The theoretical implications are finally contrasted with the experience in Germany. Germany is a particularly interesting case to study in this respect as it combines municipal tax autonomy and substantial revenue sharing among municipalities supervised and enforced by the states (Länder). Previous research also indicates that the revenue sharing among municipalities does in fact exert a strong impact on the jurisdictions' tax policy (Buettner, 2005) . At the same time, some of the German states are in an increasingly difficult fiscal situation where the debt burden is rather high such that they may be tempted to induce local jurisdictions to increase taxing effort. Moreover, also the German system of fiscal federalism provides several incentives and disincentives for government policies at the state level which can be used to identify the constraints under which the states operate. This will allow us to investigate whether, in fact, the response of state governments to changes in the policy constraints, say a reduction in the grants received at the level of states, includes an adjustment of the revenue sharing system among municipalities.

Previous research also indicates that the revenue sharing among municipalities does in fact exert a strong impact on the jurisdictions' tax policy.


In this paper we work in the direction of a program to understand G Q = Gal(Q/Q), the absolute Galois group, originally sketched by Grothendieck in his ambitious research outline [7] . One part of the program involves understanding G Q by studying its action on certain combinatorial structures, structures so simple at first glance that Grothendieck called them dessins d'enfants (children's drawings). We construct new invariants of the action of G Q on dessins d'enfants. In fact, we give an example of how an invariant produced from our method distinguishes between two dessin orbits on which previously known invariants agree.

In this paper we work in the direction of a program to understand G Q = Gal(Q/Q), the absolute Galois group, originally sketched by Grothendieck in his ambitious research outline.


As the allocation methods and executeInArea are concrete methods of MemoryArea, the meat of the implementation will be there. However, the enterPrivateMemory() method in ManagedMemory will need to call into MemoryArea for entering the memory area. The current approach within SCJ is that there are public methods in the RTSJ classes (e.g., enter()). These methods are marked with an annotation that application code is not allowed to invoke them. A checking tool will enforce these annotation rules. An alternative would be to define just managed memory and immortal memory classes in javax.safetycritical that do not inherit from the RTSJ. In that case there is no package crossing and Java's protection scheme of public and package private methods is enough. There might be the counter argument that the reference implementation (RI) of SCJ shall execute on RTSJ. However, the SCJ memory area classes can simply use the RTSJ classes in the form of composition instead of inheritance [5] .

However, the SCJ memory area classes can simply use the RTSJ classes in the form of composition instead of inheritance.


Recent advances in mobile related technologies are leading to the next generation of sustainable mobile commerce (m-commerce) applications. Also, environmental problems have emerged as an important issue due to rapid technological development. To resolve these problems, countries and companies around the world are interested in environmental preservation and making environmentally friendly and sustainable technology products and/or services. Location-based services (LBS) play an important role in eco-friendly business activities of the technology industry and continuously strive to gain added value and competitive advantage by developing energy-saving techniques and responding to climate change. The development of m-commerce technologies, such as global positioning systems and mobile data tracking, has not only provided consumers with unprecedented access to network services while on the move, but has also enabled the localization of such services, which include asset tracking, directory and city guides, emergency services, entertainment, navigation, location-sensitive billing and location-based advertising services, risk-and safety-related services, and traffic updates [1] . The number of m-commerce users is increasing rapidly as m-commerce applications provide more and more services, including mobile Internet access, along with excellent multimedia processing performance. In particular, the location-based service (LBS) sector, which is continually developing mobile applications for smartphones, is receiving significant research attention in this m-commerce industry.

The development of m-commerce technologies, such as global positioning systems and mobile data tracking, has not only provided consumers with unprecedented access to network services while on the move, but has also enabled the localization of such services, which include asset tracking, directory and city guides, emergency services, entertainment, navigation, location-sensitive billing and location-based advertising services, risk-and safety-related services, and traffic updates.


A longitudinal study is a long-term observational study performed over a period of time to study measurements gathered for the same subjects repeatedly. In many medical and epidemiological trials, longitudinal studies have repeated measurements for more than one response variables and covariates over time. As an example, longitudinal studies of Alzheimer's disease investigate different predictors and different response variables likely to be affected by these different predictors over time in the decline of disease [1] .

As an example, longitudinal studies of Alzheimer's disease investigate different predictors and different response variables likely to be affected by these different predictors over time in the decline of disease.


The fabrication of nanofibers using anelectrospinning method has attracted considerable attention due to its versatile manoeuvrabilityin production and control of fiber structures, porosity, orientations and dimensions [7] . Unlike conventional fiber spinning techniques (for example wet spinning or dry spinning), which are capable of producing polymer fiber switch diameters down to the micrometre range, electrospinning allows for production of polymer fibers with diameters in the nanometer range [8] . A typical electrospinning set-up consists of a grounded, static collector and one or more spinnerets. In order to achieve various fibre assemblies two main methods of production are used. The first is based on control of the flight of the electrospinning jet through the manipulation of the electric field. The second is to use a dynamic collection device [9] . This paper concentrates on the first method.

The fabrication of nanofibers using anelectrospinning method has attracted considerable attention due to its versatile manoeuvrabilityin production and control of fiber structures, porosity, orientations and dimensions.

Unlike conventional fiber spinning techniques (for example wet spinning or dry spinning), which are capable of producing polymer fiber switch diameters down to the micrometre range, electrospinning allows for production of polymer fibers with diameters in the nanometer range.

The second is to use a dynamic collection device.


The literature on implementation of TQM and BEM programs has identified a wide range of barriers which also may explain the variation/ inconsistencies. These barriers are among others: Lack of top management commitment, limited resources, fear of change, work overload, lack of comprehensive quality improvement education, lack of staff involvement (Corbett & Angell, 2011) . In this relation it has also been pointed out that one of the invisible barriers is how BEMs are perceived and understood by the users because people's perceptions and understanding guide the behavior in the context of using such models (Dahlgaard-Park, 2008) .

These barriers are among others: Lack of top management commitment, limited resources, fear of change, work overload, lack of comprehensive quality improvement education, lack of staff involvement.

In this relation it has also been pointed out that one of the invisible barriers is how BEMs are perceived and understood by the users because people's perceptions and understanding guide the behavior in the context of using such models.


A ratio of bell height to width (fineness ratio) of , 0.5 is typical of an oblate medusa utilizing ''rowing'' locomotion, pulsed bell contractions, and drag-based water movements to maximize prey encounters. Prolate medusae represent a streamlined form and typically utilize jet propulsion methods (Costello et al. 2008) . Those hydrozoans assessed by bell height have a mean fineness ratio of 1.46 (6 0.57, 95% CI); those assessed by bell width have a fineness ratio of 0.50 (6 0.10, 95% CI), and for scyphozoans this is 0.41 (6 0.16, 95% CI); the oblate rowing medusae are therefore largely contained within those last two groupings. Fineness ratios are significantly different between the three groups (bell diameter-assessed scyphozoans and bell height and diameter-assessed hydrozoans; one-way ANOVA, F 2,31 5 24.89, p , 0.001). A post hoc Tukey test shows the ratios for hydrozoans assessed by bell height are significantly larger than those for scyphozoans and hydrozoans assessed by bell diameter (p , 0.001). There is no significant difference (p . 0.05) between the fineness ratios of scyphozoans and hydrozoans assessed by bell diameter (Fig. 2b) .

Prolate medusae represent a streamlined form and typically utilize jet propulsion methods.


Mass is measured in a variety of ways, and regressions are differentiated on the basis of whether they are for wet, dry, ash-free dry, carbon, nitrogen, or phosphorus mass. In some gelatinous species where b values for volume are reported, it is assumed that these are equivalent to wetmass values, as the two are so similar (Baker 1973; Kremer and Nixon 1976) . Where researchers have derived elemental mass-length relationships indirectly (i.e., by combining proximate mass relationship with ratios of elemental mass), such values have not been included. The body dimension of each taxon, together with mean b values and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for each mass type, are given in Fig. 1 . All b values were tested to determine whether they are significantly different from 3 using one-sample t-tests.

In some gelatinous species where b values for volume are reported, it is assumed that these are equivalent to wetmass values, as the two are so similar.


Network code can also be used for erasure correction by base station (BS) in WiMAX and access point (AP) in Wi-Fi single-hop networks as multiple unicast flows traverse the common last mile wireless broadcast link [3, 4, 5] . Consider the example illustrated in Figure 2 , where the AP is unicasting packets p 1 and p 4 to c 1 , p 2 to c 2 , and p 3 to c 3 . Assuming that due to independent packet losses and broadcast nature of wireless transmission, after the AP has transmitted p 1 , p 2 , p 3 and p 4 , client c 1 has overheard packets p 2 and p 3 and the requested packets p 1 and p 4 are erased, c 2 has overheard p 1 and p 2 is erased, and c 3 has overheard p 4 and p 3 is erased. To correct the erasures, the AP will need to transmit at least four packets using the automatic repeat request (ARQ) protocol, whereas with network coding, the AP can correct the erasures with a minimum of two transmissions given by the codewords p 1 ⊕ p 2 and p 3 ⊕ p 4 . While network code which can achieve the multicast capacity of a network can be constructed in polynomial time, the throughput benefits of coding for unicast flows however has not yet been completely characterized. It is now widely assumed that the theoretical foundation of network coding for multicasting is getting closer to maturity, while many interesting open problem remain in network coding for unicast flows [5] .

Network code can also be used for erasure correction by base station (BS) in WiMAX and access point (AP) in Wi-Fi single-hop networks as multiple unicast flows traverse the common last mile wireless broadcast link.

