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Article
Publication date: 1 February 2007

Tony Butler, Stephen Allnutt and Baohui Yang

Our objective was to compare the physical health status of adult prisoners with and without a mental illness. Mental illness was diagnosed in a sample of 557 Australian prisoners…

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Abstract

Our objective was to compare the physical health status of adult prisoners with and without a mental illness. Mental illness was diagnosed in a sample of 557 Australian prisoners using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Physical health measures included self‐reported chronic health conditions, recent health complaints and symptoms, self‐assessed health using the Short‐Form 36 Health Survey (SF‐36), and markers of infectious diseases known to be highly prevalent among prisoner populations (hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C). Men and women with a mental illness had lower scores on the SF‐36 compared with those without a mental illness indicating poor overall health. Adjusting for age and sex, a diagnosis of any mental illness (symptoms of psychosis, anxiety or affective disorder) was positively associated with a history of head injury, back problems, asthma, peptic ulcers, cancer, and epilepsy/seizures. There was a significant association between post traumatic stress disorder and asthma, a history of head injury, peptic ulcers, and cancer. There was no significant difference in the proportion of current tobacco smokers in the mentally ill and nonmentally ill groups (81% vs. 77%, p = 0.33). However, those with a mental illness were less likely than those with no diagnosis to exercise in the past 4 weeks (79% vs. 89%, p = 0.002). Mentally ill prisoners also have significant physical co‐morbidity compared with the non‐mentally ill. These findings suggest that those providing mental health services to prisoners should adopt a holistic approach embracing both mental and physical health.

Details

International Journal of Prisoner Health, vol. 3 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-9200

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 March 2018

Jiangping Yuan, Ming Zhu, Baohui Xu and Guangxue Chen

The purpose of this paper is provide a broad view for the standardization efforts of color quality evaluation of color 3D printing techniques. Further, this review paper…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is provide a broad view for the standardization efforts of color quality evaluation of color 3D printing techniques. Further, this review paper demonstrates the processes and color properties of most color 3D printing techniques with specific devices and applications to extend the range of possible memberships of standardization group.

Design/methodology/approach

Six color 3D printing techniques including plastic-based, paper-based, powder-based, organism-based, food-based and metal-based color 3D printing have been introduced and illustrated with colorization principles and forming features in detail. Moreover, for printed 3D color objects, literature about color measurement, color specification and color reproduction are described and analyzed, respectively.

Findings

Four color 3D printing techniques including plastic-based, paper-based, powder-based and food-based color 3D printing show great affinity toward standardization of color quality evaluation, while their colorization principles indicate that it is difficult with a single standard frame. It is possible to develop a completed color quality evaluation standard for color 3D printing based on approaches in color 2D printing when color measurement method and devices are standardized together.

Originality/value

The paper provides an important guide focusing on the efforts to standardize the colorization processes and color quality evaluation of the color 3D printing techniques.

Article
Publication date: 5 September 2016

Hongbo Cai and Yuanyuan Song

The purpose of this paper is to apply an analysis of complex networks to empirically research international agricultural commodity trade and countries’ trading relations. The…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to apply an analysis of complex networks to empirically research international agricultural commodity trade and countries’ trading relations. The structure of global agricultural commodity trade is quantitatively described and analysed.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on statistical physics and graph theory, the research paradigm of a complex network, which has sprung up in the last decade, provides us with new global perspective to discuss the topic of international trade, especially agricultural commodity trade. In this paper, the authors engage in the issue of countries’ positions in international agricultural commodity trade using the latest complex network theories. The authors at first time introduce the improved bootstrap percolation to simulate cascading influences following the breaking down of bilateral agricultural commodity trade relations.

Findings

On a mid-level structure, countries are classified into three communities that reflect the structure of the “core/periphery” using the weighted extremal optimisation algorithm and the coarse graining process. On a micro-level, countries’ rankings are provided with the aid of network’s node centralities, which presents world agricultural commodity trade as a closed, imbalanced, diversified and multi-polar development.

