We will review both approaches to achieve novel artificial materials with engineered electronic properties. We will start by discussing the relevant key concepts required for understanding the cutting-edge experimental results that have been reached in recent years. For example, the control of the lattice structure gives complete control over the resulting band structure; e.g., creating a lattice with the honeycomb symmetry will mimic the extraordinary electronic properties of graphene that arise from the symmetry of the hexagonal lattice with a two-atom unit cell [11, 33] . In addition to band structure engineering, recent work has suggested ways to build topological properties into artificial systems and we will give an overview of the simple models that can capture such effects. These effects can also be realized in chemically synthesized graphene nanoribbons and armed with the understanding of the underlying physical mechanisms, we will review the most exciting experimental demonstrations of lattice engineering and topological states in artificial lattices and the results on graphene nanoribbons and nanoribbon heterostructures with predetermined geometry and properties.

For example, the control of the lattice structure gives complete control over the resulting band structure; e.g., creating a lattice with the honeycomb symmetry will mimic the extraordinary electronic properties of graphene that arise from the symmetry of the hexagonal lattice with a two-atom unit cell.


Planning to utilize the latest technologies in the healthcare industry is an important strategy for many healthcare organizations to enhance healthcare services and reduce operations costs [1] [2] [3] . There is a high increase in the demand on healthcare services while the shortages in qualified healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses and pharmacists form one of the toughest challenges confronting healthcare providers [4, 5] . In addition, diseases are becoming more complex and new advancements in technology and research have facilitated the emergence of new and more effective diagnoses and treatment techniques [6] . As a result the logistics behind managing such operations has become more complex and very costly. Furthermore, competition among the healthcare industry has risen [7] . Different healthcare organizations provide different types of services to fit the needs of diverse economic categories and disease levels. The marketplace is very competitive while pressure from regulatory authorities forces weak and non-performing hospitals out of business very quickly. In preserving the wellbeing of humans, any reduction in the numbers of healthcare providers or services cannot be tolerated.

Planning to utilize the latest technologies in the healthcare industry is an important strategy for many healthcare organizations to enhance healthcare services and reduce operations costs.

There is a high increase in the demand on healthcare services while the shortages in qualified healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses and pharmacists form one of the toughest challenges confronting healthcare providers.

In addition, diseases are becoming more complex and new advancements in technology and research have facilitated the emergence of new and more effective diagnoses and treatment techniques.

Furthermore, competition among the healthcare industry has risen.


Three dimensional (3D) electrodes are effectively used in a wide range of applications such as electronic circuit components, micro sensors, micro actuators, and microfluidic system. In particular, the 3D electrode is useful for the dielectrophoresis (DEP) of biological samples including cells, proteins, and particles. Compared to the planar electrode, the 3D electrode structure allows it to transmit a large DEP force to the biological samples due to the high gradient electrical field generated between the 3D electrodes [1] . Therefore, the high gradient electrical field in 3D DEP chips could enhance separation and trapping performance. There are many investigations into the trapping and separation of a biological sample using 3D DEP chips.

Compared to the planar electrode, the 3D electrode structure allows it to transmit a large DEP force to the biological samples due to the high gradient electrical field generated between the 3D electrodes.


The inset of Figure 6 (a) shows Ag electrodes printed on the Au electrodes inside a rectangular printing area surrounded by FC film. Ag ink spread and is trapped successfully only on the Au surface without FC film, and FC film acts as a barrier to prevent the ink from over-spreading after the ink-jetting process. However, the thickness of the Ag electrode is not uniform and the edge shape is tilted, as shown in Figure 6 (b). The overall morphology is similar to a dented rectangular with round corners (Figure 6(c) ). This morphological characteristic would result from the so-called "coffee ring effect" where a ring-like pattern is formed by the accumulation of particles at the edges through capillary flow induced by the differential evaporation rates across the drop. Ag particles inside the printed ink droplet move toward the edges from the center and the particle accumulation at the edge boundaries could result in a dented rectangle with round corners [1] . For further research, the fabrication process needs to be improved to provide rectangular shape of the printed structure by controlling the printing conditions like substrate temperature, surface wettability, and ink vapor pressure [12, 13] . Figure 7 shows the DEP characteristic of the 4 μm polystyrene beads. The operational voltage was AC 20 V pp and the applied frequency was 500 kHz. Under these conditions, micro beads represent a negative DEP characteristic on the Au and Ag electrodes, because these locations on the electrodes have lower electric field intensity than other locations as shown in the simulation results of Figure 4 . In particular, more beads gather on the Ag 3D electrodes since the 3D structure has a broad range of the DEP force as shown in Figure 7(c) and (d) . The number of beads trapped on the Ag electrode is 79 and 25 on the Au electrode at the regions (dotted line) indicated by the arrow. The collected beads per unit area are approximately 3 times larger on the Ag electrode than on the Au electrode. The reason for this is that the electric field distribution is extensive around the 3D electrode, and thus a large amount of the beads can be spatially exposed to the electric field. In the case of the planar electrodes, an electric field distribution is concentrated on the surface of the micro DEP chip, especially at the edges among electrodes, so the electric field influence is much weaker in other areas. Thus, we confirmed that the experimental results have similar trends compared to a prior prediction in the FEM simulation.

Ag particles inside the printed ink droplet move toward the edges from the center and the particle accumulation at the edge boundaries could result in a dented rectangle with round corners.

For further research, the fabrication process needs to be improved to provide rectangular shape of the printed structure by controlling the printing conditions like substrate temperature, surface wettability, and ink vapor pressure.


Over the past couple of decades, we are heading towards dense, layered, and complex road systems with increasingly heavy traffic that demands modern navigation systems. We are not able to rely upon GPS systems alone in urban areas where skyscrapers, overpasses, underpasses, and tunnels are familiar attribute of present-day cities as GPS may suffer from outages, interference, jamming, and multipath effects [1] [2] [3] . Advanced navigational systems requirements can be fulfilled using complementary navigation methods, relying upon information from motion sensors such as odometers and inertial sensors. These systems are self-contained and hence immune to external interference, but their accuracy deteriorates in the long-term. Deteriorations of performance of these sensors are due to different factors that may include sensor's bias, drift, scale factor instability, and misalignment [4] [5] [6] . By integrating the GPS and these motion sensors, a complementary solution can be obtained that is often more accurate than that of independent systems [4] . These sensors are also capable of providing positioning, velocity, and attitude information at higher data rates than GPS. A reliable solution can be achieved during GPS outages using Linearized KF (LKF) and Extended KF (EKF) if high-end navigational and tactical grades inertial navigation systems (INS) are employed. High-end INS may not be used for land navigation due to cost and space limitations.

We are not able to rely upon GPS systems alone in urban areas where skyscrapers, overpasses, underpasses, and tunnels are familiar attribute of present-day cities as GPS may suffer from outages, interference, jamming, and multipath effects.

Deteriorations of performance of these sensors are due to different factors that may include sensor's bias, drift, scale factor instability, and misalignment.

By integrating the GPS and these motion sensors, a complementary solution can be obtained that is often more accurate than that of independent systems.


Using individual paths as features results in a huge, sparse feature space. While some paths are rare, they often consist of certain unimportant components. For instance, "Spelt is a species of wheat" and "Fantasy is a genre of fiction" yield two different paths: X be species of Y and X be genre of Y, while both indicating that X is-a Y. A possible solution is to generalize paths by replacing words along the path with their part-of-speech tags or with wild cards, as done in the PATTY system (Nakashole et al., 2012) .

For instance, "Spelt is a species of wheat" and "Fantasy is a genre of fiction" yield two different paths: X be species of Y and X be genre of Y, while both indicating that X is-a Y. A possible solution is to generalize paths by replacing words along the path with their part-of-speech tags or with wild cards, as done in the PATTY system.