It is now widely assumed that the theoretical foundation of network coding for multicasting is getting closer to maturity, while many interesting open problem remain in network coding for unicast flows.


Reducing power is a measure of antioxidant capacity. In the reducing capacity assay, the colour of the test solution changes from yellow to green to blue, depending on the reducing power of each compound present in the hydrolysate. The significant difference in the reducing capacities of hydrolysates prepared with the two different enzymes may be due to the substrate specificity of enzymes (Cumby et al. 2008) . The reducing capacity of Striped catfish protein hydrolysates is comparable with that obtained with Yellow stripe travelly (Selaroides leptolepis) protein hydrolysates at 5% degree of hydrolysis (Klompong et al. 2007) . Reducing capacity can also vary with the concentration of hydrolysates.

The significant difference in the reducing capacities of hydrolysates prepared with the two different enzymes may be due to the substrate specificity of enzymes.

The reducing capacity of Striped catfish protein hydrolysates is comparable with that obtained with Yellow stripe travelly (Selaroides leptolepis) protein hydrolysates at 5% degree of hydrolysis.


The study aimed to determine the difference in composition, functional properties and antioxidant activities of hydrolysates produced from the frame meat of Striped catfish using the same concentration of two neutral proteases, papain and bromelain. The same amount of solubilisation caused by the two proteases may be the reason for the insignificant difference in the degree of hydrolysis. The low degree of hydrolysis attained with both the protein hydrolysates may be because single enzymes may not be able to provide extensive hydrolysis in a reasonable period of time (Lahl & Barun 1994) . Typical yields of fish protein hydrolysates have been reported to be 10-15%, based on fresh fish substrates (Quaglia & Orban 1990) . The low yield correlates with the low degree of hydrolysis attained by using either of the enzymes. The low moisture content in the composition of the hydrolysates (<6%) will contribute to the stability. Considerable fat might have been removed when the meat was cooked and as hydrolysis proceeded, the membranes might have rounded up to form insoluble vesicles, which could have allowed the removal of membrane structural lipids (Shahidi et al. 1995) . These vesicles were separated from the soluble hydrolysate in the form of a pellet by centrifugation.

The low degree of hydrolysis attained with both the protein hydrolysates may be because single enzymes may not be able to provide extensive hydrolysis in a reasonable period of time.

Typical yields of fish protein hydrolysates have been reported to be 10-15%, based on fresh fish substrates.

Considerable fat might have been removed when the meat was cooked and as hydrolysis proceeded, the membranes might have rounded up to form insoluble vesicles, which could have allowed the removal of membrane structural lipids.


Vegetable oils are triglyceride with the structure of an ester formed from glycerol and three fatty acids ( Figure 1 ). There are six most common fatty acids as shown in Table 1 : two saturated ones, palmitic (C 16:0) and stearic (C 18:0), and four unsaturated ones, oleic (C 18:1), linoleic (C 18:2), linolenic (C 18:3), and ricinoleic (C 18:1 OH). Reactive sites are ester bonds, carbon-carbon double bonds, and hydroxyl groups which exist in some oils [15] . Among various vegetable oils, soybean oil and castor oil are two important ones (Table 2 ). Soybean oil is abundant and contains more than four double bonds per molecule. Castor oil inherently contains 2.7 hydroxyl groups per molecule. Both oils have been extensively studied for the production of polyurethanes. However, there are few public literatures which investigate the advantages of combining soybean oil and castor oil in preparation of polyols.

Reactive sites are ester bonds, carbon-carbon double bonds, and hydroxyl groups which exist in some oils.


Environmental concerns and increasing price of crude oil have triggered great interest in developing materials based on biobased and renewable resources, such as cellulose, starch, natural oil, and sugar [1] [2] [3] . Vegetable oils are among the most promising ones with excellent properties [4] [5] [6] . Polyurethane is a class of polymers with an extremely versatile range of properties and applications [7, 8] . Its structure can be tailored with respect to specific requirement by selecting appropriate polyols and isocyanates. In industry, limited types of isocyanates are available. The wide variety of polyols ensures the versatility of the obtained polyurethanes [9, 10] . Besides petroleum-based polyols, biobased resources such as soybean oil, castor oil, palm oil have been converted to various polyols in preparation of polyurethane with high thermal stability and mechanical properties [11] [12] [13] [14] .

Environmental concerns and increasing price of crude oil have triggered great interest in developing materials based on biobased and renewable resources, such as cellulose, starch, natural oil, and sugar.

Vegetable oils are among the most promising ones with excellent properties.

Polyurethane is a class of polymers with an extremely versatile range of properties and applications.

The wide variety of polyols ensures the versatility of the obtained polyurethanes.

Besides petroleum-based polyols, biobased resources such as soybean oil, castor oil, palm oil have been converted to various polyols in preparation of polyurethane with high thermal stability and mechanical properties.


From the user's point of view, different data files submitted for possible storage often need different storage service accordingly [9] . To meet such demand, the storage service providers have to develop diverse storage products and invest large quantities of human inputs and various storage devices. Hence, an important issue for the providers to consider is how to save the service cost and improve the storage reliability. Many operators have employed different technologies to realize the purpose of reducing the cost and improving the reliability [10] [11] [12] . During the storage of the data files, the cost and reliability are influenced by many factors, such as communication and transmission. In this paper, these factors will be quantified to evaluate the cost and reliability of the storage service. Through minimizing the storage cost and maximizing the storage reliability simultaneously, a multiobjective optimization model for the massive data storage in cloud environment is proposed. Various solutions that have reference value for decision-makers will be obtained by solving this multiobjective model, so that more reasonable decisions might be made. Then, a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is designed to solve the proposed model.

From the user's point of view, different data files submitted for possible storage often need different storage service accordingly.

Many operators have employed different technologies to realize the purpose of reducing the cost and improving the reliability.


The measurement error of HHD for knee extension strength in haematological patients can be compared to that observed in other studies. In a study in orthopaedic knee patients, the intra-observer assessment of the SDD was 21.5 Nm for the single value, and 13.8 Nm for the average value. For inter-observer assessment, the SDD was 28.2 Nm for the single value and 18.7 Nm for the average value [33] . However, one should keep in mind that the authors used the 'make' method to assess knee extension strength.

For inter-observer assessment, the SDD was 28.2 Nm for the single value and 18.7 Nm for the average value.


Another way to express the relationship between inputted and outputted energy is the energy return on investment (EROI) and the total energy inputted in a good is known as the energy intensity, all of which were determined by Equations 4 and 5, respectively. ). Usually EB and EROI are indicators appropriate to energy crops because both input and output are suitable for evaluation in terms of energy. On the other hand, for food and other non-energy crops, it is convenient to use the EI, which can provide a comparison of energy embodied in a specific material produced from different sources, such as fibers, vitamins, proteins or other components that can serve as the functional unit of a given crop (Franco Junior et al., 2014) .

On the other hand, for food and other non-energy crops, it is convenient to use the EI, which can provide a comparison of energy embodied in a specific material produced from different sources, such as fibers, vitamins, proteins or other components that can serve as the functional unit of a given crop.


Because of the occurrence of many accidents in recent years, many countries have paid more attention to the safety inspection of bridge structure, like the Faroe Bridge in Denmark, Tampico Bridge in Mexico, and Skamsundet Bridge in Norway. A lot of tests have been done on the bridge to collect the displacement, strain, acceleration, and other physical parameters and environmental factors of the whole structure and components. In China, for example, the Hong Kong Tsing Ma Bridge, Guangzhou Humen Bridge, Shanghai Xupu Bridge, Jiangyin Yangtze River Bridge, Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, and Hunan Aizai Bridge, relevant monitoring equipment were installed during the construction period to conduct real-time inspection to the structure in operation. This work is done to ensure safe operation and extend the service life of the bridge and also to save maintenance costs and improve the effectiveness of the integrated use of the bridge through early inspection and monitoring [2] [3] [4] [5] . Since new bridges are needed in many places and the functions of the bridges become versatile, it is further requested that the inspection system has the characteristics of quick installing and convenient detecting for ensuring safety.

This work is done to ensure safe operation and extend the service life of the bridge and also to save maintenance costs and improve the effectiveness of the integrated use of the bridge through early inspection and monitoring.


Increased temperature and exposure to fenarimol affects the reproduction of Monoporeia affinis negatively, both on a biochemical and organismal level. A combination of high temperature and fenarimol exposure resulted in a more than 4-fold increase in the number of females with dead eggs compared to exposure to a single stressor (Fig. 2) . The increase overrides the added effect of the 2 exposures, which might indicate a synergistic mechanism between increased temperature and fenarimol. In addition, the combination of high temperature and fenarimol exposure was the only treatment to have a negative intrinsic rate of population increase, indicating a potentially reduced population size if amphipods are simultaneously exposed to these stressors in the field (Fig. 3) . The fact that the fenarimol content in the sediment was lower in the warm treatment group could suggest that temperature might enhance the effect of fenarimol by increasing the solubility. However, the lower sediment concentration could also indicate a more rapid degradation of fenarimol in warmer conditions (Tomlin 2000) .

However, the lower sediment concentration could also indicate a more rapid degradation of fenarimol in warmer conditions.


