bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Research on Fatigue Properties of Micron Scale Copper Bonding Wires
Authors: Zhao Zi Hua , Qi Feng Cai , Zhao Shuang , Lei Ming
Published: April 2017

Copper bonding wires are frequently used to connect to MEMS devices. Mechanical properties of copper wire are crucial to the reliability of MEMS system. The paper reported a symmetrical bending fatigue test on micron scale copper bonding wires. The test is based on the phenomenon that a micro-cantilever can be set into self-excited vibration between two electrodes under DC voltage. The results demonstrate that the yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and Young's modulus of copper wires with diameter of 20μm are higher than those with a diameter of 30μm and 40μm, which significantly performs size effect. In fatigue test, the number of cycles to failure is 104~107. Under the same stress condition, fatigue strength (N=106) of copper wires (d=20μm, 30μm, 40μm) is 140MPa, 97MPa, 70MPa respectively. The tensile fracture surface is the chisel-shaped peak, and the surface of the fracture appears many spaced strip drawing traces. The fatigue fracture surface is flat. Two cracks almost simultaneously originate from the surface, and the final rupture region is just like a narrow sheet.
Evaluation of Creep Deformation by Indentation Test with a Constant Depth - Applicability for Inhomogeneous Materials
Authors: Takita Atsuko , Sasaki Katsuhiko , Ohguchi Ken-Ichi , Fujiki Hiroyuki
Published: April 2017

In design of the electronic device, FEM analyses considering the creep deformation of solder joints in-situ should be conducted to evaluate the strength reliability. The indentation test is one of effective method to evaluate the creep deformation in microscopic region. However, the result obtained by the indentation test does not coincide with that obtained by the tensile creep test. To solve the problem, the method to determine the suitable area for the indentation test had also been proposed by using the numerical test. To apply the proposed method for the actual indentation test, the homogeneity of specimen should be considered. In this paper, the analyses of the proposed indentation tests were conducted by using the homogeneous and inhomogeneous specimen models of Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu. Three types of the deformation behavior were given for the initial phase and the indenter was pushed into in the specimen at the three locations. As a result, it was found that there was not difference in the distribution of the principal stress caused by variation in the indent location. However, the proposed method can successfully determine the reference area except for the case when the deformation behaviors of the constituent phases have a large difference.
Surface Defect Inspection of Pressure Equipment Based on Indentation and Numerical Simulation
Authors: Zhao Heng Rui , Cheng Guang Xu
Published: April 2017

Surface defects caused by damage or corrosion are major factor in petrochemical pressure vessels and line pipes failure. The characteristic size of typical surface defect is from micron to submillimeter which belongs to mesoscopic scale, leading to difficulties for inspection and evaluation. The instrumented indentation method has widely used in the characterization of micro-zone mechanical behavior which could be effective in surface defects analysis. This paper aims at investigating the correspondence between indentation experimental results and distribution characteristics of surface defects. Mechanical properties of pressure vessel steel with surface defects are measured by indentation, and corresponding finite element models are established. Finite element simulation results of equivalent mechanical properties under indentation and three dimensional deformations are compared, and the applicability of finite element models for indentation test of steel with surface defects is analyzed. The effect of randomized surface defects on measuring result is studied subsequently using stochastic finite element models. The relation of equivalent mechanical properties and description of surface defects is proposed. The achievement could used to estimate the degree of damage or corrosion by miniature indentation testing techniques for safety assessment.
Mechanical Property Characterisation of Electron Beam Melted (EBM) Ti-6Al-4V via Small Punch Tensile Testing
Authors: Illsley Henry , Lancaster Robert , Hurst Roger , Jeffs Spencer , Baxter Gavin
Published: April 2017

Small punch (SP) tensile testing provides several advantages over conventional test techniques for mechanical property characterisation of components produced using novel manufacturing processes. Additive layer manufacturing (ALM) is becoming more widespread, particularly in high value manufacturing sectors such as the gas turbine industry as it allows near net shape manufacture of near fully dense components with complex geometries. One such ALM process which is receiving attention from the gas turbine industry is electron beam melting (EBM), a powder bed process which uses an electron beam energy source. The additive nature of ALM processes including EBM results in the microstructures produced differing significantly to those produced by conventional processing techniques. As well as being influenced by the input parameters, the microstructure and hence mechanical properties are also affected by the geometry of the component being manufactured, primarily due to the effect this has on the cooling characteristics. SP testing of material manufactured by EBM allows the mechanical property characterisation of local component representative geometries which wouldn’t be possible using conventional uniaxial testing techniques. This work is aimed towards developing and validating the SP tensile technique for this application; different Ti-6Al-4V material variants manufactured using EBM as well as conventional methods have been characterised with a range of test conditions.
Isolated orderings on amalgamated free products
Authors: Ito Tetsuya
Published: April 2017

We show that an amalgamated free product

G*_{A}H

admits a discrete isolated ordering, under some assumptions of

G,H

and

A

. This generalizes the author's previous construction of isolated orderings, and unlike known constructions of isolated orderings, can produce an isolated ordering with many non-trivial proper convex subgroups.
Real reflections, commutators, and cross-ratios in complex hyperbolic space
Authors: Paupert Julien , Will Pierre
Published: April 2017

