State-of-the-Art Review on Additive Manufacturing Technology in Railway Infrastructure Systems

Additive manufacturing technologies, well known as three-dimensional printing (3DP) technologies, have been applied in many industrial fields, including aerospace, automobiles, shipbuilding, civil engineering and nuclear power. However, despite the high material utilization and the ability to rapidly construct complex shaped structures of 3D printing technologies, the application of additive manufacturing technologies in railway track infrastructure is still at the exploratory stage. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art research of additive manufacturing technologies related the railway track infrastructure and discusses the challenges and prospects of 3D printing technology in this area. The insights will not only help the development of 3D printing technologies into railway engineering but also enable smarter railway track component design and improve track performance and inspection strategies.

Investigating the effects of effective stress on pore-dependent permeability measurements of crushed coal

The accurate determination of permeability is one of the parameters essential for the study of fluid flow and transport state. However, a large number of fractured coal bodies are faced during the production of coal mines. The study of permeability of these special media composed of grains of a certain size, whose structure is different from that of raw coal, has been in the exploratory stage. In this paper, inspired by the calculation method of median particle size and the calculation principle of KC’s equation, we calculate the permeability parameters of broken coal particles. It is considered that its permeability is closely related to the compaction and re-crushing process of skeletal grains. The lateral limit compression test of the crushed coal body was designed, and the pore-dominated permeability calculation method was given to reveal the mechanism of the action of the effective stress. The dependence relationship between the effective stress and the pore-correlation permeability is obtained by data analysis, and the force and deformation process of the crushed coal grain media is described. In contrast to the conventional Darcy series of permeability discussions, our approach excludes the influence of fluid factors on the permeability of porous media. The permeability of porous media is considered to be determined only by its own pore structure.

Systematic Review of Functional MRI Applications for Psychiatric Disease Subtyping

Background: Psychiatric disorders have been historically classified using symptom information alone. Recently, there has been a dramatic increase in research interest not only in identifying the mechanisms underlying defined pathologies but also in redefining their etiology. This is particularly relevant for the field of personalized medicine, which searches for data-driven approaches to improve diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment selection for individual patients.Methods: This review aims to provide a high-level overview of the rapidly growing field of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) from the perspective of unsupervised machine learning applications for disease subtyping. Following the PRISMA guidelines for protocol reproducibility, we searched the PubMed database for articles describing functional MRI applications used to obtain, interpret, or validate psychiatric disease subtypes. We also employed the active learning framework ASReview to prioritize publications in a machine learning-guided way.Results: From the 20 studies that met the inclusion criteria, five used functional MRI data to interpret symptom-derived disease clusters, four used it to interpret clusters derived from biomarker data other than fMRI itself, and 11 applied clustering techniques involving fMRI directly. Major depression disorder and schizophrenia were the two most frequently studied pathologies (35% and 30% of the retrieved studies, respectively), followed by ADHD (15%), psychosis as a whole (10%), autism disorder (5%), and the consequences of early exposure to violence (5%).Conclusions: The increased interest in personalized medicine and data-driven disease subtyping also extends to psychiatric disorders. However, to date, this subfield is at an incipient exploratory stage, and all retrieved studies were mostly proofs of principle where further validation and increased sample sizes are craved for. Whereas results for all explored diseases are inconsistent, we believe this reflects the need for concerted, multisite data collection efforts with a strong focus on measuring the generalizability of results. Finally, whereas functional MRI is the best way of measuring brain function available to date, its low signal-to-noise ratio and elevated monetary cost make it a poor clinical alternative. Even with technology progressing and costs decreasing, this might incentivize the search for more accessible, clinically ready functional proxies in the future.

Enterprises' perception and practice of humane entrepreneurship

PurposeAs a new concept for humane entrepreneurship (HumEnt) evolves, many new research questions arise. At the exploratory stage, the authors found it relevant to examine and discuss the perception of the fundamental assumptions of the HumEnt concept and activities undertaken in this area by business practice.Design/methodology/approachTo thoroughly understand the studied phenomenon, a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was used. An exploratory survey was obtained from 126 purposefully selected enterprises in Poland; then, a single case study was analysed.FindingsThe conducted analysis showed differences between the activities of enterprises and the perception of the HumEnt concept among employees that are especially noticeable at different levels of the management hierarchy.Research limitations/implicationsThe multifaceted nature of the results obtained is limited by the inability to infer international differences, to capture trends over time and to generalise to the total population of enterprises.Practical implicationsAlthough the surveyed companies recognise the importance of the HumEnt concept, it is not tantamount to its execution. The research results may be valuable, especially for smaller enterprises, where the business practice may require support in applying the HumEnt approach.Originality/valueThe research explored both the actual state confirmed by the actions taken and the perception of the importance of individual elements of HumEnt. A knowing–doing gap has been demonstrated between these planes. Moreover, thanks to a two-stage study, practices were selected that can be successfully implemented also in small and medium-sized enterprises.

Is it possible to scrutinize a relationship between a given pair of actors by performing a documentary scrutiny?

This is the exploratory stage of data used in a doctoral thesis that used social network analysis to scan relationships between actors with the aim of making the thesis that the exception regime in Brazil for 21 years, was already supported by a cohesive and robust of who shared an ideology. Through documentary research, a social network analysis was used in an innovative way when scrutinizing archives in the search for links between people in the period from 1964 to 1985. 374 people classified in the reports of the National Commission of Truth as responsible for human rights violations during the Dictatorship in Brazil. They are names of owners who made up an initial list of social actors to build the network of human rights violators. Through the construction of a matrix, associated with each author, it performed every fifteen events. To give depth, searches were made in the digital repositories of documents (such as their availability) for the following references: Projeto Brasil Nunca Mais de 1985, from the Archdiocese of São Paulo; National Archives and Brazilian Digital Library. With the findings, it was possible to conclude an exploratory stage with the following: It is possible to scan a relationship between a given pair of actors by conducting documentary scrutiny.

