Hybrid had no effect on the extent of acetylation, as measured by reaction efficiency. However, reaction efficiencies were observed to range from 35-56%. Reaction efficiencies for starch samples from 1998 hybrids were lower overall than samples from 1999 hybrids. Hybrid affected several pasting properties of both unmodified and acetylated samples. Differences among 1999 hybrids in pasting properties that were observed in acetylated samples also were ob served in unacetylated samples. Differences among 1999 hybrids in pasting properties appeared linked to factors prior to acetylation, similar to trends observed for waxy corn hybrids (Wilkins et al 2003) . Crop year also had an effect on reaction efficiency and all pasting properties except for breakdown. Some variations among samples of the same hybrid were found in some pasting properties; these variations were similar to those found in a previous study on waxy starch acetylation (Wilkins et al 2003) . Reaction efficiency variation within 1999 hybrids was greater than reaction efficiency variation within 1998 hybrids. Higher reaction efficiency resulted in greater pasting viscosities and lower pasting temperature. NaOH consumed in the acetylation reaction was correlated (R 2 = 0.95) to reaction efficiency; increased reaction efficiency increased acetyl content of acetylated starches and decreased NaOH consumption.

Differences among 1999 hybrids in pasting properties appeared linked to factors prior to acetylation, similar to trends observed for waxy corn hybrids.

Some variations among samples of the same hybrid were found in some pasting properties; these variations were similar to those found in a previous study on waxy starch acetylation.


Some variation in pasting properties within samples of the same hybrid was observed, particularly in final viscosity and 1998 hybrid 8 samples (only two 1998 hybrid 8 samples were analyzed) (Tables II  and III) . These variations were similar to those found in a previous study on waxy starch acetylation (Wilkins et al 2003) . Variation in reaction efficiency within 1999 hybrids was greater than variations within 1998 hybrids (Tables II and III ). All hybrids were acetylated according to the same procedure, and control samples acetylated at the same time showed a small variation in reaction efficiency (COV = 2.5%). Also, reaction efficiency showed low correlation with protein content (data not shown). Reasons for the increase in reaction efficiency variation with 1999 hybrids, as opposed to 1998 hybrids, are not known.

These variations were similar to those found in a previous study on waxy starch acetylation.


Linear correlations were made between each pasting property and unmodified starch protein content. Breakdown showed a small correlation with protein content (R 2 = 0.19) (data not shown). All other pasting properties and reaction efficiency showed weak correlation with protein content with R 2 < 0.07. A negative, linear correlation was observed between the amount of NaOH used in each acetylation reaction and reaction efficiency (R 2 = 0.95) (Fig. 2) . Starches that cannot react efficiently with acetyl groups consume increased amounts of NaOH. When starch reacts with acetic anhydride, two acetyl groups from each acetic anhydride molecule are released into aqueous solution. Ideally, one group reacts with a hydroxyl group on the starch molecule and the other combines with a sodium cation from NaOH to form sodium acetate (Jarowenko 1986) . Starches that exhibit low reaction efficiency do not react with as many acetyl groups as do starches with higher reaction efficiencies, so more free acetyl groups remain in aqueous solution. Acetyl groups in aqueous solution form acetic acid, which decreases reaction pH; therefore, more NaOH is needed to react with free acetyl groups to maintain reaction pH in the optimal range. These results are similar to a previous acetylation study conducted with waxy corn starch (Wilkins et al 2003) .

Ideally, one group reacts with a hydroxyl group on the starch molecule and the other combines with a sodium cation from NaOH to form sodium acetate.

These results are similar to a previous acetylation study conducted with waxy corn starch.


To evaluate the anti-NSCLC growth mechanism of yatein, the regulatory effect of yatein on the apoptosisrelated pathway was determined using flow cytometry and Western blot analysis. The result of Western blot analysis was consistent with the results of Annexin V/ PI staining; we found that prolonged yatein treatment was associated with an increase in apoptosis features in the cells, as observed through flow cytometry and Western blot analysis. Caspase family proteins play a vital role during the apoptotic process; the activated caspase proteins are able to trigger the programed cell death. Our finding indicated that yatein induced caspase-dependent apoptosis and activated intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways in the A549 and CL1-5 cells by activating expression of caspase 8 and caspase 9 and then inducing caspase 3 and PARP protein activation. Additionally, yatein induced ROS formation in the NSCLC cells at various time points. ROS has multiple functions in cell biology. At proper doses, ROS are able to regulate cell development functions, including cell cycle regulation, cell death, differentiation, migration, and proliferation. However, excess ROS production would cause severe damage to biomolecules, and then induced apoptosis and/or necrosis [27] [28] [29] . Additionally, previous studies also showed that lignan compounds are able to induce apoptosis through producing ROS in various cell types [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] . Thus, based on aforementioned, we speculated that ROS formation was involved in yatein-mediated cell death.

However, excess ROS production would cause severe damage to biomolecules, and then induced apoptosis and/or necrosis.

Additionally, previous studies also showed that lignan compounds are able to induce apoptosis through producing ROS in various cell types.


Previous studies are mainly focused on the anticancer potential of C. formosana extract alone or its major compound, hinokitiol [16, 19] . To our knowledge, thus far, no previous study focused on the screening of NSCLC apoptosis inducers from C. formosana leaf extract through bioactivity-guided isolation strategy. Therefore, in the present study, the antitumor activities of C. formosana leaf extract and its active derivative yatein were assessed in human NSCLC A549 and CL1-5 cells, and the antitumor mechanisms of the active phytocompounds from C. formosana were examined.

Previous studies are mainly focused on the anticancer potential of C. formosana extract alone or its major compound, hinokitiol.


The spectra of the gratings written with the shortest possible period in both fibers are shown in figure 1 . After a series of experiments, we achieved periods as short as 345 and 221 μm for the SMF28 and PS1250/1500 fibers, respectively. The optimized writing parameters for each fiber are summarized in table 1. The spectra for the two gratings look similar. In order to obtain a desirable resonance effect, both current and discharge time had to be higher for the gratings written in the SMF28 fiber. A probable presence of some slight asymmetrical coupling can be noticed at shorter wavelengths in the spectrum of these gratings [13] . Based on the measurements, on the parameters of the fibers given by the manufacturers and on the LPG writing conditions, we were able to fit the parameters of both gratings and fibers using the simulation software. The achieved values are also given in table 1 and corresponding results of simulations are shown in figure 1. Very good agreement between the measurements and the simulations, especially for the gratings written in PS1250/1500 fiber, is evident from this figure.

A probable presence of some slight asymmetrical coupling can be noticed at shorter wavelengths in the spectrum of these gratings.


Long-period gratings (LPGs) have been known for over a decade [1] . They are a periodic modulation of the refractive index along the length of an optical fiber. Under special phasematching conditions, the grating couples the fundamental core mode to the discrete cladding modes, which are rapidly attenuated due to absorption and scattering. The coupling from the guided mode to the cladding modes is wavelength dependent, so one can obtain a spectrally selective loss. A variety of techniques have been used to write LPGs. The majority of these employ lasers working at a wavelength in the spectral range from ultraviolet (UV) to far infrared (IR). Besides the laser-based technique, LPGs have been successfully written with an electric arc [2] [3] [4] . This method, employing electric arc discharges, is often favored due to its simplicity and flexibility, as well as the low cost of the fabrication process and its applicability not only to commonly used photosensitive fibers, but also to photonic crystal fibers, which are made of pure silica [5, 6] . Advantages of arcinduced gratings are that they are resistant to thermal annealing and the fibers from which they are manufactured do not require time-consuming preprocessing such as hydrogenation, which is considered to be a cause of significant temporal instabilities of the transmission spectrum [7] .

Long-period gratings (LPGs) have been known for over a decade.

Besides the laser-based technique, LPGs have been successfully written with an electric arc.

This method, employing electric arc discharges, is often favored due to its simplicity and flexibility, as well as the low cost of the fabrication process and its applicability not only to commonly used photosensitive fibers, but also to photonic crystal fibers, which are made of pure silica.

Advantages of arcinduced gratings are that they are resistant to thermal annealing and the fibers from which they are manufactured do not require time-consuming preprocessing such as hydrogenation, which is considered to be a cause of significant temporal instabilities of the transmission spectrum.


The geometry studied in this work is an end-to-side anastomosis performed using the tunnelling technique. The anastomosis was below-knee and popliteal, the graft conduit was a long saphenous vein. We consider as a data set a single MR image stack data set acquired using a 2D time-of-flight scanning sequence with 0.25 mm in plane pixel spacing, 1.5 mm slice spacing and 1.5 mm slice thickness. For further information on the patient specific data, consult [9, 10, 20] .

For further information on the patient specific data, consult.


Most cardiovascular diseases are associated with an abnormal biological response caused by unusual haemodynamic conditions [1] . One manifestation of cardiovascular disease is in the peripheral arteries, termed peripheral arterial disease (PAD) [2] . PAD arises through atherogenesis, affecting a large number of people in the western world. It may manifest itself as intermittent claudication but may lead more alarmingly to amputation or even mortality [3] .

Most cardiovascular diseases are associated with an abnormal biological response caused by unusual haemodynamic conditions.

One manifestation of cardiovascular disease is in the peripheral arteries, termed peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

It may manifest itself as intermittent claudication but may lead more alarmingly to amputation or even mortality.


In this paper, we propose a Backbone-based Multilevel Algorithm (BMA) to iteratively solve the large scale NRP. In contrast to direct solving approaches, the BMA iteratively downgrades the scale of the problem by fixing the backbone, which can be approximately viewed as the common part of customers with optimal requirements. The backbone is one of the effective tools in large scale combinatorial optimization in recent years [58] , [64] , [30] . In our work, two kinds of backbones are employed for the NRP, namely, the approximate backbone (the common part of customers from a given number of local optimal solutions) and the soft backbone (the customers, who add zero cost to the requirements selection). Based on the backbone, we can break a large scale problem down to small ones and refine the solution to the original problem.

