The design of this study allows us to make a global assessment of the growth of scientific SGA literature in Japan. The paper number has been through an exponenttial growth over the last 30 years, and especially after 2000, without evidence of reaching saturation postulated by Price's law [12] . As shown in Figure 1 , this date coincides with the approval for marketing by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other international regulatory agencies for olanzapine in treating manic episodes. Since 2004, other SGAs such as risperidone, quetiapine, ziprasidone, aripiprazole, and asenapine, etc., have been also approved for treating manic episodes, and olanzapine and aripiprazole for relapse prevention in patients with bipolar disorder [16] . Quetiapine is indicated as monotherapy for the acute treatment of depresssive episodes associated with bipolar disorder, and olanzapine-fluoxetine combination for treating treatmentresistant major depressive disorder. Also aripiprazole was approved in 2007 by the US FDA for treating treatment-resistant major depression as an add-on to an antidepressant [16] . Finally, SGAs are also commonly used (and studied) in many off-label indications, such as substance-induced psychosis, agitation symptoms, tics, substance abuse disorders, etc.

The paper number has been through an exponenttial growth over the last 30 years, and especially after 2000, without evidence of reaching saturation postulated by Price's law.

Since 2004, other SGAs such as risperidone, quetiapine, ziprasidone, aripiprazole, and asenapine, etc., have been also approved for treating manic episodes, and olanzapine and aripiprazole for relapse prevention in patients with bipolar disorder.

Also aripiprazole was approved in 2007 by the US FDA for treating treatment-resistant major depression as an add-on to an antidepressant.


To the PI of the different countries in scientific production on SGAs, the US and the UK, head the ranking of producer countries, and generate over one third of total scientific production in this field (36.7%). The fact that in these two countries are home to the pharmaceutical companies responsible for the development of SGAs (olanzapine, Eli Lilly; risperidone and paliperidone, Janssen Pharmaceutica; quetiapine, AstraZeneca; ziprasidone, Pfizer; aripiprazole, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Otsuka Pharmaceutical) may help explain this high PI. But strikingly, Japan is ranked as the sixth producer in this field, despite being responsible for the development of five SGAs (zotepine, perospirone, aripiprazole, blonanserin, and lurasidone) and the great importance of mental health, particularly in the area of schizophrenia. Japan was the first and the only Asian country in 2002 to rename schizophrenia into togo-shicchou-sho, in attempt to de-stigmatize those with this disorder [6] . This kind of effort made by the psychiatrists and lay public in Japan is not seen elsewhere in the world. Figure 3 shows how some countries, such as Belgium, India, or Spain, sit near the top of the ranking for SGA paper production with respect its general productivity in the Psychiatry & Neurology discipline, reflecting the special interest of these countries in SGA research. In a similar study, Taiwan which has only about one-fifth (23 million) of the population of Japan, had produced 359 papers from 1993 to 2011, being published in comparably prestigious journals [11] . Contrariwise, the lower relative interest in these drugs of countries such as France, the UK, Switzerland, and specially Japan (Figure 3) .

Japan was the first and the only Asian country in 2002 to rename schizophrenia into togo-shicchou-sho, in attempt to de-stigmatize those with this disorder.

In a similar study, Taiwan which has only about one-fifth (23 million) of the population of Japan, had produced 359 papers from 1993 to 2011, being published in comparably prestigious journals.


Although there are no specific data on SGAs published in this field, some authors, also applying bibliometric tools, have reported the research activity in the field of schizophrenia as superior to that of other fields of psychiatry [17] . These authors also suggest that the attraction of research on schizophrenia may have been positively affected by the clinical perception of the greater seriousness of the illness compared to other psychiatric illnesses. Moreover, Theander and Wetterberg reported that the number of references on schizophrenia in MEDLINE has followed the general increase of medical publications, which accounts for 0.42% compared to the total medical literature in the period studied [18] .

Although there are no specific data on SGAs published in this field, some authors, also applying bibliometric tools, have reported the research activity in the field of schizophrenia as superior to that of other fields of psychiatry.

Moreover, Theander and Wetterberg reported that the number of references on schizophrenia in MEDLINE has followed the general increase of medical publications, which accounts for 0.42% compared to the total medical literature in the period studied.


We would like to offer three reasons for Japanese productivity SGA publications as shown in Figure 3 . First, the reason can be illustrated in a historical case story of carbamazepine [19] . Takezaki and Hanaoka of Totorri prefecture in 1971 were the first two psychiatrists in the world to discover the use of carbamazapine in treating manic patients, but it took a long time to spread this scientific contribution outside of Japan because the original article was published in Senshin Igaku (Folio) [20] .

First, the reason can be illustrated in a historical case story of carbamazepine.

Takezaki and Hanaoka of Totorri prefecture in 1971 were the first two psychiatrists in the world to discover the use of carbamazapine in treating manic patients, but it took a long time to spread this scientific contribution outside of Japan because the original article was published in Senshin Igaku (Folio).


To date, the real nature of comets remains unknown and, over the last three decades, several space missions have pursued the task of approaching a comet for close investigation. The first probe to visit a comet was the ISEE-3/ICE probe, which reached the comet Giacobini-Zinner in 1985, proving the "dirty-snowball" theory with its observations [16] . Then, five spacecraft from the USSR (Vega 1 and 2), Japan (Sagigake and Suisei), and Europe (Giotto) were launched to make a flyby with Halley's comet in 1986. A more ambitious challenge was undertaken by space scientists in Contents lists available at ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/actaastro 1999 with the comet sample return mission known as Stardust [7] . Its spacecraft had a close encounter with comet Wild 2, collecting samples of comet dust in aerogel. More recently, NASA's Deep Impact probe was launched to reach comet Temple 1 in 2005 and send a projectile to it, creating an impact crater and carrying out spectroscopy of the ejected materials [6] .

The first probe to visit a comet was the ISEE-3/ICE probe, which reached the comet Giacobini-Zinner in 1985, proving the "dirty-snowball" theory with its observations.

A more ambitious challenge was undertaken by space scientists in Contents lists available at ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/actaastro 1999 with the comet sample return mission known as Stardust.

More recently, NASA's Deep Impact probe was launched to reach comet Temple 1 in 2005 and send a projectile to it, creating an impact crater and carrying out spectroscopy of the ejected materials.


A more spectacular approach to comet exploration is under completion, thanks to the European Space Agency's probe Rosetta [2] . As one of ESA's cornerstone missions, Rosetta is devoted to enhance our understanding of the formation and evolution of the solar system as well as the origin of life by investigating the 4 km-wide comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Unlike past missions, Rosetta is the first probe to carry out a close study of the nucleus, orbiting a spacecraft around the target comet. Even more challenging was its further goal of attempting the first ever landing on a comet surface, enabling the first ever in-situ analysis of cometary soil.

A more spectacular approach to comet exploration is under completion, thanks to the European Space Agency's probe Rosetta.


In this paper we argue for a need to look within the 'black box' of the firm and thus at the agency and practices of the multinational enterprise (MNE) within GPNs, and particularly processes of coupling with 'host' regions where both lead and supplier (e.g. 'strategic partners') firms can be MNEs. In this sense our multi-dimensional framework is concerned not just with lead corporations, but also incorporated firms with various roles within GPNs, and recognising they often fulfil diverse roles and strategies (Pickles et al, 2006) . Renewed understanding of the MNE can be an important element in a structurationist perspective vital to understanding the (spatially configured) relations between regional economies and GPNs.

In this sense our multi-dimensional framework is concerned not just with lead corporations, but also incorporated firms with various roles within GPNs, and recognising they often fulfil diverse roles and strategies.


Equatorial diameter (LED) ranged from 500 to 655 µm, with an average of 572 µm, and with most specimens between 540 and 640 µm in diameter (Fig. 3) . Isopolarity index ranged from 140 to 187, with an average of 158, and with most specimens having an isopolarity index of 150 to 170 (Fig. 3) . The number of ridges ranged from 10 to 16, with an average of 13. The ridges were narrow and slightly wider toward the apex (Figs 4:1, 4:3-4). Fossules of equal width ran the entire length of the oospore. The width of the fossules at the equator ranged from 38 to 75 µm, with an average of 54 µm, and with most fossules having a width of 45 to 62 µm (Fig. 3) . The fossa membrane was very finely granulated (Fig. 4:6) . At the base of some specimens, the remnants of the cell wall of the ensheathing cell formed talon-shaped protrusions, sometimes joined together in a basket-like structure (Figs 1:3-4; Fig. 4 :2). The basal pore was pentagonal and wide (Fig. 4:5) . Oospores of modern specimens of C. tomentosa have dimensions similar to those of the oospores from Core 63-J (Migula 1909; Dąmbska 1964; Krause 1997) . Most researchers have reported that oospore length ranges from 850 to 1050 µm, and equatorial diameter ranges from 600 to 700 µm (Migula 1909; Dąmbska 1964; Krause 1997) . However, other researchers have reported somewhat lower values, with length ranging from 765 to 900 µm, and equatorial diameter ranging from 525 to 645 µm (Hollerbach & Krasavina 1983) . The number of ridges in modern specimens is also similar to the number observed in the specimens from Lake Fig. 4 . Oospores of Chara tomentosa from Core 63-J from Lake Zeribar (Iran). Apical view (1, 4), basal view (2, 5), lateral view of the apical region (3), profile of the membrane in central part of oospore (6). Light microscopy (1,2), scanning electron microscopy (3-6).

Oospores of modern specimens of C. tomentosa have dimensions similar to those of the oospores from Core 63-J.

