The aim of such rating systems is to systematically evaluate the performance of buildings from various aspects. There are six main assessment categories in LEED. Each category is assigned with some credits that will be awarded if the performance level is achieved. Four certification levels, from Certified to Platinum, will be awarded to the project based on the number of credits that are achieved [10] . According to Da Silva and Ruwanpura, LEED has been one of the leading green building rating systems [11] . Many studies have been conducted to improve the rating system by analyzing how credits are allocated [12] . For example, Da Silva and Ruwanpura reviewed the LEED projects in Canada and found that energy and atmosphere (EA) and materials and resources (MR) have relatively lower percentage of achievement when compared with other assessment categories [11] . Ma and Cheng found that two credits, i.e., the reuse of materials and the use of rapidly renewable materials, are rarely targeted [13] . One interesting finding from these studies is that LEED, unlike other green building systems, e.g., the Building Research Establishment Assessment Methodology (BREEAM), does not have national variants for local interpretation [14] . Da Silva and Ruwanpura found that there are differences in achieving some of the credits in LEED between United States (US) projects and Canadian projects [11] . Similarly, Cidell and Beata found that the lack of spatial consideration when designing the green building rating system may impede its implementation [15] . Through a detailed analysis of the LEED credits that are obtained by green buildings in the US, it is confirmed that various regions in the United States perform differently as demonstrated by the LEED scores [15] . As such, a major improvement in LEED 2009 is that regional differences are incorporated into selected LEED credits through either regional priority points or alternative compliance paths.

Four certification levels, from Certified to Platinum, will be awarded to the project based on the number of credits that are achieved.

According to Da Silva and Ruwanpura, LEED has been one of the leading green building rating systems.

Many studies have been conducted to improve the rating system by analyzing how credits are allocated.

For example, Da Silva and Ruwanpura reviewed the LEED projects in Canada and found that energy and atmosphere (EA) and materials and resources (MR) have relatively lower percentage of achievement when compared with other assessment categories.

Ma and Cheng found that two credits, i.e., the reuse of materials and the use of rapidly renewable materials, are rarely targeted.

One interesting finding from these studies is that LEED, unlike other green building systems, e.g., the Building Research Establishment Assessment Methodology (BREEAM), does not have national variants for local interpretation.

Da Silva and Ruwanpura found that there are differences in achieving some of the credits in LEED between United States (US) projects and Canadian projects.

Similarly, Cidell and Beata found that the lack of spatial consideration when designing the green building rating system may impede its implementation.

Through a detailed analysis of the LEED credits that are obtained by green buildings in the US, it is confirmed that various regions in the United States perform differently as demonstrated by the LEED scores.


However, it should be noted that previous studies have limitations. Many studies are conducted before the release of regional priority points and alternative compliance paths by the USGBC. As such, few studies have examined the effectiveness of such strategies, i.e., whether the implementation of regional priority points and alternative compliance paths helps address regional variations. In addition, many studies are conducted based on the LEED certified projects in the US. For example, Cidell and Beata used the ten Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regions to investigate the regional difference of LEED performance in the US [15] . It should be noted that non-US projects now accounts for almost 20% of all LEED certified projects [16] . Few studies have been conducted on assessing the global performance of LEED, which is a globally recognized rating system. More importantly, as central governments establish government-wide green building standard, it is important for them to understand the performance of LEED certified projects. Therefore, this paper aims to: (1) investigate the regional variations of LEED 2009 certified projects at the country level; (2) examine the effectiveness of regional priority credits in addressing regional priorities; and, (3) provide recommendations for the further improvement of LEED 2009. The results will be useful to assist developers for cross-country LEED implementation and establish appropriate management strategies to achieve desirable certification performance. This paper has the following structure. Section 2 provides a literature review on the LEED 2009 rating system, including the alternative compliance paths and regional priority credits that can affect regional adoption patterns. Section 3 presents the research method, including the sampling, data collection, and analysis methods. Section 4 discusses the results of the study, following the three research objectives and Section 5 discusses the implications of this study for developers and regulatory authorities and Section 6 concludes the research work.

For example, Cidell and Beata used the ten Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regions to investigate the regional difference of LEED performance in the US.

It should be noted that non-US projects now accounts for almost 20% of all LEED certified projects.

This paper has the following structure.


Building designers require accurate climate characterization and updated articulation of comfort boundary conditions for every project they design and build [1] . Controlling climatic conditions is one of the factors affecting human life, well-being and physical health. The essence of architectural design is to benefit from the favorite climate conditions in every project site using passive and bioclimatic design strategies to achieve thermal comfort with minimum use of active systems [2] . In most of the times, it is impossible to achieve summer and winter comfort in buildings using only passive and bioclimatic design measures. Therefore, mechanical engineers intervene to cover the cooling or heating demand periods using active system, such as heating and cooling system and mechanical ventilation. An essential step for architectural and mechanical engineers in the early design strategies is to define and understand the thermal comfort boundaries of their project to come up with fit to climate design strategies (passive or active) [3] . Givoni's Bioclimatic Chart (see Fig. 1 ) is one of the most used charts to characterize the climate for newly designed buildings [4] . Architects and engineers consider the use of bioclimatic and psychrometric charts as essential in building performance simulation tools to understand and visualize the climate in relation to thermal comfort. The Bioclimatic Chart is based on bioclimatology and aims to help designers to assess their design strategies and their impact on health and human thermal comfort.

Building designers require accurate climate characterization and updated articulation of comfort boundary conditions for every project they design and build.

The essence of architectural design is to benefit from the favorite climate conditions in every project site using passive and bioclimatic design strategies to achieve thermal comfort with minimum use of active systems.

An essential step for architectural and mechanical engineers in the early design strategies is to define and understand the thermal comfort boundaries of their project to come up with fit to climate design strategies (passive or active).

Givoni's Bioclimatic Chart (see Fig. 1 ) is one of the most used charts to characterize the climate for newly designed buildings.


This paper is organized into six sections. The first section identifies the research context and purpose. The second section is a literature review that defines the history of bioclimatic charts and their role to achieve thermal comfort and recommends climate responsive design strategies for architects and engineers. The literature review forms the basis for the calibration and statistical analysis and is discussed in the materials and method section (3) . The monitoring and analysis results are discussed in section four. The final two sections are discussing the findings and providing feedback to climatologist and building designers.

The literature review forms the basis for the calibration and statistical analysis and is discussed in the materials and method section.


Prostate cancer cells have a striking tendency to metastasize [1] . The development of novel therapeutic agents targeting the cell motility of prostate cancer cells is important for diminishing tumor metastasis. D-pinitol has various biological activities, such as anti-hyperlipidemic, antioxidant, cardioprotective and anti-inflammatory functions [14] [15] [16] . A recent study has shown that D-pinitol reduced metastasis of human lung cancer cells [19] . However, the anti-metastasis effects of D-pinitol on prostate cancer cells are mostly unknown. We found that D-pinitol inhibited cell migration and invasion at noncytotoxic concentrations (0 μM to 30 μM) in human prostate cancer cells. We also demonstrated that the downregulation of αvβ3 integrin, through the FAK, c-Src and NF-B pathways, is involved in D-pinitol-reduced cancer migration. D-pinitol possesses activities that target different molecules in many cancer systems. Importantly, the current study is the first demonstration that the anti-metastasis activity of pinitol is mediated through the modulation of integrin. Whether the same effect of pinitol applies to other cancer systems needs further examination; however, our results provide a better understanding of the effects of pinitol. The results from this study indicate D-pinitol is a potential lead base on anti-metastasis activity in human prostate cancer cells with desirable pharmacological properties.

Prostate cancer cells have a striking tendency to metastasize.

D-pinitol has various biological activities, such as anti-hyperlipidemic, antioxidant, cardioprotective and anti-inflammatory functions.

A recent study has shown that D-pinitol reduced metastasis of human lung cancer cells.


Tyrosinase, a multifunctional copper-containing enzyme, is widely distributed in fungi, plants and animals . Tyrosinase is involved in melanin production which might be responsible for some of the histopathological features exclusive to malignant cancer. Therefore, tyrosinase inhibitors may be clinically helpful in dealing with skin cancer (Momtaz et al., 2008) . Skin whitening is believed to be partly due to the inhibition of tyrosinase activity (Burdock et al., 2001; Hakozaki et al., 2002; Sugimoto et al., 2004) . Irrespective of the medicinal importance or therapeutic potential of P. nebrodensis, there have not been many studies on the antioxidant and antityrosinase properties. The objective of this study was to elucidate the antioxidant and antityrosinase activities of acetonic, methanolic and hot water extracts from the fruiting bodies of P. nebrodensis. Antioxidant activities were assayed including -carotenelinoleic acid, reducing power, scavenging effects on radicals, chelating effects on ferrous ions and xanthine oxidase. The contents of potential phenolic and flavonoid components were also determined.

Therefore, tyrosinase inhibitors may be clinically helpful in dealing with skin cancer.

Skin whitening is believed to be partly due to the inhibition of tyrosinase activity.


It is often advised to test an embedded system before connecting it to the real process, this way avoiding a potential instability or lack of robustness towards uncertainties of the model or communication. Therefore a high precision simulation by use of a special software becomes an essential step in any development process. For this, AMESim comes to play [2] .

For this, AMESim comes to play.


