Background
 Yogurt is a nutrient-dense, low-fat dairy product. We aimed to examine the longitudinal association of yogurt consumption with blood pressure (BP) levels and hypertension prevention among adults participating in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort (exams 5 to 8 [1998-2001 to 2005-2008]).

 Methods
 In each exam, dietary intake was assessed by a validated food frequency questionnaire; BP was measured following standardized procedures; and anti-hypertensive medication use was obtained by physician-elicited self-report. Our analyses included 2,197 adults (with 7351 observations) who were free of hypertension at exam 5 (baseline) and had valid measurements of yogurt intake and BP. Logistic regression was used to examine incident hypertension (defined as systolic BP (SBP) ≥140mmHg, or diastolic BP (DBP) ≥90mmHg, or used anti-hypertensive medication). A repeated measures model was used to examine annualized BP change in exam intervals adjusting for BP and anti-hypertensive medication use at the beginning of each interval. All analyses were adjusted for demographic and lifestyle factors (including diet quality).

 Results
 At baseline, 44% (960 of 2197) of participants consumed ≥1 serving of yogurt per month (i.e. defined as consumers); and mean [SD] SBP and DBP were 117 [12] mmHg and 72 [8] mmHg, respectively. BP and yogurt intake both increased over the 14-year follow up; and 913 participants developed incident hypertension. After adjustment for demographic and lifestyle factors and cholesterol-lowering medication use, people who consumed >2% of total calories (kcal) from yogurt (i.e. high-intake group) had lower risk of incident hypertension than non-consumers (OR [95%CI] = 0.69 [0.54-0.87]). The high-intake group had 0.19±0.09 mmHg smaller annualized elevation of SBP than non-consumers (
 P
 =0.04). Excluding the anti-hypertensive medication users at follow-up strengthened the longitudinal association between yogurt intake and annualized SBP change. All findings retained when further controlling for body mass index (BMI) and the change of BMI. Yogurt intake was not related to DBP change over time.

 Conclusion
 Higher yogurt intake, as part of a healthy diet pattern, may be beneficial for BP control and hypertension prevention.


Abstract Until a long-term solution is finalized, interim storage of sufficiently cooled spent nuclear fuel (SNF) assemblies in dry casks is the predominant practice. Since these dry casks can contain approximately 160 kg of reactor-grade plutonium, they require safeguards monitoring. Results of a simulation study conducted on the design development and analysis of a remote monitoring system (RMS) are presented. The goal of the study was to determine the suitability of this RMS to meet the SNF monitoring objectives. MCNP simulations of a dry cask with all its contents and a set of simulations with one or two removed SNF assemblies were performed to test the detection capabilities of the RMS. The removed assemblies were substituted with dummy assemblies to simulate concealment. The studies showed that the RMS design is suitable to monitor and detect the removal of even a single SNF assembly from the cask.


An all-optical signal processor based on the self-wavelength conversion of Raman solitons is described. The processor consists of an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA), a highly nonlinear fiber, and an optical bandpass filter. The timing-jitter-free demultiplexing of the processor was demonstrated by an 80-km transmission experiment. Error-free bit error rate (BER) performance was achieved. Transmitted fourfold optical time-division multiplexing (OTDM) signals with a large timing jitter of about 16 ps for an OTDM signal interval of 25 ps were demultiplexed to 9.95-Gb/s signals without signal degradation.


Following two corporate scandals (Parmalat and Cirio), the Italian Parliament endeavoured to provide a legislative reaction as quick and effectives as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the United States. So far this effort has failed: with few monthes left before the elections, the upper Chamber is still busy in a second reading of the version approved by the Chamber of Deputies. The article examines some of the more controversial measures of the bill under examination: in particular those regarding the election of directors representing minority shareholders and the constraints on transactions with related parties and those seeking to prevent conflicts of interest between financial institutions and investors. In the framework of the new discipline of sanctions, some issues regarding the structure and organization of the Italian securities commissions are also considered.


For existing MPLS LSP tunnel services, it is hard for LSP tunnels to
be booked in advance. In addition, once an LSP tunnel is set up, it is
assumed to consume a certain amount of resources such as link
bandwidth forever. Temporal LSP tunnel services (TTS) provides an easy
way for us to book temporal LSP tunnels in advance. More importantly,
a temporal LSP is an LSP with one or more time intervals and it is
assumed to consume the resources and carry traffic only in these time
intervals. This document specifies a framework for temporal LSP tunnel
services and provides a few of reference models along with logical
components required to design a solution for TTS.


Multi-view face synthesis from a single image is an ill-posed problem and often suffers from serious appearance distortion. Producing photo-realistic and identity preserving multi-view results is still a not well defined synthesis problem. This paper proposes Load Balanced Generative Adversarial Networks (LB-GAN) to precisely rotate the yaw angle of an input face image to any specified angle. LB-GAN decomposes the challenging synthesis problem into two well constrained subtasks that correspond to a face normalizer and a face editor respectively. The normalizer first frontalizes an input image, and then the editor rotates the frontalized image to a desired pose guided by a remote code. In order to generate photo-realistic local details, the normalizer and the editor are trained in a two-stage manner and regulated by a conditional self-cycle loss and an attention based L2 loss. Exhaustive experiments on controlled and uncontrolled environments demonstrate that the proposed method not only improves the visual realism of multi-view synthetic images, but also preserves identity information well.


Nursing care based on research evidence is a
clinical and professional imperative that has
global implications. In the United Kingdom, it was
documented that a problem of dissemination and
utilisation of research-based knowledge existed
within the specialty of breast cancer, thus depriving
individuals of receiving optimum care. Despite
increasingly robust research evidence that demonstrated
numerous benefits of aerobic exercise
for individuals affected by breast cancer, commensurate
changes to practice were not noted amongst
breast care nurses (BCNs). To assist in addressing
this deficiency, a 3-stage study was designed to:
identify the barriers to research utilisation and
preferred methods of research dissemination of
BCNs; and develop and evaluate a dissemination
intervention for BCNs. This presentation will
describe the Conceptual Framework developed from
findings of a national survey of 263 BCNs (Stage
One) and discuss its implications for advancing
nursing practice and research using a targeted dissemination
approach. The framework represents a
step-wise process designed to: describe a target
group, integrate theoretically derived characteristics
of effective dissemination and behavior
change (Ajzen 1991, Rogers 1995) with the needs
of a target group and provide a structure to compare
different dissemination options. Practical considerations,
such as time and resource limitations of
nurses and the researcher/manager were included.
An information booklet that synthesized relevant
research evidence emerged as the intervention most
suited for development and evaluation to meet the
identified requirements for this sample of BCNs.
Dissemination of research evidence is a complex,
multi-faceted and persistent concern in nursing,
and requires a multi-level solution. The Conceptual
Framework for Targeting Research Dissemination
Interventions provides a functional structure for
gathering and integrating diverse theoretical,
empirical and pragmatic components integral to
devising and testing innovative strategies for the
future. Application of the framework to other groups
of nurses is proposed.


 Abstract — The evolution of quality management by companies was strongly enabled by, among others, ISO 9001 certification, which is considered a crucial requirement for several customers. Likewise, performance measurement provides useful insights for companies to identify the reflection of their decision-making process on their improvement. One of the most used performance measurement models is the balanced scorecard (BSC), which uses four perspectives to address a firm's performance: financial, internal process, customer satisfaction, and learning and growth. Since ISO 9001 certified firms are likely to measure their performance through BSC approach, it is important to verify whether the certificate influences the firm performance or not. Therefore, this paper aims to verify the impact of ISO 9001:2015 on Brazilian firms' performance based on the BSC perspective. Hence, nine certified companies located in the Southeast region of Brazil were studied through a multiple case study approach. Within this study, it was possible to identify the positive impact of ISO 9001 on firms' overall performance, and four Critical Success Factors (CSFs) were identified as relevant on the linkage among ISO 9001 and firms' performance: employee involvement, top management, process management, and customer focus. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of interviews was limited to the quality manager specialist, and the sample was limited since several companies were closed during the period of the study. This study presents an in-depth analysis of how the relationship between ISO 9001 certification and firms' performance in a developing country


This chapter analyses the safety record in the era of aviation liberalization. The chapter describes different types of liberalization and how aviation safety performance might be affected. Effects of industry growth, industry structure, and the regulatory environment are discussed. The pre- and post-safety records for specific country and region liberalizations are analysed. Overall, we find improvements in aviation safety following liberalization, especially for scheduled services. The safety record does vary by region and by industry segment. The relatively poor safety record of non-scheduled charter services in both developing regions is identified. The challenge for aviation safety is that an increasing share of fatal accidents involves regions and airlines where little information is available to help understand and improve safety performance.


An 81-year-old man with mild iron deficiency anemia (Hb 12 g/dl) and a positive fecal occult blood test was referred for a colonoscopy. The patient was asymptomatic and not undergoing any treatment. A foreign body that crossed the colonic lumen and prevented the colonoscope progression was identified at 40 cm from the anal verge via colonoscopy. The object seemed to be hard and fixed when manipulated with biopsy forceps.