Most researchers have reported that oospore length ranges from 850 to 1050 µm, and equatorial diameter ranges from 600 to 700 µm.

However, other researchers have reported somewhat lower values, with length ranging from 765 to 900 µm, and equatorial diameter ranging from 525 to 645 µm.


To characterize the mode of action of the α-amylase Bacillus sp. ALSHL3 in starch hydrolysis, the products were analyzed by thin layer chromatography. Soluble starch was converted into maltose, maltotriose, and maltotetraose (Fig. 5) . After 20 h of incubation, the most dominant product was maltose followed by maltotriose and glucose (data not shown). Extracellular α-amylase of B. subtilis SUH4-2 (AmyE) also has similar end product (Cho et al. 2000) . This suggests that the α-amylase of Bacillus sp. ALSHL3 has ability for liquefaction and saccharification simultaneously.

Extracellular α-amylase of B. subtilis SUH4-2 (AmyE) also has similar end product.


A critical step in starch hydrolysis is its solubilization at high temperatures, followed by liquefaction using thermostable amylases. A major reduction in energy demand in starch hydrolysis process can be achieved by avoiding starch solubilization and liquefaction at high temperatures by hydrolysis of granular starch at lower temperature using raw starch degrading α-amylase. The availability of suitable raw starch binding and degrading α-amylases is currently very limited and they are largely identified in silico as putative enzymes via genome sequence analysis (Machovic & Janecek 2006) . Approximately only 10% of all amylolytic enzymes possess a distinct domain that facilitates binding to raw starch (Janecek & Sevcik 1999) .

The availability of suitable raw starch binding and degrading α-amylases is currently very limited and they are largely identified in silico as putative enzymes via genome sequence analysis.

Approximately only 10% of all amylolytic enzymes possess a distinct domain that facilitates binding to raw starch.


We consider the classical problem of estimating a deterministic, unknown parameter vector x from a measurement vector y = Hx + w, where H is a known matrix and w represents Gaussian noise with known covariance Cw [1] . An estimatorx is a function of y intended to be close to x, typically in terms of mean-squared error (MSE). However, the MSE of an estimator generally depends on the unknown value of x, and no estimator minimizes the MSE for all values of x. Hence, a standard approach is to limit discussion to the set of linear unbiased estimators, for which the MSE does not depend on x. The well-known least-squares estimator (LSE) minimizes the MSE among all linear unbiased estimators.

We consider the classical problem of estimating a deterministic, unknown parameter vector x from a measurement vector y = Hx + w, where H is a known matrix and w represents Gaussian noise with known covariance Cw.


Kuri cattle are bred on the shores and islands of Lake Chad. Lake Chad is located at the east of the arid Sahel agri-ecological region, between 12°20' and 14°20'N latitude and 13° and 15°30' E longitude, and is bordered by Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. Although West African zebu (Bos indicus) cattle are the overwhelming majority in the Sahel area, the overall shape of the breed, including the absence of a hump, has traditionally led to Kuri cattle being classified as a representative of African taurine (B. taurus) longhorn cattle (Bourzat et al., 1992) . Unlike the main representative of African taurine longhorn cattle, namely the N'Dama breed, Kuri cattle are not small and are trypanosusceptible.

Although West African zebu (Bos indicus) cattle are the overwhelming majority in the Sahel area, the overall shape of the breed, including the absence of a hump, has traditionally led to Kuri cattle being classified as a representative of African taurine (B. taurus) longhorn cattle.


Colored wastewater generated from textile dyeing industries is a significant cause of concern in developing countries owing to its potential to escalate environmental pollution (Khehra et al., 2005) . Many complicated processes in textile manufacturing such as washing, dyeing, printing, finishing etc. use an assortment of dyes, which are responsible for producing colored wastewater (Quader, 2010) . Color or dyes have recalcitrant and non-biodegradable characteristics and generally cannot be removed efficiently through conventional treatment processes. If released in the environment, they tend to persist over long distances in flowing water, can affect sunlight penetration through the water column, can retard photosynthesis and reduce the availability of dissolved oxygen in water (Khehra et al., 2005) . Composite textile effluent is characterized by significantly high Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) content along with a large number of nonbiodegradable organic dyes and other chemicals used in manufacturing (Quader, 2010) . Inefficiencies in dyeing can also result in large amounts of the dyestuff being directly lost to the wastewater during textile processing, which ultimately finds its way into the environment (Quader, 2010) .

Colored wastewater generated from textile dyeing industries is a significant cause of concern in developing countries owing to its potential to escalate environmental pollution.

Many complicated processes in textile manufacturing such as washing, dyeing, printing, finishing etc. use an assortment of dyes, which are responsible for producing colored wastewater.

If released in the environment, they tend to persist over long distances in flowing water, can affect sunlight penetration through the water column, can retard photosynthesis and reduce the availability of dissolved oxygen in water.

Composite textile effluent is characterized by significantly high Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) content along with a large number of nonbiodegradable organic dyes and other chemicals used in manufacturing.

Inefficiencies in dyeing can also result in large amounts of the dyestuff being directly lost to the wastewater during textile processing, which ultimately finds its way into the environment.


Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is a bifunctional homodimeric enzyme with both C-terminus epoxide hydrolase and N-terminus phosphatase activity [4] . The epoxide hydrolase motif of sEH transforms epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), an endogenous anti-inflammatory mediator, to the corresponding dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHETs) [4] . It has been reported that 14, 15-EET enhanced biosynthesis of 15-epi-lipoxin A (4) an anti-inflammatory and proresolving mediator [5] . Inhibition of sEH may lead to elevated levels of EETs, which in turn could elicit anti-inflammatory effects [6] . Meanwhile, in addition to its sEH inhibitory properties, inhibitors of sEH have now been proved to possess other anti-inflammatory activities. Inhibition of sEH attenuates bleomycin-induced mouse pulmonary fibrosis by reduce pulmonary inflammation and collagen deposition [7] . Roche and coworkers reported that sEH inhibitors (t-AUCB) increased the expression of IκB, the inhibitor of NF-κB, in an animal model of diabetic nephropathy [8] . However, it remains unknown whether sEH inhibitors have any protective effects on ALI. The present study was conducted to test the hypothesis that AUDA (12-(3-adamantan-1-yl-ureido)-dodecanoic acid), a sEH inhibitor, attenuates LPS-induced ALI. We also investigate its potential mechanism.

Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is a bifunctional homodimeric enzyme with both C-terminus epoxide hydrolase and N-terminus phosphatase activity.

The epoxide hydrolase motif of sEH transforms epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), an endogenous anti-inflammatory mediator, to the corresponding dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHETs).

It has been reported that 14, 15-EET enhanced biosynthesis of 15-epi-lipoxin A (4) an anti-inflammatory and proresolving mediator.

Inhibition of sEH may lead to elevated levels of EETs, which in turn could elicit anti-inflammatory effects.

Inhibition of sEH attenuates bleomycin-induced mouse pulmonary fibrosis by reduce pulmonary inflammation and collagen deposition.

Roche and coworkers reported that sEH inhibitors (t-AUCB) increased the expression of IκB, the inhibitor of NF-κB, in an animal model of diabetic nephropathy.


The protocol for the CHN trial has been previously published [21] . Briefly, a registered nurse with more than 10 years of experience in community and inpatient mental health settings was employed as a CHN in the mental health service for 26 weeks. The goal of the CHN was to coordinate the physical health care of community-based mental health consumers by identifying the need for, and providing referrals to, additional services, including primary care, allied health, and community-based services.

The protocol for the CHN trial has been previously published.


Reservoirs can improve water quality because the relatively slow water flow compared with rivers allows for the sedimentation of suspended material and the occurrence of processes such as denitrification and phosphorus diminution. The presence of reservoirs could be considered as a depuration system of the water quality [13, 14] . In light of a growing demand for energy, the government of India has decided to double the current energy production with the use of the potential of rivers by building numerous hydroelectric plants. One of the regions in which such plants are being built is the Teesta River Basin -right tributary of the Brahmaputra [15] . Building numerous dams and reservoirs within one catchment can lead to significant transformations of the natural environment, including hydrochemical changes that determine water quality. In April 2013, one of the planned projects was completed: Teesta Low Dam-III located at Kalimpong, Darjeeling, West Bengal. The total capacity of the hydropower plant is 132 MW. The main task of the project is to harness the hydropower potential of the Teesta River. The dam is 32.5 m high.

The presence of reservoirs could be considered as a depuration system of the water quality.

One of the regions in which such plants are being built is the Teesta River Basin -right tributary of the Brahmaputra.

The dam is 32.5 m high.


The chemical composition of water in rivers influence the water quality and determine its suitability for agricultural, domestic and industrial uses [1] [2] [3] . Physicochemical properties of water are one of the main factors affecting the proper functioning of river ecosystems [4] . The chemical composition of natural water is derived from many different sources of solutes, including gasses and aerosols from the atmosphere, weathering and erosion of rocks/soil, solution or precipitation reactions occurring below the land surface, and anthropogenic effects resulting from human activities [5, 6] .

The chemical composition of water in rivers influence the water quality and determine its suitability for agricultural, domestic and industrial uses.

Physicochemical properties of water are one of the main factors affecting the proper functioning of river ecosystems.

The chemical composition of natural water is derived from many different sources of solutes, including gasses and aerosols from the atmosphere, weathering and erosion of rocks/soil, solution or precipitation reactions occurring below the land surface, and anthropogenic effects resulting from human activities.