We provide a concrete criterion to determine whether or not two given elements of PU(2,1) can be written as products of real reflections, with one reflection in common. As an application, we show that the Picard modular groups PU(2,1,

\mathcal{O}_d)

with

d=1,2,3,7,11

are generated by real reflections up to index 1, 2, 4 or 8.
Features in air ions measured by an Air Ion Spectrometer (AIS) at Dome C
Authors: Chen Xuemeng , Virkkula Aki , Kerminen Veli-Matti , Manninen Hanna E. , Busetto Maurizio , Lanconelli Christian , Lupi Angelo , Vitale Vito , Del Guasta Massimo , Grigioni Paolo , Väänänen Riikka , Duplissy Ella-Maria , Petäjä Tuukka , Kulmala Markku
Published: April 2017

Abstract. An Air Ion Spectrometer (AIS) was deployed for the first time at the Concordia station at Dome C (75°06’ S, 123°23’ E; 3220 m above sea level), Antarctica during 22 December 2010–16 November 2011 for measuring the number size distribution of air ions. In this work, we present results obtained from this air ion dataset together with aerosol particle and meteorological data. The main processes that modify the number size distribution of air ions during the measurement period at this high-altitude site included new particle formation (NPF, observed on 85 days), wind-induced ion formation (observed on 36 days), and ion production and loss associated with cloud/fog formation (observed on 2 days). On days without observations of the foregoing processes or other anomalies, i.e. event-free days, the concentration of cluster ions (0.9–1.9 nm) exhibited a clear seasonality, with high concentrations in the warm months and low concentrations in the cold. Compared to event-free days, days with NPF were observed with higher cluster ion concentrations. A number of NPF events were observed with restricted growth below 10 nm, which were termed as suppressed NPF. There was another distinct feature, namely a simultaneous presence of two or three separate NPF and subsequent growth events, which were named as multi-mode NPF events. Growth rates (GRs) were determined using two methods: the appearance time method and the mode fitting method. The former method seemed to work better for the NPF events characterized by a fast particle GR, whereas the latter method usually worked better when the GR was slow. The formation rate of 2-nm positive ions (J2+) was calculated for all the NPF events for which a GR in the 2–3 nm size range could be determined. On average, J2+ was about 0.014 cm−3 s
Vegetation and fire anomalies during the last ~ 70 ka
in the Ili Basin, Central Asia, and their implications for the ecology change
caused by human activities
Authors: Miao Yunfa , Song Yougui , Li Yue , Yang Shengli , Li Yun
Published: April 2017

Abstract. Changes in vegetation characteristics and fire occurrence during the last glacial period offer an opportunity to better understand paleoclimate change and past human activities as well as the relationships among them. However, in central Asia, records of both vegetation and fire have rarely been obtained from the same profile. Here, for the first time, we present pollen and microcharcoal data collected together from the wind-blown loess Nileke section, representing the past ~ 70 thousand years (ka) in the Ili Basin, Northwest China, Central Asia. These records enable investigation of the pollen-based vegetation and microcharcoal-based fire proxies as well as their possible relationships with ancient human activities. The results show that the temperate herbaceous taxa remained at relatively low levels before 36 ka, whereas the temperate woody taxa, especially Cupressaceae, were abundant. At the same time, the fire frequencies were relatively low. After 36 ka, herbaceous taxa abruptly replaced Cupressaceae and the fire occurrence gradually increased. We named this change as the local vegetation degeneration event, because no equivalent changes have been identified anywhere else across Eurasia. Prior to the event, a period of intensified fire activity occurred between 47.5 and 36 ka, although the background fire activity was relatively low. We argue that the intensified local fire activity was the primary factor causing the vegetation event and was mainly driven by human activity. Following migrations from Africa after 200 ka, humans began to colonize the Ili Basin at least 47.5 ka ago, bringing their skills of fire control and consequential destruction of woody vegetation. Future analysis of first-hand archeological sites in this area will be an important step in supporting our hypothesis.
Impact of capillary rise and recirculation on crop yields
Authors: Kroes Joop , Supit Iwan , Van Dam Jos , Van Walsum Paul , Mulder Martin
Published: April 2017

Abstract. This paper describes impact analyses of various soil water flow regimes on grass, maize and potato yields in the Dutch delta, with a focus on upward soil water flows capillary rise and recirculation towards the rootzone. Flow regimes are characterised by soil composition and groundwater depth and derived from a national soil database. The intermittent occurrence of upward flow and its influence on crop growth are simulated with the combined SWAP-WOFOST model using various boundary conditions. Case studies and model experiments are used to illustrate impact of upward flow on yield and crop growth. This impact is clearly present in situations with relatively shallow groundwater levels (85 % of the Netherlands), where capillary rise is the main flow source; but also in free-draining situations the impact of upward flow is considerable. In the latter case recirculated percolation water is the flow source. To make this impact explicit we implemented a synthetic modelling option that stops upward flow from reaching the root zone, without inhibiting percolation. Such a hypothetically moisture-stressed situation compared to a natural one in the presence of shallow groundwater shows mean yield reductions for grassland, maize and potatoes of respectively 25, 4 and 15 % or respectively about 3.2, 0.5 and 1.6 ton dry matter per ha. About half of the withheld water behind these yield effects comes from recirculated percolation water as occurs in free drainage conditions and the other half comes from increased upward capillary rise. Soil water and crop growth modelling should consider both capillary rise from groundwater and recirculation of percolation water as this improves the accuracy of yield simulations. This also improves the accuracy of the simulated groundwater recharge: neglecting these processes causes overestimates of 17 % for grassland and 46 % for potatoes, or 70 and 34 mm a−1, respectively.
CARES Sustainable Constructional Steel Certification scheme
Authors: Brankley Lee , Knight Dave
Published: April 2017

