Ku & C Band solid state switch matrix for satellite payloads using LTCC multilayer substrate

This paper describes the design and development of Ku and C band solid state switch matrix for multimedia satellite payloads. The design, through the use of advanced packaging techniques, allows significant savings on mass and volume with respect to traditional electromechanical switches while guaranteeing a comparable reliability

The importance of warehouses in logistics outsourcing: benchmarking the perspectives of 3PL providers and shippers

Purpose: An ever-increasing number of companies outsource logistics activities to third-party logistics (3PL) providers to beat the competition. From the buyer's (shippers') perspective, selecting the right 3PL provider is crucial, and from the 3PL provider's perspective, it is imperative to be attractive and to retain clients. To this aim, a potential lever can be physical assets, such as warehouses, which the literature has traditionally neglected. The objective is to benchmark the importance of warehouses for 3PL providers to attract/retain clients and for shippers to select the right 3PL provider. Design/methodology/approach: The authors performed an empirical investigation through interviews on dyads (3PL providers/shippers) and utilized the Best-Worst Method (BWM) to rank the criteria used in the 3PL buying process and allow the warehouse's role to emerge. Findings: Results show that the 3PL buying process consists of four phases and three evaluation steps. The selection criteria are classified into three groups: order qualifiers, order winners and retention factors. The warehouse has different levels of importance throughout the process. It appears that it can indirectly enhance the attractiveness and retention capability of 3PL providers through other selection criteria. Originality/value: By combining the resource-based view and the customer value theory, this research extends the theory on logistics outsourcing by studying the phases of the 3PL buying process and scrutinizing the criteria used in different evaluation steps. The research adds a double perspective of analysis (3PL providers and shippers), which is missing in the literature, and focuses on the importance of warehouses

Asymptomatic lacrimal flow abnormalities in patients with septal deviations and turbinate hypertrophy

Background: This study aimed to investigate the lacrimal flow in patients affected by septal deviations and turbinate hypertrophy and to evaluate changes after rhinoseptoplasty with dacryocystography (DCT) and computed tomographic dacryocystography (CT-DCT). Methods: The study prospectively recruited patients having septal deviations with or without turbinate hypertrophy who underwent surgical evaluation for correction of their respiratory symptoms and were not referred for epiphora. Patients were excluded if they had undergone surgery for cranial vault defects or had experienced septal deviations after traumatic accidents. All patients were studied with DCT and CT-DCT preoperatively and postoperatively. Results: A total of 24 patients (10 men and 14 women) were recruited for the study. Of these patients, 11 (45.8%) had a reduced flow of the medium contrast due to a partial obstruction at the level of the internal ostium. All 11 patients had septal deviations and turbinate hypertrophy, whereas 8 patients had a unilateral obstruction (72.7%), and 3 patients had a bilateral obstruction (27.3%). All flows were corrected after surgery. Conclusions:The safe and well-tolerated radiologic techniques performed in this study provided detailed imaging of the lacrimal outflow system. A high incidence of partial obstruction to the internal ostium was found in patients with septal deviations, turbinate hypertrophy, and no lacrimal symptoms, suggesting a frequent presymptomatic condition

The MRN complex is transcriptionally regulated by MYCN during neural cell proliferation to control replication stress

The MRE11/RAD50/NBS1 (MRN) complex is a major sensor of DNA double strand breaks, whose role in controlling faithful DNA replication and preventing replication stress is also emerging. Inactivation of the MRN complex invariably leads to developmental and/or degenerative neuronal defects, the pathogenesis of which still remains poorly understood. In particular, NBS1 gene mutations are associated with microcephaly and strongly impaired cerebellar development, both in humans and in the mouse model. These phenotypes strikingly overlap those induced by inactivation of MYCN, an essential promoter of the expansion of neuronal stem and progenitor cells, suggesting that MYCN and the MRN complex might be connected on a unique pathway essential for the safe expansion of neuronal cells. Here, we show that MYCN transcriptionally controls the expression of each component of the MRN complex. By genetic and pharmacological inhibition of the MRN complex in a MYCN overexpression model and in the more physiological context of the Hedgehog-dependent expansion of primary cerebellar granule progenitor cells, we also show that the MRN complex is required for MYCN-dependent proliferation. Indeed, its inhibition resulted in DNA damage, activation of a DNA damage response, and cell death in a MYCN- and replication-dependent manner. Our data indicate the MRN complex is essential to restrain MYCN-induced replication stress during neural cell proliferation and support the hypothesis that replication-born DNA damage is responsible for the neuronal defects associated with MRN dysfunctions.Cell Death and Differentiation advance online publication, 12 June 2015; doi:10.1038/cdd.2015.81

Dual-site right ventricular pacing in patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy: Results of a multicenter propensity-matched analysis

BACKGROUND: Dual-site right ventricular pacing (Dual RV) has been proposed as an alternative for patients with heart failure undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) with a failure to deliver a coronary sinus (CS) lead. Only short-term hemodynamic and echocardiographic results of Dual RV are available. We aimed to assess the long-term results of Dual RV and its impact on survival. METHODS: Multicenter retrospective assessment of all CRT implants during a 12-year period. Patients with failed CS lead implantation, treated with Dual RV, were followed and assessed for the primary endpoint of all-cause mortality and/or heart transplant. A control group was obtained from contemporary patients using propensity matching for all available baseline variables. RESULTS: Ninety-three patients were implanted with Dual RV devices and compared with 93 matched controls. During a median of 1,273 days (interquartile range 557-2,218), intention-to-treat analysis showed that all-cause mortality and/or heart transplant was higher in the Dual RV group (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 1.66, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12-2.47, P = 0.012). As-treated analysis yielded similar results (HR = 1.97, 95% CI 1.31-2.96, P = 0.001). Cardiac device-related infections occurred seven times more frequently in the Dual RV site group (HR = 7.60, 95% CI 1.51-38.33, P = 0.014). Among Dual RV nonresponders, four had their apical leads switched off, five required an epicardial LV lead insertion, a transseptal LV lead was implanted in two, and in nine patients, after reviewing the CS venogram, a new CS lead insertion was successfully attempted. CONCLUSION: Dual RV pacing is associated with worse clinical outcomes and higher complication rates than conventional CRT

The Rippling Effect of Non-linearities

Non-linearities can lead to unexpected dynamic behaviours in supply chain systems that could then either trigger disruptions or make the response and recovery process more difficult. In this chapter, we take a control-theoretic perspective to discuss the impact of non-linearities on the ripple effect. This chapter is particularly relevant for researchers wanting to learn more about the different types of non-linearities that can be found in supply chain systems, the existing analytical methods to deal with each type of non-linearity and future scope for research based on the current knowledge in this field