Smarter bridges,why and how?

Bridge safety, especially during extreme events, is enhanced by measurement and monitoring of critical bridge components. Enhanced safety, reliability and efficient maintenance can result from improved incident detection and assessment enabled by ‘smarter’ bridges. This article considers the problems, and discusses some solutions being investigated by the US Federal Highway Administration.     

Chemical genetics: how does it function?

This article highlights recent successes in the field of chemical genetics. It discusses the challenges inherent in this interdisciplinary research field and focuses on the essential role that the biologically aware synthetic chemist can play.     

Deconstructing doctoral dissertations: how many papers does it take to make a PhD?

A collection of coauthored papers is the new norm for doctoral dissertations in the natural and biomedical sciences, yet there is no consensus on how to partition authorship credit between PhD candidates and their coauthors. Guidelines for PhD programs vary but tend to specify only a suggested range for the number of papers to be submitted for evaluation, sometimes supplemented with a requirement for the PhD candidate to be the principal author on the majority of submitted papers. Here I use harmonic counting to quantify the actual amount of authorship credit attributable to individual PhD graduates from two Scandinavian universities in 2008. Harmonic counting corrects for the inherent inflationary and equalizing biases of routine counting methods, thereby allowing the bibliometrically identifiable amount of authorship credit in approved dissertations to be analyzed with unprecedented accuracy. Unbiased partitioning of authorship credit between graduates and their coauthors provides a post hoc bibliometric measure of current PhD requirements, and sets a de facto baseline for the requisite scientific productivity of these contemporary PhD’s at a median value of approximately 1.6 undivided papers per dissertation. Comparison with previous census data suggests that the baseline has shifted over the past two decades as a result of a decrease in the number of submitted papers per candidate and an increase in the number of coauthors per paper. A simple solution to this shifting baseline syndrome would be to benchmark the amount of unbiased authorship credit deemed necessary for successful completion of a specific PhD program, and then monitor for departures from this level over time. Harmonic partitioning of authorship credit also facilitates cross-disciplinary and inter-institutional analysis of the scientific output from different PhD programs. Juxtaposing bibliometric benchmarks with current baselines may thus assist the development of harmonized guidelines and transparent transnational quality assurance procedures for doctoral programs by providing a robust and meaningful standard for further exploration of the causes of intra- and inter-institutional variation in the amount of unbiased authorship credit per dissertation.     

Geopolymers and other alkali activated materials: why,how, and what?

This paper presents a review of alkali-activation technology, moving from the atomic scale and chemical reaction path modelling, towards macroscopic observables such as strength and durability of alkali-activated concretes. These properties and length scales are intrinsically interlinked, and so the chemistry of both low-calcium (‘geopolymer’) and high-calcium (blast furnace slag-derived) alkali-activated binders can be used as a starting point from which certain engineering properties may be discussed and explained. These types of materials differ in chemistry, binder properties, chemical structure and microstructure, and this leads to the specific material properties of each type of binder. The secondary binder products formed during alkali-activation (zeolites in low-Ca systems, mostly layered double hydroxides in alkali-activated slags) are of significant importance in determining the final properties of the materials, particularly in the context of durability. The production of highly durable concretes must remain the fundamental aim of research and development in the area of alkali-activation. However, to enable the term ‘highly durable’ to be defined in a satisfactory way, the underlying mechanisms of degradation—which are not always the same for alkali-activated binders as for Portland cement-based binders, and cannot always be tested in precisely the same ways—need to be further analysed and understood. The process of reviewing a topic such as this will inevitably raise just as many questions as answers, and it is the intention of this paper to present both, in appropriate context.     

Phase transition in space: how far does a symmetry bend before it breaks?

We extend the theory of symmetry-breaking dynamics in non-equilibrium second-order phase transitions known as the Kibble-Zurek mechanism (KZM) to transitions where the change of phase occurs not in time but in space. This can be due to a time-independent spatial variation of a field that imposes a phase with one symmetry to the left of where it attains critical value, while allowing spontaneous symmetry breaking to the right of that critical borderline. Topological defects need not form in such a situation. We show, however, that the size, in space, of the 'scar' over which the order parameter adjusts as it 'bends' interpolating between the phases with different symmetries follows from a KZM-like approach. As we illustrate on the example of a transverse quantum Ising model, in quantum phase transitions this spatial scale--the size of the scar--is directly reflected in the energy spectrum of the system: in particular, it determines the size of the energy gap.     

Antisemitism and Islamophobia: what does a bibliometric study reveal?

