Stimuli-responsive polymers are of particular interest due to their ability to undergo well defined changes in their properties [6] . Taking into account that most grafting reactions occur at the surface or in the bulk polymeric matrix, polymer grafting stands as a suitable method to synthesize such materials. Acrylic acid (AAc) is one of the most popular monomers that have been grafted onto different polymeric matrices to develop pH responsive materials. In this case the carboxyl groups offer sites for the coupling with amino groups terminated poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) where, via carbodiimide activation method, they are directly used for the interaction with heparin. In general, the carboxylic group has the capability to undergo further chemical reactions to produce new functional groups [7] . The thermosensitive characteristics of poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (NIPAAm) have been widely studied in the fields of drug delivery and tissue engineering [8] . The concept of a "smart" coating is more recent and has been applied to functional coatings that are able to respond to certain stimuli generated by intrinsic or extrinsic events [9] .

Stimuli-responsive polymers are of particular interest due to their ability to undergo well defined changes in their properties.

In general, the carboxylic group has the capability to undergo further chemical reactions to produce new functional groups.

The thermosensitive characteristics of poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (NIPAAm) have been widely studied in the fields of drug delivery and tissue engineering.

The concept of a "smart" coating is more recent and has been applied to functional coatings that are able to respond to certain stimuli generated by intrinsic or extrinsic events.


A main goal of successful aging is the maintenance of independence [45] . In fact, a main aspect of the health care of older adults is the attention paid to maintain functional ability; preventing disability by the effective management of chronic diseases and impairments is of paramount importance to the care of older adults so that they can continue to live independently in the community for as long as possible. Our study shows that multiple chronic diseases have become increasingly prevalent and impairments and disability continue to be a substantial, although not rising, burden among older adults. The aging, U.S. population continues to need high-quality care, focused on managing multiple chronic diseases and preventing impairment and disability. Values are weighted percentages, with 95% confidence intervals in parentheses, derived by using the HRS respondent population weights of each year to adjust for the sampling design of survey. Note: P values were derived from the Wald chi-square tests which were performed to examine group differences in proportions of characteristics across years of survey. P-values refer to whether the proportions of characteristics were significantly different among groups between years.

A main goal of successful aging is the maintenance of independence.


Nonlinear functional integral equations with bounded intervals have been studied extensively in the literature as regards various qualitative properties. This includes existence, uniqueness, stability, boundedness, monotonicity and extremality of solutions. But the study of nonlinear functional integral equations with unbounded intervals is relatively rare and exploited for the characteristics of attractivity and asymptotic attractivity of solutions. There are two methods for dealing with these characteristics of solutions, namely, classical fixed point theorems involving the hypotheses from analysis and topology and the fixed point theorems involving the use of measure of noncompactness. Each one of these methods has some advantages and disadvantages over the others [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] .

Each one of these methods has some advantages and disadvantages over the others.


The aim of this paper is to study the existence, global attractivity, and positivity of solutions for a functional integral equation of fractional order. The mentioned equation has rather general form and contains, as particular cases, a lot of fractional functional equations and nonlinear fractional integral equations of Volterra type. The main technique used in our considerations is the measures of noncompactness and a fixed point theorem of Dhage [3] . Our investigations will be situated in the Banach space of real functions which are defined, continuous, and bounded on the right-hand real half axis R + .

The main technique used in our considerations is the measures of noncompactness and a fixed point theorem of Dhage.


Risk analysis is a crucial part of portfolio risk management. It provides information about the effects of choosing a project based on portfolio risk, and so facilitates making decisions about project selection. Furthermore, applying the concept of sustainability through risk analysis makes this concept a standard part of project-related decisions [7] . However, most of today's frameworks for portfolio risk analysis are not designed for achieving strategic objectives. Moreover, they are not written based on portfolio characteristics and are adapted from generic frameworks [8] .

Furthermore, applying the concept of sustainability through risk analysis makes this concept a standard part of project-related decisions.

Moreover, they are not written based on portfolio characteristics and are adapted from generic frameworks.


When determining the nutritive value of alfalfa, ligneous cellulose content should be taken in account in addition to crude protein content. Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content indicates the intake rate of alfalfa dry matter. The higher the NDF, the lower the alfalfa quality -the content of nutrients is reduced and livestock consumes such alfalfa less readily. In consequence, the livestock grows at a slower rate and the production of livestock products is proportionally reduced. ADF content indicates the potential production energy. Increase in ADF indicates a reduced energy, i.e., reduced quality (Katić et al., 2008) . Forms of energy derived from cellulose hay are not effectively used as livestock feed. Because alfalfa plants accumulate increasing rates of stem material in total herbage during growth, the poor quality of stems becomes a greater issue in more mature alfalfa (Sheaffer et al., 2000) .

Increase in ADF indicates a reduced energy, i.e., reduced quality.

Because alfalfa plants accumulate increasing rates of stem material in total herbage during growth, the poor quality of stems becomes a greater issue in more mature alfalfa.


Ideally, in a distributed and collaborative networked environment experts can work independently or jointly on sub-systems of an overall design [7] . Adoption of existing and available device and network technologies is still in its early stages, and the integration into a collaborative system as described here is not realized. We introduce a framework enabling a team working in a distributed setting to collaborate via computer networks using various mobile interfaces and visualization devices. The framework makes possible the effective and synergistic combination of team members' complementary competencies and expertise. We address relevant challenges in the design and realization of an efficient, effective, and satisfactory collaboration framework.

Ideally, in a distributed and collaborative networked environment experts can work independently or jointly on sub-systems of an overall design.


Several methods of signal analysis and measurement techniques have been defined in the recent past that investigate flow patterns [1] [2] [3] . These methods bring a greater level of objectivity to flow pattern discrimination. The driving force for research in flow patterns is to gain insight into the physical properties governing two-phase flows. Most recent models of heat transfer and pressure drop are based on flow patterns [4, 5] .

Several methods of signal analysis and measurement techniques have been defined in the recent past that investigate flow patterns.

Most recent models of heat transfer and pressure drop are based on flow patterns.


Fluidized beds are widely used in the industry as, among others, dryers, chemical reactors, biomass and coal combustors/gasifiers. They possess a high reaction/volume ratio due to high mixing and turbulence levels, thus creating a uniform temperature throughout the whole dense bed. For most of the industrial applications, the fluidized inert particles are group B, according with Geldart's classification (Geldart, 1973) . With this type of particles, when the superficial gas velocity exceeds the minimum velocity for fluidization conditions, the excess gas traverses the dense bed in the form of bubbles.

For most of the industrial applications, the fluidized inert particles are group B, according with Geldart's classification.


Along their ascent, the bubbles undergo coalescence and ingest the surrounding air from the emulsion phase, thus causing them to grow. When a bubble erupts at the bed surface, it projects particles into the freeboard, although the particles' necessary to understand the process being undergone below it, namely, the formation and disintegration of coherent structures like clusters, vortex or ghost bubbles, as well as the interaction between the particles and the gas turbulence (Pemberton and Davidson, 1984; Duursma et al., 2001; Solimene et al., 2004) . These processes are influenced by bubble eruption, the projection and velocity of the ejected particles and the maximum height they reach.

When a bubble erupts at the bed surface, it projects particles into the freeboard, although the particles' necessary to understand the process being undergone below it, namely, the formation and disintegration of coherent structures like clusters, vortex or ghost bubbles, as well as the interaction between the particles and the gas turbulence.


The majority of patients with incomplete downstream investigations were >70 years with tumor loss of MLH1 expression [42] . BRAF mutation testing in this phenotype can often identify patients with sporadic tumors owing to MLH1 promoter methylation [43] . These patients do not usually require further additional testing. In this study 69 patients had BRAF testing performed of which 43 (62%) harbored mutation; 77% of these patients were >70 years. CGS ordered BRAF testing in 11/43 (26%) patients.

The majority of patients with incomplete downstream investigations were >70 years with tumor loss of MLH1 expression.

BRAF mutation testing in this phenotype can often identify patients with sporadic tumors owing to MLH1 promoter methylation.


To reduce the damage caused by tropical cyclones (TC), it is very important to predict their track and intensity correctly. In recent decades, track prediction has been steadily improved [1] . However, there has been little improvement in predicting the intensity of typhoons [1] . During 1989-2012, TC intensity errors from the best available models have decreased at 1%-2% yr −1 at 24, 48, and 72 h [2] .

In recent decades, track prediction has been steadily improved.

However, there has been little improvement in predicting the intensity of typhoons.

During 1989-2012, TC intensity errors from the best available models have decreased at 1%-2% yr −1 at 24, 48, and 72 h.


As a new venture Te Kura Whānui has evolved from an initial concept to a reality and along the way is developing new processes and unfamiliar ways of working. Roles have shifted and changed and morphed as the centre expands and moves into unknown territory. As a result, new identities formed. The facilitators became guides with a clear sense of the Learning Outcomes, graduate profile, and curriculum, and so could, for instance bring discussions and research back on track, help learners make connections with the 'why', and, of course, offer a deep insight into the skills and the discipline. The result, at a professional level, was that being innovative resulted in a form of professional reframinga new way of being, knowing and doing at a professional level [40, 41] .

As a result, new identities formed.

The result, at a professional level, was that being innovative resulted in a form of professional reframinga new way of being, knowing and doing at a professional level.


The three participants in the study (two of whom are also the authors of this paper) have worked closely together on the project in question, two since September 2013, and all three since March 2014 [6] . The participants have all been involved (for 15 years or more each) with facilitation, teacher professional development, and curriculum design. One of the participants has been working within the eLearning field for almost 15 years.