The expectations of stakeholders across the construction industry's value chain have evolved significantly in light of a greater understanding of sustainability impacts, scientific trends and new legislation. There is a demand for evidence proving that a wide range of issues are being managed in a systematic way leading to improvements in performance. Designers and specifiers are demanding transparent, reliable data and comparable sustainability information about competing construction materials. Standard setting organisations and building rating systems are advancing in their requirements. Third-party certification bodies have responded with improved certification that enables the provision of data collection, auditing and reporting. The CARES Sustainable Constructional Steel (SCS) scheme is applied to reinforcing carbon and stainless steel, structural steel and hot rolled flat steel. Developed with the inputs from a wide range of stakeholders, the accredited scheme is based on foundations of technical specifications, traceability, product quality and the sustainability principles of inclusivity, integrity, stewardship and transparency.
Biodiversity in Trichoderma species isolated from Qatar
Authors: El Kharbotly Ali , El Badawy Noha , Mazen Mohammed
Published: April 2017

The genus Trichoderma contains a few species of soil fungi that received extensive academic and applied research. These species have been used successfully for industrial and commercial applications including biopesticides. Trichoderma species isolated from Qatar had showed thermotolerance and preference of high pH (El Badawy et al, 2016). To reveal the extent of Trichoderma species in Qatar, initial survey was carried out by isolating that fungi from samples collected from two experimental and two commercial farms. Then their antagonism against Rhizoctonia sp were evaluated. Further in order to determine the biodiversity in one location, a detailed survey was conducted by isolating Trichoderma species from 16 soil samples obtained from a single plot of 1000 m2 located in one of the experimental farms. These isolates were evaluated for their potential to grow on pH 8 under 4 temperature regimes. The initial survey revealed the presence of Trichoderma (5 isolates) in all locations. The isolates differed in their morphology and antagonism against 5 isolates of Rhizoctonia sp isolated from one of the research farm. The two Trichoderma isolates from the same farms were more effective than the other three. This superiority in antagonism may reflect the coevolution of the two genera in the soil of this farm. In the detailed survey, it was remarkable to isolate three Trichoderma species (6 isolates) from the single plot. Four of the isolates were belong to one species (T. longibrachiatum). Morphological and molecular variations were observed within this species. One of the four isolates showed different colony color and conidial color than the rest. The same isolate showed a few differences at the molecular level. The sequence of the ITS rDNA (508 bp) showed substitution of 20 nucleotides (15 single, one of 2 and one of 3 nucleotides) All the three species isolates gave reasonable growth measured as dry weight even at 35 °C. There were significant differences between species in their optimum temperature which range between 25 and 30 °C. This study showed the abundant presence of the Trichoderma species in Qatari soils that could sustain and survive conditions of arid regions or the fluctuating temperature rising due to global warming. The presence of diversity between and within species will allow screening and selecting Qatari isolates with desirable characters as bio-pesticide for arid climate.

Acknowledgment: This paper is funded partially by NPRP –EP grant# [NPRP-EPX– 014-4-001] from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.
Agriculture sustainable development, where the focus should be?
Authors: Robertson Susan
Published: April 2017

As the world embarks on the implementation of the 2030 development agenda and discuss the metrics that will allow a proper monitoring and evaluation, one of the embarrassing questions is “who have been left behind the MDGs agenda and why”? and “where the focus should be for a proper Agriculture Sustainable Development?” Several analysis show that those poor who have not been reached by past efforts to improve incomes and food security are those living with one or more types of marginality. Mostly smallholders conﬁned into biophysical and/or social-economic marginalities. To lift these populations and communities out of poverty, innovative technologies and methodologies are required. These innovations should focus on crop diversification, efficient inputs management, and better postharvest transformation. In that perspective, Neglected and underutilized species, also known as “Orphan crops”, will be crucial not only for achieving 0 hunger and 0 poverty (SDG1-SDG2) but also for a better Nutrition Security (SDG3).
تقييم تجربة قسم دراسات المعلومات بجامعة السلطان قابوس في ممارسات الجودة والإعتماد الأكاديمي
Authors: بن حارث الحراصي نبهان , بن مطر السالمي جمال
Published: April 2017

يعد الإعتماد الأكاديمي أحد أهم الوسائل المستخدمة لضمان جودة التدريس والبحث العلمي في الأقسام الأكاديمية، حيث يتيح من ناحية إخضاع كافة أنشطة القسم للتقييم من قبل مؤسسة إعتماد متخصصة ومحايدة، كما أنه، من ناحية أخرى، يسمح بنوع من التواصل العلمي وتبادل الخبرات بين القسم الأكاديمي والمؤسسة، قد يتطور لاحقاً الى استشارات ومشاركة في تطوير الخطط الدراسية والعمل على وضع الاستراتيجيات المستقبلية للقسم.