Charging studies on polymers and carbon composites have revealed that sample arcing and luminescence occur as a result of electron beam bombardment [3] [4] [5] . Both insulating regions and electrically isolated carbon particles (floating conductors) can accumulate and dissipate charge; cathodoluminescence results from the insulating polyimide regions. These results have important consequences wherever Black Kapton TM is used in a charging environment-particularly at low temperature vacuum environments where charge dissipation is minimized-such as for spacecraft charging concerns in the space industry where HCBK use is ubiquitous. Arcing can damage the electrical components of a spacecraft causing malfunctions to occur [6] . Luminescence, if intense enough, could potentially produce optical contamination detrimental to the performance of the observatory optical elements and sensors, and act to limit their sensitivity and performance windows. As future space observatory missions push the envelope into more extreme environments and use more complex and sensitive detectors, a fundamental understanding of the dependencies of arcing and luminescent intensity on time, temperature, incident electron flux and energy, and material structure becomes critical.

Charging studies on polymers and carbon composites have revealed that sample arcing and luminescence occur as a result of electron beam bombardment.

Arcing can damage the electrical components of a spacecraft causing malfunctions to occur.


The Filagini-Vulpietum has a high spatial resistance near the ground, in particular for flying insects, but on the bare ground surface (mainly without a moss/lichen cover) the community is well traversable for small surface-dwelling insects like ants or small ground beetles. During the growth period the change in row-hole size and number is comparable to the shift of the row denseness (Results 8.2.2a). The escape behaviour of soil disturbances, grazing management is one of the most commonly used tools for intermediate disturbance regimes (Schwabe et al. 2002a; Zehm et al. 2002) . Among the effects of grazing on vegetation are a change of phytomass stock, special preferences of grazing animals favouring some plant species and a change of architecture of the community and of single plants (Díaz et al. 1992; Marriott & Carrère 1998; Sala 1987 ; Whicker & Detling 1987) . In this case study the species composition of the test plots, the reduction of phytomass and the feeding preferences of sheep were the most important factors affecting the structure parameters considered. Because sheep reject Stipa capillata culms while the surrounding vegetation is reduced, Stipa is able to develop untouched inflorescences in the highest analysed stratum class whereas phytomass near the ground is diminished. Adapted to structure pictures, the fractal dimension (D F ) can be interpreted as a measure of the uniformity of a vegetation community independent of the present phytomass on the plot. In a stand with elements of equal height and no isolated elements or elements overtopping the canopy, a high D F will be found. Here the D F indicates the isolation of plant elements caused by the food selection and trampling effects during grazing, regardless of phytomass development.

The escape behaviour of soil disturbances, grazing management is one of the most commonly used tools for intermediate disturbance regimes.

Among the effects of grazing on vegetation are a change of phytomass stock, special preferences of grazing animals favouring some plant species and a change of architecture of the community and of single plants.


Orthopteroidea reflects the "spatial resistance". In high, dense vegetation the animal simply drops down into the dense ground vegetation or makes long flights. In vegetation that is dense but low, Caelifera and Ensifera (like e.g. Chorthippus mollis) begin with a steep jump (takeoff angle between 70-90°) in order to exceed the ssh as quickly as possible. Only in very open vegetation can a flat starting angle of about 15°be observed (e.g. Oedipoda caerulescens), because in this case no vegetation elements hamper the escape flight (Zehm 1996) . Furthermore, the search for mating partners is based mostly on vision, whereas grasshoppers in dense vegetation use progressively more intensive stridulation according to the vegetation density/denseness.

Only in very open vegetation can a flat starting angle of about 15°be observed (e.g. Oedipoda caerulescens), because in this case no vegetation elements hamper the escape flight.


Over the next decade, the work on mPOF matured, as with work on PCF in general. The fabrication techniques were formalised, and performance matching and exceeding those of commercial POF was achieved in comparable cases [11] [12] [13] . The limitations and possible applications were identified, analysed, and understood to a great extent. Whilst this shifted the work on mPOF to the realm of technological development rather than scientific research, new areas were continually being identified in which the knowledge developed in the context of the optical fibre work could be applied to conduct new research. Two such areas are the emerging fields of terahertz frequency radiation and experimental investigations of metamaterials.

The fabrication techniques were formalised, and performance matching and exceeding those of commercial POF was achieved in comparable cases.


An ANN consists of three layers: input, hidden, and output layers, hence it is referred to as a three-layer network. The input layer contains independent variables that are connected to the hidden layer for processing. The hidden layer contains activation functions and it calculates the weights of the variables in order to explore the effects of predictors upon the target (dependent) variables. In the output layer, the prediction or classification process is ended and the results are presented with a small estimation error [7, 8] .

In the output layer, the prediction or classification process is ended and the results are presented with a small estimation error.


Several independent association studies across populations worldwide have shown that some SNPs of ADIPOQ possess obesogenic effects albeit with inconsistent findings, which could be as a result of differences in ethnic populations, varying SNP selection criteria and study power [5, [14] [15] [16] [17] . The ADIPOQ obesity-associated variants span about 15.8 kb across three exons and are sited on chromosome 3q27 [18] . Among these variants the rs2241766, rs266729 and rs1501299 were studied often [14, [19] [20] [21] .

Several independent association studies across populations worldwide have shown that some SNPs of ADIPOQ possess obesogenic effects albeit with inconsistent findings, which could be as a result of differences in ethnic populations, varying SNP selection criteria and study power.

The ADIPOQ obesity-associated variants span about 15.8 kb across three exons and are sited on chromosome 3q27.

Among these variants the rs2241766, rs266729 and rs1501299 were studied often.


The tomato is a commercial plant with enormous production yield. Unlike miracle fruit, which can only grow in tropical areas, tomatoes can be cultivated in tropical to sub-tropical areas. Moreover, tomatoes can be harvested more than twice a year. Various studies on tomato cultivation have made it easier to cultivate the plant. A closed cultivation system for transgenic tomatoes expressing miraculin was developed recently and has produced fruit with constant levels of miraculin accumulation (Hirai et al. 2010a) .

A closed cultivation system for transgenic tomatoes expressing miraculin was developed recently and has produced fruit with constant levels of miraculin accumulation.


The research on realizing THz wave sources with high power, low cost and portability has been increasing. Since they are planned to be used in many areas, they should be continuous, coherent and frequency tunable as well. Therefore, the research has gone toward the novel THz sources, which include layered structures of high-temperature superconductors (HTSs). One of the several reasons why HTSs may be a suitable candidate for the generation of THz radiation is their layered structure, which enables the propagation of electromagnetic wave by unique excitation called Josephson plasma oscillations, and the frequency of the Josephson radiation is in the THz range [3] .

One of the several reasons why HTSs may be a suitable candidate for the generation of THz radiation is their layered structure, which enables the propagation of electromagnetic wave by unique excitation called Josephson plasma oscillations, and the frequency of the Josephson radiation is in the THz range.


Growing evidence suggests that, species and genotype would alter the antioxidant compositions and properties in a selected agricultural crop (Gursoy et al., 2009; Esmaeili et al., 2010) . Thus, it is of paramount importance to examine species and genotype for their antioxidant activity, in order to find potential species rich in special healthy functions. The objective of the present study was to characterize four different Carya species for their nutraceutical constituents, including total phenolic content, antioxidant activities and condensed tannins content.

Growing evidence suggests that, species and genotype would alter the antioxidant compositions and properties in a selected agricultural crop.


This study considers the Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) to use RS information in PA. SEBS estimates atmospheric turbulent fluxes, evaporative fraction and actual ET using satellite image data and meteorological information (Su 2002) . It includes a toolbox for determining physical parameters of land surface such as albedo, land surface emissivity and land surface temperature (LST) from spectral radiance and reflectance measurements of satellite earth observation data.

SEBS estimates atmospheric turbulent fluxes, evaporative fraction and actual ET using satellite image data and meteorological information.


The current study is potentially useful for farmers who want to obtain information regarding the health of individual plants. The reason is that NDVI as a vegetation index is informative on general vegetation status that is in turn affected by crop stress. Hence, using SRM at the individual row and plant scale and combining that result at the 0.5 m pixel resolution results into a 50 cm resolution NDVI map. Farmers will thus be able to control crop health at that scale level. PA aims at providing management strategies from multiple sources to support the decision makers and farm managers with crop production (Oliver 2010) . Using advanced technologies in Geomatic science such as integration RS, GIS and GPS data thus leads to an important and reproducible strategy. In particular in this study, crop water requirement was the main issue for farmers and decision makers. Farmers who want to develop a strategy for managing water supply though irrigation networks of agricultural fields can use crop water requirement derived from RS data using the SEBS Fig. 8 Combination of SRM result with the actual ET a for subset R and b zooming in at subset P model and SRM as shown in this study. Such a product helps farmers and decision makers to decide on the amount of water requirements to maximize the cost benefit ratio of crop productivity. In this study, the target area was a vineyard, and crop water requirement was studied at the plant scale. The AET map can be utilized to assess the water stress at row and plant levels, and develop strategy for irrigation and select those irrigation methods that are appropriate to use. In turn, the NDVI map can be instrumental to make a fertilization plan. Taking the maximum AET value as the PET value we were able to estimate crop water requirement for each row and individual plants: if PET exceeds AET then water stress occurs and the crop should be irrigated. Water requirement is spatially varying for stochastic reasons. Besides there is a temporal effect on the variation of AET values during the growing season and even within a single day. Finally, different crop varieties could in principle occur. In agricultural production situations, such as those for grape trees in a vineyard area in Iran, only a single variety is cultivated. At From the AET and PET obtained in the study area, there is limited water stress on these crops and plants have to be irrigated when stress is becoming considerable.

PA aims at providing management strategies from multiple sources to support the decision makers and farm managers with crop production.