Another objective of the current work being to show the ease in implementation of the Takagi-Sugeno(TS) approach to deal with nonlinear systems [5] . This methodology has grown in interest in the last decade because of its structured character. The T-S model is easily obtained considering a sector nonlinearity technique [4] . Once constructed, the model presents itself as a blending of linear systems, that by means of their interrelations give a perfect estimation of the initial system.

Another objective of the current work being to show the ease in implementation of the Takagi-Sugeno(TS) approach to deal with nonlinear systems.

The T-S model is easily obtained considering a sector nonlinearity technique.


A special case of our main result can be formulated as follows. By an isomorphism between two Banach spaces X and Y we understand a bounded and invertible operator from X onto Y . We see that the range of a localization operator exhibits the same behavior as the multiplication operators. For the precise formulation with all assumptions stated we refer to Section 4. The above isomorphism theorem can also be intepreted as a lifting theorem, quite in analogy with the lifting property of Besov spaces [32] . However, whereas Besov spacesḂ p,q s with different smoothness s are isomorphic via Fourier multipliers, the case of modulation spaces is more subtle because in this case the time-frequency smoothness is parametrized by a weight function on R 2d rather than by a single numbers ∈ R. The lifting operators between modulation spaces are precisely the localization operators with the weight m.

The above isomorphism theorem can also be intepreted as a lifting theorem, quite in analogy with the lifting property of Besov spaces.


In contrast, in the PREVENCION study, ADMA and NMMA (N-MonoMethyl Arginine) were not associated with large artery stiffness [33] . The discrepancies between our analysis and PREVENCION study could be attributed to differences in study design and population characteristics. For example, the sample population in our analysis consisted of individuals with pre-diabetes, carrying a higher atherosclerotic burden. Moreover, in our study we investigated the correlation of cf-PWV with conventional risk factors after multivariate selection of variables including exercise, number of EPC, HOMA index, and use of antihypertensive or hypolipidemic treatment, which were not performed in the PREVEN-CION study.

In contrast, in the PREVENCION study, ADMA and NMMA (N-MonoMethyl Arginine) were not associated with large artery stiffness.


Semantic segmentation of scenes is a fundamental task in image understanding. It assigns a class label to each pixel of an image. Previously, most research works focus on outdoor scenarios [1] , [2] , [3] , [4] , [5] , [6] . Recently, the semantic segmentation of indoor images attracts increasing attention [7] , [8] , [3] , [9] , [10] , [11] , [12] , [13] , [14] , [15] . It is challenging due to many reasons, including randomness of object distribution, poor illumination, occlusion and so on. Fig. 1 shows an example of indoor scene segmentation.

Previously, most research works focus on outdoor scenarios.

Recently, the semantic segmentation of indoor images attracts increasing attention.


The third dataset was a subset of MPII-Cooking (Rohrbach et al. 2012) . The subset contains 233 video clips with spatial resolution 1624 × 1224. Each clip depicts a cooking activity lasting between 1 and 71 s at 30 fps. The 233 video clips constitute a total of 70,259 frames, and contain 7 distinct object classes, namely bowl, bread, grater, plate, spiceholder, squeezer, and tin. The original dataset is not provided with sentential annotation. Nonetheless, its video content does describe motion and changing spatial relations between objects. Thus we were able to annotate and use it for comparison with prior work.

The third dataset was a subset of MPII-Cooking.


The taxonomy of Australian mammals is unsettled, with at least 50 endemic species described since 1970. We established a checklist of species and subspecies recorded in Australia and its external territories, based on consensus among a group of taxonomists working actively with Australian mammals, and in part informed by a far more comprehensive taxonomic treatment of the Australian mammal fauna in preparation (Jackson and Groves in press). As evidence of the fluid nature of this taxonomy, six species of Australian endemic mammals (three bats (Mormopterus spp.) and three dasyurids (Antechinus spp.)) and a nearly-endemic coastal dolphin, Sousa sahulensis, have been described since 2012 (Baker et al. 2013; Baker et al. 2014; Baker et al. 2012; Jefferson and Rosenbaum 2014; Reardon et al. 2014) . The new Mormopterus species and the Sousa species were included in our review, but the new Antechinus were not considered, because their description post-dated our assessments.

As evidence of the fluid nature of this taxonomy, six species of Australian endemic mammals (three bats (Mormopterus spp.) and three dasyurids (Antechinus spp.)) and a nearly-endemic coastal dolphin, Sousa sahulensis, have been described since 2012.


As hypothesized, results suggest that school connectedness buffered the relationships between both subjective economic hardship and perceived general discrimination and depressive symptoms among Mexican-origin youth. Indeed, research has underscored the role of school connectedness as a protective factor against adolescents' depression among general adolescent populations (Joyce and Early 2014) . As such, it appears that feelings of attachment, commitment, and involvement in one's school may be sufficient to overcome discriminatory messages from outside of school or the negative impact of economic challenges. Again, however, to our knowledge, this study is the first to find this relationship among Mexican-origin adolescents. It is interesting to note that school connectedness did not serve as a protective factor against perceived school discrimination; it may be that additional feelings of attachment and involvement to school may serve as a risk factor when schools present as a source of negative discriminatory messages (Georgiades et al. 2013) .

Indeed, research has underscored the role of school connectedness as a protective factor against adolescents' depression among general adolescent populations.

It is interesting to note that school connectedness did not serve as a protective factor against perceived school discrimination; it may be that additional feelings of attachment and involvement to school may serve as a risk factor when schools present as a source of negative discriminatory messages.


Complex interactions of abiotic and biotic factors between substratum surface, biofilms and bulk water influence microbial composition in biofilms. Bacterial populations harboured in biofilms are unevenly distributed. Reductions in microbial activities during treatment process, from surface water to drinking water have been previously observed, not only in bulk fluid but also in biofilms [5, 6] . Molecular monitoring of biofilm microbiota from source to tap indicates significant changes in bacterial composition [14] . Less is known about the distribution and dynamics of microorganisms involved in different physiological processes during drinking water processing. Investigations into the occurrence of corrosion-inducing bacteria in water systems have been performed, with respect to SRB, iron and manganese bacteria [15, 16] . A previous assessment of biofilms developed within the drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) of Cluj revealed high numbers of heterotrophic bacteria and microorganisms belonging to different ecophysiological groups [17] .

Reductions in microbial activities during treatment process, from surface water to drinking water have been previously observed, not only in bulk fluid but also in biofilms.

Molecular monitoring of biofilm microbiota from source to tap indicates significant changes in bacterial composition.

Investigations into the occurrence of corrosion-inducing bacteria in water systems have been performed, with respect to SRB, iron and manganese bacteria.

A previous assessment of biofilms developed within the drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) of Cluj revealed high numbers of heterotrophic bacteria and microorganisms belonging to different ecophysiological groups.


As it is well known the Lagrangian points of a gravitationally bound twobody system are a feature of Newtonian gravity. Unlike General Relativity (GR) Newton's gravity admits analytic solutions for the two-body problem; furthermore, looking for the positions, on the joint orbital plane, where the attraction of both bodies on a negligible mass test particle counterbalances exactly the centrifugal force, one finds five points where such a condition is fulfilled, with an orbital angular velocity coinciding with that of the two main bodies around their common center of mass. The traditional labelling of the five points is L 1 , L 2 , L 3 , L 4 , L 5 and the geometry of the system is as sketched in Fig. 1 . Three points (L 1 , L 2 , L 3 ) are saddle points of the effective potential; in other words, the equilibrium there is unstable, however in the case of the Sun/Earth pair the instability is very mild. The remaining two points (L 4 and L 5 ) are real local minima so the equilibrium there is stable, though corresponding to a shallow potential well. When coming to a relativistic approach, even though we may guess that the situation is marginally or even negligibly different from the Newtonian case, the existence of Lagrangian points is a priori not guaranteed so that the problem needs a careful discussion. Hopefully the final conclusion is indeed that libration points (Lagrange points) still exist also in a relativistic 2 plus 1 body configuration, at least in a range of masses including the Sun/Earth pair, even though no closed solution is available for the position of such points [1] .

Hopefully the final conclusion is indeed that libration points (Lagrange points) still exist also in a relativistic 2 plus 1 body configuration, at least in a range of masses including the Sun/Earth pair, even though no closed solution is available for the position of such points.


Despite the concerns and the high recommended BMP doses, recombinant BMPs continue to be used in humans on a large scale. In addition to the United States, OP-1 has been approved in 28 other countries, including Canada, Australia, and the European Union [27] . Although contraindicated in children, BMPs have been used off-label in some difficult nonunions in children [2, 7, 11, 20, 23] . In these cases, the benefits of using BMPs may outweigh the abovementioned concerns. Very few studies on the use of BMPs in children have been reported. Although the healing rate of these studies varied between 20 and 100%, it is difficult to draw conclusions from these studies because they include small sample sizes ranging from one to five patients [2, 7, 11, 20, 23] .

In addition to the United States, OP-1 has been approved in 28 other countries, including Canada, Australia, and the European Union.

Although contraindicated in children, BMPs have been used off-label in some difficult nonunions in children.

Although the healing rate of these studies varied between 20 and 100%, it is difficult to draw conclusions from these studies because they include small sample sizes ranging from one to five patients.


