The printing of pastes (solder pastes and isotropic conductive adhesives) through very small stencil apertures required for flip-chip pitch sizes is expected to result in increased stencil clogging and incomplete transfer of paste to the printed circuit board pads. There is wide agreement in industry that the paste printing process accounts for the majority of assembly defects, and most defects originate from poor understanding of the effect of printing process parameters on printing performance. The paste printing process depends on conditions such as good paste roll, complete aperture filling and paste withdrawal. The paste rheology is important in the printing process because the viscosity of the paste must be low enough for the squeegee to force the paste through the stencil apertures, but high enough to recover to its required shape and not flow beyond its stencilled area. The rheological measurements can be used as a tool to study the deformation or flow experienced by the pastes during the stencil printing process. Rheological measurements for pastes are understood through parameters such as viscosity, storage modulus (G'), loss modulus (G") and are measured through flow curves such as shear stress vs. strain, creep-recovery and visco-elastic (oscillation) tests. The main objective in studying the rheology of pastes is to understand and anticipate the forces needed to cause deformation and flow during solder paste printing process, such as paste roll, aperture filling and emptying. The paper focuses on the extent that the oscillatory stress sweep can be used to study the solid characteristic and cohesiveness of the paste materials formulated specifically for flip chip assembly. The pastes will have viscous (fluid) and elastic (solid) like components. These properties changes whilst the paste experiences changes in the applied stress/strain. The oscillatory test can characterise the paste's visco-elastic behaviour and is used to understand the changes occurring in its structure during the stencil printing processes. In the test an increasing sinusoidal stress is applied to the sample and the measured parameters are the storage modulus (G') and loss modulus (G"), which are indicators for elastic and viscous properties respectively. The oscillation stress sweep can also identify the material's linear visco-elastic region (LVR). The LVR can be defined as the region, in stress or strain, where the material's structure is undisturbed, i.e. where G' and G" are unaffected by changes in stress/strain. Beyond this region can be identified as the point where the material's structure begins to break down. The results from the study show that the linear visco-elastic region for the pastes lies in a very small stress range. In addition, the stress at G'=G" can be used as an indicator of the paste cohesiveness. The oscillatory stress test can be used to study the structure of various paste formulations design for flip chip assembly.


This volume collects for the first time in English the most representative and enlightening of Prokofiev's letters, including some previously suppressed missives that have never before been published. Expertly translated and annotated by Harlow Robinson, the correspondence presented here covers Prokofiev's earliest years at St. Petersburg Conservatory, his extensive worldwide travels, and his return to Moscow. Among the correspondents are childhood friend Vera Alpers, harpist Eleonora Damskaya, ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev, theatrical director Vsevolod Meyerhold, Soviet critic Boris Asafiev, composers Vernon Duke and Nikolai Miaskovsky, soprano Nina Koshetz, musicologist Nicolas Slonimsky, violinist Jascha Heifetz, conductor Serge Koussevitsky, and film director Sergei Eisenstein. Prokofiev vividly describes, often with dramatic flair and a quirky sense of humor, concerts, performances, his compositions, political events, and meetings with other musicians and composers. His observations are peppered with musical gossip as well as eccentric, original, and disarmingly apolitical insights.


Background: Bone marrow edema syndrome (BMOS) is a phenomenon primarily affecting the lower extremity. It is characterized by a sudden onset of pain and an ill-defined osseous hyperintense signal in magnetic resonance imaging. The main cause of BMOS is still largely unknown. Its pathophysiology is presumably multifactorial and it has recently been demonstrated that it usually involves an increase in bone turnover and alterations within the bone microenvironment. Vitamin D plays a pivotal role in maintaining a healthy and well-balanced bone microenvironment. However, to date only limited information has been reported on vitamin D status in patients with BMOS. Moreover, it is still uncertain whether hypovitaminosis D is associated with the etiology and course of the disease. For this reason, the aim of this study was to determine serum vitamin D levels (25(OH)D) of patients diagnosed with BMOS of the foot and ankle. Methods: Patients were identified and laboratory results collected by retrospective review of the medical records between year 2011 and 2015. Diagnosis was based on clinical examination, the existence of prolonged foot pain, the presence of abnormal bone marrow signal intensity in T1- and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, and the patient's medical history. All patients who demonstrated other concomitant diagnoses were excluded from the study. Results: Overall, 31 patients were affected by BMOS with a mean age of 44.4 (range, 18-76) years. Notably, 84% of patients (26/31) had low vitamin D levels with a mean 25(OH)D level of 19.03 ng/mL. Specifically, 61% of patients (19/31) were vitamin D deficient, 23% (7/31) vitamin D insufficient, and only 5 patients (16%) had sufficient vitamin D levels. Statistical analysis showed no significant difference comparing vitamin D levels with patient age, sex, and time of diagnosis. Moreover, there was no correlation between vitamin D status and the number of bony foci or location of BMOS. Conclusion: We found a widespread rate of vitamin D deficiency in patients presenting with BMOS of the foot and ankle. Comparing these data to the vitamin D status of the general population in Germany and to patients living in comparable latitudes, this raises the possibility that BMOS might be associated with low vitamin D status. Level of Evidence: Level IV, retrospective case series.


Fanconi anemia is a cancer-prone inherited bone marrow failure and cancer susceptibility syndrome with at least 13 complementation groups (FANCA, FANCB, FANCC, FANCD1, FANCD2, FANCE, FANCF, FANCG, FANCI, FANCJ, FANCL, FANCM, and FANCN). Our laboratory has previously described several regulatory phosphorylation events for core complex member proteins FANCG and FANCA by phosphorylation. In this study, we report a novel phosphorylation site serine 331 (S331) of FANCD2, the pivotal downstream player of the Fanconi anemia pathway. Phosphorylation of S331 is important for its DNA damage-inducible monoubiquitylation, resistance to DNA cross-linkers, and in vivo interaction with FANCD1/BRCA2. A phosphomimetic mutation at S331 restores all of these phenotypes to wild-type. In vitro and in vivo experiments show that phosphorylation of S331 is mediated by CHK1, the S-phase checkpoint kinase implicated in the Fanconi anemia DNA repair pathway.


The electronic properties of the benzene molecule, for example its quadrupole moment and the electric field gradients (EFG's) at the H nuclei, are of fundamental importance in theoretical and experimental chemistry. With this in mind, single-crystal X-ray diffraction data on C(6)H(6) were collected with a charge-coupled device detector at T approximately 110 K. As accurate modelling of the thermal motion in the crystal was regarded as vital, especially for the hydrogen atoms, anisotropic-displacement parameters (ADP's) for the C and H atoms in C(6)H(6) were derived in a straightforward fashion from analysis of the temperature dependence of ADP's for the C and D atoms in C(6)D(6) at 15 K and 123 K obtained by neutron diffraction. Agreement between C-atom ADP's derived from thermal-motion analysis of neutron data and those obtained from multipole refinement by using the X-ray data is extraordinarily good; this gives confidence in the modelling of vibrational motion for the H atoms. The molecular quadrupole moment derived from the total charge density of the molecule in the crystal is (-29.7+/-2.4)x10(-40) C m(2), in excellent agreement with measurements made in the gas phase and in solution. The average deuterium nuclear quadrupole coupling constant (DQCC) derived from EFG tensors at H atoms is 182+/-17 kHz, also in excellent agreement with independent measurements. The strategy employed in this work may be of more general applicability for future accurate electron density studies.


"Transformative change" has long been the rallying cry of those with a stake in human service provision. It has been the call of social movement activists seeking enhanced rights and voice. But it has also been the demand of policymakers seeking to redraw the relationship between state and citizen (shifting responsibility, promoting resilience, and changing citizen behavior). My focus in this chapter is on how these different demands intersect and on the labor at stake in managing the contradictions that arise, especially in conditions of retrenchment and austerity. I address such questions by drawing on the idea of "border work." The focus on actors working the borders of contemporary policy and politics challenges the concept of "transformation" as a kind of epochal change. It draws attention to the transformative processes of reimagination and reflexive practice on the part of those working for change.