Simulation of the electrical capacitance measurements in this application is a multiphysics problem combining, flow through a porous media to describe the movement of water through a soil column, and electrostatics for the calculation of the electrical fields resulting from the moisture distribution. ). Applying the Richards equation for a point injection with a given pressure head to a rectangular soil geometry allows the calculation of the soil water distribution at a given time. Figure 1 is an example soil water distribution obtained from the solution of the Richards equation for a rectangular soil geometry simulated using the COMSOL Multiphysics Earth Science module. The soil retention characteristics and saturated hydraulic conductivity in this example were chosen arbitrarily. Root water uptake can be included in the Richards equation via a sink term. If a root network is considered as a series of nodes and interconnecting segments, the Doussan model can be used to calculate the water potential at each of the root nodes from a system of equations expressed in terms of the length of the interconnecting segments, the Xylem conductivity, the water potential of the surrounding soil, the radial conductivity and the surface area of the interconnecting segments [11] .

If a root network is considered as a series of nodes and interconnecting segments, the Doussan model can be used to calculate the water potential at each of the root nodes from a system of equations expressed in terms of the length of the interconnecting segments, the Xylem conductivity, the water potential of the surrounding soil, the radial conductivity and the surface area of the interconnecting segments.


In our study, SPECT imaging was not performed routinely. SPECT imaging has been reported to have advantages for evaluating abnormalities in regional distribution in the myocardium [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] . Usually, the reconstructed data are displayed in three planes (short axis, horizontal long axis and vertical long axis), which is similar to that used in myocardial perfusion SPECT. Various patterns of distribution of myocardial 123 I-MIBG accumulation have been reported, but the quality of 123 I-MIBG SPECT images is moderate due to the properties of the tracer. Furthermore, no myocardial perfusion scans were performed. Comparing perfusion imaging to 123 I-MIBG distribution gives extra information about the presence or absence of mismatch patterns. Myocardial ischaemia or infarction disrupts sympathetic transmission, which may lead to denervation of a region larger than that affected by ischaemia only. Furthermore, sympathetic nervous tissue is more sensitive to ischaemia than myocytes. The presence of innervation/perfusion imaging mismatches correlates with electrophysiological abnormalities and increasing inducibility of potential lethal arrhythmias [16, 17] .

SPECT imaging has been reported to have advantages for evaluating abnormalities in regional distribution in the myocardium.

The presence of innervation/perfusion imaging mismatches correlates with electrophysiological abnormalities and increasing inducibility of potential lethal arrhythmias.


We propose here a new kind of technique, based on the Bayesian formulation to estimate the model parameters in agreement with the data (Tarantola and Valette, 1982) . The general framework of Bayesian theory enabled us to: (i) take into account precisely the uncertainties of measured quantities, (ii) define precisely the range of possibility of all model parameters, (iii) estimate the range of solution in a general case (that may not have a gaussian shape). From theoretical point of view, each information is described as a probability density function (PDF): the measured quantities, the a priori parameters and the posterior parameters. Within this framework, the solution is expressed as a "final state of information" which always exists, solving the apparent ill-posed problem.

We propose here a new kind of technique, based on the Bayesian formulation to estimate the model parameters in agreement with the data.


Further improvements in BPV output may come from understanding the biological basis of NOX activity in diatoms. Superoxide anion production has been recorded in numerous algae and is implicated in promoting growth and responses to environmental stress, predators and pathogens [30] [31] [32] . Reported levels of production of superoxide anion vary between algal species, ranging from about 0.1 pmol cell −1 in C.

Superoxide anion production has been recorded in numerous algae and is implicated in promoting growth and responses to environmental stress, predators and pathogens.


We were unable to weigh the animals used in this work, but heart girth has been proven to be a good proxy of body weight for red deer in Spain (Alarcos 2007) . It was not possible to take all measurements for all individuals, so our sample sizes differ among measurements. For analyses we used average values for both antlers.

We were unable to weigh the animals used in this work, but heart girth has been proven to be a good proxy of body weight for red deer in Spain.


To check the variations in food availability between the two years of study, we measured grass height in spring (April-May) at the same fixed points (N=46) distributed throughout the study estates. Deer density on each estate was estimated by counting animals seen at open mating areas during late afternoon in September, when the animals gather at mating areas and are therefore more visible (Carranza et al. 1996) . Since an indeterminate number of animals may remain outside the mating areas, we considered our estimation to be a minimum value of density. Density was used in the analyses as a twolevel categorical factor, for which we arbitrarily used 0.3 deer per ha as the cut off point for the two levels of density.

Deer density on each estate was estimated by counting animals seen at open mating areas during late afternoon in September, when the animals gather at mating areas and are therefore more visible.


During the administration process several questions emerged about former sport competence items included in the physical confidence subscale which seemed to be quite problematic and source of confusion among elderly participants. In cultures such as the Portuguese, sport had for many years a limited tradition and impact in society due to the small number of opportunities provided, and for political reasons educational policies did not include for a long time sport as a priority (Ferreira & Fox, 2007) . Therefore citizens did not feel valued by their sport achievements, and older people showed great difficulty to understand this construct and to express their individual feelings about it as many of them never experienced any formal or informal involvement in sport activities over the life span.

In cultures such as the Portuguese, sport had for many years a limited tradition and impact in society due to the small number of opportunities provided, and for political reasons educational policies did not include for a long time sport as a priority.


GCLs are used commonly in containment systems for bottom liner systems as well as for cover liner systems. GCLs are subjected to coupled effects of environmental and operational stresses in the field including mechanical, hydraulic, chemical, and thermal stresses. Temperature affects properties and behavior of GCLs (Rowe 1998) . In general, detailed spatial or temporal distributions or comprehensive long-term trends for GCL field temperatures are not available. Also, heat transfer in liner systems has not been analyzed extensively in the past. This study was conducted to determine long-term temperature trends in GCL liners in the field. Onset and duration of temperature variations with respect to local air and ground temperatures have been studied. Thermal gradients in a liner system were determined. Heat transfer through GCL liner systems was investigated using numerical analysis.

Temperature affects properties and behavior of GCLs.


Li-ion batteries are used to power electrified vehicles due to their high energy density, high power density, environmental friendliness, and low cost. In China, there were 146,720 new registrations for battery electric cars in 2015 [1] . These Li-ion battery-powered vehicles were supported by financial subsidies from the central government. However, these onboard batteries can suffer performance degradation from harsh working conditions [2] . The possible failure modes related to electrode stresses might be particle fracture and electrode porosity reduction, which can reduce capacity and power. During the lithiation and delithiation of Li-ion batteries, the induced mechanical stress generated by versatile factors is a multifaceted complex issue. One of its most important causes is rooted in the inhomogeneous electrode stress accumulation.

In China, there were 146,720 new registrations for battery electric cars in 2015.

However, these onboard batteries can suffer performance degradation from harsh working conditions.


How important is the variance reduction? To justify the importance of the variance reduction, we implement a variant of our model by setting the trade-off parameter as λ = 0 in Eq. (10) . By this, the parameters of the self-dependent function are randomly initialized and no training is performed. Figure 5 shows that, removing the variance loss does decrease the accuracies of our method on Cora and Reddit. For Citeseer, the effect of removing the variance reduction is not so significant. We conjecture that the average degree of Citeseer (i.e. 1.4) is smaller than Cora (i.e. 2.0) and Reddit (i.e. 492), and penalizing the variance is not so impeding due to the limited diversity of neighborhoods.

To justify the importance of the variance reduction, we implement a variant of our model by setting the trade-off parameter as λ = 0 in Eq..


