Long-term Attachment Research Articles

Self-powered wearable human-computer interaction system based on kapok cellulose nanofibers

As wearable devices in the fields of medical health, human–computer interaction, and motion detection continue to diversify in their materials and forms, they show vast application potential. Cellulose materials are emerging as prominent materials for fabricating flexible wearable electronic devices because of their favorable skin compatibility, cost-effectiveness, and abundance. However, there is little research on the use of kapok cellulose in wearable electronics. This study addresses this knowledge gap by exploring the high-yield production and waste recycling potential of kapok cellulose. To overcome the limitations of conventional cellulose films, such as poor flexibility, high haze, and limited light transmittance, a kapok cellulose nanofiber film (KCNF) with a transparency of > 90 % and a tensile strain of > 20 % is prepared. The use of the KCNF as a friction electric material in the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) improves its electrical output performance by 228 % and permits its comfortable long-term attachment to the skin for self-powered tactile sensing applications, including game control, text input, and smart medical devices. This study demonstrates that the exploration of KCNF materials expands the options available for developing wearable electronic devices with numerous potential applications.

Chaotic Capture of a Retrograde Moon by Venus and the Reversal of Its Spin

Planets are surrounded by fractal surfaces (traditionally called Hill spheres), separating the inner zones of long-term stable orbital motion of their satellites from the outer space where the gravitational pull from the Sun takes over. Through this surface, external minor bodies in trajectories loosely co-orbital to a planet can be stochastically captured by the planet without any assistance from external perturbative forces, and can become moons chaotically orbiting the planet for extended periods of time. Using state-of-the-art orbital integrators, we simulate such capture events for Venus, resulting in long-term attachment phases by reversing the forward integration of a moon initially attached to the planet and escaping it after an extended period of time. Chaotic capture of a retrograde moon from a prograde heliocentric orbit appears to be more probable because the Hill sphere is almost four times larger in area for a retrograde orbit than for a prograde orbit. Simulated capture trajectories include cases with attachment phases up to 860,000 years for prograde moons and up to 370,000 years for retrograde moons. Although the probability of a long-term chaotic capture from a single encounter is generally low, the high density of co-orbital bodies in the primordial protoplanetary disk makes this outcome possible, if not probable. The early Venus was surrounded by a dusty gaseous disk of its own, which, coupled with the tidal dissipation of the kinetic energy in the moon and the planet, could shrink the initial orbit and stabilize the captured body within the Hill surface. The tidal torque from the moon, for which we use the historical name Neith, gradually brakes the prograde rotation of Venus, and then reverses it, while the orbit continues to decay. Neith eventually reaches the Roche radius and disintegrates, probably depositing most of its material on Venus’ surface. Our calculations show that surface density values of about 0.06 kg m−2 for the debris disk may be sufficient to stabilize the initial chaotic orbit of Neith and to bring it down within several radii of Venus, where tidal dissipation becomes more efficient.

Making sense of contented couples—insights from attachment theory and emotionally focused couple therapy (EFT)

This article builds on an earlier piece in this journal (Power, 2018) which hypothesised about the differences between three routes into relationship: random romance, arranged marriage, and self-arranged relationships. Interviews with three couples, one from each tradition, are used to explore how attachment dynamics were creating both a challenge and a resource for each couple. This article uses psychoanalytic thinking to inquire about mate-selection, and then attachment theory and emotionally focused couple therapy (EFT)(Johnson, 2012) to understand how these couples built a long-term attachment bond in each tradition. The couples’ own words are presented with reflections by the author in order to demonstrate challenges that couples face and ways in which they can sometimes manage these.

Legal regulation of copyright in the ukrainian lands of the Russian Empire

The article explores the genesis of the legislative consolidation of copyright law in the Ukrainian lands that were a part of the Russian Empire. The thesis is substantiated that the legal regulation of copyright law in these territories was formed under the influence of both European legal traditions and imperial legislative norms. It was revealed that the formation of the idea of authorship in Russia occurred much later than in European countries. The reasons were the long-term attachment of copyright law to censorship legislation and the late commercialization of publishing. It was revealed that the right to literary property was first established in Russian legislation. The literary property was considered as acquired property. Later on, the right of musical and artistic property received legal protection. The thesis has proved that the proprietary concept of copyright law in Russia has been dominant for a long time. At the end of the 19th century, the question of the legal nature of copyright law became relevant, which ultimately formed the idea of separating property and non-property interests of the author in Russian law. Therefore, the evolution of copyright law in the Russian Empire is characterized by a transition from the protection of the interest of the distributor of the work to the protection of the interest of the author.
 It was revealed that in the 19th century Russia was in certain isolation and did not participate in the most important international agreements on the protection of intellectual property, except for two bilateral conventions with France and Belgium on the protection of copyright law. It was established that the copyright law in 1911 brought the legal regulation of copyright law in the Russian Empire to the European level and introduced many progressive novellas that positively impacted the further development of the institution of copyright law.
 All-Russian legislation of copyright law was also extended to Ukrainian-controlled lands. However, it is indicated that Russia introduced rather strict censorship rules for Ukrainian-language publications to their complete ban, therefore there is no need to talk about the protection of copyrights law of Ukrainian authors.