Background: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) over expression has been identified as an important drug target for the treatment of many cancers. Trastuzumab (Herceptin, Genentech, CA, USA) is an anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody effective at inducing cell death in patients who overexpress this gene. The degree of HER2 expression is a determining factor in the decision to treat patients with trastuzumab. At Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, a dual probe fluorescent in situ hybridization is completed and the decision to treat is then made based on the results which are reported as a ratio of HER2 gene signals relative to those of chromosome 17 (CEP17). A patient may qualify for treatment by meeting the minimum threshold requirement of HER2 expression (HER2:CEP17 ratio ≥2 or if HER2:CEP17 ratio <2 and ≥6 HER2 signals/cell), while other patients may far surpass the minimum level. Trastuzumab contains a warning for possible cardiomyopathy associated with symptomatic and asymptomatic reductions in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). There has been no investigation as to whether the degree of HER2 expression is related to the patient's risk for developing trastuzumab-induced cardiotoxicity. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort review of patients having received trastuzumab within Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Health System in an effort to identify and describe the relationship between degree of HER2 expression and incidence of cardiotoxicity in patients receiving trastuzumab therapy. The primary objective of this study was to identify the correlation between HER2 receptor expression and cardiotoxicity in patients treated with trastuzumab. The secondary objectives were to identify the correlation between HER2 expression and absolute change in LVEF and time to cardiotoxicity in patients treated with trastuzumab. For the purposes of this study, cardiotoxicity was defined as a decrease in LVEF ≥ 16% from baseline or a LVEF <50% and ≥10% decrease from baseline. Change in global peak systolic longitudinal strain of ≥15%, grade ≥3 left ventricular systolic dysfunction as defined by the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v 4.03 (NCI CTCAE), or treatment discontinuation due to trastuzumab cardiotoxicity as determined by physician was also used to meet criteria for primary end point of cardiotoxicity. Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin IRB approved completion of this study. Results: There were 44 (34 non-metastatic and 10 metastatic) patients with cardiotoxicity event(s) and 11 deaths without cardiotoxicity (all metastatic patients) within 18 months of follow-up. Overall one-year incidence of cardiotoxicity was 14.2% [10.7%, 18.9%], with incidences of 13.6% [9.9%, 18.8%] in non-metastatic patients and 16.7% [9.1%, 30.5%] in metastatic patients. The median survival time (time at which half of all patients are expected to experience cardiotoxicity) was not reached within 18 months. There was no significant difference in survival from cardiotoxicity between HER2:CEP17 groups (<3, 3-6, 6-9, 9+) among non-metastatic patients (log-rank test p=0.72) or metastatic patients (log-rank test p=0.17). The HER2:CEP17 ratio (continuous) was not significantly associated with cardiotoxicity in non-metastatic patients (aHR 1.00 [0.94, 1.07], p=0.95) or metastatic patients (aHR 0.88 [0.72, 1.07], p=0.19) after adjusting for baseline age, comorbidities, radiation exposure, and anthracycline exposure. In the multiple regression analysis of non-metastatic patients, anthracycline exposure (aHR 2.73 [1.28, 5.81], p=0.009), baseline comorbidities (aHR 2.41 [1.14, 5.09], p=0.021), and younger age at first dose (aHR 0.95 [0.92, 0.98], p=0.002) were significantly associated with increased hazard of cardiotoxicity. There were 56 (47 non-metastatic and 9 metastatic) patients with LVEF reduction. Overall one-year incidence of LVEF reduction was 17.4% [13.5%, 22.3%], with incidences of 18.6% [14.2%, 24.4%] in non-metastatic patients and 12.3% [6.2%, 24.8%] in metastatic patients. The median time to LVEF reduction was not reached within 18 months. The HER2:CEP17 ratio (continuous) was not significantly associated with LVEF reduction in non-metastatic patients (aHR 1.02 [0.97, 1.07], p = 0.53) or metastatic patients (aHR 0.81 [0.62, 1.05], p = 0.12) after adjusting for age, baseline comorbid conditions, radiation exposure, and anthracycline exposure (Tables 1-3). Only anthracycline exposure was significantly associated with increased hazard of LVEF reduction (aHR 2.37 [1.27, 4.43], p = 0.007) in non-metastatic patients. Conclusion: Tumor cell HER2:CEP17 ratio does not predict incidence or time to onset of cardiotoxicity associated with trastuzumab.


Rubber tree plantations (Hevea brasiliensis) cover large areas in the tropics. In historical producing regions like South Thailand, rubber has been planted by smallholders for three successive rotations lasting a total of 75 years. Despite possible consequences on topsoil, the long‐term impacts of repeated rubber plantations on soil quality remain unknown. This study aims to better understand how various factors linked to long‐term rubber land use and land use change affect topsoil physico‐chemical properties and soil organic carbon (SOC) thermal stability. We focus on the effects of three factors: i. deforestation (change from forest to first rubber plantation); ii. the age of the rubber stand (immature vs. mature); and iii. long‐term rubber cultivation (first, second or third successive rotation) over a chronosequence in farmers plots. Our results show that soil was deeply degraded after deforestation to a rubber plantation. Long‐term rubber cultivation is also detrimental for the soil and has a more negative impact on soil physico‐chemical properties and carbon dynamics, than the age of the rubber stand (e.g., on average, decrease of 50% of SOC content between forest and third rotation). At the third rotation, after 50 years of rubber cultivation, the quality of the 0–10 cm soil layer was very low, with an increase in SOC thermal stability. At this stage, logging practices upset the sustainability of the system. These impacts could be limited by less destructive practices during planting.


Across the globe, academic staff members of accredited tertiary education institutions are expected to perform tasks pertaining to teaching and learning, research, and community engagement. Particularly in a South African dispensation, research shows that many accredited tertiary education institutions' academic staff members have excessive teaching and learning workloads which, in turn, adversely affect their research productivity – their abilities to publish research outputs (e.g. articles, conference papers, and books). It should be noted that for every accredited research output produced by a South African accredited tertiary education institution, it is entitled to subsidy income from the Department of Higher Education and Training. Regardless of the foregoing, there is a reported decline in research productivity of South African accredited tertiary education institution academic staff members. As such, for this study, the phenomenon of Research Collaboration and Networking (RECON) was explored as an intervention to overcome this problem. Empirical research was conducted through means of mixed-method research from where data were collected from a RECON group attached to the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences at an accredited South African tertiary education institution. Stemming from the results, RECON appeared to have a positive influence on the research productivity of sampled academics; alluding to the recommendation that dedicated time should be allocated for RECON-related tasks on individual teaching and learning timetables of South African accredited tertiary education institutions' academic staff.


The development of modern industry and the system of factory work, together with a large migration of people across oceans and continents, especially during the nineteenth and early twentieth century, has led to major changes in the way people work and do business. The economy shifted from agriculture and family cooperatives to the urban, the industrial organization. The impact of these changes on individuals, professionals, families, communities and the environment, as well as the rise of a new class of wealthy business leaders, but also new areas of poverty, have led to increased reporting of ethical debate. At the same time, if someone has a clear interest in a given company, then to its employees, whose lives and professional careers closely associated with it. Business ethics pays attention to employees (including employees of the management) in several ways. First, most of the ethical problems and crises that occur include operation and participation of employees. Ethical analysis of choice, communication, and behavior of employees occupying a significant part of business ethics. How can managers and owners treat the workers is another ethical issue of interest. Job security, compensation, safety, harassment, prejudice, and even the quality of work experience, are all aspects that are ethically important.


In an uncertain economic situation marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, economic growth is difficult to predict, people's purchasing power is falling, and many companies have collapsed. However, some small business actors can survive and thrive. They carry out various innovations, strategies, and actions according to the situation, including digital transformation. This study investigates the role of culinary sector entrepreneurial leaders in digital transformation and their impact on business success. The research uses a confirmatory survey method. Research objects are the leaders of small businesses in the culinary field in Bandung, Indonesia. The number of samples is 168 culinary entrepreneurs, and the samples are collected through snowball sampling. The results of the study show that entrepreneurial leadership has a positive effect on business success and corporate digital transformation. Digital transformation also has a positive influence on business success. Simultaneously, entrepreneurial leadership and digital transformation positively affect business success. The role of entrepreneurial leaders is not only in business success but also in dominant changes in company operations, such as the use of digital technology.


Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA

Background: The epidemic of childhood obesity poses substantial treatment challenges for the care of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Obesity at time of diagnosis of ALL is associated with worse survival as well as treatment-related morbidity. Inability to achieve a deep initial remission following Induction as evidenced by persistent MRD in the bone marrow is associated with poor survival and has thus become the predominant modern prognostic indicator. We therefore hypothesized that obesity at time of diagnosis of ALL is associated with MRD positivity at the end-of-Induction disease evaluation.

Methods: In a cohort of children 1 - 20 years old treated for B-precursor ALL (BP-ALL) at our institution from 2008 to 2013 on Children's Oncology Group (COG) treatment regimens, we examined MRD at end-of-Induction as determined by multidimensional flow cytometry. A threshold of 0.01% was used to determine MRD positive versus negative as per COG regimens. Overweight and obese categories were defined as 85-95th and ≥95th percentile for body mass index (BMI) according to the CDC population norms. Logistic regression analyses were performed controlling for age, gender, ethnicity/race, presence/absence of Down Syndrome (due to the high prevalence of obesity), National Cancer Institute (NCI) risk category, cytogenetic classification (standard, favorable, unfavorable, unknown), and CNS status at diagnosis. BMI was evaluated as both a continuous variable and also as per normal, overweight, obese categories.

Results: We identified 198 patients with BP-ALL and evaluable MRD, 119 with NCI SR-ALL and 79 with NCI HR-ALL. Of these, 55 (27.8%) had positive MRD at end-of-Induction [27 SR-ALL (22.7%), 28 HR-ALL (35.4%). In the obese group, 45.2% (19/42) were MRD+, compared to only 22.8% (29/127) of normal weight and 24.1% (7/29) of overweight patients. After controlling for above covariates, obese patients had a statistically significantly increased risk for MRD positivity at end-of-Induction [Odds Ratio (OR) 2.64, 95 percent Confidence Interval (95%CI) 1.13-6.19, p=0.025]. Similarly, each percentile increase in BMI significantly corresponded to an increased risk for MRD positivity (OR 1.08, 95%CI 1.00-1.17, p=0.046).

Conclusion: Obese children at diagnosis of BP-ALL are at significantly increased risk for persistent MRD in the bone marrow at end-of-Induction. With the established strong adverse association of persistent MRD with poorer survival, this implies that obesity adversely influences survival as early as this initial phase of treatment. Our results support the need for further research into mechanisms underlying this phenomenon and potential up-front strategies to improve efficiency of remission induction in this population.

Citation Format: Etan Orgel, Jonathan Tucci, Wassem Alhushki, David R. Freyer, Hisham Abdel-Azim, Steven D. Mittelman. Childhood obesity is associated with persistent minimal residual disease (MRD) following induction therapy for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2185. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2185


I am standing in a twilit underground lab looking at the most powerful car headlight in the world. Its source, a blue-laser diode, is 1000 times as bright as an LED but uses just two-thirds the energy. I had to surrender my passport to see it, for I'm at BMW's highly secure, steel-and-glass research mecca, the FIZ (for Forschungs- und Innovationszentrum, or Research and Innovation Center), an immense complex in Munich replete with workshops, clay modelers¿ "caves," and a vast wind tunnel.