Furthermore, despite decades of efforts aimed at protecting and conserving surface water resources, there have been a continuous decline in the value of this vital resource, because the management of this resource is increasingly becoming difficult (Biswas, 1997; Karr and Chu, 1999) . One of such difficultly is associated with the multi-stakeholder demand on surface water that may often be divergent or contrasting; as well as the need to balance the need for economic growth and development with environmental protection, and localised service value attached to surface water resources. The contrasting demand and the inherent variability and complexity of environmental systems make it more difficult to manage the environment. This therefore calls for water resource management (WRM) approaches that can highlight and appropriately incorporate the priorities of local people that often bear the impacts of development project as well as address the issue of equitable development. Equitable development implies identifying ways in which localised impacts of development can be appropriately reduced or mitigated as well as enhancing the localised benefits of development projects; in essence such an approach encourages fair opportunities to access, use and preserve nature. However, the current drivers for development are environmental protection, appropriate and cost-effective technology and national or regional economic growth. This paper is aimed at exploring the knowledge of residents of rural communities in the Central Niger Delta to understanding the localised benefits or significance of surface water resources, as well as the seasonal variation of fish production in rural communities of the Central Niger Delta. The knowledge of local people of areas such as the Central Niger Delta in which surface water is of a significant socio-economic relevance can be incorporated into WRM planning for sustainable development particularly when the surface water plays a key development role that may impact on the localised benefits of surface water.

Furthermore, despite decades of efforts aimed at protecting and conserving surface water resources, there have been a continuous decline in the value of this vital resource, because the management of this resource is increasingly becoming difficult.


Face-to-face questionnaires have been found to be useful in eliminating no-responses from respondent and reliable for direct observation of the authenticity of responses (Budds, 1999) . By and large, questionnaires administered face-to-face make the data collection process very interactive, and informal. The questionnaire has been administered to a total of 418 respondents from the sample communities (by simple random sampling), of these: 81 were from Elebele; 103 were from Otuoke; 108 were from Otuogidi; and 126 were from Otakeme. The sample population was used for the purpose of making the survey as cost-effective as possible without compromising the objective of accessing the TK and TEK of a fair representation of the target population. Obtaining the perceptions of more respondents across the socio-economic segment of the sample communities tends to increase the level of confidence, as well as improve the statistical validity of the outcome of the social survey.

Face-to-face questionnaires have been found to be useful in eliminating no-responses from respondent and reliable for direct observation of the authenticity of responses.


Due to the growing concern about logistics performances, it is of great significance to provide logistics services with good-quality to meet customers' requirements and remain as a persistent concern on how to improve their satisfaction effectively. In order to gain and improve customer satisfaction, decision makers should figure out the service requirements (SRs) desired by customers first and then implement related strategic actions (SAs), since customer satisfaction is attained only when the provided services meet or even exceed their requirements [2] . Consequently, a core issue arisen in the strategic management of logistics services is how to develop effective strategic actions to meet the customer requirements. Furthermore, this issue usually should be considered with limited resources. Therefore, an appropriate approach to evaluate these strategic actions in terms of efficiency to meet the customer requirements is needed.

In order to gain and improve customer satisfaction, decision makers should figure out the service requirements (SRs) desired by customers first and then implement related strategic actions (SAs), since customer satisfaction is attained only when the provided services meet or even exceed their requirements.


The association between constipation and faecal incontinence remains unclear. Previous studies report inconsistent relationships between faecal incontinence and self-reported constipation [26, 27] . There appears to be no study has assessed the relationship between faecal incontinence and clinically defined constipation in older populations. This current study found self-reported constipation was significantly associated with faecal incontinence.

Previous studies report inconsistent relationships between faecal incontinence and self-reported constipation.


Our next challenge was the implementation of our intervention. Many factors may enhance or inhibit implementation. Therefore it is important to analyse the target group [16] . To be successful, we developed a multifaceted implementation strategy that could be tailored to each specific ward. By tailoring the strategy to the barriers of the individual wards we developed an individual implementation plan for each ward that considered the context of that particular ward.

Therefore it is important to analyse the target group.


Pontoscolex corethrurus showed a prolific reproduction (a total of eight juvenile P. corethrurus) within the 22-day soil mesocosm experiment. The stronger δ 15 N signal observed in juvenile P. corethrurus, as compared with the adults, might be explained by (1) the possibility that adult P. corethrurus allocated its assimilated 15 N into cocoon reproduction, which later integrated into the tissue of juvenile P. corethrurus, and (2) a higher soil consumption and biomass increase in relation to overall biomass by juvenile worms than the adult worms [6] . Pontoscolex corethrurus has been described as one of the cosmopolitan earthworm species that has aggressively invaded many regions in the tropics, including Puerto Rico, Central Amazonian, and Peruvian soils [40] [41] [42] [43] . Exceptional reproductive strategies of P. corethrurus, such as a high rate of cocoon production and hatching success, a short development time, and the ability of parthenogenesis, critically influence the local native earthworm community in the invaded soils [2] . The rapid population growth of P. corethrurus may increase competition pressure on food resources to the local native earthworm community [22] . The relevance of resource availability to the population growth of P. corethrurus and its significance in a P. corethrurus invasion is certainly a topic in need of future research.

The stronger δ 15 N signal observed in juvenile P. corethrurus, as compared with the adults, might be explained by (1) the possibility that adult P. corethrurus allocated its assimilated 15 N into cocoon reproduction, which later integrated into the tissue of juvenile P. corethrurus, and (2) a higher soil consumption and biomass increase in relation to overall biomass by juvenile worms than the adult worms.

Pontoscolex corethrurus has been described as one of the cosmopolitan earthworm species that has aggressively invaded many regions in the tropics, including Puerto Rico, Central Amazonian, and Peruvian soils.

Exceptional reproductive strategies of P. corethrurus, such as a high rate of cocoon production and hatching success, a short development time, and the ability of parthenogenesis, critically influence the local native earthworm community in the invaded soils.

The rapid population growth of P. corethrurus may increase competition pressure on food resources to the local native earthworm community.


To test our hypothesis, we examined whether existing concerns about climate change were associated with attention to climate-related information (e.g., words such as carbon). We measured attentional prioritization of climate-related words using an attentional blink (AB) task (Di Lollo et al. 2005; Raymond et al. 1992) . The AB task measures attentional biases governing how a given visual stimulus is processed under conditions of high attentional demand. The Bblink^is a phenomenon in which people are unable to report the identity of a target stimulus if it is presented shortly after a previous target, with both targets embedded in a rapidly presented stream of distractor stimuli. After seeing the first target (T1), people typically fail to see the second target (T2), as if the mind blinks (for about 500 ms).

We measured attentional prioritization of climate-related words using an attentional blink (AB) task.


Brachytherapy is frequently utilized for medium sized tumors (apical height 3-10 mm and basal diameter 5-16 mm) and has been shown to be equivalent to enucleation for tumors in this category [3] . Treatment delivery is nevertheless quite complex, and it has been recommended to only undertake this treatment approach at medical centers with the appropriate expertise [6] . Accordingly, recommendations have been made by the American Brachytherapy Society regarding appropriate treatment delivery and planning [6] .

Brachytherapy is frequently utilized for medium sized tumors (apical height 3-10 mm and basal diameter 5-16 mm) and has been shown to be equivalent to enucleation for tumors in this category.

Treatment delivery is nevertheless quite complex, and it has been recommended to only undertake this treatment approach at medical centers with the appropriate expertise.

Accordingly, recommendations have been made by the American Brachytherapy Society regarding appropriate treatment delivery and planning.


The absence of the infinitesimal translations generated by P µ is an illustration of the unavoidable SUSY breaking on the lattice. In a more detailed analysis one can prove that supersymmetry is generically broken on the lattice [7] . In most cases there is no restoration of SUSY in the continuum limit without a fine tuning of certain SUSY breaking counterterms. In SYM it is the fine tuning of the bare gluino mass. Our simulations are an important test for the general applicability of non-perturbative lattice methods for SUSY theories. It is one of the few non-trivial four-dimensional examples where the complete restoration of SUSY in the continuum limit can be shown in terms of the Ward identities and the degenerate mass spectrum.

