Ones In Previous Studies Research Articles

Exploring the Mutual Influence Relationships of International Airport Resilience Factors from the Perspective of Aviation Safety: Using Fermatean Fuzzy DEMATEL Approach

International airports are responding to the threat of climate change and various man-made hazards by proposing impact protection measures. Airport managers and risk controllers should develop a comprehensive risk assessment model to measure the mutual influence relationships of resilience factors. In this paper, the problem of treating resilience factors as independent ones in previous studies is overcome. In this study, we not only develop a framework for assessing resilience factors in international airports based on an aviation safety perspective, but also develop the Fermatean fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (FF-DEMATEL) to identify the mutual influence relationships of resilience factors. Fermatean fuzzy sets are incorporated in DEMATEL to reflect information incompleteness and uncertainty. The critical resilience factors of international airports were identified through real-case analysis. In terms of importance, the results show that rescue capability is a core capability that is important for airport resilience. In addition, “security management system (SeMS) integrity”, “education and training of ground staff on airport safety awareness”, “first aid mechanism for the injured”, and “adequate maintenance equipment for rapid restoration tasks” are identified as key factors that are given more weights. On the other hand, in terms of influence strength, the detection capability has the highest total influence and significantly influenced the other resilience capabilities. Finally, the influential network relation map (INRM) is utilized to assist decisionmakers in swiftly comprehending the impact of factors and formulating viable strategies to enhance airport resilience. This enables airport managers and risk controllers to make informed decisions and allocate resources efficiently.

Vocal Health Knowledge Status and Attitudes of Professional and Amateur Performing Artists in Greece

This study aimed to investigate the vocal health literacy level and attitudes of professional and amateur performing artists in Greece and identify possible gaps and limitations that should be addressed in the future. This mixed-methods study took place in two successive stages. The first stage involved 4 focus groups with professional and amateur actors and singers. The focused discussions of this stage, which were moderated by one otolaryngologist and one speech and language therapist, provided necessary information for the design of the structured questionnaire used during the second stage of the study (online survey). The online questionnaire included questions about responders' knowledge and attitudes of vocal health. Although not compulsory, the Greek version of the Singing Voice Handicap Index (SVHI) was also part of the online survey. The online questionnaire was validly answered by 305 respondents during a 10-month period (May 2020 to March 2021). Considerable knowledge gaps were observed regarding anatomy, physiology, and vocal disorders management. The vast majority of participants (94.1%) had at some point experienced problems with their voice. Gastroesophageal reflux (21.6%), vocal nodules (12.5%), and vocal polyps (3.9%) were the most frequently mentioned diagnoses in our sample. A small proportion of participants (9.5%) stated that they have never visited an ENT, while 84.3% have never seen a speech and language therapist. The total scores on the SVHI in our sample were compatible to the ones in previous studies targeting healthy professional and amateur artists (range 0-116, mean 32, SD 24.7). This study provides insights into Greek performing artists' knowledge and attitudes regarding vocal health and may pave the way towards improving vocal health awareness among performing artists.

Assessment of the Psychophysiological State of Female Operators Under Simulated Microgravity.

The article describes methods of non-verbal speech characteristics analysis used to determine psychophysiological state of female subjects under simulated microgravity conditions (“dry” immersion, DI), as well as the results of the study. A number of indicators of the acute period of adaptation to microgravity conditions was described. The acute adaptation period in female subjects began earlier (evening of the 1st day of DI) and ended faster than in male ones in previous studies (2nd day of DI). This was indicated by a decrease in the level of state anxiety (STAI, p < 0,05) and depression-dejection [Profile of Mood States (POMS), p < 0,05], as well as a decrease in pitch (p < 0,05) and voice intensity (p < 0,05). In addition, women, apparently, used the “freeze” coping strategy – the proportion of neutral facial expressions on the most intense days of the experiment was at maximum. The subjects in this experiment assessed their feelings and emotions better, giving more accurate answers in self-assessment questionnaires, but at the same time tried to look and sound as calm and confident as possible, controlling their expressions. Same trends in the subjects’ cognitive performance were identified as in similar experimental conditions earlier: the subjects’ psychophysiological excitement corresponded to better performance in sensorimotor tasks. The difference was in the speed of mathematical computation: women in the present study performed the computation faster on the same days when they made fewer pauses in speech, while in men in previous experiments this relationship was inverse.