The three participants in the study (two of whom are also the authors of this paper) have worked closely together on the project in question, two since September 2013, and all three since March 2014.


There are a number of other research agendas likewise relevant for understanding the connection between pro-environment attitudes and policy action on climate change. One agenda investigates the relationship between citizens' attitudes and their patterns of behavior [4, 5] . Motivating this research is the observation that attitudes do not consistently predict actions. For example, older people often behave in more environmentally friendly ways than younger people despite having weaker pro-environmental sentiments [6] (p. 770). Furthermore, there are numerous studies that examine how citizens' environmental attitudes become institutionalized in environmental movements [7] [8] [9] . These studies show that different political opportunity structures provide environmental groups with greater or lesser obstacles in their attempts to consolidate, grow, and influence policy-makers. Finally, there are studies that examine variation in the success of environmental movements, seeking to identify which circumstances enable them to secure a foothold in mainstream politics, either through an influential Green party or the adoption of pro-environment policies by older, established parties [10, 11] .

One agenda investigates the relationship between citizens' attitudes and their patterns of behavior.

For example, older people often behave in more environmentally friendly ways than younger people despite having weaker pro-environmental sentiments(p. 770).

Furthermore, there are numerous studies that examine how citizens' environmental attitudes become institutionalized in environmental movements.

Finally, there are studies that examine variation in the success of environmental movements, seeking to identify which circumstances enable them to secure a foothold in mainstream politics, either through an influential Green party or the adoption of pro-environment policies by older, established parties.


Motivational and emotional variables involving belief, anxiety and attitudes are also important in understanding mathematics achievement (Soleymani & Rekabdar, 2016) . Thus, despite the fact that mathematics is viewed as a cognitive discipline, the affective dimension should not be ignored; so, understanding the nature of attitudinal constructs and their relationships with demographic characteristics and mathematics achievement should be a major research concern. In other words, in this research we aimed to investigate how seventh grade students' academic self-efficacy, mathematics anxiety, attitudes toward mathematics, and mathematics achievement differ according to gender and school type. We also explored how well academic self-efficacy, mathematics anxiety and attitudes toward mathematics together with gender and school type predict mathematics achievement.

Motivational and emotional variables involving belief, anxiety and attitudes are also important in understanding mathematics achievement.


Beliefs about and attitudes concerning mathematics show significant impact on one's decisions about the amount and nature of mathematics one will study in the future. To state differently, students' mathematics-related career trajectories are likely to be influenced by their emotions, feelings and self-beliefs toward mathematics. Hence, attitudinal constructs either guide students to study mathematics or mathematics-related fields or they push students away from careers that require even moderate mathematics competencies (Hafner, 2008) . As a result, educating learners with strong self-beliefs in mathematics and positive attitudes towards mathematics should be the overarching aim of all educators. Thus, there has been a major shift to study contributions of affective variables, such as self-efficacy, attitudes and dispositions, on cognitive skills (Aiken, 1970; Pajares, 2006; Schunk & Mullen, 2012) .

Hence, attitudinal constructs either guide students to study mathematics or mathematics-related fields or they push students away from careers that require even moderate mathematics competencies.

Thus, there has been a major shift to study contributions of affective variables, such as self-efficacy, attitudes and dispositions, on cognitive skills.


Water relations are generally directly affected by water deficit, because they reduce the water flow in the soil-plantatmosphere system. Y w decreases mainly in times of high evaporative atmospheric demand. Other factors, such as high temperature and low relative humidity, increase the vapor pressure deficit between the leaf and the air, thereby increasing the loss of water by transpiration, which favors the decline of leaf water potential. Y wpd measurement is known to be more sensitive when evaluating water deficit in plants because significant water loss by transpiration is not observed at this time, and the values of Y w in soil-plant system tends towards equilibrium. Thus, the predawn evaluation should provide a better demonstration of the water potential in the root zone (Cairo, 1995; Améglio et al., 1999; Sircelj et al., 2005) .

Thus, the predawn evaluation should provide a better demonstration of the water potential in the root zone.


The development of sites aimed at usability, in conformance with the accessibility guidelines, does not ensure access to pre-linguistic deaf users, i.e., those who became deaf before they learned how to speak. Many prelinguistic Deaf communicate only through sign language, do not know Portuguese, and may find it hard to perform simple tasks, due to the predominance of text information on the Web [6] . It is necessary to translate the content into sign language, in the Brazilian case, Libras (Brazilian Sign Language).

Many prelinguistic Deaf communicate only through sign language, do not know Portuguese, and may find it hard to perform simple tasks, due to the predominance of text information on the Web.


Oligonucleotide microarrays are widely used tools, in molecular biology, providing a fast and cost-effective method for monitoring the expression of thousands of genes simultaneously [7] . In order to measure the expression level of a specific gene in a sample, one must design a microarray containing short strands of known DNA sequences of 8 to 30 bp, called oligonucleotide probes, which are complementary to the gene's segments, called targets. These targets, if present in the sample, should bind to their complementary probes by means of hybridization. The success of a microarray experiment depends on how well each probe hybridizes to its target under specified experimental conditions such as temperature and salt concentration. However, choosing good probes is a difficult task since different sequences have different hybridization characteristics.

Oligonucleotide microarrays are widely used tools, in molecular biology, providing a fast and cost-effective method for monitoring the expression of thousands of genes simultaneously.


According to previous investigations on corrosion properties, the wide range of alumina particles (25-100 g/l) were studied but they could not prevent the agglomeration of particles in the coating [17] . Therefore, the present work aims to study the formation of electroless Ni-P coatings with lower amounts of nano-sized alumina particles ranging from 3 g/l to 30 g/l in the presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG) surfactant with the concentration from 0.3 to 1 g/l. It is worthy to note that in past researches, the effects of polymeric surfactant on the coating deposition properties and the agglomeration phenomena have not been widely studied.

According to previous investigations on corrosion properties, the wide range of alumina particles (25-100 g/l) were studied but they could not prevent the agglomeration of particles in the coating.


Our data showed that low serum albumin (<2.5 g/dL, OR 2.80, CI 1.32-5.92) is signifi cantly associated with the development of cellulitis. Th is fi nding is comparable with the observation in another south Indian study [7] . Th is fi nding also points to the fact that poor functional status of the liver is the predisposing factor for cellulitis in cirrhosis. Other studies have shown that in cellulitis patients, hypoalbuminemia is signifi cantly associated with mortality in cirrhotic patients as well as the general population [18, 19] .

Th is fi nding is comparable with the observation in another south Indian study.

Other studies have shown that in cellulitis patients, hypoalbuminemia is signifi cantly associated with mortality in cirrhotic patients as well as the general population.


Redislocation and residual acetabular dysplasia are inevitable complications during treatment of DDH. It has been reported that incidence of these complications after open reduction is 0-8% [11, 31, 32] . Bilateral DDH, enlarged femoral head and abnormal femoral version, and improper pelvic osteotomy may be risk factors for redislocation and residual acetabular dysplasia [7, 22, 32] . In the present study, 14 patients had redislocation (1.6%) and 26 residual acetabular dysplasia (3.0%) and required reoperation. The data were similar to previous studies [7, 31] . Data analysis showed that a significantly higher incidence of redislocation and residual acetabular dysplasia (32 of 40 cases, 80%) occurred in patients with Tonnis II and III hip dislocation. The results suggested that DDH with Tonnis II or III dislocation was a risk factor for redislocation or residual acetabular dysplasia after the one-stage operation. These complications may result from abnormal pressure of the femoral head on the lateral edge of the acetabulum in patients with Tonnis grade II or III DDH. The abnormal pressure leads to poor development of the acetabulum and predisposes the hip to redislocation or residual acetabular dysplasia after operation.

It has been reported that incidence of these complications after open reduction is 0-8%.

Bilateral DDH, enlarged femoral head and abnormal femoral version, and improper pelvic osteotomy may be risk factors for redislocation and residual acetabular dysplasia.

The data were similar to previous studies.


Fuzzy logic was used in assessing student programs by applying it on software metrics and test cases [5] . This semiautomatic approach also had an ideal solution with which the student programs were compared. Metrics related to the number of method calls, recursive calls, arrays, variables, blocks, value parameters, and reference parameters were calculated for comparison. These software metrics formed the basis for obtaining the fuzzy representation of both the ideal algorithms. The ideal solution along with the lowest and highest possible values for each metric was provided by the instructor which were used for fuzzy representation. Each of the obtained metric value was normalized before comparison. The structural assessment was done by measuring the similarity degree between the fuzzy representation of the ideal solution and the student programs. Feedback to the students was provided using a fuzzy logic rule-based system.

Fuzzy logic was used in assessing student programs by applying it on software metrics and test cases.


In our earlier work on an uncertain aeroelastic system, we have used a Gauss-Hermite quadrature scheme to evaluate the chaos coefficient in a one-dimensional approach [19, 20] . Since Gaussian random variables and Hermite polynomials were involved, the Gauss-Hermite quadrature gives an optimal converges with minimal nodes. In the present study, we use the approach for a multirandom variable model. This is performed on a multidimensional random domain in which the quadrature locations are the tensor products of the single dimensional quadrature nodes. Additionally, in the present study, parameter variations have been tracked for both single and multiple bifurcations in a series. The performance of the multidimensional PCE in capturing the series of stochastic bifurcations is investigated.

In our earlier work on an uncertain aeroelastic system, we have used a Gauss-Hermite quadrature scheme to evaluate the chaos coefficient in a one-dimensional approach.


In this article we generalise part of Theorem 1.1 to representations on modules over unital rings in which p is invertible. In this purely algebraic setting, we can only define the character as a function where it is locally constant. To prove (a) and (b), we describe explicit neighbourhoods on which tr π is constant. In characteristic 0, similar results are due to Adler and Korman [1] .