Abstract Neural tube defects (NTD), the consequences of aberrant neural tube closure during embryogenesis, have been mostly investigated in terms of their high prevalence, rate of mortalities and serious morbidities. A proper prenatal outcome counseling of couples coming across a fetal anomaly necessitates the detection and categorization of the primer abnormality, all the co-existing malformations. The aim of this work is to study the incidence and relevance of associated malformations in order to offer a complete pathology report with a true diagnosis. In this study, among 542 fetal autopsy 62 (%11.4) cases with NTD was recorded by the Akdeniz University Pathology Department between January 2006 and June 2012. Twenty (32.4%) NTD cases were associated with anomaly. Twelve cases of associated groups consisted of a congenital syndrome/association, spondylothoracic dysplasia, amniotic band syndrome, Meckel–Gruber syndrome, schisis association. The frequency of associated NTD was 32%, this result was higher than previous reports. NTDs have a significant genetic component to their etiology that interacts with environmental risk factors, which might pose Turkey to be a country with high prevalence of NTD. We want to emphasize that intensive screening, documentation of co-existent abnormalities of NTD, should be conducted in order to exhibit certain diagnosis, to perform proper prenatal genetic counseling of parents for on-going/future pregnancies.


The method of dot DNA-DNA hybridization was used to reveal the inhibition of the synthesis of the adenoviral DNA by 6-azacytidine, cyclocytidine and ribamidyl in the adenovirus-infected cells Hep-2, a degree of which depended on the preparation concentration.


_________ ABSTRACT This study seeks to benchmark financial efficiencies for vegetable food crop production and to demonstrate that local vegetable food crop growing is a viable option. The work identifies techniques for communities to increase sustainability on small land plots in Wales [UK]. Initial research shows limited availability of systematic data on harvest quantities and financial returns for small scale growing of vegetable food crops. When interviewed, 37 growers from an initial total of 40 were either reluctant to provide, or had failed to keep, written records of vegetable production, their costs and sales statistics. The information provided by the 37 for comprehensive personal interview questionnaires is mainly derived from memory. Organic registered growers are notionally required to keep precise production and other details by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs. Analysis of the memorised data showed in most instances that outputs generated were not sufficient to support inputs. This study highlights the difficulties of collecting and collating sufficient accurate data and systematic to establish reliable benchmarks for small agricultural enterprises. Data Envelopment Analysis software initially identifies efficient and inefficient producers from the data collected but a simpler more readily understandable analysis system is now used which identifies changes in input variables needed to gauge efficiency. This study is set against a theoretical examination of global economic events that combine to discourage localisation. The overall aim is to show that in a global production framework there are hidden, deferred and obscured costs that make those processes unsustainable. Study of the produce of smallholdings and allotments in Wales allows some tentative conclusions to be drawn about appropriate benchmarks for local vegetable food crop production. This study is more important however, for the light it sheds on the current quality of data available for analysing small scale agricultural production and the general difficulties of conducting a survey to collect robust data, the analysis of which has policy implications for production, consumption and lifestyle. A study of allotments and small land plots Benchmarking for vegetable food crop production i


Within the two-orbital model for BiS2-based superconductors, the effect from a single nonmagnetic impurity scattering on the superconducting-state is investigated in terms of the T-matrix approach. By considering three kinds of the typical Fermi surface topology which characterize the essential features of the doping dependence of the electronic structure in BiS2-based superconductors, it is found that the impurity scattering on the superconducting-state with the conventional s-wave, the extended s-wave, the ±s-wave, and the dx2−y2 -wave symmetries induces qualitatively different resonance states due to the evolution of unique nodal structures on the Fermi surface with doping. These impurity-induced resonance states can be verified directly by the scanning tunneling microscopy experiments, and therefore they are proposed as a probe of the superconducting paring symmetry in BiS2-based superconductors.


The effects of currency conversion in Swiss francs in HungarySubsequent legislative actions were taken in Hungary in 2010–2015 in order to successively eliminate denominated in foreign currency loans from the market and thus gradually contribute to a reduction in the indebtedness of Hungarians resulting from the mortgage loans in Swiss francs and other currencies drawn in masses during the recent years. The Hungarian legislators gradually, through prohibiting the banks to employ practices unfavorable for the customers currency spreads, unilateral increase in interest rates on loans arrived at the automatic conversion of denominated foreign currency loans to the domestic currency, i.e. the forint. The mechanism implemented in Hungary, consisting in automatic loan conversion at the current rate, was a compromise, as it encumbered not only the banks, but also the borrowers. The latter were held responsible for the increase in the exchange rate of the currency the Swiss franc, but they received compensation in the form of reimbursement of the amounts overpaid due to the unfavorable practices employed by the banks. Thus, the solution implemented in Hungary was to preserve the symmetry between the customers and the banks, since the mechanism of automatic conversion at the current rate as such resulted in the customers have been owning more forints after the conversion than on the date of entering into the loan agreement with the bank. As a result, the first effects of the conversion were fairly neutralized, however the subject has certainly not been exhausted.


Introduction Hepatic dysfunction has always been considered as a sequel of chronic heart failure (CHF), however there has been recent interest in it being used as a marker of disease severity instead. Previous studies have demonstrated this among patients in clinical trial settings but no population based studies have been conducted thus far. We aim to determine the impact of hepatic dysfunction on a composite of all cause mortality and heart failure hospitalisation in patients treated for CHF. Methods We analysed data from the Systems BIOlogy Study to Tailored Treatment in Chronic Heart Failure (BIOSTAT-CHF) database which prospectively tracks treatment, comorbidity, blood investigations, hospitalisation and death information of patients with heart failure from Tayside and Fife. Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the prognostic impact of liver dysfunction on heart failure outcomes, while controlling for covariates like treatment regime, previous history of myocardial infarctions, atrial fibrillation, renal disease and CHF duration. Results Out of a total 1805 patients, there were 1200 (66.5%) males, with a mean age of 73.6 (±10.7) years, and mean duration of HF 39.9 months with a total of 414 all cause death or heart failure hospitalisation. We found low serum albumin levels (less than 35 g/L) to be an independent predictor of CV death or hospitalisation with a hazard ratio of 2.05 (95% CI 1.51–2.79, p < 0.001). Similarly, elevated bilirubin (more than 20 µmol/L) and alanine aminotransaminase (ALT) (more than 35 U/L) increased the risk of outcomes with hazards of 1.97 (95% CI 1.56–2.50, p < 0.001) and 1.31 (95% CI 1.04–1.66, p = 0.024) respectively. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate lower serum albumin, elevated total bilirubin and ALT were independent predictors of all cause death or hospitalisation among an unselected group of HF patients. These markers can be easily used to risk stratify ambulatory CHF patients in the clinic.


The paper is devoted to an investigation of a Radio Frequency (RF) measuring-control system equipped with sensors and actuators distributed along the cable. Displacement, acceleration and strain sensors together with an actuator and PWM type control signals can be used. This system is configured to operate with the experimental setup specially developed to study MR damper performance for vibration suppression of cables. The RF measuring-control system structure, transmission protocol and radio disturbances problem are discussed. The experimental results for the cable laboratory system are presented.


The aim of this paper is to draw a parallel between today's situation – not only political and military, but also between the ideological confrontation between Russia and the Western world and the religious wars, which were waged during the Reformation, and Counterreformation in Europe in the 17th century. Epoch when arguably wars were waged not only for the military domination in Europe, but also, and most importantly, for the minds of people. Jose Antonio Maravall in his book "Culture of Baroque: Analysis of Historical Structure" describes the means of influencing audiences, calling this influence a "Baroque mechanism". The connection between the modern times and the epoch of Baroque is also described in Greg Lambert's book "The Return of the Baroque in Modern Culture". Lambert is comparing the alliance between politics and culture present in the modern world to that of Baroque epoch. Recent developments in Russian history and its reflection by the state propaganda and television quite often make the citizens feel that it is almost impossible to tell where fictional tragedy ends and a real one starts. The occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and the sanctions that followed gave rise to a new spiral of Russian propaganda which gave an impetus to a new wave of nationalism on the government-sponsored television and created the so called "Olgin Trolls" on the internet. This policy of state-sponsored ideology and propaganda found its reflection in Russian literature. Prominent contemporary writers, such as Viktor Pelevin and Vladimir Sorokin, gained almost prophetic status for their ability to predict developments in Russian politics albeit in a satirical and provocative form. By describing the present, Pelevin models the future and for this reason he is often credited with prophetic qualities. It seems that he manages to foresee not only the general outline of events, but also the smallest details. While reading Pelevin, one cannot help returning back to the title page and double check the date – it's hard to believe that the book has been written not in the wake of the Chechen wars (Generation II) or the hybrid war with Ukraine (S.N.U.F.F.) but anticipated the events and provided their astonishingly accurate description. As a rule, Pelevin's books outpace the historic events by about five to six years. Presumably we are not dealing here with a mystical providence, but with Pelevin's unique ability to observe and his brilliant capacity for analysis. The aim of this paper is to analyze Viktor Pelevin's novel S.N.U.F.F. This post apocalyptic novel was published in 2011 and predicted the confrontation between Russia and the Western world, which began after 2014. Pelevin suggested even the name of Ukraine, albeit in a distorted form – Urkaina, which is a derivative of укры (the term which became to serve as a pejorative name for Ukranians in Russia), орки (Orks by Tolkien) and урки (prisoners in the prison jargon). Although the book describes a dystopian future, one can clearly establish a connection with modern day realities. One of main discourses of the book is a fusion of ideology and art. The research based on works by Greg Lambert and Jose Antonio Maravall will be mainly focused on the analysis of the system, created in Pelevin's book. In this system society is based on the films it is itself producing. The films are divided in two halves: one part of the film is a pornographic footage, and other part is a footage of killing during war, hence both the book and the films are called snuffs. The films relentlessly fed to the public serve to educate it and to offer it news.
In this way they are the only source of information in Pelevin's dystopia. The connection discussed in this paper will show that these films carry out not only an educational and information functions, they also become the main object of a religious cult and are an integral part of ideological and religious propaganda.
The results of our analysis will hopefully show the mechanisms and effects of such forceful cultural pressure on individuals and how they can cope with and resist the pressure of goverment-controlled media.


