Do family firms pay less for external funding?

We examine the impact of family’s presence on the cost of raising external funds by family-run enterprises. Using a sample of Australian publicly listed firms, we find a significantly negative relation between cost of newly raised capital and family presence. Moreover, we show that this relationship varies with the quality of corporate governance and the quality of firm’s information environment. Further, we conduct several robustness checks and consistently find that our main results remain unchanged. Overall, our evidence suggests that family firms have easier access to external financing fostered by family involvement in the ownership and control

Measurement of flow maldistribution induced by the Ledinegg instability during boiling in thermally isolated parallel microchannels

Flow boiling in a network of heated parallel channels is prone to instabilities that can cause uneven flow distribution, thereby degrading the heat transfer performance of the system and limiting predictability. This study experimentally investigates flow maldistribution between two parallel microchannels that arises due to the Ledinegg instability. The channels are heated uniformly and are thermally isolated from each other, such that both channels are subjected to the same input power regardless of the flow distribution. The channels are hydrodynamically connected in parallel and deionized water is delivered at a constant total flow rate shared by both channels. Direct measurements of the flow rate, wall temperature, and pressure drop in individual channels are performed simultaneously with flow visualization. At low power levels, when both channels remain in the single-phase liquid regime, the flow is evenly distributed between the channels and they attain the same wall temperature. As the power is increased, boiling incipience in one of the channels triggers the Ledinegg instability, which causes the flow to become maldistributed and induces a temperature difference between the channels. The severity of flow maldistribution, as well as the temperature difference between the channels, grows with increasing power. In the most extreme condition measured in this study, 96.5% of the total flow rate is directed to the channel operating in the single-phase liquid regime, while the boiling channel is starved and receives just 3.5% of the flow. The quantitative account of the flow maldistribution and temperature non-uniformity presented here provides a mechanistic understanding of the effects of Ledinegg instability-induced flow maldistribution on the heat transfer characteristics of thermally isolated parallel microchannel

An experimental investigation of the effect of thermal coupling between parallel microchannels undergoing boiling on the Ledinegg instability-induced flow maldistribution

Two-phase flow boiling is susceptible to the Ledinegg instability, which can result in non-uniform flow distribution between parallel channels and thereby adversely impact the heat transfer performance. This study experimentally assesses the effect of thermal coupling between parallel microchannels on the flow maldistribution caused by the Ledinegg instability and compares the results to our prior theoretical predictions. A system with two parallel microchannels is investigated using water as the working fluid. The channels are hydrodynamically connected via common inlet/outlet plenums and supplied with a constant total flow rate. The channels are uniformly subjected to the same input power (which is increased in steps). Two separate configurations are evaluated to assess drastically different levels of thermal coupling between the channels, namely thermally isolated and thermally coupled channels. Synchronized measurements of the flow rate in each individual channel, wall temperature, and pressure drop are performed along with flow visualization to compare the thermal-hydraulic characteristics of these two configurations. Thermal coupling is shown to reduce the wall temperature difference between the channels and dampen flow maldistribution. Specifically, the range of input power over which flow maldistribution occurs is noticeably smaller and the maximum severity of flow maldistribution is reduced in thermally coupled channels. The data provide a quantitative account of the effect of lateral thermal coupling in moderating flow maldistribution, which is corroborated by comparison to the predictions from our two-phase flow distribution model. This combined experimental and theoretical evidence demonstrates that, under extreme conditions when one channel is significantly starved of flow rate and risks dryout, channel-to-channel thermal coupling can redistribute the heat load from the flow-starved channel to the channel with excess flow. Due to such a possibility of heat redistribution, the coupled channels are significantly less prone to flow maldistribution compared to thermally isolated channels