Figures 1 and 2 feature PBA linked through an amide bridge to a general group R. For the simplest hydrogels, R is an α-methylated vinyl group, and the resulting monomer is 3-methacrylamidophenylboronic acid (MPBA), which is polymerized into the hydrogel. The pKa for polymerized MPBA is approximately 8.5 [8] . The crosslink/shrink mechanism for glucose occurs in alkaline media above this pKa, so it is not directly relevant to glucose sensing in vivo. Two strategies have been considered to lower the pKa of PBA. One is to introduce electron withdrawing groups such as nitro-, sulfonyl-and carboxyl groups on the benzene ring [10, 23] . The other strategy is to place amine groups near the PBA moiety. In the latter case, an amine comonomer is copolymerized with the PBA-containing monomer, leading to a random copolymer structure [30] [31] [32] . The lone pair on the nitrogen in this neighboring amine group acts similarly to the hydroxide ion in the Lewis acid/base reaction described previously, associating with the unfilled sp 2 orbital on the boron and lowering pKa to around pH 7, as shown in Figure 3 . This strategy improves glucose sensitivity at physiological pH and the specificity toward glucose molecules against other sugar molecules. In this paper we present a study of the joint effects of pH and sugar concentration on free hydrogel swelling, for copolymers containing acrylamide (AAm), MPBA, and the crosslinker methylenebisacrylamide (Bis), and for terpolymers containing AAm, MPBA, N,N'-3-dimethylaminopropylmethacrylamide (DMP), and Bis. We have selected fructose and glucose for these studies, the results of which may guide those who wish to build sensors containing these hydrogels.

The pKa for polymerized MPBA is approximately 8.5.

One is to introduce electron withdrawing groups such as nitro-, sulfonyl-and carboxyl groups on the benzene ring.

In the latter case, an amine comonomer is copolymerized with the PBA-containing monomer, leading to a random copolymer structure.


Tissue engineering is promising therapeutic strategies for the repairment of diseased or injured tissues and organs [19] . There are three elements in tissue engineering, including scaffolds, seeding cells, and cytokines. Scaffolds play an essential role, because they not only supported and regulated the growth of cells, but also guided the ingrowth of periphery tissue [20] [21] [22] . The osteogenesis and angiogenesis abilities of scaffolds have been significantly developed [21] . The advantage of biocompatibility and osteoinduction of microstructured calcium phosphate materials has been shown before [23, 24] . Similar to the natural cancellous bone in main composition and in hierarchical microstructure, a new bionic porous scaffold, nHAC/PLA composite, has been fabricated before [9] . Its pore size was about 100-300 m, and its porosity was about 80%. Cellular activities were affected by chemical composition, conformation, porosity, and hydrophobicity of matrix [25] . The osteogenesis ability of nHAC/PLA composites were confirmed by osteoblasts culture and animal model tests [9] . But its vascularization ability did not have been estimated before. This might decide its availability for repairing large bone defects. In this study, we first demonstrated that it could guide vessels' ingrowth in vivo to achieve its vascularization.

Tissue engineering is promising therapeutic strategies for the repairment of diseased or injured tissues and organs.

Scaffolds play an essential role, because they not only supported and regulated the growth of cells, but also guided the ingrowth of periphery tissue.

The osteogenesis and angiogenesis abilities of scaffolds have been significantly developed.

The advantage of biocompatibility and osteoinduction of microstructured calcium phosphate materials has been shown before.

Similar to the natural cancellous bone in main composition and in hierarchical microstructure, a new bionic porous scaffold, nHAC/PLA composite, has been fabricated before.

Cellular activities were affected by chemical composition, conformation, porosity, and hydrophobicity of matrix.

The osteogenesis ability of nHAC/PLA composites were confirmed by osteoblasts culture and animal model tests.


Beyond that, a measure of performance can support designers to distinguish between different turbine designs for a particular application. For this purpose, efficiency as a dimensionless measure of dissipation traditionally provides a simple indicator. The proposed concept of apparent efficiency in this work defines a mapping between steady-state and unsteady performance. The significance of this concept is that the compressor operation at constant load points under unsteady engine conditions can still be reliably predicted by steady-state maps [15] .

The significance of this concept is that the compressor operation at constant load points under unsteady engine conditions can still be reliably predicted by steady-state maps.


Another factor to be considered is the role of pesticides, whether occupational exposure of parents or exposure of children in the home. Also, we must not lose sight of the activities that Hispanic immigrants in the U.S.A. may perform, such as those related to the cultivation of crops, especially in areas of Texas where a higher frequency of ALL has been reported [34] . In Mexico City, the major zones with highest incidence rate of ALL are the zones in the South of the City where a portion of the population still carries out agricultural activities [8] . In a study carried out in Mexico City, an important relation was found between exposure to pesticides and the risk of developing AL [35] . In an ecological study realized in California, in which 36% of the cases with cancer were Hispanic children, it was found that the use of "Propargite", a pesticide used primarily in orchards and vineyards to control mites, was related to the higher rates of childhood leukemia [36] .

Also, we must not lose sight of the activities that Hispanic immigrants in the U.S.A. may perform, such as those related to the cultivation of crops, especially in areas of Texas where a higher frequency of ALL has been reported.

In Mexico City, the major zones with highest incidence rate of ALL are the zones in the South of the City where a portion of the population still carries out agricultural activities.

In a study carried out in Mexico City, an important relation was found between exposure to pesticides and the risk of developing AL.

In an ecological study realized in California, in which 36% of the cases with cancer were Hispanic children, it was found that the use of "Propargite", a pesticide used primarily in orchards and vineyards to control mites, was related to the higher rates of childhood leukemia.


Since the late 1950s, many research works have been devoted to hydrolytic aging of PAs e.g. [1e9] . This type of chemical aging is now fairly well understood [10] . Recently, a heuristic kinetic model has been derived from the classical mechanistic scheme for reversible hydrolysis in order to access to the molecular and macromolecular changes (against time of exposure), but also to the consequences of these changes on morphology and fracture properties [10] . Now, a new challenge is to determine and elucidate the relationships between PAs structure and rate constants of hydrolysis and condensation reactions by using the kinetic model as an inverse method.

This type of chemical aging is now fairly well understood.

Recently, a heuristic kinetic model has been derived from the classical mechanistic scheme for reversible hydrolysis in order to access to the molecular and macromolecular changes (against time of exposure), but also to the consequences of these changes on morphology and fracture properties.


The testosterone findings are consistent with this interpretation. After Election Day, relative to individuals low in SDO, those higher in SDO exhibited higher testosterone morning values. Previous work has shown that dominant individuals do not automatically or necessarily submit to defeat. They may redouble efforts to threaten and regain dominance-a response associated with testosterone increases (Mehta & Josephs, 2006; Sapolsky, 1986) . In the context of the present work, it seems that lower SDO participants withdrew efforts once they won the election while higher SDO participants redoubled their efforts to fight back. This possibility is especially intriguing when considering findings that Republicans exhibited decreases in testosterone moments after the election outcome was announced. It may be that Republicans submitted to defeat in the moment but that those high in SDO (a loose subset of Republicans) were ready to fight back soon thereafter, days after the election.

They may redouble efforts to threaten and regain dominance-a response associated with testosterone increases.


Word acquisition by grounding words to visual entities has been studied in many language grounding systems. For example, given speech paired with video images of single objects, mutual information between audio and visual signals was used to acquire words by associating acoustic phone sequences with the visual prototypes (e.g., color, size, shape) of objects (Roy and Pentland, 2002) . Generative models were used to acquire words by associating words with image regions given parallel data of pictures and description text (Barnard et al., 2003) . Different from these works, in our work, the visual attention foci accompanying speech are indicated by eye gaze. Eye gaze is an implicit and subconscious input, which brings additional challenges in word acquisition.

For example, given speech paired with video images of single objects, mutual information between audio and visual signals was used to acquire words by associating acoustic phone sequences with the visual prototypes (e.g., color, size, shape) of objects.

Generative models were used to acquire words by associating words with image regions given parallel data of pictures and description text.


In the present paper, we shall study the zero-electron-mass limit since few works can be found in mathematics literatures, except [1, 6] . We focus on the case of ill-prepared data and hope to get the global convergence of classical solutions. We make a weaker assumption that the initial density only satisfies n 0 =n + ǫn 0,1 with (n 0,1 , v 0 ) uniformly bounded (in an appropriate functional space).

In the present paper, we shall study the zero-electron-mass limit since few works can be found in mathematics literatures, except.


In this paper we described and evaluated the first results about the use of a 'Game with a Purpose' for annotating word senses. Although the amount of data obtained for each question is still relatively small (the largest amount of answers given to a reasonably sized amount of questions was 6), the results on precision and recall compared to the gold standard annotation are promising. We proposed several measures for determining the winning answer of a question, and compared them with respect to the precision and recall results. In this paper we focused on obtaining high precision scores, because the goal of the project is to obtain gold standard annotations which can be used to improve the Groningen Meaning Bank (Basile et al., 2012) . Future work will focus on obtaining larger amounts of data and evaluating the annotations as part of an integration into the GMB. Moreover, this method for obtaining annotations will be applied and evaluated with respect to other linguistic phenomena, such as named entity tagging, noun-noun compound interpretation, and co-reference resolution.

In this paper we focused on obtaining high precision scores, because the goal of the project is to obtain gold standard annotations which can be used to improve the Groningen Meaning Bank.


One very important but often neglected issue in the selection of priors is to examine the consistency of resulting posteriors in the frequentist sense. We will provide a formal definition in Section 2, but in plain language, this means that as one accumulates more and more samples, the posterior distribution of the parameter under consideration gets closer and closer to its true value, eventually becoming degenerate at this point in the limit. Recently, the notion of posterior consistency has also been considered in nonparametric settings (Barron et al., 1999; Ghosal et al., 2000) .