تهدف الدراسة الحالية إلى عرض تجربة قسم دراسات المعلومات بجامعة السلطان قابوس في الإعتماد الأكاديمي بعد حصوله مؤخراً على شهادة الإعتماد الأكاديمي من مؤسسة Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP). تستعرض الورقة مجموعة من مؤسسات الإعتماد الدولية، وتجارب بعض الأقسام في الإعتماد الأكاديمي، وأثر وانعكاس الإعتماد على تطور المقررات والخطط الدراسية.

تعتمد الدراسة في جمع المادة العلمية على تحليل وثائق وتقارير منظمة CILIP الخاصة بتقييم مختلف مراحل الإعتماد، والتعرف على برنامج المعارف والمهارات المهنية لمتخصصي المعلومات The Professional Knowledge and Skills Base (PKSB) ومدى توافقه مع المقررات التي يدرسها القسم. كذلك انعكاس تجربة الإعتماد على ممارسات التدريس بالقسم، وإعداد وتطوير المقررات الدراسية. يؤمل أن تساهم الدراسة المقترحة بعد الانتهاء منها في توضيح مراحل وصعوبات ونتائج الدخول في مشروع إعتماد أكاديمي متكامل بحيث يتم الاستفادة منه من قبل الأقسام الأكاديمية المناظرة.
Informações
Authors: Scarpin Jorge Eduardo
Published: April 2017

Informações
Instruções aos autores
Authors: Scarpin Jorge Eduardo
Published: April 2017

Instruções aos autores
A interferência provocada pela (in)eficiência de mercado em relação a eventuais oscilações registradas no dia ex-dividendo
Authors: Lemos Junior Luiz Carlos , Rodrigues Felipe Lopes , Soares Guilherme Rigoleto , Neves Israel Rocha
Published: April 2017

Esta pesquisa se propõe a verificar qual a interferência provocada pela (in)eficiência de mercado em eventuais oscilações registradas no chamado dia ex-dividendo. A abordagem metodológica foi quantitativa e os atributos explorados envolveram a conceituação de eficiência de mercado, as teorias sobre a importância das políticas de dividendos nas empresas e um breve histórico do setor elétrico brasileiro, onde estão inseridas as empresas alvo da amostra que compõe este estudo. Na coleta de dados foi utilizada a base de dados Economática, para encontrar os chamados dias ex-dividendo no período de estudo, os valores de cotação na abertura e fechamento dos pregões, com objetivo de verificar eventuais oscilações dos preços dos papéis e os valores distribuídos em forma de dividendos por ação. Na análise das informações captadas com a coleta de dados foi utilizado o teste t-Student (para uma única amostra), com o objetivo checar se a média da variação das cotações de fechamento e abertura (livre de dividendos) é igual a zero, como forma de verificar a real influência da eficiência de mercado nas oscilações do dia ex-dividendo. A amostra também foi segmentada em dois grupos de estudo, de empresas com controle acionário de natureza pública e não pública. Esse contexto fez com que o resultado sofresse alterações, uma vez que alguns eventos do grupo de controle de empresas públicas ficaram muito abaixo da média geral. Por outro lado, alguns eventos se situaram muito acima da média geral e foram identificados como pertencentes ao grupo de controle de empresas não públicas. Como resultado a hipótese assumida em H0 de que o mercado é eficiente, foi rejeitada e o estudo concluiu que as oscilações de preços registradas no dia ex-dividendo são sim influenciadas pela ausência de eficiência de mercado.
As diferenças em torno dos valores culturais: Um estudo empírico a partir de entidades listadas em índices europeus
Authors: Rodrigues Nuno Miguel Barroso , Albuquerque Fábio Henrique Ferreira de , Quirós Joaquín Texeira , Justino Maria Do Rosário Fernandes
Published: April 2017

A influência do fator cultural no âmbito da subcultura da Contabilidade é reconhecida pela literatura, que não descura os seus eventuais impactos na comparabilidade do relato financeiro. A presente investigação visa aferir a eventual existência de distintos níveis de valores culturais propostos por Gray (1988) em função de agrupamentos regionais. Adicionalmente, pretende-se testar a existência de uma eventual associação entre os referidos valores culturais. A recolha dos dados foi realizada a partir dos relatórios e contas consolidados anuais, referentes a 2013 e 2014, divulgados pelas entidades cotadas (grupos não financeiros) nos índices bolsistas relativos a mercados financeiros da União Europeia (UE), tendo sido utilizada a análise de conteúdo como metodologia. Após a aplicação de critérios específicos de seleção, a população final deste estudo é constituída por 137 entidades. Os resultados obtidos a partir da aplicação de técnicas de análise não-paramétricas bivariadas sugerem que o conservadorismo distingue-se em função de alguns agrupamentos regionais. Constata-se ainda a existência de uma conexão positiva entre o conservadorismo e o secretismo. Um dos contributos desta investigação consiste, entre outros, na identificação do potencial impacto da cultura sobre o julgamento profissional, mesmo no contexto do avançado processo de harmonização contabilística internacional em curso.
Adoção inicial da Contabilidade aplicada ao Setor Público em municípios da agência de desenvolvimento regional de Maravilha – SC
Authors: Zuzeliski Ana Claudia Lauxen , Dallastra Paulo Roberto , Warken Ines Liani Menzel
Published: April 2017

