There are 4445 identified potential SHP sites in different states of India with an aggregate capacity of 10835 MW. These sites are under different categories such as run of river, dam based and canal based schemes. There are about 1700 canal based sites having total capacity 1808 MW [2] . In low head hydropower schemes cost contribution towards electro-mechanical equipment is higher than the civil works. In earlier studies, correlations for estimation of costs of hydropower schemes were developed based on collected cost data of existing projects [3] [4] [5] . An approach was presented for investment analysis of small and medium hydropower projects based on economic and financial analysis [6] . In high and medium head small hydropower schemes, which are mainly run-of-river, the schemes are site specific and installation cost is governed by the cost of civil works. In low head schemes mainly canal based, the machine sizes are relatively larger and the cost is governed by the civil works as well as electro-mechanical equipment. The size of power house and other civil works components are directly affected by the type and size of machines (hydro turbines). Thus there is scope for optimisation in design and selection of techynology for such schemes. Under the present study, an attempt has been made to determine cost of different components of such schemes with different layouts having different types of turbine and generator. The correlations for the cost are developed and financial analysis is carried out considering installation cost, generation cost and benefit cost ratio at different load factors for selection of optimum layout of canal based SHP schemes.

There are about 1700 canal based sites having total capacity 1808 MW.

In earlier studies, correlations for estimation of costs of hydropower schemes were developed based on collected cost data of existing projects.

An approach was presented for investment analysis of small and medium hydropower projects based on economic and financial analysis.


The economic environment in India has undergone rapid transition in a short span of time. Recognizing the crucial role of energy in propelling and sustaining the momentum of growth, Government of India has accorded high priority to this sector. The objective is to provide reliable, affordable and sustainable energy to all consumers. Hydropower is one of the most important natural resources of renewable energy. It is required to give more emphasis on development of renewable sources of energy and adoption of energy efficient and clean technologies to the extent possible. Hydropower represents non-consumptive, non-radioactive, and nonpolluting use of water resources towards inflation free energy development with mature technology and spectacular operational flexibility. Worldwide total hydropower capacity in operation is 807 GW with annual generation of 3030 TWh/year. Presently, hydropower is contributing more than 50 percent of electricity supply in about 60 countries. Hydropower, large and small has been important source of energy in all European countries possessing water potentials [1] .

Hydropower, large and small has been important source of energy in all European countries possessing water potentials.


Safety-critical applications must function correctly even in the presence of faults. Such faults might be transient, intermittent or permanent. Factors like high complexity, smaller transistor sizes, higher operational frequencies and lower voltage levels have contributed to the increase in the rate of transient and intermittent faults in modern electronic systems [5] . From the fault tolerance point of view, transient and intermittent faults manifest themselves very similarly: they have a short duration and then disappear without causing permanent damage. Considering this, we will further refer to both types as transient faults. Permanent faults are not addressed in this paper.

Factors like high complexity, smaller transistor sizes, higher operational frequencies and lower voltage levels have contributed to the increase in the rate of transient and intermittent faults in modern electronic systems.


It is conceivable that in some cases the Lie algebraic structure of theory is deformed rather than destroyed. The quantum theory may be describable by a quantum generalization of a Lie algebra which has higher order terms in built into its structure. These speculations were prompted by the beautiful structure found in affine Toda quantum field theories [1] . They are the physical motivation for this work on quantum Lie algebras.

These speculations were prompted by the beautiful structure found in affine Toda quantum field theories.


Since the advent of task-based language teaching (TBLT), tasks have been used as a major and influential tool for promoting meaningful interaction in second language (L2) learning classrooms. A task refers to a classroom based activity that involves learners in comprehending and interacting in the target language (Nunan, 2006) . Tasks engage L2 learners in meaning-focused activities and provide them with an opportunity to practise their target language. Tasks also provide L2 learners with an opportunity to refine their language. When L2 learners are engaged in language production, they seem to be "able to utilize their own internal resources, via using them in production, to both construct and complexify their inter-languages" (Ellis, 2003, p. 115) .

A task refers to a classroom based activity that involves learners in comprehending and interacting in the target language.


Thus, it is assumed that repeated encounters with the same or similar communicative demands enhance L2 learners' ability to manage communicative situations (Bygate, 2001) . L2 researchers perceive TR as a means of capturing learners' attention and practicing their processing skills. It is worth noting that during communication activities, L2 learners' attentional and processing capacity is inherently restricted i.e. L2 learners cannot focus both on form and meaning. However the repetition of the same or similar tasks may support them to "build upon what they have already done in order to buy time not only to do mental work on what they are about to communicate but also to access and (re)formulate words and grammatical structures more efficiently, effectively, and accurately" (Ahmadian, 2012, p.380) . Thus, the first performance can be framed as preparation for a subsequent performance. TR seems to release L2 learners' processing capacities and enable the learners to pay attention to both task content and linguistic forms.

Thus, it is assumed that repeated encounters with the same or similar communicative demands enhance L2 learners' ability to manage communicative situations.


In particular when reviewing literature for this research, only one study on TBLT was found in the Nepalese context (Dawadi, 2015) . This is in spite of a call for TBLT research in Nepal over two decades ago. While rest of the world has already produced innumerable studies in this area, the Nepalese EFL research community remains in its infancy. Empirical studies need to be carried out to explore the effectiveness of TBLT in the Nepalese context in general, and the effects of TR on Nepalese EFL learners' performances in particular.

In particular when reviewing literature for this research, only one study on TBLT was found in the Nepalese context.


As there was a duplication of the same task, it was expected that TR would allow learners to familiarise themselves with the content of the task, thus freeing up their attentional resources, and they would focus more on accuracy (Bygate, 1996) . However, the results did not indicate that TR supported learners in this way as the repeated narratives were less accurate. One possible reason for the reduced accuracy might be that learners prioritised fluency over accuracy in their repeated performance. Many students, through interview and questionnaire, reported that they could not provide enough information about the pictures in their first attempt so they focused more on fluency in their repeated attempt.

As there was a duplication of the same task, it was expected that TR would allow learners to familiarise themselves with the content of the task, thus freeing up their attentional resources, and they would focus more on accuracy.


Participant C added "During the second task performance, I tried my best to use better sentence structures and vocabularies". Thus, learners' readiness to take risk using more sophisticated language in the repeated performance might have possibly led to more complex but less accurate language (Ellis & Barkhuizen, 2005) . This means, the attentional resources required to overcome the constraints related to complexity might have negatively affected their accuracy.

Thus, learners' readiness to take risk using more sophisticated language in the repeated performance might have possibly led to more complex but less accurate language.


Distal and proximal perception can be used to analyze the spatial distribution of perception of crime in the urban domain [16] . While these terms can describe the actual physical distance, they can be expanded and used to further explain proximal experiences of disorder, such as aggressive panhandlers outside the respondent's business, and the impact of distal landmarks such as mass transportation hubs. From a perception of crime and disorder perspective, proximal perception would be varied at the individual level and dependent on personal experiences and location of experiences, whereas distal perception in the aggregate may form very structured patterns centered on known areas and landmarks.

Distal and proximal perception can be used to analyze the spatial distribution of perception of crime in the urban domain.


Public disorder generates environmental cues that impact individuals when navigating their environment in particular at the pedestrian level. Studies on disorder such as those conducted under the Broken Windows theory have shown how individuals within urban communities are affected by public disorder [5] [6] [7] [8] . Disorder encompasses both the physical and social manifestations of human behavior in the urban environment that are generally perceived as problematic. Studies have also shown how markers of disorder are both linked to fear and the perception of crime and can therefore influence pedestrian behavior [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] . Individuals in vehicles experience the environment differently depending on their knowledge of an area and the disorder cues that are impactful to individuals in vehicles are scalable to those experienced by pedestrians [13] . For example discarded syringes or condoms can be seen by pedestrians, but not by vehicle commuters. For pedestrians, tpublic disorder cues can act as a warning to crime problems such as public drug use, drug trafficking and solicitation.

Studies on disorder such as those conducted under the Broken Windows theory have shown how individuals within urban communities are affected by public disorder.

Studies have also shown how markers of disorder are both linked to fear and the perception of crime and can therefore influence pedestrian behavior.

Individuals in vehicles experience the environment differently depending on their knowledge of an area and the disorder cues that are impactful to individuals in vehicles are scalable to those experienced by pedestrians.


The human genome and a number of other genomes have been almost fully sequenced, but the functions of most genes are still unknown. The difficulty is that gene expression is only one of the pieces of cellular processes sometimes called biological pathways or networks, and it is not yet possible to observe these pathways directly. DNA microarray technology has made it possible to quantify and compare relative gene expression profiles across a series of conditions many thousands of genes at a time. By identifying groups of genes that are simultaneously expressed the guesswork of reconstructing biological pathways is expedited. The information collected through the years on genes that participate on biological pathways or networks has been used to construct GO (Gene Ontology Consortium [8] ). The information on differentially expressed genes from a microarray experiment is contrasted with the groupings that are known according to existing GO and a determination is made on whether or not a certain cellular process is taking place. In addition there might be a few genes that are differentially expressed in the experiment but were not known to be part of the biological process. These genes become candidates for further extending the pathway and will be confirmed by further experimentation and also by searching for annotations that describe their function in other processes.

The information collected through the years on genes that participate on biological pathways or networks has been used to construct GO (Gene Ontology Consortium).