The backbone is one of the effective tools in large scale combinatorial optimization in recent years.


F OR a large software project, determining the requirements assignment in the next release is an important problem in the requirements phase [12] . The customers of the software wish to purchase the products suitable for their needs, while the software company wishes to select optimal requirements to maximize commercial profits [48] . Due to the complexity of customer requests and product requirements, decisions for software releases frequently conflict with efforts to maximize the profits of the project [10] . To maximize the profits of a software project, an ideal approach is to implement all the requirements to satisfy each potential customer. Limited by the software costs (e.g., the budget or the development time), only a subset of these requirements can be selected in the next release [48] . From the perspective of the software company, the goal of the next release is to select the optimal requirements to maximize the customer profits. However, two factors restrict the development of requirements selection: the problem scale and the requirements dependency.

F OR a large software project, determining the requirements assignment in the next release is an important problem in the requirements phase.

The customers of the software wish to purchase the products suitable for their needs, while the software company wishes to select optimal requirements to maximize commercial profits.

Due to the complexity of customer requests and product requirements, decisions for software releases frequently conflict with efforts to maximize the profits of the project.

Limited by the software costs (e.g., the budget or the development time), only a subset of these requirements can be selected in the next release.


In the higher education sector, internationally, academic teachers are typically not required to have formal teaching qualifications. For example, the 2010 Browne Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance in the United Kingdom called for 'all new academics with teaching responsibilities to undertake a teaching qualification … and that the option to gain such a qualification [be] made available to all staff … with teaching responsibilities' (Browne 2010, 48) . Four years later, however, that recommendation remains to be implemented (Boffey 2012) .

Four years later, however, that recommendation remains to be implemented.


Ninety-four percent of the variation in bulk density of cream-filled powders was explained by a complex series of relationships between the process parameters: fat content, drier inlet temperature, drier outlet temperature, the interactions between fat and concentrate solids, inlet temperature and concentrate solids, inlet and outlet temperatures. Such complexity is already known for regular and agglomerated skim milk and whole milk powders [11] . However, this was simplified to a dominant interaction between atomisation pressure and total fat content in the case of fat-filled powders, presumably for the reasons already outlined surrounding the use of atomisation pressure as a process control parameter.

Such complexity is already known for regular and agglomerated skim milk and whole milk powders.


Atomiser nozzle size selection is critical when producing powders to specification, not alone because of the need to control feed rate within the water evaporation rates dictated by the limits of milk drying parameters, but also because of the effects on other physico-chemical parameters. It would appear that the optimisation studies undertaken at an early stage of the work with whole milk powder identified an appropriate nozzle size that suited the drying of higher fat powders subsequently. A related experience with disc atomisers shows that increasing peripheral speed of the rotating wheel intensified the homogenisation effect only if a whole milk concentrate were not already homogenised [3] . This could be loosely compared with increasing atomiser pressure on spray nozzles.

A related experience with disc atomisers shows that increasing peripheral speed of the rotating wheel intensified the homogenisation effect only if a whole milk concentrate were not already homogenised.


Although traditional forecasting methods, such as gray theory, expert systems theory, and fuzzy mathematics, are relatively mature, the forecast results are often unsatisfactory [1] . To further improve the prediction accuracy, we need to make some improvements on the traditional methods. In recent years, prediction experts have put forward a prediction method, which is based on particle swarm optimization extended memory and support vector regression (SVR) and a prediction method which combines support vector machines (SVM) and wavelet neural network optimization [2] [3] [4] . This improves the accuracy of prediction but has a complex computing process.

Although traditional forecasting methods, such as gray theory, expert systems theory, and fuzzy mathematics, are relatively mature, the forecast results are often unsatisfactory.

In recent years, prediction experts have put forward a prediction method, which is based on particle swarm optimization extended memory and support vector regression (SVR) and a prediction method which combines support vector machines (SVM) and wavelet neural network optimization.


Retention angle, ϕ obs was based on the measured or determined from eq. (1). The discrepancies in predicting heat transfer using theoretical models is probably due to lack of available data and mathematical models to determine retention angle at high condensation rates. More recently, data have been made available for simulated condensation on finned tube over a range of vapor velocity (0-24 m/s) [14] . The results indicate that retention angle is less than about π/2 at zero air velocity and it increases with increasing air velocity. On the other hand, for cases where the retention angle is greater than about π/2 at zero air velocity it decreases with increasing air velocity. In recent years, extensive experimental and theoretical work is reported on 3-D horizontal pin-fin tubes, the effect of condensate retention on heat transfer on such tubes is also a critical problem [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] .

More recently, data have been made available for simulated condensation on finned tube over a range of vapor velocity (0-24 m/s).

In recent years, extensive experimental and theoretical work is reported on 3-D horizontal pin-fin tubes, the effect of condensate retention on heat transfer on such tubes is also a critical problem.


With the increased use of TKIs for cancer treatment, a variety of unusual adverse effects begin to emerge [7] . It is a puzzling phenomenon that while the TKIs achieve therapeutic effects through similar mechanisms of action, on the other hand, they differ dramatically in certain adverse effects. A typical example is TKI-induced hypothyroidism (i.e., deficiency of thyroid hormone), which is characterized by a number of symptoms, such as tiredness, poor ability to tolerate cold, and weight gain. Sunitinib, for instance, is suspected for causing thyroid dysfunction more often than other TKIs [8] . In contrast, the incidence of hypothyroidism in sorafenib user is reported to be much lower [9] [10] [11] . The possible toxicological difference between sunitinib and sorafenib raises our attention, because they may serve as a precious pair of case and control drugs. Since these two drugs are broadly similar in their actions, except for hypothyroidism side effect, if some minor differences are found, they are highly likely to be associated with the pathogenesis of the drug-induced hypothyroidism.

With the increased use of TKIs for cancer treatment, a variety of unusual adverse effects begin to emerge.

Sunitinib, for instance, is suspected for causing thyroid dysfunction more often than other TKIs.

In contrast, the incidence of hypothyroidism in sorafenib user is reported to be much lower.


There are several directions for future research. All examples involve estimating densities of observables but an appealing aspect of a Bayesian approach is that these method can be applied to density estimation of unobservable quantities, such as random effects (Mueller and Rosner 1997) . Previously proposed default methods use the observed values of the data to set some hyperparameter which becomes more challenging when modelling unobversable quantities. The approach taken in this paper allows the nonparametric prior to be centred directly on the standard parametric distribution. The parameter a then becomes are measure of the departure of the density from the parametric choice. A main motivation for this alternative approach is placing prior information on the unknown distribution F rather than the centring distribution H. A prior is placed directly on the mean and variance of F rather than the more common choice of directly placing a prior on H. This approach could be extended to higher moments of F to allow skewness or kurtosis to be modelled, which would follow from allowing H to be skewed or heavy-tailed itself. The prior would then be placed on the centred moments of F rather than H.

All examples involve estimating densities of observables but an appealing aspect of a Bayesian approach is that these method can be applied to density estimation of unobservable quantities, such as random effects.


The play back disruptions like flicker and video freeze resulting from buffer underflow degrade the QoE. The probability of buffer underflow can be linked to the streaming bit rate and channel throughput [8, 9] . However, the estimation of underflow probability requires theory of large deviation with application of the queuing theory and channel conditions. This limits the performance of the system based on buffer underflow probability (BUP) in live streaming of video.

The play back disruptions like flicker and video freeze resulting from buffer underflow degrade the QoE. The probability of buffer underflow can be linked to the streaming bit rate and channel throughput.


Intergenerational interactions can exhibit positive effects on both older adults and younger people (Chua, Jung, Lwin, & Theng, 2013) . Digital games are symbolic and cultural tools that promote meaningful interactions, and collaborative play provides a rich social context for guided participation (Piirainen-Marsh, 2010) . The purpose of the current study is to investigate how intergenerational digital gameplay facilitates situated learning between older adults and younger people. In the following sections, we first describe learning in later life, the concept of situated learning, situated learning in social gameplay, the importance of meaningful intergenerational play, and specific research questions. We then describe the design of a 6-week social practice of intergenerational digital gameplay between 11 pairs of older adults (aged 65-92) and undergraduates (aged 18-25) , and present the results based on the conventions of conversation analysis. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of our findings.

Intergenerational interactions can exhibit positive effects on both older adults and younger people.

Digital games are symbolic and cultural tools that promote meaningful interactions, and collaborative play provides a rich social context for guided participation.


Good learning requires participation in social groups that help learners understand the learning goals and make sense of their experience through interpretation, practice, explanation, debriefing, and feedback (Gee, 2008) . In the following section, specific excerpts will be presented to illustrate how intergenerational play offers social and cultural resources upon which older adults can draw to develop expertise as members of the community and co-construct meaningful gaming activities. Although the selected excerpts cannot depict the whole picture of intergenerational play, they can shed light on the patterns of intergenerational interactions and affordances for learning that arise in the course of collaborative play. The primary selecting criterion is whether the two age groups engage in interactional social activities and orient to each other, which is the premise of the occurrence of situated learning. In the following example, the two players talk with each other, but do not engage in one another's turn. See Appendix A for a list of the notational symbols used in the analysis.

Good learning requires participation in social groups that help learners understand the learning goals and make sense of their experience through interpretation, practice, explanation, debriefing, and feedback.