Distinct Mechanisms in Number Comparison of Random and Regular Dots: An ERP Study.

Numerosity comparison for regular patterns shows different features compared with that for random ones in previous studies, suggesting an underlying mechanism distinct from numerosity. In this study, we went further to compare the event-related potentials (ERP) components in numerosity processing of random and regular patterns, which are identical in all aspects of texture features except for the distribution. ERP components were recorded and analyzed while participants compared which of the two successively presented sets was more numerous. P2p amplitude was revealed to be significantly weaker for regular patterns compared with that for random patterns over right occipital-parietal cites, whereas no difference was found for P1 or N1 components. The difference in P2p amplitude, which is consistent with the behavior dissociation revealed in our previous studies, suggests that regular distribution can trigger distinct processing in numeral comparison tasks. Processing of continuous magnitudes or configuration cannot explain the decrease in P2p amplitude for regular distributed patterns. Therefore, this study further supports that P2p is mediated by numerosity processing.

Inverse paired-pulse facilitation in neuroplasticity based on interface-boosted charge trapping layered electronics

Modern technology allows us to mimic biological functions with artificial devices. The human brain, including numerous neural cells that connect via synapses, enables us to handle complex tasks with ultra-low power consumption, which is one of the most important biological components that eager to emulate. Here, we propose and build a simple indium selenide (InSe)-based photonic synaptic device with unique gate tunable behaviours such as time-varying output current, auto-depression rate, and paired-pulse facilitation (PPF). A new inverse PPF behaviour is observed, characterized by the positive correlations to the time interval, which is opposite of those negative ones in previous studies. To unveil the origin of this new finding, both the substrate-dependent persistent photocurrent examination and low-frequency noise (LFN) measurements are performed to investigate the electric-controlled charge trapping/detrapping processes between the InSe and SiO2 interface. Furthermore, we systematically demonstrate such the specific evolution of the flexible plasticity within a low-operation voltage and a wide range of visible spectra. Interestingly, the inverse PPF can be employed to emulate more detailed characteristics of a biological brain such as the age-related changes of synaptic plasticity in real human brains. Thus, we believed that our findings provide a proof-of-concept for systematically mimicking the brain plasticity and advancing the development of energy-efficient artificial brains.

Effects of chain stiffness and shear flow on nanoparticle dispersion and distribution in ring polymer melts

The dispersion behavior and spatial distribution of nanoparticles (NPs) in ring polymer melts are explored by using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. As polymer-NP interactions increase, three general categories of polymer-mediated NP organization are observed, namely, contact aggregation, bridging, and steric dispersion, consistent with the results of equivalent linear ones in previous studies. In the case of direct contact aggregation among NPs, the explicit aggregation-dispersion transition of NPs in ring polymer melts can be induced by increasing the chain stiffness or applying a steady shear flow. Results further indicate that NPs can achieve an optimal dispersed state with the appropriate chain stiffness and shear flow. Moreover, shear flow cannot only improve the dispersion of NPs in ring polymer melts but also control the spatial distribution of NPs into a well-ordered structure. This improvement becomes more evident under stronger polymer-NP interactions. The observed induced-dispersion or ordered distribution of NPs may provide efficient access to the design and manufacture of high-performance polymer nanocomposites (PNCs).

Development and the Labor Share

Abstract A U-shaped relationship between development and the labor share of income is brought to light. To do so, a panel dataset on the labor share in the manufacturing sector of developing countries is exploited. This dataset has greater coverage than the ones of previous studies focusing on developing countries. These data are also available at the disaggregated level for 28 manufacturing subsectors. This allows us to show that the U-shaped pattern of the labor share is also observed at the subsector level, suggesting that it does not correspond to reallocation forces across manufacturing subsectors during the development process. Standard theories of development economics that feature duality in the labor market easily generate such a pattern.