ADVANCING HUMAN RESOURCES QUALITY IN THE MODERNIZATION OF THE NORTH MOUNTAINOUS PROVINCES

V ietnam in general and the Northern mountainous provinces in particular are in the process of urban modernization, especially when science and technology is applied effectively, the government will provide services and utilities to people and businesses, contributing to improving the quality of life and increasing the competitiveness of the economy. However, the Northern mountainous provinces are currently facing difficulties and obstacles such as: low education level cadres, cadres are lacking in number, inadequate in structure, low in qualifications, especially scientific - technical cadres, economic managers and teachers of high schools at all levels from primary to secondary and high school, colleges, universities. The contingent of cadres with university degrees who are children of ethnic minorities is still too few, while the contingent of lowland cadres working in the northern mountainous provinces have not been assured of long-term attachment. Therefore, before the requirements set forth, improving the quality of human resources of the Northern mountainous provinces with sufficient quality and capacity is an extremely urgent issue, with urgent theoretical and practical significance. Keywords: Human resources; Quality of human resources; Northern mountainous provinces; Ethnic minorities.

Biologging of emperor penguins-Attachment techniques and associated deployment performance.

An increasing number of marine animals are equipped with biologgers, to study their physiology, behaviour and ecology, often for conservation purposes. To minimise the impacts of biologgers on the animals’ welfare, the Refinement principle from the Three Rs framework (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) urges to continuously test and evaluate new and updated biologging protocols. Here, we propose alternative and promising techniques for emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) capture and on-site logger deployment that aim to mitigate the potential negative impacts of logger deployment on these birds. We equipped adult emperor penguins for short-term (GPS, Time-Depth Recorder (TDR)) and long-term (i.e. planned for one year) deployments (ARGOS platforms, TDR), as well as juvenile emperor penguins for long-term deployments (ARGOS platforms) in the Weddell Sea area where they had not yet been studied. We describe and qualitatively evaluate our protocols for the attachment of biologgers on-site at the colony, the capture of the animals and the recovery of the devices after deployment. We report unprecedented recaptures of long-term equipped adult emperor penguins (50% of equipped individuals recaptured after 290 days). Our data demonstrate that the traditional technique of long-term attachment by gluing the biologgers directly to the back feathers causes excessive feather breakage and the loss of the devices after a few months. We therefore propose an alternative method of attachment for back-mounted devices. This technique led to successful year-round deployments on 37.5% of the equipped juveniles. Finally, we also disclose the first deployments of leg-bracelet mounted TDRs on emperor penguins. Our findings highlight the importance of monitoring potential impacts of biologger deployments on the animals and the need to continue to improve methods to minimize disturbance and enhance performance and results.

3D printed zirconia dental implants with integrated directional surface pores combine mechanical strength with favorable osteoblast response

Dental implants need to combine mechanical strength with promoted osseointegration. Currently used subtractive manufacturing techniques require a multi-step process to obtain a rough surface topography that stimulates osseointegration. Advantageously, additive manufacturing (AM) enables direct implant shaping with unique geometries and surface topographies. In this study, zirconia implants with integrated lamellar surface topography were additively manufactured by nano-particle ink-jetting. The ISO-14801 fracture load of as-sintered implants (516±39 N) resisted fatigue in 5–55 °C water thermo-cycling (631±134 N). Remarkably, simultaneous mechanical fatigue and hydrothermal aging at 90 °C significantly increased the implant strength to 909±280 N due to compressive stress generated at the seamless transition of the 30–40 µm thick, rough and porous surface layer to the dense implant core. This unique surface structure induced an elongated osteoblast morphology with uniform cell orientation and allowed for osteoblast proliferation, long-term attachment and matrix mineralization. In conclusion, the developed AM zirconia implants not only provided high long-term mechanical resistance thanks to the dense core along with compressive stress induced at the transition zone, but also generated a favorable osteoblast response owing to the integrated directional surface pores. Statement of significanceZirconia ceramics are becoming the material of choice for metal-free dental implants, however significant efforts are required to obtain a rough/porous surface for enhanced osseointegration, along with the risk of surface delamination and/or microstructure variation. In this study, we addressed the challenge by additively manufacturing implants that seamlessly combine dense core with a porous surface layer. For the first time, a unique surface with a directional lamellar pore morphology was additively obtained. This AM implant also provided strength as strong as conventionally manufactured zirconia implants before and after long-term fatigue. Favorable osteoblast response was proved by in-vitro cell investigation. This work demonstrated the opportunity to AM fabricate novel ceramic implants that can simultaneously meet the mechanical and biological functionality requirements.

