Structural Response Prediction of Thin-Walled Additively Manufactured Parts Considering Orthotropy,Thickness Dependency and Scatter

Besides the design freedom offered by additive manufacturing, another asset lies within its potential to accelerate product development processes by rapid fabrication of functional prototypes. The premise to fully exploit this benefit for lightweight design is the accurate structural response prediction prior to part production. However, the peculiar material behavior, characterized by anisotropy, thickness dependency and scatter, still constitutes a major challenge. Hence, a modeling approach for finite element analysis that accounts for this inhomogeneous behavior is developed by example of laser-sintered short-fiber-reinforced polyamide 12. Orthotropic and thickness-dependent Young’s moduli and Poisson’s ratios were determined via quasi-static tensile tests. Thereof, material models were generated and implemented in a property mapping routine for finite element models. Additionally, a framework for stochastic finite element analysis was set up for the consideration of scatter in material properties. For validation, thin-walled parts on sub-component level were fabricated and tested in quasi-static three-point bending experiments. Elastic parameters showed considerable anisotropy, thickness dependency and scatter. A comparison of the predicted forces with experimentally evaluated reaction forces disclosed substantially improved accuracy when utilizing the novel inhomogeneous approach instead of conventional homogeneous approaches. Furthermore, the variability observed in the structural response of loaded parts could be reproduced by the stochastic simulations.     

Perceptions of psychiatry residents and non-residents on training needs and care related to patients with intellectual disability and mental health problems: A study from Singapore

Background: People with intellectual disability (ID) have higher risk of mental morbidity and specialised training may be required in their management. We explored the training needs and knowledge as well as perceptions of care of such patients among residents and non-residents working in psychiatry.

Method: The study was conducted as an anonymous survey. Questionnaires were sent to all residents and non-residents at a large psychiatric hospital in Singapore.

Results: Forty-eight out of the 76 questionnaires sent out were returned. All participants responded that postgraduate training was required in the area of ID and mental health and according to the majority, available training was inadequate. Over 90% believed that people with ID were vulnerable to exploitation and they should be under a specialist team.

Conclusion: Efforts should be made to include specialist training in psychiatry of ID in the Singapore psychiatry curriculum to enhance the knowledge and expertise of psychiatrists in this field.     

基于超分子“印迹模板”理论探讨中药升降浮沉

在前期提出超分子化学对中药四性理论特殊影响的基础上,进一步分析中药升降浮沉的历史沿革、研究概况,并运用超分子"印迹模板"理论对中药"升降浮沉"理论进行解析,提出对中药"升降浮沉"的评价方法。人体与中药均是印迹模板印迹作用的聚集体,在印迹模板作用规律下,不同类型的中药成分与人体的靶点通过"锁-钥"关系以非共价键结合,中药客体超分子通过键的作用可纠正人体主体超分子在自识别、自组织、自组装、自复制过程时发生的寒热、气机失调。人体具备抵抗外界病邪侵袭的能力,有赖于其气机"升降出入"的正常;中药具有"升降浮沉"的性能并能祛除病疾,有赖于其能调整人体气机紊乱,或顺应气机、祛邪外出以增强机体免疫的能力。基于此,在分析中药"升降浮沉"药理作用的基础上,探究其物质基础,并建立中药"升降浮沉"的评价方法,通过超分子印迹模板理论对中药升降浮沉进行剖析,揭示其科学内涵,推动中药药性理论不断创新。     

Individual support planning with people with ID in The Netherlands: Official requirements and stakeholders’ expectations

IntroductionIndividualized support planning (ISP) has become a key aspect of supports for people with ID and is mandated in several countries. Different stakeholders develop policies and expectations regarding ISP. In this study, we report on requirements as found in Dutch official ID policy and on the results of consultations of panels of stakeholders and experts working in the field of ID. It was intended to describe, summarize and discuss these requirements for the purpose of enhancing ISP practices.MethodA combination of desk research of policy documents and consultation of two expert panels was performed.ResultsA variety of criteria on content, procedures, quality and person-centeredness of ISP is being used by different stakeholders. These criteria were described and summarized.DiscussionThe broad range of inconsistent requirements and sometimes conflicting expectations from different stakeholders hamper a clear conceptualization of ISP and affect the use of ISP in practice.     

A new concept of the contraction–extension property of the left ventricular myocardium

ObjectivesUsing newly developed ultrasonic technology, we attempted to disclose the characteristics of the left ventricular (LV) contraction–extension (C–E) property, which has an important relationship to LV function.MethodsStrain rate (SR) distribution within the posterior wall and interventricular septum was microscopically measured with a high accuracy of 821 μm in spatial resolution by using the phase difference tracking method. The subjects were 10 healthy men (aged 30–50 years).ResultsThe time course of the SR distribution disclosed the characteristic C–E property, i.e. the contraction started from the apex and propagated toward the base on one hand, and from the epicardial side toward the endocardial side on the other hand. Therefore, the contraction of one area and the extension of another area simultaneously appeared through nearly the whole cardiac cycle, with the contracting part positively extending the latter part and vice versa. The time course of these propagations gave rise to the peristalsis and the bellows action of the LV wall, and both contributed to effective LV function.The LV contraction started coinciding in time with the P wave of the electrocardiogram, and the cardiac cycle was composed of 4 phases, including 2 types of transitional phase, as well as the ejection phase and slow filling phase. The sum of the measurement time duration of either the contraction or the extension process occupied nearly equal duration in normal conditions.ConclusionThe newly developed ultrasonic technology revealed that the SR distribution was important in evaluating the C–E property of the LV myocardium. The harmonious succession of the 4 cardiac phases newly identified seemed to be helpful in understanding the mechanism to keep long-lasting pump function of the LV.     

The acquisition of contextual cueing effects by persons with and without intellectual disability

Two experiments were conducted to compare the acquisition of contextual cueing effects of adolescents and young adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) relative to typically developing children and young adults. Contextual cueing reflects an implicit, memory based attention guidance mechanism that results in faster search for target locations that have been previously experienced in a predictable context. In the study, participants located a target stimulus embedded in a context of numerous distracter stimuli. During a learning phase, the location of the target was predictable from the location of the distracters in the search displays. We then compared response times to locating predictable relative to unpredictable targets presented in a test phase. In Experiment 1, all of the distracters predicted the location of the target. In Experiment 2, half of the distracters predicted the location of the target while the other half varied randomly. The participants with ID exhibited significant contextual facilitation in both experiments, with the magnitude of facilitation being similar to that of the typically developing (TD) children and adults. We concluded that deficiencies in contextual cueing are not necessarily associated with low measured intelligence that results in a classification of ID.     

Using the sis to better align the funding of residential services to assessed support needs

Resource allocation in social services has become an issue of the utmost importance, especially in these times in which budgets are tight. The aim of this study is to explore whether the SIS allows for the identification of groups of individuals presenting ID with different needs for support living in residential services in Catalonia, Spain, and if so whether or not a more efficient and fairer system of funding could be considered in comparison with the ICAP. The results show that the six categories of need for support resulting from this study could form the basis for better alignment the funding for those who live in this type of residence according to their assessed support needs.