Recently, the notion of posterior consistency has also been considered in nonparametric settings.


It is estimated that nearly 14000 adults will be diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in the US in 2012, and about 10000 will die from leukemia (SEER database, NCI). The fact that the median age at diagnosis ranges between 67 and 70 years, significantly complicates therapeutic options because of the reduced ability of elderly patients to tolerate intensive combination chemotherapy and the high incidence of co-morbid conditions. Despite advances in supportive care and optimization of treatment regimen, the 5-year survival for adults with AML is only about 20-25 % (SEER database NCI). The treatment of patients over the age of 60 is particularly challenging and results in median survival of \1 year with low rates of complete responses (CR) to therapy and high relapse rates in those who do achieve a CR. Adult patients with AML who are candidates for intensive therapy are treated with the combination of cytarabine and daunorubicin (or idarubicin), a regimen that was first introduced in the 1970s and is typically followed by three to four cycles of consolidation with high dose cytarabine or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Recent studies have shown improved outcomes with intensified doses of daunorubicin, highlighting that ongoing optimization of standard treatments can lead to substantial improvements in the treatment of acute leukemias [1] . Patients who are not expected to tolerate intensive chemotherapy, such as individuals over the age of 60, oftenAPL will not be covered in this review and the reader is referred elsewhere for review of this literature [3, 4] .

Recent studies have shown improved outcomes with intensified doses of daunorubicin, highlighting that ongoing optimization of standard treatments can lead to substantial improvements in the treatment of acute leukemias.

Patients who are not expected to tolerate intensive chemotherapy, such as individuals over the age of 60, oftenAPL will not be covered in this review and the reader is referred elsewhere for review of this literature.


The presence of 20E in P. glomerata is interesting since this compound may have agrochemical, biotechnological, medicinal, and pharmaceutical uses as well as a role in plant physiology (Festucci-Buselli et al., 2008) . However, 20E temporal and spatial distributions are still unknown in this species. This information is important to estimate the ecological, physiological, and biochemical functions of 20E. The P. glomerata accession 13, which showed the highest root 20E quantity among 71 available accessions in our germoplasm bank, was chosen for a temporal and spatial analysis of 20E percentage using HPLC.

The presence of 20E in P. glomerata is interesting since this compound may have agrochemical, biotechnological, medicinal, and pharmaceutical uses as well as a role in plant physiology.


The increasing progress of information and prevalence of internet in the 21st century has forced the e-commerce to develop in a world-wide range. In 2012, B2C e-commerce sales grew 21.1% to top $1 trillion for the first time in history in the whole world [1] . Comparing with traditional commerce, customers are more liable to return goods under e-commerce environment. Note that many customer returns online account for 35% of original orders [2, 3] . Therefore, logistics systems as an important support system in ecommerce need to be adjusted and improved. To adapt to the reality of e-commerce market environment, it is critical to conduct the research on the reverse logistics network and highly integrated logistics process.

In 2012, B2C e-commerce sales grew 21.1% to top $1 trillion for the first time in history in the whole world.

Note that many customer returns online account for 35% of original orders.


Between lipids dominants triglycerides (99%). Heterolipids are in less capacity, especially phospholipids and cholesterol. The lipids present to the consumer a highly concentrated source of energy, approximately 2 times larger than the proteins and carbohydrates. Food in Central European countries, including Slovakia is rich in lipids. Lipid from meat and meat products contributes to daily intake of about 25% energy (Staruch et al., 2005) .

Lipid from meat and meat products contributes to daily intake of about 25% energy.


Alternatively, researchers have developed finite element analysis (FEA) based models [9] . Finite element models are capable of estimating localized strains on a deformed wing for each mode shape. However, FEA models are limited to infinitesimal rotation and cannot describe the entire timedependent strain response of a flapping wing. The large rigid body motion and rotation of the wing generate a time-varying stiffness matrix K(t). The implication of this is that the wing will have to be re-meshed during each time step of the analysis, resulting in a larger number of degrees of freedom. The significant number of degrees of freedom makes a direct FEA model computationally impractical. Physical insights, such as the contribution of gyroscopic forces, may also be lost.

Alternatively, researchers have developed finite element analysis (FEA) based models.


Recurrent and metastatic sarcomas are a rare and heterogeneous group of diseases. With well over 70 subtypes, the exact diagnosis alone can be challenging to make [1] . When sarcomas progress beyond efficacious local control, the standard practice with few notable exceptions is to treat with cytotoxic agents until progression or intolerance [2] . Unfortunately, these cytotoxic agents yield overall response rates of around 25% [3, 4] . Over the last three decades recurrent translocations have been found that drive the development of certain sarcomas and are now used as an adjunctive diagnostic tool [5, 6] . Unfortunately, in clinical practice most sarcoma therapies are not yet targeting these unique and simple fusions. While the transcription factor fusions pose an enormous drug development challenge, the kinase fusions are potentially targetable with current technology. A notable exception is non-fusion genomic alterations in kinases, with gastrointestinal stromal tumors serving as the paradigm of druggable c-Kit alterations by imatinib [7, 8] . A separate sub-group of sarcomas have complex cytogenetic changes hallmarked by genomic instability and are not characterized by discrete gene fusions [9] .

With well over 70 subtypes, the exact diagnosis alone can be challenging to make.

When sarcomas progress beyond efficacious local control, the standard practice with few notable exceptions is to treat with cytotoxic agents until progression or intolerance.

Unfortunately, these cytotoxic agents yield overall response rates of around 25%.

Over the last three decades recurrent translocations have been found that drive the development of certain sarcomas and are now used as an adjunctive diagnostic tool.

A notable exception is non-fusion genomic alterations in kinases, with gastrointestinal stromal tumors serving as the paradigm of druggable c-Kit alterations by imatinib.

A separate sub-group of sarcomas have complex cytogenetic changes hallmarked by genomic instability and are not characterized by discrete gene fusions.


It is known that the reverse shortest path problem on trees under the sum-type Hamming distance is NP-hard [16] . In this article, we studied the special cases of the problem which are polynomially solvable. First, we considered the case with uniform lengths and showed that this problem can be transformed to a minimum cost flow problem. We also proposed an efficient algorithm for the special case with unform lengths as well as uniform penalties. Finally, we considered the problem without nonnegativity restrictions and showed that the problem can be reduced to a minimum cut problem on a tree-like network and consequently, it can be solved in linear time.

It is known that the reverse shortest path problem on trees under the sum-type Hamming distance is NP-hard.


The second result is interested because the RSP problem on trees under the l 1 norm is polynomially solvable [20] . This is a reason why the behaviour of the RSP problem under the Hamming distances is different from that of the problem under norms. An alternative reason is that the Hamming distances unlike to norms are nonconvex and discontinuous. Therefore, the known approaches for norms cannot be applied for solving the RSP problem under the Hamming distances.

The second result is interested because the RSP problem on trees under the l 1 norm is polynomially solvable.


A comparison has been made between over-heated, tri-axially compressed foam with a positive Poisson's ratio and NPR foam converted within the required time & temperature windows. Density was comparable, but NPR foam had lower compressive modulus [28] . The NPR foam required more force to compress with an indenter than the over-heated sample (when normalised to compressive modulus). Indenter shape (x, Equation (3)) was not included in the normalisation and changes to linearity and isotropy were not clarified. There is, therefore, scope to experimentally confirm indentation theory (Equation (3)) in NPR foams.

Density was comparable, but NPR foam had lower compressive modulus.


The combinations of heat and time that produced stable samples (Figure 2a ) with the highest magnitude NPR (~−0.3) in tension and compression were 140 °C for 60 min and 160 °C for 20 min (Figure 2b,c) . Further work could refine conversion protocols in order to fabricate foams with more consistent and higher magnitudes of both positive and negative Poisson's ratio than presented here. For both heating times, a positive Poisson's ratio (Figure 2b,c) was only present in compression in samples towards the highest conversion temperature of 180 °C, although the tensile NPRs of 'overheated' samples were lower in magnitude (between 0 and −0.1) than samples converted at lower temperatures or for shorter times. Further work fabricating samples with different levels of compression, more combinations of temperature and time and with multi-phase conversions are options to attain greater differences in Poisson's ratio while further controlling density and modulus. An alternative could be to improve the consistency of anisotropic foam fabrications giving modulus in one axis and density comparable to unconverted open cell foam [31] .

An alternative could be to improve the consistency of anisotropic foam fabrications giving modulus in one axis and density comparable to unconverted open cell foam.


From the perspective of power flow between the engine, the motor/generators (MGs) and the vehicle driveshaft, HEVs are generally divided into three types: series, parallel, and power-split. Among all three types, the power-split type, which uses planetary gear (PG) sets, has dominant market share [2] . This is mainly because the engine in the power-split HEV is decoupled from the vehicle speeds and can operate efficiently while much of the power flows in the mechanical path and is, thus, efficient. Therefore, about 85% of HEV and PHEV market share in the US is occupied by power-split HEVs [2] .

Among all three types, the power-split type, which uses planetary gear (PG) sets, has dominant market share.

Therefore, about 85% of HEV and PHEV market share in the US is occupied by power-split HEVs.