Diante do notório impacto que a convergência aos padrões internacionais de contabilidade trouxe, tanto na área pública como na privada, buscou-se realizar neste estudo a análise dos impactos na estrutura das Demonstrações Contábeis com a adoção inicial da Contabilidade Aplicada ao Setor Público através da comparabilidade das Demonstrações Contábeis de prefeituras pertencentes à Agência de Desenvolvimento Regional de Maravilha – SC, destacando a importância do tema para o atual estágio da contabilidade pública brasileira. Diante deste contexto a pesquisa tem como problema: Quais os impactos na estrutura das Demonstrações Contábeis com a adoção inicial da Contabilidade Aplicada ao Setor Público e adequação aos padrões internacionais? Para investigar as demonstrações dos entes públicos pesquisados, tem-se por objetivo analisar os impactos na estrutura das Demonstrações Contábeis com a adoção inicial da Contabilidade Aplicada ao Setor Público e adequação aos padrões internacionais. A pesquisa enquadra-se como descritiva e a coleta de dados documental, sendo utilizados os materiais recebidos pelas prefeituras com abordagem qualitativa, fazendo uma análise das estruturas das Demonstrações Contábeis, comparativo entre os anos de 2014 e 2015. A população foi constituída por 14 municípios pertencentes à Agência de Desenvolvimento Regional de Maravilha/SC, dos quais 8 municípios constituíram a amostra. Os principais achados da pesquisa possibilitam verificar que a convergência aos padrões internacionais propiciou maior nível de evidenciação nas informações contábeis oferecidas pelas atuais normas, maior transparência da gestão pública, além de melhorar a qualidade dos demonstrativos contábeis e a possibilidade de fazer comparativos com entidades de outros entes federativos através da padronização dos relatórios.
The Efficiency of Selected Banking Sectors in the European Union
Authors: Černohorská Liběna
Published: April 2017

When measuring bank efficiency, there is no generally accepted concept of efficiency nor is there a uniform system of indicators for its measurement. It is, however, possible to use the method of financial analysis to measure bank efficiency. In this paper, the following ratios are used for measuring bank efficiency
Mass Production of Cell‐Laden Calcium Alginate Particles with Centrifugal Force
Authors: Morimoto Yuya , Onuki Maiko , Takeuchi Shoji
Published: April 2017

This paper describes a centrifuge‐based device for oil‐free and mass production of calcium‐alginate (Ca‐alginate) particles. The device is composed of four components: a tank with a glass capillary for forming sodium alginate droplets, a collecting bath with calcium chloride (CaCl2) solution, a waste liquid box, and a bypass channel bridged between the collecting bath and the waste liquid box. When the device is centrifuged, extra CaCl2 solution in the collecting bath is delivered to the waste liquid box to maintain the appropriate liquid level of CaCl2 solution for the production of monodisperse Ca‐alginate particles. The proposed device enables oil‐free production of over 45 000 uniformly sized Ca‐alginate particles in a single 240 s process, whereas using the conventional method with only a glass capillary, ≈1000 particles are formed within the same processing time. Because of the high biocompatibility of the oil‐free process, the device is applicable to cell encapsulation in Ca‐alginate particles with high cell viability, as well as the formation of a macroscopic 3D cellular structure using Ca‐alginate particles covered with cells as assembly modules. These results suggest that the device can be a useful tool for preparing experimental platforms in biomedical and tissue engineering fields.
Direct Nanoimprinting of a Colloidal Self‐Organizing Nanowire Ink for Flexible, Transparent Electrodes
Authors: Maurer Johannes H. M. , González‐García Lola , Backes Indra K. , Reiser Beate , Schlossberg Sarah M. , Kraus Tobias
Published: April 2017

A semicontinuous process is used to nanoimprint a nanowire ink and form transparent conductive electrodes. Ultrathin gold nanowires are confined in the features of an elastomeric stamp, where they spontaneously assemble upon drying into hierarchical, percolating superstructures. This templated self‐organization yields grids with defined line widths down to 0.9 µm and high pattern fidelity. Metal grids with square, hexagonal, and linear features are printed over 30 cm2 on different substrates and gently sintered in hydrogen plasma. Meshes on polyethylene terephthalate foil show high optical transmittances (>92%) and low sheet resistances (106–168 Ω sq−1). Their resistance is changed by only 10% after 500 bending cycles at a radius of 5 mm. The printed electrodes are used to build capacitive and resistive touch sensor devices.
Metastasis detection from whole slide images using local features and random forests
Authors: Valkonen Mira , Kartasalo Kimmo , Liimatainen Kaisa , Nykter Matti , Latonen Leena , Ruusuvuori Pekka
Published: April 2017