Investigation on corrosion morphology and products of ancient tin amalgam mirrors by AFM, SEM–EDS and micro-Raman spectroscopies

This study detected and investigated the degradation effects and dynamics of the tin amalgam reflective layer of ancient mirrors. The experimental results have been obtained by different spectroscopic techniques: Light Microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray Microanalysis (SEM–EDS), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and μ-Raman Spectroscopy. The latter two were applied for the first time to characterize the amalgam of ancient mirrors. Amalgam alteration products in form of concentric rings with alternate different compositions of tin oxides have been studied on both the amalgam reflective layer inner surface and on its cross-sections. For the first time SEM images of micro-cross-sections of different amalgam degradation products, such as amalgam “drops” and craters, have been obtained. The size of the nano-particles of tin oxides, as amalgam degradation products, was estimated around 3–8 nm by AFM and micro-Raman, as already previously detected through TEM. Micro-Raman showed the presence of both cassiterite and romarkite nano-crystals forming the concentric rings, as only previously hypothesized. This investigation allowed to obtain further experimental evidence and a more advanced comprehension about the structure and formation phases of the amalgam decay products, giving further support to some statements by previous authors and suggesting some assertions different from the ones of previous studies.

An Output Capacitor-Less Low-Dropout Regulator with 0–100 mA Wide Load Current Range

An output capacitor-less low-dropout (OCL-LDO) regulator with a wide range of load currents is proposed in this study. The structure of the proposed regulator is based on the flipped-voltage-follower LDO regulator. The feedback loop of the proposed regulator consists of two stages. The second stage is turned on or off depending on the variation in the output load current. Hence, the regulator can retain a phase margin at a wide range of load currents. The proposed regulator exhibits a better regulation performance compared to the ones in previous studies. The test chip is fabricated using a 65-nm CMOS process.

Comparison of Symmetric Versus Nonsymmetric Characteristic-Function Scale Linking Methods for a Multidimensional Two-Parameter IRT Model

본 연구는 다차원 문항반응이론(MIRT) 척도연계 방법 중 우수성이 보고된 문항특성함수(ICF) 방법과 검사특성함수(TCF) 방법에 초점을 두고 각 방법의 대칭적 및 비대칭적 버전의 통계적 특성과 상대적 기능의 차이를 탐구하고자 하였다. 이를 위해, 다차원 2모수 로지스틱(M2PL) 모형에 대해 기존의 비대칭성을 수정한 대칭적 ICF 방법 및 TCF 방법을 제시하였으며, 모의실험을 통해 네 방법(비대칭적 ICF 및 TCF 방법, 대칭적 ICF 및 TCF 방법)의 기능을 분석하였다. 모의실험 요인으로 공통문항의 비율, 준거함수에 대한 가중치 유형과 능력 지점의 수 등을 고려하였으며, 네 척도연계 방법이 모의실험 조건에서 능력분포의 모수와 문항모수를 얼마나 정확하고 안정적으로 추정하는지를 탐색하였다. 또한 모의실험 자료를 이용하여 각 척도연계 방법의 대칭성을 확인하였다. 주요 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 능력분포 모수의 복원에 있어서 대칭적 ICF 방법이 가장 작은 척도연계의 오차를 산출하였다. 둘째, 문항모수의 복원에 있어서 비대칭적 ICF 방법이 가장 작은 척도연계의 오차를 산출하였다. 셋째, 네 방법에 대하여 대칭성을 조사한 결과, 대칭적 ICF 및 TCF 방법은 모두 척도연계의 대칭성을 만족하였지만, 비대칭적 ICF 및 TCF 방법은 그렇지 않았다.In multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) scale linking, it has been shown that the item characteristic function (ICF) and test characteristic function (TCF) methods should perform better than other methods. The purpose of this study is to investigate the statistical properties and performances of the symmetric and nonsymmetric versions for each of the ICF and TCF methods. For this purpose, the symmetric versions of the ICF and TCF methods, which had been presented as nonsymmetric ones in previous studies, were first presented for use with the multidimensional two-parameter logistic (M2PL) model. Then, the relative performances of the four methods, symmetric and nonsymmetric ICF methods and symmetric and nonsymmetric TCF methods, were investigated through computer simulations under various scale linking conditions. The simulation study included three critical factors of (1) proportion of common items, (2) weighting scheme for the criterion functions, and (3) number of ability points in each dimension for the criterion functions. The performances of the four methods were evaluated in terms of accurate recovery of the parameters of the underlying population ability distribution and the M2PL item parameters for a 50-item multiple-choice test. Also, the four methods were analyzed as to whether they produced symmetric solutions or not. Main results were as follows. First, in the recovery of the underlying population distribution, the symmetric ICF method yielded the smallest linking error. Second, in the recovery of the item parameters, the nonsymmetric ICF method resulted in the smallest linking error. Third, as expected, symmetric ICF and TCF methods did produce symmetric linking coefficients, but nonsymmetric ICF and TCF methods did not.

