Crash injury prediction model

Automobile crash injury was analyzed using data from the Crash Performance Injury Report (CPIR) for crashes which occurred since 1 January 1970 involving 1969 or newer cars, vans and pickup trucks. An injury prediction model was developed using delta V, vehicle weight, occupant age, seating position, crash configuration, and restraint usage to predict expected AIS. Expected AIS was then used to estimate the probability of death and severe injury. The model estimates were found to approximate the observed probability of death and severe injury from the National Crash Severity Study (NCSS) data file.     

Gas-gas equilibrium: High pressure limits

Recent experimental studies of phase behavior in mixtures of light gases, at pressures up to ten thousand atmospheres, provide information about high pressure boundaries to regions of gas-gas equilibrium. It is shown that these regions are generally bounded on the high pressure side by a three-phase region of the type solid-gas-gas, which results from the solidification of the less volatile component. In some cases the gas-gas phase separation terminates at a critical end point formed by an intersection of the critical line with the three-phase region. However, the available evidence suggests that in other cases gas-gas phase separations may persist to very high temperatures at very high pressures, perhaps even to the limits at which atomic and molecular structure begin to break down.     

Upper Limb Robot Mediated Stroke Therapy—GENTLE/s Approach

Stroke is a leading cause of disability in particular affecting older people. Although the causes of stroke are well known and it is possible to reduce these risks, there is still a need to improve rehabilitation techniques. Early studies in the literature suggest that early intensive therapies can enhance a patient's recovery. According to physiotherapy literature, attention and motivation are key factors for motor relearning following stroke. Machine mediated therapy offers the potential to improve the outcome of stroke patients engaged on rehabilitation for upper limb motor impairment. Haptic interfaces are a particular group of robots that are attractive due to their ability to safely interact with humans. They can enhance traditional therapy tools, provide therapy on demand and can present accurate objective measurements of a patient's progression. Our recent studies suggest the use of tele-presence and VR-based systems can potentially motivate patients to exercise for longer periods of time. The creation of human-like trajectories is essential for retraining upper limb movements of people that have lost manipulation functions following stroke. By coupling models for human arm movement with haptic interfaces and VR technology it is possible to create a new class of robot mediated neuro rehabilitation tools. This paper provides an overview on different approaches to robot mediated therapy and describes a system based on haptics and virtual reality visualisation techniques, where particular emphasis is given to different control strategies for interaction derived from minimum jerk theory and the aid of virtual and mixed reality based exercises.     

Evaluation of a one-dimensional cloud model for yellow and green thunderstorms

Many observers have reported observations of green light emanating from severe thunderstorms in the midwestern United States. Spectral measurements have demonstrated that the dominant wavelength of the light is in the green portion of the visible spectrum and that this is not just a subjective impression. According to the theory proposed by Bohren and Fraser [Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc. 74, 2185 (1993)], two effects combine to produce green light from thunderstorms. First, incident solar radiation is reddened by selective scattering by air molecules and particles in the atmosphere before it enters the cloud. Second, the radiation that passes through an optically thick cloud is attenuated in the longer wavelengths because of selective absorption by liquid water. Model calculations indicate that realizable combinations of mean drop diameters, mean liquid-water contents, and cloud thicknesses can satisfy the conditions required for shifting the dominant wavelength of the incident solar radiation to green.     

Isotope effects in C-H bond activation reactions by transition metals

The activation of alkane C-H bonds by oxidative addition and its reverse reaction, reductive elimination, are believed to occur via transient sigma-alkane complexes. This Account summarizes how isotope effects can be used to probe the nature of these intermediates and points out some pitfalls in interpreting kinetic data. Comparisons are made with arene C-H activation and other activation systems.     

A Hierarchical Model of Supply-Chain Integration: Information Sharing and Operational Interdependence in the US Grocery Channel

This paper examines costs of and motivations for interconnectivity within the grocery supply chain, employing evidence from multiple case studies and survey data to develop a seven-level model of technology-enabled supply-chain connectivity and channel interdependence. This theoretical model, built around a modified transactions-costs framework, is illustrated using examples of processes that span multiple levels of interconnectivity and interdependence within the grocery channel between different groups of customers and suppliers. Our analysis suggests that while a discernible hierarchy of levels of IT-enabled interorganizational connectivity exists, not all relationships necessarily evolve to the highest level of virtual integration. Indeed, limits on executive attention preclude this level from being achieved by more than a small fraction of trading partners. The model generates eight testable hypotheses for further study.