According to this observation, by reasoning on the factors affecting the complexity of the inverse problem at hand, we will give some guidelines for a suitable choice of the matching fluid as well as of the working frequency band. In addition, since one is interested in having an experimental system as simple as possible, these two information will allow us to determine a minimal number of antennas. Due to the complexity of the screening tool and the high variability of the involved materials, the definition of an exact and general model of the scattering scenario is a difficult task. Therefore, the proposed analysis exploits a simplified model whose validity is checked a posteriori through the numerical examples. In particular, the effectiveness of the proposed guidelines is shown in the canonical 2D case, with respect to nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) images based anthropomorphic numerical phantoms [24] .

In particular, the effectiveness of the proposed guidelines is shown in the canonical 2D case, with respect to nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) images based anthropomorphic numerical phantoms.


The above described framework shows clearly that the problem of reconstructing the dielectric parameters of breast tissues is a necessary preliminary step to tackle. As a matter of fact, it provides useful a priori information, which allow to enhance the cancer imaging capabilities of microwave screening tools and may also positively act on the performances of strategies exploiting contrast agents or hybrid excitations. However, achieving a functional characterization of breast tissues is an ambitious aim requiring to face a non-linear and ill-posed problem that, as well known, is affected by instabilities and occurrence of "false solutions" [21] .

However, achieving a functional characterization of breast tissues is an ambitious aim requiring to face a non-linear and ill-posed problem that, as well known, is affected by instabilities and occurrence of "false solutions".


Typically, non-linear inverse problems are cast as the minimization (or the maximization) of a proper cost functional, so that the practical task to pursue is the achievement of the global optimum of such a functional [22, 23] . Unfortunately, owing to the large number of unknown parameters to be determined, global optimization procedures may be unfeasible and local algorithms are adopted. As a consequence, the minimization process is strongly dependent on the starting guess and may lead to a local minimum, corresponding to a reconstruction different from the actual scenario. This difficulty, which is of course detrimental for any inverse scattering problem, is crucial in the framework of medical imaging, as it ultimately influences the reliability of the diagnosis.

Typically, non-linear inverse problems are cast as the minimization (or the maximization) of a proper cost functional, so that the practical task to pursue is the achievement of the global optimum of such a functional.


In addition to OBIC, we consider local robustness conditions of the mechanism with respect to beliefs. The local robustness requires the mechanism to remain incentivecompatible if voter beliefs are perturbed slightly. The notion of positive correlation, i.e., TS correlation, then leads to the notion of TS-local robustness (TS-LOBIC). The motivation of imposing robustness requirements on beliefs is the well known Wilson doctrine (Wilson 1987) . Robust mechanisms have the attractive feature that they continue to implement the objectives of the mechanism designer even if the designer or the voters make errors in their beliefs.

The motivation of imposing robustness requirements on beliefs is the well known Wilson doctrine.


This finding can be partly explained by the nature of dialogue in the creative divergent task, which hampered these learning communities. Brainstorming and designing video movies include no facts or definitive "truths" with one correct solution as one would find in concept-based learning (MacDonald et al., 2000) . Rather, they involve dialogic meaning making and "co-constructive talk," engaging the participants with similar memories and ideas to build on each other's inter-resonating comments (Wegerif, 2005) . For young producers, seeking common understanding of an abstract media representation generated disputative group interaction, as the members were challenged to have their ideas approved by their peers (Palmgren-Neuvonen & Korkeamäki, 2014) . Thus, scaffolding such creative processes became a highly demanding task.

Brainstorming and designing video movies include no facts or definitive "truths" with one correct solution as one would find in concept-based learning.

Rather, they involve dialogic meaning making and "co-constructive talk," engaging the participants with similar memories and ideas to build on each other's inter-resonating comments.

For young producers, seeking common understanding of an abstract media representation generated disputative group interaction, as the members were challenged to have their ideas approved by their peers.


Teacher C actually implemented process-related scaffolding by adapting the task challenge temporarily from collaborative to cooperative. Albeit generally following the principles of minimal temporal scaffolding, Teacher C necessitated consensus, which required more negotiation in the groups and engaged participants to argue over the solutions. By doing so, he supported the groups' independent problem solving and promoted group cohesion. However, voting for decision making according to the majority may have harmed the group's effectiveness (Johnson & Johnson, 2014) .

However, voting for decision making according to the majority may have harmed the group's effectiveness.


Combi drilling of spring sown cereal crops in southern Sweden is an increasing phenomenon (Haby, 2006) . Combi drilling results in increased nutrient use efficiency, thereby often resulting in higher grain yields. Also, time is often saved as one person is both sowing and fertilizing at the same time, compared to when conventional drilling equipment is used (Haby, 2006) . However, combi drilling requires a relatively high pulling force leading to the need of large heavy tractors and high diesel consumption (Emgardsson, 2004a) . Since some years, combi drilling machines with a new type of coulters are available on the market, e.g. Tume Nova Combi. Using this combi drilling equipment, the fertilizer is placed about 2 cm below or together with the cereal grain with a combined seed/fertilizer coulter. The normal Scandinavian combi drilling technique, instead place the fertilizer 6 cm beside and 3 cm deeper than the grain, using separate seed and fertilizer coulters, e.g. Väderstad Rapid Combi (Haby, 2006) . The fertilizer placement just below the cereal grain with only one coulter would lead to the need of lower pulling forces compared to conventional combi drilling with separate coulters where the fertilizer is placed beside and deeper than the cereal grain (Emgardsson, 2004b) .

Combi drilling of spring sown cereal crops in southern Sweden is an increasing phenomenon.

Also, time is often saved as one person is both sowing and fertilizing at the same time, compared to when conventional drilling equipment is used.

However, combi drilling requires a relatively high pulling force leading to the need of large heavy tractors and high diesel consumption.

The normal Scandinavian combi drilling technique, instead place the fertilizer 6 cm beside and 3 cm deeper than the grain, using separate seed and fertilizer coulters, e.g. Väderstad Rapid Combi.

The fertilizer placement just below the cereal grain with only one coulter would lead to the need of lower pulling forces compared to conventional combi drilling with separate coulters where the fertilizer is placed beside and deeper than the cereal grain.


WSMO defines orchestration to: (a) ensure behavioral aspect while composing web services, by matching them using their declared choreography, (b) facilitate the reuse of service combinations, and (c) enable client constraints to be checked [39] . Therefore, a choreography in WSMO describes the behavior of the Web service from a client's point of view. The client may be either a human user or an agent acting on behalf of a user.

WSMO defines orchestration to: (a) ensure behavioral aspect while composing web services, by matching them using their declared choreography, (b) facilitate the reuse of service combinations, and (c) enable client constraints to be checked.


As can be verified, the psychometric parameters of the BPI are considered satisfactory, as the factorial structure found was coherent with what is expected and the precision relation obtained a satisfactory Cronbach's Alfa. A limitation of this study, however, must be shown. The low representativeness of sleep resulted in its removal from the factors of exploratory factorial analysis. Corroborating with this extraction, Japan justified, stating that it had been caused by the drugs that the patients took; making so that they didn't had any pain interference on their sleep habit [21] .

Corroborating with this extraction, Japan justified, stating that it had been caused by the drugs that the patients took; making so that they didn't had any pain interference on their sleep habit.


In the recent years, with the advancement of technology, AC servo system has been widely used. As a servo drive system, it needs not only a good steady-state performance, but also a high dynamic performance. As a controlled object, the dynamic mathematical model of a high-power AC motor is a complex system, which is characterized by heavy varying load, slow time variation, nonlinearity, and uncertain disturbance. Traditional control algorithm adopts PID control, easily influenced by the model of nonlinear characteristics and the parameters such as the uncertainty of dynamic response and the unbalance of antidisturbance ability, which may deteriorate the system control performance. Thus, the practical intelligent control strategy has become a focus in the field of servo system control [1] .

Thus, the practical intelligent control strategy has become a focus in the field of servo system control.


A major advantage of GRADE is that it leads to more transparent judgements about the quality of evidence [16] . The five key specific factors that may lead to downgrading the quality of evidence (and the need to state reasons for each downgrade) help to provide a clear rationale for such judgements. In addition, there is detailed written guidance from the GRADE working group for making these judgements. A further advantage of the broader GRADE framework is its ability to indicate the strength of recommendations based on the evidence.

A major advantage of GRADE is that it leads to more transparent judgements about the quality of evidence.


Carbon footprint accounting has been proved to be a good approach to indicate the total carbon emissions of a person, a sector, a region and a nation [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] . The concept of carbon footprint refers to the total carbon dioxide discharged to the atmosphere [9] . Since the total amount of carbon dioxide is not only dependent upon the direct emitters but also indirectly through the emitters' supply chain, this concept can help us identify the "hidden carbon emitter" that cannot be detect from superficies. A related concept is "embodied carbon", which is defined as the volume of carbon transferred from one sector/region to another, measured over the full supply chain. Thus, the carbon footprint of a sector/region refers to the total carbon emissions from the inhabitants of the sector/region. This concept is of great importance to the accounting of carbon emissions.

Carbon footprint accounting has been proved to be a good approach to indicate the total carbon emissions of a person, a sector, a region and a nation.

The concept of carbon footprint refers to the total carbon dioxide discharged to the atmosphere.


