Rapid depletion of conventional resources is a major source of concern for the world today. If not taken seriously, soon there shall be an inevitable energy crisis situation. To prevent such circumstances, researchers today are forced to explore alternate energy sources. Among available renewable energy sources, solar energy is the most promising and readily available alternative. Solar cells play a significant role in harnessing solar energy but, due to numerous reasons, we have still not been able to effectively use the power of sun. Conventional silicon (Si) solar cells generally require complex vacuum processing and fairly high temperature conditions which makes them an expensive energy source [1] [2] [3] . Moreover, their application is hampered by the lack of mechanical flexibility. Dye sensitized solar cells (DSCs) are attractive due to their simple and low cost fabrication technique. DSCs are different from almost all other types of solar cells in their functioning.

Conventional silicon (Si) solar cells generally require complex vacuum processing and fairly high temperature conditions which makes them an expensive energy source.


The transport of the injected electrons through nanostructured network is the most important process affecting the device performance. Near infrared absorption studies conducted on nanocrystalline thin films made of different materials but dyed with same Ru-complex dye reveal different injection times [39] . It has been observed that the transport kinetics is a function of electron density in the film, which is generally explained by trapping and detrapping rate in the states in the band gap.

Near infrared absorption studies conducted on nanocrystalline thin films made of different materials but dyed with same Ru-complex dye reveal different injection times.


Recently, text-to-speech (TTS) systems or speech synthesizers have advanced to the point where they can be trained to a particular person's voice or target. Such training, using state-of-the-art speakeradaptive, hidden Markov model (HMM)-based speech synthesizers, now only requires relatively small amounts of non-ideal speech which can be acquired in a variety of ways including through online media [1] , [2] . The speech is then used to adapt an average (derived from other speakers) or a background (derived from one speaker) synthesizer model yielding a target model. With the target model, arbitrary speech utterances can be synthesized in real-time in an acoustically similar fashion to the target voice.

Such training, using state-of-the-art speakeradaptive, hidden Markov model (HMM)-based speech synthesizers, now only requires relatively small amounts of non-ideal speech which can be acquired in a variety of ways including through online media.


The managers and stakeholders in the field of water resources management are facing complex challenges due to diverse situations including climate change ecosystems, water quality issues, increasing water supply demand in urban areas and challenges to watersheds management in an integrated, adaptive, and collaborative manner. Arid and semiarid regions (ASARs) are constantly affected by water scarcity and soil moisture deficit problems. The farmers are facing major challenges due to spatio-temporal rainfall distribution and unpredictable rainfall patterns leads to climatic uncertainty and aridity situations. These problems affect the crop production and increasing food risk. A sustainable water resources management in the agriculture sector is vital for food crisis and acts as a catalyst for socioeconomic development for the country. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) a renewed attention since 1980, proved as a rational approach to combat with water scarcity issues for thousands of years. It is a promising alternative source of supplementing water, to address the water shortage issues in ASARs. RWH can be defined as a system for collecting, storing, conserving rainwater runoff for agriculture in ASARs. RWH proved extremely valuable, especially in dry areas, where it simultaneously addresses the water scarcity problem and reduce groundwater extraction, cropping risk and increase crop yield. Additionally, improve pasture growth, boost reforestation, increase food production, fight soil erosion, and enhance the utilization of water resources. RWH recharge local groundwater reserves and not only increases water availability, also enhances employment opportunities, improve socio-economic conditions in ASARs (Ammar et al. 2016) .

RWH recharge local groundwater reserves and not only increases water availability, also enhances employment opportunities, improve socio-economic conditions in ASARs.


Students can obtain evidence and reasons or reasoning at the discovery and reporting stage. Students work in groups to investigate problems. Ecosystem modules have been made in accordance with the PBL model syntax. Students learn to make claims based on evidence and reasons collected from the results of direct experiments and literature studies. Experimental or direct discovery activities can help students construct their knowledge and improve negotiation among group members (Widodo, et al., 2017) . The evidence and reasons for the findings and negotiations will be used to support the claim and make rebuttal (Berland & Mcneill, 2009; Foong & Daniel, 2010; Muratsu et al., 2015) .

Experimental or direct discovery activities can help students construct their knowledge and improve negotiation among group members.

The evidence and reasons for the findings and negotiations will be used to support the claim and make rebuttal.


In fact, students' scientific argumentation skills in Indonesia are still low. The results of a survey conducted by the OECD in 2015 showed that 20% of PISA participating countries including Indonesia were still below the average regarding science literacy. One indicator of mastery of science literacy has been the capacity to make arguments and evaluate arguments based on evidence and apply the conclusions of the correct argument (NCREL, 2003) . This proves that students' scientific argumentation skills in Indonesia are still low.

One indicator of mastery of science literacy has been the capacity to make arguments and evaluate arguments based on evidence and apply the conclusions of the correct argument.


The strength of bone is determined by its material composition and structure [22] . Biomechanical testing of healing fractures is a useful tool in evaluating fracture healing. Bone stiffness is important to ensure that the bones will not bend when loaded, but at the same time they must also be flexible to absorb the energy imposed by the loading via elastic and plastic deformation [23] .

The strength of bone is determined by its material composition and structure.

Bone stiffness is important to ensure that the bones will not bend when loaded, but at the same time they must also be flexible to absorb the energy imposed by the loading via elastic and plastic deformation.


Osteoporosis has been shown to impair bone fracture healing. It influences both the early and late period of fracture healing in rat osteoporotic model [22, 23, 36] . The callous strength is an important indicator to show that the fracture healing is complete with full restoration of its structure and function. Calcium supplementation was reported to promote fracture healing in ovariectomised rats based on radiological assessments. However, biomechanical testing confirmed that the fracture healing was not accompanied by improvement in the callous strength [40] . Therefore, despite of the reports that vitamin E was able to reverse osteoporosis, it is important to determine whether vitamin E would improve the callous strength during fracture healing of osteoporotic bone.

It influences both the early and late period of fracture healing in rat osteoporotic model.

However, biomechanical testing confirmed that the fracture healing was not accompanied by improvement in the callous strength.


The tensile strains computed for the geomembrane (TGM) and nonwoven geotextile (NWGT) in simulation case A are shown in Figure 8 . In only one of the 250 realisations is the tensile strain calculated to be greater than 1%; the remainder produce low strains in the order of 0.2%. A threshold of 1% for tensile strain was selected in this study, but alternative thresholds could be used in response to region-specific regulations and design practice. Any geosynthetic components that are positioned above the interface with maximum slippage (i.e. the TGM-FINES interface in case A) will display similar strain distributions: that is, the geomembrane (Figure 8b ) and geotextile (Figure 8a ), strain distributions are comparable. As discussed in Section 4.4, the compression stiffness parameters used are not reliable, and the analysis can identify only the zone of compressive behaviour, not the magnitude. A zone of compression strains is computed at the toe of the side slope. This is believed to be a function of the analysis method, linked to waste constraint in the region of the base/slope corner (Jones and Dixon 2005) . Given the limitations in these calculated compressive strains, they have been excluded when constructing the cumulative probability distribution plots of maximum strains.

This is believed to be a function of the analysis method, linked to waste constraint in the region of the base/slope corner.


Ferrofluids, also known as magnetic fluids, are colloidal suspensions of nanosized ferromagnetic particles stably dispersed in organic or non-organic carrier fluids, such as water, kerosene, hydrocarbon. When exposed to an external magnetic field they behave paramagnetically, with susceptibilities  usually large for liquids [9] . Due to this property, magnetic fluids have vast applications, e.g., liquid cooled loud speakers, novel zero leakage shaft seals used in computer disc drives, energy conversion devices, liquid sealing in chemical and biochemical reactors and medical sciences [12] .

When exposed to an external magnetic field they behave paramagnetically, with susceptibilities  usually large for liquids.

Due to this property, magnetic fluids have vast applications, e.g., liquid cooled loud speakers, novel zero leakage shaft seals used in computer disc drives, energy conversion devices, liquid sealing in chemical and biochemical reactors and medical sciences.


Alternative names are threshold phenomenon and abrupt convergence. When the distance to equilibrium at the time window can be well approximated by some profile function, we speak about profile cut-off. Sequences of stochastic processes for which an explicit profile cut-off can be determined are scarce. Explicit profiles are usually out of reach, in particular for the total variation distance. In general, the existence of the phenomenon is proven through a precise estimation of the sequence of cut-off times and this precision comes at a high technical price, for more details see J. Barrera, O. Bertoncini & R. Fernández [15] .

In general, the existence of the phenomenon is proven through a precise estimation of the sequence of cut-off times and this precision comes at a high technical price, for more details see J. Barrera, O. Bertoncini & R. Fernández.


The DSEP is a mixed-integer nonlinear optimization problem in which integer variables represent the decision in equipments for the network, and the continuous variables represents the operating state of the system [3] . Thus, with the passing of years several deterministic formulations and solution techniques to solve the DSEP has been presented, and the complexity of these formulations and techniques has been increasing in line with the computational resources. Several formulations using mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) has been used for the DSEP problem [4] - [10] . In other way, the mixedinteger quadratic programming (MIQP) has been less explored, being relevant exceptions [11] - [13] .

The DSEP is a mixed-integer nonlinear optimization problem in which integer variables represent the decision in equipments for the network, and the continuous variables represents the operating state of the system.