Soccer fans also struggle to estimate complex probabilities involving the joint estimation of multiple soccer matches, although these events do not feature frequently in British gambling advertising (Erceg & Galić, 2014; Nilsson & Andersson, 2010; Teigen, Martinussen, & Lund, 1996) . However, the previous findings in other domains would suggest that soccer fans may for example think that Team A has a higher probability of winning when that judgment is elicited by thinking about individual Team A winning scorelines and summing them, than compared to directly estimating Team A's chances of winning. If confirmed, this would give a psychological reason for the economic pattern that complex soccer gambles are associated with high bookmaker profit margins, and suggest that consumers tend to overestimate the winning chances of complex soccer gambles. This would have implications for the regulation of gambling advertising, given the high frequency with which complex gambles occur in British soccer gambling advertising (Newall, 2015) .

Soccer fans also struggle to estimate complex probabilities involving the joint estimation of multiple soccer matches, although these events do not feature frequently in British gambling advertising.

This would have implications for the regulation of gambling advertising, given the high frequency with which complex gambles occur in British soccer gambling advertising.


Research in a range of consumer markets, such as credit cards, mobile phone contracts, and subprime mortgages shows that highly-complex and often poor value-formoney products are often sold to the least-informed consumers (Bar-Gill & Stone, 2009; Bar-Gill, 2009; Bar-Gill, 2012; Ru & Schoar, 2016) . Less-informed credit card customers are more likely to receive promotions highlighting salient near-term but small benefits, while savvier consumers are more likely to receive promotions with higher long-term rewards (Ru & Schoar, 2016) . Complicated subprime mortgages, which offered low current payments but high deferred costs, were often sold to the leastinformed consumers (Bar-Gill, 2009; Bar-Gill, 2012) . Gambling products have also increased in complexity in recent years; consumers can now gamble in more ways than ever before, and gamblers may also be misled by complexity.

Research in a range of consumer markets, such as credit cards, mobile phone contracts, and subprime mortgages shows that highly-complex and often poor value-formoney products are often sold to the least-informed consumers.

Less-informed credit card customers are more likely to receive promotions highlighting salient near-term but small benefits, while savvier consumers are more likely to receive promotions with higher long-term rewards.

Complicated subprime mortgages, which offered low current payments but high deferred costs, were often sold to the leastinformed consumers.


The majority of advertised gambles involved a player scoring a goal (58.7%), which involves a number of complex comparisons given the 20 outfield players taking part in a soccer match. Usually the advertised gamble was on the identity of the first/next goalscorer (39.7%). The other cases involved complex combinations of events, such as a player scoring and their team winning (12.7%), or a gamble on two specific players each scoring (3.2%). Other advertised gambles were on the correct scoreline (6.3%), or on a team to win and both teams to score (17.5%, otherwise known as a "six-outcome" gamble, as teams either will or won't both score). Other than the 17.5% of three-outcome gambles, the remaining advertised gambles involved complex events. These results are similar to a past observational study of gambling advertising during the 2014 World Cup (Newall, 2015) . Panel a in Figure 1 shows screenshots of examples of commonly advertised gambles.

These results are similar to a past observational study of gambling advertising during the 2014 World Cup.


The easy availability of gambling and the prominence of gambling advertising have led to an active public debate in Britain (Bridge, 2016; Sylvester, 2014) . Numerous public health consequences of gambling are possibly worsened when gamblers are losing more money than they can afford (Adams, 2008; Ferentzy & Turner, 2013; Grinols, 2004; Orford, 2010) . The costs of gambling are high, with the most recent figures indicating average losses of £310 per adult per year (Ellson, 2016) . This research highlights how a relevant psychological factor, event complexity, may lead to consumers underestimating the costs of complex gambles with high bookmaker profit margins. Only educated and informed consumers, who fully understand the relevant risks of different gambling products, can gamble responsibly. General public 214 0 ------Note. Bonuses in Experiment 4 were assigned randomly due to a programming error.

The easy availability of gambling and the prominence of gambling advertising have led to an active public debate in Britain.

Numerous public health consequences of gambling are possibly worsened when gamblers are losing more money than they can afford.

The costs of gambling are high, with the most recent figures indicating average losses of £310 per adult per year.

General public 214 0 ------Note.


Complexity also has psychological implications: complex probabilities are frequently overestimated, compared to simpler probabilities, across a range of domains (Fox, Rogers, & Tversky, 1996; Fox, 1999; Sonnemann, Camerer, Fox, & Langer, 2013; Tversky & Koehler, 1994) . For example, in the classic demonstration participants estimated a higher probability of "death resulting from heart disease, cancer or some other natural cause" than the logically-equivalent probability of "death from natural causes," (Tversky & Koehler, 1994) . Making complex sports predictions can also bias latter simple event predictions for the same sporting event (Kelly & Simmons, 2016) .

Complexity also has psychological implications: complex probabilities are frequently overestimated, compared to simpler probabilities, across a range of domains.

For example, in the classic demonstration participants estimated a higher probability of "death resulting from heart disease, cancer or some other natural cause" than the logically-equivalent probability of "death from natural causes,".

Making complex sports predictions can also bias latter simple event predictions for the same sporting event.


There has been much debate on the relationship between happiness and income. One of the considerable issues on it is a problem of "happy peasant" and "miserable millionaire"-the poor may report that they are happy because they have low expectations or are less ambitious and not aware of a better lifestyle, meanwhile people in lower-middle-income class tend to give lower scores due to high aspirations or comparison with others [9, 14, 15] . This phenomenon at the micro-level can be found especially in rapidly growing developing nations, whose MDG indicators and SWB scores we intend to address in this study. Some studies have made it clear, however, that respondents in poorer economies display stronger correlations between income and SWB scores compared to wealthy economies [16] .

One of the considerable issues on it is a problem of "happy peasant" and "miserable millionaire"-the poor may report that they are happy because they have low expectations or are less ambitious and not aware of a better lifestyle, meanwhile people in lower-middle-income class tend to give lower scores due to high aspirations or comparison with others.

Some studies have made it clear, however, that respondents in poorer economies display stronger correlations between income and SWB scores compared to wealthy economies.


We introduce the SWB approach as a useful assessment tool. Firstly, a measure of SWB serves as an alternative yardstick of several intangible conditions (e.g., poverty, illness, and environmental deterioration), making it possible to quantify multidimensional human development in a single value, which aggregates the various targets. Secondly, estimated levels of SWB represent the degree of human development at a given time and place. They are helpful for considering prioritized and effective lists of targets specific to regional contexts, as "the results gained from happiness research should be taken as inputs into the political process" [23] (pp. 168-169). In this regard, drawing policy lessons from this approach requires careful attention since national average data of SWB or MDG indicators often conceal micro-level diversity or disparities.

They are helpful for considering prioritized and effective lists of targets specific to regional contexts, as "the results gained from happiness research should be taken as inputs into the political process"(pp. 168-169).


Narrow gaps which exist around the door panel or window sash are apt to deteriorate sound insulation performance of the total wall system. The influence of the acoustical transmission through the gaps or apertures has been theoretically investigated [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] . More practical case studies on sound insulation performance of such real building elements with gaps as doors and windows has also been investigated [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] . However, prevention of sound transmission through such peripheral gaps has not been reported. In this study, therefore, we examined the effect of sound absorption treatment in narrow gaps with various shapes in cross section. As a case study, in-situ measurement of sound insulation performance of a door panel in an office building was performed under the conditions of with and without absorption treatment. Figure 1 shows the cross sections of narrow gaps under investigation. Straight and bent gaps which often exist in the peripheral parts of door panel and window were modeled in 2-dimensional shapes. Regarding the straight-types, the width of the gap was changed in two conditions: 2 mm (Type A1) and 6 mm (Type A2). Then, Type A2 was modified into twelve variations by changing the way of setting the sound absorption layer (one side and both side), its thickness (15 mm, 30 mm and 45 mm) and the density of sound absorbing material (glass wool: 32 kg/m 3 and 96 kg/m 3 ) Regarding the bent-types, Type F1b is the basic type with 4 mm width and it was compared with a straight-type (Type F1s) with the same width and the path length. The middle part of the gap was modified into three conditions: 30 mm wide without absorption (Type F2), 70 mm wide without absorption (Type F3) and 70 mm wide filled with 96 kg/m 3 glass wool (Type G).

The influence of the acoustical transmission through the gaps or apertures has been theoretically investigated.

More practical case studies on sound insulation performance of such real building elements with gaps as doors and windows has also been investigated.


Oxidation stability of oils also varied from 35.87 to 22.05 hours at 110 ºC. In general, induction periods of oils decreased as fruits ripened. The oils showed a sharp loss of stability after the first harvest period. The results were in agreement with results from the literature (Gutiérrez et al., 1999; rOtOndi et al., 2004) .

The results were in agreement with results from the literature.


Soil salinity is an issue that affects an estimated 6% of the world's land surface area or 12,780 million hectares (Mha) and secondary salinization from irrigation impacts an estimated 20% of irrigated land or 1474 Mha [1] . According to the United Nations reports, 20% of agricultural land and 50% of world cropland are salt affected [2] . Furthermore, there is also a dangerous trend of a 10% per year increase in the saline area throughout the world [3] . China has a large area of inland saline-alkali land, approximately 8.1 MHa, equivalent to 40% of the total cultivated land in the country [4, 5] .

Soil salinity is an issue that affects an estimated 6% of the world's land surface area or 12,780 million hectares (Mha) and secondary salinization from irrigation impacts an estimated 20% of irrigated land or 1474 Mha.

According to the United Nations reports, 20% of agricultural land and 50% of world cropland are salt affected.

Furthermore, there is also a dangerous trend of a 10% per year increase in the saline area throughout the world.

China has a large area of inland saline-alkali land, approximately 8.1 MHa, equivalent to 40% of the total cultivated land in the country.