Although Islamophobia and Antisemitism are two phenomena different in their nature, both represent a form of Otherness that entails a complicated inclusion into multi-ethnic societies of modern Europe and the United States. The purpose of the present study is to show how the research literature has portrayed both phenomena in terms of bibliometric data retrieved from the SCIE Clarivate Analytics database. In addition, we were interested to find out if there is a literature that connects Islamophobia and Antisemitism, its direction and influence. Our findings show that because publications and citations on Islamophobia are relatively new, the research in terms of publications draws the attention of academic society in the direction of research of Antisemitism, but the citations count of the literature on Islamophobia exceeds by far that of the literature on Antisemitism. Moreover, we found that although Antisemitism and Islamophobia are distinct trends, there is an interaction between the literatures that discuss both, and the research that combines the analysis of both phenomena gains more influence than research dedicated to each phenomenon separately.     

Diversity and interdisciplinarity: how can one distinguish and recombine disparity,variety, and balance?

Scientometrics - The dilemma which remained unsolved using Rao-Stirling diversity, namely of how variety and balance can be combined into “dual concept diversity” (Stirling in SPRU...     

Convicted of fatigued driving: Who, why and how?

Fatigue is a major cause of road traffic accidents. However, due to the blurred concept of fatigue and the lack of reliable testing devices (cf. the breath analyzer for alcohol levels), it is extremely difficult to incorporate fatigue in operationalized terms into either traffic or criminal law. Even though the Finnish Road Traffic Act explicitly forbids driving while tired, it is done only on a general level among other factors (sickness, etc.) that impair a driver's fitness to drive (Article 63). The present study was done to investigate the circumstances of fatigue driving offenses. From the Finnish Vehicle Administration driver record database we extracted all drivers (N = 768) punished under Article 63 from 2004-2005. Of these drivers, 90.4% committed a fatigue-related traffic offense. Accidents, predominantly single vehicle, were the most common (92.5%) consequence of fatigued driving. Although fatigue-related accidents are thought to be serious, our data shows that most of the accidents (81.6%) did not involve personal injuries. Almost every twentieth driver was punished because his vehicle was drifting on the road. The presence of alcohol or drugs was noted in 13% of the cases. Only 3.1% of the punished drivers officially denied being tired or falling asleep. Young men (≤35 yrs) represented 50% of all punished drivers. Time of day and seasonal effects were clear in this data. This study shows that even without a reliable fatigue detector and unambiguous criteria for recognizing the contribution of fatigue to accident causation, Finnish police and the courts punish a significant number of drivers every year on the basis of fatigue.     

Synthesis and characterisation of γ-Fe2O3 nanowire arrays via a versatile,simple and low-cost method

γ-Fe₂O₃ nanowire arrays embedded in anodic alumina template were fabricated by an improved sol–gel method. The morphologies, structures and magnetic behaviour of the as-prepared products were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy and magnetic hysteresis analysis. The results show that arrayed γ-Fe₂O₃ polycrystalline nanowires with an average diameter about 40?nm and an average length about 0.5?µm were prepared. A number of superparamagnetic nanoneedles grew along the nanowires. The ordered one-dimensional arrays weaken the superparamagnetic effect. In addition, a possible formation mechanism about nanowires is proposed. The charge factor, gravity effect and molecular heat movement impelled the Fe sols filling into the pores of the template. γ-Fe₂O₃ nanowire arrays look forward to the applications of magnetic recording in the future.     

Washable,stretchable, and reusable core–shell metal nanowire network-based electronics on a breathable polymer nanomesh substrate

Polymer nanofiber-based porous structures, referred to as “breathable devices,” have been recently developed to minimize user discomfort. Although these devices enable conformal integration to the skin with gas permeability, their performance and durability are significantly lower than those of conventional film-based devices. In this study, an ultradurable embedded Ag–Au core–shell nanowire network (AANN) on a nanomesh substrate is fabricated using the intense pulsed light irradiation and electroplating (IPL-EP) process. The AANN is designed to achieve breathability and durability without sacrificing device performance. It can be used in breathable nanomesh electronics and exhibits a low sheet resistance (1.4 Ω sq⁻¹), cycle stability (above 20,000 cycles), stability in chemicals (water-based solutions and highly corrosive H₂O₂ solution), washability (20 washings), and reusability. Additionally, it is used in reusable conductive electronic textiles, and its applications as a reusable strain sensor for motion detection and wearable heater for thermal therapy are demonstrated. Furthermore, the AANN-based conductive thread exhibits excellent electrical performance (0.3 Ω cm⁻¹) with durability and maintains its electrical characteristics after 50 wash cycles. The proposed process can enable large-scale fabrication of highly durable breathable electronics, electronic textiles, and other biomedical devices.     