Flooding can be separated into three main categories: flash flooding, river flooding, and coastal flooding (French and Holt 1989) . Flash flooding is defined by the NWS as "a flood that rises and falls quite rapidly, usually as a result of intense rainfall over a small area, in a short amount of time, usually under 6 hours," river flooding is defined as "the rise of a river to an elevation such that the river overflows its natural banks causing or threatening damage," and coastal flooding pertains to "flooding which occurs from storms where water is driven onto land from an adjacent body of water" (http://www.srh.noaa.gov/fwd/glossarynation.html). Coastal flooding can be generated from storms on a variety of scales, including a local thunderstorm to large midlatitude cyclones such as northeasters or tropical systems such as hurricanes.

Flooding can be separated into three main categories: flash flooding, river flooding, and coastal flooding.


The Solanaceae family is comprised of a very diverse group of approximately 3000 species that represent important food crops, ornamentals, and plants with medicinal properties. There is potential for some Solanaceae, including those in the Physalis genera, as new specialty fruit crops, especially in temperate regions, however, trait modification for desirable agronomic characteristic would be needed for agricultural production, (Valdivia-Mares et al. 2016) . Within the Solanaceae, Physalis is one of five genera that displays a unique morphological attribute in the form of a papery husk, also referred to as an inflated calyx, that results when sepals elongate and completely envelop the developing fruit (Wang et al. 2015) . The husk provides protection from diseases and pests and has also been shown to play a role in carbohydrate translocation and fruit development (Fischer and Ludders 1997) .

There is potential for some Solanaceae, including those in the Physalis genera, as new specialty fruit crops, especially in temperate regions, however, trait modification for desirable agronomic characteristic would be needed for agricultural production.

Within the Solanaceae, Physalis is one of five genera that displays a unique morphological attribute in the form of a papery husk, also referred to as an inflated calyx, that results when sepals elongate and completely envelop the developing fruit.

The husk provides protection from diseases and pests and has also been shown to play a role in carbohydrate translocation and fruit development.


But what if the role models presented were not very positively evaluated by society, as is the case with aggressive behavior? In this case, equality in gender representation (women as present as men in any context of violence), would mean focusing on women's violence and avoiding to reproduce women's stereotypical passivity (Brush 2005) . Nonetheless, it would also mean that the media would be portraying and fostering women's violent behavior. In fact, much of the masculine involvement with media violence is composed of negative characters and models, like criminals, anti-heroes, monsters, etc., while women are spared of being depicted in this way, at the expense of not being represented as active participants in social conflict.

In this case, equality in gender representation (women as present as men in any context of violence), would mean focusing on women's violence and avoiding to reproduce women's stereotypical passivity.


This means that female violence is also being made invisible to a certain extent in this context. And this relative invisibilization not only reinforces the traditional unequal representation of women, but it is not even an adjusted representation of real violence, which is the main argument for this unequal presence of men and women in media violence. If it does not intend to be true to real violence, then one could ask media to foster new models of (active) women, as long as their violence makes sense, providing positive, active, albeit violent, models. This could a break in the equation of femininity with passivity (Katz 2003) . In this sense, some authors argue that a new, more aggressive image of women is appearing, especially among the younger generation. This image treats female aggression of the "instrumental" type in a way similar to traditional male aggression, as in the case of women who are heroines by virtue of their fighting capabilities ("action women" such as Tank Girl or Lara Croft). However, it might be unlikely that this kind of new models will change the overall unequal gender representation in the media.

This could a break in the equation of femininity with passivity.


Artificial fog dissipation refers to artificially dissipating some or all of the fog droplets in the local range, so as to improve visibility. It is an important part of weather modification. Artificial fog dissipation has been studied extensively from different points of view with various methods, such as using hygroscopic particle seeding to dissipate fog droplets, and helicopters to dissipate fog-based on the theory of the turbulent mixing of dry air into the fog layer by the helicopter's downwash, and so on (Gultepe et al., 2007) .

Artificial fog dissipation has been studied extensively from different points of view with various methods, such as using hygroscopic particle seeding to dissipate fog droplets, and helicopters to dissipate fog-based on the theory of the turbulent mixing of dry air into the fog layer by the helicopter's downwash, and so on.


In this work, a salt-seeding scheme was developed based on the dynamic framework of WRF and Morrison 2-moment explicit cloud scheme (Morrison et al., 2005) . The WRF model, coupled with the new salt-seeding scheme, was used to simulate warm fog dissipation for a warm fog event during 6-7 November 2009 in the Beijing and Tianjin area. The seeding effect and its physical mechanism were studied. Furthermore, two series of sensitivity experiments were performed to study the seeding effect under different seeding amounts and salt particle sizes. The weather patterns are described in section 2, and then the model configurations and the new seeding scheme are described in section 3. Model validation is given in section 4. Fog dissipation seeding simulation and its physical mechanism are discussed in sections 5 and 6. Results from the sensitivity experiments using different salt particles sizes and seeding amounts are discussed in section 7. And, finally, section 8 summarizes the study's key findings.

In this work, a salt-seeding scheme was developed based on the dynamic framework of WRF and Morrison 2-moment explicit cloud scheme.

Model validation is given in section 4.


In many Judas species, collared individuals cease to be useful once local eradication is achieved, because of their inability or disinclination to disperse over large distances in search of a new cohort (McIlroy and Gifford 1997) . This does not appear to be a reason for concern in wild dromedary camels. The dispersal capacity of wild camels may present a challenge to costeffective Judas operations, but may also prolong the longevity of utility for each Judas individual.

In many Judas species, collared individuals cease to be useful once local eradication is achieved, because of their inability or disinclination to disperse over large distances in search of a new cohort.


Genetic data suggest that the Judas technique should be an effective management option because camel congregation is not dictated by familial relationships. The existence of a fluid social system is highly conducive for the efficacy of Judas animals, which must find and assimilate into new social groups following culling events. Based on the genetic data, we would have expected that a Judas animal may be capable of dispersing large distances to locate a new cohort in the event of local eradication. Furthermore, genetic spatial analysis indicated that females are the correct choice for Judas individuals. In fact, genetic data indicate the existence of continual dispersal of camels throughout their range. The applicability of the Judas technique to dromedary camels is further supported by the finding of a homogenous wild camel genetic population structure across Australia (Spencer et al. 2012) . These expectations were confirmed by the Judas trials conducted in this study, which indicated that wild dromedary camels are consistently gregarious, and that capture and telemetry methodologies are effective. We acknowledge that, like any study in remote areas, our experimental design had limitations; the relatively short time frames for which it was possible to observe each individual hindered our ability to examine the reliability of detection methods.

The applicability of the Judas technique to dromedary camels is further supported by the finding of a homogenous wild camel genetic population structure across Australia.


The effect of dietary changes on serum lipid levels differs significantly between individuals and species. Humans and animals however show a certain consistency in the response of their serum lipids to fat-modified diets (Desroches and Lamarche, 2004) . The difference in response may be caused by variation in genes regulating serum lipid levels (Clifton and Abbey, 1997) . Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alanine amino-transferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and gammaglutamyltranspeptidase (γ -GT) in addition to cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations are demonstrated to be associated with cardiovascular risk factors (Conigrave et al., 1993; Amdt et al., 1998; Whitefield, 2001) . The role of γ -GT in replenishing intracellular glutathione, and possibly in controlling apoptosis and proliferation in atheromatous plaques) add more credence to its significance (Paolicchi et al., 1999; Paolicchi et al., 2004) .

Humans and animals however show a certain consistency in the response of their serum lipids to fat-modified diets.

The difference in response may be caused by variation in genes regulating serum lipid levels.

Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alanine amino-transferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and gammaglutamyltranspeptidase (γ -GT) in addition to cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations are demonstrated to be associated with cardiovascular risk factors.

The role of γ -GT in replenishing intracellular glutathione, and possibly in controlling apoptosis and proliferation in atheromatous plaques) add more credence to its significance.


A novel matched filter synthesis suitable for UWB-IR has been introduced in this paper. It is based on a tapped delay line structure, which delays and sums UWB-IR pulses coherently to achieve a positive gain over the white noise. Two different matched filters are implemented in a low cost 2-µm GaAs HBT process and our concept is verified through experiment. It is worth mentioning that this tapped delay line structure is used in our previous work to generate the UWB signals as well [16, 18] . Similarity between the input signal and the matched filter could be maximized using this approach.

It is worth mentioning that this tapped delay line structure is used in our previous work to generate the UWB signals as well.


To co-exist with other narrowband technology, UWB signals are pseudo-randomly modulated and appear to be noise-like with a spectral density no greater than 50 nanoWatts/MHz. It is well known that a matched filter is the optimum estimator for time-of-arrival (TOA) in additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel, in that it maximizes the output SNR and hence improves the ranging and positioning accuracy [6] . To improve the SNR of a UWB receiver, a matched filter could be used.

It is well known that a matched filter is the optimum estimator for time-of-arrival (TOA) in additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel, in that it maximizes the output SNR and hence improves the ranging and positioning accuracy.


Epithelium of the gastrointestinal tract forms a dynamic and selective barrier between the external and the internal environment. It enables the absorption of dietary nutrients and the restriction of potentially harmful compounds [1] . Under physiologic conditions, the passage of molecules occurs selectively across cellular sheets by transcellular transport or paracellular pathway dictated by both electrical charge and size [2] .

It enables the absorption of dietary nutrients and the restriction of potentially harmful compounds.