In characteristic 0, similar results are due to Adler and Korman.


The paper is organized as follows: in §1 we recall some basic definitions and properties about MV-algebras and l-groups. In §2 we introduce the notion of quasi l-group and we outline its relations with quasi MV-algebras. In Section §3 we introduce an analogous for quasi MV-algebras of the Γ functor for MV-algebras [5] . Finally, section §4 is dedicated to the study of categorical duality between these quasi l-groups and quasi MV-algebras.

In Section §3 we introduce an analogous for quasi MV-algebras of the Γ functor for MV-algebras.


The number of infants supported in child-care centers has been increasing remarkably, due to changes in major social and demographic trends, altering the structure and function of families in Korea. Parents as well as health care professionals are concerned about the health and safety of children who spend all or part of their days in child-care settings. These concerns include the high incidence of infectious diseases transmission among child-care populations [1] . In fact, it was reported that children who attend child-care centers have higher prevalence of infectious diseases [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] . Conventional health intervention program to reduce these incidences of infectious diseases in child-care center seems insufficient.

These concerns include the high incidence of infectious diseases transmission among child-care populations.

In fact, it was reported that children who attend child-care centers have higher prevalence of infectious diseases.


Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the major causes of heart failure. According to latest estimates, 610,000 new attacks and 325,000 recurrent attacks of MI were reported in America annually [1] . We have been witnessing several rapid developments in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. In fact, numerous patients can now survive an acute MI and undergo remodeling of their left ventricle (LV). According to left ventricular remodeling, a series of histopathologic changes occur in the myocardium. Structural changes are also observed in the left ventricular chamber as the MI diminishes through systolic performance and stroke volume [2] . The analysis between LV remodeling and clinical outcomes indicates that drug therapies contain or reverse the remodeling process. This can have favorable natural history effects in short-term and long-term therapies [3] . Traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) have protective effects on ventricular remodeling [4, 5] . These provide alternative methods on prevention ventricular remodeling to ameliorate the prognosis of MI. To elucidate the underlying mechanism of effective TCM formulae on ventricular remodeling, especially the classical formulae, would not only provide a better understanding of them, but also give a translational chance for the ancient formulae.

According to latest estimates, 610,000 new attacks and 325,000 recurrent attacks of MI were reported in America annually.

Structural changes are also observed in the left ventricular chamber as the MI diminishes through systolic performance and stroke volume.

This can have favorable natural history effects in short-term and long-term therapies.

Traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) have protective effects on ventricular remodeling.


In summary, many researchers have explored the effect of imagery on cognitive tasks (Hird et al., 1991 , Smith & Collins, 2004 Wrisberg & Ragsdale, 1979) . Although the studies appear to have incorporated differing levels of functional equivalence, for example, the inclusion of emotions or response propositions, the PETTLEP model has not been systematically tested using a cognitive task. Therefore, this was the aim of the present study. This study, once again, compared PETTLEP based imagery to traditional imagery and physical practice to assess the effectiveness of the three interventions. A control group was included to assess any habitual effects that may have occurred. Also, as the intervention was carried out immediately prior to performance, implications may be apparent for the use of PETTLEP imagery as part of a pre-performance routine.

In summary, many researchers have explored the effect of imagery on cognitive tasks.


Following the pre-test, the imagery interventions were introduced to the participants. The PETTLEP imagery group were given response training (Lang, Kozak, Miller, Levin & McLean, 1980) . This training involved focusing the participants upon their actual and individual responses to the imagined situation, for example, their nervousness and anticipation at certain points of the circuit. As individual responses are the focus, the responses varied from participant to participant, as different participants responded to different elements of the task in different ways. The traditional imagery group received stimulus training, where the focus was on the stimuli, rather than the participant's response to the situation and, as a result, tended to be similar from participant to participant. The points raised included when the turns on the track were going to occur and the lighting in the room. Of course, it is possible that the traditional imagery group added their own responses, but these would not have been as structured as those completing response training.

The PETTLEP imagery group were given response training.


Miscanthus is a genus that comprises about 15 species of perennial grasses. These plants are native to tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and South Asia, and even temperate zones of Asia. Miscanthus belong to the family of Poaceae and was first described by Andersson [1] . Miscanthus are nonwood rhizomatous C4 perennial grasses which have an estimated productive life of at least 10-15 years. Miscanthus x giganteus is a sterile hybrid between Miscanthus sinensis and Miscanthus sacchariflorus that can grow to heights more than 3.5 m in one single growth season. This, coupled with a high density of shoots, leads to a very high production values per year ( 25 t/ha), depending on the bioclimatic location. The typical harvest season is when senescence occurred, in later winter, coinciding with low moisture content (15-20%) . The high productivity is due to its C4 photosynthetic metabolism, identical to that of other tropical plants such as corn, sugar cane or sorghum. Thanks to this metabolism, the plant optimizes the absorption of carbon dioxide and its subsequent transformation into organic matter, also shown greater efficiency in light, water and nitrogen use than other C3 plants.

Miscanthus belong to the family of Poaceae and was first described by Andersson.


Recent studies on cardiac autonomic modulations (CAM) are usually dependent on the evaluation of the chronotropic effects of sympathetic and parasympathetic fibers on the heart [15, 16] . The frequency domain method used for evaluation of heart rate variability (HRV) is among the most useful indicators of CAM [16] . In the frequency domain method, the popular indices used to determine sympathetic and parasympathetic CAM are low frequency (LF) and high frequency (HF) of power spectrum density, respectively [15] . Alternatively, low frequency/high frequency ratio (LF/LH) is used to evaluate sympathovagal balance [15, 16] .

Recent studies on cardiac autonomic modulations (CAM) are usually dependent on the evaluation of the chronotropic effects of sympathetic and parasympathetic fibers on the heart.

The frequency domain method used for evaluation of heart rate variability (HRV) is among the most useful indicators of CAM.

In the frequency domain method, the popular indices used to determine sympathetic and parasympathetic CAM are low frequency (LF) and high frequency (HF) of power spectrum density, respectively.

Alternatively, low frequency/high frequency ratio (LF/LH) is used to evaluate sympathovagal balance.


Contemporary marketing strategies require technological knowledge and skills for conducting successful goal-directed business activities. Therefore, business school educations should provide technological competence and application of technology to improve students' abilities to perform more efficiently and effectively in their future careers (Chonko, 1993) . In recent years, marketing educators in particular have been trying to satisfy these current needs of business and industry by incorporating the latest technologies into their courses. Previous research has shown that educational technology tools enhance student learning and develop career skills (Clarke, Flaherty, & Mottner, 2001; Hunt, Eagle, & Kitchen, 2004; Kırkgöz, 2011; McCabe & Meuter, 2011; Young, Klemz, & Murphy, 2003) . However, further research with clearly defined multiple learning outcomes and supported with empirical evidence is needed to understand the role of educational technology on learning (Clarke, Flaherty, & Mottner, 2001; Hunt, Eagle, & Kitchen, 2004; McCabe & Meuter, 2011; Young, Klemz, & Murphy, 2003) . Thus, this study aims to broaden the existing body of knowledge by examining the impacts of incorporating an educational technology tool into the classroom education, the use of video camera for recording and then discussing in-class group project presentations, on five student-perceived outcomes: oral presentation skill, communication skill, career skill, learning motivation, and overall course evaluation. It also investigates students' evaluations of this educational technology, and how these evaluations are related with the learning outcomes perceptions.

Therefore, business school educations should provide technological competence and application of technology to improve students' abilities to perform more efficiently and effectively in their future careers.

Previous research has shown that educational technology tools enhance student learning and develop career skills.

However, further research with clearly defined multiple learning outcomes and supported with empirical evidence is needed to understand the role of educational technology on learning.


It is well-known that the structure of a-SiO 2 or a-GeO 2 consists of a continuous random network (CRN) of rigid (AO 1/2 ) 4 (A = Ge, Si) tetrahedral units connected through flexible, bridging A\ \O\ \A bonds [1] . The local SRO is usually characterized by the tetrahedral O\ \A\ \O angle (θ) and the A\ \O\ \A bridging angle (φ). Despite the similarities between CRNs of a-SiO 2 and a-GeO 2 , the structure of the latter is much less studied experimentally and theoretically. To investigate the structural details and to simulate different experimental conditions, realistic atomistic models are necessary. Because amorphous glasses have no long range order (LRO), such models must use periodic boundary conditions with a sufficiently large cell to simulate an infinite random network. However, imposing periodic boundary conditions on a directionally bonded network while maintaining the approximate SRO is not an easy task. Most structural models for a-SiO 2 are either in the form of large clusters, or they are generated by using classical molecular dynamics (MD) or Monte Carlo (MC) techniques [1] . The cluster models suffer from the presence of free surfaces which complicates the analysis [7, 8] . Conversely, MD/MC models always contain defective structures of under-coordinated or over-coordinated Si and O atoms and have much larger bond length and bond angle distortions [9] . The presence of such defect structures could result in the presence of undesirable states in the band gap making interpretation of experimental data more challenging. Previously, we have constructed a nearly perfect CRN model of a-SiO 2 with a 1296-atom periodic cell and have investigated its electronic, vibrational, optical and mechanical properties including the effect of densification [9] [10] [11] [12] . Here, we adopt this model as a starting point and used it to investigate the electronic structure and optical properties of a-GeO 2 .

It is well-known that the structure of a-SiO 2 or a-GeO 2 consists of a continuous random network (CRN) of rigid (AO 1/2 ) 4 (A = Ge, Si) tetrahedral units connected through flexible, bridging A\ \O\ \A bonds.