A Flexible, Wearable, and Wireless Biosensor Patch with Internet of Medical Things Applications.

Monitoring the vital signs and physiological responses of the human body in daily activities is particularly useful for the early diagnosis and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Here, we proposed a wireless and flexible biosensor patch for continuous and longitudinal monitoring of different physiological signals, including body temperature, blood pressure (BP), and electrocardiography. Moreover, these modalities for tracking body movement and GPS locations for emergency rescue have been included in biosensor devices. We optimized the flexible patch design with high mechanical stretchability and compatibility that can provide reliable and long-term attachment to the curved skin surface. Regarding smart healthcare applications, this research presents an Internet of Things-connected healthcare platform consisting of a smartphone application, website service, database server, and mobile gateway. The IoT platform has the potential to reduce the demand for medical resources and enhance the quality of healthcare services. To further address the advances in non-invasive continuous BP monitoring, an optimized deep learning architecture with one-channel electrocardiogram signals is introduced. The performance of the BP estimation model was verified using an independent dataset; this experimental result satisfied the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, and the British Hypertension Society standards for BP monitoring devices. The experimental results demonstrated the practical application of the wireless and flexible biosensor patch for continuous physiological signal monitoring with Internet of Medical Things-connected healthcare applications.

Ten-Year Stability of Clinical Attachment after Regenerative Treatment of Infrabony Defects and Controls.

Background: A similar long-term stable clinical attachment level (CAL) of infrabony defects (IBDs) after regenerative treatment compared to control teeth would indicate a high level of stability resulting from the regenerative approach. Methods: Patients with a regeneratively treated IBD were screened 120 ± 12 months postoperatively for eligibility for study participation, and were included if complete baseline and 12-month examinations (plaque (PlI), periodontal probing depth (PPD), CAL) were available and a respective control tooth could be identified. Re-examination included clinical examination (PPD, CAL, PlI/GI, bleeding on probing, plaque control record, gingival bleeding index). Results: A total of 27 patients (16 females; age (median; lower/upper quartile): 57.0; 44.0/60.0 years; 6 smokers) contributed 27 IBDs (test), for each of which a control tooth was identified. Five test teeth (18.5%) were lost between 12 and 120 months. The remaining 22 test teeth revealed a significant CAL gain after 1 (2.5 mm; 1.0/4.0 mm, p < 0.0001) and 10 (2.5 mm; 0.5/3.5 mm, p < 0.0001) years, whereas control teeth were stable (1 year: 0.0 mm; 0.0/1.0 mm, p = 0.396; 10 years: 0.0 mm; −1.0/1.5 mm, p = 0.215). The study did not detect any significant CAL change between 1 and 10 years for test (−0.5 mm; −1.0/0.5 mm, p = 0.414) and control teeth (0.0 mm; −1.0/1.0 mm, p = 0.739). In 15 patients, test and control teeth revealed stable CAL values between 12 and 120 months. Conclusion: Regenerative treatment of IBDs exhibited stability comparable to non-surgically treated, periodontally reduced sites over a 10-year period.

A comparison of methods for the long-term harness-based attachment of radio-transmitters to juvenile Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