These conversation analysis findings demonstrate that older adults start learning game mechanisms by asking questions and receiving feedback from their younger partners while responding to the game's emerging scenes and unfolding events. The younger people mentor or coach the older adults by addressing their situated questions, highlighting and correcting their mistakes, orienting their attention to the key concepts and scenes, dealing with their misunderstanding, and explaining the phenomena. It is through this situated guidance that the older adults develop game knowledge and make sense of their gaming experiences. Digital game is a goal-driven problem space in which the players develop identities when participating in emerging social practices and constructing meaning about game concepts and phenomena (Gee, 2003) . As older adults build their ability to discuss game strategies, coordinate with their younger partners to overcome setbacks, and engage in mutual encouragement for a common goal, they are gradually transformed from novice players to more experienced users. In addition, this data analysis indicates that the fundamental organization of the conversations during gameplay follows a sequential order of taking turns, which is the basic structure of the talk-in-interaction between the older adults and the undergraduates. There is no obvious overlap between two turns in the examples and in the dataset. The only exception is line 13 in the Example 2, where the older adult cannot control the fasting moving "right hand" so that she interrupts the younger player' s instruction to check whether she selected her character. As can be seen in Examples 2-6, the turns are evenly distributed and no one has dominated the turns, indicating their even conversational inputs. The younger players often self-select as the next speaker when they need to take leadership, including explaining the gaming goal, notifying their partner about a new task, and commenting on their game performance. The older adults are more likely to self-select as the next speaker when they need guidance. However, they also self-select as next speaker to negotiate the game strategies as they become more experienced players (see line 15 in Example 5 and line 13 in Example 6). The younger players are selected by the older players as next speaker when they are asked for assistance or when they need to deal with the older players' misunderstanding, while the older players are selected as next speaker by the younger players to check whether they are ready for the next step or are invited by younger players to engage in interactional activities such as commenting on game performance when losing a game task (see line 1 in Example 5). The two age groups pick up on one another's turns and engage in the conversation through self-orientation and other-orientation. Conversations are purposeful and are used to accomplish social actions or goals (Chepinchikj & Thompson, 2016) . The interactional connection between the two age groups create different types of social opportunities through which the older adults develop their identities as members of the gaming community.

Digital game is a goal-driven problem space in which the players develop identities when participating in emerging social practices and constructing meaning about game concepts and phenomena.

Conversations are purposeful and are used to accomplish social actions or goals.


We find the feature map representation the most important contribution of this work. While numerous variants have been around as discussed in section 2, feature maps are unique in being discriminant and invariant enough at the same time. We foresee a new research direction in applying this concept to problems like large scale object recognition and detection, where geometric consistency, invariance and speed are as crucial as in retrieval. More flexible geometric models would be more appropriate in this case, like the recent developments in relaxed spatial matching [23] .

More flexible geometric models would be more appropriate in this case, like the recent developments in relaxed spatial matching.


Following the related work in section 2, section 3 provides a background on a number of related problems in shape matching, feature correspondence and indexing. Section 4 derives our feature map representation along with the associated matching process. These first two sections provide a detailed account of the work first introduced in our earlier work [7] . Feature selection, introduced here, is presented in section 5 and implementation details in section 6. Experiments and discussion are provided in sections 7 and 8, respectively.

These first two sections provide a detailed account of the work first introduced in our earlier work.


Geometry is essential in many problems of computer vision like feature correspondence, image registration, wide baseline stereo matching, object recognition, and retrieval. And it has been more so in early years when features were nondiscriminative, e.g. points. With the advent of more discriminative features and descriptors, discarding geometry altogether has been an "easy" way to deal with viewpoint change and occlusion. The success of the bag-of-words (BoW) model, largely due to its very low computational cost, has come as quite a surprise to many, for instance in the seminal work of Sivic and Zisserman [1] .

The success of the bag-of-words (BoW) model, largely due to its very low computational cost, has come as quite a surprise to many, for instance in the seminal work of Sivic and Zisserman.


This finding means that, despite the fact that including geometry in index makes matching more discriminative and that FMS can get support from multiple surfaces while FastSM is restricted to a single surface, FMS can still be inferior to baseline BoW+FastSM depending on the dataset and amount of distractors. This is due to the fact that a lot of information is discarded during feature selection, which is nevertheless necessary to reduce index space. It is thus possible that relevant images still rank too low to be recovered even with spatial verification. This is important in view of the fact that geometry verification can be made both faster and more precise [23] . It is however interesting that geometry indexing is possible at a scale of 1M images, and that this scale is exactly where its gain over re-ranking appears.

This is important in view of the fact that geometry verification can be made both faster and more precise.


We have developed our methodology for affine transformations, and this is because state of the art feature detectors are affine covariant. In fact, we have seen that very good performance is achieved even with SURF features providing for similarity transformation only. Extending e.g. to homography would be straightforward, should such features mature, like Koeser and Koch [45] . We see it as a challenge for future feature detectors to achieve better alignment in shape as well as position, so that more stable origins become available.

Extending e.g. to homography would be straightforward, should such features mature, like Koeser and Koch.


All of the spectra show characteristic peaks of benzenethiol. The peaks are assigned based on previous reports [27, 28] . Ag-S bond formation is evident based on the presence of a peak at 1,469 cm −1 . The peaks at 1,570, 1,066, and 1,017 cm −1 come from C-C stretching, in-plane phenyl ring stretching, and in-plane ring deformation, respectively. The peaks at 996, 684, and 413 cm −1 can be assigned to the in-plane ring deformation mode coupled to the S-H bending mode, C-H out-of-plane deformation, and C-S stretching, respectively. The absence of a peak at 917 cm −1 associated with the S-H bond which is present in BT solutions indicates that a monolayer of benzenethiol was formed on the silver surface [23] . It is also observed that silver films on flat PMMA do not produce a SERS signal (data not given). Thus it is confirmed that silver nanotriangles with sharp corners enhance the Raman scattering cross section of BT while a planar PMMAsilver substrate did not produce a detectable signal.

The peaks are assigned based on previous reports.

The absence of a peak at 917 cm −1 associated with the S-H bond which is present in BT solutions indicates that a monolayer of benzenethiol was formed on the silver surface.


As the edge length decreases from 400 to 200 nm, the Raman intensity increases from 550 to 1,400 counts. The variation in Raman enhancement with the edge length of the triangle is attributed to the variation in SPR position and its corresponding shift from the excitation wavelength of 633 nm. It has been reported that maximum enhancement is observed when the SPR approaches the excitation wavelength [8] . When compared with the SPR positions of triangles with edge lengths of 300 and 400 nm, those with edge lengths of 200 nm are closer to 633 nm and hence produce stronger electric fields at their corners and higher Raman intensity.

It has been reported that maximum enhancement is observed when the SPR approaches the excitation wavelength.


The posterior distribution for parameters of a set of observations is typically the major objective of the Bayesian statistical analysis. A posterior distribution also implies a marginal density known as prediction distribution of any future observations from a model. Predictive inference is one of the oldest and useful methods of statistical inference. A prediction density of future response(s) can be derived from various statistical models. In general, predictive inference uses the observed responses from a performed experiment to make inferences about the behavior of the unobserved future response(s) of a future experiment (Aitchison & Dunsmore, 1975) . A detail of predictive inference methods and applications of prediction density can be found elsewhere (Geisser, 1993; Rahman, 2008 , Rahman et al., 2010 Rahman & Upadhyay, 2015; Rahman & Harding, 2016) .

In general, predictive inference uses the observed responses from a performed experiment to make inferences about the behavior of the unobserved future response(s) of a future experiment.

A detail of predictive inference methods and applications of prediction density can be found elsewhere.


Recently, there is a growing interest in providing multimedia and wideband services on wireless networks. In this regard, wireless mesh networks have attracted much attention. These networks are classified as multi-hop networks and provide significant benefits including low-cost deployment, robustness and simple configuration [1] [2] [3] . In order to guarantee the quality of service in wireless mesh networks, the optimal resource allocation and topology control is essential [4, 5] . To this end, extensive research has been performed to modify the existing algorithms and to develop the novel algorithms.

These networks are classified as multi-hop networks and provide significant benefits including low-cost deployment, robustness and simple configuration.

In order to guarantee the quality of service in wireless mesh networks, the optimal resource allocation and topology control is essential.


Direct write technologies have been explored recently for fabricating fine patterns whose line widths range from the meso to the nanoscale. The term direct write refers to any technique or process that is capable of depositing, dispensing or processing different types of materials on various surfaces following a preset pattern or layout. The main advantages of the direct write approach is that patterns or structures can be obtained without the use of moulds or pre-fabrication processes, masks, and liquids for etching. Direct write technologies are therefore low cost, high speed, non-contact and environmentally friendly processes [4, 5] .

Direct write technologies are therefore low cost, high speed, non-contact and environmentally friendly processes.


Fueled by the advance in semiconductor technology, solar cells are one of the most promising candidates for alternate energy sources. Photovoltaic (PV) system is a green power source that converts sunlight to electricity. It has many applications as in space satellites and orbital stations, solar vehicles, power supply for loads in remote areas, and street lighting systems [1] .

It has many applications as in space satellites and orbital stations, solar vehicles, power supply for loads in remote areas, and street lighting systems.