Most structural models for a-SiO 2 are either in the form of large clusters, or they are generated by using classical molecular dynamics (MD) or Monte Carlo (MC) techniques.

The cluster models suffer from the presence of free surfaces which complicates the analysis.

Conversely, MD/MC models always contain defective structures of under-coordinated or over-coordinated Si and O atoms and have much larger bond length and bond angle distortions.

Previously, we have constructed a nearly perfect CRN model of a-SiO 2 with a 1296-atom periodic cell and have investigated its electronic, vibrational, optical and mechanical properties including the effect of densification.


In conclusion, we report the results of electronic structure and optical property calculations for a large CRN model for a-GeO 2 using accurate ab initio methods. Similar results for the a-SiO 2 model of the same size and the crystalline GeO 2 are used for comparison and interpretation of the optical data. The BL and BO distributions have a Gaussian type distribution reflecting the nearly-perfect coordinated models. The a-GeO 2 model has a broad θ distribution and a slightly skewed symmetric Gaussian distribution for φ, which is narrower than the respective distribution for a-SiO 2 . Also, a-GeO 2 has a smaller band gap compared to silica and a lower mean BO compared to a-SiO 2 [11] . The difference in the electronic structure between a-GeO 2 and a-SiO 2 is reflected in the calculated TDOS due to the different atomic configurations and sizes of Ge and Si atoms. The calculated refractive index for a-GeO 2 is 1.691 which is close to the experimental value of 1.64 for quartz c-GeO 2 . By adding an ad hoc excitonic peak to the calculated absorption curve for a-SiO 2 , we show that the estimated refractive index for a-SiO 2 can be improved. The present study can be further extended to other related glass models such as composite mixtures of a-SiO 2 and a-GeO 2 , models containing specific defects or intentional doping in glasses, and even with vitreous nano-particles. It can also be used for targeted study of specific defective structures or inclusion of intentionally doped impurities. It is also important to perform further experiments in elucidating the possible existence of exciton in both c-GeO 2 and a-GeO 2 .

Also, a-GeO 2 has a smaller band gap compared to silica and a lower mean BO compared to a-SiO 2.


The analyses provided in this chapter have shown the West African Sahel to be a harsh environment, stressed by a fastgrowing population and consequently increasing pressure on the scarce natural resources. Increases in temperature and/or modifications in rainfall quantities and distribution will substantially impact on ecosystems and livelihoods in the region and most likely exacerbate and accelerate the current 'downward spiral' of underdevelopment, poverty and environmental degradation. While increases in rainfall as projected in some models would not produce unambiguous benefits, it is clear that a substantial increase in drought frequency and severity would have very damaging consequences. Human coping strategies in response to increasing uncertainty in food supply as a result of climate change and the associated negative effects on the environment put additional and disturbing pressure on the natural resources, leading to accelerated land degradation and desertification and thus create a 'vicious circle of underdevelopment' (Lüdeke et al. 2004; Brooks 2004; Petschel-Held et al. 1999) .

Human coping strategies in response to increasing uncertainty in food supply as a result of climate change and the associated negative effects on the environment put additional and disturbing pressure on the natural resources, leading to accelerated land degradation and desertification and thus create a 'vicious circle of underdevelopment'.


Annual and decadal rainfall quantity and distribution vary greatly, but water and in particular, potable water is a scarce resource in all Sahel countries. Besides erratic rainfall patterns, poor soils and unfavorable socioeconomic conditions are key constraints to agricultural development (Breman 1990) . Especially in dry years, the livelihood, particularly of the rural population, is threatened, contributing to a vicious circle of underdevelopment, poverty and resource depletion (Lüdeke et al. 2004) . Changes in rainfall patterns, temperatures and/or in the frequency or severity of extreme events will have direct impacts on crop yields with possibly severe consequences for the food security situation.

Besides erratic rainfall patterns, poor soils and unfavorable socioeconomic conditions are key constraints to agricultural development.

Especially in dry years, the livelihood, particularly of the rural population, is threatened, contributing to a vicious circle of underdevelopment, poverty and resource depletion.


Acoustic energy harvesting is a relatively young subfield within energy harvesting due to the low power density of its sources, but it is increasingly hunted due to the ubiquitous nature of the source as well as the technological developments in the realization of truly autonomous MEMS devices and energy storage systems. With the global concern for energy and environmental issues, growing interests have been devoted to acoustic energy harvesting and it becomes a research frontier [1] . Low frequency noise is an inherent by-product of this technology, which is hardly investigated to explore the possibility of harvesting or to effectively control yet.

With the global concern for energy and environmental issues, growing interests have been devoted to acoustic energy harvesting and it becomes a research frontier.


The rapid growth of consumer electronics is an intense trend today, which modernize the way we communicate and entertain ourselves. The huge deployment of these low power electronics has paved a great foundation for new mechanisms of converting unused available energy into usable (electrical) energy. The unharnessed energy from the surrounding environment have the benefit of being ample, pervasive and cause less environmental harm. The so called energy harvesting technology has therefore hit a tipping point providing energy security and stability in this era of energy crisis [1] . Advanced technical developments have sparked interest in the engineering community to develop more and more applications that utilize power from energy harvesting, thereby contributing to the realization of an infinite source of energy.

The so called energy harvesting technology has therefore hit a tipping point providing energy security and stability in this era of energy crisis.


A still open issue is the question how to find and specify appropriate similarity criteria. In certain cases, basic similarity measures like the edit distance are probably not sufficient. As described in Section 3, application-specific similarity measures implementing domain heuristics (e.g. permutation of first name and last name) based on basic edit distances is often a viable approach. However, choosing the right thresholds and combinations of predicates during the design phase of an integrated system often requires several trial-and-error cycles. This process can be supported by analytical processing steps as shown in Section 7 and according tools. Such tools should allow an interactive investigation of analytical results as well corresponding samples from the data level, and are part of our information fusion workbench [4] . Providing the similarity-based operators as query primitives instead of dedicated application tools simplifies this and opens the opportunity for optimization.

Such tools should allow an interactive investigation of analytical results as well corresponding samples from the data level, and are part of our information fusion workbench.


Social anxiety disorder, also commonly referred as social phobia, is one of the most prevalent mental disorders [1] . People with social phobia experience a strong fear of being judged negatively by others and of being embarrassed in social situations (e.g., talking to other people or eating or drinking in front of other people). The gold standard to treat patients with social phobia is cognitive behaviour therapy with the central component being gradual exposure in vivo, whereby patients are gradually exposed to anxiety provoking real-life situations until they habituate to the anxiety provoking social situations. Although exposure in vivo is an effective treatment for most patients, it is also associated with some limitations, such as the limited therapeutic control over different aspects of exposure and a relatively high number of drop outs as some patients are not willing to get exposed to feared situations [2] [3] [4] .

Social anxiety disorder, also commonly referred as social phobia, is one of the most prevalent mental disorders.

Although exposure in vivo is an effective treatment for most patients, it is also associated with some limitations, such as the limited therapeutic control over different aspects of exposure and a relatively high number of drop outs as some patients are not willing to get exposed to feared situations.


Sand material is usually difficult to meet the engineering requirements for foundation, slop, and embankment construction due to its looseness and small cohesive force. Hence, it is important to reinforce the sand. At present, chemical materials such as concrete, lime cement, and organic polymer are often chosen as the reinforcement material. Concrete, cement, and lime can all improve the sand strength [1] [2] [3] . But the reinforced sands can fracture easily due to the water loss. Furthermore, the use of lime or cement can change the pH of the sand, causing environment pollution and impact on vegetation growth [4, 5] .

Concrete, cement, and lime can all improve the sand strength.

Furthermore, the use of lime or cement can change the pH of the sand, causing environment pollution and impact on vegetation growth.


Recently, the organic polymer has been considered as reinforce agent to solve the deficiencies mentioned above [6, 7] . Many types of organic polymers as reinforcement materials have been studied systematically by laboratory and field tests [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] . The polymer stabilizers have been used to improve the soil to meet the engineering requirements in desert land restoration, forest road, and borehole [8] [9] [10] . The reinforced soil has shown a reduction in wind erosion and sand dune movement. The Atterberg limits, swelling potential, and swelling pressures of soil treated with polymer are reduced strongly. The excavated soil can be stabilized using the polymer to make the boreholes with larger diameter and length. The water resistance, heat resistance, unconfined compressive strength, and flexural strength of soil can also be improved by polymer material [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] . Therefore, the organic polymer material has more advantages in soil reinforcement.

Recently, the organic polymer has been considered as reinforce agent to solve the deficiencies mentioned above.

Many types of organic polymers as reinforcement materials have been studied systematically by laboratory and field tests.

The polymer stabilizers have been used to improve the soil to meet the engineering requirements in desert land restoration, forest road, and borehole.

The water resistance, heat resistance, unconfined compressive strength, and flexural strength of soil can also be improved by polymer material.


Ultrafine particles (UFPs), defined as particles with the diameter d p less than 0.1 µm (or called PM 0.1 ), are drawing public concerns because they are cleared less quickly and completely from the lung than larger PMs under chronic or repeated exposure and may translocate across the lung epithelium into the circulatory system, leading to potential adverse effect on the cardiovascular system and other organs (HEI, 2013) . The adverse effect could be attributed to their number and surface area concentrations, and concentration of bounded toxic air pollutants on them (Chen et al., 2010a; Leitte et al., 2011; Hata et al., 2013) . Among all PM fractions, nanoparticles were found to cause the major health risk because of low clearance and rate and high deposition efficiency in the respiratory system (Gorbunov et al., 2013) . In order to understand the major sources and evolution of UFPs to facilitate the prediction of air quality and develop mitigation strategies, it is very important to conduct long term measurements of UFPs.