Under physiologic conditions, the passage of molecules occurs selectively across cellular sheets by transcellular transport or paracellular pathway dictated by both electrical charge and size.


Lens antennas have been widely studied due to the highly directional radiation, wide angle scanning and formed beam. The lenses are able to transform the spherical wave fronts into plane wave fronts to enhance the directivity of the antennas [1] - [5] . Fresnel lenses (FL) are relatively thin and flat, they usually have smaller volumes and weighs compared with conventional shaped lenses. They can be fabricated by using inexpensive dielectric materials, which makes them suitable for consumer applications [6] - [9] .

The lenses are able to transform the spherical wave fronts into plane wave fronts to enhance the directivity of the antennas.

They can be fabricated by using inexpensive dielectric materials, which makes them suitable for consumer applications.


The traditional fabrication approaches for dielectric lenses are dominated by using mechanical machining. The lens surface can be grooved to lead the wave have higher phase velocity by travelling through the grooved zones. Another method to accomplish the phase correction is to divide the lens into several concentric zones with different dielectric constants. This approach can be either realised by several tightly fitted concentric dielectric rings with various dielectric constants, or using uniform dielectric material that is perforated to create different dielectric zones [10] , [11] . The FL that fabricated using the dielectric zones method generally has uniform thickness with flat surface, however the precisely machining is involved in which increases manufacturing complexity. Moreover, the machining technique removes or shapes parts of the raw materials which generates material waste.

This approach can be either realised by several tightly fitted concentric dielectric rings with various dielectric constants, or using uniform dielectric material that is perforated to create different dielectric zones.


We conclude that while subordination in the global stratification system is generally negative for the natural environment, changes in environmental norms can reduce this consequence. Likewise, we conclude that while the material needs of economic development can outweigh normative commitments to environmental protection, reduced extractive production can enable the tighter coupling between norms and practices. Historically, continued economic development has not affected forest loss in a strictly linear manner. On the contrary, trends toward "reforestation" can follow an initial phase of deforestation (Rudel 1998) . Our results suggest that national ties to world society may enable peripheral states' transition toward reversing previous trends in forest loss.

On the contrary, trends toward "reforestation" can follow an initial phase of deforestation.


The results of model one support the hypothesis that palm oil production is associated with decreased primary forest area. The coefficient for palm oil production is negative and statistically significant (-.0008 p<.001). This demonstrates that, net of other factors, as a country produces more palm oil its percentage of primary forest area decreases. Model one also demonstrates support for our second hypothesis, that greater embeddedness into global institutions is associated with having more primary forest. The coefficient for INGO ties is positive and statistically significant (.0101, p<.001) indicating that as nations are more strongly tied to world normative expectations for environmental protection, they retain more primary forest over time. This finding supports previous research that indicates that NGOs are overall effective at reducing deforestation (Shandra 2007) . Our next models examine the interaction between our political economy and institutional variables.

This finding supports previous research that indicates that NGOs are overall effective at reducing deforestation.


The blending of conventional polymers has been extensively employed to develop new polymeric materials. However, because of unfavorable enthalpy of mixing for two polymers, most polymer blends are immiscible and thus form phase-separated morphology: disperse domain structure in the matrix phase and co-continuous structure [1] . Such immiscible blends exhibit different types of heterogeneous morphology, which depend on the blend composition, interfacial tension, processing condition and rheological properties of the component.

However, because of unfavorable enthalpy of mixing for two polymers, most polymer blends are immiscible and thus form phase-separated morphology: disperse domain structure in the matrix phase and co-continuous structure.


When one component is present in the blend at a low concentration, a dispersed phase-matrix morphology is found, for which the shape of the dispersed particles can be spherical or fibrillar. As the concentration of the minor phase increases, particles become close enough and start to coalesce, reaching a point that corresponds to the percolation threshold point. Above this concentration, a greater and greater proportion of the minor component is incorporated into the percolation structure until at a certain volume fraction all the material of the blend components becomes part of a single percolating structure. This morphological structure is called dual-phase continuity or co-continuity, with each phase remaining continuously connected throughout the bulk of the blend. Co-continuous structures can be regarded as the coexistence of at least two continuous structures within the same volume. Blends with co-continuous structures may combine the properties of both components in a favorable way, for example, mechanical moduli [2] .

Blends with co-continuous structures may combine the properties of both components in a favorable way, for example, mechanical moduli.


On the basis of the available information, certain economic features were determined. The first is the number of pieces used to achieve checkmate. If more pieces are involved, the less economical a position is considered to be. By 'involved', it means participating directly in the checkmate. Removing a piece that is involved would therefore invalidate the mate. The second feature is the value of the chessmen. Chessmen include the king, queen, rook, bishop, knight and pawn. In the course of a real game, a piece's value may fluctuate depending on how effective it is in a particular position [32] .

In the course of a real game, a piece's value may fluctuate depending on how effective it is in a particular position.


The third feature stems from the conventions employed in Bohemian problems. Chess problems can typically be divided into three 'schools' namely: Bohemian, Logical and Strategic. Unlike the others, the Bohemian school of problems places a strong emphasis on economy [26, 27] . The Logical and Strategic schools do not neglect economy but offer more flexibility in favor of themes that might be constricted otherwise [34] . Composers of the Bohemian school are particularly interested in what are known as 'model' mates. The characteristics of a model mate typically include the following rules.

Unlike the others, the Bohemian school of problems places a strong emphasis on economy.

The Logical and Strategic schools do not neglect economy but offer more flexibility in favor of themes that might be constricted otherwise.


To formalize similarity such that sensor data can be searched accordingly, Lp norms and Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) are the most common models. Lp norms, such as Euclidean distance, compare time series one position at a time and have been shown to work well in a number of applications. To allow matching of slight shifts in time series, DTW stretches or squeezes the time series along the time axis to align their value patterns. The remaining differences between these best matches constitute the distance [8] . For indexing, envelope-style upper and lower bounds have been proposed [16] . They allow for exact indexing of time series at the expense of additional relevant regions. Therefore, DTW-based similarity search typically entails more page reads.

The remaining differences between these best matches constitute the distance.

For indexing, envelope-style upper and lower bounds have been proposed.


Fuhrman grade is an independent prognostic factor [8] . Currently Nephron-sparing surgery has been used more and more in the treatment of T1-stage ccRCC. But T1 tumors with a high Fuhrman grade had a higher malignant potential for subsequent tumor recurrence [9] . Therefore, pre-operative confirmation of the Fuhrman grading of ccRCC is critical for the selection of surgical options and prognosis.

Fuhrman grade is an independent prognostic factor.

But T1 tumors with a high Fuhrman grade had a higher malignant potential for subsequent tumor recurrence.


The c-erbB-2 over expression in papillary-adenoma in our results substantiates the evidence of adenoma-carcinoma sequence [27] . This is further supported by other recent studies [11, 28] . In comparison to the other studies regarding the p53 and c-erbB-2 over expression percentage, our study revealed lower percentage of positivity. This disparity could be due to differences in genetic predisposition between the two populations, further study is required to establish it. There was no correlation of p53 over expression with the age and sex of the patient while c-erbB-2 was over expressed in younger age group patients, again indicating its role as an early event in carcinogenesis of gallbladder.

The c-erbB-2 over expression in papillary-adenoma in our results substantiates the evidence of adenoma-carcinoma sequence.

This is further supported by other recent studies.


The present study revealed a significantly higher serum anti-MCV antibody level in RA patients when compared to healthy controls (p < 0.001). This can be explained by the hypothesis that vimentin might trigger the initial immune response in RA [24] . It activates T lymphocytes by binding on HLA-DR4 on the surface of antigen presenting cells and may contribute to certain pathways in the pathogenesis of RA. Several studies demonstrated significant elevation in serum anti-MCV in RApatients versus controls [25] [26] [27] .

This can be explained by the hypothesis that vimentin might trigger the initial immune response in RA.

Several studies demonstrated significant elevation in serum anti-MCV in RApatients versus controls.


Over the last decade, 200 million people have been affected by natural disasters and hazards; 98% of these people lived in developing countries where climate change causes extreme temperatures, increased flooding, intense heat waves, and droughts (Aquilino 2011) . Those who lost their homes to natural disasters needed somewhere to live while their houses were rebuilt or needed to find alternative accommodations (Collins et al. 2010; Davis 1982) . The years between living in emergency accommodations and permanent houses present a time gap that needs to be bridged by temporary housing (TH) (Johnson et al. 2006) . However, these temporary houses have, to date, been criticized for their inability to meet the expectations of displaced people (DP) (Chen 2012) .

Over the last decade, 200 million people have been affected by natural disasters and hazards; 98% of these people lived in developing countries where climate change causes extreme temperatures, increased flooding, intense heat waves, and droughts.

Those who lost their homes to natural disasters needed somewhere to live while their houses were rebuilt or needed to find alternative accommodations.

The years between living in emergency accommodations and permanent houses present a time gap that needs to be bridged by temporary housing (TH).

However, these temporary houses have, to date, been criticized for their inability to meet the expectations of displaced people (DP).


Early models of non-local thermal energy transport, in rigid as well as elastic bodies, are the well-known integral models by Eringen [1] [2] . They involve a thermal energy exchange with a local Fourier contribution related to the spatial gradient of the thermal energy flux, and a non-local integral term convoluting temperature gradients in the whole body with a distance-decaying attenuation function [1] [2] . Models of this sort have been applied to describe thermo-elastic coupling in micro-electro-mechanical resonators [3] .

Early models of non-local thermal energy transport, in rigid as well as elastic bodies, are the well-known integral models by Eringen.

