State of the art in business games

The use of digital games and gamification has demonstrated potential to improve many aspects of how businesses provide training to staff, and communicate with consumers. However, there is still a need for better understanding of how the adoption of games and gasification would influence the process of decision-making in organisations across different industry. This article provides a structured review of existing literature on the use of games in the business environment, and seeks to consolidate findings to address research questions regarding their perception, proven efficacy, and identifies key areas for future work. The findings highlight that serious games can have positive and effective impacts in multiple areas of a business, including training, decision-support, and consumer outreach. They also emphasise the challenges and pitfalls of applying serious games and gamification principles within a business context, and discuss the implications of development and evaluation methodologies on the success of a game-based solution

(Invited) intrinsic reliability assessment of 650V rated AlGaN/GaN based power devices:an industry perspective

Although astounding performance is already proven by many research papers, the widespread adoption of GaN power devices in the market is still hampered by (1) yield and reproducibility ; (2) cost ; (3) reliability. All three factors are to be considered, but to convince customers to adopt GaN power devices, proven device and product reliability is a must. Cost is kept acceptably low by growing the GaN epi stack on 6 inch and 8inch Si substrates, and by processing the GaN power device technology in standard CMOS production lines. This paper will focus on the most important intrinsic reliability mechanisms for GaN power devices. It will cover gate dielectric reliability, Ohmic contact reliability, accelerated drain stress testing (high temperature reverse bias--HTRB) and high voltage device wear-out testing (high voltage off-state stress--HVOS). Acceleration models are discussed A measurement strategy to extract valuable information about the physical properties of the buffer layers (e.g. activation energies of the traps, conduction mechanisms, \u2026) based on simple transmission line structures, is outlined

Evolution of apoptosis-like programmed cell death in unicellular protozoan parasites

Apoptosis-like programmed cell death (PCD) has recently been described in multiple taxa of unicellular protists, including the protozoan parasites Plasmodium, Trypanosoma and Leishmania. Apoptosis-like PCD in protozoan parasites shares a number of morphological features with programmed cell death in multicellular organisms. However, both the evolutionary explanations and mechanisms involved in parasite PCD are poorly understood. Explaining why unicellular organisms appear to undergo 'suicide' is a challenge for evolutionary biology and uncovering death executors and pathways is a challenge for molecular and cell biology. Bioinformatics has the potential to integrate these approaches by revealing homologies in the PCD machinery of diverse taxa and evaluating their evolutionary trajectories. As the molecular mechanisms of apoptosis in model organisms are well characterised, and recent data suggest similar mechanisms operate in protozoan parasites, key questions can now be addressed. These questions include: which elements of apoptosis machinery appear to be shared between protozoan parasites and multicellular taxa and, have these mechanisms arisen through convergent or divergent evolution? We use bioinformatics to address these questions and our analyses suggest that apoptosis mechanisms in protozoan parasites and other taxa have diverged during their evolution, that some apoptosis factors are shared across taxa whilst others have been replaced by proteins with similar biochemical activities

Using gamification to transform the adoption of servitization

Increasingly, manufacturing organizations compete by developing product-service systems rather than offering products alone. To transform themselves into providers of advanced services, however, product-centric manufacturing firms need to overcome a range of barriers. While previous studies have highlighted the teaching/learning potential of 'gamification' (the use of ideas and techniques found in game-playing), the opportunities to harness this approach to help tackle such barriers have yet to be fully realized. Our study extends the debate by integrating established frameworks relating to emotional mechanics of gamification with the adoption of advanced services, arguing that such mechanics can facilitate and strengthen companies' transformation into advanced-service providers. Based on a systematic analysis of nearly 90 selected publications, we develop six conceptual propositions to explore how gamification can aid the transformation process. Our findings will help both practitioners and researchers apply emotional mechanics of gamification when seeking to address different hurdles hindering the development and provision of advanced services

Apoptosis-like cell death in Leishmania donovani treated with KalsomeTM10, a new liposomal amphotericin B