Androgen-regulated gene expression is a highly coordinated dynamic process mediated by androgen receptor (AR) ligand binding and DNA binding, and by specific AR protein–protein interactions. The latter include DNA-binding domain (D-box) interactions in AR homodimers, and the interaction of the FQNLF motif in the AR N-terminal domain and the coactivator groove in the ligand-binding domain (N/C interaction). We have studied these interactions in AR homodimerization using quantitative imaging techniques. We found that the initial cytoplasmic intramolecular AR N/C interaction after ligand binding is followed by a D-box-dimerization-dependent transition to intermolecular N/C interaction in a proportion of nuclear ARs. The consecutive steps leading to homodimerization are initiated prior to DNA binding. Our data indicate the presence of nuclear pools of both AR homodimers and monomers. On the basis of AR-regulated reporter assays we propose specificity in regulation of gene expression by AR homodimers and monomers mediated by AR domain interactions. Moreover, our findings elucidate important steps in the spatiotemporal organization of AR intra- and inter-molecular interactions.


This paper is part of a multi-disciplinary research program on development and application of an integrated CO2 mineralization (ICM) framework for development of carbon mineralization as a CO2 mitigation solution. ICM is viewed as a three concentric layer system: technological, industrial integration, and decision-making. The search for viable ICM solutions in a given societal and economic context, which could be posed as an inverse design problem, begins with the identification and characterization of every system component. As an early writing on the development and applicability of the proposed ICM framework, this contribution focuses on ICM's inner technological layer. Several technological pathways, each one defined as a set of processing and transformation steps that connect a feedstock to a specific marketable product, can coexist within this layer. The paper addresses the characterization of one such technological pathway, whose cycle is divided into three successive blocks: feedstock, carbonation and valorization. The proposed concepts are illustrated through the valorization of ferronickel slag from New Caledonia as supplementary cementitious material or cement constituent, a case study that targets the production of "greener" construction materials. The data presented in the paper confirm the feasibility of characterizing the chosen ICM technological pathway, giving credit to the proposition that ICM can be approached as an inverse design problem. While exemplifying the significance of the characterization work necessary for one particular ICM technological pathway, the paper argues that development of ICM requires working on a scale considerably larger than that of standard mineral carbonation process research. Indeed, where grams of carbonated products are sufficient to investigate mineral carbonation processes, kilograms are mandatory to test and validate the use performance of final marketable products. Without precluding the merits of seeking innovative solutions, the authors argue that unit operations and transformation processes whose validity is proven at an industrial scale should be favored for timely development of viable ICM solutions.


Growth of any industries can be designated by the financial performance of indicators. It is true in the case of steel industry as well. The financial performance of any organization is influenced by several factors like capital structure, cost, revenue and the consequential profit margin. Financial performance of steel industry can be studied with many aspects like financial facts, financial ratios, financial health, financial strength and utilization of asset s, etc. The financial performance can be influenced by the operational and financial efficiency of the steel industry, which are related to cost and the revenue aspects. The best indicators of the financial performance are return on assets, sales, equity and other financial variables. Thus, the problem related to the financial performance of the steel industry is interlinked to many aspects like cost, revenue, capital, assets and other related variables. If the analysis made on all the aspects related to the steel industry gives a clear cut picture about the financial performance, it can be used for policy decisions for its future development. In this connection, the researcher has analyzed the performance of steel industry in India on the parameters such as profitability, utilization of assets, growth of performance, financial strength and capital structure. The researcher has also attempted to identify the nature of relationship between the various aspects of financial performance. Keyword : Small Tea Growers Satisfaction,Tea Growers Problems,Tea board promotion activities.


Beauty is an abstract construct. We all have our own ideas about what is and is not beautiful--a particular song or painting, a man or woman. Accurately describing what exactly "it" is that makes the song, painting or person beautiful, however, is a daunting task. In this article, we attempt to make the case that beauty and physical attractiveness is a serious matter. We begin with a discussion of the role of beauty in evolutionary theory. Next, we turn to theories of the physiology of beauty, which focus on physical characteristics such as pathogen resistance, averageness, physical symmetry, body ratios, and youthfulness. We then describe changes in the societal standards of beauty through a discussion of the relatively recent history of mass media images of beauty. We then use the psychological construct of body image to begin to understand the nature of beauty on an individual level. The article concludes with a discussion of the things that we do to make ourselves more beautiful.


Introduction Venous sinus Stenting (VSS) is an emerging treatment for patients with IIH. However, VSS is currently performed with stents designed for stenting atherosclerotic arterial stenosis. The River™ stent has been specifically designed for treating the stenosis of the transverse-sigmoid sinuses and has the following characteristics: easy navigability through the tortuosity of the sigmoid sinus; 7 cm long length to cover the venous sinuses from the torcula to the mid sigmoid segment; two zones of radial force to address the intrinsic stenosis at the sigmoid transverse junction (stiffer zone) and extrinsic stenosis of the mid transverse sinus (softer zone); and large open cells to adapt to the triangular shape of the venous sinus without occluding cortical veins. Methods The River trial is a single arm pivotal trial designed for HDE approval of the River™ stent (Serenity Medical Inc, Redwood City, CA). The trial will enroll 39 subjects in 7 clinical sites. Subjects must have proven IIH and >50% stenosis of the sigmoid-transverse sinus with pressure gradient >8 mm Hg. Subjects can be enrolled on visual criteria: visual field deficit from – 6 db to – 30 db resistant to medical therapy >2 weeks; or on headaches criteria: severe headaches defined by Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) >59 resistant to medical therapy >4 weeks. The patients need to be on dual antiplatelet therapy (aspirin and clopidogrel) for 3 months and aspirin monotherapy for 9 more months. The primary safety endpoint is the rate of major adverse event (any neurological complication plus need for any surgical procedure for IIH) at 12 months. The primary efficacy endpoint is a composite at 12 months of clinical improvement and absence of significant venous stenosis. Secondary endpoints at 12 months include opening pressure on lumbar puncture, individual ophthalmology endpoints, change in pulsatile tinnitus, change in medications, change in quality of life scores. Results Enrollment started in September 2018. Four sites are active at the time of submission of this abstract and three other sites are in the process of certification. Eleven subjects have been enrolled. In all 11 cases the catheterization with the River™ stent was extremely easy and the stent was deployed as expected. In two patients with severe stenosis from arachnoid granulation, post-stent angioplasty was performed. There was resolution of the trans-stenotic gradient in all cases. There was no stent-thrombosis. There was no impairment of flow in the cortical veins draining into the stented segment. There were no major neurological adverse events or device related complications. None of the enrolled patients reached the 12-month follow-up time point and therefore we cannot report on primary and secondary endpoints but an update of the trial with intermediate clinical results will be presented at the conference. Conclusion We provide early/interim results of the use of the River stent. This novel stent has been effective for the treatment of venous sinus stenosis without any short-term serious adverse events or device related complications. Disclosures A. Patsalides: None.


This study investigated the association between religious coping, mental health and the caring experience, as well as potential explanatory mechanisms, among 162 informal caregivers of terminally ill cancer patients. Regression analyses indicated that, controlling for socio-demographic variables, more use of positive religious coping strategies was associated with more burden, yet, also more satisfaction. In contrast, more use of negative religious coping strategies was related to more burden, poorer quality of life and less satisfaction, and correlated with an increased likelihood of Major Depressive Disorder and anxiety disorders. In a number of models, negative religious coping was related to outcomes through its relationship with social support, optimism and self-efficacy. Implications for research and healthcare are discussed.


Introduction : brucellosis is a highly contagious zoonosis with high morbidity in human. The objective of this study is to describe epidemiological and clinical aspects and therapeutic outcomes of brucellosis in an endemic region. Methods : retrospective study performed between 1996 and 2016 in the center of Tunisia in which adult patients with active brucellosis referred to the department of Infectious Diseases were chosen. Results : thirty one cases were included, the mean age was 41,8 years (5 to 83 years). A female predominance was observed (F: M sex ratio, 1,2). Of them, 74,2% were diagnosed as acute (n = 23) and 25,8% as sub-acute brucellosis (n = 8). Risk factors were consumption of unpasteurized milk and dairy products (n=29, 93,5%) and risky profession (n = 9, 29%). Among them, we noted eight farmers and one veterinary. Family history was positive for brucellosis in five cases (16,1%). The most common complaint was fever in 26 cases (84%). Spondylodiscitis was the most common form of presentation of sub-acute brucellosis (n = 2, 25%). The average time limit of consultation was 37,6 days (2-240 days) for acute brucellosis and 55,5 days (21-120 days) for sub-acute brucellosis. In all cases agglutination tests were positive. At enrolment, Wright test was positive in 30 cases (96,7%) with an average of 1833,6UI/ml (60-17220 UI/ml). Elevated liver enzymes was observed in 6 cases (19,3%) and leucopenia in 4 cases (13%). The C-reactive protein and sedimentation rate were evaluated with an average of 21,7 mg/l and 50 mm, respectively. Doxycyline and rifampicin combination during 6 weeks was the most preferred therapy protocol (61,3%). Relapse was detected in 2 cases. Conclusion : despite the efforts to reduce the incidence of brucellosis, it is still an important health problem in Tunisia. Early detection and prompt treatment can provide rapid recovery and prevent complication or sequels.


The article compares ethic parties in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. The author reconstructs the context in which ethnic parties were established, development of the organizations as well as their ideological profile. The second part of the article is devoted to the role that the parties played in the processes of inter-party competition, especially on the national level. Due to the fact that the parties in Latvia and Lithuania managed to obtain seats in the European Parliament, the article emphasizes their role in programming the interests of national minorities in Europe.