Several formulations using mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) has been used for the DSEP problem.

In other way, the mixedinteger quadratic programming (MIQP) has been less explored, being relevant exceptions.


The distribution system expansion planning (DSEP), is a topic widely detailed in the specialized literature, whose aims is propose the better expansion plan of the network to minimize the investment and operational cost, that satisfy the physical and operational constraints of the electrical system over the planning horizon [1] . The expansion plan determines the line routes and conductor type for circuits, the substations to be reinforced and those to be constructed, and the additional equipments required for proper operation [2] . The physical constrains of the distribution system are the Kirchhoff's voltage and current laws, and the technical constraints such as bus voltage limits, line currentcarrying capacity, power output in substations and the radial operate of the network.

The distribution system expansion planning (DSEP), is a topic widely detailed in the specialized literature, whose aims is propose the better expansion plan of the network to minimize the investment and operational cost, that satisfy the physical and operational constraints of the electrical system over the planning horizon.

The expansion plan determines the line routes and conductor type for circuits, the substations to be reinforced and those to be constructed, and the additional equipments required for proper operation.


Minor studies have investigated this concept in developing countries, such as Pakistan [19, 20] . However, evaluation of the sustainable HRM practices on job performance across the university sector is nearly non-existent and very limited. Hence, the current study deliberately assesses this concept in Pakistan. The purpose of this study is to analyze the role of sustainable HRM practices in job performance in publicly owned universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (KPK) in Pakistan. To the authors' knowledge there has never been a study carried out in regard to the correlation between sustainable HRM practices and employee job performance in the aforementioned province of Pakistan. Thus, the present study is based on an inventive idea whose purpose is to examine the hypothetical association of sustainable HRM practices and job performance. Furthermore, the present study argues the role of HRM practices and hypothesizes the effect of training on job performance.

Minor studies have investigated this concept in developing countries, such as Pakistan.


Additionally, the present study observes the moderating role of training among the association of HRM practices and job performance. In the current study, the HR practices that are considered are selection, participation, and employee empowerment, and a call for how these practices can play a role in employee job performance. The main reason for choosing these practices is that they connect sustainability to HRM practices. Sustainable HRM is one of the innovative concepts that some scholars and practitioners have researched [16, 21] . As there is no previous study regarding sustainable HR practices (functions), in our study we choose sustainable HRM practices to evaluate employee performance. The purpose of the study is to increase the knowledge of sustainable HRM by revealing the practices, such as selection, training participation, and employee empowerment on employee performance. The present study has made an attempt to address the research questions that remain unsettled regarding HRM practices and how the organization can avoid failure by motivating employee interest. Employee interest in HRM practices is needed to evaluate the extent to which they are pursuing HR practices in accomplishing their career goals.

Sustainable HRM is one of the innovative concepts that some scholars and practitioners have researched.


Many studies have been undertaken regarding the direct relationship between HRM practices and job performance, as well as organizational performance [77, 85] . A research study for the moderating role of training between sustainable HRM practices and employee performance is still being explored. The current study scrutinized this gap and showed that sustainable HRM practices (selection, participation, employee empowerment) have a positive and significant influence on job performance with inclusion of training. Therefore, training positively moderates the relationship of HRM practices and job performance.

Many studies have been undertaken regarding the direct relationship between HRM practices and job performance, as well as organizational performance.


Acoustic emissions (AE) responses for Mode I delamination growth in dry and wet specimens are shown in Fig. 9 . Plotted is AE response in terms of RMS voltage as a function of time. As can be seen, the RMS amplitude from a dry specimen is higher than from a wet. A reduction in RMS output due to moisture content has also been observed by Hamstad [22] . This indicates that the moisture absorption in graphite/epoxy causes attentuation of the AE signal, and thus, may serve as a useful NDT tool in establishing the environmental history of such materials.

A reduction in RMS output due to moisture content has also been observed by Hamstad.


Semigroups are abstract algebraic structures with a single associative binary operation, often called multiplication. Deciding whether or not a semigroup S embeds into another semigroup T (T contains a copy of S), or whether they are isomorphic (S and T are essentially the same) is a non-trivial task, even if they are explicitly represented as multiplication tables. For instance, one reason they are non-trivial is that algebraic structure isomorphism can be reduced to graphisomorphism [24] .

For instance, one reason they are non-trivial is that algebraic structure isomorphism can be reduced to graphisomorphism.


Eucalyptus benthamii is an alternative component of forest plantations for industrial purposes. However, because this species was recently introduced to forest plantations, seed production is limited, and when seeds are available, the prices are high. Vegetative propagation is an alternative for reproduction of the species and included pre-selected matrices for each region. However, adventitious rooting of E. benthamii is low for the cutting technique (GRAÇA et al., 1999) .

However, adventitious rooting of E. benthamii is low for the cutting technique.


River restoration projects serve as nature-based solutions because they simultaneously achieve environmental objectives (e.g. higher biodiversity) and increase social and economic welfare (e.g. by providing additional opportunities for recreation or reducing the risk of flooding). However, the costs of restoration are often high (Edwards and Abivardi, 1997; Bergstrom and Loomis, 2017) . The question is, therefore, whether expensive restoration efforts can be justified from an economic point of view, just as the past river modifications that these restoration projects aim to undo were at one time deemed economically desirable. In other words, do the environmental, social and economic benefits outweigh the investment costs?

However, the costs of restoration are often high.


River restoration is gaining momentum worldwide despite the high investment costs involved. Although legal requirements to return heavily modified river ecosystems to close to pristine conditions is desirable from an ecological perspective, from an economic perspective it is important to know whether restoration costs generate environmental benefits of equal or greater magnitude (Holl and Howarth, 2000) . While the economic valuation of river restoration has received substantial attention in the literature, only a limited number of studies assess whether the benefits of river restoration outweigh its costs.

Although legal requirements to return heavily modified river ecosystems to close to pristine conditions is desirable from an ecological perspective, from an economic perspective it is important to know whether restoration costs generate environmental benefits of equal or greater magnitude.


This systematic review is unique in its approach of including evidence from qualitative literature, thereby adding context to the evidence from quantitative intervention studies. Intervention studies to improve antimicrobial prescribing are not well-represented in scientific literature, and those that are published are subject to methodological weaknesses [42] . One persistent shortcoming is their failure to consider the contextual influences on the uptake and diffusion of interventions to optimize antimicrobial prescribing. The lack of incorporation of the rationale for choice of interventions and evaluation of outcomes often results in the exclusion of studies from systematic reviews. To date, systematic reviews of interventions in antimicrobial prescribing have focused broadly on methodology and intervention outcomes and have not considered the application of theory to intervention design or outcomes. The publication of the Outbreak Reports and Intervention Studies of Nosocomial Infection (ORION) statement aimed to raise the standard of research into hospital epidemiology and to ensure its effective influence on practice through methodical and systematic evidence synthesis [43] . The ORION guidelines facilitate development of well-designed interventional studies through a checklist of parameters. We recommend that, to better understand the determinants of prescribing behavior, these guidelines be updated to include quality criteria and standards that map the determinants of prescribing behavior to intervention design and observed behavioral outcomes (Table 4) . Studies also need to ensure that the potential unintended consequences of changing antimicrobial prescribing behaviors can be monitored.

Intervention studies to improve antimicrobial prescribing are not well-represented in scientific literature, and those that are published are subject to methodological weaknesses.

The publication of the Outbreak Reports and Intervention Studies of Nosocomial Infection (ORION) statement aimed to raise the standard of research into hospital epidemiology and to ensure its effective influence on practice through methodical and systematic evidence synthesis.


However, technology transfer is a complex process fraught with numerous operational difficulties. Published literature does not address the logistical and operational issues that are encountered during this process. There are no guidelines for planning, managing and executing technology transfers. This paper seeks to address this deficit. It defines and classifies the concept of technology transfer. Particular attention is then paid to product transfer. Problems with the product transfer process are identified and discussed. The paper then presents a model for product transfer based on best practice and case study analysis. This model incorporates a set of guidelines and tools for managers to plan, schedule and execute a successful product transfer. It is considered suitable for transfers that take place within and between organizations to extend the product life cycle. For example, a company may move a product from one location to another to provide capacity for new product innovations at a particular site. It may also move a cash cow from one facility to another to avail of lower manufacturing costs. These intra company transfers are about moving the results of innovation from one place to another rather than delivering mechanisms that would result in innovation in the new location [Afuah (1998)] . A product or technology can also be sold to another company in a low cost economy or to in a developing country. In this instance the product may have reached the end of its life cycle in one geographic region but may be new to the market in another.

These intra company transfers are about moving the results of innovation from one place to another rather than delivering mechanisms that would result in innovation in the new location.


Other factors are at work to make the recognition and appreciation of causes non-obvious. We have addressed two of them already. One factor is the role of high-level conjectural theories asserting that evolution works in some ways and not in others, and in particular, the role of neoDarwinism in shaping the OMS theory of evolutionary genetics. To understand evolutionary reasoning requires, not merely a knowledge of mathematics, but an awareness of the substantive conjectural theories that have shaped prevailing mathematical approaches to evolution, e.g., the gene-pool theory. One cannot understand the strengths and weaknesses of contemporary evolutionary thinking if one does not understand how it relies on the OMS conjecture that evolution operates in the buffet regime of abundant pre-existing variation (Stoltzfus 2017) .