Spur gear surface endurance tests were conducted to investigate CBN ground AISI 9310 spur gears for use in aircraft applications, to determine their endurance characteristics and to compare the results with the endurance of standard vitreous ground AISI 9310 spur gears. Tests were conducted with VIM-VAR AISI 9310 carburized and hardened gears that were finish ground with either CBN or vitreous grinding methods. Test conditions were an inlet oil temeprature of 320 K (116 F), an outlet oil temperature of 350 K (170 F), a maximum Hertz stress of 1.71 GPa (248 ksi), and a speed of 10,000 rpm. The CBN ground gears exhibited a surface fatigue life that was slightly better than the vitreous ground gears. The subsurface residual stress of the CBN ground gears was approximately the same as that for the standard vitreous ground gears for the CBN grinding method used.


We examine the role of expediting in dealing with lead-time uncertainties associated with global supply chains of "functional products" (high volume, low demand uncertainty goods). In our developed stylized model, a retailer sources from a supplier with uncertain lead-time to meet his stable and known demand, and the supply lead-time is composed of two random duration stages. At the completion time of the first stage, the retailer has the option to expedite a portion of the replenishment order via an alternative faster supply mode. We characterize the optimal expediting policy in terms of if and how much of the order to expedite and explore comparative statics on the optimal policy to better understand the effects of changes in the cost parameters and lead-time properties. We also study how the expediting option affects the retailer's decisions on the replenishment order (time and size of order placement). We observe that with the expediting option the retailer places larger orders closer to the start of the selling season, thus having this option serve as a substitute for the safety lead-time and allowing him to take increased advantages of economies of scale. Finally we extend the basic model by looking at correlated lead-time stages and more than two random lead-time stages.


Three linked genes responsible for resistance respectively to stem rust, to leaf rust, and to powdery mildew are located on chromosome 7B of Hope wheat. The gene for stem rust resistance, operative in seedling and adult plant stages, is recessive and is designated Br17. The incompletely dominant gene for resistance to leaf rust, designated Lr14, showed 18% recombination with sr17, whilst in two different crosses recombination estimates of 6·0 and 2·5%, respectively, were obtained for the recessive gene for mildew resistance and Br17. All three genes were found to be present in a high proportion of Hope and H·44 derivatives. The gene Br 1'7 is apparently ineffective in conferring resistance to North American and pre.1954 Australian stem rust strains. Its incorporation into several cultivars selected for resistance to these strains presumably resulted from gene interactions or linkage with genes for resistance to other diseases.


Two studies examined age differences in recall and recognition memory for positive, negative, and neutral stimuli. In Study 1, younger, middle-aged, and older adults were shown images on a computer screen and, after a distraction task, were asked first to recall as many as they could and then to identify previously shown images from a set of old and new ones. The relative number of negative images compared with positive and neutral images recalled decreased with each successively older age group. Recognition memory showed a similar decrease with age in the relative memory advantage for negative pictures. In Study 2, the largest age differences in recall and recognition accuracy were also for the negative images. Findings are consistent with socioemotional selectivity theory, which posits greater investment in emotion regulation with age.


Background: Socioeconomic status (SES) is an important determinant of disparities in health care and may play a role in end-of-life care and decision-making. The SES is difficult to retrospectively abstract from current electronic medical records and data sets. Objective: Using a validated SES measuring tool derived from home address, the HOUsing-based SocioEconomic Status index, termed HOUSES we wanted to determine whether SES is associated with differences in end-of-life care and decision-making. Design/Setting/Participants: This cross-sectional study utilized a cohort of Olmsted County adult residents admitted to 7 intensive care units (ICUs) at Mayo Rochester between June 1, 2011, and May 31, 2014. Measurements: Multiple variables that reflect decision-making and care at end of life and during critical illness were evaluated, including presence of advance directives and discharge disposition. The SES was measured by individual housing-based SES index (HOUSES index; a composite index derived from real property as a standardized z-score) at the date of admission to the ICU which was then divided into 4 quartiles. The greater HOUSES, the higher SES, outcomes were adjusted for age, 24-hour Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation III score, sex, race/ethnicity, and insurance. Results: Among the eligible 4134 participants, the addresses of 3393 (82%) were successfully geocoded and formulated into HOUSES. The adjusted odds ratios comparing HOUSES 1 versus 2, 3, and 4 demonstrated lower likelihood of advance directives −0.77(95% CI: 0.63-0.93) and lower likelihood of discharge to home −0.60(95% CI: 1.0.5-0.72). Conclusion: Lower SES, derived from a composite index of housing attributes, was associated with lower rates of advance directives and lower likelihood of discharge to home.


This survey covers the state of the art of techniques for solving general-purpose constrained global optimization problems and continuous constraint satisfaction problems, with emphasis on complete techniques that provably find all solutions (if there are finitely many). The core of the material is presented in sufficient detail that the survey may serve as a text for teaching constrained global optimization. After giving motivations for and important examples of applications of global optimization, a precise problem definition is given, and a general form of the traditional first-order necessary conditions for a solution. Then more than a dozen software packages for complete global search are described. A quick review of incomplete methods for bound-constrained problems and recipes for their use in the constrained case follows; an explicit example is discussed, introducing the main techniques used within branch and bound techniques. Sections on interval arithmetic, constrained propagation and local optimization are followed by a discussion of how to avoid the cluster problem. Then a discussion of important problem transformations follows, in particular of linear, convex, and semilinear (= mixed integer linear) relaxations that are important for handling larger problems. Next, reliability issues – centring on rounding error handling and testing methodologies – are discussed, and the COCONUT framework for the integration of the different techniques is introduced. A list of challenges facing the field in the near future concludes the survey.


Primary Texts in Cambridge Pragmatism Early Criticisms and Controversies, 1897-1910 Later Criticisms and Controversies, 1911-1940 The Lasting Influence of Peirce and James 5 reset volumes of articles and book extracts. Each volume has a new introduction plus a name and subject index.


Recent advancements in concrete science and technology have made possible the development of high performance fiber reinforced cementitious composites (HPFRCC) with excellent mechanical properties and long-term durability. However, the costs of these materials are many times that of conventional concrete and the construction of complete structures with them is hard to justify. The strategic application of high performance materials, in selected parts of concrete structures, can bring along higher performance/cost and wider acceptance of the material in practice. This paper will investigate several examples of selective HPFRCC application, including the fabrication of permanent formwork for durability enhancement, the replacement of steel reinforcements at the anchorage zone of post-tensioned members to relieve the steel congestion problem as well as the development of simple and narrow joints for pre-cast concrete members. Based on the experimental results obtained so far, the selected use of HPFRCC in concrete structures appears to have good potential for practical applications.


Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are emerging as better alternatives to inorganic compounds for use in technological applications, yet many of their fundamental characteristics remain unexplored. We report the first experimental studies based on diffraction across the structural change in any perovskite-type MOF undergoing high-pressure phase-transitions revealing a structural transformation in metal guanidinium formates (MeGFs). Though, in general, a change in symmetry adheres to a group–subgroup association, a MOF is found to defy such behaviour and yet exhibits reversibility.


A simple model of the cereal harvest operation was constructed for the Wimmera region of Victoria. The model was used to investigate factors influential in determining the harvesting costs of a machinery system over a period of years. An evaluation of alternative machinery systems was also conducted using the model. The superiority of systems simulation over static analysis was demonstrated by using the model to incorporate stochastic variables and to handle the dynamic nature of the harvest operation. In addition, the model output was shown to provide more information for decision makers than had resulted from previous Australian studies. It was concluded that systems simulation is an appropriate technique for investigating farm management machinery selection problems.


When the specifically Anglican liturgical tradition developed in the mid-sixteenth century there was but one order for the Holy Communion. No choices of words or alternative shapes were provided for the liturgy, and it was not until the second half of the nineteenth century that such changes were even desired, at least in England-this had not been the case in Scotland or the United States. Over the past 150 years the desire for change has steadily increased: first with the words, then concerning the actions, and leading to a series of national prayer books, most deriving from the Book of Common Prayer. Amid all this liturgical diversity a fundamental question has come to the fore: Does our liturgy (especially Holy Communion) still bind us together as Anglicans? Many Anglicans have found that the binding unity of our liturgy is not so much the prayer texts anymore, but simply the basic shape and actions, though other factors are also at play, such as reading common scripture passages and using some of the same prayers. With the development of computer technology even wider variations have become possible, and authorization of particular texts has become a desire rather than reality. Given this situation, the education of worship leaders is more important than ever.The principles of the Anglican liturgical tradition were set forth in the Preface and the section Concerning the Services of the Church in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, with the first principle being that the people together are the focus of the liturgy-hence the title "common" prayer-which means that our "worship is essentially corporate and envisages a wider social intentionality and bearing."1 To this end, therefore, the liturgy should be in a language "understanded of the people," the Bible should be read in an ordered fashion, the Service should be read in an audible manner, and there is to be one order for the realm (that is, England).Over the past 350 years, the 1662 Book of Common Prayer has been at the core of the liturgical life of most Anglicans. In some provinces it is the veiy center of the constitution of that province as well, and is thus (still) at its legal basis, Anglicans likewise find their theological understanding through their worship, and since for most of the 350 years there has been little or no change in that liturgical life, Anglican theology has also been slow to change.While this is true for provinces which derive from the British Empire/Commonwealth, there is another slightly different stream, deriving from Scotland and the USA. This stream came into its own in the mid-1670s when the Scottish church was influenced by the nonjurors, and they in turn influenced the American church after the War of Independence.Toward the end of the nineteenth century those influenced by the Oxford Movement began to look for change. They found the 1662 Book of Common Prayer a straightjacket, both theologically and liturgically. In England the impetus for this change led to the revision of the BCP proposed in 1927, with its provision for additional texts for the consecration prayer at Communion and additional ceremony where desired. (We are limiting these comments to the eucharist.) Despite being approved by the convocations of the Church of England, however, the text was defeated in Parliament in 1928. The church itself (and its bishops) turned a blind eye, though, and allowed the use of the textual changes in the proposed 1928 Prayer Book. Here began a movement toward varied texts with the introduction of an alternative "consecration prayer."From the 1950s onwards various provinces began the journey to revising the entire Prayer Book. At first these revisions were very conservative, but gradually they grew in number and in breadth. In 1966, for example, the Australian liturgical Commission issued for use the volume Prayer Book Revision in Australia, which contained a number of revised rites. Of these rites, there were two versions of the eucharist: a conservative version of the BCP rite using traditional language, and a "radical" version not only in modern English ("you" rather than "Thou") but also with an adapted shape of the eucharistie prayer based on that of the Church of South India, along with the introduction of a Greeting of Peace prior to the preparation of the gifts on the Table. …


