This paper investigates the effect substrate preparation has on epoxy mold compound (EMC) adhesion to bare copper leads. There have been four basic strategies employed to characterize and subsequently improve adhesion between the EMC and copper: 1. Choosing a particular copper alloy, i.e. varying alloy effects in copper to improve oxidation control and thus adhesion. 2. Modifying the mold compo...

[1] The Bodélé Depression, Chad is the planet’s largest single source of dust. Deflation from the Bodélé could be seen as a simple coincidence of two key prerequisites: strong surface winds and a large source of suitable sediment. But here we hypothesise that long term links between topography, winds, deflation and dust ensure the maintenance of the dust source such that these two apparently co...

Lateral surface/subsurface flow and their connectivity play a significant role in redistributing soil water, which has a direct effect on biological, chemical, and geomorphological processes in the root zone (~1m). However, most of the land surface models neglect the horizontal exchanges of water at the grid or subgrid scales, focusing only on the vertical exchanges of water as one-dimensional ...

OBJECTIVE To review the available evidence evaluating the abuse liability, topography, subjective effects, craving and withdrawal suppression associated with e-cigarette use in order to identify information gaps and provide recommendations for future research. METHODS Literature searches were conducted between October 2012 and January 2014 using five electronic databases. Studies were include...

PURPOSE Four cases of corneal ectasia after small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) have been reported. In this review, we provide an overview of the published literature on corneal ectasia after SMILE and risk factors associated with this complication. METHODS Case reports were identified by a search of seven electronic databases for pertinent heading terms between 2011 and July 2017. We...

Phenotypic differences in analgesic sensitivity to codeine (3-methoxymorphine) results from polymorphisms in cytochrome P450-2D6, which catalyzes O-demethylation of codeine to morphine. However, O-demethylation reportedly is not required for analgesic activity of the 7,8-saturated codeine congeners dihydrocodeine, hydrocodone, and oxycodone. This study determined the potency and efficacy of the...

background and objective: evaluation of the results, safety, and stability of ferrara intracorneal ring segment (ficrs) implantation for keratoconus correction (age range was 24.39±8.32 years).   materials and methods: in this clinical trial study, 64 eyes of 57 patients with keratoconus and clear cornea that had ficrs implantation were studied. uncorrected visual acuity (ucva), best-spectacle ...

During recent decades large changes in vegetation biomass have been observed in arctic and alpine areas. While these temporal trends have been clearly linked to changing climatic conditions, the drivers of local spatial variation in biomass are still relatively poorly understood. Thus, we examine the effects of abiotic conditions (as measured by ten variables representing topography, soil prope...

BACKGROUND Clinicians who assess and treat patients for scoliosis typically use parameters that are all visible from the posterior view. Radiographs assess the internal spinal deformity, but do not directly evaluate body shape, either posterior or anterior. This is problematic, as the patient is most concerned about the way they appear in the mirror. An objective set of anterior measurements is...

PURPOSE To investigate the effect of hinge position on corneal topography after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for myopia. SETTING Academic center and refractive surgery practice. METHODS Topography data obtained from 89 eyes of 46 patients after LASIK were analyzed. Using a system of Cartesian coordinates, data along the horizontal and vertical axes were analyzed, measuring sagittal ...