They involve a thermal energy exchange with a local Fourier contribution related to the spatial gradient of the thermal energy flux, and a non-local integral term convoluting temperature gradients in the whole body with a distance-decaying attenuation function.

Models of this sort have been applied to describe thermo-elastic coupling in micro-electro-mechanical resonators.


In particular, in this paper numerical solutions have been built by a pertinent FE method. Results have been compared with results from a standard FD method. The FE method involves a local matrix and a non-local matrix, corresponding to local and long-range thermal energy fluxes, which can readily be implemented in any numerical package. Also, closed-form solutions for the terms in the non-local matrix can be found for 1D linear FEs [46] . The comparison with the FD solution proves that accurate FE solutions can be obtained with a relatively low number of elements, and a significantly smaller size of the local and non-local matrices involved in the discretized equations (e.g., Eq. (13) and Eq. (32)) for the FE and FD methods, respectively).

Also, closed-form solutions for the terms in the non-local matrix can be found for 1D linear FEs.


An epidemiologic difference is clearly observed in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) -associated vasculitides (AAV) between European and East Asian populations. In a population-based prospective study, microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) -ANCA-positive AAV (MPO-AAV) were the predominant subtypes (>80%) in Japan, while granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and proteinase 3 (PR3) -ANCA-positive AAV (PR3-AAV) were the predominant subtypes (>60%) in the UK [1] . Differences in the genetic backgrounds among populations may play a role in such epidemiologic differences.

In a population-based prospective study, microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) -ANCA-positive AAV (MPO-AAV) were the predominant subtypes (>80%) in Japan, while granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and proteinase 3 (PR3) -ANCA-positive AAV (PR3-AAV) were the predominant subtypes (>60%) in the UK.


In this paper we have presented our experience with stack processing algorithms. We have used the result of the algorithm, the stack histogram, to predict the cache behavior of scientific codes and to evaluate compiler optimizations for locality. The main advantage of using the stack histogram to analyze memory behavior is the cache size independence. The stack histogram is computed in one pass through the trace, and the program behavior can be analyzed for different memory or cache sizes working only with the histogram. The stack histogram can be computed at compile-time by analyzing the memory access pattern of the application. We have presented an algorithm that computes the stack histogram at compile-time based on data dependence distance vectors. While the algorithm has some limitations -it currently works at loop nest level for fully associative caches, we have shown that it can predict cache misses for a large number of loops in the SPECfp95 benchmark suite, with reasonable accuracy [5, 4] .

While the algorithm has some limitations -it currently works at loop nest level for fully associative caches, we have shown that it can predict cache misses for a large number of loops in the SPECfp95 benchmark suite, with reasonable accuracy.


The origins of corrugations are complex; the current state of knowledge in this area has recently been reviewed by Grassie [3] . Corrugation is considered as requiring both a "wavelength-fixing mechanism" and a "damage mechanism". Roll-slip oscillations due to frictional instability have been considered as a source of instability that can promote short pitch corrugations [4, 15] . As with noise, the underlying cause of roll-slip is the negative friction characteristics of the wheel-rail interface.

The origins of corrugations are complex; the current state of knowledge in this area has recently been reviewed by Grassie.

Roll-slip oscillations due to frictional instability have been considered as a source of instability that can promote short pitch corrugations.


In various industrial processes, such as wet shape forming of ceramics, spray drying granulation and film formation, fine particles are usually applied in a slurry (fine particles dispersed in a dispersion medium). After concentration, dehydration and drying, the slurry becomes a final product. It is very important to evaluate slurry characteristics to predict the product characteristics. Conventionally, slurries were mainly evaluated by measuring their apparent viscosities. However, it has been reported that the apparent viscosity of a slurry does not have a good relationship with the packing fraction of green bodies [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] . Therefore, product characteristics cannot be controlled by apparent viscosity alone. As a result, many studies have evaluated the packing characteristics of particles in slurries using gravitational settling tests [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] . However, it takes several hours to perform experiments even when using centrifugal force. Therefore, a quicker and easier evaluation of slurry properties is desirable for industrial applications.

However, it has been reported that the apparent viscosity of a slurry does not have a good relationship with the packing fraction of green bodies.

As a result, many studies have evaluated the packing characteristics of particles in slurries using gravitational settling tests.


However, the final packing fraction of the sediment, s , obtained from experiments was 0.64. This is about 20% higher than that of a cubic arrangement, 0.52, assumed in the calculation. Therefore the calculated value of the depth of the flowable layer in the case of a cubic arrangement was corrected by the packing fraction obtained from the experiment. This value was defined as the calculated value of the (8) Figure 12 shows a comparison between the calculated and experimental values for the depth of the flowable layer. The broken line in Fig. 12 is the value calculated using (7) and the solid line is the value calculated using (8) . From Fig. 12 , the values calculated using (8) agree fairly well with the experimental results. From these results, we can estimate the depth of the flowable layer using the maximum repulsive force determined by the DLVO theory.

The broken line in Fig. 12 is the value calculated using (7) and the solid line is the value calculated using.


The market for households and small business that is the focus in this article opened in the Netherlands July 2001 before the market for all electricity products started. Since then, the consumption of green energy has grown steadily to a share of 64% of all households and small companies in 2015 [2] . Consumers were apparently excited by the idea of buying green energy and contributing to the mitigation of negative climate effects. Dutch households' enthusiasm was not, however, matched in any other European country. This is remarkable, considering the low share of renewable energy in overall Dutch consumption in comparison to that in the EU-27 countries [3] .

Since then, the consumption of green energy has grown steadily to a share of 64% of all households and small companies in 2015.

This is remarkable, considering the low share of renewable energy in overall Dutch consumption in comparison to that in the EU-27 countries.


In order to increase food and nutritional security of the households as a whole, strategies should consider food taboos that discriminate against certain members of society. Nutrition education has been shown to improve nutritional behaviour and practices [37, 38] . This is against the background that some of the taboos have persisted due to lack of an understanding of the nutritional benefits of prohibited foods. Examining whether education can be used to counteract cultural norms that negatively affect nutritional security of women and children in Karamoja sub-region is a potential area of future study and intervention.

Nutrition education has been shown to improve nutritional behaviour and practices.


The proportion of undernourished people in developing countries has been high and relatively constant for the last two decades, especially in rural communities [1] . At a global level, increasing food production has been seen as a main factor in ensuring food security [2] . Despite this emphasis, available data indicate that about one billion people lack sufficient food, while a further one billion are poorly nourished [3] . At a national level, the level of food insecurity in Uganda has been rising since 1990 [4] . However, more crises occur at regional and local levels. Karamoja sub-region in North Eastern Uganda is characterized by the lowest human development indicators in the country [5] . The sub-region is also the most food insecure part of Uganda, with 20% of households extremely food insecure and more than 38% moderately food insecure [6, 7] . The highest incidence of hunger and malnutrition is reported in this part of the country.

The proportion of undernourished people in developing countries has been high and relatively constant for the last two decades, especially in rural communities.

At a global level, increasing food production has been seen as a main factor in ensuring food security.

Despite this emphasis, available data indicate that about one billion people lack sufficient food, while a further one billion are poorly nourished.

At a national level, the level of food insecurity in Uganda has been rising since 1990.

Karamoja sub-region in North Eastern Uganda is characterized by the lowest human development indicators in the country.

The sub-region is also the most food insecure part of Uganda, with 20% of households extremely food insecure and more than 38% moderately food insecure.


For design and evaluation of sludge dryer, owing to the complicated structure of sludge and several phenomena during drying mentioned above, it is desirable to have a simple and physically-meaningful model. The model should be able to capture the physics of drying and favorable for quick-decision making in industries. The reaction engineering approach (REA) is simple model proposed by X.D. Chen in 1996 and implemented in various drying systems. The reaction engineering approach (REA) was applied to describe convective drying of thin layer of food materials and it was proven to be accurate and robust [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] . The application of the REA has also been shown to be useful for non-food materials [24] [25] . Indeed, the REA has been proven to be able to model the cyclic drying of food materials and non-food materials under time varying humidity and temperature well [25] [26] [27] . The REA has also been proven to be accurate to model baking of thin layer product and heat treatment of wood under linearly increased temperature [28] [29] . The REA takes advantages of simplicity, minimum number of experiments to generate the parameters and accuracy [30] [31] .

The reaction engineering approach (REA) was applied to describe convective drying of thin layer of food materials and it was proven to be accurate and robust.

The application of the REA has also been shown to be useful for non-food materials.

Indeed, the REA has been proven to be able to model the cyclic drying of food materials and non-food materials under time varying humidity and temperature well.

The REA has also been proven to be accurate to model baking of thin layer product and heat treatment of wood under linearly increased temperature.

The REA takes advantages of simplicity, minimum number of experiments to generate the parameters and accuracy.


The sun warms our planet with the resulting energy released from nuclear explosions taken place within itself and makes our planet a place to live for people, animals, and plants. The sun, which is our source of life along with the rapid progress of technology, now also serves as an energy source. Photovoltaic solar cells are systems that convert solar energy from sunlight into electricity and thus produce electricity. Solar cells come together to form panels, and the panels come together to form PVSESs [1] . The solar panels generate DC voltage at the output. The DC voltage and power obtained from the solar panels are used to feed either DC loads or AC loads by converting it to AC voltage via an inverter. Various solar cell production techniques and materials have been developed. There are many solar panels made of numerous materials such as amorphous silicon, copper indium gallium selenide, and cadmium telluride [2] . The costs and efficiencies of these panels are quite different. Nowadays, solar cells yielding 35% of efficiency have been produced [3] .