This article reports on a study that explored users' motives in using the Like feature on Facebook. Data were collected by means of in-depth interviews of daily Facebook users in two distinct cultures, the United States and Ecuador. The findings of the study reveal that the Like may be used (1) to acknowledge the gratifications obtained with the use of Facebook, (2) to share information with others, and (3) as a tool for impression management. Four categories of gratified usage motives influencing Liking behavior with distinctly different preferences in each culture, were found. The four categories that gratified usage motives are entertainment, information/discovery, bounding, and self-identification. Three types of underlying motives dominated the use of the Like to share information: presentation of the self, presentation of the extended-self, and social obligations. Finally, the Like can be used as a self-protective tool for impression management. The present findings lay the foundation for a grounded theory model that may guide future research efforts in this area.


Developing a large enough vocabulary is an essential element in L2 acquisition in order to
be able to read and write and participate in various topics of conversation. It is also assumed
that reading is an important skill for academic success in first language (L1) and second
language (L2) learning (Elley, 1991; Pulido, 2003). Many studies have focused on the
contribution of vocabulary size to reading in L1 and L2 (e.g., Nation, 2006; Hsueh-chao &
Nation, 2000), and conversely, on the extent to which learners can learn words incidentally
from reading (Horst, Meara & Cobb, 1998; Waring & Takaki, 2003; Pigada & Schmitt,
2006). However, we know much less about the relationship between the depth of
vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension (Qian, 2002). Jiang (2000) proposed a
three-stage model of lexical development in L2: at the first stage, the L2 learner's focus is on
the formal aspects of the word, then at the second stage the L1 meaning and syntactic
information is transferred into the L2 lexeme, and at the last stage, the L2 semantic syntactic
information can be integrated into the new L2 lexical entry. Study 1 focuses on a) exploring
which aspects of words (meaning, form and use) L2 learners can retain through reading, based
on Jaing's (2000) model, b) how depth and size of vocabulary knowledge can explain
variance in reading comprehension performance, and c) whether frequency of occurrence
explains learning and retention of new words from reading. Two offline tests were used to
measure depth and size of word knowledge among 30 L1 Arabic learners of English and 30
native English speakers, and one online lexical decision task measured form recognition. The
target words were four non-words which replaced four existing nouns in two stories from the
YARC reading comprehension test. The results show that the L2 learners are better at retaining
word forms than word meanings of these non-words. Vocabulary depth (knowledge about a
word's meaning and use) explains a significant variance in summarising the stories from the
YARC. The target non-words occurring more frequently (eight times) have positively explained
the form recognition of these words, however, this appears to decline over time for the L1
Arabic learners of English group.
Study 2 is an intervention study, designed after obtaining Study 1 results in order to
examine the role of a specific technique in explaining L2 retention of the meaning of new
words among 40 L1 Arabic learners of English. It is based on Laufer and Hulstijn's (2001)
Involvement Load Hypothesis (ILH) and examines how an elaboration task (ET), as a post
reading activity with high involvement component, can improve L2 readers' retention of the
meaning of new words. Based on Jiang's (2000) model, it further aims to investigate
connections between L2 words and conceptual representation, and particularly whether the group which had carried out an elaboration task with these target non-words were better at
gaining the L2 lemma than those who had not carried out this task. It also investigates whether
frequency of occurrence explained students' ability to learn words from reading. The same
two stories from the YARC were used, in which the same four target non-words replaced
existing words. An offline test was used to measure knowledge of meaning and use of the target
non-words and one online Semantic Priming Task measured respondents' accuracy and speed
in recognising the meaning of target non-words. The regression analysis shows that an ET
with a high involvement component significantly contributes to L2 learning and retention of
the meaning of new words. Based on Jiang's (2000) model, L2 learners could link the L2
meaning to the L2 English form, but this seems to disappear one week later. In terms of the ET
groups, L2 who took the ET involving the target non-word continued to link the L2 lemma
semantic information to the target L2 form, but this also appears to decline over time. Target
non-words occurring more frequently are better retained, however, this disappears one week
later. These findings have significant theoretical and pedagogical implications for enhancing
L2 vocabulary learning and retention.


Inorganic solution processed CsPbBr3 perovskite thin films are highly promising optoelectronic materials and have been applied in solar cells, light emitting diodes, and photodetectors. They show good electroluminescence properties combined with high thermal stability. In this work, CsPbBr3 perovskite thin films doped with a series of organic cations of various chain lengths, namely, methylammonium (MA), ethylammonium (EA), butylammonium (BA) and octylammonium (OA) at optimized molar ratios of (organic cations: Cs+), were fabricated with a two-step solution process. The crystalline structure, surface morphology and photophysical properties of the films were characterized in detail. The surface morphology of the films was improved with reduced surface roughness, accompanying by doping with the organic cations. The amplified spontaneous emissions (ASE) were observed from all of the different CsPbBr3 films at room temperature. The gain coefficients for the doped CsPbBr3 films were higher than the pristine films, due to much reduced bulk defects, reduced non-radiative recombination in the films, as well as improved surface quality of the films. This work provides a simple method of preparing organic cations modified CsPbBr3 laser gain media of high performance.


Frailty, a condition associated with functional decline caused by insufficient mental stimulation, physical activity and healthy nutrition (Gomez et al., 2013), is a common occurrence among older adults. To counter this effect and decrease the risks for disability, dementia and hospitalisation, we developed a community-based service supported by technology called PERSSILAA (PERsonalised ICT Supported Services for Independent Living and Active Ageing). People who can particularly benefit from such a self-management service platform are in a so-called pre-frail state; declining but not yet in need of professional care.
Since becoming frail is often going unnoticed by the person itself, the service starts with a screening process to identify the older adults with functional decline. They are offered a monitoring and training program that supports them in maintaining or improving on the three abovementioned dimensions of daily functioning. In addition, subjects with proper levels of functioning are also encouraged to use the service since by training in the different modules vulnerability for age related health decline can be prevented.
To realise indispensable long-term engagement of the user to the service, an online gaming platform has been developed. Its user experience design relies on our previous research outcomes on gaming, gamification strategies and player motivation for the older adult (De Vette et al., 2015) to match the various preferences, abilities and prior game experience of this target group as well as possible. The game serves as an alternative interface to the standard way of exercising by providing access to the other modules from within the game environment. In the game, the player is an adventurer that is shipwrecked on an unknown island in a storm. A meaningful and motivating experience is created by reflecting the user's performance on the training modules in the progression of the game. For example, every next level is opened after passing a predefined threshold of performance on the PERSSILAA services.
Both in the Netherlands and in Italy, end-users have been involved in short evaluation cycles to quickly investigate and solve issues, thereby ensuring optimal acceptance and usability. In an ongoing evaluation study among long-term users, information is gathered on preference for game content, usability, clarity and accessibility through an online questionnaire, and provides direct input for further implementation. In addition, actual use is monitored objectively through data logs. The refinement of the game environment by means of new study outcomes and developments is an ongoing iterative process toward the realisation of an enjoyable game-based service platform for the older adult that is also employable in similar future services. Final evaluation results are expected end of 2016.


In 1795, Georges Cuvier proposed a new classification of invertebrate animals based on anatomical data. He created a new concept of mollusks as representatives of a unique type of morphological organization of animals. Before Cuvier, the name "mollusks" was used only for cephalopods without external shells and slugs, whereas all shelled mollusks were placed in another taxon, Testacea. The Cuvier's works (1795, 1798) are considered here as the starting point of transformation of classical conchology (= study of shells) into modern malacology (= study of molluscous animals as whole organisms). This process ended in 1825 when the very term "malacology" was finally established by Ducrotay


Identification of malware's family is an intricate process whose success and accuracy depends on different factors. These factors are mainly related to the process of extracting of meaningful and distinctive features from a set of malware samples, modeling malware via its static or dynamic features and particularly techniques used to classify malware samples. In this paper, we propose a new malware classification method based on behavioral features. File system, network, registry activities observed during the execution traces of the malware samples are used to represent behavior based features. Existing classification schemes apply machine-learning algorithms to the stored data, i.e., they are off-line. In this study, we use on-line machine learning algorithms that can provide instantaneous update about the new malware sample by following its introduction to the classification scheme. To validate the effectiveness and scalability of our method, we have evaluated our method by using 18,000 recent malicious files. Experimental results show that our method classifies malware with an accuracy of 92.