In a more detailed analysis one can prove that supersymmetry is generically broken on the lattice.


In our present investigation we considered only the mass of the lightest supermultiplet. A second chiral supermultiplet with higher mass has been predicted [3, 4, 28] . The determination of the mass of the second supermultiplet on the lattice requires the computation of the mixing between gluonic and fermionic operators. We plan to investigate this aspect in the near future. The analysis of the mass of the pseudoscalar glueball and of the excited state of the scalar glueball indicates that mixing might be rather weak in the 0 −+ channel. In this case, the second excited supermultiplet appears to be roughly twice as massive as the ground state.

A second chiral supermultiplet with higher mass has been predicted.


Several studies have reported that persistent post-operative wound discharge was a significant predictor of infection following total joint arthroplasty [3, [5] [6] [7] . Estimates of post-operative infection are as high as 50% for patients with persistent wound discharge [6] . Few studies have investigated predictors of and risk factors for prolonged wound drainage. However, it has been shown that morbid obesity and the use of low molecular weight heparin as thromboembolic prophylaxis are significant risk factors [6] .

Several studies have reported that persistent post-operative wound discharge was a significant predictor of infection following total joint arthroplasty.

Estimates of post-operative infection are as high as 50% for patients with persistent wound discharge.

However, it has been shown that morbid obesity and the use of low molecular weight heparin as thromboembolic prophylaxis are significant risk factors.


Growth of lactic acid bacteria in milk depends on their ability to metabolize nonlimiting concentrations of lactose (45-50 gl 1), and to hydrolyze caseins which represent '" 80% of milk proteins and are considered to be the main nitrogen source. In milk, the concentration of free amino acids and low molecular weight peptides is very low and allows growth to a cell density corresponding to 8-16% of the maximum found wh en caseins are utilized. These levels are weil below the minimum necessary to support rapid acid production (Thomas and Pritchard, 1987) . Consequently, for further growth, the starter bacteria have to utilize caseins which are hydrolyzed to peptides and amino acids by extracellular proteinases and peptidases.

These levels are weil below the minimum necessary to support rapid acid production.


Up to now, only a few works about 3D ear recognition have been published. Pin Yan and Kevin W. Bowyer proposed an automatic 3D ear recognition system [3] . They use the iterative closest point (ICP) based 3D shape matching algorithm for ear recognition. Hui Chen and Bir Bhanu proposed a 3D ear recognition method based on local surface patch and ICP method [4] [5] . Most of the existing 3D ear recognition methods adopt ICP algorithm for aligning the ear surfaces. For ICP algorithm based ear recognition method, a good initial estimation of the transformation is necessary to guarantee the convergence of the algorithm.

Pin Yan and Kevin W. Bowyer proposed an automatic 3D ear recognition system.

Hui Chen and Bir Bhanu proposed a 3D ear recognition method based on local surface patch and ICP method.


Another feature of the present management arrangements is the opportunity cost due to suboptimal utilization of a significant part of the catch used for reduction. Fishmeal plants operate in Ukraine and Georgia, but most are located in Turkey, where private investment in fishmeal capacity was supported by public funds throughout the 1980s and 1990s (MacAlister Elliott and Partners 1995) . Modern pelagic fishing and processing technologies are still not widely applied in the Turkish fishery sector. Proven technologies in vessel design, product handling and storage, grading, and processing of small pelagic fish, which are used elsewhere, could be expected to deliver significant added value from the catches of small pelagic fish (both anchovy and horse mackerel).

Fishmeal plants operate in Ukraine and Georgia, but most are located in Turkey, where private investment in fishmeal capacity was supported by public funds throughout the 1980s and 1990s.


The propagation of combustion fronts in reactive porous media, which is usually referred to as smouldering or filtration combustion (FC), is a subject of interest for many applications. These include oil recovery using in situ combustion, coal gasification, fire safety, and foam combustion in a variety of situations. A broad review of all these domains is provided by Rein [1] . In all cases, an oxidation reaction is involved between an immobile fuel and an oxidizer, conveyed by a gas flow through the pore space.

A broad review of all these domains is provided by Rein.


In the present paper, we do not make such assumptions and derive a more general model by applying the volume-averaging theory of Quintard and Whitaker [27] . The heterogeneous chemical reaction, which is assumed to be of the first order Arrhenius-type, occurs at the interface between the solid and fluid phases. Moreover, local thermal equilibrium between the solid and fluid phases is not assumed a priori. The transport coefficients in the upscaled model are obtained by solving the corresponding closure problems in a stratified system. Eventually, the verification of the present upscaled model is conducted for a horizontal channel by comparison with direct numerical simulations on the pore-scale.

In the present paper, we do not make such assumptions and derive a more general model by applying the volume-averaging theory of Quintard and Whitaker.


Passive smoking is the inhalation of environmental tobacco smoke (i.e., of second-hand smoke by persons that do not intend to smoke). Tobacco sidestream smoke permeates the environment, which is inhaled by people within that environment. Exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke can cause disease, disability and death [1] . The health risks of second-hand smoke are a matter Instruments 2018, 2, 13 2 of 10 of scientific consensus. In fact, second-hand smoke causes many of the same diseases as direct smoking, including cardiovascular diseases, lung cancer and respiratory diseases [2] . In particular, pregnant females who are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke have a higher risk of delivering children with congenital abnormalities, longer lengths, smaller head circumferences and low birth weights [3] . In addition, there is a sufficient evidence to infer a causal relationship between exposure to second-hand smoke and sudden infant death syndrome [4] . Thus, second-hand smoke is the most significant indoor pollutant for humans. These risks have served as a major motivation for smoke-free laws in workplaces and indoor public places. In this present study, we aimed to physically eliminate tobacco smoke in order to keep indoor air as clean as possible. We achieved this by developing an electrostatic air purification device that prevents tobacco sidestream smoke from entering public spaces and thus, affecting non-smokers.

Exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke can cause disease, disability and death.

In fact, second-hand smoke causes many of the same diseases as direct smoking, including cardiovascular diseases, lung cancer and respiratory diseases.

In particular, pregnant females who are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke have a higher risk of delivering children with congenital abnormalities, longer lengths, smaller head circumferences and low birth weights.

In addition, there is a sufficient evidence to infer a causal relationship between exposure to second-hand smoke and sudden infant death syndrome.


The anaerobic treatment of industrial effluents has a number of advantages, such as low energy consumption, low excess sludge production, the elimination of odors and methane production as an energy source [1] . The biological process of anaerobic digestion is governed significantly by the conditions under which it is run such as alkalinity, nutrient content, loading rate, toxicity of constituents, pH and temperature [2] . Anaerobic treatment can be improved with the use of biomass retention by the immobilization of anaerobic microorganisms [3] . Nowadays, most of the attention has been drawn to the development of high-rate anaerobic reactors for the treatment of effluents leading to the conversion of organic matter into biogas [4] . Anaerobic treatment of organic-based wastewater is the most common process for biogas production and the reduction of organic matter existing in the influent and it has been used in mesophilic and thermophilic conditions [5] .

The anaerobic treatment of industrial effluents has a number of advantages, such as low energy consumption, low excess sludge production, the elimination of odors and methane production as an energy source.

The biological process of anaerobic digestion is governed significantly by the conditions under which it is run such as alkalinity, nutrient content, loading rate, toxicity of constituents, pH and temperature.

Anaerobic treatment can be improved with the use of biomass retention by the immobilization of anaerobic microorganisms.