BackgroundWhile the period from fledging through first breeding for waterbird species such as terns (e.g., genus Sterna, Sternula) is of great interest to researchers and conservationists, this period remains understudied due in large part to the difficulty of marking growing juveniles with radio transmitters that remain attached for extended periods.MethodsIn an effort to facilitate such research, we examined the impact of various combinations of harness types (backpack, leg-loop, and 3D-printed harnesses), harness materials (Automotive ribbon, Elastic cord, and PFTE ribbon), and transmitter types (center-weighted and rear-weighted) on a surrogate for juvenile terns, 28-day-old Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica; selected due to similarities in adult mass and downy feathering of juveniles), in a 30-day experiment. We monitored for abrasion at points of contact and tag gap issues via daily exams while also recording mass and wing cord as indices of growth. This study was designed to serve as an initial examination of the impacts of marking on the growth and development of young birds and does not account for any impacts of tags on movement or behavior.ResultsWhile we found that treatment (the specific combination of the transmitter type, harness type, and harness material) had no impact on bird growth relative to unmarked control birds (P ≥ 0.05), we did observe differences in abrasion and tag gap between treatments (P ≤ 0.05). Our results suggest that leg-loop harnesses constructed from elastic cord and backpack harnesses from PFTE ribbon are suitable options for long-term attachment to growing juveniles. Conversely, we found that automotive ribbon led to extensive abrasion with these small-bodied birds, and that elastic cord induced blisters when used to make a backpack harness.ConclusionsWhile these results indicate that long-term tagging of juvenile birds is possible with limited impacts on growth, this work does not preclude the need for small-scale studies with individual species. Instead, we hope this provides an informed starting point for further exploration of this topic.

A fully 3D printed electronic skin with bionic high resolution and air permeable porous structure

The bionic application of electronic skin (e-skin) requires a high resolution close to that of human skin, while its long-term attachment to human body or robotic skin requires a porous structure that is air permeable and enables hair growth. To simultaneously meet the requirements of high resolution and porous structure, as well as improve the sensing performance, we propose a fully 3D printed e-skin with high-resolution and air permeable porous structure. The flexible substrate and electrodes are 3D printed by a direct ink writing extrusion printer. The sensitive material is 3D printed by a self-made low-viscosity liquid extrusion 3D print module. This e-skin has a high sensor density of 100/cm2, which is close to the resolution of the human fingertip skin. The piezoresistive sensor units of e-skin exhibit a highly linear resistance response and a relatively performance consistency between devices. Owing to the porous and breathable structure, better human comfort and mechanical heat dissipation are realized. This high-resolution e-skin is successfully applied to identify small-sized objects with complex contours.

Design and Experimental Research of a New Type of Asteroid Anchoring System

Asteroid detection is of great significance to the study of the formation of the solar system and the origin of life. However, there are many types of asteroids, and they are far away from the earth, and the understanding of their various characteristics is not clear, which brings huge technical challenges to the landing and attachment of star catalogs. At present, the world is mainly based on surround, overflight, and short-term contact detection, and long-term attachment detection has not yet been realized. In order to solve the long-term attachment detection requirements of asteroids, focusing on the geological characteristics of various types of stars, this paper proposes a new type of asteroid attachment mechanism based on the beetle bionic theory, which can realize intelligent and flexible attachment and has strong adaptability. Around this design, this paper analyzes the mechanism of adhesion and realizes the adaptive matching of unascertained terrain landing point adhesion. On this basis, a prototype of the asteroid landing attachment mechanism was developed and verified by experiments. The experiment proved that the mechanism has strong multiterrain matching ability and can obtain an adhesion force of not less than 36 N on ordinary concrete ground.

After the Honeymoon: Neural and Genetic Correlates of Romantic Love in Newlywed Marriages.

In Western culture, romantic love is commonly a basis for marriage. Although it is associated with relationship satisfaction, stability, and individual well-being, many couples experience declines in romantic love. In newlyweds, specifically, changes in love predict marital outcomes. However, the biological mechanisms underlying the critical transition to marriage are unknown. Thus, for the first time, we explored the neural and genetic correlates of romantic love in newlyweds. Nineteen first-time newlyweds were scanned (with functional MRI) while viewing face images of the partner versus a familiar acquaintance, around the time of the wedding (T1) and 1 year after (T2). They also provided saliva samples for genetic analysis (AVPR1a rs3, OXTR rs53576, COMT rs4680, and DRD4-7R), and completed self-report measures of relationship quality including the Eros (romantic love) scale. We hypothesized that romantic love is a developed form of the mammalian drive to find, and keep, preferred mates; and that its maintenance is orchestrated by the brain’s reward system. Results showed that, at both time points, romantic love maintenance (Eros difference score: T2-T1) was associated with activation of the dopamine-rich substantia nigra in response to face images of the partner. Interactions with vasopressin, oxytocin, and dopamine genes implicated in pair-bonding (AVPR1a rs3, OXTR rs53576, COMT rs4680, and DRD4-7R) also conferred strong activation in the dopamine-rich ventral tegmental area at both time points. Consistent with work highlighting the role of sexual intimacy in relationships, romantic love maintenance showed correlations in the paracentral lobule (genital region) and cortical areas involved in sensory and cognitive processing (occipital, angular gyrus, insular cortex). These findings suggest that romantic love, and its maintenance, are orchestrated by dopamine-, vasopressin- and oxytocin-rich brain regions, as seen in humans and other monogamous animals. We also provide genetic evidence of polymorphisms associated with oxytocin, vasopressin and dopamine function that affect the propensity to sustain romantic love in early stage marriages. We conclude that romantic love maintenance is part of a broad mammalian strategy for reproduction and long-term attachment that is influenced by basic reward circuitry, complex cognitive processes, and genetic factors.