The Effect of Channel Diameter on Flow Freezing in Microchannel

An understanding of the factors that affect the flow freezing process in microchannels is important in the development of microfluidic ice valves featuring well-controlled and fast response times. This study explores the effect of channel diameter on the flow freezing process and the time to achieve channel closure. The freezing process is experimentally investigated for a pressure-driven water flow (0.3 ml/min) through three glass microchannels with inner diameters of 50 0 μm, 30 0 μm, and 10 0 μm, respectively, using channel-wall temperature measurements synchronized with high-magnification, high-speed imag- ing. Freezing invariably initiates in supercooled water as a thin layer of dendritic ice that grows along the inner channel wall, followed by the formation and growth of a thick annular ice layer which ultimately causes complete channel closure. The growth time of the annular ice layer decreases monotonically with channel diameter, with the 100 μm channel having the shortest closing time. Specifically, the mean clos- ing time for this smallest channel is measured to be 0.25 s, which is markedly shorter compared to other reports in the existing literature using larger channel sizes at similar flow rates. A model-based analysis of the freezing process is used to show that the total latent heat released by the freezing mass (which varies as the square of the channel diameter) is the key factor governing the closing time. Owing to this simple scaling, the study reveals that reducing the channel diameter offers an attractive approach to increasing the responsiveness of ice valves to achieve non-intrusive flow control at high sample flow rates

Artificial intelligence in public health dentistry

The creation of the relevant technology must be driven by educational demands. Even so, the human factor must always be taken into consideration. Exciting new technology and potent cures will continue to be produced by scientific research. The capacity of a digital computer, computer-controlled robot to carry out actions closely identified with intelligent beings is known as artificial intelligence (AI). The evolution of AI has been clearly accelerating over the past ten years, and dentistry has not been an exception. Dental AI is important for diagnosing patients, storing patient data, and evaluating genetic information to improve patient treatment. This applies particularly to oral medicine and radiography. A good understanding of technology adaption will not only contribute to better and more accurate patient care but will also lighten the workload of the physician. The need for sophisticated software to compute this data has arisen due to the massive growth in documented information as well as patient data. A new age in dentistry has emerged as a result of the convergence of artificial intelligence and digitization, and the field\u27s prospects for the future look quite bright

Ice Formation Modes during Flow Freezing in a Small Cylindrical Channel

Freezing of water flowing through a small channel can be used as a nonintrusive flow control mechanism for microfluidic devices. However, such ice valves have longer response times compared to conventional microvalves. To control and reduce the response time, it is crucial to understand the factors that affect the flow freezing process inside the channel. This study investigates freezing in pressure-driven water flow through a glass channel of 500 lm inner diameter using measurements of external channel wall temperature and flow rate synchronized with high-speed visualization. The effect of flow rate on the freezing process is investigated in terms of the external wall temperature, the growth duration of different ice modes, and the channel closing time. Freezing initiates as a thin layer of ice dendrites that grows along the inner wall and partially blocks the channel, followed by the formation and inward growth of a solid annular ice layer that leads to complete flow blockage and ultimate channel closure. A simplified analytical model is developed to determine the factors that govern the annular ice growth, and hence the channel closing time. For a given channel, the model predicts that the annular ice growth is driven purely by conduction due to the temperature difference between the outer channel wall and the equilibrium icewater interface. The flow rate affects the initial temperature difference, and thereby has an indirect effect on the annular ice growth. Higher flow rates require a lower wall temperature to initiate ice nucleation and result in faster annular ice growth (and shorter closing times) than at lower flow rates. This study provides new insights into the freezing process in small channels and identifies the key factors governing the channel closing time at these small length scales commonly encountered in microfluidic ice valve applications

Nationwide trends of modern endodontic practices related to working length, instrumentation, magnification, and obturation: a comparative cross-sectional survey comparing endodontic and non-endodontic specialties practicing root canal treatment in India

Aim: The present study was designed to assess trends in contemporary endodontic practice regarding the techniques and materials used in endodontic therapy among dental practitioners from various regions of India. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted amongst dentists who were pursuing postgraduates in endodontics (PG Endo) and other branches (PG-OB), specialists from other branches (MDS-OB) and specialists in endodontics (MDS-Endo) in various dental colleges representing East, West, North, South, and Central zones through an e-survey using Google forms. State-wise postgraduate dental college lists were obtained from the Dental Council of India (DCI) website. Using a multistage cluster random sampling method and considering the unanticipated response rate, emails were sent to 2100. A 29-item close-ended questionnaire, framed according to different aspects of endodontic treatment, was used to record the responses. Results: When the distribution of the groups of dentists was compared, the central zone had the highest number of PG-OB (44.2%) and the lowest number of MDS-Endo (8.4%). The electronic apex locator (EAL) method of working length determination has been reported less among MDS-Endo than MDS-OB. The difference between the usage of various methods for working length determination was significant among the different groups in all the zones. (p < 0.0001) Most MDS-Endo preferred the rotary method of instrumentation over the combination method for different zones. The majority of dental practitioners preferred a combination method of instrumentation. Conclusion: Zone-wise comparisons among dentists showed the majority of general dental practitioners preferred the combination method (radiographs and electronic apex locator) for working length determination. Most MDS-Endo preferred the rotary method of instrumentation over the combination method for different zones. All dental practitioners did not so commonly use magnification in all the zones. The single cone technique was the most opted by dental practitioners of all the zones