Digital pathology has led to a demand for automated detection of regions of interest, such as cancerous tissue, from scanned whole slide images. With accurate methods using image analysis and machine learning, significant speed‐up, and savings in costs through increased throughput in histological assessment could be achieved. This article describes a machine learning approach for detection of cancerous tissue from scanned whole slide images. Our method is based on feature engineering and supervised learning with a random forest model. The features extracted from the whole slide images include several local descriptors related to image texture, spatial structure, and distribution of nuclei. The method was evaluated in breast cancer metastasis detection from lymph node samples. Our results show that the method detects metastatic areas with high accuracy (AUC = 0.97–0.98 for tumor detection within whole image area, AUC = 0.84–0.91 for tumor vs. normal tissue detection) and that the method generalizes well for images from more than one laboratory. Further, the method outputs an interpretable classification model, enabling the linking of individual features to differences between tissue types. © 2017 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Partitioning and antioxidative effect of protocatechuates in soybean oil emulsions: Relevance of emulsifier concentration
Authors: Silva Rui , Losada‐Barreiro Sonia , Paiva‐Martins Fátima , Bravo‐Díaz Carlos
Published: April 2017

Distributions of a homologous series of protocatechuic acid (PCA) derivatives of increasing lipophilicity were determined in stripped soybean oil‐in‐water emulsions and compared with their antioxidant (AO) efficiencies. The distribution was determined by employing a recently developed a kinetic method, based on the reaction between the hydrophobic 4‐hexadecylbenzenediazonium ions (16‐) and the antioxidants, that allows to determine the partition constants between the oil‐interfacial, , and water‐interfacial, , regions of the emulsion and their interfacial molarities. Our results show that: (i) at low surfactant volume fractions, ΦI = 0.005, a significant fraction (>50%) of all protocatechuates is located in the interfacial region of soybean oil emulsions. The percentage increases with increasing ΦI such that at ΦI = 0.04, than 90% of the AOs are located in the interfacial region; (ii) the variation of the hydrophobicity of the AOs has a modest effect on their concentration in the interfacial region, particularly at ΦI > 0.01, and an almost negligible effect on their antioxidant efficiency in the same emulsions; (iii) a positive correlation between the antioxidant efficiency and the interfacial molarities of the protecatechuates was established.

Practical application: Results will contribute to a deeper understanding of oxidative stability in polyunsaturated acids enriched emulsions, will enhance current understanding of how AO structure and physical location within the food system affect their efficiency and will provide basic information on the factors controlling AO distributions and efficiencies, allowing a more rational selection of AOs in food stabilization. The outcome of this research will help the development of more efficient antioxidant strategies for food preservation and for the oxidative protection of nutritionally important bioactive lipids.

There is a positive correlation between the antioxidant efficiency of protocatechuates of different HLB and their interfacial concentration, (AOI), in soybean oil emulsions.
Developing elite Neurospora crassa strains for cellulosic ethanol production using fungal breeding
Authors: Waters Joshua C , Nixon Andrew , Dwyer Morgan , Biffinger Justin C , Lee Kwangwon
Published: April 2017

The demand for renewable and sustainable energy has generated considerable interest in the conversion of cellulosic biomass into liquid fuels such as ethanol using a filamentous fungus. While attempts have been made to study cellulose metabolism through the use of knock-out mutants, there have been no systematic effort to characterize natural variation for cellulose metabolism in ecotypes adapted to different habitats. Here, we characterized natural variation in saccharification of cellulose and fermentation in 73 ecotypes and 89 laboratory strains of the model fungus Neurospora crassa. We observed significant variation in both traits among natural and laboratory generated populations, with some elite strains performing better than the reference strain. In the F1 population N345, 15% of the population outperformed both parents with the top performing strain having 10% improvement in ethanol production. These results suggest that natural alleles can be exploited through fungal breeding for developing elite industrial strains for bioethanol production.
Hanging Drop, A Best Three-Dimensional (3D) Culture Method for Primary Buffalo and Sheep Hepatocytes
Authors: Shri Meena , Agrawal Himanshu , Rani Payal , Singh Dheer , Onteru Suneel Kumar
Published: April 2017

Livestock, having close resemblance to humans, could be a better source of primary hepatocytes than rodents. Herein, we successfully developed three-dimensional (3D) culturing system for primary sheep and buffalo hepatocytes. The 3D-structures of sheep hepatocytes were formed on the fifth-day and maintained until the tenth-day on polyHEMA-coated plates and in hanging drops with William’s E media (HDW). Between the cultured and fresh cells, we observed a similar expression of GAPDH, HNF4α, ALB, CYP1A1, CK8 and CK18. Interestingly, a statistically significant increase was noted in the TAT, CPS, AFP, AAT, GSP and PCNA expression. In buffalo hepatocytes culture, 3D-like structures were formed on the third-day and maintained until the sixth-day on polyHEMA and HDW. The expression of HNF4α, GSP, CPS, AFP, AAT, PCNA and CK18 was similar between cultured and fresh cells. Further, a statistically significant increase in the TAT and CK8 expression, and a decrease in the GAPDH, CYP1A1 and ALB expression were noted. Among the culture systems, HDW maintained the liver transcript markers more or less similar to the fresh hepatocytes of the sheep and buffalo for ten and six days, respectively. Taken together, hanging drop is an efficient method for 3D culturing of primary sheep and buffalo hepatocytes.
In plastico: laboratory material newness affects growth and reproduction of Daphnia magna reared in 50-ml polypropylene tubes
Authors: Cuhra Marek , Bøhn Thomas , Cuhra Petr
Published: April 2017

