the network were related to shape overvaluation and desiring weight loss. The network comparison test identified similar global strength and network invariance, confirming the similarity of the two network structures. The network structures in adult and adolescent patients with anorexia nervosa are similar, and lend weight to the cognitive behavioral theory that overvaluation of shape and weight is the core feature of anorexia nervosa psychopathology.

Optimal Interplay between Synaptic Strengths and Network Structure Enhances Activity Fluctuations and Information Propagation in Hierarchical Modular Networks.

In network models of spiking neurons, the joint impact of network structure and synaptic parameters on activity propagation is still an open problem. Here, we use an information-theoretical approach to investigate activity propagation in spiking networks with a hierarchical modular topology. We observe that optimized pairwise information propagation emerges due to the increase of either (i) the global synaptic strength parameter or (ii) the number of modules in the network, while the network size remains constant. At the population level, information propagation of activity among adjacent modules is enhanced as the number of modules increases until a maximum value is reached and then decreases, showing that there is an optimal interplay between synaptic strength and modularity for population information flow. This is in contrast to information propagation evaluated among pairs of neurons, which attains maximum value at the maximum values of these two parameter ranges. By examining the network behavior under the increase of synaptic strength and the number of modules, we find that these increases are associated with two different effects: (i) the increase of autocorrelations among individual neurons and (ii) the increase of cross-correlations among pairs of neurons. The second effect is associated with better information propagation in the network. Our results suggest roles that link topological features and synaptic strength levels to the transmission of information in cortical networks.

The Nursing Profession in a Globalizing World

The nursing profession plays an important role in health promotion and care services and works with other healthcare disciplines to improve public health around the world (International Council of Nurses, 2018). 2020 is of great significance to nurses globally because it marks the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder and pioneer of modern nursing. To recognize nursing's contribution to and impact on the international community, the World Health Organization designated 2020 as the "International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife" (World Health Organization, n.d.), with goals set to further promote nursing as a profession with a global vision and strengths for growth and internationalization. In step with globalization trends, the nursing profession in Taiwan has established partnerships with multiple international organizations and overseas education institutions. Furthermore, supported by the framework of Taiwan's New Southbound Policy, Taiwan's professional nursing community has taken an increasingly important and leading role in nursing education and academic research in the Asia-Pacific Region. Technology has enabled the nursing profession to transition relatively quickly to the needs and realities of globalization. Nursing-led research teams have become increasingly actively involved in collaboration with international researchers who share the same research interests to identify and solve health problems around the globe and to generate nursing knowledge that is valid for use across multiple cultural settings. Globalization and technology have given professional nursing services greater international recognition and appreciation. They also provide the nursing profession with opportunities to adapt and streamline traditional care models in order to best utilize nursing care services and healthcare resources. With the assistance of modern technology, healthcare services are increasingly digital and mobile, allowing nursing assessments and medical arrangements to be conducted efficiently and with significantly less wait times. Technological advancements have significantly expanded the delivery of nursing care and improved the feasibility of cross-setting and cross-border health-service collaboration. Nursing has a significant and global impact, with local, national, and international nursing communities working together to achieve United Nation's sustainable development goals (Dossey, Rosa, & Beck, 2019). According to the World Health Organization, at least nine million nursing professionals will be needed globally by 2030 (World Health Organization, 2020). The internationalization of nursing education, research, and practice is set to create unlimited, global opportunities for the future development of nursing.

Assessment of the muscular strength of the global handgrip and physical activity in patients treated with renal replacement therapy (RRT) by hemodialysis

Introduction
 Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a social problem. Hemodialysis is the most common method of renal replacement therapy. At the beginning of hemodialysis treatment, physical activity is reduced by 50-60%. The aim of the study was to compare physical activity, handgrip strength and selected anthropometric parameters, and to assess the relationship between handgrip strength, selected anthropometric parameters and the level of physical activity.
 Material and methods 
 The study included 30 patients aged 65.92 ± 14.65 treated by hemodialysis. The study consisted of patients completing a proprietary survey questionnaire, assessing physical activity using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), handgrip strength, and performing selected anthropometric measurements. The examinations were performed at baseline (E0) and after three months of hemodialysis (E3) treatment and the results were compared.
 Results 
 There were no significant differences in the study group for physical activity and global handgrip strength at baseline and after three months of the study. There was no statistically significant differences beetwen physical activity and handgrip strength in study and control group. 
 Conclusions
 Patients treated with renal replacement present less physical activity compared to people with normal kidney function. The BMI value and level of physical activity does not affect the handgrip strength in hemodialysis patients.