The Goncourt brothers are famous for their pithy misogynistic pronouncements on the subject of women. However, despite their reduction in the novels and the Journal of all feminine types to the one monstrous femme with which dix-neuviémistes are all too familiar, there does exist her opposite. The Goncourt brothers cite the years from the death of Louis XIV to the execution of Marie-Antoinette as the period in which France was the capital of wit and style, as the period in which French artists produced uniquely French art, and as the only period in which French women sublimely ruled French society and culture. The brothers' treatment of women becomes more fully meaningful, therefore, in terms of the Goncourts historical and aesthetic idealization of the eighteenth century, an idealization in which the nineteenth-century could only represent a fall from grace. (JF)


The problem of magnetostatic wave resonance in a partially magnetized ferrite slab is treated. The characteristic equation is derived and some numerical calculations are made to obtain the resonance behavior of the material when the saturation magnetization is a function of its length. Such structures may be used as variable energy trapping filters.


The nature of F-BrX-R interactions (with X = F, Cl, Br, I and R = -H, -F) has been investigated through theoretical calculation of molecular potential electrostatic (MEP), molecular polarizability, atoms in molecules (AIM) analysis and energetic decomposition analysis (EDA). A detailed analysis of the MEPs reveals that considering only the static electrostatic interactions is not sufficient to explain the nature of these interactions. The molecular polarizabilities of X-R molecules suggest that the deformation capacity of the electronic cloud of the lone pairs of the X atom plays an important role in the stability of these complexes. The topological analysis of the L(r) = -¼∇(2)ρ(r) function and the detailed analysis of the atomic quadrupole moments reveal that the BrX interactions are electrostatic in nature. The electron acceptor Br atom causes a polarization of the electronic cloud (electronic induction) on the valence shell of the X atom. Finally, the electrostatic forces and charge transfer play an important role not only in the stabilization of the complex, but also in the determination of the molecular geometry of equilibrium. The dispersive and polarization forces do not influence the equilibrium molecular geometry.


In the PbZrO3 crystals a transient phase does not exist spontaneously below Tc, although normal ferroelectric loops can be observed near Tc on both heating and cooling. A strong electric field causes the crystal to be permanently defected. Defects produced in this way are the reason for the appearance of a transient ferroelectric phase. In the virgin crystal, separation of point defects in an external DC electric field induces ferroelectric behaviour below Tc in the internal field of the crystal. It was found that for PbZrO3, Tc depends on sample thickness.


Deleterious and intact mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations frequently co-exist in cells (heteroplasmy). Such mutations likely survive and are inherited due to complementation via the intra-cellular mitochondrial network. Hence, we hypothesized that compromised mitochondrial fusion would hamper such complementation, thereby affecting heteroplasmy inheritance. To test this hypothesis, we assessed heteroplasmic patterns in three Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2A pedigrees, which carry a mutated mitofusin 2 (MFN2). We found reduced prevalence of a potentially functional mtDNA heteroplasmic mutation in these patients, as compared to healthy maternal relatives, while neutral heteroplasmic mutations fluctuated randomly. Secondly, we found that MFN2 dysfunction in a Caenorhabditis elegans model carrying a large heteroplasmic mtDNA deletion (ΔmtDNA) led to a severe developmental delay and embryonic lethality. Strikingly, these phenotypes were relieved during subsequent generations in association with complete ΔmtDNA removal. Such ΔmtDNA loss occurred during both gametogenesis and embryogenesis. Therefore, mitochondrial fusion is essential for inheritance of mtDNA heteroplasmy.


Asynchronous Very-Large-Scale-Integration (VLSI) has several potential benefits over its synchronous counterparts, such as reduced power consumption, elastic pipelining, and robustness to variations. However, the lack of electronic design automation (EDA) support for asynchronous circuits, especially physical layout automation tools, largely limits their adoption. To tackle this challenge, we propose a gridded cell layout methodology for asynchronous circuits, in which the cell height and cell width can be any integer multiple of two grid values. The gridded cell approach combines the shape regularity of standard cells with the size flexibility of custom design, and thus achieves a better space utilization ratio and lower wire-length for asynchronous designs. We present the algorithms and our implementation of Dali, a gridded cell placer, that consists of an analytical global placer, a forward-backward legalizer, an N/P-well legalizer, and a power grid router. We show that the gridded cell placement approach reduces area by 15% without impacting the routability of the design. We have also used Dali to tape out a chip in a 65nm process technology, demonstrating that our placer generates design-rule clean placement.


The author discusses the new tendencies of waiving human rights. In the article they are qualified as a new emerging institute of Human Rights Law. The definition of human rights waiver is discussed, as well as the necessity to give a legal regulation to it. The author presents the existing definitions of human rights waiver, but does not share any of them, particularly most of them define human rights waiver as not utilization of human rights, but the author calls this definition as a passive application of human rights, whilst waiver of human rights has its own content which is discussed in the article in details. Human rights waiver is discussed in the light of the co-relation of the right to autonomy and the principle of paternalism. The author presents some case law on waiver of human rights, which is very rare. Specifically, the author presents the case law of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. The legal positions of the mentioned bodies can serve as good criteria in dealing with human rights waiver. Particularly, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia held a decision dedicated to this issue and qualified waiver of human rights as an exception from the classical perception of human rights ideology. The author agrees with idea reflected in decision of the Constitutional Court concerning the correlation of human rights waiver and right to autonomy, according to which right to autonomy cannot be absolute and that absolute waiver of human rights can, in its turn, violate the human rights. In this context the author highlights the necessity of defining the limits of human rights waiver offering two important directions for discussion of this question; the scope of the rights which can and cannot be waived, the framework and criteria of a waiver of human rights.


Sometimes Premature hair greying occurs due to damage of physiological function of the body. The causes may be stress, inadequate nutrition, heart diseases, genetic trait, environmental pollution, smoking, and more use of hair colorant, gels and hair sprays. Premature greying can be reducing by using Amaranth Leaves. The use of lentils, spinach, vitamin B9 and copper rich food may avert hair greying. The presence of Nitrite in the urine signals the urinary tract infection. It may also link with blood in urine, cloudy urine, burning with urination, and strong-smelling urine. To specify the relation between urine nitrites and premature greying urine test was performed. We have collected almost 150 to 200 samples of urine from students. It was observed that only 41% female and 19% male having canities found positive nitrite in urine sample. While 29% female and 21% male having premature greying found negative nitrite in sample. This ratio correlates canities with presence of nitrite in urine.


Summary.

Ten species of lupins (Lupinus spp.) were tested for resistance to cucumber mosaic cucumovirus (CMV) in field experiments where inoculation was by naturally-occurring aphid vectors, and in the glasshouse by sap or graft-inoculation. L. albus and six species of 'rough-seeded' lupins did not become infected with CMV either under intense inoculum pressure in the field or when graft-inoculated. Two L. hispanicus, 17 L. luteus and four L. mutabilis genotypes became infected with CMV in the field, but no infection was detected in L. hispanicus P26858 or seven L. luteus genotypes. CMV was detected at seed transmission rates of 0.2–16% in seedlings of infected L. luteus, differences in levels of seed transmission between genotypes being significant and relatively stable from year to year. Graft-inoculation of CMV to plants of six genotypes of L. luteus in which no infection was found in the field induced a systemic necrotic reaction suggesting that the resistance they carry is due to hypersensitivity.

In L. hispanicus accessions P26849, P26853 and P26858, CMV sub-group II isolate SN caused necrotic spots in inoculated leaves without systemic movement, while sub-group I isolate SL infected them systemically without necrosis. Another sub-group I and two other sub-group II isolates behaved like SL in P26849 and P26853 but infected only inoculated leaves of P26858. This suggests that two strain specific hypersensitive resistance specificities are operating against CMV in L. hispanicus. When plants of L. luteus genotypes that gave hypersensitive reactions on graft-inoculation were inoculated with infective sap containing two sub-group I and seven sub-group II isolates, they all responded like L. hispanicus P26858. A strain group concept is proposed for CMV in lupins based on the two hypersensitive specificities found: strain group 1 represented by isolate SN which induces hypersensitivity with both specificities, strain group 2 represented by the three isolates which induced hypersensitivity only with the specificity present in L. luteus and L. hispanicus P26858, strain group 3 by as yet hypothetical isolates that induce hypersensitivity only in presence of the specificity in L. hispanicus P26849 and P26853 that responded just to isolate SN, and strain group 4 by isolate SL which overcomes both specificities. When F2 progeny plants from crosses between hypersensitive and susceptible L. luteus parents were inoculated with isolate SN, the resistance segregated with a 3:1 ratio (hypersensitive:susceptible), suggesting that a single dominant hypersensitivity gene, Ncm-1, is responsible. As gene Ncm-1 had broad specificity and was not overcome by any of the five CMV isolates from lupins tested, it is valuable for use in breeding CMV resistant L. luteus cultivars.


Ru(ii)-based photoactivated chemotherapy (PACT) agents are promising; however, their short wavelength absorption (generally <550 nm) and poor tumor accumulation ability limit their in vivo applications. Herein, bovine serum albumin (BSA) coated lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (NaYF4:Yb:Tm@NaYF4 (UCNPs)) were loaded with a Ru(ii) PACT agent, i.e. [Ru(dip)2(spc)]+ (dip = 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline; spc = 2-sulfonic acid pyridine-3-carboxylic acid). The resultant UCNP@BSA@Ru can transfer [Ru(dip)2(spc)]+ to tumor cells in vitro as well as tumor tissues in vivo highly efficiently and selectively owing to the targeting ability of BSA and the enhanced permeability and retention effect of the nanoparticles. The subsequent near infrared (NIR) light irradiation at 980 nm or visible light irradiation at 470 nm can initiate dissociation of the spc ligand, and the released Ru(ii) aqua compounds ([Ru(dip)2(H2O)2]2+) may exert a potent cytotoxicity towards a series of cancer cells but a much weaker effect on the normal IOSE80 cells. The in vivo (mouse) results showed that UCNP@BSA@Ru could inhibit tumor growth upon 980 nm irradiation more efficiently than in the dark and more efficiently than cisplatin (in the dark).