Pengenalan Rumput Mulato sebagai Potensi Sumber Hijauan Sapi Perah di Kelompok Peternak Tunas Mekar, KSU Tandangsari, Sumedang

The Tunas Mekar Farmer Group (TMFG) is a group of farmers belong to dairy farming cooperation (KSU) Tandangsari with the commodity of Friesian Holstein (FH) dairy cattle whose business objectives are to produce cow's milk and breeding of dairy cows. One of the problems that may have caused the low milk production was the result of the low quality and availability of the forage provided by the KPTM members. It is necessary to look for forage alternatives that have advantages in biomass and protein and fiber content, in the hope that it can help meet the nutritional needs of livestock. One of the forages that has advantages in protein and fiber content is mulato grass (Brachiaria hybrid cv. Mulato) which is reported to have the ability to live in a good dry season, easy to breed through tillers, and quite high palatability by ruminants. This community service is carried out to introduce and disseminate the potential benefits of mulato grass as a potential forage source for dairy cows. Community service activities are carried out with the exploratory stage, then the extension stage, and followed by the mentoring stage using an online platform (Whatsapp group). Community service activities regarding the potential of mulato grass as a forage for dairy cows were successfully implemented. With the enthusiasm of extension participants, extension activities can increase the insight of farmers participating in the extension, reflected in the success of farmers in planting and cultivating mulato grass.

The Network Structure of Resilience among Chinese Female Nursing Students

Background: Many nursing students will suffer from serious psychological problem. However, the intervention research on the psychological resilience of nurses is still in the exploratory stage and the efficiency of existing intervention methods remains variable because of limited comprehension of this relevant psychological construct. Therefore this study investigates the network structure of the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10) in Chinese female nursing students to provide a novel understanding for resilience and targets for related interventions. Methods: This study was an online cross-sectional study conducted at three medical universities from 21 August 2020 to 25 August 2020. This study adopted the CD-RISC-10, with a total of 776 participants joined in. Network analysis was conducted and the main focus is strength centrality and predictability. Results: Three edges with strongest unregularized partial correlations existed in the final network, such as between item “Able to adapt to change” and item “Can deal with whatever comes”. The items with strongest strength centrality are “Thinks of self as strong person” and “Can achieve goals despite obstacles”. Conclusions: The results may help us to gain a deeper understanding of resilience and provide educational orientation on how to make students more resilient, which may be benefit in challenge overcoming for nursing students.

Disenchanting Trust: Instrumental Reason, Algorithmic Governance, and China’s Emerging Social Credit System

Digital technologies have provided governments across the world with new tools of political and social control. The development of algorithmic governance in China is particularly alarming, where plans have been released to develop a digital Social Credit System (SCS). Still in an exploratory stage, the SCS, as a collection of national and local pilots, is framed officially as an all-encompassing project aimed at building trust in society through the regulation of both economic and social behaviors. Grounded in the case of China’s SCS, this article interrogates the application of algorithmic rating to expanding areas of everyday life through the lens of the Frankfurt School’s critique of instrumental reason. It explores how the SCS reduces the moral and relational dimension of trust in social interactions, and how algorithmic technologies, thriving on a moral economy characterized by impersonality, impede the formation of trust and trustworthiness as moral virtues. The algorithmic rationality underlying the SCS undermines the ontology of relational trust, forecloses its transformative power, and disrupts social and civic interactions that are non-instrumental in nature. Re-reading and extending the Frankfurt School’s theorization on reason and the technological society, especially the works of Horkheimer, Marcuse, and Habermas, this article reflects on the limitations of algorithmic technologies in social governance. A Critical Theory perspective awakens us to the importance of human reflexivity on the use and circumscription of algorithmic rating systems.

Serotonin 2 Receptors, Agomelatine, and Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia in Alzheimer’s Disease

There are nearly 50 million Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients worldwide, 90% of whom develop behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), which increase the mortality rate of patients, and impose an economic and care burden on families and society. As a neurotransmitter and neuromodulator, serotonin is involved in the regulation of psychoemotional, sleep, and feeding functions. Accumulating data support the importance of serotonin in the occurrence and development of BPSD. Studies have shown that reduction of serotonin receptors can increase depression and mental symptoms in AD patients. At present, there is no drug treatment for AD approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Among them, agomelatine, as a new type of antidepressant, can act on serotonin 2 receptors to improve symptoms such as depression and anxiety. At present, research on BPSD is still in the preliminary exploratory stage, and there are still a lot of unknowns. This review summarizes the relationship between serotonin 2 receptors, agomelatine, and BPSD. It provides a new idea for the study of the pathogenesis and treatment of BPSD.

Construction and reflection of blended teaching mode In 5G Era

After nearly 30 years of development, blended teaching at home and abroad is becoming the "new normal" of future education. Especially in the context of "Internet plus education", the training of innovative talents and the reform of education and teaching are all calling for mixed teaching. In China, online education is recognized by more and more teachers and students, online education users grow rapidly, video teaching has become an important means of online education. But up to now, the research of mixed education mode in China is still in the exploratory stage, the mature mixed teaching mode is relatively less, and there are a series of problems, such as cumbersome operation, low response of students and so on.