Solar cells come together to form panels, and the panels come together to form PVSESs.

There are many solar panels made of numerous materials such as amorphous silicon, copper indium gallium selenide, and cadmium telluride.

Nowadays, solar cells yielding 35% of efficiency have been produced.


Poultry, pork, lamb, butter, and milk-powder are the products which are capable of not only substituting imported production but of being exported to foreign markets. Statistical data shows that import of the stated products continues to grow. Thus, in 2014, import of lamb constituted 14.9 thousand tons, as compared to 6.9 thousand tons in 2013, i.e., it grew by more than twice; pork -661.1 thousand tons and 584.9 thousand tons (growth by 13%); butter -164.8 thousand tons and 132.8 thousand tons (growth by 27.8%, correspondingly) (Rogachev et al., 2014) .

Thus, in 2014, import of lamb constituted 14.9 thousand tons, as compared to 6.9 thousand tons in 2013, i.e., it grew by more than twice; pork -661.1 thousand tons and 584.9 thousand tons (growth by 13%); butter -164.8 thousand tons and 132.8 thousand tons (growth by 27.8%, correspondingly).


There are difficulties not only with raw material for food industry but also with production capacities which allow processing the raw material into final product. Thus, RF suffers losses, exporting corn and importing products, manufactured on the basis of corn. At present, according to experts, 1 ton of exported flour corresponds to 100 tons of exported corn. As a result, capacities of milling enterprises are loaded only by 60%. Manufacture of cattle breeding production reached only half of the level of 1990 (Mazaeva, 2012) . At the same time, in particular spheres, like production of poultry meat, there was a growth by 15% in 2014, as compared to 2008 (Rogachev et al., 2014) .

Manufacture of cattle breeding production reached only half of the level of 1990.

At the same time, in particular spheres, like production of poultry meat, there was a growth by 15% in 2014, as compared to 2008.


Strategy of development of any country's economy supposes the purpose of achieving and preserving food security which is determined as the state's capability, guaranteed by corresponding resource potential, to satisfyindependently from external and internal conditions and in stable manner -the need of country's population on the whole and of each citizen for food products and drinking water in volumes, assortment, and quality, sufficient for full physical and social development, health support, and provision of expanded reproduction. The problem of provision of food security remains topical since the start of liberalization of foreign economic policy in Russia (Popkova & Tinyakova, 2013a) . Modern criteria of food security include the share of expenses for food in general expenses of particular groups of population, territorial accessibility of products (measured by comparing the level of retail prices for similar products in different regions of the country), level of "comfort" of food (share in consumption of modern products which reduce losses and save time for work in household), level of "naturality" and good quality of products, influence of food quality on health and life span, including products received with the help of genetic engineering and biotechnologies (Popkova & Tinyakova, 2013b) .

The problem of provision of food security remains topical since the start of liberalization of foreign economic policy in Russia.

Modern criteria of food security include the share of expenses for food in general expenses of particular groups of population, territorial accessibility of products (measured by comparing the level of retail prices for similar products in different regions of the country), level of "comfort" of food (share in consumption of modern products which reduce losses and save time for work in household), level of "naturality" and good quality of products, influence of food quality on health and life span, including products received with the help of genetic engineering and biotechnologies.


The reasons for penetration of low-quality import products into the Russian market are lack of strict customs control and entrepreneurs' wish to gain quick profit. Due to that, low-quality products past their sell-by date and without true information in Russian language are purchased. Raw recourses base of processing and food industry is supplied with imported raw materials. Thus, for example, Amur meat processing enterprises work with import raw materials (primarily from China, Argentina, and Brazil) which is not of high quality (He, 2015) .

Thus, for example, Amur meat processing enterprises work with import raw materials (primarily from China, Argentina, and Brazil) which is not of high quality.


Participants and study design Two hundred and fifty-nine RA patients randomized to TNFi cessation were included in this study, the POET-US, from March 2012 until March 2014. This US cohort study is part of the nationwide randomized controlled trial (RCT) POET. This RCT compared stopping TNFi to continuing TNFi among adult RA patients in LDA or remission who were on TNFi for at least 1 year with concomitant csDMARDs without changes in medication at least 6 months prior to inclusion [7] . LDA or remission was present for at least 6 months, defined as DAS28 < 3.2 or rheumatologists' assessment and CRP <10 mg/l. This study was approved separately form the POET study by the Commissie Mensgebonden Onderzoek Arnhem-Nijmegen and participants gave their written informed consent for this study according to the Declaration of Helsinki.

This RCT compared stopping TNFi to continuing TNFi among adult RA patients in LDA or remission who were on TNFi for at least 1 year with concomitant csDMARDs without changes in medication at least 6 months prior to inclusion.


The operation of mixing the constituents of concrete yields stresses which are expected to produce the separation of the attached mortar from the original natural aggregate and alter the original size and angularity of the RCA. While the effect of the RMC on the increase in water absorption capacity of RCA is largely considered in designing new generation of concrete, the importance of breakage during the mixing process of the degraded RCA abrasion/fragmentation characteristics compared with natural aggregates has not so far been analyzed in detail for RCA. However, combined with the higher porosity and its larger variability, the generation of fine particles during mixing could contribute to explain the difficulty to control the slump and workability loss when producing recycled aggregate concrete [18, 19] .

However, combined with the higher porosity and its larger variability, the generation of fine particles during mixing could contribute to explain the difficulty to control the slump and workability loss when producing recycled aggregate concrete.


Modeling some global issues requires utilizing a powerful framework that incorporates both discrete and continuous times. This is normal to look at whether it is possible to present a structure that grants us to include both dynamical systems concurrently so that you can probably acquire some perception and adequate knowledge of the elusive variations between discrete and continuous domains. To answer this, an approach was designed by Hilger [1] . The precept goal of dynamic theory on time scales is that it constructs channels between continuous and discrete cases. Afterward, this concept has been built by many researchers, see References [2, 3] . It is as dated as classical calculus but it acquires more importance in recent decades, this is due to its applications in various fields such as physics, biology, fluid dynamics, control theory, image processing, signal processing and computer networking. Researchers connected with pure mathematics have implemented time scales calculus in mathematical inequalities to unify discrete and continuous versions of inequalities. In recent years, research has proceeded to unify and amplify integral inequalities through innovative ideas and approaches of time scales [4, 5] . These integral inequalities are utilized in numerous areas for the boundedness, uniqueness, and so forth, of the solutions to integrodifferential equations [6, 7] .

To answer this, an approach was designed by Hilger.

Afterward, this concept has been built by many researchers, see References.

In recent years, research has proceeded to unify and amplify integral inequalities through innovative ideas and approaches of time scales.

These integral inequalities are utilized in numerous areas for the boundedness, uniqueness, and so forth, of the solutions to integrodifferential equations.


Hidden symmetries are associated with nonlinear in momenta integrals of motion. They mix the coordinate and momenta variables in the phase space of a system, and generate a nonlinear, W -type algebras [1] . The best known examples of hidden symmetries are provided by the Laplace-Runge-Lenz vector integral in the Kepler-Coulomb problem, and the Fradkin-Jauch-Hill tensor in isotropic harmonic oscillator systems. Hidden symmetries also appear in anisotropic oscillator with conmensurable frequencies, where they underlie the closed nature of classical trajectories and specific degeneration of the quantum energy levels. Hidden symmetry is responsible for complete integrability of geodesic motion of a test particle in the background of the vacuum solution to the Einstein's equation represented by the Kerr metric of the rotating black hole and its generalizations in the form of the Kerr-NUT-(A)dS solutions of the Einstein-Maxwell equations [2] . Another class of hidden symmetries underlies a complete integrability of the field systems described by nonlinear wave equations such as the Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation. Those symmetries are responsible for peculiar properties of the soliton and finite-gap solutions of the KdV system, whose equation of motion can be regarded as a geodesic flow on the Virasoro-Bott group [3] .

They mix the coordinate and momenta variables in the phase space of a system, and generate a nonlinear, W -type algebras.

Hidden symmetry is responsible for complete integrability of geodesic motion of a test particle in the background of the vacuum solution to the Einstein's equation represented by the Kerr metric of the rotating black hole and its generalizations in the form of the Kerr-NUT-(A)dS solutions of the Einstein-Maxwell equations.

Those symmetries are responsible for peculiar properties of the soliton and finite-gap solutions of the KdV system, whose equation of motion can be regarded as a geodesic flow on the Virasoro-Bott group.


Alcohol abuse is one of the major problems in African continent and is responsible for significant percentage of hospital admission. Ethanol molecule is small and soluble in both water and lipids, It permeates all tissues of the body and affects most vital functions of virtually all organs including liver, kidney, brain, heart and pancreas (Lieber, 1997) . Metabolism of alcohol leads to the generation of free radicals and chain reaction of lipid peroxidation that causes damage of liver and other vital organs. Therefore inhibition of free radicals generation is important in providing protection against hepatic damage. For a long period of time, plants have been a valuable source of natural product for maintaining human health and nowadays, many therapeutic studies are devoted to *Corresponding author. E-mail: chaturve@mopipi.ub.bw.

Ethanol molecule is small and soluble in both water and lipids, It permeates all tissues of the body and affects most vital functions of virtually all organs including liver, kidney, brain, heart and pancreas.

E-mail: chaturve@mopipi.ub.bw.