Micromagnetic simulations Domain profile simulations were performed with Mumax3 [42] . The cell size was fixed as 0.25x0.25x0.2 nm along x (wall normal), y (wall length) and z (layer planes normal) directions, respectively. For demagnetized systems, a unique period of domains was simulated, which was extended through periodic boundary conditions in the x and y directions, extending the system to 32 domain periods and 4.096 μm along x and y directions respectively. Then the magnetic configuration composed of one up domain (Mz = Ms) and one down domain (Mz = -Ms) separated by domain walls (using the domain periodicity measured by Lorentz TEM) was directly relaxed to reach the minimum energy state. Parameters were Heisenberg exchange A = 10 pJ/m and saturation magnetisation Ms = 1 MAm -1 for the 5 and 10 samples and Ms = 1.2 MAm -1 for the 15 sample. Simulations were trialled with different values of Ms, over the range identified experimentally by SQUID, the above values were decided on as they provided the best fit to the experimental data. The magnetic thickness of the N layers and thickness of vacuum spacing are chosen to match the ones of each multilayer. Uniaxial perpendicular anisotropy Ku = 0.829 MJm -3 , 0.711 MJm -3 and 0.622 MJm -3 ; DMI parameter D = 0.825 mJm -2 , 0.707 mJm -2 and 0.619 mJm -2 were chosen for samples with Co layer thickness T = 1.2 nm, 1.4 nm and 1.6 nm respectively. They thus match with the interfacial perpendicular anisotropy and interfacial DMI value measured from a similar sample with T = 1.1 nm considering an inverse thickness dependence.

Micromagnetic simulations Domain profile simulations were performed with Mumax3.


FRP composite materials have been utilized in structural strengthening and repair applications around the world, in the last decade [2] . In addition, when the FRP was compared with steel materials, it was found that it provided unique opportunities to develop the shapes and forms to facilitate their use in construction. Although, the materials used in FRP, for example, fiber and resins are relatively expensive when compared with traditional materials, noting that the prices of equipment for the installation of FRP systems are lower in cost [3] .

FRP composite materials have been utilized in structural strengthening and repair applications around the world, in the last decade.

Although, the materials used in FRP, for example, fiber and resins are relatively expensive when compared with traditional materials, noting that the prices of equipment for the installation of FRP systems are lower in cost.


In the present article we aimed to shed light on the relation between religiousness and prosocial behavior by investigating whether denominational differences in prosociality were primarily related to religious beliefs or to self-esteem measures. We found significant differences between Catholics and Protestants on our religiosity and self-reported prosociality measures. Protestants scored higher on general religiosity, believed more strongly in an afterlife and in a benevolent God, believed more strongly in predestination, and believed less in free will-thereby replicating earlier studies that have reported differences between Protestants and Catholics on these variables (Cohen, Pierce, et al., 2005; Li et al., 2012; Rutjens, van Harreveld, van der Pligt, van Elk, & Pyszczynski, 2016) .

Protestants scored higher on general religiosity, believed more strongly in an afterlife and in a benevolent God, believed more strongly in predestination, and believed less in free will-thereby replicating earlier studies that have reported differences between Protestants and Catholics on these variables.


Second Generation (2G) High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) tapes are the suitable candidates for various superconducting power applications [6] . For manufacture processes of 2G HTS tapes, there are two typical types: Surround Copper Stabilizer (SCS) Tape and Stabilizerfree (SF) Tape [7] . SCS Tapes are widely used in high-voltage applications, as the copper stabilizer protects the conductor where overcurrent capability in SCS wire could be tailored [7] . SF Tapes do not utilise copper stabilizer but do have silver overlayer [7] . SF also has thicker Hastelloy substrates, which are non-magnetic and have high resistivity. Generally SF Tapes are suitable for power grid protection devices like Superconducting Fault Current Limiter (SFCL) [7] . Therefore, AC losses investigation on SCS Tape and SF Tapes is necessary for the researches on high-voltage applications and grid protection devices.

Second Generation (2G) High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) tapes are the suitable candidates for various superconducting power applications.

For manufacture processes of 2G HTS tapes, there are two typical types: Surround Copper Stabilizer (SCS) Tape and Stabilizerfree (SF) Tape.

SCS Tapes are widely used in high-voltage applications, as the copper stabilizer protects the conductor where overcurrent capability in SCS wire could be tailored.

SF Tapes do not utilise copper stabilizer but do have silver overlayer.

Generally SF Tapes are suitable for power grid protection devices like Superconducting Fault Current Limiter (SFCL).


There were some previous works on Superconducting SFCL experiments and conceptual designs which used the tapes with non-magnetic substrate [10, 11] . However, according to the best of our search on literatures, there is no specific and detailed research on the comparison of AC losses from SCS Tape and SF Tape with systematic analysis on wide range of frequency dependence. This paper presents the measurement of a single SCS Tape and a SF Tape using electrical method, comparing with real geometry and multi-layer HTS tape simulation using FEM package of COMSOL Multiphysics. Then, the frequency dependence (up to kilo Hz) of AC losses on SCS Tape and SF Tape are analysed according to the experimental and simulation results. Figure 2 illustrates the schematic of electrical method to measure the AC losses on a SF Tape (SuperPower SF12100, 12 mm wide) or a SCS Tape (SuperPower SCS12050, 12 mm wide). Their critical current I c were measured both approximately 300 A with self-fields.

There were some previous works on Superconducting SFCL experiments and conceptual designs which used the tapes with non-magnetic substrate.


The number of transceivers at each node is limited due to size, weight, power and cost constraints associated with their mobile platforms. Each transmitter is paired with a receiver, and the transmitter and receiver of each pair point in the same direction, thus making each link bi-directional. We call such links transceiver-to-transceiver links. The connectivity problem for FSO networks can be transformed into a graph problem, which is known as the Minimum-Degree Spanning-Tree problem [3] [4] . The input is a feasibility graph G = (V, E), where each node represents a base station and each edge represents a link connecting two base stations, with V is the set of N vertices and E is the set of potential network links. The output graph will be a spanning tree where the node degree represents the number of transceivers used by the node. We define the degree of the tree as the largest degree of a node in the spanning tree. Given the above input graph G (V, E), we seek to construct a spanning tree whose maximum degree (i.e., the largest degree of a node in the spanning tree) is the smallest possible.

The connectivity problem for FSO networks can be transformed into a graph problem, which is known as the Minimum-Degree Spanning-Tree problem.


The social-psychological intensity and pace of modern life can lead to a great number of conflicts in different spheres. Destructive conflicts create negative effects, such as disorder, instability, and hostility and can result in the waste of a lot of material, time, cognitive and emotional resources. Conflicts slow down and complicate decision-making, reduce solidarity, lead to stress and negative emotional conditions (Antsupov & Shipilov 1999) .

Conflicts slow down and complicate decision-making, reduce solidarity, lead to stress and negative emotional conditions.


The research indicates that a personality with strongly pronounced commitment has ability to cope with negative emotions in conflicts. Thus, his or her actions are also adaptive. A personality does not avoid conflicts; he or she uses such strategies as altruism, cooperation and communication with other people. He or she even in a conflict tries to find possibilities for progress. This conclusion has been proved in a number of other researches (Khoshaba & Maddi, 1999; Loginova, 2009) .

This conclusion has been proved in a number of other researches.


In the North West of Ireland, conclusions regarding the extent of red-sika hybridisation are tentative due to small sample sizes. Red deer resident here have a long history of intra-red admixture through various translocations and sika populations still reside in these counties (Whitehead 1964; Carden et al. 2011) . Whilst all our samples from counties Donegal, Tyrone, Sligo, Mayo and Galway typed as 'pure' sika and 'pure' red deer, these counties should continue to be monitored for hybridisation.

Red deer resident here have a long history of intra-red admixture through various translocations and sika populations still reside in these counties.


Although not formally hypothesised, we investigated whether or not a contextual variable (POS) and a dispositional variable (exchange ideology) separately moderated the PC breach-performance relationship. When they were entered together, like what is done in the current study, the results showed that either POS or exchange ideology alone did not significantly moderate this relationship. A possible explanation may be related to the characteristics of the sample used in our study. For example, non-profit workers may be motivated by different factors than those of for-profit workers, such as value expression, ego defense, social adjustment, and gaining knowledge, to name a few (Omoto and Snyder, 1995) . These factors may have a stronger influence than exchange ideology on employees' perceptions of and their responses to their employment relationship within their organisation. In addition, non-profit organisations are characterised by service commitment, and thus, organisational support may play a less powerful role than personal values and needs because these determine workers' decision to work for such organisations. Hence, the non-significant interaction between POS and PC breach might have been caused by the lack of importance employees place on organisational support. More importantly, when taking into account both POS and exchange ideology simultaneously, the three-way interaction became significant for both task performance and OCB. This indicates that it is important to consider both situational and personal factors in studying employees' work behaviour relating to PC breach. Finally, we note that in the presence of a higher order effect (i.e. three-way interactions in this paper), the lower order effects (i.e. direct and two-way interactions), if any, are meaningless because these lower-order effects are conditional on a third variable (Cohen et al., 2003) . Thus, the fact that our study found a more complete set of variables (showing the significant three-way interactionswith a meaningful effect sizes) depicts the intricate nature of exchange relationships existing in organisations. This indicates that our findings can provide important implications to researchers and organisations alike.

For example, non-profit workers may be motivated by different factors than those of for-profit workers, such as value expression, ego defense, social adjustment, and gaining knowledge, to name a few.

Finally, we note that in the presence of a higher order effect (i.e. three-way interactions in this paper), the lower order effects (i.e. direct and two-way interactions), if any, are meaningless because these lower-order effects are conditional on a third variable.


In fact, D. T. Son has proposed a relation between a massless Dirac 'fundamental' fermion and a 'composite' Dirac fermion coupled to a gauge field with BF-dynamics [1] . The 'fundamental' fermion is to be understood as a boundary mode in a topological insulator, while the 'composite' one should be thought of as an effective description for a half-filled lowest Landau level of a Fermi liquid [1] , [5] . The whole idea is driven by the field theoretical descriptions of a (time reversal invariant) topological insulator and a topological superconductor.