Epidermal electrodes with enhanced breathability and high sensing performance

High breathability of epidermal electronics plays a critical role in long-term attachment and non-irritating contact to the skin. However, most existing skin-mounted electronics use a water-proof substrate (e.g., 3M Tegaderm), which hinders skin sweating, resulting in interfacial delamination and skin irritation. Here, we report that hydrophilically treated Au nanomeshes (AuNMs) exhibit a sweat evaporation rate significantly faster than that of naked skin while maintaining high stretchability and exceptional conformability. The epidermal AuNM is able to stably sense body motions and detect the strain level of the skin as well as joint bending directions. The sensing capability results from local rupture and fast cold welding of Au nanowires during deformation, which contributes to fast healing or repair of damaged AuNM epidermal circuits. Such substrate-free AuNMs with improved breathability are promising for high performance on skin electronics and beyond.

Is There a Scientific Rationale for the Refixation of Delaminated Chondral Flaps in Femoroacetabular Impingement? A Laboratory Study.

Debonding of the acetabular cartilage is a characteristic type of hip damage found in cam-type femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), which remains a treatment challenge. In addition to resection, refixation of these flaps using fibrin sealants has been recently suggested. However, there is only limited evidence available that the proposed refixation method results in sufficient viable cartilage formation to ensure long-term flap grafting and restored tissue function. To determine the flap tissue characteristics that would justify refixation of delaminated chondral flaps with a fibrin sealant, we characterized (1) the extracellular matrix (ECM) of chondral flaps in terms of chondrocyte viability and distribution of ECM components and (2) the chondrogenic potential of resident cells to migrate into fibrin and produce a cartilaginous matrix. Ten acetabular chondral flaps and three non-delaminated control cartilage samples were resected during surgery. Chondrocyte viability was quantified using a live-dead assay. To assess the ECM, histological staining of glycosaminoglycans, collagen II, and collagen I allowed the qualitative study of their distribution. The ability of chondrocytes to migrate out of the ECM was tested by encapsulating minced flap cartilage in fibrin gels and semi-quantitatively assessing the projected area of the gel covered with migrating cells. The potential of chondrocytes to produce a cartilaginous matrix was studied with a pellet assay, a standard three-dimensional culture system to test chondrogenesis. Positive controls were pellets of knee chondrocytes of age-matched donors, which we found in a previous study to have a good capacity to produce cartilage matrix. Statistical significance of controlled quantitative assays was determined by the Student's t-test with Welch's correction. The proportion of viable chondrocytes in flaps was lower than in nondelaminated cartilage (50% ± 19% versus 76 ± 6%; p = 0.02). Histology showed a disrupted ECM in flaps compared with nondelaminated controls, with the presence of fibrillation, a loss of glycosaminoglycan at the delaminated edge, collagen II throughout the whole thickness of the flap, and some collagen I-positive area in two samples. The resident chondrocytes migrated out of this disrupted ECM in all tested samples. However in pellet culture, cells isolated from the flaps showed a qualitatively lower chondrogenic potential compared with positive controls, with a clearly inhomogeneous cell and matrix distribution and an overall smaller projected area (0.4 versus 0.7 mm; p = 0.038). Despite the presence of viable chondrocytes with migration potential, the cells resided in a structurally altered ECM and had limited capacity to deposit ECM, leading us to question their capacity to produce sufficient ECM within the fibrin sealant for stable long-term attachment of such flaps. The characterization of delaminated cartilage in cam FAI patients suggests that the refixation strategy might be adversely influenced by the low level of ECM produced by the residing cells.

