An Examination of Team Symbolic Factors That Influence Sport Consumption

Background: The purpose of this research is to present a theoretical framework and scale of an expanded definition of perceived aesthetics previously identified with team symbolism components (i.e., logo, color, mascot, uniform, sport venue, etc.), and how they influence consumptive behavioral intentions of sport consumers. Methods: A structural model was developed based on the literature review and subsequently tested empirically by using an online 27-item questionnaire. A Likert type scale comprised of seven points was employed. The sample was drawn from a large, urban university, in a southern city, with both collegiate and professional sport teams. A total of 922 completed and usable respondent questionnaires were analyzed. Results: Results of two confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) respecified a model for perceived team symbolism and a consequent structural equation modeling (SEM) suggested the sport consumers’ behavioral intentions is affected by perceived aesthetic quality of team symbolism.Health and Human Performance, Department o

The Impact of Peak Hydrogeneration for Reserving Environmental Flow in Dachia River, Taiwan

Source: ICHE Conference Archive - https://mdi-de.baw.de/icheArchiv

Mechanical ball shear, electromigration, and thermal cycling reliability testing on novel solder interconnects of highly integrated chips for advanced applications

In the near future, Ultra Large Scale Integrated Circuits (ULSI) with high integration has drawn the huge attention because of its potential applications in VR, AI, IoTs and automotive regions. Thermal budget and reliability concerns are two major issues that are urgently needed to be solved for these technologies. Since the increasing integration of ICs might lead to low yield concern, low fabrication temperature is expected to reduce the thermal impact on ICs properties. Besides, better reliability is also required to the electric devices for those to work under harsh outdoor environments. This study is tended to be focused on the novel solder bonds for the advanced ICs, including low temperature solder, Cu-core solder ball, and their response under various reliability tests. Three main reliability tests: (1) ball shear test, (2) electromigration test (EM) and (3) thermal cycling test (TCT), are conducted to evaluate the reliability of solder bonds. In this work, the novel Bi-40In solder alloy with improved mechanical property and the EM-resisted Cu-core solder ball are demonstrated. The re-designed low temperature solder joint reveals the superior ball shear strength than that of conventional eutectic Bi-33In joint. Additionally, the interconnects using Cu-core solder ball show the high resistance against EM under current stressing. Regarding TCT, the assemble joints with various grain structures are tested to realize the effects of Sn grain size on joint degradation and the possible ways for relieving the thermomechanical stress caused by TCT. The microstructure, elemental characteristics and grain structure are analyzed by FE-SEM, FE-EPMA and EBSD, respectively. The failure mechanisms for all reliability tests are addressed and discussed in details as well

Risk factors for subsidence in anterior cervical fusion with stand-alone polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cages: a review of 82 cases and 182 levels

INTRODUCTION: To determine risk factors for subsidence in patients treated with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) and stand-alone polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cages. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Records of patients with degenerative spondylosis or traumatic disc herniation resulting in radiculopathy or myelopathy between C2 and C7 who underwent ACDF with stand-alone PEEK cages were retrospectively reviewed. Cages were filled with autogenous cancellous bone harvested from iliac crest or hydroxyapatite. Subsidence was defined as a decrease of 3 mm or more of anterior or posterior disc height from that measured on the postoperative radiograph. Eighty-two patients (32 males, 50 females; 182 treatment levels) were included in the analysis. RESULTS: Most patients had 1–2 treatment levels (62.2 %), and 37.8 % had 3–4 treatment levels. Treatment levels were from C2–7. Of the 82 patients, cage subsidence occurred in 31 patients, and at 39 treatment levels. Multivariable analysis showed that subsidence was more likely to occur in patients with more than two treatment levels, and more likely to occur at treatment levels C5–7 than at levels C2–5. Subsidence was not associated with postoperative alignment change but associated with more disc height change (relatively oversized cage). CONCLUSION: Subsidence is associated with a greater number of treatment levels, treatment at C5–7 and relatively oversized cage use

The role of cytochrome c oxidase subunit Va in non-small cell lung carcinoma cells: association with migration, invasion and prediction of distant metastasis

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is one of the most lethal malignancies worldwide, but useful biomarkers of lung cancer are still insufficient. The aim of this study is to identify some membrane-bound protein(s) associated with migration and invasion in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. METHODS: We classified four NSCLC cell lines into high and low migration/invasion groups by Transwell and Matrigel assays. Using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), we identified 10 membrane-associated proteins being significantly overexpressed in the high migration/invasion group. The expression of the target protein in the four NSCLC cell lines was then confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), western blot and immunostaining. RNA interference technique was applied to observe the influence of the target protein on migration and invasion. Gelatin zymography was also performed to evaluate the activities of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9. Expression condition of the target protein on surgical specimens was further examined by immunohistochemical staining and the clinicopathologic data were analyzed. RESULTS: We identified a mitochondria-bound protein cytochrome c oxidase subunit Va (COX Va) because of its abundant presence found exclusively in tumorous areas. We also demonstrated that migration and invasion of NSCLC cells decreased substantially after knocking down COX Va by siRNA. Meanwhile, we found a positive correlation between COX Va expression, Bcl-2 expression and activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in NSCLC cells. Immunohistochemical staining of surgically resected lung adenocarcinomas in 250 consecutive patients revealed that strong COX Va expression was found in 54.8% (137/250) of patients and correlated positively with the status of lymph node metastasis (P = 0.032). Furthermore, strong COX Va expression was associated with the presence of distant metastasis (P = 0.033). CONCLUSIONS: Our current study showed that COX Va may play a role in migration and invasion of NSCLC cells and can be used as a biomarker to predict aggressiveness of NSCLC