One of the strategies is Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (CIRC). It is a comprehensive program for teaching reading and writing in the upper elementary and middle grades (Slavin, 1995) . In CIRC, students work in group to work cooperatively on various activities such as reading in pair, identifying the main story element, doing vocabulary and summarization activities, and practicing reading comprehension and creative writing (Calderon, Hertz-Lazarowitz, &Slavin, 1998) .

It is a comprehensive program for teaching reading and writing in the upper elementary and middle grades.

In CIRC, students work in group to work cooperatively on various activities such as reading in pair, identifying the main story element, doing vocabulary and summarization activities, and practicing reading comprehension and creative writing.


The issue of cooperative learning is in line with Zone Proximal Development (ZPD) of Vygotsky which claimed that learning takes place through social interactions with others and that the learning occurs in a zone when scaffolded by or working in collaboration with more capable peers (Tanaka and Sanchez, 2016) . The zone is defined as the distance between the actual development level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problemsolving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers (Vygotsky, 1978) . Vygotsky uses the idea of the ZPD to give a new meaning to intelligence (Cameron, 2001) . The point gives the implication that learning English is learning to do the thing and learning to think.

The issue of cooperative learning is in line with Zone Proximal Development (ZPD) of Vygotsky which claimed that learning takes place through social interactions with others and that the learning occurs in a zone when scaffolded by or working in collaboration with more capable peers.

The zone is defined as the distance between the actual development level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problemsolving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers.

Vygotsky uses the idea of the ZPD to give a new meaning to intelligence.


Moreover, reading motivation could be defined as the set of objectives and beliefs that ask students to make a positive connection of one another and direct reading behavior (Pecjak and Kosir, 2008) . It also could be the individual purposes, value, and belief that direct students to focus on topics, processes, and aspect of reading (Guthrie and Wigfield, 2000) . Reading activity could be predicted from reading motivation and reading comprehension could be predicted by reading activity (Cabral-Marques, 2011) .

Moreover, reading motivation could be defined as the set of objectives and beliefs that ask students to make a positive connection of one another and direct reading behavior.

It also could be the individual purposes, value, and belief that direct students to focus on topics, processes, and aspect of reading.

Reading activity could be predicted from reading motivation and reading comprehension could be predicted by reading activity.


Some efforts are made on offering learners collaborative learning tools through introducing the web service technology [45] . Nevertheless, the organization of virtual teams in traditional mobile cloud-based learning lacks mechanisms to control and normalize the whole process, meanwhile, teachers are guiding with more macro-direction than particular instructions. For this reason, it is significant to explore how to provide learners one-stop well-structured collaborative learning experience in mobile cloud-based environment, to help them be more focused on teamwork and offer them computational choices to get into smart collaborative learning scenarios.

Some efforts are made on offering learners collaborative learning tools through introducing the web service technology.


In order to make mobile cloud-based learning feasible, existing LMSs need to be migrated to the cloud or upgraded versions of the original LMSs need to be developed on the cloud platform. Functions supporting collaborative learning are gradually provided in several popular cloud-hosting LMSs [8] . It has been shown that learners find collaborative learning has a favorable environment to re-occur more and more frequently among learner who have similar learning purpose [9] [10] .

Functions supporting collaborative learning are gradually provided in several popular cloud-hosting LMSs.

It has been shown that learners find collaborative learning has a favorable environment to re-occur more and more frequently among learner who have similar learning purpose.


The basic idea behind the FLPA is the distinction of the processor architecture into functional blocks like processing unit (PU), instruction management unit (IMU), internal memory, and others [32] . Figure 2 illustrates the process of estimating the power consumption with aid of the FLPA technique. At first, a functional analysis of these blocks is performed to specify and then discard the nonconsuming blocks (those with negligible impact on the power consumption). The second step is to figure out the parameters that affect the power consumption of each of the power consuming blocks. This kind of parameters is called algorithmic parameters as they are computed from the software algorithm. For instance, the IMU is affected by the instructions dispatching rate which in turn is related to the parallelism degree. In addition to these parameters, there are some parameters that affect the power consumption of all functional blocks in the same manner such as operating frequency and word length of input data which are called architectural parameters [33] .

The basic idea behind the FLPA is the distinction of the processor architecture into functional blocks like processing unit (PU), instruction management unit (IMU), internal memory, and others.

In addition to these parameters, there are some parameters that affect the power consumption of all functional blocks in the same manner such as operating frequency and word length of input data which are called architectural parameters.


Previous studies have examined data aggregation effects. Econometricians and epidemiologists have assessed individual data aggregation effects in terms of data smoothing and loss in efficiency (Lang and Gottschalk 1996) . They suggest that ecological covariates often play important roles in various grouping effects. Theoretically, results from a linear regression model based on individual data can be captured at an aggregated level if all ecological covariates can sufficiently explain individual variation at the given aggregation level. In contrast to the individual aggregation problem, spatial aggregation studied by geographers often ranges from small area units, such as census tracts, to large area units, such as county or city, resulting in the so-called multiple area unit problem or MAUP (Fotheringham and Wong 1991) . The MAUP suggests that results from one level of aggregation often cannot be replicated at another level, perhaps due to lack of corresponding covariates. In the current study, we extend these previous studies by examining both individual-to-spatial temporal aggregation and spatial temporal-to-pure spatial unit aggregation.

Econometricians and epidemiologists have assessed individual data aggregation effects in terms of data smoothing and loss in efficiency.

In contrast to the individual aggregation problem, spatial aggregation studied by geographers often ranges from small area units, such as census tracts, to large area units, such as county or city, resulting in the so-called multiple area unit problem or MAUP.


Data for individual health outcomes are increasingly restricted due to confidentiality concerns. If aggregated data could be used without going through requesting, collecting, and processing individual data, the efficiency of disease surveillance and the availability of published data for research would be enhanced significantly (diez Roux 2004) . Birth weight is a key indicator for health outcome surveillance, and aggregated birth weight data are widely available in the United States, but individual birth weight data that cover large geographic areas are available for only a small number of metropolitan counties. For the current study, we obtained early years of individual birth weight data coded at the county level for the continental United States. We examined the influence of data aggregation on estimates of trends for climate variables and associated birth weight variables. Ultimately, we hope to assess how aggregated data might be used for monitoring the effect of climate change on human health outcomes, but here, we restricted the outcome variable to birth weight.

If aggregated data could be used without going through requesting, collecting, and processing individual data, the efficiency of disease surveillance and the availability of published data for research would be enhanced significantly.


The most common spectral disperser used in pulse shaping is a diffraction grating, for which the zero dispersion configuration is well characterized and known as the 4-F configuration [1] . In this configuration the lens is located a distance one focal length (F) behind the diffraction grating and a distance one focal length in front of the Fourier plane where the mask is placed. In either of the two main schemes that exist for recombination [either (1) reflective geometry, where a mirror at the Fourier plane reflects the light back in the same path as the incident light, or (2) transmission geometry, where a second identical lens and grating pair is used after the Fourier plane], light travels a distance of 4F between its first and second incidence on a grating. The 4-F configuration provides a dispersion-free configuration when using diffraction gratings over broad bandwidths and has been used extensively.

The most common spectral disperser used in pulse shaping is a diffraction grating, for which the zero dispersion configuration is well characterized and known as the 4-F configuration.


Femtosecond pulse shaping is a well-established technique that allows for synthesis of complex user-defined optical waveforms by parallel manipulation of the complex optical spectrum [1] . In its conventional implementation, a spectral disperser (e.g., diffraction grating) is used, which spatially disperses different frequency components that are then focused onto a spatially encoded mask with user-defined amplitude and phase information. This can be a programmable spatial light modulator or a fixed mask made using lithographic techniques. This information gets encoded onto the complex spectrum of the light source and on recombination leads to synthesis of userdefined waveforms. An important attribute desirable from the pulse-shaping apparatus is that there should be no additional amplitude or phase effects other than the ones that are user defined. Another way of looking at this is, in the absence of a mask, the output and input fields should be identical. Usually with a reasonable choice of components, the spectral amplitude effects due to the apparatus are minimal; however, it is more involved when it comes to spectral phase effects. The origins of phase effects lie in the well-known fact that whenever there is angular dispersion of spectral components there is a possibility of temporal dispersion, which in the frequency domain corresponds to additional spectral phase of second order and higher [2, 3] . In pulse shapers, since there is spectral dispersion and recombination before and after masking, respectively, it becomes necessary to ensure that the apparatus does not introduce any additional temporal dispersion of the input light. In such a configuration the input and output in the absence of masking will be identical, and this is called the zero dispersion configuration.

Femtosecond pulse shaping is a well-established technique that allows for synthesis of complex user-defined optical waveforms by parallel manipulation of the complex optical spectrum.

The origins of phase effects lie in the well-known fact that whenever there is angular dispersion of spectral components there is a possibility of temporal dispersion, which in the frequency domain corresponds to additional spectral phase of second order and higher.


From the review above, it can be concluded that sequential treatment has attracted growing interest among researchers and has proven to be an effective method for VOC abatement as well as for regeneration of saturated adsorbents. However, choosing an appropriate catalyst to achieve the best performance is still a challenge since it has to combine high adsorption capacity with high catalytic activity for oxidation of adsorbed VOCs. For instance, hard-to-adsorb VOC molecules are not appropriate for adsorption processes [61] . The key factor for the abatement of this kind of compounds is either to choose appropriate catalyst materials with a large adsorption capacity or to remove them through continuous treatment.

For instance, hard-to-adsorb VOC molecules are not appropriate for adsorption processes.