Nowadays, most of the attention has been drawn to the development of high-rate anaerobic reactors for the treatment of effluents leading to the conversion of organic matter into biogas.

Anaerobic treatment of organic-based wastewater is the most common process for biogas production and the reduction of organic matter existing in the influent and it has been used in mesophilic and thermophilic conditions.


The internal combustion engine is a machine that converts the chemical energy in a fuel into mechanical work. In combustion engines, the chemical energy of the fuel is converted to thermal energy through combustion with the help of oxygen [1] . A strong release of thermal energy will result in the piston being pushed down and the crank rotated at a speed proportional to the kinetic energy received. Two types of internal combustion engine are very popular at present: gasoline and diesel engines [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] . Typically, a diesel engine is good for moving heavy machinery in rough conditions. Many studies have found that diesel engines are more efficient than gasoline engines in terms of thermal efficiency [1, [7] [8] [9] [10] . Diesel engines are also more economical as well as more durable. However, today's increased use of petroleum fuels has resulted in the depletion of natural resources. Consequently, surveys into alternative fuel sources have been undertaken by many researchers. Biofuels, such as ethanol and methanol, are produced from biomass materials. Usually this fuel will be blended with petroleum fuels, namely with diesel and gasoline [11] . However, biofuels themselves can be used on their own. Biofuels can be described as cleaner burning fuels because they produce fewer air pollutants; the generation of pollutants allows diesel engines to achieve higher complete combustion [12] . Biofuel can serve as an alcohol-based fuel additive that provides oxygen which helps diesel engines to achieve more complete combustion. Indirectly, it will improve performance while reducing emissions such as particulate matter, hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] .

In combustion engines, the chemical energy of the fuel is converted to thermal energy through combustion with the help of oxygen.

Two types of internal combustion engine are very popular at present: gasoline and diesel engines.

Many studies have found that diesel engines are more efficient than gasoline engines in terms of thermal efficiency.

Usually this fuel will be blended with petroleum fuels, namely with diesel and gasoline.

Biofuels can be described as cleaner burning fuels because they produce fewer air pollutants; the generation of pollutants allows diesel engines to achieve higher complete combustion.

Indirectly, it will improve performance while reducing emissions such as particulate matter, hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide.


The development of the bioeconomy has recently received increasing attention, both in science and policy. In policy documents, the transition towards a bioeconomy is regularly associated with increased sustainability [1] [2] [3] . However, various controversies in scientific and public debates suggest doubts as to whether such a transition will necessarily lead to a better, more sustainable future. Frequently mentioned problems are the competition between food and fuel production and the negative effects of land use change. The goal of this paper is to give a systematic overview of the way sustainability is addressed in the scientific literature about the bioeconomy.

In policy documents, the transition towards a bioeconomy is regularly associated with increased sustainability.


Our main contribution is that we are able to explicitly compute NE in all the games we consider. Since the prices can take real values, the strategy sets of players are continuous. Thus, classical results do not establish existence and uniqueness of NE for the games we consider, and there is no standard algorithm for finding a NE, unlike when each player's strategy set is finite [13] . The explicit computations provide valuable insight; in particular, they clearly reveal the effect of the system parameters on equilibrium behavior. Due to space constraints, we only state and intuitively motivate the analytical results in this paper-the complete proofs can be found in our technical report [23] .

Thus, classical results do not establish existence and uniqueness of NE for the games we consider, and there is no standard algorithm for finding a NE, unlike when each player's strategy set is finite.

Due to space constraints, we only state and intuitively motivate the analytical results in this paper-the complete proofs can be found in our technical report.


Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of mortality, and CAD-related death has continued to increase over the last decade [1] . Furthermore, CAD is associated with disorders of the central nervous system, including cognitive impairment and depression [2] [3] [4] [5] . Cognitive impairment and depression have been reported to predict cardiovascular mortality in patients with established CAD [6, 7] . Hence, psychological assessments are important in patients with CAD. However, objective assessments, including magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, may not fully explain the cognitive decline in patients with CAD [8] .

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of mortality, and CAD-related death has continued to increase over the last decade.

Furthermore, CAD is associated with disorders of the central nervous system, including cognitive impairment and depression.

Cognitive impairment and depression have been reported to predict cardiovascular mortality in patients with established CAD.

However, objective assessments, including magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, may not fully explain the cognitive decline in patients with CAD.


Because most low valence parties must retreat from the electoral center, the first-order condition for equilibrium, with high valence parties at the origin, will not be satisfied. More generally, the failure of concavity of the vote-share functions in multiparty electoral systems suggests that the Nash equilibrium concept is not the appropriate equilibrium concept. Instead, LNE can be determined through simulation, once the parameter values of the model have been empirically obtained. It may be the case that, in contrast to the convergence result, there will exist multiple LNE. Simulation of the model, at least in the case of Israel, suggests that most low valence parties will adopt quite radical positions. Moreover, the model also suggests that if a party suffers from falling valence over time, then its optimal equilibrium strategy will be to adopt a more radical position. An obvious conjecture is that this phenomenon will be pronounced in all multiparty polities based on proportional electoral systems. Because of the necessity of coalition government, the result may be political instability (Laver and Schofield, 1990) .

Because of the necessity of coalition government, the result may be political instability.


The COD to sulphate ratio is a parameter widely used to control biological sulphate reduction, as well as the methanogenic process leading to organic matter consumption. Wastewaters with a COD/ sulphate ratio of 0.67 contain enough sulphate available to completely remove the organic matter via sulphate reduction. This is a theoretical ratio based on stoichiometry and assumes that all the COD is in a form that can be utilised by SRB. However, several factors can influence the microbial competition between MPA and SRB and an oversimplified analysis can lead to contradictory results (Speece, 1996) .

However, several factors can influence the microbial competition between MPA and SRB and an oversimplified analysis can lead to contradictory results.


Hydrogen sulphide (H 2 S) in aqueous and gaseous solution causes chemical (corrosion, odour, increase of the effluent COD) and biological (toxicity, inhibition) problems that can affect the wastewater treatment process. These factors have been a barrier to the wider application of anaerobic processes for the treatment of wastewaters containing high sulphate concentrations generated in several types of industries. Therefore, it is necessary to elucidate the factors governing the interactions among the different types of micro-organisms involved in the process, and to develop technologies and strategies to guarantee the successful application of the anaerobic process for the treatment of sulphate-containing wastewaters (Colleran et al., 1995) .

Therefore, it is necessary to elucidate the factors governing the interactions among the different types of micro-organisms involved in the process, and to develop technologies and strategies to guarantee the successful application of the anaerobic process for the treatment of sulphate-containing wastewaters.


High amplification gains are required in MicroPattern Gaseous Detectors (MPGD) in order to achieve optimum signal to noise ratios, increasing the performance of detectors in terms of energy resolution and efficiency. The gain applied allows to observe signals from gas ionizing interactions which produce few primary electrons at the detector conversion region. The populated electron avalanches achieved with these few primary electrons entail the risk to produce a discharge at the cathode of the detector when the critical electron density of ∼ 10 7 − 10 8 electrons per avalanche is reached (Raether limit [1] ). Once a particular detector gain has been fixed, different type of interactions inside the chamber (or produced in the chamber structure) can produce a spark with a certain probability which depends on the number of primary electrons generated [2] .

The populated electron avalanches achieved with these few primary electrons entail the risk to produce a discharge at the cathode of the detector when the critical electron density of ∼ 10 7 − 10 8 electrons per avalanche is reached (Raether limit).

Once a particular detector gain has been fixed, different type of interactions inside the chamber (or produced in the chamber structure) can produce a spark with a certain probability which depends on the number of primary electrons generated.