Background: Aortic occlusion is a valuable adjunct for management of traumatic pelvic and lower extremity junctional hemorrhage.
Methods: The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma's Aortic Occlusion in Resuscitation for Trauma and Acute Care Surgery registry was reviewed for patients requiring Zone III resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) from eight verified trauma centers. After excluding patients in arrest, demographics, elements of treatment and outcomes were identified.
Results: From Nov 2013 – Dec 2016, 30 patients had Zone III REBOA placed. Median age was 41.0 (IQR 38); median ISS 41.0 (IQR 12). Hypotension (SBP < 90mm Hg) was present on admission in 30.0% and tachycardia (HR > 100 bpm) in 66.7%. Before REBOA placement, vital signs changed in this cohort with hypotension in 83.3% and tachycardia noted in 90%. Median initial pH was 7.14 (IQR 0.22), and median admission lactate 9.9 mg/dL (IQR 5). Pelvic binders were utilized in 40%. Occlusion balloon devices included Coda™ (70%), ER-REBOA™ (13.3%), Reliant™ (10%).  After REBOA, hemodynamics improved in 96.7% and stability (BP consistently > 90 mm Hg) was achieved in 86.7%. Median duration of REBOA was 53.0 mins (IQR 112). Median PRBC and FFP requirements were 19.0 units (IQR (17) and 17.0 units (IQR 14), respectively. One amputation unrelated to REBOA utilization was required. Systemic complications included AKI (23.3%) and MODS (10%). REBOA specific complications included groin hematoma (3.3%) and distal thromboembolization (16.7%). Survival to discharge was 56.7%, with in-hospital deaths occurring in the ED 7.7%, OR 23.1%, ICU 69.2%.
Conclusions: This review discusses the specifics of the contemporary use of Zone III REBOA placement as well as local and systemic complications for patients in extremis with pelvic/junctional hemorrhage. Further review is required determine optimal patient selection.
Level of Evidence: Level IV
Study Type: Therapeutic
Key Words

Zone III REBOA, Pelvic Bleeding, Junctional Hemorrhage


Context. PSR J1357−6429 is a Vela-like radio pulsar that has been recently detected in X-rays and γ-rays. It powers a compact taillike X-ray pulsar wind nebula and X-ray-radio plerion associated with an extended TeV source HESS J1356−645. Aims. We present our deep optical observations with the Very Large Telescope to search for an optical counterpart of the pulsar and its nebula. Methods. The observations were carried out using a direct imaging mode in the V, R ,a ndI bands. We also analysed archival X-ray data obtained with Chandra and XMM-Newton. Results. In all three optical bands, we detect a point-like source with V = 27.3 ± 0.3, R = 25.52 ± 0.07, and I = 24.13 ± 0.05, whose position is within the 1σ error circle of the X-ray position of the pulsar, and whose colours are distinct from those of ordinary stars. We consider it as a candidate optical counterpart of the pulsar. If it is indeed the counterpart, its 5σ offset from the radio pulsar position, measured about 9 yr earlier, implies that the transverse velocity of the pulsar is in the range of 1600–2000 km s −1 at the distance of 2–2.5 kpc, making it the fastest moving pulsar known. The direction of the estimated proper motion coincides with the extension of the pulsar's X-ray tail, suggesting that this is a jet. The tentative optical luminosity and efficiency of the pulsar are similar to those of the Vela pulsar, which also supports the optical identification. However, the candidate undergoes an unusually steep dereddened flux increase towards the infrared with a spectral index αν ∼ 5, that is not typical of optical pulsars. It implies a strong double-knee spectral break in the pulsar emission between the optical and X-rays. The reasons for the spectral steepness are unclear. It may be caused by a nebula knot projected onto the jet and strongly overlapping with the pulsar, as observed for the Crab, where the knot has a significantly steeper spectrum than the pulsar. We find no other signs of the pulsar nebula in the optical. Alternatively, the detected source may be a faint AGN, that has not yet been seen at other wavelengths. Conclusions. The position and peculiar colours of the detected source suggest that it is an optical counterpart of the pulsar. Further high spatial-resolution infrared observations can help to verify its real nature.


Internet connects everyone to everything globally. The existence of Internet eases people in completing daily tasks. Thanks to Internet, information is being digitalized and spread openly to the public. Online news articles not only provide us with useful and reliable information and reports, it also eases information extraction and gathering for research purposes especially in Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning (ML). The topics regarding the South China Sea have been popular lately due to the rise of conflicts between several countries claim on the islands in the sea. Gathering data through Internet and online sources proves to be easy, but to process a huge amount data and to identify only useful information manually takes a longer time to complete. Extracting important features from a text document can be done by using one or a combination of feature extraction methods. Relevant information and the classification of news articles in relation to the conflicts in South China Sea need to be done. In this paper, a model is proposed to use Named Entity Recognition (NER) that search for and classifies important information regarding to the conflicts. In order to do that, a combination of Part-of-Speech (POS) and NER are needed to extract type of conflicts from the news.  This study also claims to classify news by using Conditional Random Field (CRF) algorithm and Multinomial NaA¯ve Bayes (MNB) as classification methods by training and testing the data.Â


2-Acetylpyridine-4-phenyl-3-thiosemicarbazone (APPT) ligand was incorporated onto Amberlite XAD-2 resin through an azo spacer and characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, TGA, and SEM analysis. The synthesized resin was used for the preconcentration of Pb(II), Zn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Cd(II) ions. The sorbed metal ions were eluted with 10 mL of 2.0 mol L-1 HCl and determined by microsample injection coupled flame atomic spectrometry (MIS-FAAS). The recoveries of studied metal ions were \ge 95.1 % with RSD \ge 4.0 % at optimum pH 8; resin amount, 300 mg; flow rates, 2.0 mL min-1 (of eluent) and 3.0 mL min-1 (sample solution). The limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantifications (LOQ) of the studied metal ions were 0.11, 0.05, 0.07, 0.08, 0.09, and 0.03; and 0.37, 0.17, 0.21, 0.13, 0.31, and 0.10 m g L-1, respectively, with a preconcentration factor of 500 for the 6 studied metal ions. The total saturation capacity of the resin was 0.36, 1.20, 1.50, 1.61, 1.07, and 0.71 mmol g-1, respectively.


The purpose of this paper is to focus our attention on the conceptual basis upon which the wealth tax system may be implemented in Romania taking into consideration former and actual presence of wealth tax within Europe. The idea of increasing the taxable basis based on imposing the wealth constitutes one of the most important debate topics on the agenda of the Romanian Parliament and Government and also within specialists' theoretical approaches. The vast range of such approaches and further solutions is to be analysed in the global context of direct taxation in Europe and worldwide and particularly relevant for the complexity of the problem is the evolution of wealth tax during the last decades and also the very important context of moving corporate main offices in countries with more advantageous systems of taxation.


A survey of three refugee groups (ex-Yugoslavs, black Africans and people from the Middle East) in Western Australia indicates that the recent humanitarian arrivals are concentrated in labour market niches such as cleaning services, care of the aged, meat processing, taxi driving, security and building. Apart from the building industry, these employment niches are situated in the 'secondary labour market' comprising low-status and low-paid jobs that locals avoid. This article identifies several interrelated mechanisms through which the recent Australian refugee intake has been relegated to undesirable jobs: non-recognition of qualifications as a systemic barrier, discrimination on the basis of race and cultural difference by employers, 'ethnic-path integration' and the lack of mainstream social networks that could assist in the job search, and the recent 'regional sponsored migration scheme' through which the government tries to address the shortage of low-skilled labour in depopulating country areas. The data show massive loss of occupational status among our respondents and confirm the existence of the segmented labour market, where racially and culturally visible migrants are allocated the bottom jobs regardless of their 'human capital'. Changes in the nature of the segmented labour market in the increasingly mobile global workforce are analysed. Some of these insights are drawn from two other research projects on Bosnian and Afghan refugees in Australia undertaken by the authors.


Breeding sorghum for low-input conditions is hindered by soil heterogeneity. Spatial adjustment using mixed models can help account for this variation and increase precision of low-input field trials. Large small-scale spatial variation (CV 39.4 %) for plant available phosphorus was mapped in an intensely sampled low-input field. Spatial adjustments were shown to account for residual yield differences because of this and other growth factors. To investigate the potential of such models to increase the efficiency of low- and high-input field trials, 17 experiments with 70 sorghum genotypes conducted in Mali, West Africa, were analysed for grain yield using different mixed models including models with autoregressive spatial correlation terms. Spatial models (AR1, AR2) improved broad sense heritability estimates for grain yield, averaging gains of 10 and 6 % points relative to randomized complete block (RCB) and lattice models, respectively. The heritability estimate gains were even higher under low phosphorus conditions and in two-replicate analyses. No specific model was best for all environments. A single spatial model, AR1 × AR1, captured most of the gains for heritability and relative efficiency provided by the best model identified for each environment using Akaike's Information Criterion. Spatial modelling resulted in important changes in genotype ranking for grain yield. Thus, the use of spatial models was shown to have potentially important consequences for aiding effective sorghum selection in West Africa, particularly under low-input conditions and for trials with fewer replications. Thus, using spatial models can improve the resource allocation of a breeding program. Furthermore, our results show that good experimental design with optimal placement and orientation of blocks is essential for efficient statistical analysis with or without spatial adjustment.