Motion planning is a fundamental problem in robotics. It could be explained as producing a continuous motion for an agent, that connects a start configuration and a goal configuration, and avoid collision with any static obstacles or other agents in an environment. Agent and obstacle geometry are generally described in a 2D or 3D workspace, and the motion could be represented as a path in configuration space. Motion planning algorithms are widely applied in many fields, such as bioinformatics, robotic surgery, industrial automation, planetary exploration, and intelligent transportation system. The multi-robot system (MRS) is proposed to deal with some problems that are difficult or impossible to be solved by a single robot, or to improve the system implementation efficiency in some missions completed by multi-robot rather than a single robot [1] , [2] . The biggest challenge for the MRS is coordination. Without coordination, it will not only lower the system efficiency, but also lead to the failure of the entire system in extreme cases. In this paper, we consider the issue of coordinated motion planning for a homogeneous team of autonomous mobile robots in structured environments. Most of the proposed approaches for multi-robot motion planning usually have the problems of resource conflict such as congestion and collision [5] , [9] . We arrange these cases to the waiting situation problem [10] . To handle this practical problem, this paper presents a novel approach for multi-robot motion planning by using a probabilistic roadmap planner (PRM) which is based on manner of adaptive cross sampling (ACS).

The multi-robot system (MRS) is proposed to deal with some problems that are difficult or impossible to be solved by a single robot, or to improve the system implementation efficiency in some missions completed by multi-robot rather than a single robot.

Most of the proposed approaches for multi-robot motion planning usually have the problems of resource conflict such as congestion and collision.

We arrange these cases to the waiting situation problem.


A number of constitutive and induced antifungal compounds have been identified from the reproductive organs of Citrus species. Scoparone is considered to be a citrus phytoalexin. A phytoalexin is defined as a lowmolecular-weight secondary metabolite that is formed de novo as a result of physical, chemical, or biological stress. It resists or suppresses the activity of fungal or bacterial disease. Its rate of production/accumulation depends on the host and pathogen genotypes (Purkayastha, 1994) .

Its rate of production/accumulation depends on the host and pathogen genotypes.


Seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination opens up an alternative water resource that can help to solve the increasing problem of limited freshwater resources [1] . Although SWRO desalination has been used over the last few decades, membrane fouling remains the main problem with this process. Pre-treatment prior to reverse osmosis is an important step towards reducing membrane fouling.

Seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination opens up an alternative water resource that can help to solve the increasing problem of limited freshwater resources.


Pre-treatment methods to reduce SWRO fouling such as microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), sand filter, dual-media filter, etc. have been investigated [2] , [3] , [4] , [5] , [6] . The costs of pre-treatment processes prior to SWRO such as UF, NF, MF are still expensive. Although processes such as sand filter, dual-media filter, etc. for pretreatment to SWRO are being applied in full scale applications of SWRO, the performance of these pretreatments is not as effective as that of MF, UF and NF [7] . Another disadvantage of the conventional pretreatments is their relatively low filtration velocity (maximum velocity of 20 m/h).

Pre-treatment methods to reduce SWRO fouling such as microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), sand filter, dual-media filter, etc. have been investigated.

Although processes such as sand filter, dual-media filter, etc. for pretreatment to SWRO are being applied in full scale applications of SWRO, the performance of these pretreatments is not as effective as that of MF, UF and NF.


A high rate fibre filter was developed and its high efficacy for the tertiary treatment of wastewater was proved in terms of high filtration velocity and good removal of particulate matter. Several wastewater treatment plants (more than 2 millions m 3 /day capacity) in Korea now apply fibre filters for obtaining treated water of high quality. The turbidity was reduced to less than 2 NTU and COD to less than 10 ppm [8] . The fibre filter was also studied for the possible application in drinking water treatment process [9] , [10] . The fibre filter was used for seawater pretreatment at optimal operating conditions using a combination of coagulant and reagents and was evaluated on the basis of headloss, particle count, turbidity and SDI 3 [11] . The fibre filter was operated at filtration velocities ranging between 50-200 m/hr and achieved headlosses of about 130 mbar and turbidity of below 0.1 NTU. The effluent contained about 300 particles larger than 1 μm/mL, less than 15 particles larger than 5 μm/mL and achieved a removal efficiency of 98% for particles sized above 5 μm. However, the fibre filter did not decrease the value of SDI 3 .

The turbidity was reduced to less than 2 NTU and COD to less than 10 ppm.

The fibre filter was also studied for the possible application in drinking water treatment process.

The fibre filter was used for seawater pretreatment at optimal operating conditions using a combination of coagulant and reagents and was evaluated on the basis of headloss, particle count, turbidity and SDI 3.


One crucial step that directly addresses the semantic indexing challenge is to extract semantics from multimedia data. The advance in storage and computation power in recent years has made collecting and processing large amounts of image/video data possible -thus has shifted the solutions to semantic extraction from knowledge-drive to data-driven, similar to what has been practiced in speech recognition for several decades [72] . Algorithms and systems for data-driven semantics extraction are embodiments of statistical pattern recognition systems specialized in multimedia data. They learn a computational representation from a training data corpus labeled with one or more known semantic interpretations (such as face, human, outdoors). Statistical learning of multimedia semantics has significantly advanced performance and real-world practice in recent years, which made possible, for example, real-time face detectors [95] .

The advance in storage and computation power in recent years has made collecting and processing large amounts of image/video data possible -thus has shifted the solutions to semantic extraction from knowledge-drive to data-driven, similar to what has been practiced in speech recognition for several decades.

Statistical learning of multimedia semantics has significantly advanced performance and real-world practice in recent years, which made possible, for example, real-time face detectors.


Approximately 1520% of patients with OS will present with metastases at time of diagnosis [1] . OS generally spreads through the blood stream and as a result, the most common site for metastases is the lung, followed by bones and soft tissues [1, 2] . Lymphatic spread of sarcomas, particularly OS is rare and likely represents less than 3% of all cases [3, 4] .

Approximately 1520% of patients with OS will present with metastases at time of diagnosis.

OS generally spreads through the blood stream and as a result, the most common site for metastases is the lung, followed by bones and soft tissues.

Lymphatic spread of sarcomas, particularly OS is rare and likely represents less than 3% of all cases.


Lipomas are composed entirely of mature adipocytes with or without mesenchymal tissue elements. There exists a variety of histological subtypes which include spindle cell lipoma, angiolipoma, myolipoma, fibrolipoma, myxoid lipoma, and the common classic lipoma [5, 6] . The spindle cell lipoma is characterized by the presence of floret cells and varying amounts of lipomatous bundles of uniformly arranged spindle cells and myxoid elements [6] . They are uncommonly encapsulated and display strong CD34 positivity. They do not react with antibodies to S100, factor VIII and to alpha smooth muscle actin [7] . Spindle cell lipomas lack lipoblasts, a key defining feature of liposarcomas. To our knowledge there are no reports involving degeneration of a spindle cell lipoma to a spindle cell liposarcoma.

There exists a variety of histological subtypes which include spindle cell lipoma, angiolipoma, myolipoma, fibrolipoma, myxoid lipoma, and the common classic lipoma.

The spindle cell lipoma is characterized by the presence of floret cells and varying amounts of lipomatous bundles of uniformly arranged spindle cells and myxoid elements.

They do not react with antibodies to S100, factor VIII and to alpha smooth muscle actin.


The drastic changes in the ability of casein to retain water which occur during the rennet coagulation process, resulting from the release of the hydrophilic caseinomacropeptide from the casein micelle, from the decrease in the native hydration of casein during milk acidification and from the rearrangement of the network of casein particles in curd, have been reported in the literature [32, 42] . The evolution of the amount of water remaining in curd (g⋅g -1 casein) during curd drainage has been also studied extensively in an earlier report [8] . The general outline was as follows.

The drastic changes in the ability of casein to retain water which occur during the rennet coagulation process, resulting from the release of the hydrophilic caseinomacropeptide from the casein micelle, from the decrease in the native hydration of casein during milk acidification and from the rearrangement of the network of casein particles in curd, have been reported in the literature.

The evolution of the amount of water remaining in curd (g⋅g -1 casein) during curd drainage has been also studied extensively in an earlier report.

The general outline was as follows.


While distress may never be totally eliminated, we feel that an informed educational community as well as positive school cultures that acknowledge and support educators may also help alleviate some stress felt by teachers (Mirowsky & Ross, 2003) . Many parents, administrators, and community members may be unaware of the psychological distress faced by educators and the resulting impact on teachers' mental health. In addition, our previous research indicates that among teachers, there is indeed a stigma surrounding teachers stress. We found that the frequency of discussing stress with one's doctor or other teachers increases the probability of a teacher perceiving high levels of stress-related stigma (Ferguson, Frost, Kirkwood, & Hall, 2007) . Thus, for many teachers, there remains shame in discussing stress with one's peers and even with one's primary health care provider. All members of the school community, including teachers and administrators alike, should be able to talk about and express stress in the open without feelings of shame or discredit (Ferguson et al., 2007) .

While distress may never be totally eliminated, we feel that an informed educational community as well as positive school cultures that acknowledge and support educators may also help alleviate some stress felt by teachers.

We found that the frequency of discussing stress with one's doctor or other teachers increases the probability of a teacher perceiving high levels of stress-related stigma.

All members of the school community, including teachers and administrators alike, should be able to talk about and express stress in the open without feelings of shame or discredit.


This work assumes that Jones either has or does not have an alibi. If he has a true alibi (i.e., he was truly elsewhere at the time of the crime), pure logic dictates that the assumption of his guilt is falsified. It is then not necessary to calculate the relative weight of the evidence that supported the hypothesis that he was the perpetrator. Therefore, it is not necessary either to weigh the evidence that supports his alibi. The underlying world view is that of a nave physicist: the world consists of objects that impose causal effects on each other. It is possible to reason scientifically about these causal relations without any need of a mathematical framework. This approach has didactical, legal and computational advantages. Computationally, it keeps the system simple. Didactically, it transfers from the scientific sphere those modes of thought that prior analysis has found to be most desirable in the spheres of police work and court proceedings, without requiring more than that which is absolutely necessary for that purpose. Thinking in numbers does not come naturally to lawyers, and the mathematical nature of modern sciences seems to be one of the biggest stumbling blocks for interdisciplinary discourse [11] . Legally, assigning probabilistic values to individual pieces of evidence poses the danger of trespassing into the territory of the jury. By avoiding this type of evidence weighting altogether, lawyers could take the results provided by the system directly for the preparation of their case, without having to worry about procedural constraints.