In fact, D. T. Son has proposed a relation between a massless Dirac 'fundamental' fermion and a 'composite' Dirac fermion coupled to a gauge field with BF-dynamics.

The 'fundamental' fermion is to be understood as a boundary mode in a topological insulator, while the 'composite' one should be thought of as an effective description for a half-filled lowest Landau level of a Fermi liquid.


We set out to prove the basic three-dimensional bosonization relation in eq.(2.5), or its generalization by a mass in eqs.(2.6)-(2.7), which are at the basis of the derivation of the original web of dualities. Indeed, once the validity of eq.(2.5) is assumed, it can be used to prove Son's conjecture [1] . We have extended Son's relation to the case in which both fundamental and composite fermions are massive (with the same mass). This version of the conjecture has been put on a firmer basis in our work.

Indeed, once the validity of eq.(2.5) is assumed, it can be used to prove Son's conjecture.


IN recent years growing interest in non-destructive and advanced diagnostic systems resulted in several modern diagnostic methods with output data suitable for statistical analysis. Analysis of diagnostic data of medium voltage (MV) and high voltage (HV) power cables especially from on-site measurements is a complex process. This is even more difficult when diagnostic input data can not be verified by the general knowledge of particular insulation types or e.g. component types. It is known that the analysis of PD processes and dielectric losses can reflect the aging condition of cable insulation and also by the evaluation of maximum values, e.g. PD amplitude or dielectric losses can be used to estimate borders between acceptance limits. Therefore diagnostic parameters like: partial discharge (PD) amplitude, PD inception voltage (PDIV) or dielectric losses represented by tan δ or Δ tan δ can be used for statistical processing [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] . As a result, obtaining experience norms for diagnostic data (PD or dielectric losses) including confidence boundaries will help to evaluate the insulation condition of new or service power cable systems. Having such boundary values can support asset management (AM) decision processes e.g. about the type and intervals of maintenance inspections or replacement schedule [3] . Moreover, if failure data is available, statistical failure analysis can be a powerful tool to determine whether replacement is necessary now or in the future, to obtain a certain reliability of the network [4] [5] .

Therefore diagnostic parameters like: partial discharge (PD) amplitude, PD inception voltage (PDIV) or dielectric losses represented by tan δ or Δ tan δ can be used for statistical processing.

Having such boundary values can support asset management (AM) decision processes e.g. about the type and intervals of maintenance inspections or replacement schedule.

Moreover, if failure data is available, statistical failure analysis can be a powerful tool to determine whether replacement is necessary now or in the future, to obtain a certain reliability of the network.


One way of improving some physical properties of the bonded magnets is to produce hybrid magnets prepared from a mixture of two powders with different properties, e.g., the Nd-Fe-B powders with barium ferrite [11] . The addition of ferrite to the Nd-Fe-B powder decreases the temperature coefficient of coercivity (commonly known as β [%/°C]), which means that this type of bonded magnet can work under elevated temperatures. Also, for example, the bonded magnet has improved the mechanical properties with addition of iron powder. Further benefits of adding ferrite or iron would be cost reduction and ease of magnetization.

One way of improving some physical properties of the bonded magnets is to produce hybrid magnets prepared from a mixture of two powders with different properties, e.g., the Nd-Fe-B powders with barium ferrite.


Magnetic properties of composite materials (bonded magnets) are affected by the properties and weight (volume) ratio of the magnetic powder. It is known that bonded magnets have inferior magnetic characteristics compared to magnetic material obtained by sintering methods for example, because in bonded technology maximum density of magnetic powder cannot be achieved [18] . One of the most important characteristics of the used type of Nd-Fe-B rare-earth magnetic material is high values of remanence and coercivity, which have a direct influence on high values of maximum energy product [19] . The results of magnetic measurements for bonded Nd-Fe-B/epoxy composites are presented in Figure 4 . It is obvious that both percentage and composition of magnetic particles in polymer matrix have direct influence on the magnetic properties of polymer-bonded composites. In the region of high magnetic field strength, hysteresis curves of barium ferrite show constant increase of magnetization with a tendency to achieve saturation. Hysteresis loops show stepped transition for all investi-gated hybrid magnetic composites. This shape of hysteresis practically represents a resultant of hysteresis loops of both Nd-Fe-B and barium ferrite present in a composite. The values presented in Figure 4 should be taken as approximate because the maximum field strength of VSM (2.4 T) is not sufficient for full saturation of Nd-Fe-B powders.

It is known that bonded magnets have inferior magnetic characteristics compared to magnetic material obtained by sintering methods for example, because in bonded technology maximum density of magnetic powder cannot be achieved.

One of the most important characteristics of the used type of Nd-Fe-B rare-earth magnetic material is high values of remanence and coercivity, which have a direct influence on high values of maximum energy product.


The respondents participated in this study had a high level of optimism and insecurity, moderate level of innovativeness and discomfort towards the use of telecardiology in Malaysia. Based on the description, most of the respondents shared the optimism and innovative beliefs of explorers, however at the same time, they felt some discomfort and insecurity. They desired the benefits of technology but more practical about the challenges and difficulties. Technology acceptance is regarded as one of the most important research areas in the information system. Users' intention to embrace new technology is determined by two key beliefs, namely, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Physicians have greater potential to adopt new technology due to its ease of use [22] . Most respondents perceived telecardiology positively and viewed it as a beneficial technology in monitoring health condition which they believed will enhance their efficiency or performance during health monitoring routine. However, respondents hesitated about the effort of telecardiology operation as medical technologies are often highly complex and respondents did not have hands-on experience with them.

Physicians have greater potential to adopt new technology due to its ease of use.


Advanced information and communications technologies (ICT) provides opportunities to cater the unmet needs in healthcare industry with different approaches [1] . In the context of cardiology, many developed and developing countries had adopted telecardiology in the healthcare system to improve cardiac care service and reduce the mortality rate of cardiovascular disease. Prior study suggested telecardiology has the potential to save time, money and lives as the technology support general practitioners in decision making for diagnosis and management of cardiovascular diseases. At the same time, telecardiology also allows the patients at risk for more accurate screenings [2] . Thus, telecardiology is viewed as a potential tool to ease the increasing demand of cardiologists in Malaysia. Nevertheless, the implementation of the telecardiology in Malaysia is facing a number of challeges since the degree to which public users, health care providers and the health system in Malaysia are prepared to participate and succeed in telecardiology is not yet clear. Prior study had identified the determinants that would influence future implementation of telemedicine and the determinants are technology, acceptance, financing, organization and policy [3] . The reluctance of users in accepting technology will lead to underutilization phenomenon of ICT across the health sector [4] . Thus, this study attempted to investigate the acceptance and readiness on telecardiology in depth and comprehensively by using a conceptual framework which integrated Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Technology Readiness Index (TRI) and Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB).

Advanced information and communications technologies (ICT) provides opportunities to cater the unmet needs in healthcare industry with different approaches.

At the same time, telecardiology also allows the patients at risk for more accurate screenings.

Prior study had identified the determinants that would influence future implementation of telemedicine and the determinants are technology, acceptance, financing, organization and policy.

The reluctance of users in accepting technology will lead to underutilization phenomenon of ICT across the health sector.


The theory of planned behaviour is commonly used in explaining and predicting human health behaviour. It explains the intention of a person to engage in a particular behaviour and suggests that several salient beliefs, namely attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control are the determinants of the intention. The attitude toward the behaviour reflects the behavioural beliefs which are a favourable or unfavourable evaluation of the behaviour [15] . In this study, the respondents were having a positive attitude towards telecardiology. As mentioned above, the positive attitude can be originated from the positive evaluation of telecardiology adoption or the potential advantages of employment of telecardiology in health monitoring routine. The high level of subjective norm in the findings can be resulted by important others generally approve desirable behaviours (telecardiology adoption) and disapprove of undesirable behaviours [15] . In accordance with the findings, the perceived behavioural control of respondent were at high level. Most of the respondents involved in this study were graduated from university or college, therefore, they perceived themselves were equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to perform the operation of telecardiology in health monitoring routine. As a general rule, Ajzen proposed that the more favourable the attitude and subjective norm, and the greater of perceived behavioural control, the stronger should be the person's intention to perform the behaviour, in the context of this study, which is the telecardiology adoption. In this study, respondents were having a moderate level of intention to adopt telecardiology. As almost all the respondents were new to telecardiology, Lee and Rho suggested that the perception of users and non-users towards mobile health monitoring systems was quite diverse. The users have a more positive perception towards mobile health monitoring system compared to non-users [23] .

The attitude toward the behaviour reflects the behavioural beliefs which are a favourable or unfavourable evaluation of the behaviour.

The high level of subjective norm in the findings can be resulted by important others generally approve desirable behaviours (telecardiology adoption) and disapprove of undesirable behaviours.

The users have a more positive perception towards mobile health monitoring system compared to non-users.


Technology readiness refers to the "people's propensity to embrace and use new technologies to accomplish goals in home life and at work" which is measured by a psychometric scale known as Technology Readiness Index (TRI) [12] . Technology readiness comprises of positive and negative technology-related beliefs. The beliefs can be categorized into four dimensions which include optimism, innovativeness, discomfort, and insecurity. Parasuraman also concluded there is a positive relationship between technology readiness scores and technology-related behaviours. An individual's readiness to adopt a new technology is based on the positive or negative evaluations with regard to the technology [13] . A person with the affirmative opinions such as optimism and innovativeness are proned to try new technology whereas discomfort and insecurity are viewed as the inhibitors in technology adoption [14] .