We have addressed two of them already.

One cannot understand the strengths and weaknesses of contemporary evolutionary thinking if one does not understand how it relies on the OMS conjecture that evolution operates in the buffet regime of abundant pre-existing variation.


Of special interest to us is the probe brane system consisting of intersecting D3/D5 branes [13, 15] . The dual gauge theory picture is the flavoring of the bulk N = 4 SYM theory by the introduction of fundamental representation matter confined on a codimension-one defect. The localized matter consists of N f N = 2 supersymmetry-preserving hypermultiplets. In the weakly coupled brane system, these extra fundamental degrees of freedom are provided by the D3-D5 open strings. In the gravity side, only the gauge invariant operators including at least two flavor fields are visible; their spectrum is encoded in the fluctuations of the 5-5 fields in the bulk. The preserved supersymmetry manifests itself through a no-force condition (this can also be shown explicitly using the κ symmetry).

Of special interest to us is the probe brane system consisting of intersecting D3/D5 branes.


The steady-state method is normally applied to measure the thermal conductivity of wood [16] . A large number of empirical equations could be found in the literature, to describe the relationship between wood thermal conductivity, density, and MC [1, 10, 15, 17] . However, these empirical equations are applicable only within a limited range of MC and density levels. Hence, these relations may not be appropriate to describe the variation of the thermal conductivity of wood undergoing THM densification because both MC and density vary continuously during the process. In addition, little empirical data were found for the thermal conductivity of sugar maple wood at different density levels. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to investigate the variation of density, gas permeability, and thermal conductivity of sugar maple wood during the THM densification process.

The steady-state method is normally applied to measure the thermal conductivity of wood.

A large number of empirical equations could be found in the literature, to describe the relationship between wood thermal conductivity, density, and MC.


Here we present a GPR study on a cold Alpine glacier saddle (Colle Gnifetti, Swiss-Italian Alps) aimed at assessing the potential for using englacial reflectors to track layers within the drill site area. Colle Gnifetti, which constitutes the key site for longterm ice-core records from the Alps, has been investigated through several glaciological and ice-core drilling projects (Döscher et al., 1995) . Hence, basic information on glacier flow, age-depth relation, and vertical distribution of physical and chemical properties has been partially available. With respect to the latter, almost all mountain drill sites differ significantly from polar ones through the much larger depth fraction made up by porous firn, the prominent occurrence of melt layers (i.e. higher density variability), and the much higher and more variable impurity content. Thus, the study is focused on determining to what extent the interaction of GPR signals with a particular glacial feature may provide useful statigraphic information.

Colle Gnifetti, which constitutes the key site for longterm ice-core records from the Alps, has been investigated through several glaciological and ice-core drilling projects.


EM propagation wave speeds are one of the key properties to derive a true picture of the subsurface structure from GPR surveys. Comparison of wave speed-depth profiles derived from CMP survey data and ice-core properties from polar regions show that the agreement in a flat area can be within a couple of percent (Eisen et al., 2002) . The larger discrepancies in our case, which are on the order of 10%, are probably related to dipping of internal reflectors with respect to the surface, and to curved ray paths, which are neglected in the small spread approximation used here (Yilmaz, 1987) .

Comparison of wave speed-depth profiles derived from CMP survey data and ice-core properties from polar regions show that the agreement in a flat area can be within a couple of percent.

The larger discrepancies in our case, which are on the order of 10%, are probably related to dipping of internal reflectors with respect to the surface, and to curved ray paths, which are neglected in the small spread approximation used here.


Sandwich structures exhibit static properties such as high stiffness-to-weight ratio and high buckling loads which are of great importance in the aeronautics field. Nevertheless, the current applications on commercial airplanes remain mainly limited to secondary structures like control surface or floor panels. In the field of helicopters where stress levels are lower, full sandwich structures are already in flight. In fact, one of the main limitations is linked to a lack of knowledge on the effects induced by impact damages [1] . However, in service, such structures are exposed and are often impacted during taxiing manoeuvres or take-off.

In fact, one of the main limitations is linked to a lack of knowledge on the effects induced by impact damages.


They can also be damaged by tool drops during maintenance operations [2, 3] . In such circumstances, the aircraft manufacturer has to inform the users very quickly of whether the impacted structure needs a repair or not. The study presented in this article is a step toward the final objective, which is to provide the aerospace industry with an inverse method. In this method, a 3D picture of the damage is first made by the airline company. Then, based on the shape of the impact, the impactor's shape is found and both the impact damage and the residual strength would be computed.

They can also be damaged by tool drops during maintenance operations.


Another area of current research which considers water waves propagating over bottom topography is that of coastal wave interaction. This research area models the progression of a train of periodic waves, or a single solitary wave up a coastal beach, investigating the hight increase and steepness of the waves (Grilli et al., 1994 (Grilli et al., , 1997 Grilli, 1998; Grilli and Watts, 1999) . In this area, Laplace's equation is solved for in the fluid domain and in the aforementioned works, the solution is formulated as a boundary integral equation. By extending the physical domain, as highlighted in §3 of this work, the conformal mapping approach presented in this paper could also be implemented, potentially allowing for more general bottom topographies to be considered.

This research area models the progression of a train of periodic waves, or a single solitary wave up a coastal beach, investigating the hight increase and steepness of the waves.


Among the four goals in the 2*2 achievement goal framework, the two avoidance goals are positive predictors and two approach goals are negative predictors, which means that the avoidance goals are related to poor academic rank and the approach goals are oppositely related. The results proved H3 and coincides with the results of former studies. Individuals with higher levels of mastery goals will strive to be enterprising and successful [25] [26] [27] [28] . Individuals who are performance-avoidant more easily become anxious and worry about undesirable evaluations, which leads to unsatisfying academic performance [32] . What is different from the previous studies is that the performance-approach goals are the most significant predictor of academic performance, followed by performance-avoidance goals, mastery-avoidance goals, and mastery-approach goals. The influence of performance-approach goals and performance-avoidance goals is greater than that of mastery-avoidance goals and mastery-approach goals, which means that performance goals are stronger predictors of a college student's academic performance than mastery goals.

Individuals with higher levels of mastery goals will strive to be enterprising and successful.

Individuals who are performance-avoidant more easily become anxious and worry about undesirable evaluations, which leads to unsatisfying academic performance.


Biodiesel is the mixture of esters of high fatty acids and low molecular alcohol. It is produced by transesterification of triglycerides included in vegetable oils and animal fats. Glycerol is formed as a by-product. There are several methods of transesterification. Alkaline, acid or enzymatic catalysis are possible. There is also a method without using of the catalyst whereas alcohol reacts in a supercritical state [1] . An alkaline catalysis is the most effective and the most widely used method [2] . Such transesterification proceeds at gently temperature and pressure conditions. But the side reaction, the saponification of oil, decreases the yield of biodiesel [3] .

Glycerol is formed as a by-product.

There is also a method without using of the catalyst whereas alcohol reacts in a supercritical state.

An alkaline catalysis is the most effective and the most widely used method.

But the side reaction, the saponification of oil, decreases the yield of biodiesel.


Methanol is the most widely used alcohol for the transesterification; nevertheless the other alcohols can also be used. One of them is ethanol which is low-toxic and can be produced from renewable resources. These are the advantages in comparison with methanol. A lower reactivity is a disadvantage because of its longer carbon chain [4] . On equal conditions, ethanol reacts slower than methanol [5] . The more difficult separation of the rising emulsive mixture into upper ester phase and bottom glycerol phase is the next step of the alkalinecatalysed ethanolysis. Glycerol phase contains glycerol, soaps (potash soap or soda soap), alcohol and other substances. Formation of a gel mixture was observed too [6] .

A lower reactivity is a disadvantage because of its longer carbon chain.

On equal conditions, ethanol reacts slower than methanol.

Formation of a gel mixture was observed too.


Thermographic techniques using a laser beam that is moved with constant speed on a test object are attractive as they allow to find perpendicular surface cracks which would otherwise not be detected. This has been studied in detail in work related to flying-spot thermography [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] . A common difficulty with this technique is the superposition of multiplicative disturbing influences. These can be emissivity contrasts from contaminations, corrosion or scratches. Other disturbances are due to spatially varying power density of the excitation laser radiation at curved surface regions. In the past, approaches were described to recognize some of these disturbances and to suppress them [7] [8] . When using an infrared camera as detector, gradient formation and a special processing of the image sequences led to an improvement of the image contrasts [9] .

This has been studied in detail in work related to flying-spot thermography.

In the past, approaches were described to recognize some of these disturbances and to suppress them.

When using an infrared camera as detector, gradient formation and a special processing of the image sequences led to an improvement of the image contrasts.


In conclusion we demonstrated that from a rigorous definition of the conditional probability for the possible outcomes of different measurements, the Born's rule and the more general rule with the density operator naturally emerges from the first two postulates of Relational Quantum Mechanics by the use of the Gleason's theorem. Thus this eliminates the need of introducing a third postulate. In the context of Relational Quantum Mechanics, the approach of the presented work is an alternative to the method adopted by Höhn [23, 24, 25] . There, the complex field of the reconstructed Hilbert space is univocally determined, but it requires additional postulates and the assumption of the symmetric properties of the probability function p. This is not the case in the presented work where symmetric properties of p are derived together with the Born's rule.