Ultrafine particles (UFPs), defined as particles with the diameter d p less than 0.1 µm (or called PM 0.1 ), are drawing public concerns because they are cleared less quickly and completely from the lung than larger PMs under chronic or repeated exposure and may translocate across the lung epithelium into the circulatory system, leading to potential adverse effect on the cardiovascular system and other organs.

The adverse effect could be attributed to their number and surface area concentrations, and concentration of bounded toxic air pollutants on them.

Among all PM fractions, nanoparticles were found to cause the major health risk because of low clearance and rate and high deposition efficiency in the respiratory system.


The better condition to terminate the incubation is when the pH of the dairy product reached to 6. In acidic condition CLA production may be inhibited [35] [36] [37] . At incubation time of 37 h, probiotic bacteria were survived and their growth related metabolite production could be developed. Moreover, this can inhibit the detrimental impact of lactic acids produced by L. delbrueckii subspecies bulgaricus. It should be noted production of organic acids in yogurt is directly related to bacterial growth.

In acidic condition CLA production may be inhibited.


The statistical analyses of HCV incidence were undertaken using an a priori defined statistical protocol, as follows. First, baseline characteristics of study participants stratified by housing (stable vs. unstable) were examined to evaluate potential baseline differences between these populations. Variables considered included: gender; age; ethnicity (Aboriginal vs. non-Aboriginal); residency in Vancouver's HIV epicenter known as the Downtown Eastside (DTES); use of methadone; sex trade involvement; daily heroin injection; daily cocaine injection; daily methamphetamine injection; daily crack smoking; used syringe borrowing; unsafe sex (defined as vaginal or anal sex without a condom); incarceration (defined as being in detention, jail, or prison). All variable definitions were identical to earlier studies and most heroin in Vancouver is believed to be from Asia, primarily Burma [13, 19] . All behavioral variables were in reference to the prior six months, except for methadone use, which referred to cur-rent use. Pearson's chi-squared test was used to compare categorical variables, and continuous variables were compared using the Wilcoxon rank sum test.

All variable definitions were identical to earlier studies and most heroin in Vancouver is believed to be from Asia, primarily Burma.


Lynch syndrome, formerly known as hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by germline mutations in the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2. Recently, we have shown that MMR gene mutation carriers are at increased risk of developing cancers of the colorectum and endometrium, as well as cancers of the ovary, kidney, pancreas, stomach, urinary bladder and breast [1] . They are also at an increased risk of developing second primary cancers, including those in the breast and prostate [2, 3] . Over 80 % of colorectal cancers diagnosed in individuals with Lynch syndrome have tumor microsatellite instability (MSI) or loss of expression of one or more of the MMR proteins by immunohistochemistry (collectively termed MMR-deficiency) [4, 5] . Morphologically, colorectal cancers in people with Lynch syndrome frequently demonstrate high histologic grade, solid growth pattern and conspicuous lymphocytic infiltration [6] .

Recently, we have shown that MMR gene mutation carriers are at increased risk of developing cancers of the colorectum and endometrium, as well as cancers of the ovary, kidney, pancreas, stomach, urinary bladder and breast.

They are also at an increased risk of developing second primary cancers, including those in the breast and prostate.

Over 80 % of colorectal cancers diagnosed in individuals with Lynch syndrome have tumor microsatellite instability (MSI) or loss of expression of one or more of the MMR proteins by immunohistochemistry (collectively termed MMR-deficiency).

Morphologically, colorectal cancers in people with Lynch syndrome frequently demonstrate high histologic grade, solid growth pattern and conspicuous lymphocytic infiltration.


Because of the resemblance of uracil to the barbituric acid-like rings of oligomer II, we also conducted experiments in the presence of poly(U). In 50% DMF no stimulation of the reaction was observed at a monomer concentration of 0.0025 M (Table 1 ), but at a concentration of 0.01 M an effect was observed (Table 2) . After 5 weeks at 1 °C the total conversion of monomer to oligomer increased from 69 to 76% in the presence of poly(U), and the yield of oligomers with lengths of 10 and more increased by about twofold. In contrast to the experiments using oligomer II as template, addition of 2 or 4 equivalents of poly(U) produced no further stimulation of the reaction. This observation is in accord with the known properties of poly(U), for which self-structure is negligible. The rather moderate effect of the poly(U) template contrasts with earlier results obtained in the oligomerization of acyclic nucleoside analogues related to glycerol (Visscher and Schwartz 1988) . However, oligomer I is structurally further removed from poly(U) than were the earlier analogues, and constraints in the backbones of both oligomers may disfavor a conformation in which a hydrogen-bonded complex is possible.

The rather moderate effect of the poly(U) template contrasts with earlier results obtained in the oligomerization of acyclic nucleoside analogues related to glycerol.


Firstly, since the detailed sectoral water withdrawal data is not available in most regions in China, the use of wastewater discharge data in the compilation of sectoral water withdrawal data has been adopted by a couple of studies [58, 59] . The assumption of using wastewater discharge in this study is that water loss in production and from evaporation is negligible. Although such an assumption is valid as only a minor fraction of water is consumed in industries at the present time, this study can further be improved by incorporating detailed water data when they are available in the near future.

Firstly, since the detailed sectoral water withdrawal data is not available in most regions in China, the use of wastewater discharge data in the compilation of sectoral water withdrawal data has been adopted by a couple of studies.


A number of studies have been carried out to examine water requirements of energy production [3] [4] [5] . For the conventional energy production, water requirements can be substantial. For instance, in the United States (U.S.), thermo-electric water withdrawal for cooling purposes accounts for approximately 50% of total water withdrawal [6] .

A number of studies have been carried out to examine water requirements of energy production.

For instance, in the United States (U.S.), thermo-electric water withdrawal for cooling purposes accounts for approximately 50% of total water withdrawal.


These "Royal Family Portraits" paintings were kept as special ornaments in the living rooms of the rich, as an evidence of the family's high status and fine taste [15] . Portraying scenes of the royal families, most of the paintings' features and once bright colours were obscured by whitish haze, possibly corrosion or efflorescence. In some parts of the paintings, the extent of whitening made it difficult to appreciate the detail of the paintings' elements and the original motifs (for example, the clothing, carpet, and landscape in the background). In addition, the painting by Aye showed brown outlines that appeared darker and duller, suggesting an unusual chemical alteration. The use of zinc support could be influenced by Aye's practice in making religious paintings for the pagodas at Eindawya, also known to have deteriorated in condition [13] . It was possible that the zinc support was obtained from zinc sheet roofing common to traditional Burmese homes [16] . Selected for an upcoming exhibition, there were conservation concerns on the paint's stability and nature of the whitish haze, thereby initiating a scientific investigation of the degradation observed on the paintings. The two paintings investigated in this study belonged to a set of three, all of which were oil paintings on zinc support. The third painting, also executed by Saya Aye, did not show whitish haze and was not investigated in this study.

These "Royal Family Portraits" paintings were kept as special ornaments in the living rooms of the rich, as an evidence of the family's high status and fine taste.

The use of zinc support could be influenced by Aye's practice in making religious paintings for the pagodas at Eindawya, also known to have deteriorated in condition.

It was possible that the zinc support was obtained from zinc sheet roofing common to traditional Burmese homes.


Production/inventory management and marketing are both critical to the firm's success. Production-inventory systems are usually controlled with constant safety stock strategy in the situation with sufficient production capacity. However, optimal allocation of production capacity among the multiple products becomes quite important when the capacity is insufficient [4] . Also, production and inventory plans should be optimized according to the dynamic changes of seasonal demands in the planning horizon, which brings great challenges on the model and solution approach. In the other aspect, marketing efforts on the product can create and increase its demand, which simultaneously bring costs along with revenue. In practical business, many firms manage the production-inventory systems as well as the dynamic investment on marketing efforts, such as Huawei in China. Thus, coordinately optimization of production and marketing decisions is critical for this kind of firms and can further 2 Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society increase the efficiency for utilizing production capacity and marketing investment, which is a new opportunity for increasing profit.

However, optimal allocation of production capacity among the multiple products becomes quite important when the capacity is insufficient.


ECG recording is one of the simpler and efficient technology in sleep disorders detection. Cyclic variations in RR intervals (beat to beat heart rate) of ECG signals have been reported to be associated with sleep apnea events; this consists of bradycardia during apnea followed by tachycardia upon its cessation. This pattern had been successfully used to detect patients with clinical symptoms of sleep apnea [4] . Various studies have confirmed that several new methods could possibly recognize sleep apnea from heart rate variability (HRV) changes [5] . In 2004, Chazal, suggested an obstructive sleep apnea detection using statistical measurement of variables derived from RR-intervals and ECG-derived respiratory signal (EDR) [4] . In 2010, Yilmaz conducting research for the sleep stages classification and apnea using a single lead ECG. They used three features derived from the RR-interval, i.e. median, inter-quartile range (IQR), and the mean absolute deviation (MAD). Classification is performed using kNN, Quadratic Discriminant Analysis (QDA), and Support Vector Machines (SVM) [6] .

This pattern had been successfully used to detect patients with clinical symptoms of sleep apnea.

Various studies have confirmed that several new methods could possibly recognize sleep apnea from heart rate variability (HRV) changes.

In 2004, Chazal, suggested an obstructive sleep apnea detection using statistical measurement of variables derived from RR-intervals and ECG-derived respiratory signal (EDR).

Classification is performed using kNN, Quadratic Discriminant Analysis (QDA), and Support Vector Machines (SVM).