Thinking in numbers does not come naturally to lawyers, and the mathematical nature of modern sciences seems to be one of the biggest stumbling blocks for interdisciplinary discourse.


The system initially conceived could not answer these questions as they require reasoning about the respective strengths of different types of evidence. However, guidance to police officers in this sort of scenario has gained particular relevance through the introduction of actuarial methods in modern policing. As noticed above, police investigations are subject to demands by various stake-holders that are often conflicting. Since the 1980s, managerial constraints on the police have increased considerably with the introduction of the internal market in forensic services [20, 21] . Cost constraints are therefore one of the parameters that can influence the decision making by an investigative officer. Yet, at the same time evidentiary constraints remain in place, and failure to carry out, for cost reasons alone, tests that have, scientifically, a good chance of exculpating a suspect may well jeopardize later prosecutions. It is therefore important that police officers are able to justify their investigating choices through sound scientific reasons, as much as managerial ones.

Since the 1980s, managerial constraints on the police have increased considerably with the introduction of the internal market in forensic services.


Physics data analysis aims at extracting information from data taken by an experimental apparatus. The analysis and understanding of the data is typically an interplay of designing (and implementing) algorithms and of interpretation of the results. As the amount of data and the complexity of analyses tend to increase in modern experiments, the necessary amount of time for the technical integration of the individual analysis steps rises as well. The intention of Visual Physics Analysis (VISPA) is to increase the available time for the interpretation of the results by reducing the time spent on the technical aspects of the data analysis. The VISPA project provides a graphical development environment for physics analyses, including a selection of plug-ins specifically designed for the needs of data analyses in high energy physics (HEP) and astroparticle physics. The target group ranges from undergraduate students to experienced scientists. It has been continuously developed since 2006 [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] .

It has been continuously developed since 2006.


In the field of high energy physics, a graphical analysis development environment constitutes a new approach. Most high energy physics collaborations provide dedicated software frameworks for different tasks ranging from reconstruction to user analysis [10] [11] [12] . While these frameworks attempt to provide solutions for multiple aspects of data processing, the VISPA environment is designed as a standalone application dedicated to high-level analysis with frequent development cycles using a reduced data format. Visual support is provided for the development, execution and verification of analysis workflows. Specific tasks like plotting, histogramming, and statistical analysis are not at the core of this development environment; they are, e.g., accessible via the ROOT framework [13] .

Most high energy physics collaborations provide dedicated software frameworks for different tasks ranging from reconstruction to user analysis.

Specific tasks like plotting, histogramming, and statistical analysis are not at the core of this development environment; they are, e.g., accessible via the ROOT framework.


This work used the vortex lattice method for the aerodynamic analysis. To validate the low-fidelity method, computation work using a high-fidelity method has been undertaken together with the wind tunnel tests [14] . Another promising application of morphing wing tip devices is gust load alleviation.

To validate the low-fidelity method, computation work using a high-fidelity method has been undertaken together with the wind tunnel tests.


The development of wing tip devices can be traced to Lanchester's patent in 1897. But the early wing tip end plates were only useful at very high lift coefficients until Whitcomb proposed the winglet, which is a wing like surface at the wing tip [8] . The winglet is a small wing, which has an aerodynamic cross section and produces lift and drag. Installing the winglet can reduce the induced drag and weaken the wing tip vortices. A fixed winglet can only be optimized to meet the requirements of a specific flight condition. Also folding the wing tip can reduce the overall span to meet the airport restrictions.

But the early wing tip end plates were only useful at very high lift coefficients until Whitcomb proposed the winglet, which is a wing like surface at the wing tip.


On the earth, the biggest source of energy is the sun. Solar flux is more than many times of human need. Solar energy is a essential part of life. Without it, live would be impossible. Annual average solar energy on entire planet may produce 1.3 -1.4 kW/m 2 electric energy [1] [2] . Intensity of solar flux depends upon geographic location, weather condition, altitude and diurnal variation. The minimum solar potential available worldwide is 0.06 kW/m 2 (~500 kWh/m 2 per year) to the highest flux of 0.25 kW/m 2 (~2200 kWh/m 2 /year) in deserts areas of Africa and Australia [3] .

Without it, live would be impossible.

Annual average solar energy on entire planet may produce 1.3 -1.4 kW/m 2 electric energy.

The minimum solar potential available worldwide is 0.06 kW/m 2 (~500 kWh/m 2 per year) to the highest flux of 0.25 kW/m 2 (~2200 kWh/m 2 /year) in deserts areas of Africa and Australia.


Growth inhibition of orchid seedlings by sulphobetaine surfactants increased with increasing alkyl chain length within the range of eight to 14 carbon atoms, and was most severe at the 2·0 mM concentration where the higher molecular members were in the micellar range. The octyl and decyl derivatives do not reach their CMC at this concentration and were substantially less damaging to the seedlings. Among the sulphobetaines, the 16 carbon alkyl compound was only marginally less inhibitory to orchid seedlings than the 14 carbon homologue. This confirms previous reports that inhibition of callus cultures of Dimorphotheca sinuata (Cape marigold) by sulphobetaines increased with increasing lipophile from eight to 14 carbon atoms . The inhibition levelled off at 16 carbon atoms of the lipophile and declined with the less water soluble octadecyl derivative (Ernst, Ball & Arditti, 1982) .

The inhibition levelled off at 16 carbon atoms of the lipophile and declined with the less water soluble octadecyl derivative.


The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of sulphobetaines decreases logarithmically with each increase of two methylene groups in their lipophilic alkyl chain (Herrmann, 1966) . This in turn is accompanied by a substantial increase in micellar molecular weight or monomers per micelle (Herrmann, 1966; Ernst & Miller, 1982) . Chain length of the lipophile affected solution properties, both ST and IT dropping with increasing molecular weight (Fig. 3) . The 18 carbon homologue was anomalous because of the high Krafft point (88 °C) of its aqueous solutions, which prevented micelle formation at the culture temperature. The Krafft temperature of the hexadecyl homologue (27 °C) which is slightly above the culture temperature employed (24 ± 2 °C) could also be responsible for its slightly lower phytotoxicity.

The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of sulphobetaines decreases logarithmically with each increase of two methylene groups in their lipophilic alkyl chain.

This in turn is accompanied by a substantial increase in micellar molecular weight or monomers per micelle.


Our goal was to generalize Adler's method to irregular random fields, using a smooth representation (CWT in our case) to do so. Moving further, one can ask whether it is possible to work with fields which are well defined in this smooth representation although hard to track when projected back to the standard space. Also, one can look into other smooth representations (similar to the CWT) of irregular fields. In particular, some random models in the wavelet domain (such as cascades model introduced in the study of fully-developed turbulence) with non-Gaussian statistics leads to so-called multi-fractal signals [6] . These are good examples of signals for which the function ρ( x) is unsufficient for a complete description of the field. Multi-fractals are partially characterized by a singularity spectrum, an object that shares many similarities with the Euler characteristic. The exact relationship between these two objects as well as a possible test for exceedence statistics of multi-fractals is the subject of ongoing work.

In particular, some random models in the wavelet domain (such as cascades model introduced in the study of fully-developed turbulence) with non-Gaussian statistics leads to so-called multi-fractal signals.


The advances in mathematics, materials science, and computer science have made quantum computing a reality today. Making use of the counterintuitive and distinctive properties of superposition, entanglement, and interference of quantum states, quantum computing is a new computing paradigm based on the laws of quantum mechanics. Quantum computers can process information more efficiently than traditional computers and provide us with a platform to enhance classical machine learning algorithms and to develop new quantum learning algorithms [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] .

Quantum computers can process information more efficiently than traditional computers and provide us with a platform to enhance classical machine learning algorithms and to develop new quantum learning algorithms.


Following the increasing ownership of private plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), in-home charging is expected to become one of the common activities of electricity customers in the near future. Since most PHEV owners are used to charge their PHEVs as soon as they arrive home, the peak load associated with charging often appears around the rush hours. In the meantime, the residential load increases due to cooking and other in-home entertainment activities. As a result, the intrinsic peak load situation is aggravated [1] .

As a result, the intrinsic peak load situation is aggravated.


In order to shift the peak load of a power system, there are two main approaches. One is to schedule the electricity demand by signing a contract between utility company and customers [2] . This approach can be easily implemented, however, its flexibility and options are limited to be popularized in the future. Another approach is based on smart pricing. Since the base load and charging demand are timevarying over a day, the distribution service provider (DSP) can adjust the electricity rate in different periods such that PHEV owners are willing to shift their charging time to off-peak hours for a lower price. Various pricing strategy can be applied, such as critical-peak pricing, real-time pricing, and time-of-use (TOU) pricing [3] .

One is to schedule the electricity demand by signing a contract between utility company and customers.

Various pricing strategy can be applied, such as critical-peak pricing, real-time pricing, and time-of-use (TOU) pricing.