Abstract Aims Most patients with significant (defined as ≥ moderate) tricuspid regurgitation (TR) are treated conservatively. Individual mortality rates are markedly variable. We developed a risk score based on comprehensive clinical and echocardiographic evaluation, predicting mortality on an individual patient level. Methods and results The cohort included 1701 consecutive patients with significant TR, half with isolated TR, admitted to a single hospital, treated conservatively. We derived a scoring system predicting 1-year mortality and validated it using k-fold cross-validation and with external validation on another cohort of 5141 patients. Score utility was compared with matched patients without significant TR. One-year mortality rate was 31.3%. The risk score ranged 0–17 points and included 11 parameters: age (0–3), body mass index ≤ 25 (0–1), history of liver disease (0–2), history of chronic lung disease (0–2), estimated glomerular filtration rate (0–5), haemoglobin (0–2), left-ventricular ejection fraction (0–1), right-ventricular dysfunction (0–1), right atrial pressure (0–2), stroke volume index (SVI) (0–1) and left-ventricular end-diastolic diameter (0–1). One-year mortality rates increased from 0 to 100%, as the score increased up to ≥16. Areas under the receiver operating curves were 0.78, 0.70, and 0.73, for the original, external validation, and external validation with SVI measured cohorts. The score remained valid in subpopulations of patients with quantified RV function, quantified TR and isolated TR. Significant TR compared to no TR, affected 1-year mortality stronger with higher scores, with a significantly positive interaction term. Conclusion We suggest a robust risk score for inpatients with significant TR, assisting risk stratification and decision-making. Our findings underscore the burden of TR providing benchmarks for clinical trial design.


Hydrogels of amyloid fibrils are a versatile biomaterial for tissue engineering and other biomedical applications. Their suitability for these applications has been partly ascribed to their excellent and potentially engineerable rheological properties. However, while in biomedical applications the gels have to function in compositionally complex physiological solutions, their rheological behavior is typically only characterized in simple buffers. Here we show that the viscoelastic response of networks of amyloid fibrils of the protein lysozyme in biologically relevant solutions substantially differs from the response in simple buffers. We observe enhanced energy dissipation in both cell culture medium and synovial fluid. We attribute this energy dissipation to interactions of the amyloid fibrils with other molecules in these solutions and especially to the adsorption of the abundantly present protein serum albumin. This finding provides the basis for a better understanding of the performance of amyloid hydrogels in biomedical applications.


Low density lipoproteins (LDL) have been shown to injure culture endothelial cells derived from the human umbilical cord. During a 48 h incubation period LDL significantly increased 51Cr release from prelabelled cells and induced marked cellular injury if the ratio between the LDL cholesterol and the infranatant proteins was kept above 0.1-0.12 mmol/g protein. Actually, an injurious effect of a fixed concentration of LDL could be completely prevented by increasing the concentration of infranatant proteins. High density lipoproteins within physiological concentration ranges had no effect when tested in the presence of infranatant proteins. The effects of LDL were not cell specific because normal as well as LDL receptor negative human skin fibroblasts were injured by LDL.


OBJECTIVES
In order to examine if organic acids (OA), a kind of natural food components, will prevent from atherosclerosis formation, the effects of four OA, namely chlorogenic acid (CHA), ascorbic acid (AA), citric acid (CA), and malic acid (MA) on human vascular endothelial cells were studied.

METHODS
Primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (EC) were cultured, and the changes of cell morphology, cell growth, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) released from cells were measured when EC was incubated with oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) in the presence or not of four OA added at three different conditions, i.e. before 4 hours oxLDL added, at the same time as oxLDL added, and after 3 hours oxLDL added, as well as at the indicated doses (10, 20 or 40 mg/L).

RESULTS
The EC survival rate of the oxLDL control group was lower (P < 0.01) and LDH release rate was higher (P < 0.01) than those of normal control group. CHA, AA, CA and MA protected EC from damage caused by oxLDL when they were added before and/or at the same time of oxLDL, but the same beneficial effects of these four OA added after oxLDL were not observed. The EC survival rates of CHA + oxLDL and AA + oxLDL groups in three doses were higher (P < 0.05) and the LDH release rates were lower (P < 0.05) in a dose-effect manner when compared with those of oxLDL control group, respectively. Similar results were found in the CA + oxLDL and MA + oxLDL of the high dose groups.

CONCLUSION
Four tested OA could effectively prevent EC from damage induced by oxLDL. CHA and AA had the strongest effects, the next was CA, followed by MA.


Quantification of roughness effects on free surface flows is unquestionably necessary when describing water and material transport within ecosystems. The conventional hydrodynamic resistance formula empirically shows that the Darcy–Weisbach friction factor f~(r/hw)1/3 describes the energy loss of flowing water caused by small-scale roughness elements characterized by size r (<<hw), where hw is the water depth. When the roughness obstacle size becomes large (but <hw) as may be encountered in flow within canopies covering wetlands or river ecosystem, the f becomes far more complicated. The presence of a canopy introduces additional length scales above and beyond r/hw such as canopy height hv, arrangement density m, frontal element width D, and an adjustment length scale that varies with the canopy drag coefficient Cd. Linking those length scales to the friction factor f frames the scope of this work. By adopting a scaling analysis on the mean momentum equation and closing the turbulent stress with a first-order closure model, the mean velocity profile, its depth-integrated value defining the bulk velocity, as well as f can be determined. The work here showed that f varies with two dimensionless groups that depend on the canopy submergence depth and a canopy length scale. The relation between f and these two length scales was quantified using first-order closure models for a wide range of canopy and depth configurations that span much of the published experiments. Evaluation through experiments suggests that the proposed model can be imminently employed in eco-hydrology or eco-hydraulics when using the De Saint-Venant equations.


The expansion of the derivatives market both globally and particularly in Brazil has driven users to enhance and develop tools for more efficient pricing. However, despite this expansion of the derivatives market, certain characteristics of the Brazilian options market still impose limits on its analysis and thus the studies performed. Despite the most commonly used pricing model in Brazil being that of the Black-Scholes, its assumption of constant asset's volatility up to maturity and log-normal distribution price are criticized by a number of authors, because those are not sustained in real-life situations and consequently leads to inconsistencies. The objective of the model suggested by Corrado and Su, and improved by Brown and Robinson, is to adapt the BS model to the distribution of the asset intended for pricing by introducing the returns' kurtosis and skewness. For this reason, it is expected that the model will be more apt for calculating implied volatility in order to reduce the volatility smile. The purpose of this paper is to show which window of observation generates the kurtosis and skewness which smoothes the volatility smile most, using the Corrado-Su model. Therefore, the companies chosen for the study were Petrobras PN and Vale PNA, because their stocks and options are the most liquid on the Brazilian market. The data analysis indicated a smoother volatility smile using short term observation windows rather than long term windows and a performance of earlier windows equivalent to those of the Black-Scholes model.


This paper examines whether and how viewers respond to changes in partisan bias in media news. We use data from Italy, where the main private television network is owned by Silvio Berlusconi, the leader of the centerright coalition, and the public television corporation is largely controlled by the ruling coalition. We first document that after the 2001 national elections, when the control of the government moved from the center-left to the center-right, news content on public television shifted to the right. Using individual survey data, we find robust evidence that viewers responded to these changes by modifying their choice of favorite news programs. On the one hand, right-leaning viewers increased their propensity to watch public channels which, even after the change, remained to the left of private channels. On the other hand, left-wing viewers reacted by switching from the main public channel to another public channel that was controlled by the left during both periods. We show that this behavioral response, which tended to shift ideological exposure to the left, significantly, though only partially, offset the movement of public news content to the right.


Introduction:The application of a cervical collar (C-collar) in trauma patients can be life-saving. Previous studies, however, describe development of pressure ulcers related to C-collars. Objective:To retrospectively compare collar-related pressure ulcers (CRPUs) occurring in trauma patients admitted to the intensive care unit wearing a C-collar before and after implementation of preventive interventions and to identify risk factors for CRPU development. Methods:Retrospective chart review of 88 trauma patients admitted to the intensive care unit before (2006) and after (2008) implementation of preventive interventions; early C-collar removal (<24 hours) and an occipital foam ring. Data were collected in the first 14 days of admission on pressure ulcer incidence, risk factors, and preventive interventions. Results:The incidence of CRPUs was 1.1%. Although risk factors were present in the sample, it was impossible to identify significant risk factors for CRPU development and explore the effect of preventive interventions. Conclusion:The incidence of CRPUs in this study was low. CRPUs, however, should never be accepted as an inevitable complication of cervical immobilization. To identify trauma patients at risk and to apply effective preventive interventions for CRPU development, further research is needed.


Background and Aims Abdominal compartment syndrome refers to multiorgan failure secondary to increased intraabdominal pressure and circulatory failure. Early diagnosis and treatment of this clinical syndrome resulting with high mortality in children is possible via intravesical pressure (IVP)measurements. Data on IVP is limited in newborns with increased abdominal pressure due to diseases like necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). We aimed to investigate the predictive value of consecutive IVP measurements for diagnosis and outcome of NEC. Methods IVP was measured twice daily for 10 days in 61 premature infants below 1500 grams. Measurements of infants with and without NEC were compared. Results Infants were grouped as; Group 1: without NEC, Group 2: NEC medically treated, Group 3: operated for NEC. Group 1 had lower IVP values compared to infants with NEC (p=0.001). Group 2 and 3 had similiar IVP values (p=0.155). A 10% increase in the consecutive IVP measurements was valuable for predicting NEC. Infants who died due to NEC had higher IVP values compared to surviving infants with NEC (p=0.043). Conclusion IVP measurements may be helpful for the diagnosis of NEC. Mortality due to NEC in premature infants may also be predicted with high IVP values.