A small force of guards patrolling an area with flashlights and batons, on the lookout for trouble was a model that worked well enough over the years in the past. Today, the convergence of intelligent sensors, embedded systems, streamlined remote control mechanisms and applications promise to reduce the risk as well while tightening security. Instead of using sensors fixed to one location such as motion detector, window-break detector, and surveillance cameras which are limited to their built-in sensing ranges, it would be far better to use remotely controlled robots to patrol the area, spot anomalies, and notify security personnel over a wireless network or via a hand held, PDA-like device, which are all possible and available technologies now [11] . For this reason, there have been several efforts to develop mobile robots equipped with various sensors for military and public security and surveillance applications.

Instead of using sensors fixed to one location such as motion detector, window-break detector, and surveillance cameras which are limited to their built-in sensing ranges, it would be far better to use remotely controlled robots to patrol the area, spot anomalies, and notify security personnel over a wireless network or via a hand held, PDA-like device, which are all possible and available technologies now.


Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a common disorder, characterized by hyperglycemia, insulin resistance and relative impairment in insulin secretion. Over seven percent of adults in the United States are known to have diabetes and the number continues to rise every year [17] . The spectacular increase in prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the past decade, in large part is linked to the trends in obesity and physical inactivity [18] . Abdominal obesity, in particular, is associated with resistance to the effects of insulin on peripheral glucose and fatty acid utilization. Insulin resistance plays a major role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes and is often accompanied by other *Address correspondence to this author at the New York Medical College, Director of Gene Therapy, Room 527, Valhalla NY 10595, USA; Tel: 914-594-4132; E-mail: NADER_ABRAHAM@NYMC.EDU conditions, including hypertension, high serum low-density-lipoprotein (LDL), low serum high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) and high serum triglyceride levels, which promote the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease [19] . The majority of patients with diabetes die of cardiovascular events and controlling risk factors leading to atherosclerosis is a major challenge in clinical practice [20] .

Over seven percent of adults in the United States are known to have diabetes and the number continues to rise every year.

The spectacular increase in prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the past decade, in large part is linked to the trends in obesity and physical inactivity.

Insulin resistance plays a major role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes and is often accompanied by other *Address correspondence to this author at the New York Medical College, Director of Gene Therapy, Room 527, Valhalla NY 10595, USA; Tel: 914-594-4132; E-mail: NADER_ABRAHAM@NYMC.EDU conditions, including hypertension, high serum low-density-lipoprotein (LDL), low serum high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) and high serum triglyceride levels, which promote the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

The majority of patients with diabetes die of cardiovascular events and controlling risk factors leading to atherosclerosis is a major challenge in clinical practice.


Along with issues of study recruitment and ethics approval, the concept of capacity-building has been on the forefront of those engaging in international research. In our study, respondents identified tensions from behaviors such as exporting locally derived samples and the lack of career development as hindrances of capacity-building. The required capacity-building measures are diverse. Some efforts to build capacity in African countries experiencing a progressive rise in clinical trials include the creation of data safety monitoring boards to assist local researchers [20, 21] . These boards contribute to capacity-building as they train nationals in data safety monitoring and research skills training for research staff. It is critical for future work to encourage and evaluate such measures to establish progresses and shortcomings in capacitybuilding. Overall, we are encouraged by the adaptive strategies that respondents described and believe it is imperative that the conduct of research not only contributes to the generation of knowledge, but also to the strengthening of research systems.

Some efforts to build capacity in African countries experiencing a progressive rise in clinical trials include the creation of data safety monitoring boards to assist local researchers.


The advantages of the RCT design have led to its widespread use. However, the conduct of RCTs in regions of the world with limited research capacity may present financial, logistic, and process-related challenges. For example, investigators in Lebanon faced barriers in enrollment that stemmed from misconception about unfamiliar terms such as "randomization" [4] . In Peru, researchers found that community members were hesitant to sign study consent forms due to cultural resistance to foreign documents as a result of past instances of land being unjustly seized by foreigners [5] . These few examples tell a greater narrative of cultural and linguistic challenges associated with the conduct of research in global settings. Studies have examined the utility of dedicated trial managers, individuals tasked with managerial and scientific duties, as critical to the success of trials [6] . However, that role is not standard in all studies.

For example, investigators in Lebanon faced barriers in enrollment that stemmed from misconception about unfamiliar terms such as "randomization".

In Peru, researchers found that community members were hesitant to sign study consent forms due to cultural resistance to foreign documents as a result of past instances of land being unjustly seized by foreigners.

Studies have examined the utility of dedicated trial managers, individuals tasked with managerial and scientific duties, as critical to the success of trials.


The randomized controlled trial (RCT) is critical to exploring the impact of interventions and is the ideal study design to establish causality [1] . Unique to the RCT design is the random assignment of participants to a treatment or intervention group, which reduces the potential for systematic biases that may compromise internal validity in observational epidemiologic studies [2] . RCTs have been critical to advancing public health and clinical research; many important medical treatments such as the wellknown HIV drug, Tenofovir, have only been approved for population-wide use after a long series of RCTs [3] .

The randomized controlled trial (RCT) is critical to exploring the impact of interventions and is the ideal study design to establish causality.

Unique to the RCT design is the random assignment of participants to a treatment or intervention group, which reduces the potential for systematic biases that may compromise internal validity in observational epidemiologic studies.

RCTs have been critical to advancing public health and clinical research; many important medical treatments such as the wellknown HIV drug, Tenofovir, have only been approved for population-wide use after a long series of RCTs.


The research on mobile agents has forked from intelligent agents in 1996 [10] . An intelligent agent and a mobile agent share common characteristics, with basic difference that the former is restricted to a particular environment, whereas the later can roam a network of heterogeneous computer systems by initiating a migration on its own. Research on this topic is mainly concentrated on: security, interoperability (FIPA and MASIF standards), and mobility.

The research on mobile agents has forked from intelligent agents in 1996.


Microparts and microsystems technology is reputed as a prospective key technology in industrial applications [1] . Particularly thermoplastic microparts have become more important. The main fields of application for polymer microparts are in the areas of medical technology, as components of optical systems, as microgears in microfluidics, biotechnology, and electronics, or as a micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) [2, 3] .

Microparts and microsystems technology is reputed as a prospective key technology in industrial applications.

The main fields of application for polymer microparts are in the areas of medical technology, as components of optical systems, as microgears in microfluidics, biotechnology, and electronics, or as a micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS).


Based on the high cooling rates of conventional injectionmoulded microparts, adaptions in the process control are carried out in order to increase the injection velocity as well as mould and melt temperature. Another way to influence cooling conditions is through dynamic mould temperature control [10, 11] . This technique allows for a variation of the mould cavity temperature during processing. A temperature above the crystallisation temperature, or rather the melt temperature at the point of polymer injection, enables a facilitative filling of the cavity and a change in the morphology. However, dynamic temperature control may conversely result in increased cycle times. A current topic at the Institute of Polymer Technology is the reduction of cycle time in the dynamic temperature-controlled processing of microparts [12] . The influence of the cooling condition's characteristics on the tribological properties of microparts has yet to be sufficiently investigated.

Another way to influence cooling conditions is through dynamic mould temperature control.

A current topic at the Institute of Polymer Technology is the reduction of cycle time in the dynamic temperature-controlled processing of microparts.


Over the past twenty years, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) have been successfully applied to data-and compute-intensive tasks on small fixed point integers, operations prevalent in signal and image processing, cryptography, network packet processing, and bioinformatics. Floating point operations, which dominate supercomputing, have been regarded as too expensive to implement in an FPGA. However, with the Moore's Law growth in FPGA resources, it has become feasible to build high performance floatingpoint operators on FPGAs [1] .

However, with the Moore's Law growth in FPGA resources, it has become feasible to build high performance floatingpoint operators on FPGAs.


Several transformations have been made in hospital organization to integrate the better use of technology in medical industry over the years. Besides, Malaysia try to achieve an advanced economy status by 2020 with that, in 11 th Malaysia Plan one of the focus area is to give a good quality healthcare to the citizen. Moreover, with a systematic system it can assist to ensure quicker, efficient and manageable hospital services. Besides that, instead of only focusing on the benefits of the system, organization also should consider the short and long term survival of the system in the organization [2] .

Besides that, instead of only focusing on the benefits of the system, organization also should consider the short and long term survival of the system in the organization.


CTX-M genes might be associated with insertionsequence ISEcp1 or related insertion sequences involved in their expression and mobilization (Poirel et al., 2003) . It is encoded by transferable plasmids that vary in size from 7 to 160 kb (Bonnet, 2004) . Now, CTX-M-15 β-lactamase, which was first described in 2001, it is recognized as the most widely distributed CTX-M enzyme (Livermore et al., 2007) . This β-lactamase is found mainly in Enterobacteriaceae and was recently named "plasmids of resistance responsible for outbreak" because of their capacity to acquire genes of resistance and to transfer among bacteria (Coque et al., 2008) .

CTX-M genes might be associated with insertionsequence ISEcp1 or related insertion sequences involved in their expression and mobilization.

It is encoded by transferable plasmids that vary in size from 7 to 160 kb.

Now, CTX-M-15 β-lactamase, which was first described in 2001, it is recognized as the most widely distributed CTX-M enzyme.

This β-lactamase is found mainly in Enterobacteriaceae and was recently named "plasmids of resistance responsible for outbreak" because of their capacity to acquire genes of resistance and to transfer among bacteria.