Lomb–Scargle periodogram analysis of the periods around 5.5 year and 11 year in the international sunspot numbers

The New International Sunspot Numbers (NISNs) have been successfully compiled and can be downloaded from the World Data Center-Sunspot index and Long-term Solar Observations, Royal Observatory of Belgium, Brussels. The periods in these NISNs have been studied by using the Lomb–Scargle periodogram. The results show that the international sunspot numbers have a lot of periods. Of the various periods, the most outstanding period around 11 year is 10.108 year after removing the 10.862 year signal from the time series of sunspot numbers, while the periods of 11.988 year, 7.990 year, 9.612 year, 5.445 year, 8.915 year, 5.792 year are also found with the period of 5.445 year being stronger than those of 5.792 year and 8.915 year. However, the period of 5.445 year is still much weaker than the period of 10.862 year. It is evident that the periods around 11 year and 5.5 year in the revised international sunspot numbers obtained by using the Lomb–Scargle periodogram method is somewhat different from the ones in previous studies.

Finite element analysis of the effect of high tibial osteotomy correction angle on articular cartilage loading.

Osteoarthritis is a globally common disease that imposes a considerable ongoing health and economic burden on the socioeconomic system. As more and more biomechanical factors have been explored, malalignment of the lower limb has been found to influence the load distribution across the articular surface of the knee joint substantially. In this work, a three-dimensional finite element analysis was carried out to investigate the effect of varying the high tibial osteotomy correction angle on the stress distribution in both compartments of the human knee joint. Thereafter, determine the optimal correction angle to achieve a balanced loading between these two compartments. The developed finite element model was validated against experimental and numerical results. The findings of this work suggest that by changing the correction angle from 0° to 10° valgus, high tibial osteotomy shifted the mechanical load from the affected medial compartment to the lateral compartment with intact cartilage. The Von Mises and the shear stresses decreased in the medial compartment and increased in the lateral compartment. Moreover, a balanced stress distribution between the two compartments as well as the desired alignment were achieved under a valgus hypercorrection of 4.5° that significantly unloads the medial compartment, loads the lateral compartment and arrests the progression of osteoarthritis. After comparing the achieved results against the ones of previous studies that explored the effects of the high tibial osteotomy correction angle on either clinical outcomes or biomechanical outcomes, one can conclude that the findings of this study agree well with the related clinical data and recommendations found in the literature.

Strategy for Modeling the Electrostatic Responses of the Spectroscopic Properties of Proteins.

For better understanding and more efficient use of the spectroscopic probes (vibrational and NMR) of the local electrostatic situations inside proteins, appropriate modeling of the properties of those probes is essential. The present study is devoted to examining the strategy for constructing such models. A more well-founded derivation than the ones in previous studies is given in constructing the models. Theoretical analyses are conducted on two representative example cases related to proteins, i.e., the peptide group of the main chains and the CO and NO ligands to the Fe2+ ion of heme, with careful treatment of the behavior of electrons in the electrostatic responses and with verification of consistency with observable quantities. It is shown that, for the stretching frequencies and NMR chemical shifts, it is possible to construct reasonable electrostatic interaction models that encompass the situations of hydration and uniform electric field environment and thus are applicable also to the cases of nonuniform electrostatic situations, which are highly expected for inside of proteins.