Plastic laboratory materials are found to affect vital parameters of the waterflea Daphnia magna. The main responsible factor is defined as “newness” of the materials. Juvenile D. magna were raised individually in; a) new laboratory-standard 50 ml polypropylene tubes, and; b) identical tubes which had been washed and aerated for several weeks. Newness had significant effects on growth and fecundity of D. magna. New tubes caused delayed maturation, reduced reproduction and reduced growth when compared to washed and re-used tubes of the same commercial brand. The findings indicate that newness of tubes has inhibiting or toxic effects on D. magna. Often laboratory plastics are intended for single-use due to sterility demands. Newness might be an important confounding factor in research results and should not be disregarded. Disposable plastic utensils may come with a seemingly ignored cost and induce adverse effects in biological test-organisms and systems. The presented findings accentuate continued need for general awareness concerning confounding factors stemming from material laboratory environment. Based on the present findings the authors suggest that plastics intended for use in sensitive research may need to be washed and aerated prior to use.
Persimmon Leaves (Diospyros kaki) Extract Protects Optic Nerve Crush-Induced Retinal Degeneration
Authors: Ryul Ahn Hong , Kim Kyung-A , Kang Suk Woo , Lee Joo Young , Kim Tae-Jin , Jung Sang Hoon
Published: April 2017

Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death is part of many retinal diseases. Here, we report that the ethanol extract of Diospyros kaki (EEDK) exhibits protective properties against retinal degeneration, both in vitro and in vivo. Upon exposure to cytotoxic compounds, RGC-5 cells showed approximately 40% cell viability versus the control, while pre-treatment with EEDK markedly increased cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner. Further studies revealed that cell survival induced by EEDK was associated with decreased levels of apoptotic proteins, such as poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, p53, and cleaved caspase-3. In addition to apoptotic pathways, we demonstrated that expression levels of antioxidant-associated proteins, such as superoxide dismutase-1, glutathione S-transferase, and glutathione peroxidase-1, were positively modulated by EEDK. In a partial optic nerve crush mouse model, EEDK had similar ameliorating effects on retinal degeneration resulting from mechanical damages. Therefore, our results suggest that EEDK may have therapeutic potential against retinal degenerative disorders, such as glaucoma.
Informing best practice for conducting morbidity and mortality reviews: a literature review
Authors: Joseph Corey W. , Garrubba Marie L. , Melder Angela M.
Published: April 2017

Objective
Preventable hospital mortality is a critical public health issue, particularly when mortalities are associated with events that are preventable. Mortality and morbidity reviews (MMRs) provide a rigorous, systematic, open, collaborative and transparent review process for clinicians to examine areas of improvement. The aim of the present review was to explore the evidence for best practice when conducting MMRs.

Methods
Searches of published and grey literature from 2009 to February 2016 were conducted. This period was selected to update a previous review. Inclusion and exclusion criteria was established a priori and based on the Population-Intervention-Comparison-Outcome (PICO) framework. Specific search terms were generated and used to identify relevant articles, with reference lists and citing articles also screened for inclusions. Titles and abstracts were screened and duplicates removed. Study details regarding setting, study design, reported outcomes, tool type, clinicians present and the timing of MMRs were extracted and summarised.

Results
After screening, 31 documents were included in the present review: 20 peer-reviewed articles and 11 items from the grey literature. Specific outcomes reported included mortality rates, satisfaction, education, cost and quality of care. The most common features of MMRs included timing, leadership, attendees, case presentation format, terms of reference, agenda and governance.

Conclusions
MMRs decrease gross mortality rates and are effective in identifying and engaging clinicians in system improvements. MMRs should not focus on the actions of individuals, rather on education and/or quality improvement. MMRs should consist of a multidisciplinary team following a structured presentation format with an analysis of error process including actions to be followed-up. Further, it is possible for a single standardised MMR to be implemented hospital wide.

What is known about the topic?
MMRs are conducted in a variety of clinical settings to educate clinicians and improve patient care.

What does this paper add?
This review updates a previous review published in 2009 and summarises current evidence around morbidity and mortality reviews. This review also provides a framework for a standardised MMR to be implemented hospital wide.

