Effects of institutional room acoustics on speech discrimination of developmentally disabled residents and of staff.

High ambient noise levels and long reverberation times can degrade speech discrimination. An experiment examined the effects on speech discrimination of 2 acoustic factors: (a) noise level (high, 72 db; low, 65 db); and (b) reverberation times (long, 1.77 sec; short, .79 sec). Ss were 12 developmentally disabled state school residents and 12 normal staff members. Their speech discrimination abilities were tested under conditions simulating the institutional environment prior to renovations (high noise/long reverberation time) and following renovations (low noise/short reverberation time). A 3-way mixed ANOVA showed main effects of noise, reverberation time, and group. There was a Noise?×?Group interaction and a significant difference between simulated prerenovation and postrenovation conditions. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Transverse bulk solid behaviour during discharge from troughed belt conveyors

Guidelines for the calculation of bulk solid material cross sectional dimensions and the influence of the belt conveyor transition length on the inclination of the trajectory at discharge are well established. However, not a great deal of research has been conducted on the influence of bulk solid material properties and conveyor belt transition geometry on the bulk solid material cross section at discharge. As such, assessment of cross section break-up associated with cohesive materials and transverse spreading of free flowing materials is missing. Conversely, the majority of discharge trajectory analysis techniques focus on analysis in a single vertical plane along the length of the belt.This paper presents an analysis of high speed conveyor discharge trajectories in three dimensions, taking into account transverse spreading of free flowing materials and shearing, or cross section discontinuity, exhibited by cohesive materials. Transverse bulk solid material behaviour and trajectory discharge is evaluated using a combination of experimental laboratory tests, a continuum mechanics approach incorporating CAD and Discrete Element Modelling (DEM). The work presented shows that bulk solid material behaviour at discharge is directly influenced by material characteristics and interactions resulting from the geometry of the belt conveyor transition zone.     

Guest Editors' Introduction: The Evolution of RFIC Design and Test

There are several challenges facing RFIC design and test. The demand in the wireless market will drive RFIC products. For RFIC chipsets, improvements are needed for the elimination of passive components, better integrated passives, power reduction, modeling of devices and interconnects, packaging, and cost-effective testing. However, this innovation cannot come at the cost of time to market for new products. Also, development costs must be driven to a minimum, as average selling prices for RFICs remain flat or decline. Moreover, one of the biggest challenges in moving from low GHz to higher frequencies is the lack of integration between the production testing infrastructure, EDA tools, and device designs. Advancements in device and test equipment modeling and simulation technology are beginning to bridge this gap. Finally, RF measurement requires specialized capital equipment investments and highly skilled engineers with many years of experience. This special issue on design and test of RFIC chips describes some of these challenges and proposes some interesting solutions.     

Development of a Mortality Prediction Model in Hospitalised SARS-CoV-2 Positive Patients Based on Routine Kidney Biomarkers

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a prevalent complication in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positive inpatients, which is linked to an increased mortality rate compared to patients without AKI. Here we analysed the difference in kidney blood biomarkers in SARS-CoV-2 positive patients with non-fatal or fatal outcome, in order to develop a mortality prediction model for hospitalised SARS-CoV-2 positive patients. A retrospective cohort study including data from suspected SARS-CoV-2 positive patients admitted to a large National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust hospital in the Yorkshire and Humber regions, United Kingdom, between 1 March 2020 and 30 August 2020. Hospitalised adult patients (aged ≥ 18 years) with at least one confirmed positive RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 and blood tests of kidney biomarkers within 36 h of the RT-PCR test were included. The main outcome measure was 90-day in-hospital mortality in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. The logistic regression and random forest (RF) models incorporated six predictors including three routine kidney function tests (sodium, urea; creatinine only in RF), along with age, sex, and ethnicity. The mortality prediction performance of the logistic regression model achieved an area under receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve of 0.772 in the test dataset (95% CI: 0.694–0.823), while the RF model attained the AUROC of 0.820 in the same test cohort (95% CI: 0.740–0.870). The resulting validated prediction model is the first to focus on kidney biomarkers specifically on in-hospital mortality over a 90-day period.     