We have fixed, throughout this paper, the values of the cosmological constant and the Newton constant appearing in the lagrangian to their customary values in AdS Lovelock gravities. It is worthwhile mentioning that a straightforward generalization of this work amounts to studying the case of dS Lovelock theories (note that there are AdS vacua also in this case), as well as theories where the Newton constant has negative sign. On the one hand, we shall mention that this sign flip was already considered in the context of three dimensional topologically massive gravity, where it was found that a negative Newton constant is useful to render otherwise negative energy modes harmless for the stability about flat space [80] . Furthermore, in higher dimensions, even though G N < 0, the generic structure of branches discussed in this paper will remain, and there will always be solutions corresponding to well-defined gravities with positive cosmological constant.

On the one hand, we shall mention that this sign flip was already considered in the context of three dimensional topologically massive gravity, where it was found that a negative Newton constant is useful to render otherwise negative energy modes harmless for the stability about flat space.


Lovelock gravities are the higher dimensional cousins of general relativity. If one assumes that the spacetime dimensionality is larger than four, the lagrangian that embodies Einstein's paradigm gravity equals geometry, while providing second order Euler-Lagrange equations for the metric tensor, has been constructed by David Lovelock some forty years ago [1] . The simplest Lovelock lagrangian is the well-known GaussBonnet term, that embodies a non-trivial dynamics for the gravitational field in five (or higher) dimensional theories. It has been explored to a large extent, possibly due to the appealing place that five-dimensional gravity occupies since Kaluza and Klein's groundbreaking papers, and also as a consequence of its appearance in string theories at low energies [2] .

If one assumes that the spacetime dimensionality is larger than four, the lagrangian that embodies Einstein's paradigm gravity equals geometry, while providing second order Euler-Lagrange equations for the metric tensor, has been constructed by David Lovelock some forty years ago.

It has been explored to a large extent, possibly due to the appealing place that five-dimensional gravity occupies since Kaluza and Klein's groundbreaking papers, and also as a consequence of its appearance in string theories at low energies.


In the last few months there were some papers constructing gravitational theories that share some compelling properties with Lovelock lagrangians [81, 82] . In particular, these are lower dimensional theories displaying black hole solutions whose profile precisely correspond to Lovelock black holes [33] . Some of the results of this paper are therefore of direct application to those cases as well. This is particularly interesting due to the fact that quasi-topological gravities are higher curvature theories in dimensions lower than their corresponding Lovelock cousins, thus the results are of interest in more 'physical' setups of AdS/CFT [83] .

In the last few months there were some papers constructing gravitational theories that share some compelling properties with Lovelock lagrangians.

In particular, these are lower dimensional theories displaying black hole solutions whose profile precisely correspond to Lovelock black holes.

This is particularly interesting due to the fact that quasi-topological gravities are higher curvature theories in dimensions lower than their corresponding Lovelock cousins, thus the results are of interest in more 'physical' setups of AdS/CFT.


In this work, we presented Bayesian logic networks as a practical representation language for statistical relational knowledge that bases its semantics on mixed networks. Efficient inference being a key concern in practical applications, we investigated two importance sampling techniques that explicitly address the problem of dealing with a combination of deterministic and probabilistic knowledge as it is typically found in instances of BLNs. Our initial results are encouraging and do indicate that both backward simulation and constraint learning are appropriate options for the search for samples (under the right circumstances). The recording of abstract constraints, however, incurs too much of an overhead, which cannot be compensated by gains in compactnessat least in the instances we tried. Experience in lifted satisfiability solving, however, suggests that abstraction can lead to significant speed-ups [15] . Therefore, directions for future work include finding better representations for abstract constraints that may alleviate the respective problems.

Experience in lifted satisfiability solving, however, suggests that abstraction can lead to significant speed-ups.


A decreased binding of apoB-containing lipoproteins to collagen from the atherosclerotic intima may reflect diseaserelated changes in collagen composition of the aortic tissue. It was shown earlier that the main collagens in human aortas were type I and type III [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] . Data on the relative content of these collagen phenotypes are contradictory. On one hand, McCullagh and Balian reported that collagen type I, which was low in comparison to type III in normal aortas, exceeded type III in atherosclerotic aortas [33] . On the other hand, some other investigators showed that in uninvolved, as well as atherosclerotic, aortas, most of the collagen was of type I [15, [36] [37] [38] . These discrepancies, probably, may be attributed to variations in material and/or procedures for the isolation of collagen. For example, type III collagen is known to be extracted by pepsin more readily than type I collagen [39] . However, despite contradictions in regard to the percentage of collagen types in unaffected human aortic intima, all authors note that type I collagen increases in atherosclerosis, whereas type III collagen decreases [15, 35, 37, 40] . As for the total collagen, its level is by far elevated in atherosclerotic lesions [15, 35] .

It was shown earlier that the main collagens in human aortas were type I and type III.

On one hand, McCullagh and Balian reported that collagen type I, which was low in comparison to type III in normal aortas, exceeded type III in atherosclerotic aortas.

On the other hand, some other investigators showed that in uninvolved, as well as atherosclerotic, aortas, most of the collagen was of type I.

For example, type III collagen is known to be extracted by pepsin more readily than type I collagen.

However, despite contradictions in regard to the percentage of collagen types in unaffected human aortic intima, all authors note that type I collagen increases in atherosclerosis, whereas type III collagen decreases.

As for the total collagen, its level is by far elevated in atherosclerotic lesions.


It is possible to show several analogies between the evolution of "training" and the level of automation (Bainbridge, 1983) . With the technologies, the tendency today is partially to withdraw the teacher from the "training" loop. Blended learning, flipped classrooms, MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) … are experienced all over the world. Our approach to control and STEM education has involved a different way to see serious games without withdrawing the teacher from the loop. The results are software like HOME I/O and FACTORY I/O. With state of the art in 3D graphics and FPS video game approach (first-person shooter), HOME I/O and FACTORY I/O offer a unique learning experience with immersive and motivating hands-on activities for several educational areas. With HOME I/O and FACTORY I/O, control and STEM education becomes a game where the teacher is the game master. The main challenge for the controls community in a near future would be to propose methodologies and tools matching the two worlds: IT (Information Technology) and OT (Operational Technology). Indeed, control and system engineers will have in the future to combine know-how related to ICT with strong IT competencies that range from basic (using spreadsheets and accessing interfaces) to advanced (applying advanced programming and analytics skills). The need for multiple hard and soft skills will become more and more important day after day. Employees will have to possess greater flexibility to adapt to new roles and work environments, and get accustomed to continual interdisciplinary IT and OT learning. It is why the area of control education, training and outreach, with new pedagogical tools like HOME I/O and FACTORY I/O, has to evolve in order to be adapted to the requirements of the Factory of the Future and more generally to our society.

It is possible to show several analogies between the evolution of "training" and the level of automation.


Previous analysis of collagen or chitosan-based scaffolds for brain tissue engineering applications has mainly focused on cytocompatibility or regional histochemical evaluation (Guan et al., 2013; Yan et al., 2015; Betancur et al., 2017) . In this study, to explore an effective treatment method for TBI, collagen-chitosan scaffolds were prepared and impregnated with BMSCs. These were then implanted into a TBI rat model to test biocompatibility, immunogenicity and their ability to promote the regeneration of neurons and to improve functional outcomes.

Previous analysis of collagen or chitosan-based scaffolds for brain tissue engineering applications has mainly focused on cytocompatibility or regional histochemical evaluation.


Instead, these findings are in stark contrast with the literature on economic migration and risk preferences (Jaeger et al., 2010 and Akgüç et al., 2016) . There is a remarkable difference between risk-tolerant economic migrants and risk-averse forced migrants. The cause of flight (economic or flight from violence) is therefore a discriminant in the selfselection process of migrant populations. Forced migration in Nigeria seems to be driven by risk-aversion and a desire to protect one's own minimum living standards as opposed to leaving in search of greater opportunities and rewards.

Instead, these findings are in stark contrast with the literature on economic migration and risk preferences.


Hypotheses 1a and 1b proposed that the extent to which recruiters could reliably and validly infer applicant personality traits after reviewing applicants' resumes would vary for different personality traits. With regard to reliability, we hypothesized highest interrater reliability for extraversion and lowest for agreeableness and neuroticism; interrater reliabilities for conscientiousness and openness to experience were posited to be similar to that found for extraversion. We examined estimated interrater reliability by correlating the recruiter pairs' judgments of applicants' resumes for each of the five personality traits. The correlations were corrected for two raters using the SpearmanBrown formula. These coefficients show (see Table 3 ) the degree of reliability that two recruiters judging resumes independently and using the adjective trait rating scales produced when their responses were averaged (Westen 1996) .

These coefficients show (see Table 3 ) the degree of reliability that two recruiters judging resumes independently and using the adjective trait rating scales produced when their responses were averaged.


Recruiters make applicant attributions that extend beyond applicants' education and experience when reviewing their resumes. For instance, recruiters infer applicants' subjective attributes from resume biodata and use these attributions when forming initial impressions regarding applicant employability (Brown and Campion 1994) . The present study extends previous research by exploring the reliability and validity of recruiters' inferences regarding applicant personality after reviewing applicants' resumes.

For instance, recruiters infer applicants' subjective attributes from resume biodata and use these attributions when forming initial impressions regarding applicant employability.