The design and fabrication of a twDEP 'lab-on-a-chip' device for bioparticle detection have been presented. An optical system has been designed capable of detecting particles moving within a twDEP device either using light scattering or fluorescence. The detection sensitivity of the system is primarily limited by the spatial positioning of the optical windows within the channel and to a lesser extent the photodiode sensitivity, which could be increased by making the channel narrower at the detection point. Such a method has been developed to count single particles where electrokinetic methods were used to control fluid movement [19] . Several different cell types could be simultaneously detected and counted by using a panel of fluorescent antibodies and exciting fluorescence using different wavelengths of light. The fabrication methods described in this paper could be used to develop miniaturized particle diagnostic systems where counting and/or sorting of cells (including fluorescently labelled) is required.

Such a method has been developed to count single particles where electrokinetic methods were used to control fluid movement.


Unhealthy dietary style is one of the most important public health issues to be tackled. Given that past research has identified what makes a recipe healthy, future efforts should pay attention to the development of data-driven systems which can transform such healthy recipes into any given dietary style. Then a scientifically proven healthy dietary style could be acceptable in accordance with a user's unique food preferences. Also, with growing diversity in personal food preference and dietary style, such an algorithm might be of In this regard, this study adds two important contributions to the literature. First, this is to the best of our knowledge, the first study to identify a recipe's mixture of dietary country/regional styles from the large number of recipes around the world. Previous studies have focused on assessing degree of adherence to a single dietary pattern. For example, Mediterranean Diet Score is one of the most popular diet scores. This method uses 11 main items (e.g., fruit, vegetable, olive oil, and wine) as criteria for assessing the degree of one's Mediterranean style [11] . However, in this era, it is becoming difficult to identify a recipe's dietary style with specific country/regional style. For example, should Fish Provencal, whose recipe name is suggestive of Southern France, be cast as French style? The answer is mixture of different country styles: 32% French; 26% Italian; and 38% Spanish (see Figure 3) . Furthermore, our identification algorithm can be used to assess the degree of personal dietary style mixture, using the user's daily eating pattern as inputs. For example, when one enters the recipes that one has eaten in the past week into the algorithm, the probability values of each country would be returned, which shows the mixture of dietary styles of one's daily eating pattern. As such, a future research direction would be developing algorithms that can transform personal dietary patterns to a healthier style by providing a series of recipes that are in accordance with one's unique food preferences.

This method uses 11 main items (e.g., fruit, vegetable, olive oil, and wine) as criteria for assessing the degree of one's Mediterranean style.


Doppler-free spectroscopy in Yb for frequency stabilisation of 556 nm light has been reported previously, but without reference to detail [3] . We also note that there is recent discussion about coherent population trapping (CPT) with the intercombination line in 174 Yb [27, 28] . A characteristic that we share with these CPT investigations is that there is saturation of the transition by both pump and probe fields. Our observation of an inverted crossover resonance may be the first for a group II atom.

Doppler-free spectroscopy in Yb for frequency stabilisation of 556 nm light has been reported previously, but without reference to detail.

We also note that there is recent discussion about coherent population trapping (CPT) with the intercombination line in 174 Yb.


The therapists involved, while confirming that the instrument is sensitive enough to capture the main aspects of their clinical practice, added a few suggestions about possible improvements. In line with their background and clinical practice, therapists suggested items related to the work with adolescents' parents and their "enlarged psychic space" (Jeammet 1980) . In their opinion, additional items could also concern the theme of future (e.g. "Future is a focus of the session", or "The therapist encourages the adolescent to think about his/her future") and assertiveness (e.g. "The adolescent feels empowered"; "The therapist encourages the young person to take an active role in his or her life").

In line with their background and clinical practice, therapists suggested items related to the work with adolescents' parents and their "enlarged psychic space".


Since the introduction of the 12-gene colon cancer assay, two additional colon cancer genomic assays have become available. Both of these assays-ColoPrint (Agendia NV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) and ColDx assay (Almac Diagnostics, Craigavon, Northern Ireland)-use microarray technology for assessing the gene expression of 18 and 634 genes, respectively, and stratify patients into low and high recurrence risk groups [22] [23] [24] [25] . Both assays have been clinically validated using retrospective cohort studies (level IIIC or IV evidence [19] ).

Both of these assays-ColoPrint (Agendia NV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) and ColDx assay (Almac Diagnostics, Craigavon, Northern Ireland)-use microarray technology for assessing the gene expression of 18 and 634 genes, respectively, and stratify patients into low and high recurrence risk groups.

Both assays have been clinically validated using retrospective cohort studies (level IIIC or IV evidence).


Among our most important tools are the so-called 'Rouquier blocks,' which have played an increasingly prominent rôle in the representation theory of the symmetric groups in recent years. These are blocks defined for any weight and any characteristic which have certain nice properties. In particular, there exists an explicit description of their Ext 1 -quivers (in the case where the defect group is Abelian), due to Chuang and the second author [3] . This enables our main theorem to be verified immediately for Rouquier blocks, and we make significant use of this result in proving the main theorem in general. Our other important tools are the Mullineux map and Kleshchev's modular branching rules.

In particular, there exists an explicit description of their Ext 1 -quivers (in the case where the defect group is Abelian), due to Chuang and the second author.


Correctly identifying the nature and extent of the deterministic trend, if any exists, is also crucial in the estimation of the carbon Kuznets curve, which postulates an inverted U-shaped relationship between per capita CO 2 emissions and per capita income (Wagner, 2008) . Evidence for the inverted U-shaped relationship between the two variables can be falsely identied if the estimated model fails to dierentiate the emission-income relationship and the emission-time relationship (Vollebergh et al., 2009) . To this end, our study also provides a rst, but critical, step towards the correct estimation of the carbon Kuznets curve.

Correctly identifying the nature and extent of the deterministic trend, if any exists, is also crucial in the estimation of the carbon Kuznets curve, which postulates an inverted U-shaped relationship between per capita CO 2 emissions and per capita income.

Evidence for the inverted U-shaped relationship between the two variables can be falsely identied if the estimated model fails to dierentiate the emission-income relationship and the emission-time relationship.


To make the meaning of "effective" precise, we have assumed in the theorem that one can compute certain natural quantities described in Section 3.2. An explicit description of the higher-dimensional part of Z is given in Theorem 14. If X = C is a curve, then Theorem 1 (with m = 1) is easily seen to be equivalent to the following theorem of Bilu [6] .

If X = C is a curve, then Theorem 1 (with m = 1) is easily seen to be equivalent to the following theorem of Bilu.


The substantial literature linking residence in a disadvantaged neighborhoods and exposure to community crime with adolescent externalizing behavior has yet to clarify the relationship between specific exposure types (direct victimization, witnessing violent perpetration of others) and aggressive outcomes among early adolescent boys and girls [6, 27, 28] . Maladaptive coping, chronic stress, and peer influences account for some of the variance in youth aggression in high crime areas; however if youth living in criminogenic environments are sufficiently rewarded for using aggressive tactics, they may perceive socially aggressive strategies as valuable, preferable, and even pleasurable [18, 29] . We investigated four facets of exposure to past-year community and their association with the frequency of past-week aggression: (1) having a relative or friend who was violently attacked, (2) being a direct witness to gun violence, (3) being afraid to go outside due to violence or gang activity, and (4) having to hide due to gun violence in the neighborhood.

The substantial literature linking residence in a disadvantaged neighborhoods and exposure to community crime with adolescent externalizing behavior has yet to clarify the relationship between specific exposure types (direct victimization, witnessing violent perpetration of others) and aggressive outcomes among early adolescent boys and girls.

Maladaptive coping, chronic stress, and peer influences account for some of the variance in youth aggression in high crime areas; however if youth living in criminogenic environments are sufficiently rewarded for using aggressive tactics, they may perceive socially aggressive strategies as valuable, preferable, and even pleasurable.


The direct association between witnessing gun violence and past week aggression, when controlling for peer and family factors, suggests that firsthand gun violence exposure may have a unique, independent influence on an adolescent's externalizing behaviors. This association has important implications given that recent work highlighted the intersection of these factors (exposure to community violence, gang membership, and aggressive or violent behavior) and elevated risk of youth gun carrying for either offensive or defensive purposes [56] . Fear of gun violence was also associated with subjective perceptions of future involvement in interpersonal violence. School programs that can effectively address the trauma associated with neighborhood gun violence and provide students skills to improve social cohesion and resilience may be important considerations in efforts to reduce the frequency of aggressive behavior on and off campus.

This association has important implications given that recent work highlighted the intersection of these factors (exposure to community violence, gang membership, and aggressive or violent behavior) and elevated risk of youth gun carrying for either offensive or defensive purposes.


The considerable variability in victimization and perpetration among youth living in high risk settings suggests that some children have greater internal and external sources of resilience that promote the adoption of behavioral patterns that facilitate greater adaptability in distressed neighborhood contexts [55] . Because lower social self-control was associated with both girls' and boys' aggression, promoting social selfregulation to mitigate the risk of personal injury in neighborhood contexts that challenge inter-and intrapersonal development requires further investigation. If students are taught to appropriately interpret and respond to social cues, reduce reactivity to perceived slights, and regulate their social behavior, prevention programs could potentially reduce the prevalence of interpersonal aggression and delay or prevent selection into more deviant peer groups.

The considerable variability in victimization and perpetration among youth living in high risk settings suggests that some children have greater internal and external sources of resilience that promote the adoption of behavioral patterns that facilitate greater adaptability in distressed neighborhood contexts.


