Spine curvature analysis between participants with obesity and normal weight participants: A biplanar electromagnetic device measurement

To analyse and compare standing thoracolumbar curves in normal weight participants and participants with obesity, using an electromagnetic device, and to analyse the measurement reliability. Material and Methods. Cross-sectional study was carried out. 36 individuals were divided into two groups (normal-weight and participants with obesity) according to their waist circumference. The reference points (T1–T8–L1–L5 and both posterior superior iliac spines) were used to perform a description of thoracolumbar curvature in the sagittal and coronal planes. A transformation from the global coordinate system was performed and thoracolumbar curves were adjusted by fifth-order polynomial equations. The tangents of the first and fifth lumbar vertebrae and the first thoracic vertebra were determined from their derivatives. The reliability of the measurement was assessed according to the internal consistency of the measure and the thoracolumbar curvature angles were compared between groups. Results. Cronbach’s alpha values ranged between 0.824 (95% CI: 0.776–0.847) and 0.918 (95% CI: 0.903–0.949). In the coronal plane, no significant differences were found between groups; however, in sagittal plane, significant differences were observed for thoracic kyphosis. Conclusion. There were significant differences in thoracic kyphosis in the sagittal plane between two groups of young adults grouped according to their waist circumference.

Stochastic analysis of a radial-inflow turbine in the presence of parametric uncertainties

This paper presents an uncertainty quantification study of the performance analysis of the high pressure ratio single stage radial-inflow turbine used in the Sundstrand Power Systems T-100 Multi-purpose Small Power Unit. A deterministic 3D volume-averaged Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solver is coupled with a non-statistical generalized Polynomial Chaos (gPC) representation based on a pseudo-spectral projection method. One of the advantages of this approach is that it does not require any modification of the CFD code for the propagation of random disturbances in the aerodynamic and geometric fields. The stochastic results highlight the importance of the blade thickness and trailing edge tip radius on the total-to-static efficiency of the turbine compared to the angular velocity and trailing edge tip length. From a theoretical point of view, the use of the gPC representation on an arbitrary grid also allows the investigation of the sensitivity of the blade thickness profiles on the turbine efficiency. The gPC approach is also applied to coupled random parameters. The results show that the most influential coupled random variables are trailing edge tip radius coupled with the angular velocity.

Value congruence and job-related attitudes in a nonprofit organization: A competing values approach

Researchers have highlighted the importance of the nonprofit sector, its continued growth, and a relative lack of literature particularly related to nonprofit organizational values. Therefore, this study investigates organizational culture in a human services nonprofit organization. The relationship between person-organization value congruence and employee and volunteer job-related attitudes is examined (N = 227). Following initial qualitative enquiry, confirmatory factor analyses of the Competing Values Framework and additional values revealed five dimensions of organizational values. The relationship between value congruence, and employee and volunteers' job-related attitudes was examined using polynomial regression techniques. Analyses revealed that for employees, job-related attitudes were influenced strongly by organization values ratings, particularly when exceeding person ratings of the same values. For volunteers, person value ratings exceeding organization value ratings were especially detrimental to their job-related attitudes. Findings are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications.

Reproducibility of fatmax and fat oxidation rates during exercise in recreationally trained males

Aerobic exercise training performed at the intensity eliciting maximal fat oxidation (Fatmax) has been shown to improve the metabolic profile of obese patients. However, limited information is available on the reproducibility of Fatmax and related physiological measures. The aim of this study was to assess the intra-individual variability of: a) Fatmax measurements determined using three different data analysis approaches and b) fat and carbohydrate oxidation rates at rest and at each stage of an individualized graded test. Fifteen healthy males [body mass index 23.1±0.6 kg/m2, maximal oxygen consumption () 52.0±2.0 ml/kg/min] completed a maximal test and two identical submaximal incremental tests on ergocycle (30-min rest followed by 5-min stages with increments of 7.5% of the maximal power output). Fat and carbohydrate oxidation rates were determined using indirect calorimetry. Fatmax was determined with three approaches: the sine model (SIN), measured values (MV) and 3rd polynomial curve (P3). Intra-individual coefficients of variation (CVs) and limits of agreement were calculated. CV for Fatmax determined with SIN was 16.4% and tended to be lower than with P3 and MV (18.6% and 20.8%, respectively). Limits of agreement for Fatmax were −2±27% of with SIN, −4±32 with P3 and −4±28 with MV. CVs of oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide production and respiratory exchange rate were <10% at rest and <5% during exercise. Conversely, CVs of fat oxidation rates (20% at rest and 24–49% during exercise) and carbohydrate oxidation rates (33.5% at rest, 8.5–12.9% during exercise) were higher. The intra-individual variability of Fatmax and fat oxidation rates was high (CV>15%), regardless of the data analysis approach employed. Further research on the determinants of the variability of Fatmax and fat oxidation rates is required.