When investigating the genomic features associated with each of the seven identified latent dimensions, it became clear that many of the dimensions were learning complementary biology. Among the three latent dimensions activated in ER-negative tumors, VAE24 was most associated with a CpG set that was enriched for open sea contexts, depleted across HMEC-related histone modifications, and was most associated with the gene set related to CSF-3 signaling. CSF is immune related and has been shown to regulate macrophage phenotypes and is associated with poor survival in patients with triple negative breast cancer (ER-negative) [21] . In contrast to VAE24 depletions across HMEC histone modifications, VAE35 is enriched across the HMEC histone modifications while still maintaining an enrichment for open sea contexts. VAE35 is also associated with the upregulation of E2F target genes which is a gene set known to be an important player in breast cancer tumor development and progression [22] . E2F3 also plays a critical role in tumor macrophages and gains in E2F3 are more common in ER-negative breast cancer than in ER-positive breast cancer [23] . The final ER-negative related latent dimension, VAE43, was found to be enriched for open sea contexts and was significantly associated with GO terms related to immune function. This analysis indicates that the CpGs most associated with VAE43, and therefore ER-negative tumors, are significantly associated with immune regulation. In addition, VAE43 was found to be significantly associated with the gene set related to interferon beta response, which has been shown to be a promising target for triple negative breast tumors [24] .

CSF is immune related and has been shown to regulate macrophage phenotypes and is associated with poor survival in patients with triple negative breast cancer (ER-negative).

VAE35 is also associated with the upregulation of E2F target genes which is a gene set known to be an important player in breast cancer tumor development and progression.

E2F3 also plays a critical role in tumor macrophages and gains in E2F3 are more common in ER-negative breast cancer than in ER-positive breast cancer.

In addition, VAE43 was found to be significantly associated with the gene set related to interferon beta response, which has been shown to be a promising target for triple negative breast tumors.


M is any collision partner, mostly oxygen and nitrogen. Organic peroxy radicals (RO 2 ) are present in the atmosphere at similar concentrations as HO 2 . RO 2 is mainly produced in the reactions of OH, O 3 and NO 3 with organic compounds. Reactions of VOCs with OH take place either via H-atom abstraction or addition of OH leading to two different types of RO 2 radicals (Atkinson and Arey, 2003) . RO 2 radicals react with NO at nearly the same rate as HO 2 .

Reactions of VOCs with OH take place either via H-atom abstraction or addition of OH leading to two different types of RO 2 radicals.


The key finding of our work is that at low temperatures and close to the Mott transition line the overall multiloop contribution to the bulk viscosity is larger than the one-loop contribution. This is in contrast to the results found for the shear viscosity and the thermal and electrical conductivities, for which the single-loop approximation gives the leading-order result [19] . We have shown that the bulk viscosity decreases with the temperature and the chemical potential in this regime, attains a minimum and then increases again at higher temperatures where the one-loop contribution becomes dominant.

This is in contrast to the results found for the shear viscosity and the thermal and electrical conductivities, for which the single-loop approximation gives the leading-order result.


Systems of attitude control of artificial satellites are dependent on attitude information, provided by an attitude determination process, which involves several satellite components [1] . In situations where high pointing accuracy is not required, as emergency, standby, or during satellite orbital maneuvers, one often uses magnetometers and solar sensors, which are simpler and more reliable than more accurate instruments. These instruments are not autonomous, which means that some processing is required to estimate the attitude from their measurements.

Systems of attitude control of artificial satellites are dependent on attitude information, provided by an attitude determination process, which involves several satellite components.


In this study, we systematically assessed the prevalence of DNA copy number variation in syndromal CAKUT by applying array-CGH in 30 children with malformations of the kidney and/or the urinary tract combined with at least one relevant extrarenal symptom. In three of these 30 patients, presumably causative DNA microimbalances were detected that defined critical intervals harbouring possible diseasecausing genes. One of the candidate genes identified was the AGTR1 gene located at 3q24, which was heterozygously deleted in one patient with renal dysplasia in whom a loss in 3q23-q25.1 was found. AGTR1 encodes the type-1 angiotensin II receptor, and recessive mutations in AGTR1 have been reported in fetuses with renal tubular dysgenesis [9] . We, therefore, went on to analyse 108 patients with isolated kidney hypo/dysplasia for mutations in AGTR1.

AGTR1 encodes the type-1 angiotensin II receptor, and recessive mutations in AGTR1 have been reported in fetuses with renal tubular dysgenesis.


In the traditional sense, the main objective of guided missile is to intercept targets with minimum miss distance [1] . In order to further enhance the missile's effectiveness against target, striking the target at a desired intercept angle would be required. Therefore, impact angle guidance law (IAGL) has become an attractive research topic recently.

In the traditional sense, the main objective of guided missile is to intercept targets with minimum miss distance.


In analogy to surface layer convection, the dissipation rate of convective turbulence scales with the buoyancy flux (Shay and Gregg 1986) . If no mechanical energy is radiated away, the layer-averaged dissipation is determined purely by energetic arguments and given by ͗͘ ϭ 0.5 J . Field mea- the experimental uncertainty, turbulence measurements and the maximum buoyancy flux, estimated from the background stratification and flow, agreed well with common convective scaling. Two important conclusions can be drawn from this agreement. First, a clear distinction between shear-induced and buoyancy-driven turbulence in the BBL on the slope was not possible. Because the maximum dissipation rate increased by only a factor of two during convective mixing (␦T Ͻ 0) (Fig. 6) , it can be concluded that bottom shear production and buoyancy-driven (convective) production contributed by similar amounts to the TKE, and hence their presence or absence could not be reliably detected using turbulence measurements.

In analogy to surface layer convection, the dissipation rate of convective turbulence scales with the buoyancy flux.


Spectral investigations using Voyager-, Hubble-Space Telescope (HST), and recently by the Cassini data (UVIS, VIMS, CIRS) point to an icy composition (water ice contaminated with silicates) of the particles in the main rings. The mechanical properties of such "dirty", frost-covered ice at low temperature have been studied in the laboratory [5, 42] . It was found that small impact speeds, on the order of millimeters to centimeters per second, may lead to a fairly high energy loss in a collision, yielding restitution coefficients considerably smaller than one. The coefficient of restitution is defined as the ratio of the normal components of the A density wave (lower left corner of the image) excited by the Saturnian moon Prometheus and a bending wave caused by the moon Mimas, in an image taken with the Cassini-cameras. Bending waves are vertical distortions of the mean ring plane generated by an inclined orbit of the satellite. This causes a wave-like warping of the ring visible for the Cassini cameras. Right: Two density wave trains excited by the moon Janus (left and stronger wave) and shepherd Pandora (faint wave in the right part of the image). This image was processed using the UVIS-occultation data (described in the text).

The mechanical properties of such "dirty", frost-covered ice at low temperature have been studied in the laboratory.


Under these circumstances, it is desirable to provide definitive quantitative results using the lattice QCD method. In fact, there are many lattice QCD studies of the nucleon structure [2] . However, most of these calculations are limited to the so-called "connected insertion (CI)", and there have been few calculations considering "disconnected insertion (DI)" [3, 4, 5] . Although the calculation of DI is known to be a very difficult problem, we emphasize that DI are related to rich physics, e.g., only DI consists of the the strangeness contribution to the nucleon. We shall describe our methodology to obtain the signal effectively in DI calculation. We also note that using N f = 2 + 1 dynamical configurations could be essential for small quark masses. In this proceeding, we present the study of the DI part for the quark contribution to the first moment of the nucleon, x q , whereas the study of the CI part is presented elsewhere [6] .

In fact, there are many lattice QCD studies of the nucleon structure.

However, most of these calculations are limited to the so-called "connected insertion (CI)", and there have been few calculations considering "disconnected insertion (DI)".

In this proceeding, we present the study of the DI part for the quark contribution to the first moment of the nucleon, x q , whereas the study of the CI part is presented elsewhere.


The proposed method, called Graph-Cut RANSAC (GC-RANSAC), is a locally optimized RANSAC alternating graph-cut and model re-fitting as the LO step. GC-RANSAC is superior to LO-RANSAC in a number of aspects. First, it is capable of exploiting spatial coherence of inliers and outliers. The LO step is conceptually a simple, easy to implement, globally optimal and computationally efficient graph-cut with only a few intuitive and learnable parameters unlike the ad hoc, iterative and complex LO steps [5] . Third, we show experimentally that GC-RANSAC outperforms LO-RANSAC and its recent variants in both accuracy and the required number of iterations on a wide range of publicly available datasets. On many problems, it is faster than the competitors in terms of the wall-clock time. Finally, we were surprised to observe that GC-RANSAC terminates before the theoretically expected number of iterations. The reason is that the local optimization that takes spatial proximity into account is often capable of converging to a "good" model even when starting from a sample that is not all-inlier, i.e. it contains outliers.

The LO step is conceptually a simple, easy to implement, globally optimal and computationally efficient graph-cut with only a few intuitive and learnable parameters unlike the ad hoc, iterative and complex LO steps.


In team games, apart from the players' functional abilities necessary for development of skills and habits, also the praxeological assessment of individual players and the team as a whole are highly significant for attainment of good sports results. The praxeological evaluation is usually carried out using such criteria as rationality, efficiency, economy and profitability [15, 16] . The most basic and common praxeological criterion, measured with the level of conformity between the sport result and the goal is efficiency. An action is efficient if it achieves a specified goal, but also when it enables or enhances its achievement [15] .

The praxeological evaluation is usually carried out using such criteria as rationality, efficiency, economy and profitability.

An action is efficient if it achieves a specified goal, but also when it enables or enhances its achievement.


Classification systems are used in various sports. They are particularly useful in sports for persons with various disabilities and impairments of physical function, who are classified according to their age, body weight and disability type [1] . Differences between sports results achieved by athletes within given classes are smaller than they would be between non-classified athletes, which greatly encourages the individuals with disability to participate in various sports [2] . Originally, sports for the individuals with disability were mainly propagated by physicians and physiotherapists, and the early classification systems were based on anatomic and medical criteria such as assessment of muscle strength, range of motion, length of limb stump, level of the spinal cord injury or spasticity [3] .