Low self-control is a significant risk for a host of intra-and interpersonal problems and a primary causal mechanism in the etiology of aggression [41, 42] . Social disinhibition, or the inability to regulate speech and actions in social situations, can lead to more antagonistic interpersonal relationships and may be a specific dimension of self-control. The failure to adhere to acceptable forms of interaction could be particularly risky in violent neighborhoods where codified behavioral norms may function as informal social controls that reduce the prevalence of spontaneous violent incidents. Therefore, the social self-control measure used in the present study assesses the degree to which an individual exhibits problematic social behaviors and may be a useful and relevant construct for prevention purposes.

Low self-control is a significant risk for a host of intra-and interpersonal problems and a primary causal mechanism in the etiology of aggression.


Every year over 600,000 teenagers are treated in emergency rooms for assault-related injuries and 20-40% of school age children are bullied on school property [1] . Perpetration statistics indicate that between 30-40% of boys and 16-30% of girls have committed a violent offense by the time they are 17 years old, 30% report having been in a physical fight within the last year, and between 700,000 and 1,000,000 youth have been identified as gang members [1, 2] . Data suggest that urban minority youth living in distressed communities are at significantly greater risk for violent victimization (e.g., being in fights, being injured in a fight, or being threatened with a weapon at school), violence perpetration, and gang affiliation than their non-Hispanic white peers [1, 3, 4] . Although these disparities are due in part to structural inequities they highlight the need for ongoing investigations to identify modifiable risk factors that can be addressed in prevention and intervention programs.

Every year over 600,000 teenagers are treated in emergency rooms for assault-related injuries and 20-40% of school age children are bullied on school property.

Perpetration statistics indicate that between 30-40% of boys and 16-30% of girls have committed a violent offense by the time they are 17 years old, 30% report having been in a physical fight within the last year, and between 700,000 and 1,000,000 youth have been identified as gang members.

Data suggest that urban minority youth living in distressed communities are at significantly greater risk for violent victimization (e.g., being in fights, being injured in a fight, or being threatened with a weapon at school), violence perpetration, and gang affiliation than their non-Hispanic white peers.


Boys' aggression, on the other hand, was associated with low levels of social self-control and having friends with gang affiliations. Prior investigations into boys' violent behavior trajectories have documented significant facilitation effectsabove and beyond selection effects-of delinquent peers on aggression [52] [53] [54] . Our findings are not able to parse out peer selection effects (i.e., adolescents seeking out friends whose level of violence they wish to emulate) from facilitation effects (i.e., adolescents becoming more violent as a result of interacting with violent peers) although the role of social self-control in these processes is a noteworthy area for future research and prevention programming. The gender differences observed in the current study suggest that gender specific interventions may be more effective than universal programs. Possible intervention programs for boys should provide cognitive and affective tools that can encourage awareness and understanding of the influence of community settings on social behavior, decision-making, and the development of perceptions that encourage the adoption of aggressive and violent behaviors to effect lasting behavior change.

Prior investigations into boys' violent behavior trajectories have documented significant facilitation effectsabove and beyond selection effects-of delinquent peers on aggression.


As youth enter adolescence peer relationships become progressively more important, serve as primary sources of information, and become increasingly influential in establishing social and behavioral norms [21, 22] . Friendship influences are complex although children with limited social skills are at highest risk for rejection by their more normatively oriented peers. This social exclusion often precedes bonding with youth more tolerant of antisocial behavior who may encourage, or even promote, the use of aggressive tactics in peer interactions [23] . Deviant peer groups are a robust predictor of current aggression and a critical component in the developmental trajectories of violent offenders [24] [25] [26] . We assessed the presence of risky peer relationships by measuring peers' gang association.

As youth enter adolescence peer relationships become progressively more important, serve as primary sources of information, and become increasingly influential in establishing social and behavioral norms.

This social exclusion often precedes bonding with youth more tolerant of antisocial behavior who may encourage, or even promote, the use of aggressive tactics in peer interactions.

Deviant peer groups are a robust predictor of current aggression and a critical component in the developmental trajectories of violent offenders.


Antennas operating in the Ultra-wide Band (UWB) frequency range have been of research interest to many researchers due to its high data rate and multimedia transmission properties. The planar version of UWB antenna, which is suitable for UWB indoor communications gadgets, can be classified into two categories. The first one, called the monopole UWB antenna, is simpler in design and easier to be fabricated than the second category called the wide slot antenna, which has more stable radiation characteristics along the operating frequency band and smaller undesired electric coupling with the nearby components because of its small electric near field [1] . Unfortunately, the existence of some wireless applications within the UWB frequency band leads to have noticeable interference between the UWB applications and the already existed applications. Therefore, the researchers have been fueled to design UWB antennas having the ability of filtering out any radiation that can cause interference with the other applications instead of using band stop filters which complicate the system design noticeably.

The first one, called the monopole UWB antenna, is simpler in design and easier to be fabricated than the second category called the wide slot antenna, which has more stable radiation characteristics along the operating frequency band and smaller undesired electric coupling with the nearby components because of its small electric near field.


The representation of women has been examined in a more comprehensive empirical research project investigating the situation of women in Austrian and German trade unions (Blaschke, 2008) . Characteristics of the unions' members and the domain (sector, employee status, qualification level) were one set of factors considered to provide potential explanations for any differences between trade unions. The present article shows which of these particular characteristics exert an influence on the degree of female representation in decision-making bodies and peak positions, and determines whether this influence is positive or negative. The analysis is based on data from all Austrian and most German trade unions. Finally, I will discuss processes on the micro level which may have led to the observed associations.

The representation of women has been examined in a more comprehensive empirical research project investigating the situation of women in Austrian and German trade unions.


In many countries, HIV/AIDS has stalled or reversed decades of human development. The impact of HIV/AIDS reaches every concern of society in Bangladesh. HIV/AIDS also has become national concern in Bangladesh, and the government has already developed a national strategy and an operational plan to address this need of the country (Sarkar, 2009) . Worldwide experience of HIV/AIDS disease has suggested that public knowledge about AIDS is the most fundamental weapon against its pandemic; although its vaccine or remedy has not been developed (UNAIDS China, 2002) . The level of knowledge of the population is thus an important measure for understanding the magnitude of the challenges by government and non-government organizations. It is strongly needed to assess the current level of specific knowledge about HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention by women and other key sociodemographic factors to meet the targets and goals of HIV/AIDS prevention and control.

HIV/AIDS also has become national concern in Bangladesh, and the government has already developed a national strategy and an operational plan to address this need of the country.

Worldwide experience of HIV/AIDS disease has suggested that public knowledge about AIDS is the most fundamental weapon against its pandemic; although its vaccine or remedy has not been developed.


Symmetrical INDSCAL (SINDSCAL) program (Schiffman et al., 1981; Green et al., 1989) . Multidimensional scaling methods generally attempt to describe a given set of stimuli as relations on points in a multidimensional space. The dimensions of the space are assumed to represent attributes along which the stimuli are compared. The SINDSCAL program determines, through an iterative least squares procedure, data by points in a n-dimensional space, such that the distances between the points are linearly related to the corresponding difference judgments. The advantage of this program is that it offers an opportunity of representing a common stimulus space which applies to all subjects, as well as, individual stimulus spaces for each observer.

Symmetrical INDSCAL (SINDSCAL) program.


The inbreeding problem and potential genetic limitations have been raised for numerous other fruit species (Lansari et al., 1994; Noiton et al., 1994) . Our results suggest the repeated use of fi ve founding clones and one genetic source for self-compatibility has narrowed the genetic base of sweet cheery breeding in North America. As the gene pool gets narrower and narrower so does the genetic gain. A lack of diverse germplasm may limit long-term progress in sweet cherry breeding programs.

The inbreeding problem and potential genetic limitations have been raised for numerous other fruit species.


The interest in innovation spans from the firm level to the national level. It is argued that countries can achieve higher rates of growth and favourable terms of trade by specialising in knowledge intensive products containing higher added value (OECD/Eurostat 1997) . This is the reason why policy makers across the globe have been struggling to develop policies which would stimulate spending on R&D activities and increase the efficiency of the innovation process. In 2000 the EU set itself the goal of becoming the most competitive knowledge based economy in the world. The failure to achieve this goal can be traced to many factors including the inability to stimulate R&D spending and enhance the innovation activities of firms in EU countries, particularly the new members from Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) which are seriously lagging behind.

It is argued that countries can achieve higher rates of growth and favourable terms of trade by specialising in knowledge intensive products containing higher added value.


Using biometric for authentication is not new [3] . One perspective of this problem is how to reliably and efficiently recognize and verify the biometric features of people. This is an interesting topic for pattern recognition researchers. Another perspective of this problem is how to protect the stored templates and this is the focus of security researchers as well as this paper.

Using biometric for authentication is not new.


A distinguishing feature of gratings is their flexibility in achieving different spectral characteristics by tailoring the index perturbations. The grating period can be made uniform or graded and either localised or distributed in a superstructure. As such, grating structures find application in telecommunication networks (optical signal control), narrow linewidth lasers (wavelength stabilisation), and laser resonators (dispersion compensators and cavity mirrors). Furthermore, gratings can be used as direct sensing elements calibrated to a shift in their reflection/transmission spectra, thus allowing temperature and/or strain, for example, to be measured [14, 15] .