ABSTRACT Introduction: In Japan, colorectal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is being conducted safely and effectively as shown by the increased number of the cases, however, it is still regarded as a complicated and challenging procedure. Therefore, piecemeal endoscopic mucosal resection (p-EMR) is still regarded as an appropriate treatment, rather than ESD for large colorectal tumors, especially in Western countries. Areas covered: There are several factors those are responsible for colorectal ESD difficulty. Firstly, there is no adequate traction or counter-traction in colorectal ESD. Secondly, it is challenging to handle the colonoscope in a redundant and narrow colonic lumen. Thirdly, the risk of perforation is estimated to be relatively higher compared to the stomach or esophagus Expert commentary: To overcome these difficulties, various traction and counter-traction methods have been reported and finally, the new concept of the Master and Slave Transluminal Endoscopic Robot (MASTER) has been developed and is soon to be available for clinical use. The authors have reviewed the history of colorectal ESD and MASTER in this paper.


In this letter, we present a dynamic median consensus protocol for multi-agent systems using acoustic communication. The motivating target scenario is a multi-agent system consisting of underwater robots acting as intelligent sensors, applied to continuous monitoring of the state of a marine environment. The proposed protocol allows each agent to track the median value of individual measurements of all agents through local communication with neighbouring agents. Median is chosen as a measure robust to outliers, as opposed to average value, which is usually used. In contrast to the existing consensus protocols, the proposed protocol is dynamic, uses a switching communication topology and converges to median of measured signals. Stability and correctness of the protocol are theoretically proven. The protocol is tested in simulation, and accuracy and influence of protocol parameters on the system output are analyzed. The protocol is implemented and validated by a set of experiments on an underwater group of robots comprising of aMussel units. This experimental setup is one of the first deployments of any type of consensus protocol for an underwater setting. Both simulation and experimental results confirm the correctness of the presented approach.


Hunger and satiety can have an influence on decision making, sensory processing, and motor behavior by altering the internal state of the brain. This process necessitates the integration of peripheral sensory stimuli into the central nervous system. Interestingly, even organisms without a brain, such as the Cnidaria, exhibit feeding dependent behavioral changes. The underlying mechanisms, however, remain unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that neuronal activity in two distinct neuronal populations, the ectodermal N3 neurons and the endodermal N4 neurons in Hydra, an ancestral metazoan animal with a diffuse nerve net spread throughout the body with no signs of centralization, are responsible for feeding dependent behavioral changes. Specifically, endodermal N4 neurons are essential for food intake and digestive functions, similar to the enteric nervous system, while the N3 population influences and inhibits other motor related behaviors, comparable to the central nervous system. This fascinating observation provides a new insight into the evolution and the complexity of a simple non-centralized nervous system.


This paper proposes a Gaussian process-based self-organizing incremental neural network (GPINN) to address the density estimation problem of online unsupervised learning. First, we adopt Gaussian process models with adaptive kernels that map the distribution of the neighbors of each node to its link relationship. Second, combining GPINN and kernel density estimation, we derive the bandwidth matrix updating rule for adapting to the generated network. We theoretically analyze the advantages of the proposed approach in determining threshold regions over using distance measures. The experimental results on both synthetic data sets and real-world data sets show that our method achieves remarkable improvement in density estimation accuracy for large noisy data.


Myocardial infarction (MI) causes cardiac cell death, induces persistent inflammatory responses, and generates harmful pathological remodeling, which leads to heart failure. Biomedical approaches to restore blood supply to ischemic myocardium, via controlled delivery of angiogenic and immunoregulatory proteins, may present an efficient treatment option for coronary artery disease (CAD). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is necessary to initiate neovessel formation, while platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is needed later to recruit pericytes, which stabilizes new vessels. Anti-inflammatory cytokines like interleukin-10 (IL-10) can help optimize cardiac repair and limit the damaging effects of inflammation following MI. To meet these angiogenic and anti-inflammatory needs, an injectable polymeric delivery system composed of encapsulating micelle nanoparticles embedded in a sulfonated reverse thermal gel was developed. The sulfonate groups on the thermal gel electrostatically bind to VEGF and IL-10, and their specific binding affinities control their release rates, while PDGF-loaded micelles are embedded in the gel to provide the sequential release of the growth factors. An in vitro release study was performed, which demonstrated the sequential release capabilities of the delivery system. The ability of the delivery system to induce new blood vessel formation was analyzed in vivo using a subcutaneous injection mouse model. Histological assessment was used to quantify blood vessel formation and an inflammatory response, which showed that the polymeric delivery system significantly increased functional and mature vessel formation while reducing inflammation. Overall, the results demonstrate the effective delivery of therapeutic proteins to promote angiogenesis and limit inflammatory responses.


Abstract Background Treatment options for patients suffering brainstem gliomas are quite limited as surgery is not an option against intrinsic tumors at brainstem and chemotherapy generally failed to demonstrate its efficacy. Intracerebral convection-enhanced delivery (CED) is a novel approach for administering chemotherapy to patients with brain tumors. We present the results of phase I trial of CED of nimustine hydrochloride (ACNU), designed to determine the maximum tolerable concentration of ACNU, for patients with recurrent brainstem gliomas. Methods Sixteen patients, aged 3–81 years old, suffering from recurrent brainstem gliomas, including diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma patients as well as patients with recurrent gliomas that originated from non‐brainstem sites, were enrolled in this trial between February 2011 and April 2016. The dose/concentration escalation trial included 3 dose/concentration groups (0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 mg/mL, all at 7 mL) to determine the safety and tolerability of CED of ACNU. Real-time monitoring of drug distribution was performed by mixing gadolinium-tetraazacyclododecanetetraacetic acid (Gd-DOTA) in the infusion solution. CED of ACNU was given in combination with oral or intravenous temozolomide chemotherapy. Results CED of ACNU demonstrated antitumor activity, as assessed by radiographic changes and prolonged overall survival. The recommended dosage was 0.75 mg/mL. Drug-associated toxicity was minimal. Conclusions Intracerebral CED of ACNU under real-time monitoring of drug distribution, in combination with systemic temozolomide, was well tolerated among patients with recurrent brainstem gliomas. The safety and efficacy observed suggest the clinical benefits of this strategy against this devastating disease. Based on this phase I study, further clinical development of ACNU is warranted.


On 23 June 2016 the British people voted by 52% to 48% to leave the European Union, dividing the country. While the way forward is still unclear, this contribution lays out the legal framework surrounding the referendum and analyses appeals to the people in the immediate aftermath of the outcome. The article discusses the UK's less-than-clear-cut 'constitutional requirements' for the purposes of activating the withdrawal process under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union and the extent of executive or parliamentary approval needed. An original content analysis of the first speeches of political leaders as the referendum result became clear reveals intriguing contradictions, lending weight to the view that this was a Pyrrhic victory for the leaders of the Leave campaign who wanted to 'Take Back Control'. Paradoxically, the ensuing loss of power in leaving the EU may turn out to be entirely at odds with what voters intended. Given the false and misleading claims made during the demagogic campaign, the article also outlines some proposals for the conduct of future referenda.


We report on the efficient synthesis of tris-heteroleptic iridium (Ir) complexes based on the degradation of tris-cyclometalated Ir complexes (IrL3, L: cyclometalating ligand) in the presence of Brønsted and Lewis acids such as HCl (in 1,4-dioxane), AlCl3, TMSCl, and ZnX2 (X = Br or Cl), which affords the corresponding halogen-bridged Ir dimers (μ-complexes). Tris-cyclometalated Ir complexes containing electron-withdrawing groups such as fluorine, nitro, or CF3 moieties on the ligands were less reactive. This different reactivity was applied to the selective degradation of heteroleptic Ir complexes such as fac-Ir(tpy)2(F2ppy) (fac-12) (tpy: 2-(4'-tolyl)pyridine and F2ppy: 2-(4',6'-difluorophenyl)pyridine), mer-Ir(tpy)2(F2ppy) (mer-12), and mer-Ir(mpiq)2(F2ppy) (mer-15) (mpiq: 1-(4'-methylphenyl)isoquinoline). For example, the reaction of mer-12 with ZnBr2 gave the heteroleptic μ-complex [{Ir(tpy)(F2ppy)(μ-Br)}2] 27b as a major product, resulting from the selective elimination of the tpy ligand of mer-12, and treatment of 27b with acetylacetone (acacH) afforded the corresponding tris-heteroleptic Ir complex Ir(tpy)(F2ppy)(acac)18. In addition, another tris-heteroleptic Ir complex 35a having 8-benzenesulfonylamidoquinoline (8BSQ) ligand was synthesized. Mechanistic studies of this degradation reaction and the photochemical properties, especially a dual emission, of these newly synthesized tris-heteroleptic Ir complexes are also reported.


The reinforced concrete (RC) beam-column joint is a critical member of the building. Its failure can make the structure collapse abruptly. The failure of joints mostly occurred in the structure built before the 1970s because of poor design and inadequate reinforcement detailing. To date, numerous research has been conducted to enhance the performance of the joint in terms of failure mode, strength, and ductility by externally retrofitting using bonded fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) technique. Nonetheless, using bonded FRP technique encounters some drawbacks such as debonding and inadequate performance under moist and flammable environments. To overcome this, epoxy is replaced by a cementitious matrix. In this study, a RC beam-column joint is fabricated in 2/3 scale following an existing structure. The specimen is retrofitted using Basalt Fiber Reinforced Polymer (BFRP) grid with the combination of the cementitious matrix using high strength mortar. The dimension of the retrofitted specimen is intentionally kept the same by taking out the concrete cover where the cementitious matrix is employed. As the result, the overall performance of the specimen is improved. The specimen becomes stronger and can withstand longer applied displacement before it collapsed.


Offering your employees the right fringe benefits can help staff morale soar, foster loyalty, and increase the chances that a top-notch job applicant will say yes to your job offer. This article suggests practical ways to offer a competitive benefits program without breaking the bank. It includes guidance about specific benefits and suggests a dozen more extra benefits employees value and a sample cafeteria-style fringe benefits plan. Finally, the article includes guidelines about creating and using your own benefits statement with your staff; along with a model statement form you can use or adapt to your needs.