The improved screening curve method regarding existing units

In this study, a new method is developed to determine the least cost capacity expansion of a power system by using the screening curve method. The proposed methodology differs from the previous studies by its geometrical solution process to evaluate a capacity expansion problem considering both existing and candidate power plants. The algorithms are computationally more efficient and simple than the ones in previous studies for the same improvement. Further, the interpretation of the optimal capacity expansion plan is enhanced by explicitly exhibiting the results of all considered capacity expansion alternatives. The solution process can be interpreted as minimizing the long run marginal cost of supplying 1 megawatt of capacity during the whole year by finding the optimal combination of units. The developed method calculates and finds the cost polygon with the minimum area by moving along the intersection points of the screening curves to form trapezoids and then joining them to form cost polygons. The intersection points, which are needed to calculate the areas of the cost polygons, are found by using the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker conditions in a recursive manner. The last unit in the merit order of dispatching is determined by scenarios to yield an optimal capacity expansion plan. The scenarios are primarily based on a tradeoff between incurring investment costs by commissioning candidate units or taking online existing units with relatively higher variable costs compared to the candidate units.

Mortality study update of workers exposed to vinyl chloride in plants located in Ferrara and Ravenna (Emilia-Romagna Region, Northern Italy)

to update the mortality study of subjects exposed to vinyl chloride in the phases of synthesis of the monomer and polymerization in the plants of Ferrara and Ravenna (Emilia-Romagna Region, Northern Italy). both for the whole cohort and for the two plants, standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI), were calculated for different death causes, then stratified by duration and latency, periods of the beginning of work and cumulative exposure (ppm-years). the cohort includes 1,540 subjects (469 in Ferrara hired from 1953 to 1999; 1,071 in Ravenna hired from 1959 to 2000), with at least six months of work. by the end of the follow-up (31.12.2013), 348 deaths occurred. Overall observed mortality, contrasted to that expected based on Emilia-Romagna Region mortality rates, appeared to be lower than expected in the whole cohort (348 cases, SMR: 0.85; 95%CI 0.77-0.95) and in Ravenna (173 cases, SMR: 0.71; 95%CI 0.61-0.83). Mortality for all neoplasms was in excess in Ferrara (79 cases, SMR: 1.27; 95%CI 1.02-1.58), but lower than expected in Ravenna (83 cases, SMR: 0.80; 95%CI 0.64-0.99). An excess in mortality was observed in the whole cohort (16 cases, SMR: 1.74; 95%CI 1.07-2.85) and in Ferrara for liver cancer (7 cases, SMR: 2.12; 95%CI 1.02-4.46), and only in Ferrara for respiratory tract cancer (30 cases, SMR: 1.45; 95%CI 1.02-2.07) and larynx cancer (4 cases, SMR: 3.35; 95%CI 1.26-8.92). In the whole cohort, SMR for liver cancer was in excess since a cumulative exposure of 5,000 ppm-year and 12 cases belong to the job title of autoclave workers (12 cases, SMR 4.6; 95%CI 2.6-8.0), duration of work higher than 20 years (8 cases, SMR 2.4; 95%CI 1.2-4.9), and latency higher than 40 years (7 cases, SMR 2.5; 95%CI 1.2-5.2). The excess in mortality for lung cancer is statistically significant for and with cumulative exposure higher than 7,330 ppm-years (6 cases, SMR 3.2 95%CI 1.4-7.0). There are not excesses among subjects hired after 1971. the study findings confirm and expand the ones of previous studies. It was not possible to apply a best evidence approach to the study of liver cancer, and consequently it is not possible to distinguish between hepatic angiosarcoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. The evidence of a causal link between vinyl chloride exposure and liver cancer is anyhow confirmed. The causal link between vinyl chloride exposure and lung cancer must be further investigated.

Correction to: 'Violence in the prehistoric period of Japan: the spatio-temporal pattern of skeletal evidence for violence in the Jomon period'.