In the context of Relational Quantum Mechanics, the approach of the presented work is an alternative to the method adopted by Höhn.


In many application domains, the classification of an object can be assisted by considering more than simply the features of the object itself. One form of such extra information is ''context''. In remote sensing image classification, where each pixel is part of ground cover, a pixel is more likely to be a glacier if it is in a mountainous area, than if surrounded by pixels of residential areas. In text analysis, one can expect to find certain letters occurring regularly in particular arrangement with other letters (qu, ee, est, tion, etc.). Such extra information conveyed by the accompanying entities is referred to as contextual information, or context. Context is fundamental to many, if not all, spheres of human endeavor. It occurs at many different levels including perceptual, cognitive, and statistical [30] . Context is also an essential component for sensor fusion [21] . Context incorporation is a mechanism that ensures accurate perception and appropriate interpretation of ambiguities. How humans appear to use context suggests that in automated pattern recognition we should be able to use context in conjunction with primary features in order to tackle such challenges as disambiguation and errorcorrection.

It occurs at many different levels including perceptual, cognitive, and statistical.

Context is also an essential component for sensor fusion.


This work is an experimental research aiming to determine the drag contribution of the most three common helicopters horizontal tail configurations which are the forward stabilizer, low-aft and T-tail stabilizer [11] . For forward mounted stabilizer, the horizontal stabilizer is mounted forward on the tail rotor which normally the stabilizer is attached near the helicopter center of gravity. For low-aft stabilizer, it is mounted low down near the end of the tail. And for Ttail stabilizer, the horizontal stabilizer is mounted at the top of the vertical fin which will make the stabilizer to move away from the rotor wake for most flight conditions.

This work is an experimental research aiming to determine the drag contribution of the most three common helicopters horizontal tail configurations which are the forward stabilizer, low-aft and T-tail stabilizer.


The experimental works conducted in this study had successfully pointed out that the present of different tail part configurations does influence the aerodynamic drag characteristics, in which the finding is in favour with other publications [20, 21] . Hence, selection of stabilizer configuration must be done extremely careful to have the best aerodynamic efficiency and performance. Results depict that Forward stabilizer could be the best for cruising flight segment as it contributes the least aerodynamic drag. Contrarily to T-Tail configuration, it denotes the highest aerodynamic drag at extreme pitch attitude of the flight, which the finding was found to be in good agreement with the works done by Zabaroulla [11] . Although the results were for a simplified scaled-down wind tunnel model with no main rotor rotating, the findings could enhance the understanding on contributions of horizontal tail stabiliser towards aerodynamic drag characteristics. For future works, further investigations with different fuselage shape and with main rotor rotating are required to have better conclusion on aerodynamic drag characteristics contributed by stabilizer.

The experimental works conducted in this study had successfully pointed out that the present of different tail part configurations does influence the aerodynamic drag characteristics, in which the finding is in favour with other publications.

Contrarily to T-Tail configuration, it denotes the highest aerodynamic drag at extreme pitch attitude of the flight, which the finding was found to be in good agreement with the works done by Zabaroulla.


Aerodynamic load data were captured during this kind of test. However, the present of the model in the test section had actually reduced the area through which the air must flow. From the Continuity and Bernoulli's equations, this increases the velocity of the air around the model [17] . Because the air is speeded up around the model, the forces and moments become larger, and if no correction is applied, the aerodynamic coefficients will be overestimated.

From the Continuity and Bernoulli's equations, this increases the velocity of the air around the model.


Worldwide financial crises have prompted much government regulation, for example, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and have led to the persistent need for enhanced governance [5] . Since the formation of the King Committee in 1992 in South Africa with the objective of making recommendations on effective implementation of corporate governance, there have been developments in the reviewing of corporate governance standards. Due to a series of financial crises and corporate collapses in the past decade, people have lost confidence in the business sector [1] . Corporate collapses, like Enron and WorldCom, have led to the realisation of the effect and importance of a strong corporate governance system on financial performance of companies [6] [7] [8] [9] . The 2009 global economic recession called for an increasing need to promote good corporate governance across the globe [10] . However, recent corporate scandals and business failures have spurred a lively debate on whether firms are adequately governed [11] . However, studies on corporate governance have focused more on developed countries, and little has been done in developing countries [7, 8] .

Worldwide financial crises have prompted much government regulation, for example, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and have led to the persistent need for enhanced governance.

Due to a series of financial crises and corporate collapses in the past decade, people have lost confidence in the business sector.

Corporate collapses, like Enron and WorldCom, have led to the realisation of the effect and importance of a strong corporate governance system on financial performance of companies.

The 2009 global economic recession called for an increasing need to promote good corporate governance across the globe.

However, recent corporate scandals and business failures have spurred a lively debate on whether firms are adequately governed.

However, studies on corporate governance have focused more on developed countries, and little has been done in developing countries.


In this study, we examine the influence of corporate governance structures on firm financial performance in South Africa among selected mining companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). We chose the South African JSE because the King IV Code on Corporate Governance has become a major listing requirement for firms. The major impetus for investigating corporate governance of emerging economies is due to the significant growth in the number of companies from emerging economies listing on international stock exchanges to attract more foreign direct investments [8] . With the evidence of corporate scandals in South Africa, like Macmed, Leisurenet, and Regal Treasury Bank, in 1999, 2002, and 2001, respectively, there is, therefore, a need to investigate the impact that corporate governance has on firm financial performance. Since the mining industry contributes significantly to the gross domestic product of South Africa, and as a major force for advancing its economy, it is appropriate to analyse the effect of corporate governance on firm financial performance in this important sector. The study is structured as follows: the methods section follows the review of the literature, then results, discussion and, lastly, the conclusion.

The major impetus for investigating corporate governance of emerging economies is due to the significant growth in the number of companies from emerging economies listing on international stock exchanges to attract more foreign direct investments.


Modern corporate governance principles support an approach that considers and balances the legitimate and reasonable needs, interests, and expectations of its stakeholders in an inclusive, ethical, and sustainable manner as part of its decision-making. Corporate boards include not only those that pursue wealth creation as the sole objective, but also ethically responsible individuals who seek to improve social and environmental performances. Corporate governance has now become a mainstream concern of discussion in corporate boardrooms, educational meetings, and policy circles the world over [1] . Interest in corporate governance has increased since the turn of the century due to corporate fraud, managerial misconduct, and negligence and massive loss of shareholder wealth [2] . There are many reasons for such an explosive interest in this subject, but the main reason is corporate scandal [3] . Such explosive interest has resulted in heightened interest in the issue among researchers and policy-makers due to a series of unexpected corporate failures that has reignited and increased concerns regarding the effectiveness of board oversight [4] .

Corporate governance has now become a mainstream concern of discussion in corporate boardrooms, educational meetings, and policy circles the world over.

Interest in corporate governance has increased since the turn of the century due to corporate fraud, managerial misconduct, and negligence and massive loss of shareholder wealth.

There are many reasons for such an explosive interest in this subject, but the main reason is corporate scandal.

Such explosive interest has resulted in heightened interest in the issue among researchers and policy-makers due to a series of unexpected corporate failures that has reignited and increased concerns regarding the effectiveness of board oversight.


Throughout this article we have assumed that the main process that removes a solvent is evaporation. Several authors have discussed the possibility of fluids percolation within some porous regolith or terrain (Hayes et al., 2008; Choukroun & Sotin, 2012; MacKenzie et al., 2014) . This process could be efficient only in the case where solid particles would not fill the regolith pores. A situation where the compounds belonging to the solvent could percolate, leaving behind initially dissolved species, seems particularly unrealistic since the pores would have very specific (and still unknown) properties; in addition, deposited layers at the lake bed would have to remain permeable to solutes, irrespective of its thickness. Nevertheless, we could wonder whether even in case of liquid percolation, the formation of evaporitic deposition could take place. Hence, if the bulk of the liquid, initially lying in a lacustrine depression, flows into a porous geologic formation instead of evaporate; at the end it will still remain a thin Figure 10: The total thickness e tot (in meter) of the resulting evaporite layer that appears after evaporation of the solvent. The adopted lakebed topography is described in Fig. 8 , r (km) represents the typical radius of a lake initially containing solutes with abundances scaled to atmospheric precipitation rates (this model corresponds to what it is depicted by Fig. 9(c) ).

Several authors have discussed the possibility of fluids percolation within some porous regolith or terrain.