Pre-harvest spray treatment of developing bananas with SA or Bion ® delayed the incidence and reduced the severity of anthracnose disease in the harvested fruits during ripening. The treatment applied at a later stage of fruit development i.e. 9 and 11 weeks after bunch emergence (9 and 11 WABE) was found to be more effective. A similar treatment at an earlier stage of fruit development, 2 and 4 WABE, was less effective, indicating that the selection of an appropriate development stage of the fruit is crucial for the elicitor treatment to be effective. The data analysed by two-way ANOVA revealed that the type of chemical elicitor, time of their application and their interactions had a significant influence on the severity of anthracnose disease. The interaction was also evident from the outcome of the experiment where the application of elicitors at a late maturity stage had a greater effect on disease development than that of an early maturity stage. The timing of elicitor treatment and the selection of plant developmental stage have been important in determining the efficacy of Bion ® treatment in strawberry against grey mould disease (Terry & Joyce, 2004) .

The timing of elicitor treatment and the selection of plant developmental stage have been important in determining the efficacy of Bion ® treatment in strawberry against grey mould disease.


A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is a dynamic distributed system of wireless nodes that move independently of each other. The operating transmission range of the nodes is limited and as a result, MANET routes are often multi-hop in nature. Any node in a MANET can become a source or destination, and each node can function as a router, forwarding data for its peers. MANET routing protocols can be classified into topology-based and position-based protocols. Topology-based protocols are either proactive or reactive in nature. Proactive routing protocols determine and maintain routes between any pair of nodes irrespective of their requirement. The reactive on-demand routing protocols determine a route only when required. As the network topology changes dynamically, reactive on-demand routing has been preferred over proactive routing [1] [2] .

As the network topology changes dynamically, reactive on-demand routing has been preferred over proactive routing.


An anomaly -single or clustered -is an event considered as not normal with respect to a normal behaviour (Chandola et al 2009) . With any type of anomaly, the open issue is to define normality. For single outliers, normality is defined in terms of distance, distribution or neighbourhood similarity with other data instances. For spatial anomalies, it is their occurence in a specific region of the space that makes them abnormal. For collective anomalies, individual instances are normal but it is their co-occurence that makes them anomalies. For rare events, it is their small relative size with respect to other data subpopulations that makes them anomalies. Contrary to collective anomalies, every instance contained in a rare event is an anomaly. We consider an example of rare events detection in Figure 1 . The data distribution contains two normal populations of 10,000 points and two rare events: a sparser one of 10 points far from the normal populations, i.e. a global anomaly, and a denser one of 20 points close to one of the normal populations, i.e. a local anomaly. Figure 1(b) shows the output of our approach, RARE, isolating the rare events from the rest of the data.

An anomaly -single or clustered -is an event considered as not normal with respect to a normal behaviour.


Uracil and Tegafur (UFT) is an oral 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) compound combining tegafur and uracil in a molar ration of 1:4. Tegafur is metabolized to 5-FU in the liver, and uracil inhibits the main metabolizing enzyme of 5-FU, thereby increasing serum concentration of 5-FU. Oral UFT plus leucovorin (LV) was demonstrated to be equivalent in efficacy with 5-FU/LV in both the adjuvant setting and palliative setting of chemotherapy with the tolerable toxicity [9, 10] . UFT was also suggested as the maintenance therapy after surgical adjuvant chemotherapy in stage III colon cancer [11] . As an oral tablet, UFT has practical advantage in long-term treatment. UFT was recommended as one of the oral agents in treating advanced gastric cancer in Japan [12, 13] . Thus, our randomized phase II trial was conducted to further confirm the efficacy of UFT as the maintenance therapy in patients with metastatic gastric cancer for whom response to fluorouracil-based chemotherapy in the first-line treatment.

Oral UFT plus leucovorin (LV) was demonstrated to be equivalent in efficacy with 5-FU/LV in both the adjuvant setting and palliative setting of chemotherapy with the tolerable toxicity.

UFT was also suggested as the maintenance therapy after surgical adjuvant chemotherapy in stage III colon cancer.

UFT was recommended as one of the oral agents in treating advanced gastric cancer in Japan.


Although a few published papers have investigated different mechanisms of nickel-based superalloys during the laser forming process, limited works have been carried out on the K417G superalloy. So far, the microstructure and properties of laser formed K417G, the cracking mechanism, and control methods of controlling the cracking behavior are still unclear. Moreover, except for component factors and processing parameters, another approach to affect the cracking behavior is post treatment. Laser remelting is considered as an effective post treatment to improve the quality and properties of coatings. It has been extensively adopted to prepare coatings with a dense structure and excellent properties [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] . Therefore, laser remelting can be attempted to decrease or even eliminate the cracks in the laser forming repaired (LFRed) K417G. In this paper, the microstructure observation and crack analysis of the LFRed K417G are presented. Then, cracking mechanisms are proposed, taking the chemical composition of the K417G superalloy and laser processing characteristics of LFR into account. Finally, the effects on microstructure, cracking behavior, hardness, and tribological properties of the LFRed K417G after laser remelting are investigated.

It has been extensively adopted to prepare coatings with a dense structure and excellent properties.


Ottoman archives, as being one of the largest collection of historical documents, hold over 150 million documents ranging from military reports to economic and political correspondence, belonging to the Ottoman era. Large number of researchers from around the world are interested in accessing the archived material [13] . However, many documents are in defective editions or in manuscript format and manual transcription and indexing of Ottoman texts require a lot of time and effort, causing most of these documents inaccessible.

Large number of researchers from around the world are interested in accessing the archived material.


With the assumption that the curvature or connection points, or the dots which are commonly used in Ottoman characters, are important visual features, we make use of the salient points which are shown to be successful in representing such distinctive areas and heavily used for matching. Specifically, we used SIFT operator for detecting and representing salient points [11] . Then, we use the bag-of-words approach which is recently adopted from statistical text analysis literature for classifying objects and scenes [24, 17, 23] . The descriptors extracted from the salient points are vector quantized to have a set of visual terms and then the words are represented as collections of these visual terms. Then, the similarity of words are found based on the similarity of the visual term distributions.

Specifically, we used SIFT operator for detecting and representing salient points.

Then, we use the bag-of-words approach which is recently adopted from statistical text analysis literature for classifying objects and scenes.


The Climate Change Sensitivity (CCS) indicator is based on trait information rather than traditional assessment metrics. As can be seen from the analyses oftaxa within the three insect orders and their potential climate change sensitivity, there are differences in sensitivity between as well as within the three orders (Conti et al., 2014) . Using the ten trait classifications instead of scores for individual taxa allows comparison of global change sensitivity across regions with potential differences in their regional species pools (which would make direct comparisons of taxonomic communities difficult); at the same time the influence of local environmental conditions on biodiversity will be more consistent across traits than when species-based metrics are used. The CCS indicator developed here could after further testing across e.g., Europe also potentially be included in monitoring schemes to assess potential vulnerability and conservation values in relation to future global climate change either alone or through the incorporation into multi-metric indicators of freshwater ecosystems.

As can be seen from the analyses oftaxa within the three insect orders and their potential climate change sensitivity, there are differences in sensitivity between as well as within the three orders.


Composite materials have been used for many years in the aeronautical industry to reduce aircraft weight and to optimize performance. The traditional manufacturing techniques are being required to produce increasingly complex shapes while reducing defect levels. In order to address this, new processes such as AFP (Automated Fibre Placement) have been developed, which allow the optimization of reinforcement lay-up and close control of process parameters [1] . An automated fibre placement machine applies tows (of 3.175 mm to 12.7 mm width), in the form of a ribbon of unidirectional prepreg with fibres in either thermosetting or thermoplastic matrix but also powder tows for RTM, onto the surface of a mould through a placement head. Thirty-two tows may be placed simultaneously side by side on the mould surface. The orientation of plies, the precision of draping, repeatability and reliability of manufactured parts is ensured while reducing mechanical tolerances. This technology has the advantage of making parts of complex curvilinear shapes, with single or double curvature, in order to optimize the composite structure [2] . It is also possible to produce laminates with large thickness variations. The combinations of controlled pressure exerted by roller compaction and the local application of temperature by a heating system (infrared lamp or hot air torches) removes air trapped between the layers, reduces porosity and allows the adhesion of different plies of the laminate to the mould or onto previously draped plies [3] [4] [5] . Following the layup, the manufactured part is placed in an autoclave to consolidate the laminate plies, polymerizing the resin contained in the prepreg tapes.

In order to address this, new processes such as AFP (Automated Fibre Placement) have been developed, which allow the optimization of reinforcement lay-up and close control of process parameters.

This technology has the advantage of making parts of complex curvilinear shapes, with single or double curvature, in order to optimize the composite structure.

The combinations of controlled pressure exerted by roller compaction and the local application of temperature by a heating system (infrared lamp or hot air torches) removes air trapped between the layers, reduces porosity and allows the adhesion of different plies of the laminate to the mould or onto previously draped plies.


The tows are cut perpendicular to the fibres and this may create heterogeneous areas depending on the draping strategy. In addition, gaps and tape overlaps, directly related to machine and material tolerances, can be introduced and affect the mechanical properties of the manufactured parts. Research has been conducted for many years to understand the impact of these constraints on carbon fibre reinforced thermoset materials. There are now methods which allow the tape laying trajectory to be optimized, to reduce the impact on mechnical properties [11] [12] [13] .

There are now methods which allow the tape laying trajectory to be optimized, to reduce the impact on mechnical properties.