The Hôpital Protestant de Dabou (HPD), a private charitable hospital located in a rural area of the Ivory Coast, has seen its activity decreasing significantly since the beginning of the 1990s. The decrease affected mainly the paediatric and the general medicine specialties. An evaluation suggested that this appeared to have resulted from a combination of determinants including decreasing level of financial support from government and aid agencies, rise in the hospital price list rendering services financially inaccessible to the local population, and episodes of drug shortage. The HPD is facing two options, the first being to evolve towards a self-sufficient organization offering expensive health care to the wealthiest part of the population, thus departing from the original driving principles of affordability and value for money. The second option is to try to stick to these principles by actively seeking greater financial support from government and aid agencies. External donors may find that only with their continued support can the qualities of responsiveness, flexibility and innovation displayed by the HPD and other comparable hospitals be preserved.


Abstract Coda Q , Qc , has been determined in the Mount Cameroon volcanic region, West Africa, from the decay of the amplitudes of coda waves on narrow band-pass-filtered seismograms of local microearthquakes in the frequency range 1.5 to 24 Hz. Qc averages about 121 and 1745 at 1.5 Hz and 24 Hz, respectively, and has a frequency dependence of the form Qc = 65f. For each frequency band, the coda Q values, averaged over all the earthquakes, show an insensitivity to the compoment of the ground motion. Considering a model incorporating both scattering and intrinsic attenuation, and assuming that the attenuation is entirely due to the scattering loss, a frequency-independent minimum mean free path of about 38 km was found.


This article documents that earnings announcements serve as a reality check on short-term, fear- and greed-driven price development. Stocks with extreme abnormal returns in the week before an earnings announcement experience strong price reversals around the announcement. Basedon the findings of the authors, a trading strategy that exploits this reversal would have been profitable in 40 of the last 42 years and earned abnormal returns in excess of 1.3% over a two day-window.


Protection and effective management of wetlands requires information describing their type, distribution, and condition. Inventories are carried out to obtain such information. The efficiency of inventories that produce statistical information can be improved by the use of remote sensing because the synoptic observation capabilities of remote sensors, particularly Landsat, make it possible to nearly eliminate sampling error. The information furnished by inventories des igned to produce maps can be extended through the use of digital data manipulation techniques to include (1) quantitative measures of the spatial arrangement of a resource and (2) detection of changes in a resource over time.


This is the third volume of three which will give the reader an insight into the current state of CNC technology with a focus on practical applications. This volume deals with CNC programming. It has been written in conjunction with a major European supplier of controllers in order to give the reader a more consistent and in-depth understanding of the logic used to program such machines. It explains how why and where to program specific features of a part and how to build them up into complete programs. Thus, the reader will learn about the main aspects of the logical structure and compilation of a program. Finally, there is a brief review of some of the typical controllers currently available from both universal and proprietary builders. The author draws on his extensive experience as a practitioner and teacher. The text is thoroughly practical in character and generously illustrated with diagrams and photographs.


Expression of the 'A' and 'B' forms of progesterone receptor (PR), in an appropriate ratio is critical for normal mammary development. As such, mammary glands of PR-A transgenic mice, carrying additional 'A' form of PR as transgene, exhibit morphological and histological characteristics associated with transformation. Accordingly, in the present studies, we analyzed these mammary glands for the presence of transformed epithelial cells by examining for alterations in gene expressions and growth potential, known to be associated with different stages of transformation. These studies reveal that, in the aberrant mammary epithelial structures, there is a decrease in p21 expression, an increase in cyclin D1 expression accompanied by an increase in cell proliferation, and a decrease in estrogen receptor alpha (ER alpha). In mammary ducts with normal histology, there is a decrease in p21 expression without an elevation in cyclin D1 expression or cell proliferation or a decrease in ER alpha expression. Treatment of PR-A transgenics with anti-progestin, mifepristone, has no effect on cell proliferation, cyclin D1 or ER alpha expression in the aberrant epithelial structures. In contrast, mifepristone restored the loss of p21 expression in the epithelial cells of both the ducts with normal histology and aberrant structures. Parallel studies reveal no apparent differences between the mammary glands of wild-type and PR-B transgenic mice, which carry additional PR 'B' form. Accordingly, we conclude that (i) mammary glands of PR-A transgenics contain at least two distinct populations of transformed epithelial cells, (ii) the epithelial cell population in the ducts with normal histology contain presumptive immortalized cells, indicative of early stages of transformation, (iii) the aberrant epithelial structures contain later stages of transformation associated with hyperplasias/pre-neoplasias and (iv) the transformation of mammary epithelial cells in PR-A transgenics might be due to a misregulation in progesterone action resulting from overexpression of PR 'A' form.


ABSTRACT Mandal, S.; Pramanik, S.; Sil, S.; Arunraj, K.S., and Jena, B.K., 2020. Sub-mesoscale circulation features along the Andhra Pradesh coast, Bay of Bengal: Observations from HF radars. In: Sheela Nair, L.; Prakash, T.N.; Padmalal, D., and Kumar Seelam, J. (eds.), Oceanic and Coastal Processes of the Indian Seas. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 89, pp. 132-138. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. This work presents the coastal circulation variability along the Andhra coast in western Bay of Bengal (BoB) using hourly high frequency radar (HFR, 4.4 MHz) derived ocean surface currents during 2015. The comparison of daily averaged HFR surface currents with satellite derived currents shows high correlations (0.86, 0.70) and low errors (0.28 m s-1, 0.25 m s-1) for the zonal and meridional components. The HFRs captured and quantified the dominant circulation features associated with the reversal of boundary currents. The northward (southward) currents are observed from mid-March till May end (October to November with highest current speed of ∼1.58 (1.24) m s-1 along the Andhra coast (between 15-17°N). In addition, the sub-mesoscale features associated with dominant circulation features are observed, like, the propagation of an anticyclonic eddy (81.80°E, 15.25°N) during March and cyclonic eddy (82.25°E, 15.40°N) during November. The mean vorticity pattern from the HFR currents shows the dipole nature during April - May to indicate the near coast upwelling signatures which are also supported by chlorophyll observations from satellite. The tidal driven currents, extracted from the HFRs, show that the semi-diurnal tidal constituent, M2 dominates during both the seasons with less intensity in March than in November. The distributions of the M2 tidal ellipses match well with the broad-scale current pattern in the offshore region. They follow the bathymetry in the nearshore region to indicate that it is driven by tides resulting in the generation of the shallow water tidal constituents (M3, M4, MS4 and M8) with significant amount of amplitudes.


In bone tissue engineering, autologous cells are combined with osteoconductive scaffolds and implanted into bone defects. The major challenge is the lack of post-implantation vascular growth into biomaterial. The objective of the present study was to develop a new alginate-based hydrogel that enhances the regeneration of bone defects after surgery. The viability of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) or human endothelial cells (ECs) cultured alone or together on the hydrogel was analyzed for 24 and 96 h. After seeding, the cells self-assembled and aggregated to form clusters. For functional validation, empty or cellularized hydrogel matrices were implanted ectopically at subcutaneous sites in nude mice. After 2 months, the matrices were explanted. Transplanted human cells were present, and we observed vessels expressing human von Willebrand factor (resulting from the incorporation of transplanted ECs into neovessels and/or the differentiation of BM-MSCs into ECs). The addition of BM-MSCs improved host vascularization and neovessel formation from human cells, relative to ECs alone. Although we did not observe bone formation, the transplanted BM-MSCs were able to differentiate into osteoblasts. This new biomaterial provided an appropriate three-dimensional environment for transplanted cells and has a high angiogenic capacity and an osteogenic potential.


Introduction Women have many concerns about contraception which can put them off using reliable methods, and their worries may not surface in consultations with health professionals. An online intervention can offer convenient help with decisions. We describe the design and development of the Contraception Choices website which addresses myths and misconceptions about contraception, and provides tailored recommendations for contraceptive methods. Methods We gathered several sources of evidence: 1) A qualitative synthesis of systematic reviews of factors influencing contraceptive choice; 2) Views on contraception expressed on YouTube (35 videos); 3) A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials of interactive digital interventions for contraceptive decision-making; 4) A narrative synthesis of reviews of interventions for contraceptive decision-making; 5) Seven focus groups with 75 women aged 15 to 30 recruited in clinical settings, to explore beliefs and concerns about contraception and suggestions for website content. YouTube videos and qualitative data were analysed thematically. Themes from the qualitative field work and findings from the evidence reviews were tabulated, and implications for the design of the Contraception Choices website were debated. Results The most common myths and misconceptions about contraception were worries about hormones being unnatural, weight gain, altered bleeding patterns, cancer and future infertility. The Contraception Choices website addresses women's concerns through videos, information which highlights contraception benefits, and an interactive tool which gives tailored suggestions for contraceptive methods. Discussion The role of digital decision-aids for contraception will be discussed. The website will be tested in a pilot randomised controlled trial starting in March 2017.


Layered Depth Images (LDI) compactly represent multiview images and videos and have widespread usage in
image-based rendering applications. In its typical use case scenario of representing a scanned environment, it has
proven to be a less costly alternative than separate viewpoint encoding. However, higher quality laser scanner
hardware and different user interaction paradigms have emerged, creating scenarios where traditional LDIs have
considerably lower efficacy. Wide-baseline setups create surfaces aligned to the viewing rays producing a greater
amount of sparsely populated layers. Free viewpoint visualization suffers from the variant quantization of depths
on the LDI algorithm, reducing resolution of the dataset in uneven directions. This paper presents an alternative
representation to the LDI, in which each layer of data is positioned in different viewpoints that coincide with the
original scanning viewpoints. A redundancy removal algorithm based on world-space distances as opposed to to
image-space is discussed, ensuring points are evenly distributed and are not viewpoint dependent. We compared
our proposed representation with traditional LDIs and viewpoint dependent encoding. Results showed the multiview
LDI (MVLDI) creates a smaller number of layers and removes higher amounts of redundancy than traditional
LDIs, ensuring no relevant portion of data is discarded in wider baseline setups.