In this work, we have considered the application of the perturbation technique coupled with the Chebyshev pseudospectral collocation method to the solution of unsteady heat and mass transfer by MHD mixed convection flow over an impulsively stretched vertical surface with chemical reaction effect. Approximate numerical results were generated using the spectral perturbation method for the solution of the skin friction coefficient, heat transfer rate, mass transfer rate, velocity distribution, temperature distribution and concentration distribution at different flow parameter values. The accuracy of the SPM was demonstrated by comparing with results generated using the spectral relaxation (SRM) where a good agreement was achieved between the two set of results up to at least eight decimal places. The computational efficiency of the SPM was confirmed by comparing the computational times of generating the SPM solutions with the computational times of the SRM solutions. It was observed that the SPM is much faster than the SRM. Residual errors were obtained for the SPM and SRM. From the residual errors analysis we observed that in terms of convergence, the SPM converges faster than the SRM but the SRM gives more accurate results than the SPM in terms of accuracy. The study showed that the SPM can be used as an alternative numerical method to the usual perturbation methods to obtain numerical solutions of partial differential equations (PDEs). It was noted that the SPM solves a partial differential equation by applying discretization only in the space direction. This feature combined with integrating using the spectral method results in computation time saving. Unlike standard perturbation methods, the SPM gives higher order approximate solutions which are not possible or very complicated to find with the usual perturbation methods. For problems related to one investigated in this work, the SPM can be used efficiently. The numerical results presented in this study suggests that the proposed SPM has the potential to be utilized for solving complex nonlinear partial differential equations particularly defined using the [3] transformation. In conclusion, the SPM presented in this study adds to a growing body of literature on numerical methods for solving complex nonlinear fluid flow problems. Also, the present study contributes additional evidence that suggests the use of the SPM as a very good numerical approach for solving complex nonlinear PDEs defined using the [3] transformation.

The numerical results presented in this study suggests that the proposed SPM has the potential to be utilized for solving complex nonlinear partial differential equations particularly defined using the transformation.

Also, the present study contributes additional evidence that suggests the use of the SPM as a very good numerical approach for solving complex nonlinear PDEs defined using the transformation.


In another study investigating the sources of FOI, a lack of theoretical knowledge and experience and insufficient training were found as causes of incompetence feelings. Participants explained their FOI with their failure in engaging clients in the counseling process. Specifically, counselors reported that working with resistant clients became a source of their incompetence feelings (Thériault & Gazzola, 2006) .

Specifically, counselors reported that working with resistant clients became a source of their incompetence feelings.


One of the stated factors for counselor trainees' anxiety about professional practice issues during counseling process was based on the difficulty of managing counseling process. This is consistent with the finding that indicates process issues as one of the most important determinants of therapists' feelings of incompetence. These issues directly relate to the counseling process itself, have long-lasting effects on negative feelings, and are shaped by the interactions between therapist and client. Therefore, incompetence feelings based on process issues are difficult to handle (Thériault & Gazzola, 2006) . Additionally, each client is unique and his/her problems are various. Thus, the counseling process itself is complex and unpredictable and requires consideration of many things simultaneously , so managing the counseling process requires diverse skills and competencies. Counselor trainees explained their anxieties over difficulties in managing the counseling process by means of Engaging Client in Counseling Process, Integrating Theoretical Knowledge into Practice, Being Prepared for Counseling, Integrating Supervision into Sessions, and Being Engaged.

Therefore, incompetence feelings based on process issues are difficult to handle.


Participants reported anxiety about engaging resistant and reluctant clients in counseling process. Especially the clients with negative attitudes about counseling or a lack of self-awareness, or unrealistic expectations from counselors like such as expecting advice were perceived as a source of anxiety. This finding is parallel to some findings in the literature (Hill et al., 2007; Thériault & Gazzola, 2006; Thériault et al., 2009) . When the counseling process is defined as a working alliance between counselee and counselor, engaging the counselee in the process and establishing a working alliance with the counselee are seen as the main component of an effective process (Welfel & Patterson, 2005) . This situation seems to explain the anxiety of novice counselors, who want to succeed, over engaging their counselees in the process.

This finding is parallel to some findings in the literature.

When the counseling process is defined as a working alliance between counselee and counselor, engaging the counselee in the process and establishing a working alliance with the counselee are seen as the main component of an effective process.


Counselor trainees expressed their concerns about being professional in terms of respect issues. They are meticulous about showing respect to their clients by means of being objective, helping clients, and not hurting them. One way of expressing respect is being non-judgmental and/or being objective in the counseling process (Brown & Srebalus, 1996) . In other words, they are anxious about judging and evaluating their clients from their personal standpoint (Hill et al., 2007) .

One way of expressing respect is being non-judgmental and/or being objective in the counseling process.

In other words, they are anxious about judging and evaluating their clients from their personal standpoint.


Novice trainees' experiences, feelings, and concerns about their developmental processes were investigated. They were worried about their reactions to clients and learning and using helping skills. Since trainees were worried about how to manage sessions, they had anxiety about forthcoming sessions. Trainees complained about not being fully present with clients and being distracted due to over-involvement with themselves. They also reported anxiety about their objectivity. They were concerned about difficulties in relating to clients empathetically because of their failure to handle differences or be sympathetic. They feared working with resistant and involuntary clients and displaying nonprofessional behaviors like giving advice (Hill, Sullivan, Knox, & Schlosser, 2007) .

They feared working with resistant and involuntary clients and displaying nonprofessional behaviors like giving advice.


Counselor trainees thought that they would have to integrate feedback provided in supervision into their sessions and use this feedback functionally to manage the counseling process effectively. However, they predicted that they would have difficulty in transferring supervision into practice. Although trainees attribute much importance to supervisors' contributions to managing the process and themselves , they may find the spontaneous implementation of supervision into sessions challenging, which leads to anxiety. Since the supervisor's suggestions are based on his/her own style, the high probability that the counselor trainee will be unable to adjust these suggestions to his/her own style may create further anxiety (Cormier & Hackney, 1999) . In sum, it was revealed that ineffective management of the counseling process consists of the factors that lead counselors to lose the feeling of control in the counseling process and factors related to the overall counseling process that indirectly hinder their effectiveness in the process.

Since the supervisor's suggestions are based on his/her own style, the high probability that the counselor trainee will be unable to adjust these suggestions to his/her own style may create further anxiety.


In conclusion, it can be stated based on the literature that experiencing anxiety and other incompetence feelings is inevitable for trainees during their training, and these experiences impede their professional development (Fulton & Cashwell, 2015) . Therefore, the critical task is to enable them to cope with negative feelings and experiences such as anxiety during the training process. In this context, taking into account trainees' experiences and feelings about conducting sessions during the formal education process makes important contributions to their personal and professional development, because when counselor trainees act with awareness and nonjudgmentally toward themselves, their anxiety decreases (Fulton & Cashwell, 2015) . Thus, to support the development of counselor trainees and make the educational and training process fully functional, understanding the nature and antecedents of these negative experiences and feelings comes into question. This study was conducted to understand the counselor trainees' predictions about their experiences as a counselor during practicum course and to reveal the sources of the feelings related to these predictions. For this reason, research questions were as follows.

In conclusion, it can be stated based on the literature that experiencing anxiety and other incompetence feelings is inevitable for trainees during their training, and these experiences impede their professional development.

In this context, taking into account trainees' experiences and feelings about conducting sessions during the formal education process makes important contributions to their personal and professional development, because when counselor trainees act with awareness and nonjudgmentally toward themselves, their anxiety decreases.


Additionally, it was observed that some counselor trainees experienced general anxiety over their incompatibility with the profession due to their personal or personality characteristics. This finding is supported by findings that indicate that counselor trainees are indecisive about whether they have the appropriate personal and personality characteristics to become counselors . In particular, counselor trainees faced with difficulties excessively question if they are on the right track, and so they become worried (Woodside et al., 2007) .

In particular, counselor trainees faced with difficulties excessively question if they are on the right track, and so they become worried.


When counselor trainees' feelings about their imminent practices were examined, it was seen that they had feelings of confusion, anxiety, excitement, curiosity, and fear. Counselor trainees' dominant emotion was anxiety, as expected and consistent with the literature (Aladag et al., 2014; Hill et al., 2007; Thériault & Gazzola, 2005; Thériault et al., 2009; Jennings et al., 2003; Knight, 2013; Woodside et al., 2007) . Trainees' anxiety can be explained with the fact that they can't cope with ambiguity of the process because they haven't carried out counseling session before and they are inexperienced. To cope with the ambiguity of the counseling process, they try to determine just one perfect response, in turn making them more anxious . Moreover, counselor trainees have evaluation anxiety (Aladag et al., 2014) . Because of continuous self-evaluation as well as evaluation by supervisors, they are preoccupied with themselves, and so they may become more anxious about their competencies.

Counselor trainees' dominant emotion was anxiety, as expected and consistent with the literature.

Moreover, counselor trainees have evaluation anxiety.


Cancer treatment and management have become increasingly complex over the past two decades, with therapeutic decisions often based on input from a multidisciplinary team that consists of radiologists, surgeons, pathologists, and oncologists [1] . For patients with suspected or confirmed cancer, clear and thorough recording of diagnostic and surgical procedures and findings support accurate diagnosis and staging. Such recording also facilitates more accurate prognosis estimates, postoperative management, and adjuvant treatment planning. The dominant method of reporting findings from diagnostic tests/procedures, surgery, and pathology examinations is the narrative report, which is a free text, descriptive account of the procedure, suspected or confirmed findings, and proposed treatment. Physicians dictate this report, often through automated telephone systems, and professional transcriptionists transcribe the oral description into a written document that is eventually placed into a patient's medical record. Research has demonstrated that narrative reports inconsistently provide the information required to understand the disease and make informed patient care decisions [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] .

Cancer treatment and management have become increasingly complex over the past two decades, with therapeutic decisions often based on input from a multidisciplinary team that consists of radiologists, surgeons, pathologists, and oncologists.

Research has demonstrated that narrative reports inconsistently provide the information required to understand the disease and make informed patient care decisions.


