Yield Strength Increase of Cold Formed Sections Due to Cold Work of Forming

The design approach for predicting the increase in yield strength due to cold work of forming in the AISI 1996 Specification for the Design of Cold-Formed Steel Structural members is different from the approach used by the CSA Standard, CSA S136-94, Cold Formed Steel Structural Members. The AISI approach is based on the experimental work conducted by Karren and Winter, while the S136 approach is based on theoretical work by Lind and Schroff. Lind and Schroff used Karren and Winter\u27s data to substantiate their theory. Karren and Winter conducted tests on five full sections and also collected strength data on the flat and corner elements of the same sections, allowing for comparison oftested to calculated values. Twelve different sections were tested as part of the University of Waterloo test program. Strength data was collected on virgin material, full sections and on the flat elements of formed sections, thus permitting comparisons to be made using only experimental data. The main purpose of this investigation was to help answer two questions, Le., 1) should the average yield strength in the flats after forming be allowed in either design approach? and 2) is there a simplified expression that would produce similar results with fewer inputs? Based on the research of this paper, design recommendations were formulated

Signaling in Secret: Pay-for-Performance and the Incentive and Sorting Effects of Pay Secrecy

Key Findings: Pay secrecy adversely impacts individual task performance because it weakens the perception that an increase in performance will be accompanied by increase in pay; Pay secrecy is associated with a decrease in employee performance and retention in pay-for-performance systems, which measure performance using relative (i.e., peer-ranked) criteria rather than an absolute scale (see Figure 2 on page 5); High performing employees tend to be most sensitive to negative pay-for- performance perceptions; There are many signals embedded within HR policies and practices, which can influence employees’ perception of workplace uncertainty/inequity and impact their performance and turnover intentions; and When pay transparency is impractical, organizations may benefit from introducing partial pay openness to mitigate these effects on employee performance and retention

Radically different maxicircle classes within the same kinetoplast: an artefact or a novel feature of the kinetoplast genome?

We discuss here some results which suggest that radically different maxicircle classes coexist within the same kinetoplast. These data, although tentative and incomplete, may provide a new outlook on the kinetoplast genome structure and expression

Value of EUS in Determining Curative Resectability in Reference to CT and FDG-PET: The Optimal Sequence in Preoperative Staging of Esophageal Cancer?

Background: The separate value of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS), multidetector computed tomography (CT), and18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in the optimal sequence in staging esophageal cancer has not been investigated adequately. Methods: The staging records of 216 consecutive operable patients with esophageal cancer were reviewed blindly. Different staging strategies were analyzed, and the likelihood ratio (LR) of each module was calculated conditionally on individual patient characteristics. A logistic regression approach was used to determine the most favorable staging strategy. Results: Initial EUS results were not significantly related to the LRs of initial CT and FDG-PET results. The positive LR (LR+) of EUS-fine-needle aspiration (FNA) was 4, irrespective of CT and FDG-PET outcomes. The LR+ of FDG-PET varied from 13 (negative CT) to 6 (positive CT). The LR+ of CT ranged from 3-4 (negative FDG-PET) to 2-3 (positive FDG-PET). Age, histology, and tumor length had no significant impact on the LRs of the three diagnostic tests. Conclusions: This study argues in favor of PET/CT rather than EUS as a predictor of curative resectability in esophageal cancer. EUS does not correspond with either CT or FDG-PET. LRs of FDG-PET were substantially different between subgroups of negative and positive CT results and vice versa