Ten ears were collected at random per plot, to determine the ear length (EL), ear diameter (ED), and weight of 100 seeds (M100) (13% wet basis). To determine the grain yield (GY), all ears were collected in a plot (two central rows, disregarding 1 m from each end), threshed in a heavy mechanical thresher for conversion into kg ha -1 (13% wet basis). The results were submitted to analysis of variance by F test, and posterior application of the Tukey test at the 5% probability level (P ≤ 0.05), to compare the means of the effect of inoculation and regression analysis to N levels in topdressing. All calculations were performed using the statistical program SISVAR® (FERREIRA, 2011) .

All calculations were performed using the statistical program SISVAR®.


The sharpness of the constant for the real part of the Beurling-Alfhors operator, a combination of perfect squares of Riesz transforms, was proved using probabilistic methods in conjunction with a modification of a technique by Bourgain in Geiss-Montgomery-Saksman [22] . It turns out the real part of the Beurling-Ahlfors operator alone already attains the conjectured norm estimate. See also applications in Bañuelos-Baudoin [5] .

The sharpness of the constant for the real part of the Beurling-Alfhors operator, a combination of perfect squares of Riesz transforms, was proved using probabilistic methods in conjunction with a modification of a technique by Bourgain in Geiss-Montgomery-Saksman.

See also applications in Bañuelos-Baudoin.


As surveyed in this paper, there is a variety of types of open proxies, with differing capabilities. This leads to variation in how proxies are used in practice. Clearly, open proxies have been (mis)used for malicious purposes, including (but not limited to) sending spam, injecting ads, and serving as stepping stones for various attacks [38, 46] . But open proxies have also been used for far less nefarious reasons, including circumventing censorship efforts. More generally, they permit accessing otherwise inaccessible information and, controversially, can be used to bypass regional content filters (e.g., to watch a sporting event that, due to licensing restrictions, would otherwise not be viewable). Importantly, along with VPNs, proxies have been suggested as a means of enhancing Internet privacy and protecting browsing history in the face of the recent expansion of data collection rights by U.S. Internet service providers [30] .

Clearly, open proxies have been (mis)used for malicious purposes, including (but not limited to) sending spam, injecting ads, and serving as stepping stones for various attacks.

Importantly, along with VPNs, proxies have been suggested as a means of enhancing Internet privacy and protecting browsing history in the face of the recent expansion of data collection rights by U.S. Internet service providers.


As a point of comparison, we compare the level of manipulation observed using open proxies to that when content is fetched over Tor [23] . Over the course of our nearly monthlong experiment in which we fetched files from every available Tor exit relay, we found no instances in which the requested content was manipulated. Our results suggest that Tor offers a more reliable and trustworthy form of proxied communication.

As a point of comparison, we compare the level of manipulation observed using open proxies to that when content is fetched over Tor.


Only about half a century or less may separate those two productions, which taken separately are fairly homogeneous regarding a time span of around 20 years in the case of Sisenna, and 13-15 years in the case of Domitian [2, 6] . Therefore there exists the possibility of defining not only a generic reference group for the whole workshop, but also to establish reference groups for each period of activity in the workshop, which could then be compared to known signatures of other workshops in the same region. Moreover, these groups with high temporal resolution could provide a way to securely identify unstamped amphorae (which make up the major part of ceramic finds), and compare to similar productions in other workshops, as for instance in Fažana, which produces vessels of a similar morphology, but most likely of different chemical composition.

Only about half a century or less may separate those two productions, which taken separately are fairly homogeneous regarding a time span of around 20 years in the case of Sisenna, and 13-15 years in the case of Domitian.


Previous research has found that one of the main reasons for the low consumption of pork meat and pork products in Brazil is their low adaptation to the attributes consumers want, like a larger variety of cuts, smaller cut size and more convenience, as there are very few ready-to-eat products on the Brazilian market (De Barcellos et al., 2008) . Consumers are also very concerned about health issues and body shape, and consequently they are increasingly looking for products with lower fat and caloric content, but higher quality and food safety characteristics (Dallari, 2007; Milan, 2008) . The image of pigs as fatty animals, raised under precarious hygiene conditions and inadequately fed is beginning to change. Small and unspecialised producers who engage in pig production as a secondary activity are being confronted with the development of industrial and professional pig production. This has led to a major change, as industries have started to demand a constant supply, with very welldefined production methods and systems (Miele, 2007) . Producers are therefore challenged to adapt in order to satisfy industry, and consequently, consumer needs. In the Brazilian business context, the strong governance of the big food industries created the possibility of significant changes. These began at the animal genetics level, generating at the end of the production chain a product which had the same attributes consumers would like to have and for which they would be willing to pay. Supply chains managed to reduce the fattening period (from the animal's birth to slaughter), the fat content of meat and also to create better sanitary conditions at production, transport, storage and commercialisation levels (Miele, 2007) . In Brazil the slaughter/industrial sector is very much concentrated, and the three biggest industries are responsible for 44.1% of total pig slaughter in the country. This concentration, with strong and very well-known brands, changed the traditional character of local commercialisation into nationally commercialised products. Such brands have a positive image in terms of consumer trust and food safety, both in fresh and in processed meat products, although not much innovation has been seen yet (De Barcellos et al., 2008) . Results in our survey confirm this scenario, since most of the interviewed consumers are satisfied with the standardised, large industrial-scale products found at supermarkets. Brazilian consumers seem to be satisfied with convenience attributes of pork products, although those could also be improved, especially for fresh minimally processed and fresh further processed pork products. Yet, the study of the Brazilian sample found lower levels of satisfaction with pork prices, as well as with health characteristics of pork, particularly in products such as fat, entrails and bacon, but also in sausages and fresh first cuts such as pork ribs, loins and chops and fresh ham.

Previous research has found that one of the main reasons for the low consumption of pork meat and pork products in Brazil is their low adaptation to the attributes consumers want, like a larger variety of cuts, smaller cut size and more convenience, as there are very few ready-to-eat products on the Brazilian market.

Consumers are also very concerned about health issues and body shape, and consequently they are increasingly looking for products with lower fat and caloric content, but higher quality and food safety characteristics.

This has led to a major change, as industries have started to demand a constant supply, with very welldefined production methods and systems.

Supply chains managed to reduce the fattening period (from the animal's birth to slaughter), the fat content of meat and also to create better sanitary conditions at production, transport, storage and commercialisation levels.

Such brands have a positive image in terms of consumer trust and food safety, both in fresh and in processed meat products, although not much innovation has been seen yet.


In the longitudinal context, response behavior may be affected by the time sample members have been in the panel and by previous wave outcome. It is well known that waveon-wave attrition rates in longitudinal studies are highest at the second wave and then decline over time (Lugtig 2014; Schoeni et al. 2013; Uhrig 2008) . There is also evidence that the correlates of nonresponse may change over waves of a survey (Farrant and O'Muircheartaigh 1991) . Further, a study based on four waves of the UK Household Longitudinal Study found that changes in correlates of nonresponse at each subsequent wave are lower compared to the previous one (Bianchi and Biffignandi 2017) . Also, those who have been longer in the panel have more experience of the interview in another mode and prior knowledge of the survey content than those who have entered the panel more recently. These aspects might increase the chance of a successful transition to web interviewing.

It is well known that waveon-wave attrition rates in longitudinal studies are highest at the second wave and then decline over time.

There is also evidence that the correlates of nonresponse may change over waves of a survey.

Further, a study based on four waves of the UK Household Longitudinal Study found that changes in correlates of nonresponse at each subsequent wave are lower compared to the previous one.


The Canada Labour Code and all Provincial Codes have either adopted or specifically referenced the occupational exposure limits for mercury vapor defined as a threshold limit value (TLV) by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) [10] [11] [12] . The average TLV for mercury vapor, as prescribed by the ACGIH, is 25.0 μg/m 3 over an 8-hour period. The ACGIH, Alberta Occupational Health and Safety, and most other provinces also prescribe a maximum ceiling limit of 5 times the TLV (125 μg/m 3 ), which is not to be exceeded at any time. Because the study was undertaken in the Province of Alberta, and Alberta Occupational Health and Safety levels are established and enforceable, the data was compared against these limits.