Our results for Hypothesis 2 suggested that recruiters, when forming impressions regarding applicant employability, considered their inferences of applicants' personality traits that would aid incumbents in performing the job. This is consistent with past research that has found subjective impressions formed by recruiters tend to have a strong influence on recruiters' employability decisions (Cable and Gilovich 1998; Kinicki et al. 1990) . Overall, what do these results tell us regarding how recruiters inferred applicant personality? Our results seem to suggest that recruiters, to a limited extent, use certain resume items to derive personality attributes for applicants. Indeed, if such inferences were entirely idiosyncratic, we would not have been able to find evidence of reliability and validity. Moreover, in judging applicant employability for a position opening, the recruiters apparently incorporated these personality traits in making their employment determinations. Our findings provide a preliminary template for an ideal applicant personality profile most predictive of positions typically ''filled'' by recent graduates of business schools. Successful applicants were those perceived as being responsible and attentive to detail, having an inclination for trying new things, and possibly enjoying friendly and frequent interactions with others.

This is consistent with past research that has found subjective impressions formed by recruiters tend to have a strong influence on recruiters' employability decisions.


Australian outdoor youth program leaders and managers were recruited in 2011 by members of the OYPRA Steering Committee and other supporting organizations contacting outdoor program providers (individuals and organizations) and through Internet-based snowball sampling. Outdoor program leaders and managers were eligible to complete Part 1 and/or Part 2, as appropriate. Individuals were invited to complete Part 1 and/or Part 2 of the online survey, as appropriate. Respondents took approximately 30 min to anonymously complete the survey. For the small number of incomplete cases for which at least 50% of data were available, multiple imputation was used to replace the missing data. Multiple imputation uses a regression-based procedure to generate multiple copies of the data set, each of which contains different estimates of the missing values (Enders, 2010) . Methodologists regard multiple imputation as a state-ofthe-art missing data technique because it improves the accuracy and the power of the analyses relative to other missing data handling methods (Schafer & Graham, 2002) .

Multiple imputation uses a regression-based procedure to generate multiple copies of the data set, each of which contains different estimates of the missing values.

Methodologists regard multiple imputation as a state-ofthe-art missing data technique because it improves the accuracy and the power of the analyses relative to other missing data handling methods.


The findings of this study should be interpreted in light of several limitations. First, this study sampled a subset of OAI program managers and leaders who were primarily involved in programs whose aim is to address youth participants' problem behaviors. Thus, OAI programs that targeted adults and/or other program goals, such as mental health, were not included. A second limitation is that the convenience sampling may not have led to a representative sample. As such, findings reported in this study may not be generalizable to all Australian OAIs that target problem behaviors in youth. Third, this study used staff self-reported data. Although self-reporting is a common, efficient, and inexpensive method of gathering information, potential limitations of this approach include social desirability bias and recall bias (Paulhus & Vazire, 2007) .

Although self-reporting is a common, efficient, and inexpensive method of gathering information, potential limitations of this approach include social desirability bias and recall bias.


Neutron stars are one of the most exotic objects in the universe. Matter in their cores is compressed to huge densities ranging from the density of normal nuclear matter, ρ 0 ≈ 0.16f m −3 , to an order of magnitude higher (Glendenning 2000) . The number of baryons forming a neutron star is in the order of A ≈ 10 57 . Understanding properties of matter under such extreme conditions of density (and pressure) is still far from complete and represents one of the most important but also challenging problems in modern physics.

Matter in their cores is compressed to huge densities ranging from the density of normal nuclear matter, ρ 0 ≈ 0.16f m −3 , to an order of magnitude higher.


Industries, such as food, pharmaceuticals and petrochemicals, employ multi-phase flows in their processes. Phases in such processes include gas-solid, gas-liquid, and gas-liquid-solid. This is provided by different measurement techniques with quantitative local and global dynamic information of the flow, useful for system design and control. Multi-phase flow measurement technologies present practical challenges and continued progress is being made towards improving mentioned technologies [10] . The image reconstruction is obtained by solving the inverse problem that allows the imaging of processes [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] .

Multi-phase flow measurement technologies present practical challenges and continued progress is being made towards improving mentioned technologies.

The image reconstruction is obtained by solving the inverse problem that allows the imaging of processes.


Sweet sorghum is an annual energy crop that favourably answers the "food or fuel" question as it does not compete with food or feed, and it can ratoon, following harvest, under favourable climatic conditions. These features have made sweet sorghum a choice bioethanol crop of the semiarid tropics in the sub-Saharan Africa and India [6] . It is a crop of high universal value since it can be cultivated in tropical, subtropical, temperate, and semiarid regions, as well as in poor quality soils of the world [7] . It is termed "the sugarcane of the desert" or "the camel among crops" due to its drought hardy characteristics [8] .

These features have made sweet sorghum a choice bioethanol crop of the semiarid tropics in the sub-Saharan Africa and India.

It is a crop of high universal value since it can be cultivated in tropical, subtropical, temperate, and semiarid regions, as well as in poor quality soils of the world.

It is termed "the sugarcane of the desert" or "the camel among crops" due to its drought hardy characteristics.


The quest for alternative energy sources in the wake of environmental problems created as a result of overdependence on conventional energy sources has led to an increase in research in the field of renewable energy sources such as biofuels which include biodiesel and bioethanol [1] [2] [3] . Biodiesel is obtained from plants that are rich in oil while bioethanol is obtained from plants that are rich in fermentable sugar or other carbohydrates which can further be broken down to fermentable sugars. The major commercial sources of bioethanol include sugarcane, sugar beets, and corn. Sweet sorghum is also recently gaining popularity as a major feedstock for commercial bioethanol production because of its numerous advantages which include high fermentable sugar, early maturity, and low nutrient and water requirements [4, 5] .

The quest for alternative energy sources in the wake of environmental problems created as a result of overdependence on conventional energy sources has led to an increase in research in the field of renewable energy sources such as biofuels which include biodiesel and bioethanol.

Sweet sorghum is also recently gaining popularity as a major feedstock for commercial bioethanol production because of its numerous advantages which include high fermentable sugar, early maturity, and low nutrient and water requirements.


The standard explanation for why policymakers hold back from fully exploiting political power is that they fear losing power in the future. This explanation is present in our setting, and is especially relevant in non-democratic contexts. For example, an autocratic elite may concede limited redistribution to stave off a threat of revolution (Acemoglu and Robinson (2000) ). When political power is initially fully concentrated in a single agent, any change in the distribution of power is necessarily unfavorable to the incumbent.

For example, an autocratic elite may concede limited redistribution to stave off a threat of revolution).


The proposed method for analysis has been implemented on a data set acquired at the University of Braunschweig, Germany. The floor looked at shows a distinct office environment and the rooms were nearly empty due to ongoing remodelling. The dataset was collected using our backpack indoor mobile mapping system (Vosselman, 2014) .

The dataset was collected using our backpack indoor mobile mapping system.


Several of the genes afflicted in CRC belong to the RAS pathway [4] . The RAS pathway involves at least 4 key protein families (RAS, RAF, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) and extracellular regulated kinase (ERK)) that are activated in a consecutive manner, creating a signaling cascade that eventually results in gene regulation. Approximately 50 % of metastatic CRCs have activating mutations in the KRAS or NRAS genes [5] [6] [7] . Patients with RAS mutations do not respond favorably to treatment with neutralizing anti-EGFR antibodies [8] . BRAF is the best characterized of three closely related RAF proteins [9] . The BRAF gene harbors an activating mutation (V600E) in 5-12 % of all CRC [10] . Tumors may have mutations either in KRAS or BRAF though, as a rule, not in both [11] . Activation of certain protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms, such as PKCɛ, by phospholipase Cγ1 (PLCγ1), promotes RAF activation [12] . BRAF in turn activates the dual tyrosine and serine/threonine kinase MEK, which is mutated only very rarely in CRC [13] . The serine/ threonine kinases ERK1/2, downstream of MEK, are also not mutated in CRC [13] .

Several of the genes afflicted in CRC belong to the RAS pathway.

Approximately 50 % of metastatic CRCs have activating mutations in the KRAS or NRAS genes.

Patients with RAS mutations do not respond favorably to treatment with neutralizing anti-EGFR antibodies.

BRAF is the best characterized of three closely related RAF proteins.

The BRAF gene harbors an activating mutation (V600E) in 5-12 % of all CRC.

Tumors may have mutations either in KRAS or BRAF though, as a rule, not in both.

Activation of certain protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms, such as PKCɛ, by phospholipase Cγ1 (PLCγ1), promotes RAF activation.

BRAF in turn activates the dual tyrosine and serine/threonine kinase MEK, which is mutated only very rarely in CRC.

The serine/ threonine kinases ERK1/2, downstream of MEK, are also not mutated in CRC.


Early precaution is very important for the people who have not been sick yet that have high mortality rate and expensive treatment such as cancer. With this type of study, the possibility of getting disease may decrease and people can take measures for the disease. To the extent that the cancer is diagnosed earlier, its treatment is successful at that level. If medicine can use techniques such as fuzzy logic from artificial intelligence methods in their own fields, in the future, many diseases such as cancer may reach a treatable level or may be prevented due to early diagnosis. Thus, expensive treatments or surgeries may not even be required. Today, most of people catching cancer apply hospitals at advanced stages of the disease and thus, are diagnosed late. As a result of this, treatments are useless most of the time and patient dies in a short period of time. Future oriented diagnosis of cancer disease in healthy people is one of the most important issues that should be emphasized (Abbod et al., 2001) .

Future oriented diagnosis of cancer disease in healthy people is one of the most important issues that should be emphasized.


In Namibia, there is no access to PcP diagnostic testing. HIV-positive patients with a CD4 count of < 350 cells/μL are given PcP prophylaxis according to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines [33] . Patients with respiratory symptoms are tested for TB and bacterial pneumonia. HIV testing is conducted on a voluntary basis. However, TB smear-negative patients who choose not to be tested for HIV forfeit the opportunity of PcP prophylaxis because CD4 testing is only carried out for HIV-positive patients. The current study evaluated the effectiveness of expectorated sputum for the routine diagnosis of PcP in a resource-limited setting in Windhoek, Namibia by using samples submitted to a central reference laboratory for TB microscopy.