Furthermore, gratings can be used as direct sensing elements calibrated to a shift in their reflection/transmission spectra, thus allowing temperature and/or strain, for example, to be measured.


Since mid 1980 with the introducing the dipmeter technology as well as image logs the process of fracture detection and characterization of fracture properties such as dip, dip direction, opening, filling etc has become less problematic (Serra, 1989) . Having high resolution data acquisition devices, these tools can detect low scale variations. This may lead us to this conclusion that fractures can be fully detected using image logs. However, it is important to note that at the moment there exist other modes to acquire logs data and image data are not the sole source to recover the fractures. This is firstly because it is a recently developed technology which had been made available to the industry around a decade ago and therefore no image log is available for wells drilled prior to this period. Secondly, it is a very expensive technology as compared with the costs associated with normal well logging system and hence it is not a common practice to run image logs in every single well drilled.

Since mid 1980 with the introducing the dipmeter technology as well as image logs the process of fracture detection and characterization of fracture properties such as dip, dip direction, opening, filling etc has become less problematic.


In this study, there were 75% incident HD patients who initiated HD through a temporary catheter, via the internal jugular, subclavian or femoral veins, between 2001 and 2003. This delay in preparation for renal replacement therapy may result from several situations commonly noted in other countries. These include late referral to nephrologists by the primary care physicians or other specialists, lack of insight and ignorance of ESRD by the patients themselves, poor psychological preparedness of the patients for dialysis, and sudden onset of acute conditions that are beyond the control of nephrologists [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] . Because all of the VA creations in this study were exclusively performed by cardiovascular surgeons during hospitalization in study hospitals, every incident HD patient had only one record of hospitalization for the first VA creation. Additionally, the expenses related to the medical problems associated with VA before and after the initiation of HD were not included in this study. This definition simplified the comparisons and increased their applicability, and it allows us to focus on the specific hospitalization. The results revealed significantly less inpatient medical expenditure and shorter LOS in patients who received early and planned VA creation more than 1 month before the initiation of HD (Planned group), as compared with patients who had VA creation after HD (Urgent group). The Delayed group had medical expenses and LOS that were in between the other two groups. This relationship between higher medical expenses and longer LOS was expected for patients in whom the VA was not created until the appearance of severe uremic complications. Because of the increase in risk and the complications associated with ESRD, the time involved in managing emergent conditions and wait for surgery could be longer, and thus it is reasonable that the inpatient medical expenses and LOS were increased. From the above results, early preparation of VA for patients with either advanced renal failure, or morbid conditions, should be a priority for chronic kidney diseases (CKD) and pre-ESRD education.

These include late referral to nephrologists by the primary care physicians or other specialists, lack of insight and ignorance of ESRD by the patients themselves, poor psychological preparedness of the patients for dialysis, and sudden onset of acute conditions that are beyond the control of nephrologists.


An alternative to DSA is Doppler ultrasound, which is a diagnostic tool providing information regarding the vessel wall and hemodynamics and is commonly used for evaluation of PAD. Color and spectral Doppler can be used to localize and assess the severity of possible stenoses by estimating the blood flow velocity. The velocity correlates with lumen diameter, but due to interindividual variations of blood flow, velocity ratios, i. e. the intrastenotic velocity divided by the prestenotic velocity, provide better estimates of the stenoses [3, 4] . Velocity ratios are normally calculated on the basis of two individual peak systolic velocity measurements, measured in the stenosis and in a proximal vessel segment with a normal lumen. In previous studies, velocity ratios varying from 1.5 to 2.4 have been shown to distinguish < 50 % stenoses from > 50 % stenoses, where the stenosis degree was based on angiographic diameter reduction [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] . The conventional Doppler technique is angle-dependent and operator-reliant, in particular in the presence of stenoses [8, 9] . Operator errors can therefore lead to substantial deviations in velocity estimation and subsequent velocity ratio calculation, and because two individual velocity estimations are needed to provide a ratio, the deviation can be further aggravated.

The velocity correlates with lumen diameter, but due to interindividual variations of blood flow, velocity ratios, i. e. the intrastenotic velocity divided by the prestenotic velocity, provide better estimates of the stenoses.

In previous studies, velocity ratios varying from 1.5 to 2.4 have been shown to distinguish < 50 % stenoses from > 50 % stenoses, where the stenosis degree was based on angiographic diameter reduction.

The conventional Doppler technique is angle-dependent and operator-reliant, in particular in the presence of stenoses.


In outdoor environment, the satellite-based positioning techniques, such as the global positioning system (GPS), have been widely applied. However, the signal of satellitebased positioning system is incapable to penetrate into buildings. To solve this problem, indoor localization technologies are necessary. Existing technologies include the wireless local area networks (WLAN), ultrasonic positioning, infrared, and radio frequency identification (RFID) [1] . However, almost every indoor localization system has some disadvantages. For instance, infrared is very weak in penetrability and the distance it can transmit is too short, ultrasonic positioning apparatus is too expensive, and WLAN cannot provide high accuracy. Compared to other technologies, RFID is particularly suitable for indoor localization. RFID has the advantages of low-cost, noncontact, non-line-of-sight, and high precision, which is a preferable technology for indoor localization [2] .

Existing technologies include the wireless local area networks (WLAN), ultrasonic positioning, infrared, and radio frequency identification (RFID).

RFID has the advantages of low-cost, noncontact, non-line-of-sight, and high precision, which is a preferable technology for indoor localization.


The frequency is calculated per comment obtained to the question, "What other training do you think you need?" by respondents effectively increase critical thinking capacity, functionality within the healthcare team, and ability to learn from mistakes [19] . Effective handling of MCI requires a systematic evaluation of emergency preparedness and disaster awareness. Unfortunately, we found that rural EMS providers have few opportunities to develop skills in MCI within realistic scenarios. Our findings call for hands-on training programs to address readiness for manmade or natural disasters.

The frequency is calculated per comment obtained to the question, "What other training do you think you need?" by respondents effectively increase critical thinking capacity, functionality within the healthcare team, and ability to learn from mistakes.


To improve the flexibility and adaptiveness of robots -important requirements for robots operating in human environments -an increasing emphasis is being placed on robots that acquire skills autonomously through interactions with the environment [29] . State-of-the-art reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms such as PoWER and PI 2 are now able to learn very complex and high-dimensional robot skills [16, 33] . Over the last 15 years, several trends have facilitated the application of policy improvement to robotic skill learning: more effective and safer exploration (by searching in the parameter space rather than the action space), and more robust and safer parameter updates (by using reward-weighted averaging rather than gradient estimation).

To improve the flexibility and adaptiveness of robots -important requirements for robots operating in human environments -an increasing emphasis is being placed on robots that acquire skills autonomously through interactions with the environment.

State-of-the-art reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms such as PoWER and PI 2 are now able to learn very complex and high-dimensional robot skills.


The brownie point model provides a framework in which non-monetary social factors can be effectively considered alongside monetary ones in agent decision-making. By considering not just the default itself but also task value and agent history in the calculation of brownie points, this model realistically emulates expected behavior. Additionally, because this system measures social consciousness over time and allows it to play a variable role in utility functions, the effect of social consciousness on the behavior of the group as a whole can be studied. Current work is extending these findings to heterogeneous societies in which agents have different levels of social consciousness [20] .

Current work is extending these findings to heterogeneous societies in which agents have different levels of social consciousness.


Ambiguity tolerance and perceptual learning styles are the two crucial topics in studying individual differences associated with learning. Ambiguity tolerance is "a tendency to perceive or interpret information marked by vague, incomplete, fragmented, multiple, probable, unstructured, uncertain, inconsistent, contrary, contradictory, or unclear meanings as actual or potential sources of psychological discomfort or threat" (Norton, 1975) . Perceptual learning styles mean that people learn by seeing, listening, touching and total physical involvement in learning environments (Vaseghi et al., 2012) .

Ambiguity tolerance is "a tendency to perceive or interpret information marked by vague, incomplete, fragmented, multiple, probable, unstructured, uncertain, inconsistent, contrary, contradictory, or unclear meanings as actual or potential sources of psychological discomfort or threat".

Perceptual learning styles mean that people learn by seeing, listening, touching and total physical involvement in learning environments.


In this work we realized that besides a Cork there is another basic fundamental object in 4-manifolds which detects exoticity; we named it a Plug. Plugs naturally appear when we do surgeries, for example, rational blow-downs. So searching plug structures of 4-manifolds may be easier than investigating cork structures. Even though plugs are defined in a similar way to corks, they are different objects and they can't be explained by corks. However, in some cases, plug operations has the same effect as cork operations (Remark 5.3). Thus plugs might be helpful to study corks. Similarly to corks, enlarging plugs easily provide us exotic pairs of 4-manifolds. It turns out that just as corks generalize the Mazur manifold, plugs generalize the "Gluck construction". The lack of understanding how different corks are related to each other have prevented us from defining 4-manifold invariants from the Stein decomposition theorem of 4-manifolds [8] . We hope that plugs will shed light on understanding corks (e.g. they might be deformations of corks).

The lack of understanding how different corks are related to each other have prevented us from defining 4-manifold invariants from the Stein decomposition theorem of 4-manifolds.