What are the implications for practitioners?
This summary of the evidence can be used to guide the development, formation or conduct of MMRs in any healthcare setting.
State Capability and Prospects for Close Coordination
Authors: Gisselquist Rachel M.
Published: April 2017

Recent research highlights the considerable potential of industrial policy to support structural transformation in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). A key gap in this literature, however, is the failure to grapple fully with other work on the state in Africa which highlights challenges posed by state weakness. The basic argument of this chapter is simple: we should be careful in attempting industrial policy in ‘fragile’ or ‘weak’ settings—and SSA has many such settings. Furthermore, while industrial policy historically has had success even in states that could be characterized today as fragile, research suggests that such state capabilities differed in potentially significant ways from those in many African countries today. In order to understand the practice and promise of industrial policy in SSA, therefore, more attention should be paid to the systematic study of weak state capability and strategies to address the challenges it poses, in particular through so-called ‘islands of success’.
Case Studies of Decentralized Coordination in China
Authors: Dinh Hinh T.
Published: April 2017

This chapter draws on both successful and failing cases of industrialization in China to analyse the role of local governments in fostering the growth of light manufacturing. The broad spectrum of support types and the intimate knowledge of enterprise conditions by these local governments make their support effective, particularly for the business expansion and cluster development. Local government policies towards enterprises are dynamic and tailored to the needs that arise at the various stages of the life cycles of firms, from start-up to growth and maturity. Government assistance has not always involved spending money. The successful outcome is a result of a ‘backing the winner’ approach.
Special Economic Zones in Africa
Authors: Farole Thomas , Moberg Lotta
Published: April 2017

African countries have sought to replicate the success of East Asia by implementing special economic zones (SEZs). Despite decades of international experience, there is still no blueprint for successful SEZ policies, and the majority of SEZs fall well below expectations. This chapter argues that this is largely due to flaws in the political economy of SEZ schemes, which prevent replication of ‘best practice’ in SEZ development and management. It applies a ‘robust political economy’ framework, which divides political economy problems into those of inadequate knowledge and distorted incentives, to explain the problems with African SEZs and to suggest possible solutions.
2. Race and the American republic
Authors: Hsu Madeline Y.
Published: April 2017

Asian immigration tested American ideals of equality, forcing the issue of whether all racial groups could be integrated into the United States. “Race and the American Republic” describes the various laws—including the 1790 Nationality Act, which limited the right of citizenship by naturalization to “free white persons”; the 1913 Alien Land Law; and the 1917 Barred Zone Act—that shaped attitudes and institutional practices regarding whether and how Asians could claim rights and belonging. Exclusion at the borders paralleled laws that enacted forms of segregation domestically. The cornerstones of successful integration into American lives—citizenship, property ownership, and mixed-race marriage—were made unavailable to later Asian immigrants.
3. Living in the margins
Authors: Hsu Madeline Y.
Published: April 2017

“Living in the margins” considers the lived realities of immigrants’ efforts to foster community, livelihood, and family under exclusion. Birthright citizenship was a key steppingstone to securing some rights in the United States, but still did not protect the American-born from racial discrimination. Asian Americans remained primarily associated with demarcated residential and employment niches that confined their perceived threat, but also facilitated the pooling and sharing of resources necessary for survival in an openly hostile society. Anti-Asian hostilities became institutionalized through laws, government bureaucracies, and social and economic discrimination. The nadir was World War II when Japanese, even American-born citizens, were removed into “relocation camps” as “enemy aliens.”
3. Populism and mobilization
Authors: Mudde Cas , Kaltwasser Cristóbal Rovira
Published: April 2017

There are three different types of populist mobilization: personalist leadership, social movement, and political party, although some populist actors have aspects of two or three. Personalist leadership is more prevalent in certain regions, such as Latin America. Social movements are more common in America, and political parties are the paradigmatic type of populist mobilization in much of Europe. “Populism and mobilization” concludes by considering why some types of populist mobilization are more prevalent in certain places than in others and asking: do these different types of populist mobilization have an impact on the electoral success of populism?
4. The populist leader
Authors: Mudde Cas , Kaltwasser Cristóbal Rovira
Published: April 2017

A common feature of populism is its reliance on strong leaders who are able to mobilize the masses and/or conduct their parties with the aim of enacting radical reforms. Populism is often guided by strong leaders, who, through their behavior and speech, present themselves as the voice of the people. “The populist leader” describes the characteristics of the charismatic strongman, such as Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi and Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez. Yet, some populist actors portray themselves as voices of the people by using their gender, profession, and ethnicity. There are three types of populists: outsiders (very rare), insider-outsiders (often the most successful), and insiders (also very rare).
7. Reform, change, and prospects for the future
Authors: Jones Charles O.
Published: April 2017

The presidency is regarded by many to be the most powerful branch in the separated system. Of the three branches, Congress is most prone to propose reforms as it competes with the presidency for a share of power. “Reform, change, and prospects for the future” asks what the difference between reform and change is and relates the two in terms to the American presidency throughout history. What reforms to the American presidency have been successful? What are the lessons and effects of statutory reform? The future of the presidency is heavily influenced by its past and present. Effective presidential power in a separated system is that exercised in recognition of the legitimate functions of the other branches.
6. Winning strategies
Authors: Wyatt Tristram D.
Published: April 2017

The field of behavioural ecology, developed in the 1960s and 1970s, offered new ideas and provided powerful ways of exploring how behaviour evolves. Behavioural ecology examines how the evolution of behaviour is related to an individual’s chance of survival or reproductive success. ‘Winning strategies’ considers the many successes of behavioural ecology in explaining different animal behaviours: the economic decisions made by certain species when feeding or during reproduction; the role of the sexes in parental care; mating systems; sperm competition and cryptic female choice; sexual conflict; altruistic behaviour; kin selection theory; cooperative breeding; and the evolution of eusociality.