Originality/value

The authors at first time introduce the improved bootstrap percolation to simulate cascading influences following the breaking down of bilateral agricultural commodity trade relations.

Details

China Agricultural Economic Review, vol. 8 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-137X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 July 2019

Yuzhen Zhao, Wei Liu, Qing Guo and Zijun Zhang

The purpose of this paper is to study the resonance failure sensitivity analysis of straight-tapered assembled pipe conveying nonuniform axial fluid by an active learning Kriging…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the resonance failure sensitivity analysis of straight-tapered assembled pipe conveying nonuniform axial fluid by an active learning Kriging (ALK) method.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, first, the motion equation of straight-tapered assembled pipe conveying nonuniform fluid is built. Second, the Galerkin method is used for calculating the natural frequency of assembled pipe conveying nonuniform fluid. Third, the ALK method based on expected risk function (ERF) is used to calculate the resonance failure probability and moment independent global sensitivity analysis.

Findings

The findings of this paper highlight that the eigenfrequency and critical velocity of uniform fluid-conveying pipe are less than the reality and the error is biggest in first-order natural frequency. The importance ranking of input variables affecting the resonance failure can be obtained. The importance ranking is different for a different velocity and mode number. By reducing the uncertainty of variables with a high index, the resonance failure probability can be reduced maximally.

Research limitations/implications

There are no experiments on the eigenfrequency and critical velocity. There is no experiments about natural frequency and critical velocity of straight tapered assembled pipe to verify the theory in this paper.

Originality/value

The originality of this paper lies as follows: the motion equation of straight-tapered pipe conveying nonuniform fluid is first obtained. The eigenfrequency of nonuniform fluid and uniform fluid inside the assembled pipe are compared. The resonance reliability analysis of straight-tapered assembled pipe is first proposed. From the results, it is observed that the resonance failure probability can be reduced efficiently.

Details

Multidiscipline Modeling in Materials and Structures, vol. 15 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1573-6105

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 August 2019

U.C. Moharana, S.P. Sarmah and Pradeep Kumar Rathore

The purpose of this paper is to suggest a framework for extracting the sequential patterns of maintenance activities and related spare parts information from historical records of…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to suggest a framework for extracting the sequential patterns of maintenance activities and related spare parts information from historical records of maintenance data with pre-defined support or threshold values.

Design/methodology/approach

A data mining approach has been adopted for predicting the maintenance activity along with spare parts. It starts with a collection of spare parts and maintenance data, and then the development of sequential patterns followed by formation of frequent spare part groups, and finally, integration of sequential maintenance activities with the associated spare parts.

Findings

This study suggests a framework for extracting the sequential patterns of maintenance activities from historical records of maintenance data with pre-defined support or threshold values. A rule-based approach is proposed in this paper to predict the occurrence of next maintenance activity along with the information of spare parts consumption for that maintenance activity.

Research limitations/implications

Presented model can be extended for analyzing the failure maintenance activities and performing root cause analysis that can give more valuable suggestion to maintenance managers to take corrective actions prior to next occurrence of failures. In addition, the timestamp information can be utilized to prioritize the maintenance activity that is ignored in this study.

Practical implications

The proposed model has a high potential for industrial applications and is validated through a case study. The study suggests that the model gives a better approach for selecting spare parts based on their similarity or correlation, considering their actual occurrence during maintenance activities. Apart from this, the clustering of spare parts also trains maintenance manager to learn about the dependency among the spares for group stocking and maintaining the parts availability during maintenance activities.

Originality/value

This study has used the technique of data mining to find dependent spare parts itemset from the database of the company and developed the model for associated spare parts requirement for subsequent maintenance activity.