Designing for comfort in shared and automated vehicles (SAV): a conceptual framework

To date, automotive design and research is heavily biased towards the driver. However, with the rapid advance of vehicle automation, the driving task will increasingly being taken over by a machine. Automation by itself, however, will not be able to tackle the transport challenges we are facing and the need for shared mobility is now widely recognized. Future mobility solutions are therefore expected to consist of Shared and Automated Vehicles (SAV). This means that the passenger experience will take center stage in the design of future road vehicles. Whereas at first sight this may not appear to be different to the experience in other modes of transport, automation and shared mobility introduce different psychological, physical and physiological challenges. These are related to the fact that the occupant is no longer in control, has to put his or her life in the hands of a computer, while at the same time expects such future vehicles to render travel time more efficient or pleasurable and engage in so-called non-driving related tasks. Taking inspiration from work conducted in the field of aircraft passenger comfort experience, we discuss major comfort factors in the context of SAV and highlight both similarities and differences between transport modes. We present a human centered design framework to assist both the research agenda and the development of safe, usable, comfortable, and desirable future mobility solutions

An mRNA processing pathway suppresses metastasis by governing translational control from the nucleus

Cancer cells often co-opt post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms to achieve pathologic expression of gene networks that drive metastasis. Translational control is a major regulatory hub in oncogenesis; however, its effects on cancer progression remain poorly understood. Here, to address this, we used ribosome profiling to compare genome-wide translation efficiencies of poorly and highly metastatic breast cancer cells and patient-derived xenografts. We developed dedicated regression-based methods to analyse ribosome profiling and alternative polyadenylation data, and identified heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein C (HNRNPC) as a translational controller of a specific mRNA regulon. We found that HNRNPC is downregulated in highly metastatic cells, which causes HNRNPC-bound mRNAs to undergo 3′ untranslated region lengthening and, subsequently, translational repression. We showed that modulating HNRNPC expression impacts the metastatic capacity of breast cancer cells in xenograft mouse models. In addition, the reduced expression of HNRNPC and its regulon is associated with the worse prognosis in breast cancer patient cohorts

Autoimmune cholangitis mimicking a klatskin tumor: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Autoimmune cholangitis remains an elusive manifestation of immunoglobulin G4-associated systemic disease most commonly encountered in patients with autoimmune pancreatitis. No strict diagnostic criteria have been described to date and diagnosis mainly relies on a combination of clinical and histopathologic findings. It is hence even more challenging to diagnose autoimmune cholangitis in patients with late or atypical presentations, such as without concomitant pancreatic involvement. Early diagnosis of this rare disorder can significantly improve outcomes considering high rates of surgical intervention, as well as high relapse rates in the absence of steroid treatment. To the best of our knowledge the literature is quite sparse on cases with atypical presentations of autoimmune cholangitis.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report a case of a previously healthy 65-year-old man of Middle-Eastern origin, with a history of pancreatic insufficiency of unknown etiology, evaluated for elevated liver function tests found incidentally on a routine physical examination. Imaging studies revealed an atrophic pancreas and biliary duct dilatation consistent with obstruction. Subsequent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography showed a bile duct narrowing pattern suggestive of cholangiocarcinoma, but brushings failed to reveal malignant cells. Our patient proceeded to undergo surgical resection. Histological examination of the resected mass revealed lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate with no malignant features. Our patient returned three months later with persistently high liver function tests and no evidence of biliary obstruction on imaging. A presumptive diagnosis of autoimmune cholangitis was made and our patient's symptoms resolved after a short course of an oral steroid regimen. Post factum staining of the resection specimen revealed an immunoglobulin G4 antibody positive immune cell infiltrate, consistent with the proposed diagnosis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our case thus highlights the importance of clinician awareness of the autoimmune spectrum of biliary pathologies when confronted with atypical clinical presentations, the paucity of diagnostic measures and the benefit from long-term steroid and/or immunosuppressive treatment.</p