The Canada Labour Code and all Provincial Codes have either adopted or specifically referenced the occupational exposure limits for mercury vapor defined as a threshold limit value (TLV) by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH).


One disadvantage is that during the process, the original material loses 15-20% of its energy content. The largest change in mass can be seen in the first stages, where the temperature is lower [28] . Usually, the entire process can be separated into three stages. For example, at 300 • C, hardwood loses about 50% of its entire mass, and gas is created most intensively at a temperature of 250 • C-400 • C. In this stage 20-50% of the material's mass loss also happens. According to experiences, in the cases of heat treatment on temperatures of 225 • C and 275 • C, the time during which temperature is kept constant does not significantly alter the material's structure. But on 300 • C, cellulose entirely decomposes, which makes the time of heat treatment significantly different. The biochar produced during pyrolysis has a large amount of micro-and macro-elements, which is why it is useful in keeping its nutrient content, which is easily absorbed by the plants [29, 30] . The biochar from the plant affects the content of soil's organic matter, and its agro-chemical attributes. Char from a wooden source increased the soil's potassium, calcium and magnesium content, this has advantages from the perspectives of nutrient supply and soil improvement [31, 32] . During soil improvement, using 1.0 tons of biomass, we can drive 0.6-0.8 tons of biochar into the soil, which equals to a carbon-dioxide grounding of 2.2-2.9 tons [33, 34] . With the improvement in adsorption, the grounding capacity of soil also improves. The biochar mixed into soil has high porosity, which makes it the basis for advantageous conditions to soil-inhabiting fungi and micro-organisms by offering a further area of existence and protection against carnivores, and helping the symbiotic relations between soil, plant, and microbe be created [35] . The size of the biomass grains affects the carbonization times, and the reaction capacity [36] . Even within the material, hemicellulosic, cellulose, lignin, and different grain sizes affect the process of pyrolysis. Concerning this, high heating speed is not necessarily the same as high reaction speed, but there is a complex relation between thermal hysteresis and the propelling from various heating speeds [19, 37] . Within slow heating systems, decreasing grain size increases activation energy, which can be attributed to the shape of the molecules [38] . Size causes mass exchange limits when transporting volatile materials, and in inter-particular heat gradient reactions causing tar decomposition. The size of wood molecules, their shape and reduction, and the external heat exchange conditions all have a considerable effect on the resulting product.

The largest change in mass can be seen in the first stages, where the temperature is lower.

The biochar produced during pyrolysis has a large amount of micro-and macro-elements, which is why it is useful in keeping its nutrient content, which is easily absorbed by the plants.

Char from a wooden source increased the soil's potassium, calcium and magnesium content, this has advantages from the perspectives of nutrient supply and soil improvement.

During soil improvement, using 1.0 tons of biomass, we can drive 0.6-0.8 tons of biochar into the soil, which equals to a carbon-dioxide grounding of 2.2-2.9 tons.

The biochar mixed into soil has high porosity, which makes it the basis for advantageous conditions to soil-inhabiting fungi and micro-organisms by offering a further area of existence and protection against carnivores, and helping the symbiotic relations between soil, plant, and microbe be created.

The size of the biomass grains affects the carbonization times, and the reaction capacity.

Concerning this, high heating speed is not necessarily the same as high reaction speed, but there is a complex relation between thermal hysteresis and the propelling from various heating speeds.

Within slow heating systems, decreasing grain size increases activation energy, which can be attributed to the shape of the molecules.


Char lands of Bangladesh are not suitable for all crops and all seasons. Nutrient status of char land is poor due to coarse textured soils, low water holding capacity, low nutrient capacity, river bank erosion and flooding. Soybean (Glycine max L.) have the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen (N) through root nodule bacteria (Bradyrhizobium japonicum) and thus it enriches the soil fertility (Mahabal, 1986) . Reports indicated that B. japonicum can fix about 300 kg N ha -1 year -1 in symbiosis with soybean (Keser and Li, 1992) . Soybean an important oil seed producing crop is called "Protein hope of future" for its nutritional value. It contains 40-45 % protein, 18-20 % edible oil, 24-26 % carbohydrate and a good amount of vitamins (Kaul and Das, 1986) .

Soybean (Glycine max L.) have the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen (N) through root nodule bacteria (Bradyrhizobium japonicum) and thus it enriches the soil fertility.

Reports indicated that B. japonicum can fix about 300 kg N ha -1 year -1 in symbiosis with soybean.

It contains 40-45 % protein, 18-20 % edible oil, 24-26 % carbohydrate and a good amount of vitamins.


If produced in a supernova explosion, sterile neutrinos with mass larger than keV could carry away a sizable fraction of the emitted energy. Asymmetric emission of the sterile neutrinos due to the presence of a strong magnetic field could explain the observed large velocities of pulsars [51] . These effects are independent of the relic abundance of sterile neutrinos and the fraction of the DM they constitute.

Asymmetric emission of the sterile neutrinos due to the presence of a strong magnetic field could explain the observed large velocities of pulsars.


From those technologies, the eye-tracking is, at present, one the most advanced devices for communication in patients in LIS and, specially, in patients with ALS. A recent study tried to explore the effectiveness of communication and the variable affecting the eye-tracking computer system utilization in patients ALS [4] . The study was carried out on 30 patients with advanced ALS and 19 showed a high acceptance and average daily eye-tracking system utilization of 300 min. However, the remaining 11 subjects reported limited and irregular daily use of the device, being the reported causes, gaze fatigue (8 subjects), oculomotor impairment, i.e., inability to properly move the eyes (2 subjects) and difficulty to keep the head still (1 subject). Finally, authors concluded that limitation of the eye-tracking is given by the fact that it actually relies on eye movements. For patients with oculomotor dysfunction, the use of an eyetracking is uncomfortable or even impossible, being necessary to provide other technologies, such are those based on brain-computer interface (BCI).

A recent study tried to explore the effectiveness of communication and the variable affecting the eye-tracking computer system utilization in patients ALS.


Recently, a study compares a visual P300-based brain-computer interface and an eye-tracking for controlling an Internet browser [9] . A total of 12 patients with severe motor impairment (11 affected by ALS, and 1 affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy, participated in this study. According to the obtained results in this study, the performance measures showed the advantages of using the eye tracker as a communication device. Besides, participants rated the eye tracker as a more satisfying device and considered the BCI as a technology requiring more effort and that was more time-consuming than the eye tracker. The conclusion of this study was that if users can rely on eye movements, they tend to consider the eye tracker as a superior technology.

Recently, a study compares a visual P300-based brain-computer interface and an eye-tracking for controlling an Internet browser.


A recurrent theme in fundamental research on climate variability is the sensitivity of the ocean's thermohaline circulation. When state-of-the-art climate models are used to calculate projections of future climate states as a response to different emission scenarios of greenhouse gases, a substantial spread in the model results is found. One of the reasons of this spread is the diverse behavior of the thermohaline circulation (McAvaney 2001) .

One of the reasons of this spread is the diverse behavior of the thermohaline circulation.


In many models of the global ocean circulation, it appears that several equilibrium states may exist under similar forcing conditions. When the present equilibrium state, with about 16 Sv (Sv ϵ 10 6 m 3 s Ϫ1 ) of Atlantic Ocean overturning, is subjected to a quasi-steady freshwater input in the North Atlantic, eventually the circulation may collapse. In this collapsed state, there is deep-water formation in the Southern Ocean instead of in the North Atlantic and the formation of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) has ceased (Stocker et al. 1992; Rahmstorf 1995; Manabe and Stouffer 1999) . Because this multiple equilibrium regime is present in many ocean models, it is important to determine whether transitions between the different states can occur because of finite-amplitude perturbations.