The present study aimed to elucidate the cell death mechanism in Leishmania donovani upon treatment with KalsomeTM10, a new liposomal amphotericin B. Methodology/Principal findings We studied morphological alterations in promastigotes through phase contrast and scanning electron microscopy. Phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and disruption of mitochondrial integrity was determined by flow cytometry using annexinV-FITC, JC-1 and mitotraker, respectively. For analysing oxidative stress, generation of H2O2 (bioluminescence kit) and mitochondrial superoxide O2 − (mitosox) were measured. DNA fragmentation was evaluated using terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP nick-end labelling (TUNEL) and DNA laddering assay. We found that KalsomeTM10 is more effective then Ambisome against the promastigote as well as intracellular amastigote forms. The mechanistic study showed that KalsomeTM10 induced several morphological alterations in promastigotes typical of apoptosis. KalsomeTM10 treatment showed a dose- and time-dependent exposure of PS in promastigotes. Further,study on mitochondrial pathway revealed loss of mitochondrial membrane potential as well as disruption in mitochondrial integrity with depletion of intracellular pool of ATP. KalsomeTM10 treated promastigotes showed increased ROS production, diminished GSH levels and increased caspase-like activity. DNA fragmentation and cell cycle arrest was observed in KalsomeTM10 treated promastigotes. Apoptotic DNA fragmentation was also observed in KalsomeTM10 treated intracellular amastigotes. KalsomeTM10 induced generation of ROS and nitric oxide leads to the killing of the intracellular parasites. Moreover, endocytosis is indispensable for KalsomeTM10 mediated anti-leishmanial effect in host macrophag

Naturally Occurring Triggers that Induce Apoptosis-Like Programmed Cell Death in Plasmodium berghei Ookinetes

Several protozoan parasites have been shown to undergo a form of programmed cell death that exhibits morphological features associated with metazoan apoptosis. These include the rodent malaria parasite, Plasmodium berghei. Malaria zygotes develop in the mosquito midgut lumen, forming motile ookinetes. Up to 50% of these exhibit phenotypic markers of apoptosis; as do those grown in culture. We hypothesised that naturally occurring signals induce many ookinetes to undergo apoptosis before midgut traversal. To determine whether nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species act as such triggers, ookinetes were cultured with donors of these molecules. Exposure to the nitric oxide donor SNP induced a significant increase in ookinetes with condensed nuclear chromatin, activated caspase-like molecules and translocation of phosphatidylserine that was dose and time related. Results from an assay that detects the potential-dependent accumulation of aggregates of JC-1 in mitochondria suggested that nitric oxide does not operate via loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. L-DOPA (reactive oxygen species donor) also caused apoptosis in a dose and time dependent manner. Removal of white blood cells significantly decreased ookinetes exhibiting a marker of apoptosis in vitro. Inhibition of the activity of nitric oxide synthase in the mosquito midgut epithelium using L-NAME significantly decreased the proportion of apoptotic ookinetes and increased the number of oocysts that developed. Introduction of a nitric oxide donor into the blood meal had no effect on mosquito longevity but did reduce prevalence and intensity of infection. Thus, nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species are triggers of apoptosis in Plasmodium ookinetes. They occur naturally in the mosquito midgut lumen, sourced from infected blood and mosquito tissue. Up regulation of mosquito nitric oxide synthase activity has potential as a transmission blocking strategy

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on TAVR Activity: A Worldwide Registry

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had a considerable impact on the provision of structural heart intervention worldwide. Our objectives were: 1) to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) activity globally; and 2) to determine the differences in the impact according to geographic region and the demographic, development, and economic status of diverse international health care systems. Methods: We developed a multinational registry of global TAVR activity and invited individual TAVR sites to submit TAVR implant data before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the number of TAVR procedures performed monthly from January 2019 to December 2021 was collected. The adaptive measures to maintain TAVR activity by each site were recorded, as was a variety of indices relating to type of health care system and national economic indices. The primary subject of interest was the impact on TAVR activity during each of the pandemic waves (2020 and 2021) compared with the same period pre–COVID-19 (2019). Results: Data were received from 130 centers from 61 countries, with 14 subcontinents and 5 continents participating in the study. Overall, TAVR activity increased by 16.7% (2,337 procedures) between 2018 and 2019 (ie, before the pandemic), but between 2019 and 2020 (ie, first year of the pandemic), there was no significant growth (–0.1%; –10 procedures). In contrast, activity again increased by 18.9% (3,085 procedures) between 2020 and 2021 (ie, second year of the pandemic). During the first pandemic wave, there was a reduction of 18.9% (945 procedures) in TAVR activity among participating sites, while during the second and third waves, there was an increase of 6.7% (489 procedures) and 15.9% (1,042 procedures), respectively. Further analysis and results of this study are ongoing and will be available at the time of the congress. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic initially led to a reduction in the number of patients undergoing TAVR worldwide, although health care systems subsequently adapted, and the number of TAVR recipients continued to grow in subsequent COVID-19 pandemic waves. Categories: STRUCTURAL: Valvular Disease: Aorti