cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Structure–mechanical property relationship in fused deposition modelling

AbstractThe relationship between the filament scale phenomena and the macroscopic properties of parts manufactured by fused deposition modelling (FDM) of thermoplastic polymers has been investigated using planar geometry dog bone samples, representing layer by layer lamina in an additively manufactured part. Finite element simulations of the response of the FDM part(s) at multiple length scales (filament to macro) are compared with full field strain data obtained experimentally for different raster angles and filament gaps. The strain field, strain energy density, and effective Young’s modulus are evaluated. Principal strains resulting from the applied axial loading shifted from the inner rasters to the contours of the FDM planar sample at certain raster angles as the air gap increased, which significantly decreased the effective usage of the material leading to strain localization and premature part failure. The research presented provides a pathway to an effective multiscale approach to optimise the ras...
Vitamin Profiles of Eggs as Indicators of Nutritional Status in the Laying Hen: Diet to Egg Transfer and Commercial Flock Survey

Abstract The present study calculated diet to egg transfer of vitamins from previous experimental studies and determined whether dietary status for riboflavin, vitamin A, or vitamin B12 is a problem in commercial chicken laying flocks and breeding flocks by measuring egg vitamin content. Pooled egg samples from 16 Ohio egg layer and breeder flocks were analyzed for riboflavin and vitamin A by HPLC methods and for vitamin B12 by isotope dilution assay. At one or two times the dietary requirement, vitamin transfer efficiency from diet to eggs was about 45% for riboflavin, 78% for vitamin A, and 43% for vitamin B12. At four times the dietary requirement, efficiency of transfer to eggs decreased greatly for riboflavin and vitamin Abut remained nearly constant for vitamin B12. Hence, vitamin B12 fortification of eggs is easily accomplished. Eggs from the Ohio flocks contained 4.05 ± .123 μg of riboflavin/g of albumen, 10.20 ± .330 μg of retinol equivalents/g of yolk, and 3.09 ± .326 μg of vitamin B12/100 g of yolk. A significant negative correlation (−.95, P
Advice to a medical student seeking a residency post in neurological surgery

This paper offers advice to a medical student who wishes a career in neurological surgery. It deals with the factors that are important in the evaluation of residency training programs in neurological surgery.
Corrections: The state of the art

Abstract The failure of the correctional system to rehabilitate the criminal is discussed in terms of the controversy over external and internal issues that has inhibited the establishment of goals. External problems include: (1) the possibility that crime and the criminal serve a purpose in society, (2) the latent functions of correctional functions, and (3) the crime themes that pervade our society. Internal problems include: (1) the absence of a theoretical framework, (2) the lack of negative feedback, and (3) the inappropriate use of the medical model. If the correctional system fails to develop goals for rehabilitation and prevention of recidivism, then political pressures for a punitive justice will prevail.
Functional characteristics of cowpea flours in foods

Functionality of legume flours as food ingredients is influenced by genetic and agronomic factors, storage, composition and processing. The processing of flour from dry cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) is a simpler technology than that utilized for oilseed flour production. A defatting step is not required because the crude fat content of cowpeas is low (∼1–2%); however, decortication (seed coat removal) is necessary if a light-colored flour is to be obtained from cultivars with dark testa or eyes. Process condition employed in the decortication of cowpeas and production of cowpea flour influence the quality of subsequent products made from the flour. Functionality of cowpea flour as an ingredient in wheat flour mixtures, akara and moin-moin (fried and steamed cowpea paste, respectively), extruded products and meat products will be reviewed.
Enamel hypoplasia in deciduous teeth of great apes : Do differences in defect prevalence imply differential levels of physiological stress?

This paper presents new data on enamel hypoplasia in the deciduous canine teeth of great apes. The enamel defect under consideration is known as localized hypoplasia of primary canines (LHPC), and is characterized by an area of thin or missing enamel on the labial surface of deciduous canine teeth (Skinner [1986a] Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 69:59-69). Goals of this study are: 1) to determine if significant differences in the frequency of LHPC occur among three genera of great apes, and 2) to evaluate variation in LHPC prevalence among great apes as evidence of differential physiological stress. Infant and juvenile apes with deciduous teeth were examined at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (n = 100) and at the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History (n = 36). Deciduous teeth were observed under oblique incandescent light, with the naked eye and with a 10x hand lens. Enamel hypoplasia was scored using Federation Dentaire International (FDI)-Defects of Dental Enamel (DDE) standards. Hypoplasias were recorded by drawing defect location and size on a dental chart, and by measuring defect size and location with Helios needlepoint dial calipers. The prevalence of LHPC is reported by genus and sex, using two approaches: 1) the frequency of affected individuals-those having one or more deciduous canine teeth scored positive for LHPC; and 2) the number of canine teeth scored positive for LHPC as a percentage of all canine teeth observed. Variation in defect size and location will be described elsewhere. Localized hypoplasia of primary canine teeth was found in 62.5% of 128 individual apes, and in 45.5% of 398 great ape deciduous canines. As in humans, LHPC is the most common form of enamel hypoplasia in deciduous teeth of great apes, while LEH is rare or absent. The distribution and pattern of expression of LHPC in great apes is similar to that described in humans: side differences are not significant, but mandibular canines exhibit the defect two to five times more often than maxillary canine teeth. Differences in LHPC prevalence by sex are small and not significant. Intergeneric differences are large and non-random: chimpanzees (Pan) exhibit a significantly lower frequency of LHPC (22%, n = 50) by individual count, than either the orangutan (Pongo, 88.0%, n = 25) or the gorilla (Gorilla, 88.7%, n = 53). Tooth count prevalences exhibit a similar pattern of variation and are also statistically significant. These findings suggest that large bodied great apes (gorilla and orangutan) may be under greater physiological stress during perinatal and early postnatal development than the chimpanzee. The size, position, and timing of LHPC lesions are currently under analysis and may yield more insight into the etiological origin of this enamel defect.
Postharvest changes in pigment concentrations in 'Fuji' apples with 'Fuji' stain.

Abstract ’Fuji’ apples (Malus domestica Borkh cv. ‘Fuji’) sometimes develop a discolouration in the peel during cold storage, typically in the periphery of sunburned peel. We refer to this particular postharvest disorder as ‘Fuji’ stain as we have not observed it in any cultivar other than ‘Fuji’ and the discolouration looks like a stain on the peel. Because peel discolouration occurs, peel pigments are thought to be involved. Hence the concentrations of anthocyanins, epicatechin, quercetin glycosides, chlorogenic acid, chlorophylls, and carotenoids in peel disks taken from areas exhibiting ‘Fuji’ stain were compared to concentrations observed in peel disks not exhibiting ‘Fuji’ stain. In 2005, peel from sunburned apples exhibiting ‘Fuji’ stain was compared to peel from three areas of sunburned apples not exhibiting stain [i.e. sunburned peel, the area around the sunburned peel (halo), and the area around the halo (OH)]. Additionally, stained peel was compared to the sun-exposed side of non-stained non-sunburned apples (NSNB). The second year, 2006, we compared stained peel to NSNB peel and the area outside the stained area (OS) on those fruit with stain. The concentrations of idaein, epicatechin, and quercetin glycosides were consistently low in the stained peel both years. This is in contrast to our earlier studies in which sunburned ‘Fuji’ apples had high concentrations of quercetin glycosides and epicatechin and low concentrations of idaein, and non-sunburned apples had low concentrations of quercetin glycosides and epicatechin and high concentrations of idaein. The consistent and unique characteristic of stained peel reported here indicates an association of these compounds with the incidence of stain. In 2005, chlorogenic acid concentrations in the stain peel were lower than other peel types, but in 2006 they were higher. Differences in chlorophyll and carotenoid concentrations were observed among many of the peel types. However, there is not a clear association between stain development and changes in chlorophyll and carotenoid concentrations due to significant differences not being observed in both years. While our research provides insight into pigment changes associated with ‘Fuji’ stain formation, more work is needed to help clarify the inconsistencies observed between the 2 years.
1.1.4 Simulation, IPPD & Systems Engineering: To The Next Level

Simulation tools, as well as the new management schema Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD) have been applied to an increasing range of ongoing acquisition programs and have significantly reduced development time and life cycle costs and improved system quality. Some improvements have reduced the overall development time by half and some individual activities by 3000 %. “The issue is no longer whether extensive use of Simulation and IPPD have merit for acquisition, but rather how to develop and apply such new processes in a deliberate and coordinated manner to maximum advantage and achieve even more dramatic cost and schedule reductions.” (Sanders, 1997) The application of these tools carries Systems Engineering to a new level of capability.
Key and recollection vector effects on heteroassociative memory performance

Most associative memory work has concentrated on autoassociative memories (AAMs). These associative processors provide reduced noise and error correction in their output data. We will consider heteroassociative (HAMs), which are needed to provide decisions on the class of the input data and inferences for subsequent processing. We derive new equations for the storage capacity and noise performance of HAMs, emphasize how they differ from those derived for AAMs, suggest new performance measures to be used, and show how different recollection vector encodings can improve HAM performance.
Cerebrospinal fluid interleukin (IL)-6 in unipolar major depression.

Abstract Background: Previous studies have suggested that regulation of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-6 is abnormal in patients with major depression. This study was undertaken to determine whether IL-6 concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) differ between depressed patients and healthy control subjects. Methods: Lumbar puncture with a standardized procedure was performed on 18 drug-free patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for unipolar major depression and 26 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers. CSF was assayed for IL-6 using a quantitative ‘sandwich’ enzyme immunoassay technique. Results: Mean±S.D. CSF IL-6 levels did not differ between depressed (2.2±1.0 pg/ml) and healthy control (2.4±1.9 pg/ml) subjects. Limitations: This study had adequate power (0.8) to detect a large (d=0.88) effect size at α=0.05. Although sample sizes were comparable to or larger than those of previous CSF studies, it is possible that a less robust difference between depressed and healthy subjects was not detected. Conclusions: These findings fail to support speculation that immune activation may be causally involved in the pathogenesis of depression.
Thread scheduling for multiprogrammed multiprocessors

We present a user-level thread scheduler for shared-memory multiprocessors, and we analyze its performance under multiprogramming. We model multiprogramming with two scheduling levels: our scheduler runs at user-level and schedules threads onto a fixed collection of processes, while below this level, the operating system kernel schedules processes onto a fixed collection of processors. We consider the kernel to be an adversary, and our goal is to schedule threads onto processes such that we make efficient use of whatever processor resources are provided by the kernel. Our thread scheduler is a non-blocking implementation of the work-stealing algorithm. For any multithreaded computation with work T1 and critical-path length T∈fty , and for any number P of processes, our scheduler executes the computation in expected time O(T1/PA + T∈fty P/PA) , where PA is the average number of processors allocated to the computation by the kernel. This time bound is optimal to within a constant factor, and achieves linear speedup whenever P is small relative to the parallelism T1/T∈fty .
Fatal Ehrlichial Myocarditis in a Healthy Adolescent: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Ehrlichial myocarditis is an unusual finding in nonimmunosuppressed patients. A case of fatal ehrlichiosis with rapidly progressive myocarditis and multiorgan failure from Ehrlichia chaffeensis in a previously healthy adolescent is described.
Party-Based Voting in a Southern State Legislature:

This article uses established measures of party difference and party cohesion to analyze the effects of emerging two-party competition in contested roll call votes in the South Carolina House of Representatives, 1977-1987. The analysis also treats legislative voting in the state with respect to the party affiliation of governors. The results reveal little convincing evidence of party as a major reference source for legislative roll call behavior in South Carolina. Even though there are some examples of stronger party-based voting, they appear to occur in a random fashion rather than on the basis of a major, organized attempt by legislators to vote along party lines. The findings suggest that further research is needed to explore the cues for legislative party voting in South Carolina and to identify influences with which to compare state legislative voting experiences, particularly in the other southern states.
Suppression of mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation by syringomycin-E

Syringomycin E (SR-E) is low molecular weight bacterial lipodepsipeptide with antifungal properties. Owing to immunosuppressive activities of such compounds as cyclosporine, FK506 and rapamycin, we studied the effect of SR-E on proliferation of human blood lymphocytes in vitro. SR-E, by itself, had no effect but the mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation was significantly suppressed. The suppressive effect was more pronounced with pokeweed mitogen (PWM) as compared to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) or monoclonal antibody to CD3 (anti-CD3). Since these mitogens induce cellular immunity (T cell-dependent), SR-E may potentially be a novel immunosuppressive compound.
3-D recognition and shape estimation from image contours using invariant 3-D object curve models

The problem of recognizing and estimating the shape of objects with special markings (text, symbols, drawings, etc.) on their surfaces using B-spline curve modeling and a pair of binocular images is considered. As a direct consequence of the invariance of the B-splines to affine transformations the computation of the 3-D coordinates of the object curve points from a pair of stereo images becomes a straightforward task, and is obtained using minimum-mean-square-error estimation. The 3-D curve is recovered from the estimated object curve control points, and is subsequently used for the object shape estimation and classification. >
Stress and source conditions of DC magnetron sputtered Nb films

We have studied the quality of Nb films from two different DC magnetron sources in a vein similar to previous work at Fujitsu Laboratories and NIST. In particular we are interested in the effects of target erosion on Nb film quality and on operating conditions of the magnetron sources. We find that the concept of a current-pressure (I-P) stress line of constant voltage (NIST), though giving qualitative guidance on proper source operating conditions, is not a sufficiently accurate model to set either of our magnetron source conditions over the life of the targets. In particular we find that: (1) the shape of our I-P "lines" change with target usage, (2) the stress values attributed to different points on a given I-P line at one "snapshot" in the target life are often different, and (3) the stress attributed to a given point on an I-P line may change over the life of a target. Alternative source operation strategies for maintaining stress free films will be discussed and the influence of other parameters including temperature, substrate material, source distance, substrate motion and target to target repeatability will also be examined. >
A circuit-level perspective of the optimum gate oxide thickness

A performance constrained minimum power-area optimization is introduced to project the physical gate oxide thickness (t/sub ox/) scaling limit from a circuit-level perspective. The circuit optimization is based on the recent physical alpha-power law MOSFET model that enables predictions of CMOS circuit performance for future generations of technology. The model is utilized to derive an equation for propagation delay including the transition time effect. A physical compact gate-tunneling current model is also derived to analyze ultrathin oxide layers. Results indicate that the gate-tunneling power is substantially less (<5%) than the drain-to-source leakage power at the oxide thickness required for optimum CMOS logic circuit performance. As t/sub ox/ is scaled below 3.0 nm, the MOSFET performance improvement resulting from t/sub ox/ scaling diminishes due to an increasing effect of the polysilicon gate depletion depth on the electrical effective oxide thickness. The gate-tunneling power, however, remains exponentially dependent on t/sub ox/, thus resulting in an optimal value of t/sub ox/ where the gate-tunneling power is negligible in comparison to the drain-to-source leakage power. The scaling limit of t/sub ox/ is projected as 2.2, 1.9, and 1.4 nm for the 180, 150, and 100 nm technology generations, respectively.
A sequential linear quadratic approach for constrained nonlinear optimal control

A sequential quadratic programming method is proposed for solving nonlinear optimal control problems subject to general path constraints including mixed state-control and state-only constraints. The proposed algorithm formulates linear quadratic optimal control subproblems with a solution that provides a descent direction for a non-differentiable exact penalty function. A set of conditions is given under which the minimization of the merit function produces a sequence of controls with limit points that satisfy the first order necessary conditions of the optimal control problem. The subproblems solved at each step of the algorithm inherit the structure of the nonlinear optimal control problem and can be solved efficiently via Riccati methods.
Direct Imaging of Cl- and Cu-Induced Short-Circuit Efficiency Changes in CdTe Solar Cells

To achieve high-efficiency polycrystalline CdTe-based thin-film solar cells, the CdTe absorbers must go through a post-deposition CdCl2 heat treatment followed by a Cu diffusion step. To better understand the roles of each treatment with regard to improving grains, grain boundaries, and interfaces, CdTe solar cells with and without Cu diffusion and CdCl2 heat treatments are investigated using cross-sectional electron beam induced current, electron backscatter diffraction, and scanning transmission electron microscope techniques. The evolution of the cross-sectional carrier collection profile due to these treatments that cause an increase in short-circuit current and higher open-circuit voltage are identified. Additionally, an increased carrier collection in grain boundaries after either/both of these treatments is revealed. The increased current at the grain boundaries is shown to be due to the presence of a space charge region with an intrinsic carrier collection profile width of ≈350 nm. Scanning transmission electron microscope electron-energy loss spectroscopy shows a decreased Te and increased Cl concentration in grain boundaries after treatment, which causes the inversion. Furthermore, each treatment improves the overall carrier collection efficiency of the cell separately, and, therefore, the benefits realized by each treatment are shown to be independent of each other.
Desflurane vapor pressure depression

Due to its high vapor pressure and low boiling point, desflurane requires a specially designed, electronically controlled, temperature and pressure compensated vaporizer to regulate agent delivery to the anesthetic circuit. However, if the vapor pressure and boiling point were decreased, desflurane could be used in any conventional variable bypass vaporizer. Raoult's Law states that the vapor pressure of a liquid is proportional to its molar fraction in a solution. Accordingly, propylene glycol was used as a solvent for desflurane, and the physical characteristics of this mixture were evaluated at various molar concentrations and temperatures. Desflurane boiling point increased and vapor pressure decreased as a nonlinear function of dilution, but these changes were less than predicted by Raoult's Law. Using a circle system with a breathing bag attached at the patient end and a mechanical ventilator to simulate respiration, an in-circuit, nonprecision vaporizer containing 40% desflurane and 60% propylene glycol achieved a 11.5 ± 1.0% (mean ± SD) circuit desflurane concentration with a 5.2 ± 0.4 (0 = off, 10 = maximum) vaporizer setting. This experiment was repeated with a dog attached to the breathing circuit under spontaneous ventilation with a fresh gas flow of 0.5 L min–1. Anesthesia was maintained for over two hours at a mean vaporizer setting of 6.2 ± 0.4, yielding mean inspired and end-tidal desflurane concentrations of 8.7 ± 0.5% and 7.9 ± 0.7%, respectively. Within 5 minutes after cessation of anesthesia, the dog was awake, extubated and standing. In clinical practice, propylene glycol may not prove an ideal solvent for desflurane due to its instability in solution and substantial positive deviation from Raoult's Law. However, rather than alter the vaporizer to suit physical properties of anesthetic agents, this study demonstrates that it may also be possible to alter anesthetic agents to suit physical properties of the vaporizer.
A Spanish Dual Literacy Program: Teaching to the Whole Student.

Abstract The purpose of this article is to familiarize both the educational community and laymen with the policies and practices of the Dual Language Literacy program at Liberty High School in New York City, designed to provide Spanish-speaking Limited Formal Schooling (LFS) students with opportunities to become literate in both L-1 (Spanish) and L-2 (English) in context-rich environments. In this program, emphasis is placed on the native language (Spanish) as a means of learning content while students are acquiring the target language (English). Additional components of the program, which provide support and intellectual growth, are experiential investigations of the city, after-school programs, and a devoted team of teachers who meet regularly to plan classes, events, and discuss students' individual needs.
The impact of herbal medicines on dermatologic surgery.

Background. In recent years herbal medicines and supplements have become increasingly popular. With their increased popularity, more publications are warning about the potential harmful effects of some of these products. Objective. To present scientific evidence of the benefits and surgical risks of herbal products. Methods. A Medline search and review of the literature was performed. Results. Many herbal medicines are relevant in dermatologic surgery since Ginkgo biloba, garlic, ginger, ginseng, feverfew, and vitamin E may increase the risk of bleeding, and ephedra may potentiate the side effects of epinephrine. Conclusion. Dermatologists should be aware of these herbal products and their uses. Many of these products prescribed by alternative medicine physicians or purchased over the counter should be discontinued prior to dermatologic surgery to minimize the risk of surgical complications.
The IMF, Domestic Public Sector Banks, and Currency Crises in Developing States

The stabilization programs of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)—which are often designed to prevent currency crashes and promote exchange rate stability—frequently fail to prevent currency crises in program-recipient developing countries. This leads to the following puzzle: when do IMF programs fail to prevent currency crises in developing states that turn to the Fund for assistance? We suggest that the likelihood that a currency crisis may occur under an IMF program depends on the market concentration of public sector banks in program-participating developing countries: the higher the market concentration of public banks in a program recipient nation, the more likely that the IMF program will be associated with a currency crisis. Specifically, if the market concentration of public banks in a program-participating developing country is high, then banks will compel the government to renege on its commitment to implement banking sector reforms. This induces a financial panic among investors that leads t...
Surviving Scandal: The Institutional and Political Dynamics of National and State Executive Scandals

Which factors shorten or lengthen the survival of a scandal involving a chief executive? Using new data tracking scandals involving presidents and governors from 1972 to 2011, I chart the duration of each political, personal, and financial scandal faced by an elected official, their staff, or nominees. I specifically examine institutional, political, and economic factors to investigate what factors quicken a "negative" end to a scandal. National chief executives and their staff are more likely to survive a scandal when they have more partisans in the legislature but are less likely when there is greater political opposition, however there is no comparative effect at the state level. Positive economic growth and public approval have no effect on survival of a scandal at either the national or state levels. These findings clarify how the political environment shapes the duration of executive scandal.
An Empirical Analysis of User Content Generation and Usage Behavior on the Mobile Internet

We quantify how user mobile Internet usage relates to unique characteristics of the mobile Internet. In particular, we focus on examining how the mobile-phone-based content generation behavior of users relates to content usage behavior. The key objective is to analyze whether there is a positive or negative interdependence between the two activities. We use a unique panel data set that consists of individual-level mobile Internet usage data that encompass individual multimedia content generation and usage behavior. We combine this knowledge with data on user calling patterns, such as duration, frequency, and locations from where calls are placed, to construct their social network and to compute their geographical mobility. We build an individual-level simultaneous equation panel data model that controls for the different sources of endogeneity of the social network. We find that there is a negative and statistically significant temporal interdependence between content generation and usage. This finding implies that an increase in content usage in the previous period has a negative impact on content generation in the current period and vice versa. The marginal effect of this interdependence is stronger on content usage (up to 8.7%) than on content generation (up to 4.3%). The extent of geographical mobility of users has a positive effect on their mobile Internet activities. Users more frequently engage in content usage compared to content generation when they are traveling. In addition, the variance of user mobility has a stronger impact on their mobile Internet activities than does the mean. We also find that the social network has a strong positive effect on user behavior in the mobile Internet. These analyses unpack the mechanisms that stimulate user behavior on the mobile Internet. Implications for shaping user mobile Internet usage behavior are discussed. This paper was accepted by Pradeep Chintagunta and Preyas Desai, special issue editors. This paper was accepted by Pradeep Chintagunta and Preyas Desai, special issue editors.
Inner Ear Stem Cell Niche

In the vertebrate inner ear, sensory hair cells are the primary receptors for sound and movement. However, adult mammals have a severely limited ability to regenerate inner ear sensory hair cells and neurons after they are damaged. Therefore, loss of mammalian hair cells and neurons is usually irreversible, which cause permanent hearing loss, balance impairment, and other inner ear disorders. Progress in stem cell biology has shed light on the regeneration of sensory hair cell and inner ear neurons. In recent years, hair cells and neurons have been generated using pluripotent stem cells, multipotent tissue-specific stem cells derived from inner ear and other tissues. However, stem cell niche in the inner ear has been rarely reported. In this chapter, I will discuss inner ear stem cell niche for hair cells and inner ear neurons.
Aeroservoelastic Analysis of a NASA-ALTAIR Air Vehicle

The long, slender, and flexible wings of th unmanned air vehicle poses a unique prob control system design. It is essential to accou elastic deformation of the aircraft struct aerodynamic loading to accurately model the response of the aircraft in flight. An aeros e AL lem nt ure d dy
Assessment of 20 Micrometer Diameter Wires for Wire Bond Interconnect Technology

In the domain of wire bonding technology, the size and pitch of bond pads and ball bonds are shrinking to accommodate the demand for higher I/Os and increased functionality per chip area. This trend serves as a catalyst for bonding wire manufacturers to continuously develop lower diameter bonding wires. One mil (25 μm) diameter bonding wire, used widely in this interconnection technique, is now being replaced by 0.8 mil (20 μm) diameter bonding wire. In keeping with the need for higher operating speeds and higher temperatures for today’s ICs, the reliability of ball bonds formed by small diameter wires is of concern and requires investigation. This study explores the effects of 0.8 mil (20 μm) diameter bonding wire on the wire bond ball joint reliability and compares these effects with 1.0 mil (25 μm) diameter bonding wire. The reliability of the ball bonds was assessed using mechanical tests (wire pull and ball shear) for units subjected to stress tests such as the unbiased highly accelerated stress test and high temperature storage tests. The results of this investigation reveal that both the wire diameters are able to sustain their integrity after moisture testing. But, the bond strength degrades after high temperature tests due to the Kirkendall voiding mechanism occurring between gold wire and the aluminum bond pad.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Social Media: A Technology that needs no Support from It…Yet

Research indicates that social media applications, such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are rapidly being adopted by many organizations. However, little is known about the different resources and capabilities that organizations deploy internally to support social media initiatives, nor of the role that organizational IT departments and IT professionals may play in the deployment. We examine the content of 200 social media job ads collected from Indeed.com to gain understanding of organizational use of social media and how organizations are developing their social media initiatives. Our findings indicate that organizations are planning to deploy significant resources and are developing new internal processes to support social media initiatives. In addition, gaining sustainable benefit from these initiatives may require considerable investment in complementary resources. Our data also indicate that IT departments have little involvement in these initiatives.
Occupational Mobility and Church Participation

tion other scenes can be used which require entirely different solutions. In the present inquiry a second scene was used. The respondents were assigned the task of keeping an employer with a job opening near them and away from competitors during the course of a party. The husband and wife played the roles of a husband and wife in this situation and the tester played the role of the employer. The tester as employer reacted favorably to the couple the less they spoke to him and acted unfavorably the more they demanded a response from him. Thus if they were perfectly quiet he would tell them how highly he thought of the husband's work; on the other hand if they attempted to make him talk by asking about his family, the business, or flattering him, he acted as if he were unhappy. Again it was assumed that the customary mode of interaction in such a situation is not to be silent. This scene was scored in the same way as the first with one or two elaborations for coding meaningful silences. In the first scene the effective response was to appeal for help while in the second scene the effective response was to be silent. It is assumed that the truly creative person can do both while the uncreative person, although he might use one as a customary mode of interaction, is unlikely to use both. As many different scenes with as many differ
Liver Disease in α1-Antitrypsin Deficiency

Liver disease affects a subgroup of homozygotes for the classical form of α1-antitrypsin deficiency (ATD). There are at least four forms of this disease with onset in infancy, in childhood, in adolescence, and at 50–65 years of age. The liver disease is mostly slowly progressive and characterized by fibrosis and cirrhosis with minimal inflammation. These patients also have increased susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The pathobiology of liver injury in ATD is not completely understood, but we know that it involves a gain-of-function mechanism in which accumulation of misfolded α1-antitrypsin Z (ATZ) in the early compartments of the secretory pathway is proteotoxic for the liver cells. Intracellular pathways for degradation of misfolded ATZ, particularly the autophagic pathway, are believed to play a critical role, and FDA-approved drugs that enhance autophagy and can be repurposed appear to be attractive candidates for treatment. Several other promising drug-, cell-, or gene-based therapeutic strategies are being developed for this liver disease.
Study on Production Technology of Corn-Milk Beverage

Sweet corn grains were beaten,and then the slurry was hydrolyzed with α-amylase. The hydrolysate was blent with milk etc to product a new type beverage. According to the sensory evaluation score,the formula of the mixed beverage was optimized via orthogonal test.
Holmium Laser-Induced Coronary Thrombolysis.

Plaque disruption and thrombosis are determinants for the onset of acute ischemic syndromes. The presence of intracoronary thrombus is associated with an increased risk of complications during revascularization with balloon angioplasty. Thrombi avidly absorb light in the mid-infrared optical spectrum due to their high water content. The potential clinical advantages of the holmium laser as a source of thrombolysis include rapid removal of the target clot, vaporization of procoagulant reactants, elimination of a systemic lytic state, and facilitation of adjunct balloon angioplasty by concomitant plaque vaporization. Notably, while thrombolytic drug therapy treats only the acute cause, that is, thrombus, the laser has the potential for treating both thrombus and its underlying cause, that is, the atherosclerotic plaque. In vitro studies suggest that the effect of the holmium laser is achieved by nonselective, mechanical disruption of the irradiated thrombus, a mechanism unlike selective thrombolysis as induced by pulsed-dye lasers. Further basic and clinical research is needed to explore holmium laser-thrombus interactions and thus lead to optimal clinical application of this technology.
RBPJ maintains brain tumor–initiating cells through CDK9-mediated transcriptional elongation

Glioblastomas co-opt stem cell regulatory pathways to maintain brain tumor-initiating cells (BTICs), also known as cancer stem cells. NOTCH signaling has been a molecular target in BTICs, but NOTCH antagonists have demonstrated limited efficacy in clinical trials. Recombining binding protein suppressor of hairless (RBPJ) is considered a central transcriptional mediator of NOTCH activity. Here, we report that pharmacologic NOTCH inhibitors were less effective than targeting RBPJ in suppressing tumor growth. While NOTCH inhibitors decreased canonical NOTCH gene expression, RBPJ regulated a distinct profile of genes critical to BTIC stemness and cell cycle progression. RBPJ was preferentially expressed by BTICs and required for BTIC self-renewal and tumor growth. MYC, a key BTIC regulator, bound the RBPJ promoter and treatment with a bromodomain and extraterminal domain (BET) family bromodomain inhibitor decreased MYC and RBPJ expression. Proteomic studies demonstrated that RBPJ binds CDK9, a component of positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb), to target gene promoters, enhancing transcriptional elongation. Collectively, RBPJ links MYC and transcriptional control through CDK9, providing potential nodes of fragility for therapeutic intervention, potentially distinct from NOTCH.
LIBRA-SP, a Commercial Fusion Reactor Based on Near Term Technology

The design of a 1,000 MWe light ion driven fusion power plant is given. Considerable progress has been made in analyzing the target performance and. its impact on the cavity design. Recent declassi...
How Not to Privatize

The task of privatizing the formerly socialist economies of Eastern Europe (I include the Soviet Union, or the republics of the Soviet Union) is one of the most formidable problems ever encountered by economic policy makers. This monumental task stands at the center of the transformation process. All important aspects of economic theory and policy are involved, because the process of widespread privatization goes to the heart of what the capitalist system is all about.
Social media-induced technostress: Its impact on the job performance of it professionals and the moderating role of job characteristics

Abstract Using social media during work hours for non-work-related reasons is becoming commonplace. Organizations are therefore challenged with identifying and overcoming the consequences of such use. Social media-induced technostress has been identified as an important unintended consequence of using social media at work, as it could negatively impact job performance. This study draws on Person-Environment Fit to investigate the relationship between social media-induced technostress and job performance in IT professionals, and the moderating effect of job characteristics on this relationship. The results indicate that social media-induced technostress is negatively related to job performance and the negative impact of social media-induced technostress is intensified when the job characteristics are low. This work extends the literature on job-stress, social media, technostress, and job characteristics.
Phase I Study of Elotuzumab (HuLuc63) in Phase I Study of Elotuzumab (HuLuc63) in Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma

Elotuzumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody directed against CS1, a cell surface glycoprotein, which is highly and uniformly expressed in multiple myeloma. Elotuzumab has demonstrated significant anti-tumor activity in pre-clinical mouse models of multiple myeloma (MM). The primary objective of this Phase I study is to evaluate the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of elotuzumab in patients with relapsed/refractory MM. The study also evaluates the overall safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), biologic activity and clinical response to elotuzumab. Elotuzumab is administered every 2 weeks × 4 doses in six escalating dose cohorts ranging from 0.5 mg/kg to 20 mg/kg. An additional 4 doses may be administered if the patient demonstrates at least stable disease during the initial 4 doses of therapy. To date, a total of 23 patients, 52% male, with a median age of 64 years and a median of seven prior treatments, have been treated in the six cohorts. In the 2.5 mg/kg cohort, one out of six patients experienced a DLT of Grade 4 increase in serum creatinine which was concomitant to an unrelated serious adverse event (SAE) of sepsis. Four additional elotuzumab-related SAEs in two patients (Grade 2 chills and fever in one subject in the 2.5 mg/kg cohort, Grade 2 chest pressure and bradycardia in another subject in the 10 mg/kg cohort, all requiring overnight hospitalization) have been observed. However, the MTD for elotuzumab has not been reached up to the 10 mg/kg dose. Several patients (10/16) experienced Grade 1 and 2 AEs occurring during or immediately after the first dose including chills, flushing, pyrexia, rigors, dyspnea and fatigue. An increase in serum levels of a number of cytokines such as interferon-gamma and TNF-alpha, and chemokines including IP10 and MCP1 was observed for all patients following the first dose of elotuzumab, peaking between 2–4h after the end of infusion and returning to near baseline levels by 24h. These infusion-related symptoms were not observed during the subsequent dosing of elotuzumab, possibly due to premedication with antihistamines and acetaminophen. Preliminary PK analysis suggests a short serum half-life of 2–4 days at low doses of elotuzumab (0.5–2.5 mg/kg), with an increase to 10–11 days at higher doses (5–10 mg/kg). Cmax levels of 53–114 mcg/mL and 291–384 mcg/mL were observed in the 5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg cohorts, respectively. Following the completion of 4 doses of elotuzumab, 6 patients demonstrated stable disease, four of these at 5 mg/kg or higher dose levels, according to the EBMT response criteria. In summary, elotuzumab appears to have a manageable safety profile in patients with relapsed/refractory MM. MTD for elotuzumab has not been reached up to the 10 mg/kg dose. Higher doses of elotuzumab lead to a significant increase in Cmax and half-life. Evaluation of the 20 mg/kg dose cohort is ongoing.
Mid-term changes in blood metal ion levels after Articular Surface Replacement arthroplasty of the hip

Aims Our first aim was to determine whether there are significant changes in the level of metal ions in the blood at mid-term follow-up, in patients with an Articular Surface Replacement (ASR) arthroplasty. Secondly, we sought to identify risk factors for any increases. Patients and Methods The study involved 435 patients who underwent unilateral, metal-on-metal (MoM) hip resurfacing (HRA) or total hip arthroplasty (THA). These patients all had one measurement of the level of metal ions in the blood before seven years had passed post-operatively (early evaluation) and one after seven years had passed post-operatively (mid-term evaluation). Changes in ion levels were tested using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. We identified subgroups at the highest risk of increase using a multivariable linear logistic regression model. Results There were significant increases in the levels of metal ions for patients who underwent both MoM HRA (Chromium (Cr): 0.5 parts per billion (ppb); Cobalt (Co): 1.1 ppb) and MoM THA (Cr: 0.5 ppb; Co: 0.7 ppb). In a multivariable model considering MoM HRAs, the change in the levels of metal ions was influenced by female gender (Co: Odds Ratio (OR) 1.42; p = 0.002 and Cr: OR 1.08; p = 0.006). The change was found to be irrespective of the initial level for the MoM HRAs, whereas there was a negative relationship between the initial level and the change in the level for those with a MoM THA (Co: OR -0.43; p Conclusion The levels of metal ions in the blood increase significantly over the period until mid-term follow-up in patients with both a MoM HRA and those with a MoM THA. We recommend that the levels of metal ions be measured most frequently for women with a MoM HRA. While those with a MoM THA appear to stabilise at a certain level, the accuracy of this trend is not yet clear. Vigilant follow-up is still recommended. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2017;99-B(4 Supple B):33–40.
Preparation of epoxy nanocomposites containing well-dispersed graphene nanosheets

Abstract To take full advantage of the potential of graphene nanosheets as reinforcing agents for polymer nanocomposites, good exfoliation, homogenous dispersion, and strong affinity of graphene nanosheets in a polymer matrix are needed. In this research, homogeneous dispersion of graphene nanosheets in epoxy is achieved via chemical functionalization of graphene oxide with 4-nitrobenzenediazonium salt. Optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy demonstrate that graphene nanosheets are well-exfoliated in organic solvents and in epoxy. While only a marginal increase in Young's modulus is observed, significant improvements in tensile strength (>30%) and elongation at break (>50%) for epoxy nanocomposites with a graphene concentration of 0.8 wt.% are achieved. The thermal conductivity of an epoxy nanocomposite with modified graphene nanosheets at 5 wt.% increases to 0.56 W/mK, approximately 2.5 times that of the neat epoxy. The possible mechanisms that account for the observed improvements in tensile properties and thermal conductivity are discussed.
General Surgery Essentials

General surgical conditions span a wide variety of disease states. This chapter will focus on emergent or urgent general surgical conditions and their management in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In resource-limited settings, barriers to care are significant and include acceptability, accessibility, availability, and affordability. Patients often present in late stages of their disease states, which impacts perioperative considerations and management. Providers are often required to diagnose surgical conditions without the laboratory and imaging studies that are typically used in high-resource settings. It is prudent to understand available resources, drugs, personnel, instruments, supplies, blood, and postoperative care setting, and factor these into clinical decision-making. It is also vital to understand the local context and culture. Situational ethics often come into play for procedures that carry possible reproductive consequences, amputations, and informed consent. The primary decision-maker must be identified and may include a male spouse (especially for procedure with reproductive consequences), family elder, or village leader. Additional factors such as the financial obligations of the patients for the care must be taken into consideration. Often, patients will be asked to purchase and obtain supplies for a procedure including drugs, IVs, sutures, and dressings as well as pay a fee upfront for any care. Patients and their families’ decision-making can include declining lifesaving procedures due to financial constraints. Practicing general surgery in the global setting requires full consideration of all elements to successfully treat each patient; contextual understanding is vital in this process.