Some species of cyanobacteria form resting stages at the sediment surface when environmental conditions become unfavourable. As conditions turn more favourable, these resting stages hatch to the water phase, where the cells grow, reproduce, and sometimes form blooms. Since blooms of cyanobacteria have become an increasing threat to inland and brackish waters, it is important to assess the mechanisms and processes involved in the initiation of such blooms. One such mechanism is recruitment from the sediment surface. Potential factors regulating the recruitment of resting stages include variations in nutrient concentrations and ratios, as well as variations in grazing. To investigate how the recruitment of Microcystis responds to different levels of these factors, we performed an enclosure experiment (zooplankton abundances were regulated by predation from fish). We found that recruitment and growth were most pronounced at the second highest nutrient concentration (average concentrations were 498 mug l(-1) of dissolved nitrogen and 134 mug l(-1) of total phosphorus), while no direct response to different grazing levels was detected. We also found that resting stages can be important for initiating and sustaining blooms. The environmental conditions most important in regulating the recruitment rate from resting stages corresponded to the requirements of the plankton cells, namely high nutrient addition and low N:P ratio. (Less)


A facile route for the preparation of a solution-processed silicon oxide dielectric from perhydropolysilazane (PHPS) at a low temperature (≤150 °C) is proposed. Deep ultraviolet (DUV) irradiation on the PHPS-derived silicon oxide film, where the coupling agent of vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES) was introduced to assist the formation of the Si–O lattice network at a low temperature, allowed the prepared silicon oxide film to have device-quality insulating properties. The metal/insulator/metal capacitor with DUV-annealed silicon oxide exhibited a low gate leakage current density of 7.0 × 10−8 A cm−2 at 1 MV cm−1, which was attributed to the photon-assisted purification and densification of the silicon oxide film. The suitability of this silicon oxide film as a gate insulator was evaluated in all-solution-processed indium zinc oxide (IZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs). The IZO TFTs that were fabricated at a contact annealing temperature of 150 °C exhibited a high field-effect mobility of 17.3 cm2 V−1 s−1, a threshold voltage of 2.7 V, and an ION/OFF modulation ratio of 1 × 105. Therefore, DUV-assisted IZO TFTs with a PHPS-derived silicon oxide insulator are promising candidates for low-temperature, large-area, and flexible electronics for use on inexpensive plastic substrates.


The European Union's (EU) trade policy has a strong influence on economic development and the human rights situation in the EU's partner countries, particularly in developing countries. The present study was commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) as a contribution to further developing appropriate methodologies for assessing human rights risks in development-related policies, an objective set in the BMZ's 2011 strategy on human rights. The study offers guidance for stakeholders seeking to improve their knowledge of how to assess, both ex ante and ex post, the impact of Economic Partnership Agreements on poverty reduction and the right to food in ACP countries. Currently, human rights impacts are not yet systematically addressed in the trade sustainability impact assessments (trade SIAs) that the European Commission conducts when negotiating trade agreements. Nor do they focus specifically on disadvantaged groups or include other benchmarks relevant to human rights impact assessments (HRIAs). The EU itself has identified a need for action in this regard. In June 2012 it presented an Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy that calls for the inclusion of human rights in all impact assessments and in this context explicitly refers to trade agreements. Since then, the EU has begun to slightly adapt its SIA methodology and is working to define more adequate human rights–consistent procedures. It is hoped that readers of this study will find inspiration to help contribute to this process and help improve human rights consistency of future trade options.


The morphology of fibers (e.g., spatial uniformity and orientation) plays a decisive role in determining the material properties or fabrication quality of fiber-reinforced nanocomposites. The existing literature lacks a reliable and automatic fiber extraction method for morphology analysis based on the scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. This paper proposes four different methods, namely, the simple Hough Transform, opening method, partitioning Hough Transform and gradient based Hough Transform, to automatically identify the fibers from SEM images to expedite the morphology analysis. The performance of these methods are thoroughly evaluated and compared through simulation studies and real case studies.


A one-dimensional random rough surface is modeled as a Gaussian noise signal. The effect of shadowing in the case of backscattering of waves from such a surface is studied in the geometric optic limit by analyzing the Gaussian noise signal in a digital computer. It is found that presently accepted theories for the shadowing effect are of doubtful validity.


Whole transcriptome gene expression and how it relates to muscle performance in Anolis lizards Luke B. Smith Director: Andrea L. Liebl, Ph.D. Animal muscles are exceptionally diverse in structure and function as they meet a variety of demands for an individual to survive. Muscles coordinate with each other so that individuals can survive in their environments. However, muscles vary in performance to best suit their role in promoting organism survival; differences in gene expression among muscles likely accounts for much of this variation. Anolis lizards, a genus that has undergone considerable adaptive radiation, live in a wide range of habitats and ecotypes to which each species has had to evolve appropriately to survive. These habitats require different muscles of the anole to perform extremely variable tasks. Unsurprisingly, muscle performance of these lizards (e.g. twitch time and peak contractile velocity) varies among muscle types. Specifically, the performance of jaw and leg muscles, diverges strongly because their importance for survival (e.g., to escape predation and to bite prey) differs both across and within individuals. Here, I use RNA-seq to measure the differential gene expression generating differences in muscle performance between the jaw and leg muscles. The observed discrepancy in gene expression may explain the divergence in performance observed between the muscles. Determining the underlying differences in gene expression between muscles and individuals will help explain how performance metrics (e.g., twitch time and peak contractile velocity) change over time. Additionally, differential gene expression could show how the ecology and evolution of an individual influences its muscle performance.


The adenocarcinoma of the colon and rectum (CRC) affects more than 1.3 million patients each year, being the third most common malignancy in the world. Approximately, 30–50% of these patients will present with liver metastasis at the time of diagnosis or will develop metastasis later. The incidence of metastatic CRC (mCRC) is approximately 4.3% at 1 year, 8.7% at 2 years, 12% at 3 years, and 16.5% at 5 years after resection. Recently, the clinical outcome for patients with mCRC has improved, with a median overall survival (OS) for patients with mCRC is approximately 30 months, more than twice of that observed 20 years ago. The treatment approach for patients with colorectal liver metastases should be focused toward complete resection whenever possible, with both oncological and technical criteria being considered. Considering the fact that nearly 80% of patients with mCRC are not candidates for resection at diagnosis, initial treatment options include chemotherapy and locoregional therapies. Associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) has emerged as modification on classic two-staged hepatectomy (TSH) with portal vein embolization. In experienced hepatobiliary centers and in well-selected patients, ALPPS can be performed with low morbidity and minimal mortality, resulting in good intermediate-term survival and excellent quality of life. Multidisciplinary tumor boards should critically scrutinize the best treatment options.


Bevacizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), is used in the treatment of several cancers, macular degeneration, and proliferative diabetic retinopathy as a means of limiting angiogenesis, a hallmark feature of these diseases. Nonspecific skin eruption has been reported in some patients receiving bevacizumab, and recently, bevacizumab-associated acneiform eruption was reported in the treatment of colon cancer (systemic administration) and macular degeneration (intravitreal administration).1-3 The eruption in these patients was strikingly similar to that characterized in patients treated with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors.1-4 We report a case of bevacizumab-induced acneiform eruption in a patient with glioblastoma multiforme.


PurposeEducation can provide learners with the necessary awareness, values and skills to understand the complexity of sustainability. This study aims to analyse the extent to which sustainability concepts have been implemented in higher education programmes in the tourism and hospitality fields.Design/methodology/approachFor the purpose of the current study, data on all tourism and hospitality programmes offered in Cyprus higher education institutions (HEIs) at the Bachelor level was obtained. Analysis was conducted on publicly available programme descriptions, learning outcomes, program content and syllabi and course descriptions.FindingsThe study finds that sustainability concept implementation in undergraduate hospitality and tourism degree programmes is at a developing stage. The majority of the HEI follow trends and offer sustainability courses either as compulsory or elective courses, but concept implementation in programme learning outcomes and programme descriptions is relatively limited.Originality/valueThis paper presents a review of data and evidence on sustainability concept implementation in tourism and hospitality education in Cyprus.


This book is intended for use by both teachers and practicing professionals in forensic toxicology. It is divided into three sections, and the first section, "Principles for Forensic Toxicology," includes information on the pharmacological and analytical principles necessary for the forensic toxicologist to fulfill his professional obligations. Chapters on the history of forensic toxicology and the pathology of poisoning are also included. The second section deals with the practice of forensic toxicology and describes the type of work involved in a routine forensic toxicology laboratory. The final section, "Applications of Forensic Toxicology," includes chapters on data reporting and handling, interpretation of toxicological data, and appearing as an expert witness.


Emerging flexible supercapacitors have motivated tremendous research interest in portable energy devices. However, challenges still exist in the pursuit of cheap and renewable electrode materials. Herein, a metal-free and flexible supercapacitor was fabricated based on lignosulfonate functionalized graphene hydrogels (LS-GHs). The supercapacitor shows comparable or even higher performance than reported transition metal based pseudocapacitive supercapacitors, which can be attributed to the reversible redox charge transfer of quinone groups in lignin. It presents an impressive specific capacitance of 432 F g−1 in an aqueous electrolyte, which is nearly 2 times higher than that of a pure graphene hydrogel (238 F g−1). Moreover, the device exhibits high rate capability (81.0% capacitance retention at 20 A g−1) and cycling stability (90.0% capacitance retention over 10 000 cycles). The resulting LS-GH electrodes are further fabricated into a flexible solid-state supercapacitor using H2SO4–polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gel as the electrolyte. The integrated flexible device not only maintains high capacitive performances (408 F g−1 at 1 A g−1, 75.4% capacitance retention at 20 A g−1 and 84.0% capacitance retention over 10 000 cycles), but also exhibits excellent mechanical flexibility. This work paves the way to develop flexible energy devices based on metal-free, renewable and low-cost biomass resources.