Accident proneness,does it exist? A review and meta-analysis

Accident related health problems have been suggested to cluster within persons. This phenomenon became known as accident proneness and has been a subject of many discussions. This study provides an overview of accident proneness. Therefore, 79 articles with empirical data on accident rates were identified from databases Embase, Medline, and Psychinfo. First, definitions of accidents varied highly, but most studies focused on accidents resulting in injuries requiring medical attention. Second, operationalisations of accident proneness varied highly. Studies categorised individuals into groups with ascending accident rates or made non-accident, accident, and repetitive accident groups. Third, studies examined accidents in specific contexts (traffic, work, and sports) or populations (children, students, and patients). Therefore, we concluded that no overall prevalence rate of accident proneness could be given due to the large variety in operationalisations. However, a meta-analysis of the distribution of accidents in the general population showed that the observed number of individuals with repeated accidents was higher than the number expected by chance. In conclusion, accident proneness exists, but its study is severely hampered by the variation in operationalisations of the concept. In an effort to reach professional consensus on the concept, we end this paper with recommendations for further research.     

Where are we on driver distraction? Methods,approaches and recommendations

Research within the road transport domain is progressively recognising the importance of taking a systems view of accident analysis. This signals a movement away from the more traditional approaches that aim to determine cause–effect relationships and attribute blame to the end-user. The multiple accidents associated with distracted driving have typically sought to establish the role of the driver and attribute responsibility to the individual. This paper will look at the approach that has been used to study distracted driving, the methods employed to study it and the recommendations they have provided to practise. The role of rapidly developing technology is discussed as more sources of distraction are presented to the driver. The limitations of the current approach lead to the proposition of a systems approach to driver distraction that aligns with the study of safety in other domains. This paper provides a novel overview of the variety of methodologies used to study distracted driving and how they may impact on the resulting countermeasures. The suggestion of a research–practice gap within the road transport domain is explored. The benefits of systems-based approaches, and their place in advancing driver distraction research for the development of future recommendations, are presented.     

Emergency management: does it have a sufficiently comprehensive understanding of decision-making, process and context?

It is widely recognised in the social and management sciences that the effective support of decision-making requires a multidisciplinary perspective. This trend is also clear in nuclear emergency management (EM). However, communication between disciplines is not easy to maintain in EM contexts when the decision makers (DMs) are likely to be highly stressed. Such circumstances can lead them to revert to the instinctive patterns of perception of their core disciplines, making communication between disciplines difficult and, perhaps, obscuring complex interactions that have not been rehearsed in practice exercises. This paper explores decision making in EM and the nature of the socio-technical issues that will arise, suggesting that despite the lessons of past accidents the research EM community is still not taking a broad enough view of what future incidents may entail.     

Mechanosensitive channels and bacterial cell wall integrity: does life end with a bang or a whimper?

Mechanogated channels are fundamental components of bacterial cells that enable retention of physical integrity during extreme increases in cell turgor. Optical tweezers combined with microfluidics have been used to study the fate of individual Escherichia coli cells lacking such channels when subjected to a bursting stress caused by increased turgor. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting and electron microscopy complement these studies. These analyses show that lysis occurs with a high probability, but the precise path differs between individual cells. By monitoring the loss of cytoplasmic green fluorescent protein, we have determined that some cells release this protein but remain phase dark (granular) consistent with the retention of the majority of large proteins. By contrast, most cells suffer cataclysmic wall failure leading to loss of granularity but with the retention of DNA and overall cell shape (protein-depleted ghosts). The time span of these events induced by hypo-osmotic shock varies but is of the order of milliseconds. The data are interpreted in terms of the timing of mechanosensitive channel gating relative to osmotically induced water influx.     

Piezoelectric characterization of a single zinc oxide nanowire using a nanoelectromechanical oscillator

In this paper, we present a nanoelectromechanical oscillator with a single semiconducting zinc oxide nanowire (ZnO) doubly clamped and suspended on two metal electrodes by which the piezoelectric property on the growth of the ZnO nanowire along the c-axis, [0001], is characterized by the resonant frequency shift of the oscillator. We report that the resonance of the nanowire oscillator can be detected in ambient air and the effective piezoelectric coefficient on the growth of a ZnO nanowire along the c-axis, [0001], is significantly larger than that of bulk (0001) ZnO.     

ResearchGate and Google Scholar: how much do they differ in publications,citations and different metrics and why?

ResearchGate has emerged as a popular professional network for scientists and researchers in a very short span. Similar to Google Scholar, the ResearchGate indexing uses an automatic crawling algorithm that extracts bibliographic data, citations, and other information about scholarly articles from various sources. However, it has been observed that the two platforms often show different publication and citation data for the same institutions, journals, and authors. While several previous studies analysed different aspects of ResearchGate and Google Scholar, the quantum of differences in publications, citations, and metrics between the two and the probable reasons for the same are not explored much. This article, therefore, attempts to bridge this research gap by analysing and measuring the differences in publications, citations, and different metrics of the two platforms for a large data set of highly cited authors. The results indicate that there are significantly high differences in publications and citations for the same authors captured by the two platforms, with Google Scholar having higher counts for a vast majority of the cases. The different metrics computed by the two platforms also differ in their values, showing different degrees of correlation. The coverage policy, indexing errors, author attribution mechanism, and strategy to deal with predatory publishing are found to be the main probable reasons for the differences in the two platforms.