It is known that a behaviour of each element of a solid such as the electron or a more composite system (nucleus, atom) is characterised by its own de Broglie wavelength λ and own wave ψ-function. Based on our concept of space we can consider any solid as being built into the space net. In this case one can suggest that it is this inner substance, that exerts control over electrons and atoms in solids, in the same way as space governs a free moving elementary particle [18, 19] . The quantity λ of the composite system clearly characterises the coherent motion of all strong-coupling elementary particles of which the system is composed. Therefore, inerton clouds of separate particles merge into a common inerton cloud of the moving system and then relation (1) can be applied to this system as well. The application of the wave ψ-function to the description of the whole composite system should mean that any moving atom/nucleus is shrouded in an inerton cloud much as a free moving elementary particle.

In this case one can suggest that it is this inner substance, that exerts control over electrons and atoms in solids, in the same way as space governs a free moving elementary particle.


Automated summarization dates back to the fifties [12] . The different attempts in this field have shown that human-quality text summarization was very complex since it encompasses discourse understanding, abstraction, and language generation [25] . Simpler approaches were explored which consist in extracting representative textspans, using statistical techniques and/or techniques based on superficial domainindependent linguistic analyses. For these approaches, summarization can be defined as the selection of a subset of the document sentences which is representative of its content. This is typically done by ranking the document sentences and selecting those with higher score and with a minimum overlap. Most of the recent work in summarization uses this paradigm. Usually, sentences are used as text-span units but paragraphs have also been considered [18, 26] . The latter may sometimes appear more appealing since they contain more contextual information. Extraction based text summarization techniques can operate in two modes: generic summarization, which consists in abstracting the main ideas of a whole document and query-based summarization, which aims at abstracting the information relevant for a given query.

Automated summarization dates back to the fifties.

The different attempts in this field have shown that human-quality text summarization was very complex since it encompasses discourse understanding, abstraction, and language generation.

Usually, sentences are used as text-span units but paragraphs have also been considered.


It is evident, that a number of processes are involved in garlic florogenesis. However, only little is known of the basic chain of processes, which if successful, ends in normal flowering and fertility. Microscopic studies of bolting accessions provided evidence for the presence of at least four different patterns in inflorescence differentiation (Kamenetsky and Rabinowitch, 2001) . In spite of the fact that floral stalk elongation and flower differentiation occur simultaneously, the genetic regulation of the two processes is probably different, and bolting (scape elongation) is necessary, not merely a condition for normal flowering. Full bolters from our collections varied considerably in flowering ability, i.e., almost half the accessions produced mainly topsets in the umbel, and were not able to flower (Table 2) .

Microscopic studies of bolting accessions provided evidence for the presence of at least four different patterns in inflorescence differentiation.


Notably, within our sample, a higher prevalence of diabetes was determined using HbA 1c (7.3%, 95% CI: 6.3%-8.6%) compared to FPG (4.3%, 95% CI: 3.5%-5.2%). However, a similar type 2 diabetes prevalence rate in middle-aged Irish adults, defined by HbA 1c , was recently reported using data from the nationally representative 2007 Survey of Lifestyle, Attitudes and Nutrition (7.1%, 95% CI: 5.2%-9.0%) [40, 41] . It was also noted that diabetic subjects identified by HbA 1c or FPG within the present study displayed markedly similar cardiometabolic profiles. In addition, HbA 1c demonstrated high predictive ability for type 2 diabetes diagnosed by FPG 7.0 mmol/l levels. Conversely, HbA 1c showed poor discriminatory capacity for pre-diabetes defined by impaired FPG.

However, a similar type 2 diabetes prevalence rate in middle-aged Irish adults, defined by HbA 1c , was recently reported using data from the nationally representative 2007 Survey of Lifestyle, Attitudes and Nutrition (7.1%, 95% CI: 5.2%-9.0%).


The above collaborative to content-based mediation of UMs was evaluated using the EachMovie dataset (McJones 1997) . EachMovie is a collaborative filtering dataset, storing 2,811,983 ratings of 72,916 users on 1,628 movies. The ratings are given on a discrete scale between 0 and 1, and the possible ratings are 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0. EachMovie provides for every movie a URL to the movie description in the IMDb. As some URLs were outdated or invalid, in our evaluation we could use only a set of 1,529 movies with valid URLs. For these movies, we identified a set of 47,988 users who rated more than 10 movies with rating variance diverse from 0. In total, we obtained 2,667,605 ratings, yielding a rather sparse dataset with ratings density of 3.64%. We analyzed the distribution of the users in the dataset according to the number of movies rated by them. For this, we partitioned all the available users into 13 bins, according to the number of rated movies: under 25, 26 to 50, 51 to 75, 76 to 100,…, 201 to 225, 226 to 250, 251 to 300, 301 to 500 and over 500 movies. Table 1 shows the distribution of users among the bins. As can be seen from the table, most of the users in the dataset rated a relatively small number of movies. For example, 64.83% of the users rated fewer than 50 movies, 78.4% of the users rated fewer than 75 movies, and 85.92% of the users rated fewer than 100 movies.

The above collaborative to content-based mediation of UMs was evaluated using the EachMovie dataset.


To explain the observed aerosol structure in the afternoon, we present a conceptual diagram (Figure 10 ) that shows the relationship between AL and CBL heights and suggests several mechanisms that account for the differences. The various mechanisms are explained below. The wavy solid line depicts the lidar derived AL height, which is comparable to the height of the particle layer found from the LPDM simulation. The dashed line depicts the CBL height that was found from model output with the Ri-method. AL heights, which are somewhat higher in the higher-elevation southern part of the mountain range and thus follow the large-scale topography to some extent, reach a maximum altitude of about 4 km in the afternoon. CBL heights are considerably lower than AL heights, show more spatial variability, and tend to follow the terrain more than AL heights, although the extent to which the CBL height follows the terrain decreases during the day (De Wekker, 2002) . Average CBL heights, like the AL heights, are lower in the lower-elevation northern part of the mountain range.

CBL heights are considerably lower than AL heights, show more spatial variability, and tend to follow the terrain more than AL heights, although the extent to which the CBL height follows the terrain decreases during the day.


To explore this further consider an MSTID in the F-region oriented in the classic "Perkins" direction with a k vector 22.5 • south of due west. We associate this with the conditions for a neutral wind driven "instability" with a southward neutral wind (U s ) equal to 50 m/s and an eastward neutral wind (U e ) of the same value. These are reasonable values for the mid-latitude pre-midnight period. MSTIDs exhibit height integrated F-region Pedersen conductivities, F P , which are a factor of four or more higher in the high density, low altitude phase compared to the low density, high altitude phase (Makela and Kelley, 2003) . For simplicity and clarity we take the high conductivity region to be uniform and the low conductivity region to be negligible. This is a square wave model for the MSTID. For the moment we take the E region to have a uniform conductivity.

MSTIDs exhibit height integrated F-region Pedersen conductivities, F P , which are a factor of four or more higher in the high density, low altitude phase compared to the low density, high altitude phase.


The second gain change is a gain offset that originates from gain spectrum ripples and a dependence of the gain flatness on input wavelength allocations caused by the gain spectral hole burning (GSHB) effect due to homogeneous and inhomogeneous gain saturation [6] , [17] , [18] , [22] - [25] . Although gain offset has been commonly recognized as a significant phenomenon, detailed experimental investigations on its behavior under a condition of dynamic optical switching have not been reported to date. So far, gain offsets have been addressed on a case-by-case basis because optical paths have been operated statically rather than dynamically. Comprehensive investigations of gain offsets during dynamic optical switching and methods of suppression must be developed to realize dynamic optical switching and efficient optical communication systems.

The second gain change is a gain offset that originates from gain spectrum ripples and a dependence of the gain flatness on input wavelength allocations caused by the gain spectral hole burning (GSHB) effect due to homogeneous and inhomogeneous gain saturation.


Agile and reconfigurable wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) optical communication network systems are becoming more important for achieving low cost and energy efficiency, such as protection switching in optical domain or reconfiguring the optical layer to meet traffic fluctuations [1] - [3] . In these systems, optical or wavelength channel paths are dynamically established or deleted according to traffic demands. Such dynamic optical-switching operations change the allocations of wavelengths, as well as the total optical power in each optical link. Consequently, the input conditions of optical amplifiers on the link are dynamically changed; and thus suppressing gain changes in optical amplifiers due to the input changes is one of the most essential technologies enabling such dynamic and agile optical path switching network systems. To maintain a constant gain for arbitrary input wavelength conditions, the use of automatic gain control (AGC) erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) is needed.

Agile and reconfigurable wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) optical communication network systems are becoming more important for achieving low cost and energy efficiency, such as protection switching in optical domain or reconfiguring the optical layer to meet traffic fluctuations.


However, even with a perfect implementation of fast electronic gain control, WDM AGC EDFAs still suffer from two kinds of gain changes under dynamic optical switching. The first gain change is an optical surge resulting from the intrinsic transient response of EDFAs such as overshoot and undershoot [4] - [6] . To suppress such gain transients, various promising technologies have been proposed and experimentally demonstrated [7] - [14] . We have also shown that a fast electrical feed-forward control can significantly reduce fast gain transients without oscillatory responses under a condition of cascading EDFAs. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that a fast variable optical attenuator (VOA) can help suppress accumulated transients [15] , [16] .

The first gain change is an optical surge resulting from the intrinsic transient response of EDFAs such as overshoot and undershoot.

To suppress such gain transients, various promising technologies have been proposed and experimentally demonstrated.

Furthermore, we have demonstrated that a fast variable optical attenuator (VOA) can help suppress accumulated transients.