Human factor experts broadly classify HRA models in to so-called first and second generation models, THERP (Technique for Human Error Rate Prediction) among other task-oriented models are regarded as first generation, and models factoring in the environment and the context in its calculations is considered a second generation model [3] . Usually experts believe human factors (HF) are not to be considered in isolation: environment, human cognitive state and context are also to be taken into account. Performance Shaping Factors (PSFs) offer a simplified way to take into account the context in HRA calculations. More specifically, PSFs allow the consideration of human's own characteristics along with environment which affect human performance in a negative or positive manner [6] . However, for safety related analyses and subsequent risk calculations the interest is mostly towards their negative impact on human performance. PSFs are often categorized as internal and external (i.e. individual and situational characteristics), direct and indirect i.e. ones having one-to-one relation between magnitude of PSF and the measured quantity and ones whose magnitude is measured multivariate or subjectively [7] . Over the years most PSFs sets have gone through multiple revisions and critiques giving them a refined definition and hierarchical structuring among other classifications.

Human factor experts broadly classify HRA models in to so-called first and second generation models, THERP (Technique for Human Error Rate Prediction) among other task-oriented models are regarded as first generation, and models factoring in the environment and the context in its calculations is considered a second generation model.

More specifically, PSFs allow the consideration of human's own characteristics along with environment which affect human performance in a negative or positive manner.

PSFs are often categorized as internal and external (i.e. individual and situational characteristics), direct and indirect i.e. ones having one-to-one relation between magnitude of PSF and the measured quantity and ones whose magnitude is measured multivariate or subjectively.


In general, high expectations and high self-efficacy increase motivation and improve performance (Bandura, 1997; Eden, 1990; Vroom, 1964) . In our experiment, we manipulated performance expectations, but did not find a link between expectations and performance. We suspect that the nature of our task, a trivia challenge, limited the effects of motivation. That is, greater effort is likely to improve performance across a variety of domains, but it is unlikely to improve the ability to recall trivia.

In general, high expectations and high self-efficacy increase motivation and improve performance.


We experience today an explosion in wireless network traffic driven by the rapidly growing number of mobile devices and bandwidth hungry applications. Industry research predicts that the aggregate bandwidth demands will increase by 1000x by 2020 [6] . Although intelligent spectrum adaptation in WiFi and cellular networks can offer short-term solutions, it is unlikely to completely solve the problem of high bandwidth demands in the longer term. The scalability of any solution in the lower frequency bands (LTE, WiFi, TV white spaces) is physically limited by form factor constraints, which put a hard limit to the number of antennas that can be accommodated on an AP and/or a client device, and call for alternative approaches.

Industry research predicts that the aggregate bandwidth demands will increase by 1000x by 2020.


In breast examinations, such as mammography, detected actionable tumors are further examined through invasive histology. Objective interpretation of these modalities is fraught with high inter-observer variability and limited reproducibility [1] . In this context, a reference based assessment, such as presenting prior cases with similar disease manifestations (termed Content Based Image Retrieval (CBIR)) could be used to circumvent discrepancies in cancer grading. With growing sizes of clinical databases, such a CBIR system ought to be both scalable and accurate. Towards this, hashing approaches for CBIR are being actively investigated for representing images as compact binary codes that can be used for fast and accurate retrieval [2] [3] [4] .

Objective interpretation of these modalities is fraught with high inter-observer variability and limited reproducibility.

Towards this, hashing approaches for CBIR are being actively investigated for representing images as compact binary codes that can be used for fast and accurate retrieval.


Studies on the life cycle and oviposition preference of Sitophilus oryzae (L.) on three different stored grains rice, pulse and wheat were conducted during 2013-14 in the Entomology laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka. This investigation was carried out within an incubator set at temperature 27  4C and 70  4% relative humidity (rh). These temperature and rh were selected because they were reported to be most favorable conditions for population growth of weevil (Longstaff 1981) .

These temperature and rh were selected because they were reported to be most favorable conditions for population growth of weevil.


Geopolymer containing VBa (GVBa), instead, causes a different cell response. The exposure to GVBa does not affect cell proliferation as well as pure VBa. Moreover, GVBa shows also lower toxicity than the pure geopolymer, because the addition of glass to the geopolymeric matrix causes the increase of the Si/Al ratio in GVBa compared to pure GP, which leads to a decrease in the Al release [10] .

Moreover, GVBa shows also lower toxicity than the pure geopolymer, because the addition of glass to the geopolymeric matrix causes the increase of the Si/Al ratio in GVBa compared to pure GP, which leads to a decrease in the Al release.


As was mentioned in the methods section, the indoor air quality provided by the sizing rules found in the Belgian, British, Dutch, French and ASHRAE standards is assessed using 4 different criteria for CO 2 concentrations suggested by the EN 15665 standard [47] . All of these, however, integrate the transient concentrations into a single number, losing lots of information in the process. Therefore, the cumulative distribution functions of the exposure to CO 2 are also given for some configurations. In figure 1 , the 4 criteria are shown in the cumulative distribution chart. Table 7 lists the time fractions spent in the different IDA classes considering all 334 occupants from the 100 simulations in the monte-carlo analysis for all 5 standards in all 5 geometries.

As was mentioned in the methods section, the indoor air quality provided by the sizing rules found in the Belgian, British, Dutch, French and ASHRAE standards is assessed using 4 different criteria for CO 2 concentrations suggested by the EN 15665 standard.


When lipid bilayers prepared from pure one-component phospholipids are subjected to heating under the ambient pressure condition, they often undergo multiple thermotropic phase transitions [8] . These transitions maybe detected by a wide variety of physical techniques such as DSC, dilatometry, X-ray diffraction, neutron diffraction, dynamic light scattering, and NMR [9] [10] [11] . Liposome and liposome/drug preparation We obtained small liposomes (DPPC; DPPC/5-FU; DPPC/ Ara-C; DPPC/Ara-C/5-FU) by the modified reverse-phase evaporation method (mREV) [12, 13] . PBS buffer pH 7.4 was applied. For 1 H NMR and UV study 5 9 10 -3 M 5-FU in DMSO and 5 9 10 -3 M Ara-C in D 2 0 were added to the preparation mixture. The preparation was carried out at 317 K. Liposome entrapped 5-FU and Ara-C were separated from free 5-FU and free Ara-C by dialysis through Servapor dialysis tubing against several changes of buffer at 277 K.

When lipid bilayers prepared from pure one-component phospholipids are subjected to heating under the ambient pressure condition, they often undergo multiple thermotropic phase transitions.

These transitions maybe detected by a wide variety of physical techniques such as DSC, dilatometry, X-ray diffraction, neutron diffraction, dynamic light scattering, and NMR.

Liposome and liposome/drug preparation We obtained small liposomes (DPPC; DPPC/5-FU; DPPC/ Ara-C; DPPC/Ara-C/5-FU) by the modified reverse-phase evaporation method (mREV).

PBS buffer pH 7.4 was applied.


Many efforts have been made to improve the properties of liposomal preparations, especially the encapsulation efficiency, vesicle size, and stability, which are still major problems standing in the way of new advances in this field. Up to now, a number of different methods has been successfully developed for the preparation of liposomes. These methods can be classified for convenience into three categories based on the dispersion technology: (1) mechanical dispersion methods, for example, hand shaking, or vortexing, sonication, and the use of a French press; (2) detergent-solubilizing dispersion methods including solubilizing lecithin with sodium cholate or octylglucoside; (3) solvent dispersion methods, such as ethanol injection, ether infusion, and reverse-phase evaporation (REV). Liposomes prepared by the REV method are known to have a higher encapsulation efficiency for water-soluble agents than those prepared by other methods [6] .

Liposomes prepared by the REV method are known to have a higher encapsulation efficiency for water-soluble agents than those prepared by other methods.


In this study, we bring the time domain into the laboratory and focus on time as a medium of exchange in the context of other-regarding behavior. We used a simple experimental setting to investigate the act of giving by making subjects perform a task that is arduous and time-consuming. In our experiment, subjects placed in the role of senders received their payoff of €10 at the very beginning of the experiment. They could then perform a tedious task. The task resulted in no monetary costs or benefits for the sender but increased earnings of an anonymous and monetarily disadvantaged recipient who had no opportunity to increase her payoff. The treatments differed in the time recipients had to spend in the laboratory and their marginal monetary benefit from senders' effort (2-by-2 design). Additionally, we used a procedure that provides strict anonymity, thereby ruling out reputational concerns and peer pressure (Bénabou and Tirole 2006; Falk and Ichino 2006) . Importantly, senders could end the experiment and leave the laboratory at any time without being seen by the experimenter.

They could then perform a tedious task.

Additionally, we used a procedure that provides strict anonymity, thereby ruling out reputational concerns and peer pressure.


Primarily, the main challenge with all AM procedures is the reliability and repeatability of parts [8, 9] . Due to the thermal cycles that are experienced by the part during the build process, residual stresses are induced, resulting in part distortions. In addition, the thermal field induces changes within the microstructure of the material, resulting in altered material properties. These factors cause unreliability in additively manufactured parts. Alterations in mechanical properties and unknown residual stresses mean that the suitability of the part is unknown until tested. Therefore, non-destructive testing methods are required to determine the material properties of the built part and any possible defects, such as pores caused by lack of fusion; however, the lack of inspectability of complex parts by means other than computed tomography limits scalability.