Multiobjective Reliability-Based Design of Ship Structures Subjected to Fatigue Damage and Compressive Collapse

AbstractThis work deals with the reliability-based design and optimization of ship structural components subjected to stochastic loads and accounting for the local fatigue damage and buckling and ultimate global strength of the ship hull. The multi-objective structural optimization is performed in minimizing the component net-section area, lateral deflection, and fatigue damage, avoiding local buckling. The probability of compressive collapse and fatigue damage of the ship hull and associated cost is used as a base to define the best design solution. The Pareto frontier solutions, calculated by the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II), are employed in defining the feasible solutions of the design variables. The first-order reliability method (FORM) is employed to estimate the Beta reliability index based on the topology of the structural component as a part of the Pareto frontier solutions. Comparing with the original design solution, the optimized section of the identified best design solution area decreased by 9%.

GMC Collisions as Triggers of Star Formation. VII. The Effect of Magnetic Field Strength on Star Formation

Abstract We investigate the formation of stars within giant molecular clouds (GMCs) evolving in environments of different global magnetic field strength and large-scale dynamics. Building upon a series of magnetohydrodynamic simulations of noncolliding and colliding GMCs, we employ density- and magnetically regulated star formation subgrid models in clouds that range from moderately magnetically supercritical to near critical. We examine gas and star cluster morphologies, magnetic field strengths and relative orientations, prestellar core densities, temperatures, mass-to-flux ratios and velocities, star formation rates and efficiencies over time, spatial clustering of stars, and kinematics of the stars and natal gas. The large-scale magnetic criticality of the region greatly affects the overall gas evolution and star formation properties. GMC collisions enhance star formation rates and efficiencies in magnetically supercritical conditions, but may actually inhibit them in the magnetically critical case. This may have implications for star formation in different Galactic environments such as the Galactic Center and the main Galactic disk.

Ketamine plus propofol-electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) transiently improves the antidepressant effects and the associated brain functional alterations in patients with propofol-ECT-resistant depression

New methods for using ketamine in patients with propofol-electroconvulsive therapy-resistant depression (ECT-RD) are needed in the clinic. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of ketamine plus ECT in ECT-RD patients, along with the treatment-induced brain alterations. A total of 28 ECT-RD patients were intravenously injected with ketamine six times and treated with propofol-ECT six times alternately within two weeks. The Hamilton Depression Scale was used to assess the treatment effect. Global functional connectivity density (gFCD) and functional connectivity strength (FCS) were used to evaluate functional brain alterations. As compared with the propofol-ECT treatment group, the addition of ketamine could improve the therapeutic outcomes in patients with ECT-RD. The treatment increased gFCD in the left temporal and subgenual anterior cingulated cortex. Simultaneously, the treatment decreased FCS within the default mode network. Although increased functional connectivity could be sustained for 10 days, the clinical effect was only sustained 7 days, indicating that the clinical effect and functional brain alterations were disjointed. Ketamine plus propofol-ECT can obviously improve the effects of propofol-ECT in ECT-RD patients. However, the effect is limited in 7 days, suggesting the benefit is short-term.

Seismic Behavior of a Novel Prefabricated Concrete Sandwich Panel System

An innovative sandwich wall panels as structural load-bearing elements have been presented. Besides the conventional configuration of sandwich panel, this new panel system has some distinctive characteristics including core column reinforced by spiral stirrup along the panel cross-section with spacing 650mm, foamed concrete as insulation layer, self-compacting concrete used in external layers. Furthermore, to improve the global strength and stiffness of panel, 3D steel wire system which is composed by two vertical steel wire meshes connected by horizontally short steel bar has been uniquely employed in concrete layer. An experimental campaign has been carried out to investigate the seismic behavior of this new panel system. According to the analysis of load-bearing capacity, hysteretic behavior, skeleton curves and stiffness degradation, conclusions could be drawn that the new prefabricated concrete sandwich wall system has comparable performance with traditional concrete solid wall.