In the EU and NATO but Close to Russia — Post-Crimea Attitudes in Bulgaria and Hungary

AbstractThis article focuses on attitudes towards Russia in Bulgaria and Hungary — two EU and NATO countries with special relations to Russia — in the wake of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and military intervention in support of separatists in the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine in 2014 and onwards. We begin by putting the relations to Russia in a historical perspective. We then set out to account for support for Russia with the help of survey data from the Post-Crimea Barometer (2015) — a unique survey focusing on geopolitical orientation (East versus West) and attitudes towards Russia in Latvia, Hungary and Bulgaria in a post-Crimea setting. Latvia is a special case because of its large Russian minority population; we therefore confine our comparison to Bulgaria and Hungary. The findings suggest that long-term attachment to Russia is decisive in Bulgaria. In Hungary, long-term attachment to Russia is important, but not sufficient to account for post-Crimea attitudes towards Russia.

The Experience of Foster Care and Long-Term Attachment

There are almost half a million children currently in foster care in the United States. The purpose of this paper is to study the linkage between foster care alumni and long-term attachment. In this qualitative study, six foster care alumni were interviewed. Nine themes emerged: trauma, stolen childhood, relationship style, trust issues, anxieties, current parenting concerns, broken system, coping strategies, and implications for counseling. The results of this study indicate that there are attachment implications for foster care alumni and that the experience of being in foster care was generally perceived as negative.

The effect of terror and economic sector in early career years on future career path

The study uses the deterioration of security situation in Israel (the “Intifada”) to investigate the uniqueness of results obtained previously in regard to Israel’s security-guard industry, as against other economic sectors, in regard to the employment stability and its implications for future career path. The findings emphasize the negative effect of a person’s mere presence in the labor market during the Intifada on his career path, irrespective of the industry in which he worked. They emphasize the variance attributed to the economic sector in which people hold their first job on their future employment career, as well as the variance attributed to working as a security guard during the Intifada, with the upturn in terror associated with it. The findings stress the role that policymakers should play for minimizing possible adverse effects on the earning trajectory and labor-market attachment of employed persons at a time of declining security and the emphasis and attention that should be given to persons employed in the security-guard industry at any time—due to the inferiority of permanent employment patterns in this industry in contrast to other industries—to minimize possible impairment to their earning trajectory and assure their long-term attachment to the labor market.

Biometry, shell resistance and attachment of zebra and quagga mussels at the beginning of their co-existence in large European lakes

In invasive dreissenid communities, the zebra mussel usually appears earlier and then is displaced by the quagga mussel. We analysed length-weight allometric relationships, attachment strength (2 days, 1 week and 1 month of exposure), shell crushing resistance and glycogen content across the entire size range of both species in large shallow European lakes where this displacement has recently occurred. In Lake Balaton (Hungary) and Ijsselmeer (The Netherlands), the soft tissue dry weight increment of zebra mussels per unit length decreased after the quagga mussel invasion and became lower than that of quagga mussels. In Lake Markermeer (the Netherlands), having relatively worse environmental conditions, dry weight increment per unit length was always higher in quagga mussels than in zebra mussels, but no negative change in dry weight increment occurred in zebra mussels during the quagga mussel invasion. Small zebra mussels had more resistant shells and stronger attachment than quagga mussels. These differences were reduced (shell hardness) or reversed (long-term attachment) in larger individuals. Zebra mussels had lower glycogen content than quagga mussels across the entire size range. Thus, the quagga mussel advantage over zebra mussel likely consists in the faster dry weight increment per unit length and higher storage product contents of the former, due to its lower investments in attachment strength and shell crushing resistance.

Long-term assessment of over-the-scope clip (OTSC) behavior after gastric application

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the long-term behavior of the over-the-scope clip (OTSC) after gastric application.Material and methods: A database of all patients who had OTSC placement with regular follow-up at a tertiary hospital between November 2013 and September 2016 was retrospectively analyzed. The incidence, time, and related adverse events of clip attachment and detachment were recorded. The relationship between the position of the clip and detachment was assessed by Fisher's exact test.Results: Seventy-two patients who had gastric OTSC placement due to iatrogenic perforations by endoscopic interventions were included in the study. The overall incidence of clip detachment was 27.8% (20/72). Fisher's exact test confirmed a significant association between clip detachment rate and clip position (p = .005): cardia 50% (3/6); gastric fundus 13.2% (5/38); gastric body 75% (9/16); and gastric antrum 25% (3/12). Except for one patient (5%; 1/20) who experienced minor gastric hemorrhage, there were no complications related to spontaneous clip detachment. There was no delayed bleeding, perforation, or obstruction due to clips staying in place in the long-term.Conclusions: Long-term gastric clip attachment appears to be safe even if spontaneous detachment occurs.