Primarily, the main challenge with all AM procedures is the reliability and repeatability of parts.


Receptivity of stigma is a critical factor for successful completion of post pollination events. The stigma is wet and non-papillate type (Heslop-Harrison & Shivanna 1977) . Stigmas were more receptive up to 80% on the first day of flower opening ( Image 1g) . Subsequently, the receptivity percentages and in vivo germinating pollens were decreased on successive days after blooming. In I. cuspidata, pollen grains were well adhered on the stigmatic surface due to sticky nature and presence of pollen threads. Pollen tubes penetrate the stigmatic region and reached up to the ovary and fertilized the ovules. The fertilized ovules developed into seeds with only 20% germinability.

The stigma is wet and non-papillate type.


California sea lion depredation of commercial passenger fishing vessels (CPFVs) and bait receivers -barges and docks where live bait is sold to recreational fishers (hereafter bait barges) off the west coast of the United States has been observed for decades and has increased as pinniped populations have increased dramatically since the 1970s (Lowry & Maravilla-Chavez, 2005; Fletcher, 2008; Keledjian & Mesnick, 2013) . Our objective was to test the efficacy of fear conditioning in reducing sea lion interactions from these two commercial fishing contexts; bait barges and fishing vessels. We tested whether: (1) individual sea lions interacting with bait barges can be fear conditioned using aversive acoustic stimuli and whether fearconditioned individuals' responses differ from those of nonconditioned individuals and (2) fear conditioning reduces interactions between sea lions and CPFVs in southern California.

California sea lion depredation of commercial passenger fishing vessels (CPFVs) and bait receivers -barges and docks where live bait is sold to recreational fishers (hereafter bait barges) off the west coast of the United States has been observed for decades and has increased as pinniped populations have increased dramatically since the 1970s.


Pavlovian fear conditioning is a form of associative learning in which individuals are exposed to an aversive, unconditioned stimulus (US) that is paired with an innocuous conditioned stimulus (CS) (Fanselow, 1984; Fanselow & Ponnusamy, 2008) . While exposure to the US-alone generally generates unconditioned fear reactions, conditioned responses to a CS after conditioning are different from unconditioned response to the US itself (Blanchard & Blanchard, 1969; Fanselow, 1980; Hollis et al., 1997) . For instance, rats' unconditioned response to aversive electric shock (US) involves a burst of motor activity (Fanselow, 1982) . In contrast, rats exposed to a stimulus that predicts shock or threat (CS such as context or experimenter) react by fleeing, engaging in hyper-vigilance or exhibiting generalized avoidance (Bolles & Collier, 1976; Fanselow, 1980; Blanchard, 1997) . Conditioned responses involve behaviors like vigilance or avoidance designed to circumvent threat that can also be the target responses for an effective deterrent (Hollis et al., 1997) . To use this in deterrents, a painful or aversive deterrent stimulus designed to elicit an unconditioned response is needed as a US. If effectively conditioned with a paired CS, individuals will have learned that the CS indicates an impending US stimulus so that they can learn to avoid the US stimulus entirely. Employing fear conditioning to create deterrents might be a very effective way to reduce human-wildlife conflicts in a relatively humane way, especially if the conditioned response to the target CS is avoidance (Mazur, 2010; Rossler et al., 2012; Greggor et al., 2014; Schakner et al., 2014) .

Pavlovian fear conditioning is a form of associative learning in which individuals are exposed to an aversive, unconditioned stimulus (US) that is paired with an innocuous conditioned stimulus (CS).

While exposure to the US-alone generally generates unconditioned fear reactions, conditioned responses to a CS after conditioning are different from unconditioned response to the US itself.

For instance, rats' unconditioned response to aversive electric shock (US) involves a burst of motor activity.

In contrast, rats exposed to a stimulus that predicts shock or threat (CS such as context or experimenter) react by fleeing, engaging in hyper-vigilance or exhibiting generalized avoidance.

Conditioned responses involve behaviors like vigilance or avoidance designed to circumvent threat that can also be the target responses for an effective deterrent.

Employing fear conditioning to create deterrents might be a very effective way to reduce human-wildlife conflicts in a relatively humane way, especially if the conditioned response to the target CS is avoidance.


Little is known about the uptake and catabolism of fructose in Rhizobium except for the presence of a cytoplasmic fructokinase (Martinez-de Drets & Arias, 1970; Ronson & Primrose, 1979; Glenn et al., 1984) . In many organisms the initial step of fructose metabolism involves a phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system (Baumann & Baumann, 1975 ; Sawyer et al., 1977; Van Dijken & Quayle, 1977) . The fructose 1-phosphate is then further phosphorylated to yield fructose 1,6-bisphosphate which can then be metabolized via the Entner-Doudoroff and/or Embden-Meyerhof pathways (Sawyer et al., 1977) .

Little is known about the uptake and catabolism of fructose in Rhizobium except for the presence of a cytoplasmic fructokinase.

In many organisms the initial step of fructose metabolism involves a phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system.

The fructose 1-phosphate is then further phosphorylated to yield fructose 1,6-bisphosphate which can then be metabolized via the Entner-Doudoroff and/or Embden-Meyerhof pathways.


There are two kinds of products offered to users on e-commerce sites -low involvement products (LIP), such as books, videos, soap, and high involvement products (HIP), such as electronic devices, cars, and houses [19] . The Collaborative Filtering (CF) approach has been widely applied for recommending LIP because a rich source of data is available for learning user's preferences and for generating personalized recommendations according to the preference of similar users. The CF approach works best with a large amount of user preferences data and it is suitable for recommending LIP that are frequently purchased by users, as its database of user's preferences gets larger and larger over time when users purchase the products repetitively. Thus, currently, the CF approach has been widely employed by many of the commercial retail websites for recommending LIP.

There are two kinds of products offered to users on e-commerce sites -low involvement products (LIP), such as books, videos, soap, and high involvement products (HIP), such as electronic devices, cars, and houses.


Notwithstanding, there exists a theoretical argument for a negative relationship between democracy and private investment. This is based on two major principles. The first is that, democracy stimulates an urge for current consumption, hence reducing the 'resource pool' from which future savings can be made (Dominguez and Huntington, 1975) . Secondly, social equality (democracy) causes the redistribution of the income of the median voter towards the poor. This may create increased consumption as against savings, possibly depriving investors the resources to fund private investment (may not be an absolute case though). Finally, the political institution of an economy may also be in no way inclined towards promoting private investment.

This is based on two major principles.

The first is that, democracy stimulates an urge for current consumption, hence reducing the 'resource pool' from which future savings can be made.


Product quality improvement, in terms of reducing the geometric and/or dimensional variations of key product characteristics (KPCs), is essential, yet challenging for MMPs [1] . A quality product can be obtained when the entire MMP works under normal conditions and only inherent variations of the process are present. However, when assignable causes are present in a station of a MMP, excessive variations will be induced to the features, resulting in significant deviations from their nominal values [2] . If some of these deviating features are used in downstream stations as datum features, their deviations will be propagated and new random deviations will be generated, even though there is no more assignable causes present. As this scenario continues, the random deviations will keep propagating and accumulating to KPCs of final product. The evaluation of the KPC variations given process variations is of great concern in quality improving efforts, including product and process design optimization, in-process monitoring, and process variation sources identification. To successfully implement these activities, it is desirable to develop a mathematical modeling mechanism that explicitly describes the intrinsic variation induction and propagation in MMPs.

Product quality improvement, in terms of reducing the geometric and/or dimensional variations of key product characteristics (KPCs), is essential, yet challenging for MMPs.

However, when assignable causes are present in a station of a MMP, excessive variations will be induced to the features, resulting in significant deviations from their nominal values.


Due to its low hardness and austenitic/ferritic structure, the wear resistance of austenitic/ferritic stainless steel can limit its tribological application [1] [2] . Coatings deposited on the surfaces of different substrates susceptible to wear, increase the operating life and range of conditions for which they may be used. In tribo-engineering applications, especially where components undergo sliding wear, steels may exhibit poor tribological properties such as low sliding wear resistance, fluctuating friction, delamination wear, ploughing wear, and plastic deformation.

Due to its low hardness and austenitic/ferritic structure, the wear resistance of austenitic/ferritic stainless steel can limit its tribological application.


Prediction of wear resistance of steels is approached with some difficulty as for example, the effects of many variables on the wear mechanisms are not well understood. For example, no simple relationship between hardness and wear resistance of materials can be formulated [3] , [4] . Summarising the significant investigations carried out to date, wear mechanisms of steel involve adhesion, oxidation, plastic deformation, delamination of material, strain hardening, generation of surface and sub-surface cracks and associated structural changes [3] .

For example, no simple relationship between hardness and wear resistance of materials can be formulated.

Summarising the significant investigations carried out to date, wear mechanisms of steel involve adhesion, oxidation, plastic deformation, delamination of material, strain hardening, generation of surface and sub-surface cracks and associated structural changes.