Oxygen Vacancies Evoked Blue TiO2(B) Nanobelts with Efficiency Enhancement in Sodium Storage Behaviors

Oxygen vacancies (OVs) dominate the physical and chemical properties of metal oxides, which play crucial roles in the various fields of applications. Density functional theory calculations show the introduction of OVs in TiO₂(B) gives rise to better electrical conductivity and lower energy barrier of sodiation. Here, OVs evoked blue TiO₂(B) (termed as B‐TiO₂(B)) nanobelts are successfully designed upon the basis of electronically coupled conductive polymers to TiO₂, which is confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The superiorities of OVs with the aid of carbon encapsulation lead to higher capacity (210.5 mAh g^?1 (B‐TiO₂(B)) vs 102.7 mAh g^?1 (W‐TiO₂(B)) at 0.5 C) and remarkable long‐term cyclability (the retention of 94.4% at a high rate of 10 C after 5000 times). In situ X‐ray diffractometer analysis spectra also confirm that an enlarged interlayer spacing stimulated by OVs is beneficial to accommodate insertion and removal of sodium ions to accelerate storage kinetics and preserve its original crystal structure. The work highlights that injecting OVs into metal oxides along with carbon coating is an effective strategy for improving capacity and cyclability performances in other metal oxide based electrochemical energy systems.     

中国国际贸易中心三期主塔楼结构设计

位于中国北京的中国国际贸易中心三期主塔楼高330米,包括一座五星级酒店和甲级写字楼。建筑物的高度和北京的高抗震烈度设计对于结构设计师都是一个挑战,特别是考虑到中国规范中各项严格的要求。在结构设计过程中,各种结构类型及不同材料的使用都经过讨论研究。最终的结构体系是一个组合支撑框架核心筒和组合周边刚性框架筒,在机电层再辅以伸臂桁架连接两个筒。由于塔楼外立面宽度逐渐收小,结构上采用了三层腰桁架,而在腰桁架之间柱子的数量逐渐减少。塔楼的底部是八层高带转换桁架的V型柱,以符合建筑上对五星级酒店和甲级写字楼首层宏大的主入口的要求,同时又可平缓地过渡到上部的抗弯刚架。结构体系中根据不同的部位相对采用了各种类型的组合构件来满足刚度、延性、冗余度并达到最好的性能价格比。组合钢板墙(C-SPW)可能是首次在中国的结构中应用,以增加剪力墙的抗剪承载力和刚度,并改善延性。结构设计中运用了精确的有限元分析及先进的非线性弹塑性时程分析来评估结构的性能及确保建筑物在不同地震水准下的安全性。     

Armoured Selection Decision Support Software

ABSTRACT

Selecting a main battle tank for an army is a lengthy and complex decision-making process. Military procurement staffs use various management and engineering tools to conduct their studies. This article describes a decision support software package that can assist in selecting the best tank from a set of competitors. The package assesses the design features that affect three major performance criteria: firepower, protection, and mobility. The package combines the Expert Choice^? implementation of the analytical hierarchy process with a LOTUS^? spreadsheet.     

Adolescent exposure to drink driving as a predictor of young adults’ drink driving

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of exposure to others’ drink driving during adolescence on self-reported driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol in young adulthood. Data were drawn from 1956 participants with a driving license enrolled in the International Youth Development Study from Victoria, Australia. During 2003 and 2004, adolescents in Grades 7, 9 and 10 (aged 12–17) completed questionnaires examining whether they had ridden in a vehicle with a driver who had been drinking, as well as other demographic, individual, peer and family risk factors for DUI. In 2010, the same participants (aged 18–24) then reported on their own DUI behaviour. 18% of young adults with a driving license reported DUI in the past 12 months. Exposure to others’ drink driving during adolescence was associated with an increased likelihood of DUI as a young adult (OR = 2.13, 95% CI 1.68–2.69). This association remained after accounting for the effects of other potential confounding factors from the individual, peer and family domains (OR = 1.62, 95% CI 1.23–2.13). Observing the drink driving behaviours of others during adolescence may increase the likelihood of DUI as a young adult. Strategies to reduce youth exposure to drink driving are warranted.