Mechanical model for the shear strength of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) beams without stirrups

Numerous studies have shown that adding steel fibers to the concrete mixture improves both the shear strength and ductility of reinforced concrete beams. Most current shear design formulations for steel fiber reinforced concrete beams are empirically based and their predictions provide acceptable results when compared with tests results, but only in limited ranges of the parameters involved. On the other hand, many shear theoretical models suggested in the literature are derived by extending previous formulations for conventional reinforced concrete beams, just introducing the stresses transferred across the critical shear crack. Since the effects of steel fibers on the others shear resisting mechanisms are not accounted for, “adjusting” empirical factors must be used to fit the experimental results. There is, therefore, the need for developing mechanical models capable to rationally account for the effects of steel fibers on the global shear strength and on each shear resisting mechanisms. In this paper, the previously derived and validated Multi Action Shear Model for RC elements is extended to steel fiber reinforced concrete beams without stirrups. The effects of steel fibers on each resisting mechanism have been identified and incorporated in the formulation of each shear component and in the Multi-Action Shear Model equilibrium equations. The residual tensile stresses of fibrous concrete, obtained through a simple formulation, has been used to: capture the enhancement of the compression chord contribution; the shear transferred by bridging effect of the fibres along the critical shear crack and by dowel action. The proposed model is shown to properly estimate the shear resistance of a large set of available test data, being able to account for most influencing parameters, like fibers types and amounts, concrete strength, longitudinal reinforcement ratios and beam geometry.

Design and analysis of additive manufactured bimodal structures obtained by cold spray deposition

Additive manufacturing potential of cold spray technology was used to fabricate freestanding samples of a copper alloy. Different volume fractions of micro and nanocrystalline powder particles were used to obatin a bimodal structure with heterogeneous arrangement of crystalline phases. The effects of volume fractions of each phase were investigated on the microstructural arrangement, porosity, microhardness, residual stresses, and mechanical strength of the deposited materials. A series of finite element simulations were developed and validated by experimental data to describe the influence of volume fraction, morphology, and spatial distribution of the phases on the global strength of the samples under tensile loading. The obtained results evidence the possibility of tailoring the mechanical response of freestanding cold spray deposits, adopting a heterogeneous phase structure. Optimized fabrication parameters and post-processing strategies should be studied to further enhance the performance of the designed bimodal materials and overcome the intrinsic brittleness of cold spray deposits.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Network Structures: A Comparison Between Men and Women

This study estimated gender differences in the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom network structure (i.e., the unique associations across symptoms) using network analysis in a Latin American sample. Participants were 1,104 adults, taken from epidemiological studies of mental health following natural disasters and accidents in Mexico and Ecuador. Symptoms of DSM-IV PTSD were measured dichotomously with the Spanish version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. We estimated the PTSD symptom network of the full sample and in male and female subsamples as well as indices of centrality, the stability and accuracy of the modeled networks, and communities of nodes within each network. The male and female networks were compared statistically using the Network Comparison Test (NCT). Results indicated strength centrality was the only stable centrality measure, with correlation stability (CS) coefficients of .59, .28, and .44 for the full, male, and female networks, respectively. We found the most central symptoms, measured by strength centrality, were loss of interest and flashbacks for men; and concentration impairment, avoiding thoughts/feelings, and physiological reactivity for women. The NCT revealed that the global structure (M = 0.84), p = .704, and global strength (S = 5.04), p = .556, of the male and female networks did not differ significantly. Although some gender differences in the most central symptoms emerged, thus offering some evidence for gender differences pending replication in larger samples, on the whole, our results suggest that once PTSD develops, the way the symptoms are associated does not differ substantially between men and women.

The replicability and generalizability of internalizing symptom networks across five samples.

The popularity of network analysis in psychopathology research has increased exponentially in recent years. Yet, little research has examined the replicability of cross-sectional psychopathology network models, and those that have used single items for symptoms rather than multiitem scales. The present study therefore examined the replicability and generalizability of regularized partial correlation networks of internalizing symptoms within and across 5 samples (total N = 2,573) using the Inventory for Depression and Anxiety Symptoms, a factor analytically derived measure of individual internalizing symptoms. As different metrics may yield different conclusions about the replicability of network parameters, we examined both global and specific metrics of similarity between networks. Correlations within and between nonclinical samples suggested considerable global similarities in network structure (rss = .53-.87) and centrality strength (rss = .37-.86), but weaker similarities in network structure (rss = .36-.66) and centrality (rss = .04-.54) between clinical and nonclinical samples. Global strength (i.e., connectivity) did not significantly differ across all 5 networks and few edges (0-5.5%) significantly differed between networks. Specific metrics of similarity indicated that, on average, approximately 80% of edges were consistently estimated within and between all 5 samples. The most central symptom (i.e., dysphoria) was consistent within and across samples, but there were few other matches in centrality rank-order. In sum, there were considerable similarities in network structure, the presence and sign of individual edges, and the most central symptom within and across internalizing symptom networks estimated from nonclinical samples, but global metrics suggested network structure and symptom centrality had weak to moderate generalizability from nonclinical to clinical samples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).