A possible solution to effectively address these issues is to use a coated-fabric composite made of a single material-single-polymer composite-called all-polyamide composite coated-fabric (APCCF), which is mechanically stronger and thermally stable and weighs less than PVCCF [9] . Additionally, APCCF is fully recyclable as it contains only a single material,l (PA) that is prepared by adhesion of the PA fabric and the PA solution made out of waste, making them a cost-effective and eco-friendly material [9] . In the perspective of environmental sustainability, the recycling of fabric and textiles decreases the use of natural resources, such as water or petroleum, that are being used for generating new fabric or textiles [10] . It also lowers the extent of chemical usage and the associated pollution that is encountered during the textile manufacturing process [11] . Currently, the most common method of recycling textiles is to use them as composite filler [12] . This method is however not effective as they do not maintain the quality or properties of the composites [13] . Hence, the development of a fabric-based bioreactor using recycled textile opens up the possibility of resource recovery and energy balance for an economically sustainable biofuel process.

A possible solution to effectively address these issues is to use a coated-fabric composite made of a single material-single-polymer composite-called all-polyamide composite coated-fabric (APCCF), which is mechanically stronger and thermally stable and weighs less than PVCCF.

Additionally, APCCF is fully recyclable as it contains only a single material,l (PA) that is prepared by adhesion of the PA fabric and the PA solution made out of waste, making them a cost-effective and eco-friendly material.

In the perspective of environmental sustainability, the recycling of fabric and textiles decreases the use of natural resources, such as water or petroleum, that are being used for generating new fabric or textiles.

It also lowers the extent of chemical usage and the associated pollution that is encountered during the textile manufacturing process.

Currently, the most common method of recycling textiles is to use them as composite filler.

This method is however not effective as they do not maintain the quality or properties of the composites.


A common challenge in multiple fields of the mechanical driveline technology consist of premature rolling bearing failures caused by white etching cracks (WEC). This failure mode can lead to bearing failure at 5-20% of the nominal life [1] . This damage pattern is characterized by sub-surface crack networks within regions of altered microstructure, which ultimately lead to axial cracking or spalling of the bearing's raceway. These altered regions are resistant to etching and are called white etching areas (WEA) due to their white appearance under reflected light.

This failure mode can lead to bearing failure at 5-20% of the nominal life.


The conduct of marital partners with regard to the way in which they spend money can influence the success of their relationship. Marriage counsellors point out that some of the most serious problems in a marriage are caused by the respective partners' attitudes and behaviour regarding money (Amato & Previti, 2003) . Most couples' perceptions of their financial position do not differ much, although they can hold different views regarding the critical nature of the state of affairs (Zagorsky, 2003) .

Marriage counsellors point out that some of the most serious problems in a marriage are caused by the respective partners' attitudes and behaviour regarding money.

Most couples' perceptions of their financial position do not differ much, although they can hold different views regarding the critical nature of the state of affairs.


A novel by-product of this investigation is an observed analogy of (the forced graded version of) the Humphreys-Verma conjecture with a finite group representation theoretic result of Alperin, Collins, and Sibley [1] . This latter work is recast in order to bring out this analogy. This approach leads to an improved statement of the theorem, and there are fruitful consequences on the algebraic group side as well; see below.

A novel by-product of this investigation is an observed analogy of (the forced graded version of) the Humphreys-Verma conjecture with a finite group representation theoretic result of Alperin, Collins, and Sibley.


Rockbursts are common disasters in underground engineering of high stress [15, 16] . When the rockburst occurs, the energy releases sharply, which makes the surrounding rockmasses suddenly broken under unknown conditions. It threatens the construction workers, underground equipment, and building safety. Rockbursts can be divided into two types: strain rockburst and impact rockburst. Both phenomena occur on the surfaces of the rockmasses, but the sources of force and time are different [17] . Rockbursts in coal mines have a large degree of damage and a wide range of influences, which may lead to serious disasters such as gas explosions [18] . Furthermore, rockbursts can cause fire, water inrush, and the destruction of the ventilation system, which are of great concern in rock dynamics [19] [20] [21] [22] .

Rockbursts are common disasters in underground engineering of high stress.

Both phenomena occur on the surfaces of the rockmasses, but the sources of force and time are different.

Rockbursts in coal mines have a large degree of damage and a wide range of influences, which may lead to serious disasters such as gas explosions.

Furthermore, rockbursts can cause fire, water inrush, and the destruction of the ventilation system, which are of great concern in rock dynamics.


Various physical, chemical, and biological methods have been proposed for the detoxification of aflatoxins [22] [23] [24] . Nevertheless, all these methods have their own drawbacks. To be successful, however, a detoxification strategy must ensure the Food and Agriculture Organization criteria such as destroy, inactivate or remove the mycotoxins, not produce or leave toxic and/or carcinogenic residue, and not alter significantly the nutritional and technological properties of the product and must be technically and economically feasible [25] .

Various physical, chemical, and biological methods have been proposed for the detoxification of aflatoxins.

To be successful, however, a detoxification strategy must ensure the Food and Agriculture Organization criteria such as destroy, inactivate or remove the mycotoxins, not produce or leave toxic and/or carcinogenic residue, and not alter significantly the nutritional and technological properties of the product and must be technically and economically feasible.


Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process plays a key role in refinery in terms of converting heavier feedstocks (i.e., vacuum gas oil, atmospheric residue and vacuum residue) into transportation fuels, such as diesel and gasoline [1] . Conventionally, the spent FCC catalyst is reactivated via coke combustion in the fluidized bed regenerator. It will generate excessive heat in the system because of its high coke yield when treating heavy oil. External catalyst cooler or boiler should be applied to extract the heat and maintain the heat balance of the operation, which leads to great waste of carbon resources and high SOx and NOx emissions during coke combustion. On the other hand, hydrogen is usually of great deficiency in the refinery, especially processing heavy oil into light oil products [2] . As a result, the oil cracking combined coke gasification process is proposed, that is, to gasify the deposited coke on the spent catalyst using steam to produce syngas.

Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process plays a key role in refinery in terms of converting heavier feedstocks (i.e., vacuum gas oil, atmospheric residue and vacuum residue) into transportation fuels, such as diesel and gasoline.

On the other hand, hydrogen is usually of great deficiency in the refinery, especially processing heavy oil into light oil products.


Polygalacturonase activity was readily obtained from S. maydis cultures grown in liquid medium with pectin as a sole carbon source, or on maize cell walls, which is a better re¯ection of the in vivo environment. This indicates that this class of enzymes may play a role in the biochemical armoury of S. maydis during infection of maize. F. moniliforme, another necrotrophic pathogen of maize, produces four forms of an endopolygalacturonase when grown on pectin [9] . These are all derived from the same gene, but subjected to dierential glycosylation by posttranslational modi®cation [11] . In another fungal pathogen of maize, Cochliobolus carbonum, knockout mutagenesis of an endopolygalacturonase gene ( png1) did not have an eect on pathogenicity [40] . This was initially interpreted as evidence that endopolygalacturonase was not required. However, a subsequent study indicated that there was functional redundancy of these enzymes, thereby enabling the fungus to reprogramme its physiology to grow on pectin and retain pathogenicity [39] . Future studies of the expression of these fungal enzymes in planta would provide some answers as to the role of polygalacturonases in pathogenicity.

F. moniliforme, another necrotrophic pathogen of maize, produces four forms of an endopolygalacturonase when grown on pectin.

These are all derived from the same gene, but subjected to dierential glycosylation by posttranslational modi®cation.

In another fungal pathogen of maize, Cochliobolus carbonum, knockout mutagenesis of an endopolygalacturonase gene ( png1) did not have an eect on pathogenicity.

However, a subsequent study indicated that there was functional redundancy of these enzymes, thereby enabling the fungus to reprogramme its physiology to grow on pectin and retain pathogenicity.


S. maydis colonises maize stalk, leaf and shank tissues by direct penetration of epidermal cells, which involves enzymatic degradation [5] . Ear infection is commonly the result of initial fungal infection of the shank, from where it moves up into the ear. Many pathogenic fungi produce polygalacturonase enzymes at early stages of infection to degrade the pectin component of plant cell walls [29] . Pectin is a complex polysaccharide, which is broken down by a suite of enzymes, including polygalacturonases with endo-and exo-modes of action, pectate lyases, pectin lyases and pectin methylesterases [16] . In necrotrophic fungi, it is the endopolygalacturonases that are largely responsible for the large-scale maceration of plant cells, whereby galacturonides are released to provide a source of nutrition for the invading fungus [17, 18] .

S. maydis colonises maize stalk, leaf and shank tissues by direct penetration of epidermal cells, which involves enzymatic degradation.

Many pathogenic fungi produce polygalacturonase enzymes at early stages of infection to degrade the pectin component of plant cell walls.

Pectin is a complex polysaccharide, which is broken down by a suite of enzymes, including polygalacturonases with endo-and exo-modes of action, pectate lyases, pectin lyases and pectin methylesterases.

In necrotrophic fungi, it is the endopolygalacturonases that are largely responsible for the large-scale maceration of plant cells, whereby galacturonides are released to provide a source of nutrition for the invading fungus.


Implications for Management and Conservation of Pseudotsuga in Mexico. Finally, the results of this study could be relevant to the management and conservation of Douglas-Þr stands in Mexico, where Douglas-Þr is a threatened species included in the Norma OÞcial Mexicana NOM-059- ECOL-2001 (SEMARNAT, 2002 . For example, differences may exist between subspecies in their pheromones and olfactory response as has been shown to exist in geographically distant populations of another wide-spread North American bark beetle, Ips pini (Say) (Lanier et al. 1972) . Researchers now have a rational basis for investigating such possibilities.