From the Publisher:
Contains information previously only available in training materials from Oracle, including key terms and definitions. Includes all technologies covered on the Oracle8. Performance Tuning examination. Provides practice questions with detailed explanations of why the right answer is correct and the wrong answer is incorrect. Oracle is the industry leader in database software with a market share of over 60%, creating a great demand for certified professionals.


Aims.We introduce and test a new and highly efficient method for treating the thermal and radiative effects influencing the energy equation in SPH simulations of star formation.
Methods.The method uses the density, temperature and gravitational potential of each particle to estimate a mean optical depth, which then regulates the particle's heating and cooling. The method captures - at minimal computational cost - the effects of (i) the rotational and vibrational degrees of freedom of H2; (ii) H2 dissociation and H$^{\rm o}$ ionisation; (iii) opacity changes due to ice mantle melting, sublimation of dust, molecular lines, H-, bound-free and free-free processes and electron scattering; (iv) external irradiation; and (v) thermal inertia.
Results.We use the new method to simulate the collapse of a $1\,{M}_\odot$ cloud of initially uniform density and temperature. At first, the collapse proceeds almost isothermally ( $T\propto\rho^{0.08}$; cf. Larson 2005, MNRAS, 359, 211). The cloud starts heating fast when the optical depth to the cloud centre reaches unity ( $\rho_{_{\rm C}}\sim 7\times10^{-13}~{\rm g\ cm^{-3}}$). The first core forms at $\rho_{_{\rm C}}\sim 4\times10^{-9}~{\rm g\ cm^{-3}}$ and steadily increases in mass. When the temperature at the centre reaches $T_{_{\rm C}}\sim 2000\,{\rm K}$, molecular hydrogen starts to dissociate and the second collapse begins, leading to the formation of the second (protostellar) core. The results mimic closely the detailed calculations of Masunaga & Inutsuka (2000, ApJ, 531, 350). We also simulate (i) the collapse of a $1.2\,{M}_\odot$ cloud, which initially has uniform density and temperature, (ii) the collapse of a $1.2\,{M}_\odot$ rotating cloud, with an m=2 density perturbation and uniform initial temperature, and (iii) the smoothing of temperature fluctuations in a static, uniform density sphere. In all these tests the new algorithm reproduces the results of previous authors and/or known analytic solutions. The computational cost is comparable to a standard SPH simulation with a simple barotropic equation of state. The method is easy to implement, can be applied to both particle- and grid-based codes, and handles optical depths $0< \tau\la 10^{11}$.


The routine detection, surveillance, and reporting of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants is crucial, as these threaten to hinder global vaccination efforts. Herein we report a novel local variant with a non-synonymous mutation in the spike (S) protein P681H. This local Israeli variant was not associated with a higher infection rate or higher prevalence. Furthermore, the local variant was successfully neutralized by sera from fully vaccinated individuals at a comparable level to the B.1.1.7 variant and an Israel wild-type strain. While it is not a variant of concern, routine monitoring by sequencing is still required.


On April 3, 2015, a group of prominent biologists and ethicists called for a worldwide moratorium on human genetic engineering in which the genetic modifications would be passed on to future generations. Describing themselves as "interested stakeholders," the group held a retreat in Napa, California, in January to "initiate an informed discussion" of CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering technology, which could enable high-precision insertion, deletion, and recoding of genes in human eggs, sperm, and embryos. The group declared that the advent of a technology that makes human germ-line genetic engineering plausible makes a corollary discussion of its ethical implications urgent. Echoing this sentiment, the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine have announced plans to convene an international summit in fall 2015 to assess the implications of CRISPR/Cas9.

Yet the notion that the advent of this particular technology is the warrant for initiating a public discussion is remarkable, and so too is the idea that the experts who have brought it into being and are putting it to use are best positioned to define the terms of the debate. The relevant ethical questions are by no means specific, let alone subsidiary, to the CRISPR/Cas9 technology. They are longstanding questions about what features of human life ought not be taken as objects of manipulation and control. They are questions about our responsibilities to our children and our children's children, where the mark of our actions will be inscribed upon their bodies and their lives.


This research aims at the realization of a networked virtual environment for the design of three-dimensional (3-D) objects. Based on an analysis of an ordinary collaborative design, we illustrate that a collaborative work space consists of a dialog space and an object space. In the dialog space, a participant interacts with partners, and in the object space with an object. The participants enter the dialog space and the object space in turn, appropriately. In addition, collaborative design of 3-D objects is carried out with multimodal interactions: visual, auditory, and haptic. A networked virtual environment must support these interactions without contradiction in either time or space. In this paper, we propose a networked virtual environment for a pair of participants to satisfy the conditions described above. To implement the networked system, we take into account the necessity of visual, auditory, and haptic interactions, the need for participants to switch between the dialog space and the object space quickly and appropriately, and human ergonomics on the functional space of hands and eyes. An experiment on hand-over task was done to investigate the effect of the networked haptic device with the proposed system. Object layout tasks, such as toy block layout, office furniture layout, city building layout, etc., can be performed by using this environment.


Abstract. Optical systems for automatic visual inspections are of increasing importance in the field of automation in the industrial domain. A new application is the determination of steering wheel angles during wheel track setting of the final inspection of car manufacturing. The camera has to be positioned outside the car to avoid interruptions of the processes and therefore, oblique images of the steering wheel must be acquired. Three different approaches of computer vision are considered in this paper, i.e. a 2D shape-based matching (by means of a plane to plane rectification of the oblique images and detection of a shape model with a particular rotation), a 3D shape-based matching approach (by means of a series of different perspectives of the spatial shape of the steering wheel derived from a CAD design model) and a point-to-point matching (by means of the extraction of significant elements (e.g. multifunctional buttons) of a steering wheel and a pairwise connection of these points to straight lines). The HALCON system (HALCON, 2016) was used for all software developments and necessary adaptions. As reference a mechanical balance with an accuracy of 0.1° was used. The quality assessment was based on two different approaches, a laboratory test and a test during production process. In the laboratory a standard deviation of ±0.035° (2D shape-based matching), ±0.12° (3D approach) and ±0.029° (point-to-point matching) could be obtained. The field test of 291 measurements (27 cars with varying poses and angles of the steering wheel) results in a detection rate of 100% and ±0.48° (2D matching) and ±0.24° (point-to-point matching). Both methods also fulfil the request of real time processing (three measurements per second).


A weak specification method important to the area of computer-aided software engineering (CASE) is introduced. The specification language introduced does not require the specification of control flow information. When given a specification consisting of a formula characterizing input constraints of a function and a formula characterizing output constraints, it is possible to synthesize program functions. The synthesis algorithm is guaranteed to find all functions which satisfy the specification. It is shown that when the algorithm is applied to the specifications, it is capable of producing all program structures, including sequences, selections, and iterations. Therefore, the methodology provides for a formal foundation upon which a CASE programmer assistant tool can be built. >


Purpose
Being innovative and bringing new products to the market fast is important for firms to stay competitive. Customers are important for providing input to product developments in industrial markets. The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of how firms use Voice of the Customer (VoC) in product development and how VoC can complement other customer involvement methods.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on a qualitative case study of a global leading and innovative firm, a maker of tools for the automotive industry. The study provides detailed insight into the implementation of VoC for product development.

Findings
The process of customer involvement in product development through VoC is explored. The study shows that by using the VoC method, firms can gather knowledge for input to product development projects while developing relationships with a larger number of customers. The findings point out that VoC can be modified to focus on customer needs related to product development as well as marketing efforts requiring cross-functional collaboration. The VoC method is suitable for combining with other customer involvement methods such as project involvement and pilot testing. Through VoC, firms have the chance to benchmark across industries and regions.

Research limitations/implications
The paper provides insights into the VoC process of customer involvement aimed at product development. The case study provides an illustration of how an industrial firm uses VoC in product development. The paper points out the importance of managing external (customer) involvement in product development and internal (cross-functional) collaborations.

Practical implications
A set of questions that firms can ask themselves before embarking on customer involvement has been developed. The paper shows that customers can be involved at a number of points in time, have a wide range of roles and contribute different knowledge. VoC is suitable for combining with other customer involvement methods.

Originality/value
The contribution of the paper consists of a case study illustrating how customer involvement in product development can be achieved through VoC. A number of customer involvement methods for product development are discussed for combining with VoC, showing how different methods are complementary in product development.


Microfluidic systems are often dominated by their surfaces because of the high surface area to volume ratios in microchannel flows or drop-based systems. Here we highlight recent work on engineering and exploiting surface effects to control the formation and motion of microdrops. We highlight work using precisely microstructured wetting surfaces to repel all manner of liquids even when the liquid-air surface tension is low. In a second paper, selective capillary filling and draining is used to pattern liquid and cell-laden gels for 3D culture. A final paper making use of vapor-driven surface tension effects to drive the motion of drop ensembles is also examined, exploring a new mechanism for drop control - including motion and merging. Surface-driven motion and patterning has been a widely successful area in microfluidics (e.g. electrowetting or patterned self-assembled monolayers) and recent work is extending into new directions that, once well-understood, should enable new applications.