422 research outputs found

    Innovative Design of External Airbag System for Improved Automotive Safety

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    © 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives CC BY-NC-ND licence, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Pedestrians are exceptionally vulnerable in road accidents, and despite the advancements in airbag technology for vehicle occupants, fatal injuries still occur due to contact between pedestrians and vehicle components. To address this issue, an innovative solution is introduced in this research: an external airbag system designed to safeguard pedestrians in cases of brake failure. The proposed system includes four airbag modules strategically positioned within the front bumper of the vehicle. These modules are specifically designed to deploy during a collision, providing protection for the pedestrian's head, legs, and body. Equipped with a highly sensitive sensor, the system triggers the airbag electronic controller unit (ECU) upon collision detection. The external airbag curtains deploy, shielding the pedestrian's head from striking the bonnet, while an additional airbag safeguards the pedestrian's legs from impact with the front bumper. With the introduction of this innovative external airbag system, the main goal is to significantly improve road safety for all individuals and prevent numerous fatalities. The introduction of the innovative external airbag system marks a significant advancement in pedestrian safety within the realm of road accidents. By strategically positioning four airbag modules within the vehicle's front bumper and equipping them with a highly sensitive sensor, this system effectively deploys during collisions to protect pedestrians' heads, legs, and bodies. The deployment of external airbag curtains shields pedestrians' heads from striking the bonnet, while an additional airbag safeguards their legs from impact with the front bumper. Through this research and implementation, the primary objective is to enhance road safety for all individuals and mitigate the occurrence of numerous fatalities resulting from pedestrian-vehicle collisions.Peer reviewe

    The Flexi Planar Fuel Cell

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    The Flexi Planar fuel cell is a new type of lightweight polymer electrolyte fuel cell design. The approach utilises standard, reliable and low cost printed circuit board fabrication processes. An iterative approach is adopted and feasibility along with excellent test characteristics for short modules have been successfully demonstrated

    Regulations, Economic Freedom and Bank Performance: Evidence from the EU-10 Economies

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    Cost inefficiency scores for banks in ten new EU member countries of Central and Eastern Europe are estimated using a parametric approach (stochastic frontier analysis) for the period prior to and immediately following their accession (2000-2010). These are then employed in both static and dynamic panels to estimate the impact of regulation on bank specific inefficiency in the transition economies. Using the Fraser Index of Economic Freedom (Gwartney et. al, 2012) we find that, among all the indices of economic freedom, the composite regulation index that includes regulation in credit, labour and business is the one that has more importance for the banking sector as it exerts a negative and statistically significant impact on bank inefficiency. By decomposing the regulation index, into its three components (credit, business and labour regulation) we find that strict labour regulation is associated with higher bank inefficiency while certain aspect of credit regulation such as foreign ownership and competition as well as private ownership are significantly associated with decreased bank inefficiency. The dynamic panel-VAR results using impulse response functions and variance decomposition support the validity of these results further. These results are valuable for both academics and policy makers in their attempts to understand what could drive bank inefficiency

    The party politics of Euroscepticism in times of crisis: the case of Greece

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    This article traces the trajectory of party Euroscepticism in Greece drawing upon theories of issue competition. It demonstrates that the economic dimension of the multiple crises facing the EU contributed to a Eurosceptic shift in public opinion; the electoral success of Eurosceptic parties; new parties populating the Europhile end of the spectrum; and the formation of a coalition government united not by ideological affinity but by a common Eurosceptic and anti-austerity agenda. Mainstream parties maintained their pro-EU agendas and challenger parties offered both pro- and anti-EU policy options to the electorate. The prospect of power resulted in the progressive softening of Euroscepticism among challenger parties. EU issue salience was relatively high across the party system and remained so during the crisis. Although Greek parties justified their pro- and anti-EU attitudes using a number of frames, economic arguments were prevalent at the height of the crisis, and challenger parties of the left intensified their claims of the EU interfering in national politics. The findings have implications for our understanding of the evolving nature of Euroscepticism and the ways in which it may feature in domestic party politics

    Dual energy subtraction method for breast calcification imaging

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    The aim of this work was to present an experimental dual energy (DE) method for the visualization of microcalcifications (μCsμCs). A modified radiographic X-ray tube combined with a high resolution complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) active pixel sensor (APS) X-ray detector was used. A 40/70 kV spectral combination was filtered with 100 μmμm cadmium (Cd) and 1000 μmμm copper (Cu) for the low/high-energy combination. Homogenous and inhomogeneous breast phantoms and two calcification phantoms were constructed with various calcification thicknesses, ranging from 16 to 152 μmμm. Contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) was calculated from the DE subtracted images for various entrance surface doses. A calcification thickness of 152 μmμm was visible, with mean glandular doses (MGD) in the acceptable levels (below 3 mGy). Additional post-processing on the DE images of the inhomogeneous breast phantom resulted in a minimum visible calcification thickness of 93 μmμm (MGD=1.62 mGy). The proposed DE method could potentially improve calcification visibility in DE breast calcification imaging

    PALAEOSEISMOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE GYRTONI FAULT (THESSALY, CENTRAL GREECE)

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    Two paleoseismological trenches were excavated across the Gyrtoni Fault in NE Thessaly and studied in order to understand the recent seismotectonic behavior of this structure. Twenty five fluvial-colluvial sediment and pottery samples from both the upthrown and the downthrown fault blocks were investigated. Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating has been applied to date both sedimentary depositspalaeosoils and pottery fragments. Paleoseismological analysis of the two trenches indicates evidence of three surface faulting events in the time span between 1.42 ±0.06 ka and 5.59 ± 0.13 ka. The observed vertical displacement per event of ~0.50 m corresponds to an Mw 6.5 ± 0.1 earthquake. An average fault slip rate of 0.41 ± 0.01 mm/yr and an average recurrence of 1.39 ± 0.14 ka for earthquakes were estimated. The results documented the activity of the fault and since the return period from the most recent event (minimum age 1.42 ± 0.06 ka) has expired, the possibility for reactivation of this active structure in the near future should be included in Seismic Hazard Assessment

    'Glocal' disorder: causes, conduct and consequences of the 2008 Greek unrest

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    This article examines the unrest that emanated in Athens and rolled out across Greek cities in December 2008 as a case through which to advance understanding of how local, national and international arenas may together shape localised episodes of disorder. We begin by addressing the proximate and structural causes of the unrest, before turning to explore the multifarious character of protest actions, including novel and derivative forms of contestation deployed by protestors, and public debate about the appropriate apportioning of blame amongst the variety of actors involved. Finally, we look at the diverse outcomes of the unrest and their impact upon extant socio-political tensions. For each stage of the lifecycle of the unrest, we evaluate the relevance of international actors, practices and discourses. Our analysis of the Greek unrest of 2008 suggests, first, that the array of intersections between global, national and local dimensions of unrest are more diverse than has heretofore been recognised by pertinent scholarship; and second, that international or transnational factors may play a significant role in the emergence, conduct and consequences of disorder even in instances where national and local dynamics remain predominant
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