Technology readiness refers to the "people's propensity to embrace and use new technologies to accomplish goals in home life and at work" which is measured by a psychometric scale known as Technology Readiness Index (TRI).

An individual's readiness to adopt a new technology is based on the positive or negative evaluations with regard to the technology.

A person with the affirmative opinions such as optimism and innovativeness are proned to try new technology whereas discomfort and insecurity are viewed as the inhibitors in technology adoption.


Over the past decades, numerical modelling of jack-ups has been substantially developed in three major areas: structural modelling, soil-structure interaction models and ocean wave loading. In the structural-modelling area, geometrical and material nonlinearities and dynamic effects can be effectively modelled [1] . In addition, nonlinear-solutions have been considerably improved, and all of the mentioned capabilities have been incorporated into advanced commercial software (e.g., USFOS). In the geotechnical area, numerous soilspudcan interaction models that include soil nonlinearity have been developed, some of which can straightforwardly be coupled into structural numerical models [2, 3, 4 and 5] . However, despite noticeable enhancements in ocean wave mechanics [6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11] , the characteristics of real ocean waves are not explicitly represented in the current analysis procedures mainly because modelling all of the factors governing kinematics of ocean waves involve significant numerical complexities and are computationally expensive.

In the structural-modelling area, geometrical and material nonlinearities and dynamic effects can be effectively modelled.


Rapid expansion of the biofuel industry has increased the demand and price of cereal grains. As a result, there is an increasing use of high protein by-product feeds as an energy source for cattle (He et al. 2013) . With the rapid expansion of the canola crushing industry in western Canada, CM may become an economically viable source of protein and energy for cattle. Newer varieties of canola, such as yellow seed B. juncea, can be used to produce CM that is high in protein and low in fiber, which may provide a potentially superior source of digestible energy compared with conventional CM. Increasing popularity and hectarage of this canola variety in the drier regions of western Canada make meal derived from B. juncea a potential substitute for barley in feedlot diets (He et al. 2013; Nair et al. 2015) .

As a result, there is an increasing use of high protein by-product feeds as an energy source for cattle.

Increasing popularity and hectarage of this canola variety in the drier regions of western Canada make meal derived from B. juncea a potential substitute for barley in feedlot diets.


During adolescence, the interaction between genes, hormones, nutrients, and environmental factors triggers a series of physical and functional alterations in the body. Although all individuals undergo this process, the timing of maturation varies according to each person (Malina et al., 2000) . Males who mature in advance of their peers often demonstrate physical and functional advantages compared to their age peers, providing a momentary competitive advantage in activities and sports that demand strength, speed, and power (Alves et al., 2015; Figueiredo et al., 2009) .

Although all individuals undergo this process, the timing of maturation varies according to each person.

Males who mature in advance of their peers often demonstrate physical and functional advantages compared to their age peers, providing a momentary competitive advantage in activities and sports that demand strength, speed, and power.


Geographical patterns of variation have long been the subject of study in evolutionary biology. How this variation originates and is maintained in continuously distributed populations has been of particular interest (Endler, 1977) . Species distributed over large regions commonly experience a heterogeneous environment in terms of both abiotic and biotic components that vary not only spatially but also temporally. The interaction between natural selection and gene flow along these gradients may explain the maintenance of clinal variation in a trait with adaptive significance (Felsenstein, 1976) . However, many processes may ultimately influence these patterns such as genetic drift, the amount of gene flow, the strength of the environmental gradient and interactions among loci (Endler, 1977) .

How this variation originates and is maintained in continuously distributed populations has been of particular interest.

The interaction between natural selection and gene flow along these gradients may explain the maintenance of clinal variation in a trait with adaptive significance.

However, many processes may ultimately influence these patterns such as genetic drift, the amount of gene flow, the strength of the environmental gradient and interactions among loci.


The breakdown of single crystal solidification is often attributed to the presence of elevated levels of dense refractory elements that partition strongly to either the solid or liquid phase during solidification and ultimately result in the formation of freckle chains. Additions of Re and W partition strongly to the dendritic regions during solidification, thus depleting the liquid solute of these dense elements as solidification progresses. This gives rise to large density imbalances between the bulk liquid and the less dense solute contained within the dendritic mushy zone. The compositional differences lead to the formation of convective instabilities that create solute-rich plumes which solidify as channels of equiaxed grains, or freckles. Research into solidliquid elemental partitioning during solidification has demonstrated the importance of Ta, W and Re segregation in promoting the formation of these grain defects [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] .

Research into solidliquid elemental partitioning during solidification has demonstrated the importance of Ta, W and Re segregation in promoting the formation of these grain defects.


Face recognition is the science of determining the identity of people through their characteristic facial appearance. Being the primary modality for human identification, this topic has received tremendous attention in the pattern recognition and biometrics communities. There has been a steady improvement in face recognition accuracy over the past few decades, much of which can be attributed to deep learning over the last few years. Thanks to progress in learning feature representations, automated face recognition systems are now believed to surpass human performance in some scenarios [25] . As a result, face recognition technology is witnessing wide spread adoption in numerous applications, such as surveillance systems, social media and law enforcement. However, the increased deployment of such technology also makes it an attractive target of malicious attacks.

Thanks to progress in learning feature representations, automated face recognition systems are now believed to surpass human performance in some scenarios.


The key technical barrier to realizing homomorphic encryption based face matching is the computational complexity of homomorphic encryption, especially homomorphic multiplication. This limitation renders it unsuitable for tasks that need to operate on high-dimensional vectors. For instance, we consider face representations that are hundreds to thousands of dimensions, thereby necessitating as many costly homomorphic operations. A straight-forward application of FHE for face matching needs 48.7 MB of memory for each 512-dimensional encrypted face template and 12.8 secs for matching a single pair of such templates [46] .

A straight-forward application of FHE for face matching needs 48.7 MB of memory for each 512-dimensional encrypted face template and 12.8 secs for matching a single pair of such templates.


The interaction between atmosphere and vegetation in¯uences the weather and ultimately the climate patterns. This exchange almost never reaches an equilibrium, but is constantly adapting to changing boundary conditions. For the improvement of input parameterisation of Global Circulation Models, it is important to establish average exchange parameters at the grid size of these models. Simple aggregation rules have been provided, e.g. at the Tucson Aggregation Workshop (Michaud and Shuttleworth, 1997) . The validity of these rules is questionable when large variations in vegetation height occur (Klaassen and Claussen, 1995) . For instance, the roughness of a patchy landscape is not always a weighed average of the elements, but might even exceed the roughness of the roughest element (Bottema et al., 1998) . The large roughness is attributed to additional momentum absorption at changes in vegetation height, in particular forest edges and tree lines (De Jong et al., 1999) .

Simple aggregation rules have been provided, e.g. at the Tucson Aggregation Workshop.

The validity of these rules is questionable when large variations in vegetation height occur.

For instance, the roughness of a patchy landscape is not always a weighed average of the elements, but might even exceed the roughness of the roughest element.

The large roughness is attributed to additional momentum absorption at changes in vegetation height, in particular forest edges and tree lines.


In order to improve the aggregation rules, it is desirable to understand the exchange processes near surface transitions. Another reason to study exchange processes near forest edges is that most forests are too small to full®l the fetch requirements for observations in undisturbed, homogeneous¯ow (Wieringa, 1993) . As a consequence of limited fetch, the atmospheric¯ux might deviate from the source strength of the underlying surface. An analysis of the difference between atmospheric and surface¯uxes near a forest edge might improve the estimation of¯uxes from patchy forests from atmospheric measurements.

Another reason to study exchange processes near forest edges is that most forests are too small to full®l the fetch requirements for observations in undisturbed, homogeneous¯ow.


Magnesium has a voltage-gated antagonist action on the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. Interest has focused on the role of NMDA receptor antagonists in the protection of the central nervous system from ischaemic damage [27] . There has been keen interest in the use of magnesium as a potential neuroprotective intervention. In a study in newborn piglets, magnesium preserved NMDA receptor binding properties and maintained ionic homeostasis by attenuating the reduction in Na + /K + -ATPase activity [28] .

Interest has focused on the role of NMDA receptor antagonists in the protection of the central nervous system from ischaemic damage.

In a study in newborn piglets, magnesium preserved NMDA receptor binding properties and maintained ionic homeostasis by attenuating the reduction in Na + /K + -ATPase activity.


For the experiments, Donald Duck has been used ( fig. 6 ). It is a fully autonomous mobile vehicle running XO/2, a deadline driven hard real-time operating system [4] . Donald navigates locally by means of a motion control algorithm, which plays the role of both position control and obstacle avoidance: it reaches the given or goal by planning a collision free path (with respect to the current local data), and reacting to the dynamic environment either by merely replanning the path or by changing heading direction and replanning when an object appears in front of the robot.

It is a fully autonomous mobile vehicle running XO/2, a deadline driven hard real-time operating system.


Type 2 diabetes is a significant and growing health problem. As of 2013, approximately 382 million people worldwide have diabetes, and this number is predicted to reach 592 million by 2035 [1] . Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease and requires long-term care. Additionally, the progression of complications leads to decreased quality of life and a high cost burden to the insurance system [2] . Therefore, prevention is vital. Recently, a number of lifestyle-related factors involved in type 2 diabetes development have been demonstrated, including obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity, smoking, and heavy alcohol use [3] [4] [5] [6] . To prevent type 2 diabetes, it is useful to identify novel and influential risk factors that could easily be targeted for intervention. Recently, the relationship between type 2 diabetes and periodontitis has been identified [7] . However, the effects of periodontitis on incident type 2 diabetes have not yet been established, because many confounding factors and "reverse causation"; that is, poor glycemic control in diabetes patients may be a cause of periodontitis, exist between the two diseases [7] .