We conjecture that this coincidence may be due to the fact that the model has an SO(N ) symmetry for both N = 4 and in the large N limit (upon averaging over the random couplings). Together with the scaling symmetry, the SO(N ) symmetry may already pin down the form of two point function. Nevertheless, the four point function for N = 4 is completely different from that in the large N limit. This is because the N = 4 case is integrable while the large N case is chaotic. As a result, the four point function for N = 4 only has power-law or exponential decay (up to a background constant from conserved charges), and is insensitive to time orderings. For N = 5, upon a flavor basis rotation, the model decouples into an N = 4 model plus a free chiral Majorana fermion. For N = 6, by a flavor basis rotation and bosonization, we can rewrite the model as three free chiral bosons with three distinct velocities. For finite N ≥ 7, the model becomes much more complicated and probably unsolvable. We conjecture that the model has a transition from integrablity to chaos when N increases, and this transition probably happens between N = 6 and N = 7. This would also be the transition from non-thermalization to thermalization among the N chiral Majorana flavors. In chiral topological condensed matter systems, thermalization of chiral states on the edge could affect the thermal measurements in experiments [45, 46] . The paper is organized as follows: In Sec. 2, we introduce the 1 + 1 dimensional chiral SYK model for general number of chiral Majorana fermion flavors N , and find the energy-momentum tensor of the model. In Sec. 3, we solve the model for N = 4 via bosonization. We then calculate the thermal quantities and the four point function for N = 4, and show the OTOC in this case only has exponentially decay. In Sec. 4, we investigate the chiral SYK model in the large N limit by solving the Schwinger-Dyson equations exactly. Based on the exact two point function, we discuss its thermal properties and ground state entropy, and examine the large N OTOC for signatures of chaos and operator spreading. In section 5, we give the exact solutions for N = 5 and N = 6, and discuss what might happen at N ≥ 7 and its consequence for thermalization. Finally, we briefly summarize our results in Sec. 6.

In chiral topological condensed matter systems, thermalization of chiral states on the edge could affect the thermal measurements in experiments.


The SYK Model lives in 0 + 1 dimensions-it is essentially a model on a quantum dot-and various authors have considered extensions to higher dimensions. One family of extensions builds higher dimensional models out of lattices of SYK dots, and this has led to interesting results on transport and on non-Fermi liquid behavior [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] . A second family of extensions involves nonchiral homogeneous models with interactions in the new large N limit which can be viewed either as arising from random couplings or from tensorial fields [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] . In particular, the random extension to 1 + 1 dimensional nonchiral fermions shows marginally irrelevant SYK interactions [17] . In this paper we present a third extension, this time to a homegenous chiral system in 1 + 1 dimensions, where we study the resulting chiral SYK model at large N .

One family of extensions builds higher dimensional models out of lattices of SYK dots, and this has led to interesting results on transport and on non-Fermi liquid behavior.

A second family of extensions involves nonchiral homogeneous models with interactions in the new large N limit which can be viewed either as arising from random couplings or from tensorial fields.

In particular, the random extension to 1 + 1 dimensional nonchiral fermions shows marginally irrelevant SYK interactions.


One such challenge is the rapid increase in sub-threshold leakage power due to V t scaling. Should the present scaling trend continue it is expected that the sub-threshold leakage power will become a considerable constituent of the total dissipated power [6] . In such a system it becomes crucial to identify techniques to reduce this leakage power component. It has been shown previously that the stacking of two off devices has significantly reduced subthreshold leakage compared to a single off device [7] [8] [9] . This concept of stack effect is illustrated in Figure 1 . In rest of the paper the term leakage refers to sub-threshold leakage.

Should the present scaling trend continue it is expected that the sub-threshold leakage power will become a considerable constituent of the total dissipated power.

It has been shown previously that the stacking of two off devices has significantly reduced subthreshold leakage compared to a single off device.


For example, migratory species such as the Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) have widely separated feeding and spawning areas that are distributed over a large latitudinal gradient. Those habitats are typically exposed to changes in seasonality and habitat productivity that can affect habitat payoffs and dispersal dynamics. The species appears to have evolved a migration strategy that alternates rapid movement between neighboring regions with periods of continuous feeding in those areas before a new migration occurs (Block et al. 2001 (Block et al. , 2005 Wilson et al. 2005) . Thus, the dispersal dynamic between distant habitats appears as a multiple step process by which tunas explore several habitats rather than a single direct movement toward higher payoff areas.

The species appears to have evolved a migration strategy that alternates rapid movement between neighboring regions with periods of continuous feeding in those areas before a new migration occurs.


The proliferation of wireless devices, such as smart phones, mobile broadband modems, tablets, and mobile data applications, will in the near future be overwhelming wireless networks. The expected increasing demand for high data rates has urged mobile operators to explore new ways in order to improve the coverage and provide boost in the network capacity [1] . Cell reduction concept is one of the key enabling technologies to increase the network capacity as demanded for the evolution of mobile technologies towards 5G. Network densification through use of small cells (SCs) has been considered in 3GPP which made small cells an integral part of LTE Advanced by developing the concept of heterogeneous networks (HetNets) [2] - [5] . Small cells are formed by low-power and reducedsize wireless access points that operate in licensed spectrum and are operator-managed. They operate inside the coverage area of a macro-cell, creating a heterogeneous network, and offer great advantages for operators and for users, who get better coverage and higher data rate, and can access new services [6] . Another key aspect in next generation cellular networks is the spectral efficiency that is becoming more and more important in order to utilize the limited spectrum efficiently. Therefore, to ensure fair and economical use of available spectrum, relevant standardization bodies have established spectrum allocation policies. However, several measurement studies reveal that the fixed spectrum policies led to inefficient spectrum utilization [7] . Moreover, it indicates that there is space to improve the spectrum utilization process.

The expected increasing demand for high data rates has urged mobile operators to explore new ways in order to improve the coverage and provide boost in the network capacity.

Network densification through use of small cells (SCs) has been considered in 3GPP which made small cells an integral part of LTE Advanced by developing the concept of heterogeneous networks (HetNets).

They operate inside the coverage area of a macro-cell, creating a heterogeneous network, and offer great advantages for operators and for users, who get better coverage and higher data rate, and can access new services.

However, several measurement studies reveal that the fixed spectrum policies led to inefficient spectrum utilization.


The advancement and application of Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) are considered key research areas for improving healthcare quality [1] . Pervasive healthcare monitoring provides rich contextual information to handle the odd conditions of chronically ill patients. Constant monitoring and an early medical response not only increase the life quality of elderly and chronically ill people but also help families and parents by providing high-quality healthcare to their young babies and paralyzed children [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] . The importance of the WBANs cannot be very promising, as many applications and prototypes are already in progress. For example, some WBANs are dedicated to continuous observation of cognitive diseases such as Alzheimer's, epilepsy, and Parkinson's disease. Another significant advancement in WBANs is the formation of tiny sensors implanted in the human body or integrated into fabric.

The advancement and application of Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) are considered key research areas for improving healthcare quality.

Constant monitoring and an early medical response not only increase the life quality of elderly and chronically ill people but also help families and parents by providing high-quality healthcare to their young babies and paralyzed children.


Despite no cultural difference outlined on the attentional measures (i.e., mindfulness and cognitive failures) the influence of this construct was significant for the French model. Research clearly states the importance of executive control to flexibly manage ones' thoughts (Smallwood & Schooler, 2015) . This raises questions as to why the attentional characteristics are not central to mind-wandering frequency in the British population. One avenue to consider is the possibility of an indirect effect, where the attentional construct contributes to mind-wandering frequency via its strong relationship with the self-related construct. Subsequently, the factoring of selfreflection into the self-related construct for the British population was in agreement with the previously discussed cultural differences on self-centred thoughts. However, in the French population, where reflection rates are high, this measure contributed to the self-related construct and to mind-wandering frequency in a direct manner. Ultimately, together, these findings demonstrate an influence of culture on the complex experience of mind-wandering.

Research clearly states the importance of executive control to flexibly manage ones' thoughts.


Nevertheless, some limitations must be taken into account when interpreting these findings. Firstly, conducting an online survey most certainly influenced the characteristics of the population recruited. This is especially true for older adults as not all the aging population has access to internet or is comfortable with the use of electronic devices. Additionally, it provoked an unbalanced distribution of participants across age groups. Secondly, it is difficult to know if the findings differentiating French from English native speakers can be attributed to a cultural difference, or merely a language effect via the interpretation of the questionnaires. Indeed, even if back-translation of questionnaires is commonly used, it does not guarantee equivalence across two languages. Indeed, one word in Language A may correspond to multiple words with slightly different connotations in Language B. For example, a neutral word in English, when translated into French can have a slight negative connotation and therefore would induce differences in participants' report. Nevertheless, correlations of similar weight are found between questionnaires for each population. For example, depressive symptoms, which were not influenced by culture, correlated positively, at the same extend for both group, with rumination rates (r = .58 and r =.55), with negative affects (r =.64 and r =.54) and mind-wandering (r =.39 and r =.43), which all varied depending on cultural affiliation. Additionally, a study controlling for language of testing evidenced cultural differences between European American and Chinese (Ji, Zhang, & Nisbett, 2004) . They stressed that the cultural effect was bigger when language was not taken into account, meaning that language of testing does modulate results but it does not mediate them. Therefore, even though language of testing may lead to changes in responses, such Martinon, Smallwood, Hamilton, & Riby 231 changes occurred in a limited range and do not necessarily threaten the conclusion pertaining to cultural comparisons.

Additionally, a study controlling for language of testing evidenced cultural differences between European American and Chinese.