Bucket wheel excavators, spreaders, mobile crushers, movable belt conveyors and other machines on open pit mines are huge tracked vehicles with slow speed of movement. To be able to move on mine's terrain, the machines are equipped with crawler mechanism for support and transport. Crawler chain serves for transformation of rotation of drive tumbler to linear movement of tracked vehicle. This transmission mechanism is with variable mechanical coupling, and usually consists of multi motor drive. In extreme operating regime, during steering along the curve, the load of the drive on the outer crawler significantly increases. This additional load originates from the additional friction forces between the crawler plates and the soil, turning torque of the inner and outer crawler and the torsion of the substructure of the mining machine. Among wide variety of multi-motor drives on open pit mine machines two-crawler travel drive can be found on almost any mining machine. This paper presents the analysis of controlled two-motor drive with independent speed control. The results obtained during commissioning of such drives confirm the results from the theoretical investigation.


This paper reports a study of perceptions of the prevalence of certain driving errors and violations in a large (N= 1,656) sample of drivers. In keeping with previous research on perceptions of social consensus, it was predicted that (a) drivers who reported that they themselves regularly commit these errors and violations would make larger estimates of the percentage of other road users who regularly engage in these behaviors, by comparison with drivers who reported that they do not regularly commit these errors and violations; (b) comparison of estimates of social consensus for own behavior with the actual numbers of respondents reporting that they did or did not engage in these behaviors would show that those who do commit the behaviors regularly would overestimate consensus for their position, while those who do not commit the behaviors regularly would underestimate consensus for their position; and (c) these tendencies to overestimate or underestimate actual consensus for own position would be correlated with the perceived offensiveness to others of the behavior concerned, such that departures from actual consensus would be greater for behaviors rated as more offensive. The results provide strong support for the first two predictions but none for the third; indeed, the degree of over- or underestimation tended to be inversely related to offensiveness. In addition, there were unanticipated but highly consistent sex and age differences in perceptions of the prevalence of the target behaviors, with female and younger respondents making higher estimates than male and older respondents, respectively. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.


The summary after class is the important link in the teaching activity.However it is often neglected,which causes the incomplete teaching course,so it affects the improvement of teaching quality.The summary after class can play the function of optimizing teaching plan and improving teaching quality.It forms an organic unity with preparing,teaching and checking.They are penetrated,interacted and improved with each other,which improves teaching quality and teachers' quality.


Abstract Bomburia and Ellipsodon are poorly known taxa from the early Paleocene of western North America. New fossil material from New Mexico expands morphological information and allows taxonomic revision of these taxa. Bomburia is a valid genus, whereas Platymastus palantir, previously considered to be a loxolophine arctocyonid, is probably a junior synonym of B. prisca and as such reveals the upper molar morphology of this taxon. Ellipsodon is highly derived relative to other mioclaenid condylarths. It has a reduced mesial dentition, with the probable loss of the P1/p1. P2–3/p2–3 are reduced and show a simple incisor-like morphology. M1/m1 and especially M2/m2 are simple with highly inflated protocones/ protoconid-metaconids accentuating a mortar-and-pestle-like chewing function. The M3/m3 are more reduced than in any other mioclaenid. Mioclaenidae is monophyletic and endemic to western North America. There is no support for a close relationship between Mioclaenidae and South American or African ungulates.


Abstract. Wildfires are a complex phenomenon emerging from interactions between air, heat, and vegetation, and while they are an important component of many ecosystems' dynamics, they pose great danger to those ecosystems, and human life and property. Wildfire simulation models are an important research tool that help further our understanding of fire behaviour and can allow experimentation without recourse to live fires. Current fire simulation models fit into two general categories: empirical models and physical models. We present a new modelling approach that uses agent-based modelling to combine the complexity found in physical models with the ease of computation of empirical models. Our model represents the fire front as a set of moving agents that respond to, and interact with, vegetation, wind, and terrain. We calibrate the model using two simulated fires and one real fire, and validate the model against another real fire and the interim behaviour of the real calibration fire. Our model successfully replicates these fires, with a Figure of Merit on par with simulations by the Prometheus simulation model. Our model is a stepping-stone in using agent-based modelling for fire behaviour simulation, as we demonstrate the ability of agent-based modelling to replicate fire behaviour through emergence alone.


We aim to take 'lab-on-chip' technology further by introducing the concept of a 'lab-on-transistor'. In this methodology, laboratory operations, such as heating, cell lysis, and detection, are performed on a single transistor instead of on an entire microchip. To demonstrate this concept, we developed a heating technique that allows transistors to act as electrically addressable, individual heating units. We have coupled the transistor heaters with placement of sub-nanoliter droplets to create individual heated reaction volumes. Under this configuration transistors become highly localized heater/sensors capable of high-speed thermocycling (>25°C/s) of <1nL reactions with potential for electrical detection of biological analytes.


Many germline DNA sequence variants in gene regulatory elements are associated with an increased risk of cancer. These include large genomic deletions of the promoter of the BRCA1 gene, through to single nucleotide variants in the promoter, UTRs and long-range enhancers of multiple other cancer related genes. Next generation sequence analysis of early onset and familial breast cancer cases is currently identifying an escalating number of variants in non-coding regions of the genome, however for most of these the significance in unknown. This project aims to determine the functional and clinical significance of breast cancer associated variants in regulatory regions of BRCA1 and BRCA2, as part of an international collaborative project arising from the Evidence-based Network for the Interpretation of Germline Mutant Alleles (ENIGMA) consortium. To date over two hundred variants mapping to promoter, UTR and deep intronic regions have been identified in early onset or familial breast cancer patients that have no identifiable coding or splicing changes in BRCA1 or BRCA2. Through a pipeline of bioinformatics analyses using ENCODE datasets, these variants have been prioritized for experimental evaluation. This has lead to the identification of several variants that significantly alter the regulation of BRCA1 or BRCA2 expression, through mechanisms including altered binding of transcription factors and microRNAs. These studies will lay the groundwork for comprehensive statistical analyses, in which bioinformatics and experimental data is combined with clinical and genetic data to establish multifactorial risk prediction models that can ultimately be used in a clinical setting. Citation Format: Jan Sevcik, Leslie Burke, Gaetana Gambino, Brooke L. Brewster, Emma Tudini, Philip J. Whiley, Siranoush Manoukian, ENIGMA Consortium, Thomas van Overeem Hansen, Marta Santamarina Pena, Ana Vega, Maria A. Caligo, Paolo Radice, Paolo Peterlongo, Etienne Rouleau, Amanda B. Spurdle, Melissa A. Brown. Bioinformatic and experimental evaluation of regulatory variants in breast cancer susceptibility genes. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1859.


What place should Hagar have in Christian theology? On one hand, she is the first person in Scripture to whom an angel of the Lord appears; she even names the "God of Seeing" who meets her (Gen 16:13). On the other hand, Hagar is a symbol of the law that leads to slavery, and those who live in the freedom of Christ should cast her out (Gal 4:29). I argue that Christians should conceive of Hagar's place in theology in relation to Christ and through spiritual reading of the Hagar narratives in Genesis. Literary correspondence between the narratives in Gen 16:1–16 and 21:8–21 and accounts of the exodus suggests that God's heeding of Hagar in the midst of her affliction anticipates God's deliverance of the Israelites and of the world in Christ. As Paul describes the Israelites as having drunk from Christ in the wilderness, and receiving baptism in crossing the sea (1 Cor 10:1–4), so Hagar also experienced Christ in the wilderness. Thus, Christian spiritual reading may cast Hagar out of the church, insofar as she represents merely human effort devoid of the Holy Spirit, but it may also view her as a positive example of transformation in Christ by the Spirit.


In this article, the author explores and advocates the use of an artificial intelligence tax treaty assistant with regard to resolving issues and problems in respect of the principal purpose test as proposed in relation to the OECD/G20 Base Erosion and Profit Shifting initiative. As the PPT is very complex and ambiguous, what AI learns in dealing with those cases could be put to use regarding other rules of a similar degree of complexity and ambiguity and with a largely similar purpose and nature. For instance, domestic GAARs could be addressed by an approach very similar to that as presented in this article. AI could eventually be applied to all types of anti-tax avoidance legislation. By augmenting the power of AI, a very effective means of preventing tax avoidance on a global scale should be possible. The question is only whether countries and jurisdictions across the world would welcome AI. AI could help them draft the most effective anti-tax avoidance laws and enforce them accordingly. In the author's opinion, the application of AI in the domain of international tax avoidance is likely to be a "game changer" by not only improving the work of tax advisers and tax administrations across the world, but also the performance of tax systems globally.


It is imperative to expand the concept of smart cities beyond merely focusing on technology to include human, social, and environmental capital investing to develop smart sustainable cities (SSC). In recognition of smart cities' advantages, several cities have adopted smart city labels. Although citizens' engagement in public urban development and decision-making has been acknowledged globally in many countries, evaluating the outcomes that allow citizens to contribute does not measure and compare with other factors. This study examines the impact between the citizens' participation level (CPL) and the smart sustainable cities outcome (SSCO). Four factors were extracted from the literature review and interviews were conducted with 12 decision and policymakers to establish the importance of these factors and to suggest any other additional factors. In addition, a questionnaire survey was utilised to assess and validate the result by experts in the field of the built environment. The mean score (MS) ranking was used to confirm the importance of these predicted correlations with SSCO. Endogeneity tests and multivariate regression analysis were adopted to validate the causality between CLP and SSCO. The results suggest that a positive significant correlation exists between the CPL and SSCO. A higher CPL leads to a higher level of SSCO, but this does not apply the other way around. The four significant factors of CPL to engage and empower citizens are accountability and responsibility, transparency, participation, and inclusion. This paper contributes to knowledge by identifying the measures of CPL and SSCO that can support the implementation of SSC by understanding what can be expected from the government and decision-makers and what can be expected from the citizens.