You have accessMoreSectionsView PDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail Cite this article Nakao Hisashi, Tamura Kohei, Arimatsu Yui, Nakagawa Tomomi, Matsumoto Naoko and Matsugi Takehiko 2016Correction to: ‘Violence in the prehistoric period of Japan: the spatio-temporal pattern of skeletal evidence for violence in the Jomon period’Biol. Lett.122016084720160847http://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2016.0847SectionSupplemental MaterialYou have accessCorrectionCorrection to: ‘Violence in the prehistoric period of Japan: the spatio-temporal pattern of skeletal evidence for violence in the Jomon period’ Hisashi Nakao Hisashi Nakao Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author , Kohei Tamura Kohei Tamura Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author , Yui Arimatsu Yui Arimatsu Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author , Tomomi Nakagawa Tomomi Nakagawa Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author , Naoko Matsumoto Naoko Matsumoto Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author and Takehiko Matsugi Takehiko Matsugi Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author Hisashi Nakao Hisashi Nakao Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author , Kohei Tamura Kohei Tamura Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author , Yui Arimatsu Yui Arimatsu Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author , Tomomi Nakagawa Tomomi Nakagawa Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author , Naoko Matsumoto Naoko Matsumoto Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author and Takehiko Matsugi Takehiko Matsugi Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author Published:01 November 2016https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2016.0847This article corrects the followingResearch ArticleViolence in the prehistoric period of Japan: the spatio-temporal pattern of skeletal evidence for violence in the Jomon periodhttps://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2016.0028 Hisashi Nakao, Kohei Tamura, Yui Arimatsu, Tomomi Nakagawa, Naoko Matsumoto and Takehiko Matsugi volume 12issue 3Biology Letters01 March 2016Biol. Lett.12, 20160028. (Published online 30 March 2016) (doi:10.1098/rsbl.2016.0028)After publication of our article, we found that Kamikuroiwa Iwakage site was wrongly categorized to the Early Jomon phase and counted doubly in the electronic supplementary material; however, the site should belong to the Initial phase. Also, the number of individuals at some sites were slightly wrong. We have therefore modified figure 1, table 1 and the electronic supplementary material (see also Dryad: http://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.60d18). Following these modifications, some parts of the main text in §3. Results and §4. Discussion and conclusion have also been corrected as follows (corrected expressions are emphasized in bold). Note that these corrections do not affect our main conclusion at all. Figure 1. Spatio-temporal pattern of the sites where injured bones from the Jomon period were discovered.Download figureOpen in new tabDownload PowerPointTable 1.Estimates of the rate of mortality attributable to violence over the Jomon period as the percentage of injured individuals (ID) among (i) the total population, (ii) adults only and (iii) adults only for sites with skeletal remains of 10 or more individuals. Collapse phasetotaladultsIDadultsaIDarate of mortality attributable to warfareID/total (%)ID/adults (%)IDa/adultsa (%)initial1133912810.892.563.57early21611709800.000.000.00middle37117259731.352.913.09late944470739860.741.491.51final9324711043091.072.122.09total25761269231051190.891.811.81aExcluding data for sites with skeletal remains of fewer than 10 individuals.3. Results… Nevertheless, the average violence mortality value across the entire Jomon period was found to be just 1.81%, much lower than those from previous studies (12–14%) [5,7,13].4. Discussion and conclusion… the values of mortality attributable to violence both over the entire Jomon period (1.81%) and in each phase (0–3.57%) are much lower than the ones in previous studies (12–14%) [5,7,13] …. In addition, we have found no injured individuals in the Early Jomon period (and perhaps also in the Initial phase, lasting for 5000 years or more, see the electronic supplementary material) though non-injured individuals were discovered for the period. Previous ArticleNext Article VIEW FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD PDF FiguresRelatedReferencesDetailsRelated articlesViolence in the prehistoric period of Japan: the spatio-temporal pattern of skeletal evidence for violence in the Jomon period01 March 2016Biology Letters This IssueNovember 2016Volume 12Issue 11 Article InformationDOI:https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2016.0847PubMed:27903778Published by:Royal SocietyOnline ISSN:1744-957XHistory: Published online01/11/2016Published in print30/11/2016 License:© 2016 The Author(s)Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved. Citations and impact Subjectsbehaviourevolution Large datasets are available through Biology Letters' partnership with Dryad

Antisocial and psychopathic personalities in a sample of addicted subjects: Differences in psychological resources, symptoms, alexithymia and impulsivity