As of 2013, approximately 382 million people worldwide have diabetes, and this number is predicted to reach 592 million by 2035.

Additionally, the progression of complications leads to decreased quality of life and a high cost burden to the insurance system.

Therefore, prevention is vital.

Recently, a number of lifestyle-related factors involved in type 2 diabetes development have been demonstrated, including obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity, smoking, and heavy alcohol use.

Recently, the relationship between type 2 diabetes and periodontitis has been identified.

However, the effects of periodontitis on incident type 2 diabetes have not yet been established, because many confounding factors and "reverse causation"; that is, poor glycemic control in diabetes patients may be a cause of periodontitis, exist between the two diseases.


Most eukaryotic plant and animal cells have diameters within the 10-100 µm and 10-30 µm range respectively. Our previously reported thermally actuated microgripper device described tip spacing's around 150 µm [1] . This needed to be greatly reduced to enable a larger range in size and shape of cells to be manipulated.

Our previously reported thermally actuated microgripper device described tip spacing's around 150 µm.


The thermally actuated microgripper reported here has significant advantages over many alternative manipulators. The device is operated using thermal actuation via a hot/cold arm principle, but in this case the cold arm has no actuator encapsulated within it [1] . The tips are maintained at ambient temperature due to the dimensions of the device and the use of an insulating structural material, which ensures compatibility with biological material. The microgripper can be designed to close from open ( Figure 1(a) ), open from closed ( Figure 1(b) ) or with bidirectional movement. A main benefit of the microgripper design is that the pressure exerted on the manipulated object as it is maneuvered is much lower due to the large surface area of the object being in contact with the microgripper tip. This has been demonstrated via manipulation of mouse oocytes; where it was possible to move a cell through an air-liquid interface without causing it to deform, a process which is unreliable with vacuum pipettes [5] .

The device is operated using thermal actuation via a hot/cold arm principle, but in this case the cold arm has no actuator encapsulated within it.

This has been demonstrated via manipulation of mouse oocytes; where it was possible to move a cell through an air-liquid interface without causing it to deform, a process which is unreliable with vacuum pipettes.


The malaria burden is much lower in Sylhet and Moulvibazar than Rangamati. In Rangamati O group is dominant among Bengali, but third among native tribal communities. Only Marma has this blood group in second position; it is third in Chakma's and Tanchangya's and last in Tripura's (Table 1) . Perhaps O group has lesser role in protection against malaria among ethnic groups of Rangamati. Group O was dominant in the studies done in the north-west, south-east and west of Bangladesh most of which are free from malaria [10, 11, 13] . The frequency of O group among Bengali (34.0%) in Rangamati is within the values observed in the studies done in non-malaria endemic parts of country (27.6-40.6%) [7, 12, 13] . Therefore, as previously mentioned, dominance of group O among Bengali community of Rangamati may just be representative of the usual higher frequency of group O that is seen in non-cholera endemic areas.

Group O was dominant in the studies done in the north-west, south-east and west of Bangladesh most of which are free from malaria.

The frequency of O group among Bengali (34.0%) in Rangamati is within the values observed in the studies done in non-malaria endemic parts of country (27.6-40.6%).


No large scale data are available on the frequencies of ABO/ Rh blood groups among Bangladeshi population which may be considered representative of the country; but some regional data exist (Table 4) [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] . The Bengali population in Rangamati has ABO phenotypic frequencies (O > B > A > AB) which are different from the pattern (B > O > A > AB) of those residing in the central (Dhaka division), south-west (Khulna region); and northern (Dinajpur) region of the country (O > A > B > AB) ( Fig. 1) [7, 9, 12, 13] . However, current pattern is similar to the south-east (Chittagong, Noakhali, Comilla) and western (Jessore) region of Bangladesh ( Fig. 1 ) [10, 11] . The B > A > O > AB frequency pattern calculated for Chakma and Tanchangya was observed for the first time in Bangladesh. The ABO blood group phenotypic frequencies of different tribal communities of Rangamati are also different from the other tribal communities (Garo, Khasia and Manipuri) from north-east region of Bangladesh (Mymesingh, Sylhet and Moulvibazar) ( Table 4) (Fig. 1) .

No large scale data are available on the frequencies of ABO/ Rh blood groups among Bangladeshi population which may be considered representative of the country; but some regional data exist (Table 4).

The Bengali population in Rangamati has ABO phenotypic frequencies (O > B > A > AB) which are different from the pattern (B > O > A > AB) of those residing in the central (Dhaka division), south-west (Khulna region); and northern (Dinajpur) region of the country (O > A > B > AB) ( Fig. 1).

However, current pattern is similar to the south-east (Chittagong, Noakhali, Comilla) and western (Jessore) region of Bangladesh ( Fig. 1 ).


Few studies have examined the associations between non-atopic asthma and child depression, maternal psychological disorders or social support, but all show an apparent effect in diverse settings. Two cross-sectional studies reported an association of depression or abnormal emotional symptoms with non-atopic asthma, but not with atopic asthma [55, 56] . In both studies, the effect was found in girls, but not in boys, and in one study it persisted after controlling for abdominal adiposity [55] . It has been suggested that higher levels of leptin may link non-atopic asthma with psychological disorders: levels of leptin are elevated in girls with asthma, in non-atopic-asthmatics, and also in children with symptoms of depression [55] . A study found an association between prenatal maternal anxiety and asthma in childhood, an effect that was stronger in non-atopics than atopics and that was greater the more severe the symptoms [57] . Maternal mental disorders, including depression and anxiety, were associated, independent of maternal history of asthma and the child's age, with both non-atopic and atopic asthma [58] . An independent protective effect of social support was found in the same study, but only for non-atopic wheezing. This review exposed the wide heterogeneity between studies with respect to methodology: studies used different comparison groups (non-atopic non-asthmatic children, all non-asthmatic children, atopic asthmatic children), different definitions of atopy (skin test positivity to allergens, presence or levels of allergen specific IgE using different cut-off points for positivity and different panels of allergens), different definitions of asthma/wheeze (doctor's diagnosis of asthma used in some studies may select more severe cases, whereas use of asthma-related symptoms such as wheeze adopted in other studies may lead to inclusion of milder cases), and different study designs with different ability to establish causality. Some studies were underpowered.

Two cross-sectional studies reported an association of depression or abnormal emotional symptoms with non-atopic asthma, but not with atopic asthma.

In both studies, the effect was found in girls, but not in boys, and in one study it persisted after controlling for abdominal adiposity.

It has been suggested that higher levels of leptin may link non-atopic asthma with psychological disorders: levels of leptin are elevated in girls with asthma, in non-atopic-asthmatics, and also in children with symptoms of depression.

A study found an association between prenatal maternal anxiety and asthma in childhood, an effect that was stronger in non-atopics than atopics and that was greater the more severe the symptoms.

Maternal mental disorders, including depression and anxiety, were associated, independent of maternal history of asthma and the child's age, with both non-atopic and atopic asthma.

Some studies were underpowered.


Oman is of interest for many reasons. First, Oman has unique financing arrangements that are characterized by high leverage and high reliance on bank debt (Al-Yahyaee, 2006) . The finance literature argues that banks are particularly good at investigating informationally-opaque firms and deciding which are viable borrowers. Banks have an advantage in collecting (private) information but are potentially more expensive sources of capital than public debt markets. The costs of monitoring and imperfect financial contracting should raise the cost of debt for firms borrowing from banks, and hence lower their debt ratios (Faulkender & Petersen, 2006) . The empirical fact that Omani firms remain highly levered is surprising given the cost of bank borrowing in Oman.

Oman is of interest for many reasons.

First, Oman has unique financing arrangements that are characterized by high leverage and high reliance on bank debt.

The costs of monitoring and imperfect financial contracting should raise the cost of debt for firms borrowing from banks, and hence lower their debt ratios.


Our earlier experiments revealed that mechanical properties of polypropylene composites filled with comminuted pine and oak wood as well as composites containing rapeseed straw were similar [9] . In this study, we found that the composites with wood or rapeseed straw were characterised by very similar values, e.g. elongation at break and hardness. For example, for the propylene composite (Malen F-401) with 30 % of modified rapeseed straw (Kaszub variety), the tensile strength was 26.3 MPa, elongation at break 6.2 % and hardness 58.0 N/mm 2 [9] . World crops of rapeseed are estimated at over 50 million tons. So far, no method has been developed which would allow wide exploitation of rape straw as a waste material. This lignocellulosic material is suitable for manufacturing composites with isotactic polypropylene as their matrix. Presently, polyolefin composites reinforced with wood or natural fibres are used in furniture, building and automotive industries.

Our earlier experiments revealed that mechanical properties of polypropylene composites filled with comminuted pine and oak wood as well as composites containing rapeseed straw were similar.

For example, for the propylene composite (Malen F-401) with 30 % of modified rapeseed straw (Kaszub variety), the tensile strength was 26.3 MPa, elongation at break 6.2 % and hardness 58.0 N/mm 2.


As wireless networks become ubiquitous, a variety of location-based services (LBS) such as navigation and mobile advertising have been proposed [1] , [2] . This strongly motivates development of positioning systems that accurately locate or track a service user in real-time. One of the most well-known techniques for positioning is a global positioning system (GPS); however, GPS cannot be used in indoor environments because GPS signals are unavailable.