They are particularly useful in sports for persons with various disabilities and impairments of physical function, who are classified according to their age, body weight and disability type.

Differences between sports results achieved by athletes within given classes are smaller than they would be between non-classified athletes, which greatly encourages the individuals with disability to participate in various sports.

Originally, sports for the individuals with disability were mainly propagated by physicians and physiotherapists, and the early classification systems were based on anatomic and medical criteria such as assessment of muscle strength, range of motion, length of limb stump, level of the spinal cord injury or spasticity.


The above analysis of game efficiency of wheelchair rugby players from different IWRF classes seems particularly important with regard to changes in the wheelchair rugby rules introduced after the Beijing 2008 Paralympics [25] . According to the new regulations, a team has 12 seconds to advance the ball from their back court into the front court (15 seconds according to the old rules). Also a team in possession of the ball has a total of 40 seconds to score a point or concede possession (there are no such stipulations in the old regulations). The new changes are controversial since there is a certain risk that lowpoint class players (0.5 and 1.0 points) might not be able to take active part in offensive play within the designated limit of 40 seconds and to maintain the dynamic pace of the game. It may -in a sense -lead to some coaches' "discrimination" against the low-pointers, for whom a more optimal team on the court will comprise players from classes 1.5-3.5. The new regulations can most likely contribute to an increase in popularity of wheelchair rugby low-point tournaments (classes 0.5-1.5), in which the total classification value of all players on the court for a team at one time cannot exceed three and half points. In the long term it can lead to a split in the sport of wheelchair rugby. The new rules are also highly controversial from the standpoint of the main principle of sports for individuals with disability which should guarantee a chance to participate in sports for athletes with different types and severity of disability on equal terms. It should also be remembered that wheelchair rugby was developed by athletes with cervical spinal cord injuries for whom the pace of wheelchair basketball was too fast. The increase in the attractiveness and dynamics of wheelchair rugby resulting from the new rules could be made at the expense of those for whom the game was originally developed. The game efficiency analysis of wheelchair rugby athletes playing according to the new rules should be an implication to undertake further research. Future studies into game efficiency of athletes taking part in the World Championships in Vancouver in 2010 and Paralympics in London in 2012 according to the new rules may bring some interesting results.

The above analysis of game efficiency of wheelchair rugby players from different IWRF classes seems particularly important with regard to changes in the wheelchair rugby rules introduced after the Beijing 2008 Paralympics.


Out of ten points initially sampled, N f;1ˆ9 are found to fall within the failure region. The probability of a randomly selected point falling in the failure region is next updated as P f ;1ˆP0;1 £ N f ;1 =N s;1ˆ0 :079 £ 9=10ˆ0:0071. The RˆN fI =N 1Iˆ0 :9 ratio is then used to determine the total initial number of random points that need to be sampled, N st;1 , in order to compute the failure probability within an error g 4 0:10 and with a con dence level 1 ¡ a 5 0:90 as N st;1ˆ… 1 ¡ R †R‰F ¡1 …1 ¡ a=2 †=…gR †Š 2ˆ3 0 [24] . Next, additional N st;1 ¡ N s;tˆ2 0 points are sampled and the failure probability is recomputed as P f ;1ˆP0;1 N ft;1 = N st;1ˆ0 :00685, where N f1ˆ2 6 is the total number of failure points.

The RˆN fI =N 1Iˆ0 :9 ratio is then used to determine the total initial number of random points that need to be sampled, N st;1 , in order to compute the failure probability within an error g 4 0:10 and with a con dence level 1 ¡ a 5 0:90 as N st;1ˆ… 1 ¡ R †R‰F ¡1 …1 ¡ a=2 †=…gR †Š 2ˆ3 0.


To improve the accuracy of evaluation of the performance function, the AMV ‡ method is employed. To this end, all random variables are perturbed around the MPP point, @Z=@X i j X ¤ derivatives are evaluated using a nite difference method and the Z MPP function (solid line in Fig. 9b ) is determined using equation (6) . It can be seen that employing the AMV ‡ method increases the probability of P f …X † 5 0:01 to ¹ 0.0020 (point C in Fig. 9b ) relative to its MV-based value (0.0008, point A in Fig. 9b ). Next, the MPP nding procedure is repeated using the Z MPP function as the constraining equation, and the performance function is recomputed (as P fˆ0 :164) at the updated MPP using the nite element method (point D in Fig. 9b ).

To this end, all random variables are perturbed around the MPP point, @Z=@X i j X ¤ derivatives are evaluated using a nite difference method and the Z MPP function (solid line in Fig. 9b ) is determined using equation.


The objective of the present work is to carry out a probabilistic nite element analysis of the development of residual stresses in a 25 mm bore hybrid a-SiC lining/ CrMoV steel jacket gun barrel during a shrink-t process. Analyses of residual stresses by a nite element method are generally done using a deterministic scheme in which nominal values are used for geometrical, material and process parameters. Since these parameters are not generally known with an absolute certainty, a probabilistic nite element approach is used in the present work to assess statistical variability of the residual stresses and their sensitivity to variation in different design, material and process parameters. A performance analysis of hybrid gun barrels during single-shot and burst ring events has been presented in a recent paper [5] .

A performance analysis of hybrid gun barrels during single-shot and burst ring events has been presented in a recent paper.


Cluster III contained Spanish isolates N-78a, N-78b, 1251-4 and 1251-5 and was genetically distant from the B. quercina isolates in cluster I. 16S rDNA sequences from these strains were compared with previously reported data (Kwon et al., 1997; Hauben et al., 1998a) . Isolates N-78b and 1251-5 showed 97-3 and 97-6% similarity, respectively, to the S. rubidaea type strain. When the other B. quercina field isolates were subjected to the same analysis, 99-2% similarity to B. quercina type strain was obtained. The 16S rDNA sequence analysis clearly showed that strains N-78a, N-78b, 1251-4 and 1251-5 belonged to the genus Serratia.

Cluster III contained Spanish isolates N-78a, N-78b, 1251-4 and 1251-5 and was genetically distant from the B. quercina isolates in cluster I. 16S rDNA sequences from these strains were compared with previously reported data.


Free radicals are continuously produced in our body either naturally or on exposure to environmental stress as well as other factors and can be implicated in many diseases like cancer, atherosclerosis, arthritis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, aging and other age related problems [1] . Mammalian cells possess elaborate defense mechanisms for radical detoxification. Antioxidants are agents, which scavenge the free radicals and prevent the damage caused by them. Inspite of these in-built defense mechanisms, it seems more meaningful to utilize extra antioxidants available in diets, especially from fruits, vegetables and whole grains [2] . Due to their minimal side effects, there are growing interests in using natural products for preventive and therapeutic medicine [3] .

Free radicals are continuously produced in our body either naturally or on exposure to environmental stress as well as other factors and can be implicated in many diseases like cancer, atherosclerosis, arthritis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, aging and other age related problems.

Inspite of these in-built defense mechanisms, it seems more meaningful to utilize extra antioxidants available in diets, especially from fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Due to their minimal side effects, there are growing interests in using natural products for preventive and therapeutic medicine.


A. halimus (Amaranthaceae) known under the name of "G'ttaf" in Ouargla, was mentioned for the treatment of digestive (F C = 38.54%) and genital (F C = 15.97%) diseases. Studies on the chemical constituents of A. halimus have been carried out by many investigators and have shown the presence of various compounds. For exampe, tannins, flavonoids, saponins, alkaloids and resins (Bayoumi and El-Shaer, 1992) . In the Arab world, A. halimus was used to treat chest ailments, as a laxative, to cure stomach pains, for intestinal worns and to regulate gall bladder excretions (Day, 1990; Le Houérou, 1992) . According to those surveyed for example S. tripartita (Anacardiaceae) known locally as "Djedari", aqueous decoction (67.96%), powder (16.50%) or infusion (15.53%) was considered as the most popular methods of preparation that can address several diseases such as digestive (F C = 66.90%), skin (F C = 11.27%) and circulatory (F C = 10.56%). Concerning the chemical studies of this plant, several compounds such as flavonoids, biflavonoids, isobiflavonoids, catechin, epicatechin-3-O-gallate, proanthocyanidin oligomers and polymers, polysaccharides, condensed tannins have been isolated from different parts of the plant (Tebourbi et al., 2006; Alimi et al., 2013) . This plant has been used in Tunisian traditional medicine to treat diarrhoea and dysentery. The root bark extract of this specie has been reported to be beneficial in curing gastric ulcers (Abbassi and Hani, 2012) .

For exampe, tannins, flavonoids, saponins, alkaloids and resins.

In the Arab world, A. halimus was used to treat chest ailments, as a laxative, to cure stomach pains, for intestinal worns and to regulate gall bladder excretions.

Concerning the chemical studies of this plant, several compounds such as flavonoids, biflavonoids, isobiflavonoids, catechin, epicatechin-3-O-gallate, proanthocyanidin oligomers and polymers, polysaccharides, condensed tannins have been isolated from different parts of the plant.

The root bark extract of this specie has been reported to be beneficial in curing gastric ulcers.


We extracted the light curves from the count rates provided by STScI, performing background subtraction by hand. This is necessary as the standard background model is known to underestimate the backgrounds by up to 30 per cent (Keyes et al. 1995) . We rescaled the standard background models to match unexposed regions on a group-bygroup basis and subtracted this to isolate source counts. We then integrated the counts over the source spectrum to obtain light curves. The effective bandpass can be defined by the FWHM of the count rate spectra: 3100-4800Å for PRISM/BL and 3800-7400Å for PRISM/RD.

This is necessary as the standard background model is known to underestimate the backgrounds by up to 30 per cent.