For example, differences may exist between subspecies in their pheromones and olfactory response as has been shown to exist in geographically distant populations of another wide-spread North American bark beetle, Ips pini (Say).


Ordinal ranking of items has previously been used within Delphi studies (Claxton, Ritchie, & Zaichkowsky, 1980) . This study used a 3-point ordinal scale. The advantage of such a scale was that it provided a clear method for ranking items, which could then be easily transposed into a meaningful guideline for therapists and researchers engaged in the design and appraisal of CBT treatment manuals. Likert scales are, however, more commonly used in Delphi research as they allow for greater sensitivity in data analysis and meaningful reportage of both central tendencies and levels of dispersion (Love, 1997; Hasson, Keeney, & McKenna, 2000) .

Ordinal ranking of items has previously been used within Delphi studies.

Likert scales are, however, more commonly used in Delphi research as they allow for greater sensitivity in data analysis and meaningful reportage of both central tendencies and levels of dispersion.


Poor recruitment and retention of participants significantly impacts on the credibility of research findings. From an initial pool of 35 individuals, only 9 (26%) subsequently completed the three rounds of the study. The reasons for this low response were various and included lack of availability of correct e-mail addresses (n = 15), refusal to participate (n = 2) and non response (n = 4). Fourteen individuals consented to participate; however, despite reminders, only 10 participants responded to round one, whilst a further one dropped out in round two. Non-respondent bias has been noted to be one of the main disadvantages of the Delphi approach (Cantrill, Sibbald, & Buetow, 1996) . As ultimately only 26% of the potential population participated in the study, it is important to consider that the findings may be unrepresentative.

Non-respondent bias has been noted to be one of the main disadvantages of the Delphi approach.


The study of magnetic behavior of ferrites has attracted considerable attention from past few decades, in particular because deviations from bulk behavior have been widely reported for particle sizes below about 100 nm range. This is because of finite-size effects and the increasing fraction of atoms lying at the surface with lower atomic coordination than in the core as the size of the particle decreases, thus giving rise to a significant decrease in the particle magnetization (Batlle et al. 2011) . The surface spin disorder due to symmetry breaking at the surface leads to a smaller saturation magnetization, high field differential susceptibility, extremely high closure fields, and shifted hysteresis loops after field cooling the sample, together with glassy behavior. This has been explained in terms of the existence of a surface layer of disordered spins that freeze in a spin-glass-like state due to magnetic frustration, yielding both an exchange field acting on the ordered core and an increase in the particle anisotropy. The most obvious and heavily studied finite-size effect is super-paramagnetism. The basic principle is that the magnetic anisotropy energy which keeps a particle magnetized in a particular direction is generally proportional to the particle volume. Therefore, below a critical size at room temperature, the thermal fluctuations are sufficient to rotate the particle magnetization, hence demagnetizing an assembly of such particles. Although this is a well-studied effect, it is understood only on a phenomenological level.

This is because of finite-size effects and the increasing fraction of atoms lying at the surface with lower atomic coordination than in the core as the size of the particle decreases, thus giving rise to a significant decrease in the particle magnetization.


As regards the issues that imposed some restrictions on our study, we would first refer to the small sample size, plus the unequal sample sizes that made us correct it at the expense of having an even smaller sample (16 in each of the writing proficiency groups). In fact, this was due to the unavailability of participants and thus we acknowledge that the results are not generalizable. On top of that, self-report data gathering tools such as questionnaires and interviews have their own weaknesses especially when the participants are reluctant (Jacobs and Paris 1987) . Furthermore, the limitation inherent in the interview as the data collection technique was that the researcher had to rely on the interviewees' reports of their metacognitive awareness while the statements produced by the participants may have been distorted by their memories and imperfect recall.

On top of that, self-report data gathering tools such as questionnaires and interviews have their own weaknesses especially when the participants are reluctant.


Here there is a caveat that is our concern. Although skilled writers showed much higher procedural awareness, one cannot deny the fact that strategy has a capability of becoming implicit and automatized to that extent that it could be hardly ever accessible to skillful writers' consciousness (DeKeyser 2003; Scheffler and Cinciała 2010) . Moreover, no agreements have been reached in term of the degree of consciousness involved in metacognitive knowledge and strategy (Cary and Reder 2002) . Therefore, regarding the procedural awareness, relying on qualitative analyses rather quantitative ones would yield more reliable results. This issue also applies to conditional metacognitive awareness because some of the participants including skilled and less-skilled writers did not explicitly know why and when they do what they do while preparing an essay. However, skilled writers showed a higher awareness of the conditions in which they employ strategies and this was unveiled through giving explicit examples in their interviews.

Although skilled writers showed much higher procedural awareness, one cannot deny the fact that strategy has a capability of becoming implicit and automatized to that extent that it could be hardly ever accessible to skillful writers' consciousness.

Moreover, no agreements have been reached in term of the degree of consciousness involved in metacognitive knowledge and strategy.


Firstly, planning has always been regarded as a fundamental skill of skilled writers. Similar to the obtained results, scholars have found that skilled writers take more time to make organized plans before writing (Becker 2006; Manchón and de Larios 2007; Sasaki 2002; Victori 1999) . In this regard, some studies showed that writers would not necessarily stick to their plan. In fact, their plan may be altered in the process of writing (Victori 1999; Sasaki 2002) . On the other hand, in the qualitative phase of the study, it was found that writers (especially skilled ones) tended to follow their initial plans without changing (Maftoon et al. 2014) . All in all, what is commonly accepted is that skillful writers devote more time and attention than less-skilled writers for planning.

Similar to the obtained results, scholars have found that skilled writers take more time to make organized plans before writing.

In fact, their plan may be altered in the process of writing.

On the other hand, in the qualitative phase of the study, it was found that writers (especially skilled ones) tended to follow their initial plans without changing.


The number M ∆,D is called the Moore bound, and a graph of order M ∆,D is called a Moore graph [32] . Moore graphs are rather scarce: they exist only for a few combinations of ∆ and D. For D = 1 and ∆ ≥ 1, they are the complete graphs on ∆ + 1 vertices. For D ≥ 2 and ∆ = 2, they are the cycles on 2D + 1 vertices. For D = 2, Moore graphs exist for ∆ = 2, 3, 7, and possibly 57.

The number M ∆,D is called the Moore bound, and a graph of order M ∆,D is called a Moore graph.


The conscious body experiences sensations either from the unconscious and or from the external world. This difference between the inner and the outer world, the anatomic and the psychic reign generates a cleavage, where the distinction of what is perceived is not what is impressed on the psychic level (Harris, 1998; Andrade, 2003) . That is a reason why the body image in not a simple outstanding projection, but it is a mind interpretation and imprint of the person´s idea of their own image. Thus, the inner body image is the image a person has of his or her own internal body, organs and systems, as well as its functionalities.

This difference between the inner and the outer world, the anatomic and the psychic reign generates a cleavage, where the distinction of what is perceived is not what is impressed on the psychic level.


Inspecting the drawings of the very young aged 5 to 7 year-olds revealed the same difficulties children have into drawing the human body and internal structures as previous found (Munari et al., 1976; Amann-Gainotti & Antenore, 1990; Reiss & Tunnicliffe, 2001; Manokore & Reiss, 2003) . The same trend was observed on inspection of our collected data from pre-adolescents and adolescents, particularly those participants aged 11 to 12 years-old. A tendency was observed in younger participants to depict body parts externally from the body outline, as well as sometimes decorative elements, such as ear-rings, necklaces and chains.

Inspecting the drawings of the very young aged 5 to 7 year-olds revealed the same difficulties children have into drawing the human body and internal structures as previous found.


P2P technologies have proved their effectiveness in building Internet applications that are both massively scalable and fault tolerant [6] . With the advent of large cloud data centers offering on demand access to computing resources, we argue that P2P overlay networks represent a viable solution for building elastic service systems that are capable to adapt their resource consumption to the dynamic workload. However, the shift from an Internet-based P2P environment to a cloud-based P2P environment requires a change in the way the system scales. Thus, in Internet-based P2P systems the peers join or leave the system at their will, while in a cloud environment the system itself should decide to scale in or out.

P2P technologies have proved their effectiveness in building Internet applications that are both massively scalable and fault tolerant.


The question of whether F P (Z) implies F 2 was solved by Bestvina and Brady [2] . To each finite flag complex L, they associated a group BB L in such a way that the finiteness properties of BB L were controlled by properties of L. This gave a systematic way to construct groups enjoying different finiteness properties. In particular, in the case when L is acyclic but is not contractible, they showed that BB L is F P (Z), and even F H(Z), but is not F 2 .

The question of whether F P (Z) implies F 2 was solved by Bestvina and Brady.


The ability to perceive, control and evaluate emotions refers to emotional intelligence [1] . Some researchers suggest that individuals with higher than average emotional intelligence are in general more successful in meeting environmental demands [2] . Also healthy self-esteem supports psychological stability and positive social activity [3] . Thus a high level of self-esteem and emotional intelligence are important for both adults' psychological stability and successful healthy activity. Is this the same for children? Researchers suggest that the high level of self-esteem and positive moods such as joy and interest indicate children in flourishing mental health. The core features of children's emotional development include the ability to identify and understand emotions in themselves and others, to manage strong emotions and their expression in a constructive manner, to regulate one's own behaviour, to develop empathy for others, and to establish and sustain relationships. Does a high level of children's self-esteem correspond with their higher than average emotional intelligence?

The ability to perceive, control and evaluate emotions refers to emotional intelligence.

Some researchers suggest that individuals with higher than average emotional intelligence are in general more successful in meeting environmental demands.

Also healthy self-esteem supports psychological stability and positive social activity.

Is this the same for children?