As wireless networks become ubiquitous, a variety of location-based services (LBS) such as navigation and mobile advertising have been proposed.


In pairing dreamwork with EFT in the DTF protocol, we alter the standard EFT protocol slightly in order to better incorporate the unconscious motivations that are evidenced in the dreamwork. The standard EFT protocol contains a setup statement, which pairs the negative emotional memory with a positive affi rmation. Pairing of a negative with a positive expectation is important because it has been found that extinction is infl uenced by language as well as by expectancy and anticipation about the outcome (Lovibond, 2004) . The negative-to-positive pairing in the typical EFT setup statement is "Even though I feel… [named problem], I deeply and completely accept myself" (Craig, 2008) . In the DTF protocol the named problem, as well as the positive expectation, is derived from the stressful incident that is recalled and the positive desire that is evoked during roleplay of the dream.

Pairing of a negative with a positive expectation is important because it has been found that extinction is infl uenced by language as well as by expectancy and anticipation about the outcome.

The negative-to-positive pairing in the typical EFT setup statement is "Even though I feel… [named problem], I deeply and completely accept myself".


The basic phenomena that take place during pyrolysis are: a) heat transfer from a heat source, leading to an increase in temperature inside the fuel; b) initiation of pyrolysis reactions due to this increased temperature, leading to the release of volatiles and the formation of char; c) outflow of volatiles, resulting in heat transfer between the hot volatiles and cooler unpyrolyzed fuel; d) condensation of some of the volatiles in the cooler parts of the fuel to produce tar; and e) autocatalytic secondary pyrolysis reactions due to these interactions (Babu and Chaurasia, 2003a) . Therefore, the pyrolysis of biomass can be broken down into two overall processes: i) physical heat transfer, and ii) chemical reactions. It is important to note the secondary reactions which result from the interaction of volatiles and gases with the char, to form secondary products. These secondary volatiles, gases, and char may be undesirable, and their production is affected by gas/volatile retention time in the reaction zone.

The basic phenomena that take place during pyrolysis are: a) heat transfer from a heat source, leading to an increase in temperature inside the fuel; b) initiation of pyrolysis reactions due to this increased temperature, leading to the release of volatiles and the formation of char; c) outflow of volatiles, resulting in heat transfer between the hot volatiles and cooler unpyrolyzed fuel; d) condensation of some of the volatiles in the cooler parts of the fuel to produce tar; and e) autocatalytic secondary pyrolysis reactions due to these interactions.


Through the procedure of data pretreatment, 63,325 pieces of valid reported crashes data were filtrated. Among them, there were 43,239 pieces of property damage only (PD) crashes, 19,766 injuries occurred (INJ) crashes, and 320 fatal crashes (FAT) as in Figure 4 . Based on the dataset, the current study then used the mathematical programming software Python 3.5 on a Lenovo laptop with Intel Core i5-5200U 2.20GHz CPU and 8 GB RAM to generate association rules. There were 766 pieces of association rules that were obtained with filter criteria of minimum support equal to 0.1, minimum confidence equal to 0.14, and minimum lift greater than 1.0, as shown in Figure 5 . The current study estimated the smallest p-value for the association rules based on the upper bound of 0.1/766 that equals 1.3*10 −4 , while 766 pieces of association were obtained with a minimum support value that equals 0.1 [42] . Only two rules had p-values higher than 1.3*10 −4 -the p-value of rule WET, MALE ⇒ ND is 0.012 and the p-value of rule LT TRN ⇒ PD is 0.029. The reason for the extremely low number of false discoveries is that the support, confidence, and lift threshold already do an excellent job of pruning out most rules that are not statistically significant.

The current study estimated the smallest p-value for the association rules based on the upper bound of 0.1/766 that equals 1.3*10 −4 , while 766 pieces of association were obtained with a minimum support value that equals 0.1.


The importance and effect of software intensive systems increase continuously as more and more applications depend on the reliability, availability, and integrity of software. These systems are also becoming more and more complex, causing that the development of quality systems has become a major scientific and engineering challenge. The quality of the systems is strongly affected by the quality of the requirements but proper requirements engineering is not an established practice within the software developing community [1] . This causes that most errors are introduced in the requirements phase and are caused by poorly written, ambiguous, unclear or missed requirements, as reported by several studies [1, 2, 3] . Failure to correctly specify the requirements can lead to major delays, cost overruns, commercial consequences including the loss of money or property, layoffs, and even the loss of lives.

The quality of the systems is strongly affected by the quality of the requirements but proper requirements engineering is not an established practice within the software developing community.

This causes that most errors are introduced in the requirements phase and are caused by poorly written, ambiguous, unclear or missed requirements, as reported by several studies.


What are generally called "tuna fisheries", i.e., fisheries for large pelagic tuna, billfishes and pelagic sharks are some of the oldest fisheries in the world, with evidence that humans had pelagic fishing capabilities over 40,000 years ago (O'Connor et al., 2011) . Coastal artisanal fisheries for large pelagic species have existed for millennia in tropical and sub-tropical areas, while industrial efforts developed over the last century. Japan was the first country to foray into industrial fisheries for tuna in the 1920s, investing in bait boat operations in the Pacific Islands (Gillett, 2007) . With an increasing demand for canned seafood, the industrial fishing effort intensified after World War II (Miyake et al., 2004) . Improvements in vessel technology and freezer capabilities allowed these industrial tuna fisheries to rapidly expand, with fleets operating across virtually all of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans since the 1980s (Majkowski, 2007) .

What are generally called "tuna fisheries", i.e., fisheries for large pelagic tuna, billfishes and pelagic sharks are some of the oldest fisheries in the world, with evidence that humans had pelagic fishing capabilities over 40,000 years ago.

Japan was the first country to foray into industrial fisheries for tuna in the 1920s, investing in bait boat operations in the Pacific Islands.

With an increasing demand for canned seafood, the industrial fishing effort intensified after World War II.

Improvements in vessel technology and freezer capabilities allowed these industrial tuna fisheries to rapidly expand, with fleets operating across virtually all of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans since the 1980s.


In general, all treatment of EEJB and EEDS inhibited weight gain in male Wistar rats; the results of percentage inhibition of weight gain were varieds. The combinations treatment group of P3, EEDS 10 mg: EEJB 20 mg or EEDS:EEJB=1:2 was asummed as the best treatment for achieving in inhibition of weight gain. It showed the least percentage weight gain (5.9%), it supports the earlier in vitro research, which states that the combination of EEDS:EEJB=1:2 showed the best inhibition of pancreatic lipase enzyme activity [20] . Soybean usually contains: trypsin inhibitor, lectin, poliphenol, phitic acid, and saponin, which are known to have negative effects on the absorption of food in the digestive tract [22, 23, 1] . ANFs can cause histological changes in the mucosal linning of the small intestine, such as reduction of villi height and depth of cryptae. These histological changes can affect the function of the small intestine leading to weight loss. Mechanism by which trypsin inhibitor and lectin cause changes the histology of the mucosal linning of the small intestine is unclear but both have been shown to cause changes in villus height and crypt depth [6, 7] .

It showed the least percentage weight gain (5.9%), it supports the earlier in vitro research, which states that the combination of EEDS:EEJB=1:2 showed the best inhibition of pancreatic lipase enzyme activity.

Soybean usually contains: trypsin inhibitor, lectin, poliphenol, phitic acid, and saponin, which are known to have negative effects on the absorption of food in the digestive tract.

Mechanism by which trypsin inhibitor and lectin cause changes the histology of the mucosal linning of the small intestine is unclear but both have been shown to cause changes in villus height and crypt depth.


In conventional tribotesting, small-scale tests are mainly used because of their cost effectiveness, time efficiency, and the easiness of handling of small samples. However, because clearances and pressure distribution cannot be always scaled properly, conditions can strongly differ from the real application scale, and extrapolating toward the real working conditions occasionally results in significant errors. From this point of view, experimental setups in which full-scale bearings can be tested statically and dynamically are very important. A test rig should be able to measure the friction torque accurately between journal and bearing. Usually, indirect methods are used in test rigs for journal bearings, and only few can measure friction torques by direct methods [11] . In indirect methods, the measured torque includes the friction of both the test bearing and the shaft-supporting bearings. These two elements cannot be separated in an easy way. The new test setup uses a direct method, where the friction torque of only the test bearing is measured without any interference of the shaft-supporting bearings.

Usually, indirect methods are used in test rigs for journal bearings, and only few can measure friction torques by direct methods.


To overcome the aforementioned problems, in recent years manufacturers have developed composite bearings, which principally are reinforced polymeric bearings. Composite bearings combine the self-lubricating properties of the polymeric materials with better mechanical properties of fibers. They are used in many industrial applications, and are able to operate under conditions in which conventional bearings cannot. These bearings are used in marine applications where it is difficult to install conventional lubricated bearings due to the presence of seawater. In food processing equipments, the absence of external lubrication makes composite bearings favorable. Their good corrosion resistance makes them appropriate for applications under water or in wet-dry situations. In addition, composite bearings can be applied in situations where traditional materials, when misaligned, are subjected to an inadmissible high edge pressure [1] . Other typical applications for composite bearings include steering linkages, hydraulic cylinder hinges, king-pins, construction and agriculture equipments, valve bodies, off-road vehicles, windmills, material handling equipments, scissor lifts, textile equipments, tire presses, and packing machinery [2] . Among several types of plastics for bearings, phenolic polymers are commonly used because they operate satisfactorily in combination with steel shafts.

In addition, composite bearings can be applied in situations where traditional materials, when misaligned, are subjected to an inadmissible high edge pressure.