HIV-positive patients with a CD4 count of < 350 cells/μL are given PcP prophylaxis according to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.


We have now synthesized three novel allyl cobalt compounds (η 3 -C4H7)(η 4 -C4H6)Co(PCyPh2) (1), (η 3 -C4H7)(η 4 -C4H6)Co(PMePh2) (2) and (η 3 -C5H9)(η 4 -C5H8)Co(PMePh2) (3) . The complexes were characterized by Nuclear Magnetic Resonanance (NMR) ( 1 H and 2D experiments) and X-ray diffraction analysis, and their behavior in the polymerization of 1,2-propadiene and various 1,3-dienes was investigated. The most significant results obtained are reported in this paper.

We have now synthesized three novel allyl cobalt compounds (η 3 -C4H7)(η 4 -C4H6)Co(PCyPh2) (1), (η 3 -C4H7)(η 4 -C4H6)Co(PMePh2) (2) and (η 3 -C5H9)(η 4 -C5H8)Co(PMePh2).


Major improvements have been made in the multimedia indexing and retrieval field over the last years thanks to different tagging techniques, such as usergenerated tags and social networks. Some of these tagging methods have brought a new approach, human-centered tagging, by which the data are tagged by the users. An improvement to these methods is presented in the previous chapter with the use of implicit tagging which aims at reliably extracting tags from non-verbal behaviors of users who are confronted to multimedia data [1] . These new tags, such as emotional keywords, are supposed to be more robust, more useful and more convenient for content recommendation or retrieval as they are unobtrusive and uncontrollable.

An improvement to these methods is presented in the previous chapter with the use of implicit tagging which aims at reliably extracting tags from non-verbal behaviors of users who are confronted to multimedia data.


The above mentioned rapid and largely uncontrolled expansion in groundwater exploitation stimulated the development of rural communities, by generating major social and economic benefits, on one hand, but on the other hand it caused serious adverse problems (Foster and Chilton, 2003) . These negative effects result mainly from high water abstraction rates and proliferation of wells over time and include serious impacts on aquifer degradation and/or environmental quality. At the institutional level, e.g. in the European Union, a similar distortion can be also observed, as irrigated agriculture is directly influenced by two conflicting major policies, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the Water Framework Directive (WFD), which largely determine the demand for and the supply of water to agriculture, respectively. Therefore, a careful and complex analysis is always needed to identify managerial solutions that can meet both socio-economic goals (farmers' income and labour demand) and environmental protection (water-use efficiency) (Gómez-Limón et al., 2002) . Due to the particularities of the problem, the preferred approach in such analyses is a bottom-up one (i.e. from the farm level to the watershed one).

The above mentioned rapid and largely uncontrolled expansion in groundwater exploitation stimulated the development of rural communities, by generating major social and economic benefits, on one hand, but on the other hand it caused serious adverse problems.

Therefore, a careful and complex analysis is always needed to identify managerial solutions that can meet both socio-economic goals (farmers' income and labour demand) and environmental protection (water-use efficiency).


Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) provide substantial gains in system throughput and spectrum efficiency [1] . They have been accepted by current and next generation wireless standards such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and LongTerm Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A) systems [2, 3] . In traditional MIMO systems, with uniform linear array (ULA) deployed at the BS, the downtilt angle of beams is fixed and the propagation is restricted in the two-dimensional (2D) horizontal plane [4] . Therefore, the base station (BS) can simultaneously provide service to several users located in different horizontal directions by choosing beams with different azimuths. However, the users in the same horizontal directions cannot be served at the same time as illustrated in Figure 1 (a). On the other hand, through the use of active antenna systems (AAS) with uniform planar array (UPA) structure, the elevation dimension is exploited and the transmit beams can be formed in the three-dimensional (3D) space, which initiate the emergency of 3D MIMO techniques [5, 6] . As a result, illustrated in Figure 1 (b), the BS is able to simultaneously serve several users who have the same azimuth but are located in different elevation angle [7] . Compared with 2D MIMO, the 3D MIMO system significantly improves vertical coverage and overall system capacity, which have attracted more and more attention [8, 9] .

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) provide substantial gains in system throughput and spectrum efficiency.

They have been accepted by current and next generation wireless standards such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and LongTerm Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A) systems.

In traditional MIMO systems, with uniform linear array (ULA) deployed at the BS, the downtilt angle of beams is fixed and the propagation is restricted in the two-dimensional (2D) horizontal plane.

On the other hand, through the use of active antenna systems (AAS) with uniform planar array (UPA) structure, the elevation dimension is exploited and the transmit beams can be formed in the three-dimensional (3D) space, which initiate the emergency of 3D MIMO techniques.

As a result, illustrated in Figure 1 (b), the BS is able to simultaneously serve several users who have the same azimuth but are located in different elevation angle.

Compared with 2D MIMO, the 3D MIMO system significantly improves vertical coverage and overall system capacity, which have attracted more and more attention.


We believe it is essential to take a systematic approach to improving the design, implementation, and evaluation of the program. Several enabling factors and levers may accelerate and maximize the impact of scale-up ( Figure 5 ). These enabling factors-leadership, policy, and to a certain extent funding-are largely in place both globally and in VMMC priority countries. Increased funding for VMMC is needed to meet the growing targets and outputs of the program. Given that PEPFAR is the predominant donor, getting other donors and governments to contribute is essential. In addition, the levers for scale identified in Figure 5 (government program management capacity, use of data for decision-making, and technologies) require further strengthening in order to match supply and demand. This challenge may be met by incorporating principles of managing large-scale enterprises such as standardization of service delivery and training, market segmentation, and data-driven management [31] . Building on the findings presented in this collection, we propose below a set of actions for the VMMC community.

This challenge may be met by incorporating principles of managing large-scale enterprises such as standardization of service delivery and training, market segmentation, and data-driven management.


Synthesis of CdS nanoparticles in large scale is important for industrial applications in the areas of catalysis, photocatalysis and microelectronics [12] . CdS NPs have two common crystalline phases of hexagonal wurtzite and cubic zinc blende [13] [14] [15] . The bulk wurtzite structure is a thermodynamically stable phase which exists under normal conditions (such as atmospheric pressure and room temperature) [16] . The difference in intrinsic energy between these two phases is minor. It was considered that the phase stability between the zinc blende and wurtzite structures of CdS was size dependent. Generally, the cubic CdS nanoparticles exist in smaller sizes and in the wurtzite structure appear larger due to the growth of the particles [17] [18] [19] .

Synthesis of CdS nanoparticles in large scale is important for industrial applications in the areas of catalysis, photocatalysis and microelectronics.

CdS NPs have two common crystalline phases of hexagonal wurtzite and cubic zinc blende.

The bulk wurtzite structure is a thermodynamically stable phase which exists under normal conditions (such as atmospheric pressure and room temperature).

Generally, the cubic CdS nanoparticles exist in smaller sizes and in the wurtzite structure appear larger due to the growth of the particles.


The current economic situation is characterized by continuous change. Frequently, organizations are facing a variety of changes, for instance in their social, economic, political, technological, and ecological environment (Kobi 2008) . Not only do organizations have to identify these changes as quickly as possible, they have to react adequately to them as well. An organization's readiness for adaptating inappropriate processes and structures as well as its flexibility and high strength in innovation are crucial for long-term success in extending and securing the company's market position. Here, loyal and motivated employees are required, who are willing to take charge of organizational matters and to invest their knowledge, skills and creative potential in their companies and their processes. We suppose that one way to induce and maintain high work motivation and a positive attitude towards the work and the organization is by employee participation. Material participation (financial participation in company's capital, profit or gain) and/or immaterial participation (participating in information, coordination, and decision processes) can help organizations to promote employees' motivation, attitude and performance, and therefore the organization's capacity for innovation, its performance and market position.

Frequently, organizations are facing a variety of changes, for instance in their social, economic, political, technological, and ecological environment.


The Illumina ⁄ Solexa digital gene expression (DGE) system is an improved tag-based method that can sequence, in parallel, millions of DNA molecules that are derived directly from mRNA [15] . The DGE system enables the sequencing of total cDNA for the derivation of an accurate estimate of gene expression, both individually and comprehensively, and the discovery of novel regions of transcription. This technology has dramatically changed the way in which functional complexity of transcriptomes is studied. Therefore, our objective in this study was to reveal important pathogenesis-associated genes involved in potential defense or resistance pathways by detecting differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in tobacco using high-throughput differential gene expression (DGE) technology. Our aim is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of resistance to drought stress, and provide important information for breeding superior, droughtresistant tobacco varieties.

The Illumina ⁄ Solexa digital gene expression (DGE) system is an improved tag-based method that can sequence, in parallel, millions of DNA molecules that are derived directly from mRNA.


Tobacco is an important cash crop in China as well as around the world, being cultivated in more than 100 countries. In addition, a recent study investigated the use of tobacco as a potential biofuel crop [1] . It is also recognized as an established model plant for physiological and genetic studies. Drought is one of the major abiotic stresses affecting crop growth, development, yield and quality, and in extreme cases, causes crop failure. In response to environmental extremes, plants have adapted several mechanisms allowing them to survive adverse conditions. Although much research has been dedicated to elucidating plant gene expression during exposure to dry conditions, the mechanisms underlying the regulation of gene expression largely remain unknown.

In addition, a recent study investigated the use of tobacco as a potential biofuel crop.