Details

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 30 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-038X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 November 2020

He Li

Economic statecraft is a critical aspect of China’s foreign policy and has played a vital role in China’s relations with its Asian neighbors. The Chinese economic ties with Asia…

Abstract

Purpose

Economic statecraft is a critical aspect of China’s foreign policy and has played a vital role in China’s relations with its Asian neighbors. The Chinese economic ties with Asia are significant not only because China is the second largest economy in today’s world but also because it has an important impact on regional economic co‐operation and international supply chains. Relentless growth in military buildup and more assertive foreign policy led many pundits to focus almost exclusively on political and military aspects of the Chinese grand strategy in Asia. The purpose of this study is to re‐examine this picture by studying China’s economic statecraft in the region.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper will address following research questions: How does the Chinese foreign economic policy serve its political aspirations in East Asia? Why has China increasingly relied on a combination of economic pressures and incentives to achieve its foreign policy objectives? How effective is China’s economic diplomacy as a strategic weapon? What are the limitations of such policy? What challenges does Beijing face in exercising its economic power in East Asia?

Findings

Beijing has a comprehensive, long-term grand strategy in Asia, and economic statecraft is a major component of it. Economic statecraft is a double-edged sword. It has given the People’s Republic of China more political influence but frictions and disputes between China and its trading partners are growing as well. Even with the slower growth of the Chinese economy, China will continue to be a game changer for the region. The economic diplomacy has long been part of the foreign policy toolkit used by the People’s Republic of China and will play more important role in the years to come.

Research limitations/implications

Thus far, China’s expanding economic ties with many countries in the world have not generated significant spillover effects. Although China is the dominant economic partner for every country in East Asia, its “soft power” remains to be weak. With the slower growth of the Chinese economy, another looming issue is whether China is going to be able to make a shift away from a trade- and export-led growth model that brought its dramatic economic success. All these could lead China’s economic statecraft less potent. Meanwhile, it should be noted that Asian economies that once relied on the USA are reaching a turning point as China comes to the fore, a trend that may challenge the existing international order. Should this momentum continue, it could alter the balance of power between Washington and Beijing in the region.

Practical implications

For Beijing, economic statecraft concerns both the economic dimension of foreign policy and the strategic dimension of economic policy. Although there is a growing literature on China’s soft power and military capabilities, the study of the economic dimensions of China’s foreign policy remains underdeveloped. With rising confidence and sophistication, Beijing has deployed economic resources to achieve geopolitical aims.

Originality/value

Needless to say, China’s economic statecraft has already triggered heated debate in the United States, Asia and elsewhere in the international community. However, the study of the Chinese economic diplomacy has received relatively little scholarly attention in the English-speaking world. This paper will fill a gap in the analysis and literature.

Details

Social Transformations in Chinese Societies, vol. 16 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1871-2673

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 March 2018

Justin Fendos

The first indication that traditional lecture-style teaching is not very effective was provided by Dr Donald Bligh in the 1980s and 1990s. As empirical evidence about this fact…

Abstract

Purpose

The first indication that traditional lecture-style teaching is not very effective was provided by Dr Donald Bligh in the 1980s and 1990s. As empirical evidence about this fact has continued to accumulate, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education in the USA has undergone a significant change in emphasis away from lecture-based approaches in favor of systems emphasizing more interactive learning. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

A wide range of experimental research has employed the principles of scientific teaching to investigate the efficacy of an ever widening range of pedagogical methods. For STEM education, the most successful of these has been active learning.

Findings

At its core, active learning is a redesign of in-class activities to maximize interactivity and feedback through facilitated problem-solving environments. Although the efficacies of both scientific teaching and active learning have been verified in a wide range of empirical works, the dissemination of these platforms, in general, teaching has been slow, even in the USA.

Research limitations/implications

The first significant impediment has been an overall lack of awareness coupled with general skepticism about alternative learning methods.

Practical implications

This paper first reviews the education literature behind scientific teaching and active learning before reviewing some of the challenges to their implementation on an institutional level.

Social implications

These challenges and known solutions are then applied to the European and East Asian contexts to examine why scientific teaching and active learning remain predominantly an American phenomenon.

Originality/value

For East Asian countries, the authors offer a commentary on how certain aspects of Confucian classroom culture may interact negatively with efforts to install scientific teaching and active learning systems.

Details

International Journal of Comparative Education and Development, vol. 20 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2396-7404

Keywords

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