Clients and Design-build (DB) contractors are two key stakeholders in DB projects, and contribute significantly to the successful project performance. This study aims to identify and compare such key competences in the construction market of the PRC. After the survey of available literature and face-to-face interviews, a two-round Delphi questionnaire survey was conducted to identify the key competences of clients and DB contractors in DB projects. Relative importance of these identified competences were ranked and compared. The questionnaire results indicated distinct differences between the key competences of clients and that of contractors. The contractor's key competences emphasize on DB experience, corporate management capability, building and design expertise, financial capability, enterprise qualification and reputation. While the client's competences focus on the ability to clearly define the project scope & requirements, financial capacity, contract management ability, adequate staff, effective coordination with DB contractor and similar DB experience. Both clients and DB contractors should clearly understand the competence requirements in DB projects and possess all the necessary competences for the successful outcome of DB projects. The identification of these key competences provides clients and DB contractors with indicators to assess their capabilities before going for the DB option. Furthermore, the comparison of competences for clients and DB contractors will result in better understanding of DB system and improve the communication between these stakeholders.


Morphine sulfate is often administered for patients requiring surgical intervention for the control of hemorrhage. Recent data implicate morphine as an immune modulator that affects white blood cells and increases infection rates. In addition, morphine releases histamine, an inflammatory mediator that increases microvascular permeability. Both of these actions of morphine could aggravate the inflammatory progress after hemorrhagic shock. In this study, we evaluated the role of morphine sulfate on microvascular permeability and its effects on leukocyte adherence after hemorrhagic shock. After a control period, blood was withdrawn to reduce the mean arterial blood pressure to 40 mm Hg for 1 h in urethane-anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats. Mesenteric postcapillary venules in a transilluminated segment of small intestine were examined to quantify changes in permeability and leukocyte adherence. The rats received an IV injection of fluorescein isothiocyanate-bovine albumin during the control period. The fluorescent light intensity emitted from the fluorescein isothiocyanate-bovine albumin was recorded with digital microscopy within the lumen of the microvasculature and compared with the intensity of light in the extraluminal space over time. These images were downloaded to a computerized image analysis program that quantitates changes in light intensity. This change in light intensity represents albumin extravasation. In addition, bright-field images were recorded on compact disk for playback to determine leukocyte adherence. Leukocytes stationary for more than 30 s or longer in a 100-micron segment of venule was considered adherent. Our results demonstrated a marked increase in fluorescein isothiocyanate-bovine albumin leakage into the extravascular space after hemorrhagic shock. Hemorrhagic shock was also associated with an increase in leukocytes adhering to the postcapillary venular endothelium. Morphine sulfate 10 &mgr;g/kg given before the shock period, attenuated both the hyperpermeability (P < 0.05) and the increase in leukocyte adherence (P < 0.05) after hemorrhagic shock. These results suggest that instead of aggravating the inflammatory response after hemorrhagic shock, morphine may provide protection to the microvasculature.


Background and objectives: The epidemiology of food allergy (FA) and food-dependent anaphylaxis remains unknown in Colombia. Our aim was to estimate by parent-report the prevalence of FA and food-dependent anaphylaxis in a Colombian population of schoolchildren. Materials and methods: A printed questionnaire was sent to parents of schoolchildren aged 5–12 years old from Medellín, Colombia in order to collect FA-related data. Results: Nine hundred and sixty-nine (969) parents returned the questionnaire with valid responses (response rate, 52.5%). The estimated prevalence rates (95% CI) were: adverse food reactions 12.79% (10.76–15.07), "perceived FA, ever" 10.93% (9.08–13.08), "physician-diagnosed FA, ever" 4.33% (3.14–5.81), "immediate-type FA, ever" 6.81% (5.30–8.58), "immediate-type FA, current" 3.30% (2.26–4.63), and food-dependent anaphylaxis 1.85% (1.10–2.92). The most frequently reported food allergens were milk (1.44%), fruits (0.41%), meat (0.41%), and peanut (0.3%). Sixty-one percent of "food-dependent anaphylaxis" cases sought medical attention, but only eleven percent of the cases reported the prescription of an epinephrine autoinjector. Conclusions: FA and food-dependent anaphylaxis are not uncommon among schoolchildren from Colombia. The prescription of epinephrine autoinjectors should be encouraged among health personnel for the optimal management of suspected cases of food-dependent anaphylaxis.


A mass-analysed version of the technique of Rydberg-state-resolved threshold-ionization spectroscopy has been developed, and used to determine the first ionization energy of krypton (IE(86Kr) = 112 914.441 ± 0.016 cm−1) and to derive the isotopic shifts in the ionization energy of several isotopes of Kr. The results imply that the currently accepted value of the ionization energy of krypton must be revised.


This paper investigates the interplay between economic incentives and social norms in formulating rice planting contracts in the Philippines. In our study area, despite the potential for pervasive opportunistic behaviors by workers, a fixed-wage (FW) contract has been dominant for rice planting. To account for the use of this seemingly inefficient contractual arrangement, we adopt a hybrid experimental method of framed field experiments by randomized controlled trials (RCT), in which we randomly assign three distinct labor contracts—FW, individual piece rate (IPR), and group piece rate (GPR)—and artefactual field experiments to elicit social preference parameters. Through analyses of individual workers' performance data from framed field experiments and data on social preferences elicited by artefactual field experiments, three main empirical findings emerge. First, our basic results show the positive incentive effects in IPR and, equivalently, moral hazard problems in FW, which are consistent with standard theoretical implications. Second, non-monetary incentives seem to play a significant role under FW: while social preferences such as altruism and guilt aversion play an important role in stimulating incentives under FW, introducing monetary incentives crowds out such intrinsic motivations, and other nonmonetary factors such as positive peer effects significantly enhance incentives under a FW contract. Finally, as alternative hypotheses, our empirical results are not necessarily consistent with the hypothesis of the interlinked contract of labor and credit transactions in mitigating moral hazard problems, the optimality of FW contract under large effort measurement errors, and the intertemporal incentives arising from performance-based contract renewal probabilities. Hence, considering the interplay of intrinsic motivations and monetary incentives as well as the monetary costs of mitigating moral hazard and free-riding problems through IPR, we may conclude that seemingly perverse traditional contractual arrangements might be socially efficient.


The ultimate goal of developing body is revealed the "lightweight" at latest EuroCarBody conference 2012 and the most core technology is joining process to make lightweight car body design. Accordingly, in this study, the car body assembly line for the assembly process applies to any introduction, particularly in the assembly of aluminum alloy and composite materials applied by the process for the introductory approached. Process were largely classified by welding (laser, arc, resistance, and friction stir welding), bonding (epoxy bonding) and mechanical fastening (FDS, SPR, Bolting and clinching). Applications for each process issues in the case and the applicable award was presented, based on the absolute strength of the test specimens and joining characteristics for comparative analysis were summarized. Finally, through this paper, we would tried to establish the characteristics of the joint for lightweight structure.


The physics of ion cyclotron heating (ICH) relevant to the steady-state linear machine MPEX (Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment) has been explored in its predecessor, short-pulse device: Proto-MPEX. MPEX will utilize fundamental ICH to increase heat flux at the target and produce ion temperatures and velocity distributions with improved fidelity to those found in a tokamak divertor region, in comparison to those produced by substrate biasing. In the experiments on Proto-MPEX described here, bulk ion temperatures up to ∼ 15 eV have been achieved with 20 kW net ICH power at 6.5 MHz, using ICH heating of a deuterium plasma produced by a helicon plasma source. The heat flux at the target has been observed to increase throughout the plasma cross section, including in the core region. Core Ti and target heat flux are observed to scale linearly with injected ICH power. Measurements of plasma loading and target heat flux as a function of the magnetic field strength at the antenna, together with modeling of the wave propagation from the antenna to the ion cyclotron resonance using the ANTENA and COMSOL codes with a warm plasma dielectric tensor, indicate that power is coupled to the core plasma via fast wave excitation of a kinetic Alfvén wave.


Various enzymes are used in the food industry to improve product quality. The enzyme transglutaminase is used to modify proteins in various foods through the formation of inter- and intramolecular ?-(?-glutamyl) lysine bonds. Previous studies have revealed that using transglutaminase in cheese production can increase the yield and enhance the characteristics of various types of cheese. However, the enzyme concentration, temperature, and pH influence the quality of cheese. This review aimed to discuss the potential of transglutaminase in cheese production. Our analysis showed that transglutaminase catalyzes the formation of covalent bonds between milk proteins (crosslinking), which results in a greater amount of casein trapped from whey and a higher yield of curd. Transglutaminase can also reduce production costs without negatively affecting cheese quality. These findings should prove useful in developing cheese products to improve consumer satisfaction.


World Health Organization has reported that about 5% of the world's population is hearing-impaired. Automated sign language recognition system interfaces are classified into directdevice, vision-based and hybrid-based interfaces. Deep learning methodologies have been proven as an excellent tool for several automated computer vision systems. Moreover, deep learning overcame several difficulties existed inside traditional computer vision systems, A crucial need is found to provide deaf people with easy deep learning methods to interact with other people. In this paper, we propose a robust recognition system for Arabic sign language based on deep transfer learning. We employ transfer learning based on fine-tuning of existed pre-trained networks. In addition, we employ the data-augmentation to avoid overfitting and increase overall system performance. Several networks architectures have been examined for our target recognition task. We have also investigated the performance of residual networks versus plain networks. During our experiments, we employed Arabic sign language (ArSL2018) public dataset that consists of 54,049 images with 32 class. The overall system accuracy achieved by the proposed one is 99.52% and 99.5% sensitivity based on ResNet18 Architecture with data augmentation benefits. A powerful Arabic sign language recognition system based on deep learning theory is proposed which can be employed later in several automated sign language recognition tasks.