Other typical applications for composite bearings include steering linkages, hydraulic cylinder hinges, king-pins, construction and agriculture equipments, valve bodies, off-road vehicles, windmills, material handling equipments, scissor lifts, textile equipments, tire presses, and packing machinery.


The results of the current study showed that daily supplementation of delta-tocotrienol in combination with lovastatin increased the osteoblastic bone formation and decreased osteoclastic bone resorption in ovariectomised rats as indicated by the OVX + TT + LOV group which had significantly higher serum osteocalcin, ObS/BS, OS/BS, and OV/BV values and significantly lower serum CTX, OcS/BS, and ES/BS values compared to the OVXC group. The role of the mevalonate pathway in the pathophysiology of osteoporosis suggests that critical regulatory mechanisms are needed to maintain osteoblast and osteoclast function. Inhibition of the mevalonate pathway by statins and tocotrienols ( Figure 1 ) suppresses the prenylation of GTPase binding proteins and disrupts their function. Therefore, inhibition of GTPase function reduces the activity of osteoclasts and induces their apoptosis [5, [55] [56] [57] . Inhibition of GTPase function also increases osteoblast activity through enhancement of BMP-2 expression [5, 6, [57] [58] [59] [60] . Ultimately, this will lead to stimulation of bone formation and decrease in bone resorption.

Therefore, inhibition of GTPase function reduces the activity of osteoclasts and induces their apoptosis.

Inhibition of GTPase function also increases osteoblast activity through enhancement of BMP-2 expression.


Due to the drastically increased amount of multimedia data available in the Internet and in various public and personal databases, the development of efficient indexing and retrieval methods for large multimedia databases has become a widely studied research topic. Scientific fields, such as digital signal processing (DSP) and computer science (particularly machine learning), provide efficient and mathematically well-defined methods for data mining and knowledge discovery from specific observations or databases [1] . One of the major research foci in the field is concentrated around content-based classification using supervised learning methods. In these, a dataset together with its perceived class labels, known as "ground truth," is used to train a classifier, so that it can learn to discriminate among the individual classes in the training dataset. This enables the classifier to classify new, previously unseen data items with a certain degree of accuracy. Once successful such methods can be applied to several application areas, such as advanced database browsing, query-by-example retrieval, highlight-spotting from movies and/or sport events, speaker recognition, and so on.

Scientific fields, such as digital signal processing (DSP) and computer science (particularly machine learning), provide efficient and mathematically well-defined methods for data mining and knowledge discovery from specific observations or databases.


In order to model a solid-fluid system like particle-laden flow or suspensions, DEM computation can be coupled with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). More generally, the DEM technique allows the consideration of the influence of external force fields by a using data map of the field. Independently, DEM also considers boundary-particle and particleparticle interactions, enabling the modelling of surface and interfacial forces. The force contribution of each interaction is added to the force balance and the equation of motion of each particle and then integrated [4] .

The force contribution of each interaction is added to the force balance and the equation of motion of each particle and then integrated.


Within the 2-D plane ðr ; Þ of the cylindrical coordinate system, the Fourier-Bessel expansion is used in the same manner as the Fourier expansion in Cartesian coordinates. Fourier-Bessel expansions have found use in the scattering matrix models of PhCs in the expansion and characterization of the scattered fields from cylindrical scatterers [1] . Fourier-Bessel analysis has also been used in the study of patterns in a circular domain [10] . In this paper, the Fourier-Bessel expansion will be used to examine the relationship between the rotational order of the dielectric layout of PhCs and the H z component of the TE states present. The nature of the rotational symmetry will be explored within the traditional four-fold (square) and six-fold (triangular) followed by the eight-fold and 12-fold quasi-crystal structures (see Fig. 1 ). All four structures are 2-D, r , and and are considered invariant along the z axis. The first three structures contain centered defects in the form of missing holes in order to introduced localized states. The 12-fold photonic quasi-crystal contains localized modes without requiring defects [9] . The paper will be structured in the following manner such that Section 2 will introduce the F-B expansion and its use in the decomposition of the inverse dielectric of the structures under examination. Section 3 will examine the decomposition of the localized states present within the photonic crystal and quasi-crystal structures. Section 4 will explore the significance of the rotational order in the states in the context of the wave equation and its potential simplification.

Fourier-Bessel expansions have found use in the scattering matrix models of PhCs in the expansion and characterization of the scattered fields from cylindrical scatterers.

Fourier-Bessel analysis has also been used in the study of patterns in a circular domain.

The 12-fold photonic quasi-crystal contains localized modes without requiring defects.


Among these infectious diseases, we highlighted caseous lymphadenitis (CL), caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, which is recognized by the formation of abscesses in the superficial or internal lymph nodes and organs (FACCIOLI-MARTINS et al., 2014) . The damages caused by the disease are related to the impairment of organic functions, drop in productivity, reproductive problems, mastitis, skin depreciation, carcass condemnation, and even animal death. In Brazil, it is estimated that most of the goats and sheep are infected, mainly in the northeast region of Brazil, which contains majority of the national goat and sheep herds (ALVES et al., 2007) .

Among these infectious diseases, we highlighted caseous lymphadenitis (CL), caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, which is recognized by the formation of abscesses in the superficial or internal lymph nodes and organs.

In Brazil, it is estimated that most of the goats and sheep are infected, mainly in the northeast region of Brazil, which contains majority of the national goat and sheep herds.


Under our clinical guideline, adherence to the cEEG monitoring clinical guideline was not universal, and thus it is possible that we have underestimated the occurrence of seizures in patients with SAH, particularly in patients monitored for shorter durations or not monitored due to early withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies. However, the large majority of our patients achieved a duration of monitoring at least as long as in prior reported experiences in the critical care setting [21] . It is unlikely that seizures were missed among patients without prolonged EEG monitoring, as the average EEG monitoring period was at least 20 h longer than the average time to the first electrographic seizure detection. Although we did not have access to patient outcomes following hospital discharge, discharge outcomes are temporally closer to and are presumably impacted as much by in-hospital seizures as follow-up outcomes.

However, the large majority of our patients achieved a duration of monitoring at least as long as in prior reported experiences in the critical care setting.


Two strategies have been proposed to overcome this problem. Recently expensive mass vaccination campaigns have been deployed to increase coverage and provide an opportunity for two or more doses of measles vaccine. Thus herd immunity has been enhanced co-incidentally protecting unimmunized infants [3] .

Thus herd immunity has been enhanced co-incidentally protecting unimmunized infants.


Shipyards have to increase productivity and efficiency in all aspects of the shipbuilding process, especially in terms of tracking operational costs in order to maintain competitiveness in the global shipbuilding industry. Reduction in labor costs and production time is the most important requirement of shipyard productivity, and a matter of special attention for any shipyard. Modern shipyards must provide a maximum level of quality and at the same time lower labor costs. Furthermore, the production process for assembling interim vessel products and other types of industrial constructions needs to be established. The aim of this paper is to present a methodology for the implementation of modern production concepts such as Design for Production, Design for Maintainability and Group Technology. The proposed methodology reduces risks and production costs. Shipyard production processes such as cutting, welding, faster handling of transport, are often subject to improvements when increased productivity is the expected result, but this approach requires large capital investments. The main consideration of shipyard management is to minimize expenses and convert insufficient profitability or even losses into favorable profitability. This is important if a shipyard plans to become competitive in the global market. Technological improvements of shipyard production processes require a complex decision making approach [1] . When adopting any changes, numerous requirements and constraints in the shipyard production process require analyzing. The major challenge of a shipyard is to review and make improvements in building technology and organizational aspects, leading to increased productivity. Reducing excessive unplanned man hours and shipbuilding time results in achieving expected profit and shipyard deadlines [2] . The goal is to reduce design and manufacturing costs by 25%-30%, and best time production costs by 20% -30% [3] . Shipyard productivity is usually calculated in the design stage before signing the shipbuilding contract, when planned consumption materials and working hours are calculated. An important role in the total cost calculation is the proposed building technology and level of preoutfitting. This article presents an implementation of Design for Production, Design for Maintainability and Group Technology concepts where the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) multi criteria decision making method was tested and verified in a case study. The selected decision making method has already been proven successful in shipbuilding production processes [4] . This will provide support to management in the adoption of production concepts.

Technological improvements of shipyard production processes require a complex decision making approach.

Reducing excessive unplanned man hours and shipbuilding time results in achieving expected profit and shipyard deadlines.

The goal is to reduce design and manufacturing costs by 25%-30%, and best time production costs by 20% -30%.

The selected decision making method has already been proven successful in shipbuilding production processes.


Saliva has been considered as an alternative matrix for biochemical parameter monitoring. Human saliva is 98% water, but it contains many important substances, including electrolytes, mucus, antibacterial compounds and various enzymes. It has been used to assess a variety of disease activities and the levels of certain drugs and hormones [7, 8] . Saliva collection is non-invasive and less stressful when compared to blood collection. This paper presents part of our work in developing a low cost, non-invasive portable healthcare technology to put more control into the hands of patients so that the earliest signs of problems can be detected and corrected by monitoring the drug level from the saliva. Here, a very sensitive analytical method was investigated for the spectrofluorimetric determination of lithium base on its reaction with 1,4-dihydroxyanthraquinone (Quinizarin) [9, 10] . The fluorescence is measured at 620 nm with an excitation wavelength of 590 nm.

It has been used to assess a variety of disease activities and the levels of certain drugs and hormones.

Here, a very sensitive analytical method was investigated for the spectrofluorimetric determination of lithium base on its reaction with 1,4-dihydroxyanthraquinone (Quinizarin).