Where F is the flexural strength in N/mm 2 , P is the load at failure in N, l is the distance between support rollers (100 mm), b and d correspond respectively to the width and depth of the specimen in mm (both 40 mm). Figure 5 shows the typical setup arrangement for the test. Finally, microscale analysis of selected higher strength specimens was conducted using SEM and XRD tests on parts taken from the crushed samples. The SEM analysis was performed on 2 cm cube specimens using the wet plotting sample preparation approach. This method does not alter the physical or chemical features of the specimen [32] . One side of the cube was polished with a silicon disc, which makes it flat and further ensures clarity of the images [33] . Specimens for XRD tests were pulverized using a pestle and mortal before they were mounted on an aluminum slide and scanned from 0 to 75° 2θ with a scan rate of 0.1 steps per minute.

This method does not alter the physical or chemical features of the specimen.

One side of the cube was polished with a silicon disc, which makes it flat and further ensures clarity of the images.


The flexural strength test was conducted using the three point loading method, such that the distance between supports was 100 mm and the load was at mid span, following the requirements of BS EN 1015-11 [29] . During the flexural tests, both the incremental load and corresponding deformations were obtained from a pair of linear variable differential transformers (LVDTs) connected to the universal testing machine (UTM), using a computerized data-acquisition system. The loading was applied at a rate of 0.005 mm/s by a UTM with a 200 kN capacity. The flexural strength of mortars was calculated using Equation 1, as recommended in BS EN 1015-11 [29] .

The flexural strength test was conducted using the three point loading method, such that the distance between supports was 100 mm and the load was at mid span, following the requirements of BS EN 1015-11.

The flexural strength of mortars was calculated using Equation 1, as recommended in BS EN 1015-11.


Preferably, a model should be based on actual physics and chemistry, i.e. phenomenological. This will result in a more generic model. However, to limit computational effort, previous attempts at such models mentioned in literature often had an empirical or semi-empirical character and needed an extensive and expensive set of data for fitting/training of the model, [1] , [2] , [3] .

However, to limit computational effort, previous attempts at such models mentioned in literature often had an empirical or semi-empirical character and needed an extensive and expensive set of data for fitting/training of the model.


In the present paper, phenomenological models for both NO and soot formation will be briefly introduced. For more detailed information about the models the reader is referred [4] . The models are developed for both conventional high temperature combustion and for high-EGR low temperature combustion. The models are aimed as an extension to TNO's current mean value engine model library DYNAMO. Focus is on the model validation process and its results. The main steps taken during the validation process are thoroughly described. Modeling results are compared with NO exhaust gas concentrations and soot mass for both a single-cylinder and a multi-cylinder engine.

For more detailed information about the models the reader is referred.


Acinetobacter baumannii is a non-fermenting, Gram-negative, aerobic coccobacillus that is currently a major cause of nosocomial infections worldwide. A. baumannii infection leads to bacteremia, urinary tract infections, surgical site infections, and, especially, ventilator-associated pneumonia in intensive care unit patients [1] . In recent years, epidemics caused by multidrug-resistant strains of A. baumannii have been widely investigated and reported [1, 2] . The easy acquisition of multi-or pan-drug resistance to clinically available antimicrobial agents in this organism leads to serious therapeutic complications [3] [4] [5] [6] .

A. baumannii infection leads to bacteremia, urinary tract infections, surgical site infections, and, especially, ventilator-associated pneumonia in intensive care unit patients.

In recent years, epidemics caused by multidrug-resistant strains of A. baumannii have been widely investigated and reported.

The easy acquisition of multi-or pan-drug resistance to clinically available antimicrobial agents in this organism leads to serious therapeutic complications.


Laparoscopic appendectomy has resulted in a shorter median length of stay, a trend towards fewer postoperative infectious complications, and fewer clinic visits than after open appendectomy, indicating that it is a safe and effective procedure for the treatment of patients with perforated appendicitis [7] . We performed 221 laparoscopic appendectomies, accounting for 84.7% of all the pediatric appendectomies performed at our institution during the study period. Our complication rate was 1.35%. Conversion to open appendectomy was required in 3.67% of cases.

Laparoscopic appendectomy has resulted in a shorter median length of stay, a trend towards fewer postoperative infectious complications, and fewer clinic visits than after open appendectomy, indicating that it is a safe and effective procedure for the treatment of patients with perforated appendicitis.

Our complication rate was 1.35%.


WGs such as doubly-fed induction generators (DFIGs) and fully-rated converter based WGs, which have good controllability in terms of the active power and reactive power and so on, are commonly used. Their variable speed operation enables them to have a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control scheme. However, this reduces the system inertia, and thus, a significant frequency deviation is inevitable when a large disturbance happens in the power system [4] .

However, this reduces the system inertia, and thus, a significant frequency deviation is inevitable when a large disturbance happens in the power system.


A power system frequency should be maintained within the allowed limits to supply high-quality electricity. If a large disturbance such as a generator outage or a load increase occurs in the system, the frequency declines. Without proper action, the frequency keeps decreasing and consequently the power system might collapse. To avoid it, as soon as the system frequency drops, the synchronous generators (SGs) inherently release the kinetic energy stored in the rotating masses of the SGs to the system and this inertial response prevents the frequency from falling. Simultaneously, the SGs, which have the spinning reserve, activate the primary control by supplying the active power proportional to the frequency deviation based on the droop characteristics. After the primary control, the secondary and tertiary controls are activated successively by the system operator to recover the frequency to the nominal value [1] .

After the primary control, the secondary and tertiary controls are activated successively by the system operator to recover the frequency to the nominal value.


Fatty fish provide more fatty acids and influence tissue FAS to a greater extent than the same mass of lean fish. Among the studied potential dietary items of the Mediterranean, sardine had high lipid content (8% in the specimens from the Balearic archipelago) but all other species, including all demersal species, were relatively lean. In theory, the lean species should be consumed considerably more compared to sardine to get an equal fatty acid signal into the birds' tissues. We incorporated the present lipid content data of the different Mediterranean fish species into data of fish selection by shearwaters at discarding fishing vessels (Arcos & Oro 2002) . Based on the recorded proportion of different fish species in discards, the preferences of catching them by shearwaters, and the lipid content of prey species, we estimated the amount of fatty acids coming from different discarded fish. In these discarding experiments, ca. 52% of the fatty acids consumed by shearwaters were derived from sardine, ca. 18% from different Gadiformes species (silvery pout is rich in 22:1n-11), 12% from anchovy, and ca. 17% from other species. The strong signal of pelagic types of PUFA in the shearwater plasma FAS found in the present study is in accordance with the sardine and other pelagic planktivorous species being the preferred dietary items. Consistent with the field study suggesting that various Gadiformes are the next most important prey, the determined plasma FAS of the shearwaters deviated from those of the sardine-fed gulls by having high proportions of 20:1n-11 (suggesting dietary supply of 22:1n-11). Our survey of FAS in different prey also suggests that this signal had likely come from demersal species.

We incorporated the present lipid content data of the different Mediterranean fish species into data of fish selection by shearwaters at discarding fishing vessels.


When decision-makers follow a risk-averse strategy, the presence of uncertainty in pest risk assessments inevitably changes decision outcomes about managing the pests. However, uncertainty has rarely been represented in assessments of new pest incursions in a geographical domain. At best, pest risk maps presented uncertainty as separate maps or a combination of coarse risk-uncertainty classes ). This kind of risk mapping implicitly places the burden of addressing uncertainty on decision-makers which, in turn, may lead to risk-averse behaviour, biased assessments and sometimes ignorance (i.e., a wait-and-see strategy if the assessment of pest impact is highly uncertain). Ideally, the uncertainty associated with the estimated impact of an invasive organism should be directly incorporated into the species' risk map by the analyst, rather than interpreted by the decision-maker (Venette et al. 2010) .

Ideally, the uncertainty associated with the estimated impact of an invasive organism should be directly incorporated into the species' risk map by the analyst, rather than interpreted by the decision-maker.


Unreported crime is an ongoing concern in our society. The Bureau of Justice reports that almost half of all violent crimes are never reported to the police [6] . Society needs to know the extent of crime so that we can make better decisions regarding places to live and preventive actions to take. Law enforcement agencies need to be able to allocate resources according to where crimes are committed and under what circumstances. There is a wide variety of reasons why crimes go unreported, and no single system can solve this problem. There is a need to investigate alternative ways for people to report crimes, and design mechanisms to ensure accessibility, confidentiality, anonymity, and safety.

The Bureau of Justice reports that almost half of all violent crimes are never reported to the police.


Laser peening, as compared to traditional shot peening, induces deeper compressive residual stress. During laser peening multiple layers of peening are commonly used to ensure a uniform stress distribution with subsequent layers of laser pulses offset geometrically to the first layer. The impact of multiple layers of laser peening has been shown experimentally as well as numerically [1] . Various studies have examined the variability of stress during laser peening [2] [3] . A particular conclusion is that in order to achieve consistent fatigue life it is important to have uniform spatial distribution of laser energy in the laser spot [4] .

The impact of multiple layers of laser peening has been shown experimentally as well as numerically.

Various studies have examined the variability of stress during laser peening.

A particular conclusion is that in order to achieve consistent fatigue life it is important to have uniform spatial distribution of laser energy in the laser spot.


Some major advantages of LSP include the high depth of compressive residual stress generated with relatively little surface modification. Increasing the number of peening layers typically results in an increase of compressive stress in depth. Surface deformation during LSP increases with an increase in peen intensity and highest surface deformation occurs at the centre of the laser spot [5] . An increase in hardness has been seen for steels after laser peening [6] .

Surface deformation during LSP increases with an increase in peen intensity and highest surface deformation occurs at the centre of the laser spot.

An increase in hardness has been seen for steels after laser peening.