ObjectivePsychopathy and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) are two constructs not interchangeable. Compared to the ASPD, psychopathy is characterized by lack of anxiety, low withdrawal, and high levels of attention seeking. MethodThe sample of this study included 76 subjects with a substance use disorder. Subjects were aged between 18 and 59years old (M=32.87, SD=9.36). With respect to level of education 3 subjects are elementary school graduates, 49 have a middle school diploma, 21 own a high school diploma, and 3 participants have a bachelor's degree. We administered the following measures: a) Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised (PPI-R); b) Psychological Treatment Inventory (PTI); c) 20-Item-Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20); d) Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS). ResultsMost of the significant correlations between the Psychopathic Index (PPI-R total score), and the measures administered are listed below: PPI-R total score and Deviance (r=.482, p<.001), PPI-R total score and Hypomania (r=.369, p < .001), PPI-R total score and Unresolved attachment (r=.293, p<.001), PPI-R total score and Manipulativeness (r=.550, p<.001), PPI-R total score and the TAS-20 total score (r=.230; p<.001), PPI-R total score and Difficulty in Identifying Feelings (DIF) factor (r=.250, p<.001), PPI-R total score and Attentional Impulsiveness (r=.409, p<.001); PPI-R total score and Motor Impulsiveness (r=.526, p<.001). Results of MANOVAs between the two groups also revealed significant differences on several variables analyzed. ConclusionsOur study showed that addicted subjects with psychopathic tendencies are more likely to experience negative emotions and have a peculiar cognitive style with respect to antisocial addicts. These results partially confirm those ones of previous studies underlining that psychopathic population is generally characterized for a major need for stimulation, poor behavioral controls, lack of realistic long-term goals, impulsivity, irresponsibility.

Study on embedded length of piles for slope reinforced with one row of piles

The embedded length of anti-slide piles for slope is analyzed by three-dimensional elastoplastic shear strength reduction method. The effect of embedded pile length on the factor of safety and pile behavior is analyzed. Furthermore, the effects of pile spacing, pile head conditions, pile bending stiffness and soil properties on length and behavior of pile are also analyzed. The results show that the pile spacing and the pile head conditions have significant influences on the critical embedded length of pile. It is found that the critical embedded length of pile, beyond which the factor of safety does not increase, increases with the decrease in pile spacing. The smaller the pile spacing is, the larger the integrity of the reinforced slope will be. A theoretical analysis of the slip surface is also conducted, and the slip surface determined by the pressure on piles, considering the influences of both soil and piles for slope, is in agreement with the ones in previous studies.

New Evolutionary Technique for Optimization Shunt Capacitors in Distribution Networks

New Evolutionary Technique for Optimization Shunt Capacitors in Distribution NetworksThe paper presents a new evolutionary technique for optimizing on one part the numbers, the sizes and locations of shunt capacitors in radial distribution network in away to minimize the annual cost of active power losses with the improvement of voltage profiles of different buses. The technique is applied on 10 buses network and on IEEE 34 buses network test. The results are compared with ones of previous studies using heuristiques methods and the same network tests.

Self-Excited Vibration Analysis of a Rotating Cylinder Partially Filled with Liquid (Nonlinear Analysis by Shallow Water Theory)

The self-excited whirl of an axially symmetric cylinder mounted on an elastic support system and partially filled with liquid is analyzed. Rotor unbalance, gravity, and gyroscopic terms are considered to be negligible. The whirling motion is assumed to be parallel to the axis and the liquid motion is taken as being axially uniform. In the analysis, under the assumption of a thin liquid layer, the shallow-water theory is applied to basic equations to more easily incorporate nonlinearities that exist in the surface wave of a liquid in a rotor. Applying the Galerkin method to the equations based on the shallow-water theory obtains the modal coupling equations. The harmonic balance method is applied to the modal coupling equations to obtain periodic solutions. The analytical whirl amplitudes are in good agreement with the experimental ones in previous studies under large external damping ratios. The time series analysis based on the modal coupling equations reproduces the periodic and aperiodic amplitude modulations observed in the experiment.