A few of the earlier studies have indicated that centenarians may represent healthy aging (Hitt et al., 1999; Willcox et al., 2007) . However, these studies were based on retrospective data collection and did not include any control group. The present study lends support to these previous studies on the basis of improved methodology. By using a longitudinal design and an entire birth cohort as our study population, we were able to compare the centenarians with their most appropriate controls, namely individuals belonging to their own birth cohort. Intra-cohort comparison eliminates cohort effects in health and healthcare utilization. For example, the improvements in healthcare technology and medical care and treatment over time may introduce bias in the comparison of individuals belonging to different birth cohorts.

A few of the earlier studies have indicated that centenarians may represent healthy aging.


Recently, vibration-based energy harvesting has become more appealing and has received further attention. The three mechanical conversion mechanisms of vibration energy to electrical energy are: electrostatic, electromagnetic, and piezoelectric [1] . The small dimension, custom shape fabrication capability, and great power conversion potential are the major benefits of the piezoelectric methodology for vibration-based energy harvesting [2] . Even a minor external excitation results in significant amount of produced voltage without demanding any low-efficient initiation mechanical mechanism [3] . The principal characteristic of piezoelectric materials is to generate electrical charge from an external mechanical stimulation (direct effect) and to sense deformation from an applied external electrical polarization (reverse effect). The direct piezoelectric effect is good for harvesting environment energy and transforming it to electrical energy to supply smart systems.

The three mechanical conversion mechanisms of vibration energy to electrical energy are: electrostatic, electromagnetic, and piezoelectric.

The small dimension, custom shape fabrication capability, and great power conversion potential are the major benefits of the piezoelectric methodology for vibration-based energy harvesting.

Even a minor external excitation results in significant amount of produced voltage without demanding any low-efficient initiation mechanical mechanism.


The QoT of a lightpath can be acquired at the transceivers by means of several figures of merit. Among the different available options for such transceivers, a convenient one is based on coherent reception [4] . This option can provide many interesting figures of merit, including bit error ratio (BER) prior to forward error correction (pre-FEC), optical signal to noise ratio (OSNR), Q-factor, wavelength, power, chromatic dispersion, and relative state of polarization [4] . This allows the control and management plane to take the right decision at any time. Nevertheless, optical disaggregated elements are particularly attractive for the metro and access network segments, where the requirements are substantially different in terms of cost and data rate compared to the core segment. Therefore, cost effective and high capacity solutions are pursued. For example, direct detection orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DD-OFDM) transceivers are a promising solution, since they can provide high capacity at low cost while acquiring a wide range of figures of merit, including pre-FEC BER, OSNR and power among others [5] .

Among the different available options for such transceivers, a convenient one is based on coherent reception.

This option can provide many interesting figures of merit, including bit error ratio (BER) prior to forward error correction (pre-FEC), optical signal to noise ratio (OSNR), Q-factor, wavelength, power, chromatic dispersion, and relative state of polarization.

For example, direct detection orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DD-OFDM) transceivers are a promising solution, since they can provide high capacity at low cost while acquiring a wide range of figures of merit, including pre-FEC BER, OSNR and power among others.


Along a different line, proactive and reactive automation of optical networks with white box switches, computing and storage, is arguably the most significant challenge that needs to be addressed in order to further increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness of telecommunication networks. Such automation is based on actively processing real-time network monitoring information and learning from the effects of the decisions taken to validate and provide optimal selection of network resources to satisfy new service demands and dynamically re-optimize existing service demands. Therefore, a key element of the disaggregated network is the optical performance monitoring that is expected to deliver the feedback needed for guaranteeing end-to-end quality of transmission (QoT) and quality of service (QoS). Several techniques can be employed for acquiring the suitable figures of merit, ranging from highly intrusive receiver-based monitoring to non-intrusive optical probes independent from the modulation format [3] , [4] .

Several techniques can be employed for acquiring the suitable figures of merit, ranging from highly intrusive receiver-based monitoring to non-intrusive optical probes independent from the modulation format.


Raisins have been a popular food for many centuries. Raisins are obtained by dehydrating grapes, usually through sun exposure or drying tunnels [3] . The production of grape raisins through shade has been also explored [4] . Drying methods are known to have a significant impact on the sensorial, nutritional and functional characteristics [5] . The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of drying processes of Mexican serviceberry fruit on physical and nutritional characteristics. We also evaluated the functional quality of raisins via analysis and quantification of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacities of raisin extracts.

Raisins are obtained by dehydrating grapes, usually through sun exposure or drying tunnels.

The production of grape raisins through shade has been also explored.

Drying methods are known to have a significant impact on the sensorial, nutritional and functional characteristics.


Five species of Malacomeles that belongs to the family Rosaceae, have been described previously; they are distributed throughout the United States (Texas), Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Honduras. Of those five species, M. denticulata (Knut, G.N. Jones) was the most widely distributed in Mexico [1] . The fruit of M. denticulata is known as southern false serviceberry and Mexican serviceberry. The production areas of Mexican serviceberry have been identified and the production potential is promising. Additionally, the interest in serviceberry increased due to its tolerance to several environmental conditions such as frost, drought, clay soil conditions and poor drainage.

Of those five species, M. denticulata (Knut, G.N. Jones) was the most widely distributed in Mexico.


Two authors of this paper have previously explored various attacks on the SWaT testbed [18, 19] . However, in these efforts, the attacks were discovered manually through an informal thought-process; as the authors realized, manual exploration of all attack possibilities proved to be tedious and error-prone, thus motivating a more automated approach like the one proposed in this paper. Indeed, two of the attacks that were discovered by our analysis in this paper were previously unknown to the engineer and researchers working on SWaT.

Two authors of this paper have previously explored various attacks on the SWaT testbed.


The application of cell immobilization techniques to the wastewater treatment process has recently gained much attention (Isaka et al., 2007) . These techniques not only offer a high cell concentration in the reactor tank for increasing efficiency, but also facilitate the separation of liquids and solids in the settling tank (Chen et al., 2000) . The conventional treatment processes generally require a long residence time to retain slow growing organisms such as denitrifyers in the system; moreover, a relatively large volume of reaction is necessary to obtain a high reactor capacity. The reactor capacity can be improved by increasing the biomass retention time using an immobilized cell system (Chen et al., 2000) . Nitrate is a common water contaminant that can cause health problems in humans. Also, eutrophication or groundwater contaminations by nitrate, which cause serious social and economical problems, are related to an increase of nitrate concentration in the aquatic environment (Foglar et al., 2005) .

The application of cell immobilization techniques to the wastewater treatment process has recently gained much attention.

These techniques not only offer a high cell concentration in the reactor tank for increasing efficiency, but also facilitate the separation of liquids and solids in the settling tank.

The reactor capacity can be improved by increasing the biomass retention time using an immobilized cell system.

Also, eutrophication or groundwater contaminations by nitrate, which cause serious social and economical problems, are related to an increase of nitrate concentration in the aquatic environment.


Unlike turning, face milling or flat end milling operations, predicting surface roughness for ball end milling by mathematical models is very difficult. In recent years, the trends are towards modeling of machining processes using artificial intelligence due to the advanced computing capability. Researchers have used various intelligent techniques, including neural network, fuzzy logic, neuro-fuzzy, adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), etc., for the prediction of machining parameters and to enhance manufacturing automation. Artificial neural network (ANN) and Fuzzy logic are two important methods of artificial intelligence in modeling nonlinear problems. A neural network can learn from data and feedback; however, understanding the knowledge or the pattern learned by it is difficult. But fuzzy logic models are easy to comprehend because they use linguistic terms in the form of if-then rules. A neural network with their learning capabilities can be used to learn the fuzzy decision rules, thus creating a hybrid intelligent system (John and Reza, 2003) . A fuzzy inference system consists of three components. First, a rule base contains a selection of fuzzy rules; secondly, a database defines the membership functions used in the rules and, finally, a reasoning mechanism to carry out the inference procedure on the rules and given facts. This combination merges the advantages of fuzzy system and a neural network.

A neural network with their learning capabilities can be used to learn the fuzzy decision rules, thus creating a hybrid intelligent system.


In ECAP processing, microstructural evolution depends on several processing parameters such as the die angle, pressing speed, temperature, and deformation route [10] . An important 3 requirement in processing materials by ECAP is to optimize the conditions in order to most expeditiously achieve a homogeneous microstructure of grains separated by high-angle grain boundaries. ECAP samples are pressed repeatedly through the ECAP die with various rotations along the longitudinal axis for different ECAP routes. Route A signifies no rotation in the sample between ECAP passes, route BA signifies a 90 o rotation in alternate direction between passes, and route BC signifies a 90 o rotation in the same sense between passes [11] . Detailed experiments on pure aluminum show that processing using route BC through 8 passes is effective in producing a stable ultrafine grain size that is equiaxed and homogeneous in microstructure compared with samples processed through other ECAP routes [12] . Since the sample is rotated between each pass in route BC, the loading is markedly non-proportional due to the distinct load path changes [13] .

In ECAP processing, microstructural evolution depends on several processing parameters such as the die angle, pressing speed, temperature, and deformation route.

Route A signifies no rotation in the sample between ECAP passes, route BA signifies a 90 o rotation in alternate direction between passes, and route BC signifies a 90 o rotation in the same sense between passes.

Detailed experiments on pure aluminum show that processing using route BC through 8 passes is effective in producing a stable ultrafine grain size that is equiaxed and homogeneous in microstructure compared with samples processed through other ECAP routes.

Since the sample is rotated between each pass in route BC, the loading is markedly non-proportional due to the distinct load path changes.