Topological properties and fractal analysis of a recurrence network constructed from fractional Brownian motions

Many studies have shown that we can gain additional information on time series by investigating their accompanying complex networks. In this work, we investigate the fundamental topological and fractal properties of recurrence networks constructed from fractional Brownian motions (FBMs). First, our results indicate that the constructed recurrence networks have exponential degree distributions; the average degree exponent 〈λ〉 increases first and then decreases with the increase of Hurst index H of the associated FBMs; the relationship between H and 〈λ〉 can be represented by a cubic polynomial function. We next focus on the motif rank distribution of recurrence networks, so that we can better understand networks at the local structure level. We find the interesting superfamily phenomenon, i.e., the recurrence networks with the same motif rank pattern being grouped into two superfamilies. Last, we numerically analyze the fractal and multifractal properties of recurrence networks. We find that the average fractal dimension 〈dB〉 of recurrence networks decreases with the Hurst index H of the associated FBMs, and their dependence approximately satisfies the linear formula 〈dB〉≈2-H, which means that the fractal dimension of the associated recurrence network is close to that of the graph of the FBM. Moreover, our numerical results of multifractal analysis show that the multifractality exists in these recurrence networks, and the multifractality of these networks becomes stronger at first and then weaker when the Hurst index of the associated time series becomes larger from 0.4 to 0.95. In particular, the recurrence network with the Hurst index H=0.5 possesses the strongest multifractality. In addition, the dependence relationships of the average information dimension 〈D(1)〉 and the average correlation dimension 〈D(2)〉 on the Hurst index H can also be fitted well with linear functions. Our results strongly suggest that the recurrence network inherits the basic characteristic and the fractal nature of the associated FBM series.

Non-linear and linear postulations of technology adoption determinants

Using polynomial regression and response surface analysis to examine the non-linearity between variables, this study demonstrates that better analytical nuances are required to investigate the relationships between constructs when the underlying theories suggest non-linearity. By utilising the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), Ettlie’s adoption stages as well as employing data gathered from 162 owners of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), our findings reveal that subjective norms and attitude have differing influences upon behavioural intention in both the evaluation and trial stages of the adoption.

A new type of high-order elements based on the mesh-free interpolations

We propose a new type of high-order elements that incorporates the mesh-free Galerkin formulations into the framework of finite element method. Traditional polynomial interpolation is replaced by mesh-free interpolations in the present high-order elements, and the strain smoothing technique is used for integration of the governing equations based on smoothing cells. The properties of high-order elements, which are influenced by the basis function of mesh-free interpolations and boundary nodes, are discussed through numerical examples. It can be found that the basis function has significant influence on the computational accuracy and upper-lower bounds of energy norm, when the strain smoothing technique retains the softening phenomenon. This new type of high-order elements shows good performance when quadratic basis functions are used in the mesh-free interpolations and present elements prove advantageous in adaptive mesh and nodes refinement schemes. Furthermore, it shows less sensitive to the quality of element because it uses the mesh-free interpolations and obeys the Weakened Weak (W2) formulation as introduced in [3, 5].

Efficient probabilistic contingency analysis through a stability measure considering wind perturbation

The integration of stochastic wind power has accentuated a challenge for power system stability assessment. Since the power system is a time-variant system under wind generation fluctuations, pure time-domain simulations are difficult to provide real-time stability assessment. As a result, the worst-case scenario is simulated to give a very conservative assessment of system transient stability. In this study, a probabilistic contingency analysis through a stability measure method is proposed to provide a less conservative contingency analysis which covers 5-min wind fluctuations and a successive fault. This probabilistic approach would estimate the transfer limit of a critical line for a given fault with stochastic wind generation and active control devices in a multi-machine system. This approach achieves a lower computation cost and improved accuracy using a new stability measure and polynomial interpolation, and is feasible for online contingency analysis.

Constructing commutative semifields of square order

The projection construction has been used to construct semifields of odd characteristic using a field and a twisted semifield [Commutative semi-fields from projection mappings, Designs, Codes and Cryptography, 61 (2011), 187{196]. We generalize this idea to a projection construction using two twisted semifields to construct semifields of odd characteristic. Planar functions and semifields have a strong connection so this also constructs new planar functions.

Pilot-scale cellulosic ethanol production using eucalyptus biomass pre-treated by dilute acid and steam explosion

The widespread deployment of commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol currently hinges on developing and evaluating scalable processes whilst broadening feedstock options. This study investigates whole Eucalyptus grandis trees as a potential feedstock and demonstrates dilute acid pre-treatment (with steam explosion) followed by pre-saccharification simultaneous saccharification fermentation process (PSSF) as a suitable, scalable strategy for the production of bioethanol. Biomass was pre-treated in dilute H2SO4 at laboratory scale (0.1 kg) and pilot scale (10 kg) to evaluate the effect of combined severity factor (CSF) on pre-treatment effectiveness. Subsequently, pilot-scale pre-treated residues (15 wt.%) were converted to ethanol in a PSSF process at 2 L and 300 L scales. Good polynomial correlations (n = 2) of CSF with hemicellulose removal and glucan digestibility with a minimum R2 of 0.91 were recorded. The laboratory-scale 72 h glucan digestibility and glucose yield was 68.0% and 51.3%, respectively, from biomass pre-treated at 190 °C /15 min/ 4.8 wt.% H2SO4. Pilot-scale pre-treatment (180 °C/ 15 min/2.4 wt.% H2SO4 followed by steam explosion) delivered higher glucan digestibility (71.8%) and glucose yield (63.6%). However, the ethanol yields using PSSF were calculated at 82.5 and 113 kg/ton of dry biomass for the pilot and the laboratory scales, respectively. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd