cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rescuing Hong Kong Companies with Provisional Supervision: Proposals That Workers and Management Can Support

Hong Kong lacks a statutory corporate rescue regime, despite repeated attempts at legislative reform beginning with the the Law Reform Commission’s 1996 recommendations. But each attempt to pass a version of so-called “provisional supervision” failed, mainly due to irreconcilable views of diverse stakeholders on the treatment of labour claims, and in particular on the feasibility of full satisfaction of labour claims as a precondition to entering provisional supervision. In October 2009 the government of Hong Kong tried once again to bridge the differences with proposals set forth in a consultative paper entitled, Review of Corporate Rescue Procedure Legislative Proposals, issued by the Financial Services and Treasury Bureau (FSTB). On 22 January 2010 at the University of Hong Kong, the authors convened a symposium of stakeholders to discuss and comment on the consultative paper. Underscoring the importance of corporate rescue legislation, stakeholders responded enthusiastically. and endeavored to overcome historical impasses with fresh ideas on the treatment of labour claims. The attendees also welcomed a proposal by the authors, that Hong Kong consider adopting a “hybrid” debtor-in-possession (“DIP”) approach to corporate reorganization that would allow management in certain cases and with creditor approval to continue administering the debtor during the statutory rescue process. Following the symposium, the FSTB invited the authors to draft a paper discussing the various proposals on the treatment of labour claims that emerged at the symposium, and to provide a more detailed discussion of the hybrid DIP approach. In this article, submitted to the Hong Kong Law Journal, the authors seek to relay to a broader audience the comments and proposals they initially expressed in their submission to the FSTB. This paper reviews the history of corporate rescue legislation reform attempts in Hong Kong, then discusses the merits and demerits of various proposals for dealing with labour claims, and finally presents and discusses the merits of a hybrid debtor-in-possession approach to corporate rescue. The authors argue that without a DIP option, many companies in distress will not avail themselves of provisional supervision, and that, in many if not most cases, a punitive approach to management is not merited and thwarts the intended goal of a corporate rescue regime.
An Ab-initio tree-based exploration to enhance sampling of low-energy protein conformations

This paper proposes a robotics-inspired method to enhance sampling of native-like protein conformations when employing only amino-acid sequence. Computing such conformations, essential to associate structural and functional information with gene sequences, is challenging due to the high-dimensionality and the rugged energy surface of the protein conformational space. The contribution of this work is a novel two-layered method to enhance the sampling of geometrically-distinct lowenergy conformations at a coarse-grained level of detail. The method grows a tree in conformational space reconciling two goals: (i) guiding the tree towards lower energies and (ii) not oversampling geometrically-similar conformations. Discretizations of the energy surface and a low-dimensional projection space are employed to select more often for expansion low-energy conformations in under-explored regions of the conformational space. The tree is expanded with low-energy conformations through a Metropolis Monte Carlo framework that uses a move set of physical fragment configurations. Testing on sequences of seven small-to-medium structurally-diverse proteins shows that the method rapidly samples native-like conformations in a few hours on a single CPU. Analysis shows that computed conformations are good candidates for further detailed energetic refinements by larger studies in protein engineering and design.
BM-02NEW DISEASE SPECIFIC GRADED PROGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT OF BRAIN METASTASIS FROM LUNG, BREAST, MELANOMA AND RENAL MALIGNANCIES

BACKGROUND: Brain metastases (BM) are a serious complication of systemic malignancies. Common cancers causing BM include small cell and non-small cell lung cancer (SCLC, NSCLC), breast, melanoma, and renal cancer. The disease-specific Graded Prognostic Assessment (DS-GPA) is a useful tool for evaluating prognosis in these patients. We evaluated the DS-GPA within the context of other clinical factors to see if it could be improved. METHODS: The Cleveland Clinic's IRB approved database was used to identify BM patients treated between 2000 and 2013. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS) from BM diagnosis. Cox proportional hazards models with stepwise variable selection were used for data analysis. RESULTS: 2247 BM patients were analyzed: NSCLC-50%, breast-20%, melanoma-10%, renal-10%, SCLC-9%. Median age at BM diagnosis was 60 (range, 24-93); 54% were female. Median number of BM was 2 (42% had 1, 25% had >5). Most patients had good performance status (70% had KPS > 80). 43% of patients were treated with whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT), 24% stereotactic-radiosurgery (SRS), 12% WBRT + SRS, 11% surgery + WBRT, 3% surgery + SRS. 84% of patients have died; median OS for the cohort was 8.8 months (95% C.I., 8.1-9.5). DS-GPA was prognostic for each cancer (all p < .0001); however separation between groups was variable. Considering clinical factors not used to determine the DS-GPA, revised indices were developed that improved prognostication. The factors, in addition to DS-GPA, included in the revisions are: breast - number of extra-cranial metastases (ECM), controlled primary (PC), BM location, and leptomeningeal disease; NSCLC - PC, number of ECM, histology, hemorrhagic metastases, and gender; melanoma - number of ECM and age; renal - PC and BM-free interval; SCLC - PC, and number of ECM. Median OS (in months) for the revised GPA groups ranged from 3.1-27.6 (breast), 2.5-26.4 (NSCLC), 2.3-15.4 (melanoma), 3.5-41.6 (renal), and 3.5-15.3 (SCLC). CONCLUSIONS: A revised DS-GPA is proposed.
Small-Molecule CD4-Mimics: Structure-Based Optimization of HIV-1 Entry Inhibition

The optimization, based on computational, thermodynamic, and crystallographic data, of a series of small-molecule ligands of the Phe43 cavity of the envelope glycoprotein gp120 of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been achieved. Importantly, biological evaluation revealed that the small-molecule CD4 mimics (4–7) inhibit HIV-1 entry into target cells with both significantly higher potency and neutralization breadth than previous congeners, while maintaining high selectivity for the target virus. Their binding mode was characterized via thermodynamic and crystallographic studies.
Response of the fetal mesenteric microvascular system to maternal hypoxia.

SummaryThe effect of maternal hypoxia on the microvascular system of fetal and pregnant adult rabbits was studied. The response of the fetal mesenteric microvasculature to hypoxia was vasoconstriction, reduced flow in the large arterioles and venules, and severely reduced flow in most capillaries. This response occurred within 30 min after initiation of 8% O2; recovery occurred within 20 min after removal of the low oxygen mixture. Similar findings were obtained in the maternal mesenteric microvaseulature but the responses were more rapid, occurring within 20 min, with recovery within 5–10 min. The responses appeared to be mediated by an oxygen dependant, alpha-adrenergic mechanism since, during recovery, flow and vascular diameter were restored in parallel with the blood pO2 even though blood pH still was depressed and pCO2 was elevated, and since the vasoconstrictive response could be blocked by phentolamine but not by propranolol.
Acute necrotizing pancreatitis.

Acute pancreatitis may be clinically mild or severe. Severe acute pancreatitis is usually a result of pancreatic glandular necrosis. The morbidity and mortality associated with acute pancreatitis are substantially higher when necrosis is present, especially when the area of necrosis is also infected.1 It is important to identify patients with pancreatic necrosis so that appropriate management can be undertaken. In recent years, the treatment of these patients has shifted away from early surgical debridement (“necrosectomy”) to aggressive intensive medical care, with specific criteria for operative and nonoperative intervention.2,3 Advances in radiologic imaging and aggressive medical management with emphasis on . . .
Nano-photosensitizers Engineered to Generate a Tunable Mix of Reactive Oxygen Species, for Optimizing Photodynamic Therapy, Using a Microfluidic Device

This work is aimed at engineering photosensitizer embedded nanoparticles (NPs) that produce optimal amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) for photodynamic therapy (PDT). A revised synthetic approach, coupled with improved analytical tools, resulted in more efficient PDT. Specifically, methylene blue (MB) conjugated polyacrylamide nanoparticles (PAA NPs), with a polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate (PEGDMA, Mn 550) cross-linker, were synthesized so as to improve the efficacy of cancer PDT. The long cross-linker chain, PEGDMA, increases the distance between the conjugated MB molecules so as to avoid self-quenching of the excited states or species, and also enhances the oxygen permeability of the NP matrix, when compared to the previously used shorter cross-linker. The overall ROS production from the MB-PEGDMA PAA NPs was evaluated using the traditional way of monitoring the oxidation rate kinetics of anthracence-9,10-dipropionic acid (ADPA). We also applied singlet oxygen sensor green (SOSG) so as to selectively derive the singlet oxygen (1O2) production rate. This analysis enabled us to investigate the ROS composition mix based on varied MB loading. To effectively obtain the correlation between the ROS productivity and the cell killing efficacy, a microfluidic chip device was employed to provide homogeneous light illumination from an LED for rapid PDT efficacy tests, enabling simultaneous multiple measurements while using only small amounts of NPs sample. This provided multiplexed, comprehensive PDT efficacy assays, leading to the determination of a near optimal loading of MB in a PAA matrix for high PDT efficacy by measuring the light-dose-dependent cell killing effects of the various MB-PEGDMA PAA NPs using C6 glioma cancer cells.
Research and Analysis on Visualization Technology for Power Grid Real-Time Monitoring

To make full use of intelligent and visualization technology to process massive data generated in large-scale power grid rapidly and effectively,the visualization approach for power grid dispatching automation system to carry out real-time monitoring of main types of data is discussed,and a set of complete visualization solution scheme for power grid real-time monitoring is proposed.Following components are included in the proposed solution:the geographic map of power flow realized by 3-dimensional virtual reality technology and the power flow chart of the whole grid realized by splicing technology;the visualization of maintenance schedule based on the thinking of Gantt chart;load curves in power grid based on the thinking of K-line;the visualization of synthetic alarm realized by full 3-dimensional graphics;the visualization of data related to low-frequency oscillation occurred in power grid realized by full 3-dimensional graphics.The proposed solution scheme has been put into use in provincial and above dispatching and control centers and it operates steadily and reliably.The proposed solution scheme provides dispatchers more visual and intuitionistic manner and can find abnormal conditions in time during power grid operation and provide convenience for effective control and auxiliary decision-making.
Application and Discussion of 3D Sismic data Interpretation Methods for Mining Area

ABSTRAC In order ensure the safety production of coal mines,three-dimensional seismic exploration in coal mine is mainly to solve problems of geological structures.The accuracy of data interpretation differs due to different geological conditions.With the development of computer and geophysical techniques,the high signal/noise ratio and high resolution of 3D seismic data makes it possible for detailed interpretation.In this paper,based on examples of known mining area,we use wavelet analysis,variance body techniques,image processing,and other methods interpret small fault in detail.As a result,the accuracy of interpretation is improved.
The management of dehydration in the nursing home.

La prevalence de la deshydratation parmi les sujets âges institutionnalises est un probleme important en raison de la morbidite et de la mortalite qui lui sont associees. Le personnel de sante travaillant dans les unites de long sejour doit etre informe sur les dangers potentiels de la deshydratation. La prevention et les strategies therapeutiques utilisees dans la lutte contre la deshydratation sont efficaces dans la majorite des cas. La gestion de la deshydratation dans les institutions, la rehydratation enterale et parenterale, la gestion de la deshydratation dans les unites de soins palliatives sont abordees successivement.
Transforming growth factor-β1 expression in irradiated liver

The expression of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) in the liver of irradiated rats was increased in a dose-dependent fashion 9 months after irradiation. Expression of TGF-beta 1 was confined primarily to hepatocytes in the pericentral region of the liver, and the percentage of hepatocytes strongly positive for TGF-beta 1 was significantly correlated with the extent of fibrosis. We further showed that a localized injection of TGF-beta 1 into normal rat liver elicited a strong fibrotic reaction at the injection site. These results suggest that the increased hepatic concentration of TGF-beta 1 in response to radiation injury may be important in the pathogenesis of radiation hepatitis. TGF-beta 1 was also found to be present at a significantly higher concentration in unirradiated human hepatocytes than in normal rat hepatocytes, implying that the propensity for humans to develop radiation hepatitis may result in part from the elevated levels of TGF-beta 1 normally found in human liver.
Pluralist Theories and Social Groups

From the pluralist perspective, politics is a game. Competing teams of rival protest groups struggle for victory. Agreement on the rules of the game brings order. Players devise strategies to achieve success. They rely on both conflict and cooperation to win the game. Members of the same team need to coordinate their activities and cooperate with each other. Conflict occurs with the opposing team. When one side wins and the other side loses, the teams play a zero-sum game. Intense conflict results. Greater cooperation emerges under a positive-sum game; each side gains a victory. When both sides lose, a negative-sum game takes place. Because gains exceed losses for the two teams, their condition after the game seems worse than before the game started. Hence, conflict within and between teams intensifies.
The Probabilistic Method

The probabilistic method is a way of proving the existence of objects. The underlying principle is simple: to prove the existence of an object with certain properties, we demonstrate a sample space of objects in which the probability is positive that a randomly selected object has the required properties. If the probability of selecting an object with the required properties is positive, then the sample space must contain such an object, and therefore such an object exists. For example, if there is a positive probability of winning a million-dollar prize in a raffle, then there must be at least one raffle ticket that wins that prize. Although the basic principle of the probabilistic method is simple, its application to specific problems often involves sophisticated combinatorial arguments. In this chapter we study a number of techniques for constructing proofs based on the probabilistic method, starting with simple counting and averaging arguments and then introducing two more advanced tools, the Lovasz local lemma and the second moment method. In the context of algorithms we are generally interested in explicit constructions of objects, not merely in proofs of existence. In many cases the proofs of existence obtained by the probabilistic method can be converted into efficient randomized construction algorithms. In some cases, these proofs can be converted into efficient deterministic construction algorithms; this process is called derandomization , since it converts a probabilistic argument into a deterministic one.
Summary and extensions

We have described techniques for reducing prodigy search based on primary effects and abstraction. First, we have presented algorithms for the selection of primary effects, and given an analytical and empirical evaluation of the resulting search reduction. Second, we have extended Knoblock’s abstraction technique to the full domain language of prodigy4.
Facet Theory and Thinking about Human Behaviour

I concentrate upon facet theory and the mapping sentence throughout this chapter. The mapping sentence is employed to account for complex behaviour in everyday scenarios. A mapping sentence is used to define the elements of a behavioural vignette. Details are given of the use of facet theory within research studies that have incorporated the approach. Facet theory is presented as an integrated orientation to research design and analysis. Answers are provided to the following questions: what is facet theory; what are facets; what are facet elements; how do facets combine in real life/what is a mapping sentence; what are facet roles; how can facet-driven research be analysed?
Evaluation of Low Dose Rasburicase In the Prevention of Renal Insufficiency and Dialysis After Chemotherapy

Abstract 2574 Rasburicase is a recombinant urate oxidase approved for the prevention of tumor lysis syndrome (TLS). In adults, the recommended dose is 0.2 mg/kg intravenously daily up to 5 days. For a 75 kg person, the cost is over $5100. Given the vast reduction of uric acid seen with this dose, it may be possible to use a reduce dose. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of 0.1 mg/kg dose vs the recommended dose in the prevention of TLS. Between October of 2003 and February of 2009, all patients with a hematologic or oncologic diagnosis who received rasburicase were reviewed. Rasburicase had been dosed at either 0.1 mg/kg (low dose) or 0.2 mg/kg (standard dose) due to variations in practice among the practitioners. Rasburicase was given on the first day of chemotherapy and repeated as necessary. Renal insufficiency was defined by 0.5 mg/dl rise in serum creatinine (Scr) within 7 days of chemotherapy initiation. The need for dialysis was recorded separately. Labs were performed pretreatment and usually daily after chemotherapy until electrolytes stabilized. A multivariate analysis using pretreatment labs was performed to determine risk factors for renal insufficiency or failure. During the study period, 125 patients received rasburicase. Fifty-five patients received low dose rasburicase and 70 received the standard dose. The diagnoses are listed in [Table 1][1]. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was similar between the two groups (604 U/l in low dose vs 665 U/l in standard dose, p = 0.69). Additional doses were required in 14.5% of the low dose patients vs 21.4% of the standard dose patients, p = 0.36. Renal insufficiency was noted only in the standard dose patients 7.4% vs 0%, p = 0.04. Rates of dialysis were similar between low dose patients 7.3% vs 17.4% in the standard dose patients, p = 0.10. Dialysis was often initiated for hyperkalemia and hyperphosphatemia. Only 12.5% were started for elevation in Scr. Uric acid reduction was higher in the standard dose patients (90.4 ± 15.8%) as compared with low dose patients (82.0 ± 19.0%, p = 0.01). Pretreatment Scr, uric acid and phosphorus levels were found to be significant variable for dialysis but only uric acid was found to be significant in the multivariate analysis. Pretreatment uric acid was a risk factor for dialysis (p < 0.001) but not for renal insufficiency (p = 0.24). Our results suggest that low dose rasburicase may be as effective as 0.2 mg/kg. While high dose rasburicase was more effective at reducing uric acid, it did not reduce the need for dialysis because dialysis was often needed for hyperkalemia and hyperphosphatemia which rasburicase did not affect. Despite bias, our results suggest low dose rasburicase may be a viable alternative and definitely support further study into its use. The potential savings could be enormous given that it would be $2550 per patient. View this table: Table 1. Baseline diagnosis of 125 patients with TLS Disclosure: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare. [1]: #T1
High glucocorticoid receptor expression predicts short progression-free survival in ovarian cancer.

Abstract Objective To investigate the association of tumor glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression and patient outcome in ovarian cancer. Methods GR expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry using tissue microarrays of specimens from 481 patients with ovarian cancer and 4 patients with benign conditions. Low GR expression was defined as an intensity of 0 or 1+ and high GR as 2+ or 3+ in >1% of tumor cells. Analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship of GR expression with clinical characteristics, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results GR protein was highly expressed in 133 of 341 (39.0%) tumors from patients who underwent upfront cytoreduction surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. High GR expression was more common in serous tumors (p Conclusions These data suggest that high GR expression correlates with poor prognosis and support the hypothesis that modulating GR activity in combination with chemotherapy may improve outcomes.
Vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in nitrogen fixing legumes problems and prospects

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the problems and prospects of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in nitrogen-fixing legumes. A number of methods are available to determine both the internal and external portion of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal mycelium. All of these methods involve estimates, to some extent. Recently, techniques are developed to estimate also the viability of the external (extraradical) hyphae of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, adding little to the cumbersomeness, but a great deal to the precision and validity of mycorrhizal work. The difficulty of quantifying vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal soil hyphae generally prevents workers from including statements in their reports on this important organ of the fungus-root, even though the tenuous nature of the relationship between root colonization and the growth effect is well-known. The chapter also describes parasitism. Growth depression in vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal plants is different from pathogenic parasitism, in that neither irreversible tissue damage nor necrosis is observed as a result of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization. In the vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal association, where the host plant and its fungal endophyte live together in an intimate, balanced relationship, symptoms of symbiotic (non-pathogenic) parasitism occur when the balance is disturbed.
Aortic valve replacement after bypass surgery: surgical (SAVR) or transcatheter (TAVR).

The situation where a patient who has undergone bypass surgery then develops significant aortic valve disease sometime during their subsequent lifetime is common. Previously the treatment choices were medical management or surgical reoperation for aortic valve replacement (SAVR). Medical treatment has been shown to have severe limitations for patients with aortic stenosis with a clinical picture of increasing disability and a projected life expectancy of roughly a 50% 2–3 years survival for symptomatic patients. On the other hand, reoperation has had its own risks, particularly for an aging group of patients. Within the last decade, catheter-borne aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has provided another option for such patients. Randomized trials of TAVR vs SAVR in high and medium risk patients have included substantial numbers of patients having had previous coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). The trial with the longest follow-up, Partner-1, has shown little difference at 1-and 5-year follow-up intervals for the entire patient group, although for the patient sub-group with previous CABG or PCI there was a trend toward improved survival in the SAVR arm (P=0.10) at 5 years after randomization (1,2). Despite these data, the less-invasive nature of TAVR has led to the suggestion that it is the treatment of choice for patients with previous bypass surgery because of the advanced age of many patients with previous CABG and the desire to avoid the technical challenges associated with reoperation in the face of patent bypass grafts.
Comparing international development patterns using multi-operator learning and discovery tools

The multistrategy knowledge discovery tool, INLEN, is applied to databases consisting of economic and demographic facts and statistics about the countries of the world. Preliminary experiments focus on discerning and comparing various patterns in the status and development of countries in different regions of the world. These experiments have provided some interesting and often unexpected results, but they are only a beginning in exploring such data. By discovering patterns and exceptions such as the ones presented, domain experts may have new insights into national development patterns, predict future developments in certain countries, or use these discoveries to influence national policies. Users who are not experts in the domain may also make interesting discoveries with INLEN. The results of these initial experiments are presented and future paths of research in this domain are proposed.
Effects of providing explicit negative evidence on students’ perception of ungrammatical sentences using –le

This study investigates the effects of the use of explicit negative evidence in teaching on students’ perception of two types of ungrammatical Chinese sentences in which –le should not be used. Two groups of advanced learners of Chinese were pre-tested immediately before receiving instruction that included explicit negative evidence about the use of -le, and post-tested twice: once directly after the completion of the instruction, and again four weeks later, using a grammaticality judgment test. The results of the grammaticality judgment test indicated that including explicit negative evidence in teaching helps advanced English-speaking learners of Chinese identify sentences in which –le is used incorrectly. The implication is that including negative evidence in teaching can reduce errors caused by negative transfer from a student’s native language.
Indium–Tin Oxide–Coated Glass for Passive Ion Collection on Small-Scale Spacecraft

A small-scale spacecraft has limited resources and requires innovative solutions to enable capabilities similar to those of a larger spacecraft. In particular, a small-scale spacecraft has a limited outer surface area, which is typically used for body-mounted solar panels, yet may be required for passive ion collection when in situ plasma measurements are conducted. We present the results of ground-based experiments demonstrating that indium–tin oxide–coated glass is effective as a dual-purpose material for facilitating solar panel operation (due to its transparency and resistance to atomic oxygen degradation) as well as for passive ion collection (due to its surface conductivity). The test facilities utilize a plasma-generating device that produces a low earth orbit–like environment within a vacuum chamber. We used physical vapor deposition to apply gold contact patches to make electrical connections from the indium–tin oxide–coated glass to the spacecraft. The results indicate that the materials with relatively high work functions collect less current from the plasma environment than the materials with relatively lower work functions. The resultant contact potential difference generated from the disparate work functions can be used to further mitigate spacecraft charging.
Using Genetic Programming to Search for Supply Chain Reordering Policies

The authors investigate using genetic programming as a tool for finding good heuristics for supply chain restocking strategies. In this paper they outline their method that integrates a supply chain simulation with genetic programming. The simulation is used to score the population members for the evolutionary algorithm which is, in turn, used to search for members that might perform better on the simulation. The fitness of a population member reflects its relative performance in the simulation. This paper investigates both the effectiveness of this method and the parameter settings that make it more or less effective.
Prospects for Metallic Hydrogen

The theoretical predictions of the transition of hydrogen from an insulating molecular crystal to an electrical conducting alkali metal are reviewed in the light of Hugoniot experiments carried out to 0.9 Mbars and isentropic experiments carried out to a claimed 8 Mbars. This isentropic experiment provides no evidence for the existence of a first order transition contrary to earlier claims.
Dynamic variations in optical properties of graphene oxide in response to gas exposure as determined from thin-film interference

An approach is presented for measuring the dynamic variations in refractive index (RI) of Graphene Oxide (GO) based optical gas‐sensors [1‐ 3] upon their exposure to gases, using thin‐film interference method [4]. The approach is simple yet effective, and also is physically integratable into the sensing system, a required attribute for being able to measure the dynamically changing RI in response to the ongoing interactions with the analyte. The details can be found in our journal paper [5].
Effects of Mechanical Cycling on the Microstructure of SAC305 Lead Free Solder

Failures in solder joints are responsible for about 70% of failures in electronic systems. The most common failure mode is fatigue failure due to cyclic thermal loading (e.g. power switching) or cyclic mechanical loading (e.g. vibration). To better design electronic products more strategically for specific applications, it is important to understand the damage accumulation and failure mechanisms of lead-free solders under cyclic loading. However, there have been limited studies on how the microstructures of such solders evolve during cyclic loading. The main purpose of this study was to better understand the microstructural evolution and damage accumulation occurring in SAC305 lead free solder during the mechanical cycling that occurs during fatigue testing. Uniaxial test specimens were first prepared by reflowing solder in circular cross-section glass tubes with a controlled temperature profile. After reflow solidification, the samples were mechanically cycled (strain control) for various durations (e.g. 0, 50, 100, 200, 300 … cycles) representing various percentages of the fatigue life (N f ). The cycled samples were reflowed and polished using the industry standard procedures, and then the microstructures were examined using SEM and the microstructural evolution and damage accumulation were characterized. The SEM images were used to observe features like IMCs and the dendrite structure. The observed microstructure changes were correlated with the degradation of various mechanical properties (elastic modulus, ultimate strength, and creep rate) measured in our prior study. The initial experiments described above allowed us to understand the microstructure evolution taking place in an average sense since different samples (with different levels of cycling) were used for each of the microstructure images. To better visualize and understand the mechanisms of the evolution taking place, additional experiments were performed to examine a fixed region of a single sample subjected to mechanical cycling. An area near the center of the sample was polished, and a small region of interest within the polished area was marked by indents using a Nanoindenter. After various durations of cycling the sample was repeatedly examined using microscopy, and the time history of the microstructural evolution in the fixed region was determined.
Ecological Momentary Assessment of the Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner Family Meal Environment in Racially/Ethnically Diverse and Immigrant Households.

Abstract Objective To describe meal characteristics across breakfast, lunch, and dinner family meals in racially/ethnically diverse and immigrant/refugee households via ecological momentary assessment; identify real-time meal characteristics associated with family meal frequency; and identify qualitative themes regarding parents’ perspectives about meal characteristics and meal types that influence family meal frequency. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting In-home visits. Participants Children aged 5–7 years (n = 150) and their families from diverse and low-income households. Main Outcome Measure(s) Mixed methods. Analysis Multiple linear regression and hybrid deductive and inductive content analysis. Results Quantitative results indicated several similar meal characteristics occurring across weekdays and weekend days and by meal type (eg, parent prepared the meal, food mostly homemade, meal eaten at table) and some significant negative associations (P Conclusions and Implications Results identified specific meal characteristics both quantitatively and qualitatively that may inform the development of interventions to increase the frequency of family meals so that more families can benefit from the protective nature of family meals.
Microstructural characteristics of plasma sprayed, electroplated, and co-rolled Zr diffusion barriers in hot isostatic pressed low enriched U-10 wt% Mo monolithic fuel plates

Abstract Microstructural development in U-10 wt% Mo monolithic fuel plates with Zr diffusion barriers applied by electroplating, plasma spraying and co-rolling was examined after hot-isostatic pressing in Aluminum alloy, AA6061 cladding. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy were employed to examine the phase constituents and microstructure of the fuel alloy, Zr diffusion barrier, and the interaction between them. The co-rolled Zr barrier exhibited the most uniform thickness and a least amount of defects (e.g., porosity, inclusions and delamination). However chemical banding was observed within the fuel alloy. The electroplated Zr diffusion barriers were inconsistent in thickness, contained a significant amount of the δ-ZrH1.5 phase, and yielded inconsistent interdiffusion and reaction with the U–10Mo fuel alloy. The plasma sprayed Zr diffusion barriers contained a significant amount of porosity, exhibited inconsistent barrier thickness, and produced a UO2 layer, 2–3 μm in thickness due to interdiffusion and reaction with the U–10Mo fuel alloy during HIP.
Utilizing freeform optics in dynamic optical configuration designs

A linear field of view (FOV) K-mirror system used for image derotation is presented as a case example for how to leverage freeform surfaces in dynamic optical configuration design. As the K-mirror rotates about the optical axis, points in the FOV sample the surface at distinct locations, allowing for highly local control of the system aberrations. This methodology is distinct from the typical benefits associated with freeform surfaces, and as such broadens the uses of freeform optics into the category of systems that exhibit changing optical configurations. We show that compared to an on-axis or off-axis conic design, the freeform surface has better distortion correction abilities. Furthermore, a real pupil is generated by the K-mirror system and analyzed for uniformity. The design ideas presented for the K-mirror are discussed in the context of astronomical applications, where systems may benefit from these techniques.
Sources of errors in flow cytometry

Abstract Flow Cytometry is a high-throughput cell analysis method has generated heavy reliance on it in the biomedical field, especially in Immunology and Hematopathology. Flow Cytometry has a wide variety of applications [1]; the present chapter will focus on various Flow Cytometry errors relating to its main clinical missions of malignant and non-malignant immunophenotyping, cell enumeration and flow crossmatching. Cell sorting, DNA assays, image stream, mass cytometry, microbial flow, Ca++ flux and other exciting or exotic applications are somewhat beyond the routine clinical applications of Flow and the scope of this chapter. Technical as well as human errors that may affect results are also addressed.
Utilizing and enhancing software modeling environments to teach mobile application design

The relative uniqueness of mobile applications in commonly using a diverse set of sensor data necessitates the use of modeling in order to design and reason about these applications' behavior prior to their implementation. This is especially the case in mobile programming classes, where important design decisions, such as those related to sensing and timing, are obscured from students by the large API set. By teaching model-first mobile application design, we argue that students will benefit from learning to develop higher-quality apps, while interesting application scenarios (using concurrency, timing, etc.) will be made more approachable. In this paper, we describe our enhancements to popular modeling environments in order to make them appropriate for straightforward modeling of mobile applications and ease their use in the classroom. To demonstrate our approach, we augment the Ptolemy II heterogeneous modeling environment to model Android mobile applications. Our experience with this approach in a mobile programming course at Virginia State University indicates its promise in improving students' learning.
Liquid-Filled Double Balloon: U.S. Experience

At the end of July of 2015, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the intragastric dual balloon system for the treatment of obesity. This chapter discusses the device features, important placement and removal technique steps, patient management, and clinical studies evaluating the safety and effectiveness of the dual balloon in the United States.
High-order partitioned spectral deferred correction solvers for multiphysics problems

Abstract We present an arbitrarily high-order, conditionally stable, partitioned spectral deferred correction (SDC) method for solving multiphysics problems using a sequence of pre-existing single-physics solvers. This method extends the work in [1] , [2] , which used implicit-explicit Runge-Kutta methods (IMEX) to build high-order, partitioned multiphysics solvers. We consider a generic multiphysics problem modeled as a system of coupled ordinary differential equations (ODEs), coupled through coupling terms that can depend on the state of each subsystem; therefore the method applies to both a semi-discretized system of partial differential equations (PDEs) or problems naturally modeled as coupled systems of ODEs. The sufficient conditions to build arbitrarily high-order partitioned SDC schemes are derived. Based on these conditions, various of partitioned SDC schemes are designed. The stability of the first-order partitioned SDC scheme is analyzed in detail on a coupled, linear model problem. We show that the scheme is conditionally stable, and under conditions on the coupling strength, the scheme can be unconditionally stable. We demonstrate the performance of the proposed partitioned solvers on several classes of multiphysics problems with moderate coupling strength. They include a stiff linear system of ODEs, advection-diffusion-reaction systems, and fluid-structure interaction problems with both incompressible and compressible flows, where we verify the design order of the SDC schemes and study various stability properties. We also directly compare the accuracy, stability, and cost of the proposed partitioned SDC solver with the partitioned IMEX method in [1] , [2] on this suite of test problems. The results suggest that the high-order partitioned SDC solvers are more robust than the partitioned IMEX solvers for the numerical examples considered in this work, while the IMEX methods require fewer implicit solves.
Crossing Confessional Boundaries: Exemplary Lives in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Traditions

John Renard’s latest book, Crossing Confessional Boundaries, is a thorough introduction to the topic of hagiography and the study of hagiography (hagiology) by modern scholars. Uniquely, Renard als...
Sibling mortality burden in low-income countries: A descriptive analysis of sibling death in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

In high-income countries, emerging research suggests sibling bereavement can have significant health and life course consequences for young people. Yet, we know far less about its burden in lower-income countries. Due to higher fertility and mortality in lower-income countries, the level, timing, intensity, and circumstances surrounding sibling mortality are likely to follow patterns distinct from those in higher-income settings. Thus, in this study, we offer a descriptive overview of sibling death in 43 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Specifically, we analyze Demographic and Health Survey data from nationally representative samples of 352,930 15- to 34-year-old women, born between 1985 and 2003, to document experiences of sibling death before age 25. On average, roughly one-third of individuals report a deceased sibling in these countries; estimates reach 40–50% of respondents in multiple African countries, particularly those that have experienced conflict and war. Although some sibling deaths occurred before the focal respondent was born, most bereaved individuals recalled a death during their lifetime—often in late childhood/early adolescence. High proportions of bereaved respondents report multiple sibling deaths, highlighting the clustering of deaths within families. Even so, bereaved individuals tend to come from large families and thus frequently have a comparable number of surviving siblings as people who never experienced a sibling die. Together, the results offer a window into global inequality in childhood experiences, and they attest to the need for research that explores the implications of sibling mortality for young people in world regions where the experience is concentrated.
Power Quality Improvement in Hybrid Photovoltaic and Wind Power System Using 3 Levels Inverter

The emergent use of non-conventional energy resources in electrical power grid has initiated new challenge for the service load as concern to voltage balance, power quality issues and effective energy operation. Solar/ wind hybrid RES deliberated as the furthermost promising sources. Nevertheless standalone operations of distributed energy sources such as solar and wind not make sure of reliable power production principally owing to the randomness over the solar irradiance and accessibility of the wind. Hence, a combination of wind and solar energy production configuration can plan a highly reliable source of electrical energy. In This article, multi-level inverter (3 levels inverter) based grid tied hybrid solar- wind energy system based on a 3 level inverter is presented with the mitigation of power quality problems. In this work, analysis on simulation model is conceded to determine source current and voltage and percentage of total harmonic distortion. In particular, the power quality analysis is performed in grid tied hybrid solar and wind electrical power system using 3 level inverter.
Further Studies of the Strength of Beam-Columns

Two basically different loading conditions were examined, and results are presented in interaction curve form; it has been assumed that member is of asrolled wide flange shape, subjected to bending moments in plane of its web; failure by excessive bending in plane of applied moments; possibility of unwinding in case in which imposed moments result in double curvature type of deformation.
Hollow Parties and Their Movementization: The Populist Conundrum

This paper examines the transformation of political parties after the emergence of the catch all party. The hollowing out of political parties and their movementization is discussed comparing the American and European cases. Populist capture is related in part to the hollowing out of political parties and the capture by electoral movements and/or the rise of electoral movements that succeed in displacing traditional parties.
Transformation-specific antigen induced by oncogenic human adenovirus

A TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE (ts) mutant of the highly oncogenic group A (ref. 1) human adenovirus type 12 (H12), H12ts401 (ref. 2) is unable to establish stable transformation of cells in restrictive conditions3. Cells transformed by ts401 at the permissive temperature and shifted to nonpermissive temperatures show a reversion to a normal phenotype; wild-type H12-transformed cells, in contrast, exhibit a transformed phenotype when grown in either restrictive or permissive conditions4. The temperature sensitivity of the transformed phenotype of the ts401 mutant-transformed cells suggests that the continued expression of gene 401 is required for maintenance of the transformed cell phenotype. This study was initiated to detect the H12 transformation-specific protein(s) in H12-transformed cell lines. We identify here a 60,000 molecular weight transformation-specific antigen in H12-transformed rat 3Y1 cells5,6 by immunoprecipitation of 35S-methionine labelled polypeptides with serum from H12 tumour-bearing hamsters. Furthermore, the expression of this antigen is temperature dependent in 3Y1 cells transformed by ts401. Further characterisation of the 60,000 MW antigen may lead to an understanding of the molecular mechanism of adenovirus cell transformation.
A portable obstetric delivery table

Abstract 1. 1. Proper position of the patient is necessary for efficient obstetric care. 2. 2. The practice of obstetrics in the home has been handicapped by the lack of facilities to provide and maintain proper position of the patient during delivery and other obstetric operations. 3. 3. The standards of Class A hospital obstetrics could not be maintained without suitable mechanical equipment. 4. 4. Portable mechanical equipment to provide proper position of the patient can be a valuable aid in eliminating some of the handicaps in home obstetrics, and promote new concepts of safety, comfort, and refinement in the care of the “home” obstetric patient.
A Deeper Look into Comet—Implementation and Features

The Comet database search software was initially released as an open source project in late 2012. Prior to that, Comet existed as the University of Washington’s academic version of the SEQUEST database search tool. Despite its availability and widespread use over the years, some details about its implementation have not been previously disseminated or are not well understood. We address a few of these details in depth and highlight new features available in the latest release. Comet is freely available for download at http://comet-ms.sourceforge.net or it can be accessed as a component of a number of larger software projects into which it has been incorporated.
The use of Graßmann identities for inversion of a general model in diffuse tomography

In this paper we have given a bief description of a general, albeit tiny, problem in diffuse tomography. This is an inverse problem woth 64 variables and a system of only 48 independent non-linear equations. We make 16 linear “identifications” of variables to close the system. Rather than tackle this imposing system directly, we make a change of variables. The transformed system is composed of 48 linear and 16 non-linear equations, which is easily reduced to a system of 8 cubic and 8 quadratic equations in 16 unknowns. The bulk of the paper discusses how one can sumplify these equations. The quadratics may be used to reduce the number of terms in the cubics. Next, Grasmann relations may be used to simplify the coefficients of both the cubics and the quadratics. Finally, we give an algorithm for solving these last 16 equations.