In this collapsed state, there is deep-water formation in the Southern Ocean instead of in the North Atlantic and the formation of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) has ceased.


In the era of minimal invasive surgery, a laparoscopic colonic resection including the lesion and a primary anastomosis may be feasible in most patients. Laparoscopic surgery has advantages of fast recovery, reduced hospital stay, less pain and better cosmesis [11, 12] . Our case has some differences compared with previous cases. The lesion in our patient occurred in the ascending colon, not the sigmoid colon even though. The histological classification of our case was a true diverticulum, and the origin of diverticulum in our case might have been congenital because the patient was a young adult, unlike most GCD cases where the patients are much older. Our patient was treated with a laparoscopic right hemicolectomy, and there have been no symptoms or signs of recurrence since then (2 years).

Laparoscopic surgery has advantages of fast recovery, reduced hospital stay, less pain and better cosmesis.


If Re is kept fixed while Ra increases, the transition to turbulence and heat transfer of the periodic and the finite system remain similar as long as criterion (9) is approximately satisfied. In the finite system, further increases in In summary, we showed that criterion (9) is very useful in determining whether the infinite-cylinder assumption in analytical studies, or axially periodic boundary conditions in numerical studies, can be used to describe the dynamics and heat transfer of laboratory setups. This criterion applies to all geometries and fluid properties in laminar flow, and appears to provide a reasonable estimate as well in the turbulent regime. Finally, note that laminar flow in the infinite case can be modified to by adding an additional term to include stable vertical stratification [22] . This should be used in simulations with periodic boundary conditions if the criterion provided here is not satisfied.

Finally, note that laminar flow in the infinite case can be modified to by adding an additional term to include stable vertical stratification.


Even though no differences for percentage bone were found on comparison of the entire carcass (Table 1) , differences were found on analysis of the separate retail cuts. In comparison with both the D and SAMM, the NA contained a higher (P ≤0.05) percentage of bone in all of the retail cuts (Table 2) . Again, this is according to expectations, as the late maturing NA should have a higher percentage bone than the early maturing D at the same chronological age. However, it was expected that the NA would be more similar to the late maturing SAMM. When considering the results it is important to bear in mind that no selection for economically important traits have been done on the NA and that the breed has not been genetically bred for meat production as both D and SAMM were (Epstein, 1960; De Waal & Combrinck, 2000; Sheridan et al., 2003; Buduram, 2004) .

When considering the results it is important to bear in mind that no selection for economically important traits have been done on the NA and that the breed has not been genetically bred for meat production as both D and SAMM were.


With respect to particular models, the experimental results indicate that the Naïve Bayes classifier has the poorest performance while the best overall performance is achieved with the MLP classifier. For the four out of five classifiers the cross validation method has no significant effect in the 5-class problem, while the SVM classifier is very sensitive to this choice. For the two-class problems, a significant improvement is obtained with sequential cross-validation. Finally, we found that cost-sensitive classification, is more effective than error-minimising classification in terms of minimising the expected cost for all classifiers, which is an expected result. In addition, and perhaps somewhat surprisingly, it reduces the classification error in the binary case significantly for all classifiers as well. Consequently, we believe that both weighted classification matrices and sequential cross-validation tuning schemes should be part of the repertoire of intrusion detection practitioners who utilise statistical classifiers. A good direction of future work would be to validate our results with real-world data or with simulators whose parameters are derived on real-world data such as mLab [22, 23] .

A good direction of future work would be to validate our results with real-world data or with simulators whose parameters are derived on real-world data such as mLab.


One of the problems in the architectural engineering and construction (AEC) sector are that there are so many different professionals working on different parts of the project (structure, services, design, distribution … etc.) following a fragmented method of management. Each of these parts must be based on a common "idea" and follow the same criteria of others, they are key part of information that, all together, allow the possibility to create the project. If information is not accurate and exactly enough, the next stages will be affected by it (Abd & Abd, 2014; Tauriainen, Puttonen, & Saari, 2015) . Therefore the lack of appropriate documents, change orders and as a built-drawing for existing buildings is very common.

If information is not accurate and exactly enough, the next stages will be affected by it.


The findings obtained in the present research further expand the existing literature by focusing on the conceptual links of the traits measured. In relation to this, the present research revealed that other traits such as psychopathy of the Dark Triad are also influential even though some of the traits covered by the Five-Factor model have been significantly associated with SNS addiction. The measured psychopathy was found as the most influential predictor of SNS addiction due to its conceptual link with impulsivity. Additionally, the importance of the conceptual links of the measured traits and SNS addiction is further illuminated by the illustrated relationships. Specifically, some traits may increase vulnerability towards SNS addiction such as psychopathy that predicted SNS addiction positively, whereas some traits can be protective against SNS addiction as illustrated by the Openness to Experience that predicted SNS addiction negatively. In this light, it is recommended for future research to consider the conceptual link and to be more selective with the traits that will be used to predict SNS addiction. Moreover, the present results have supported that the Five-Factor model has limited influence in predicting SNS addiction (Amichai-Hamburger & Vinitzky, 2010; Ross et al., 2009) . Apart from that, the small effect sizes accounted by the Five-Factor model supports the recommendation to explore the significance of other personality traits (Ross et al., 2009; Skues et al., 2012) . Therefore, the present findings suggest that further exploration with the Five-Factor model will only fixate the literature of SNS addiction.

Moreover, the present results have supported that the Five-Factor model has limited influence in predicting SNS addiction.

Apart from that, the small effect sizes accounted by the Five-Factor model supports the recommendation to explore the significance of other personality traits.


One of the objectives of the present research is to examine the significance of the Dark Triad traits in predicting SNS addiction. The present research hypothesizes the significance of psychopathy in predicting SNS addiction considering that psychopathy is associated with poor self-control and impulsivity (Jonason & Tost, 2010; Jones & Paulhus, 2011a) . The next objective of this research is to compare the variances accounted by the Dark Triad and the Five-Factor model in the prediction of SNS addiction. Hence, the present research hypothesizes that the Dark Triad traits will account for additional variance in predicting SNS addiction after controlling the Five-Factor model.

The present research hypothesizes the significance of psychopathy in predicting SNS addiction considering that psychopathy is associated with poor self-control and impulsivity.


In addition, the purpose of adopting the Dark Triad traits is to address the limited influence of the Five-Factor model in predicting SNS addiction. It was previously indicated that the Five-Factor model does not reflect adequately on human personality (Veselka, Schermer, & Vernon, 2011; Veselka, Schermer, & Vernon, 2012) . Consistent with this argument, a research found that the employment of the Dark Triad traits accounted for additional variance in predicting social values after controlling the Five-Factor model (Kajonius, Persson, & Jonason, 2015) . This suggests that the influence exerted by the Dark Triad traits are independent of the Five-Factor model (Carter, Campbell, & Muncer, 2014) .

It was previously indicated that the Five-Factor model does not reflect adequately on human personality.

Consistent with this argument, a research found that the employment of the Dark Triad traits accounted for additional variance in predicting social values after controlling the Five-Factor model.

This suggests that the influence exerted by the Dark Triad traits are independent of the Five-Factor model.


After molding, the wet part must be submitted to the drying stage, which consists of a thermodynamic process of heat transfer and moisture removal in the porous materials [1] . Because the drying process promotes volumetric variations in the molded part, this water needs to be removed carefully and homogeneously to avoid the formation of cracks, torsions, excessive deformations, and other types of defects [7] . Thus, it is important that the ceramic parts are submitted to a suitable drying process to give them the necessary strength and consistency during the firing stage [8] .

After molding, the wet part must be submitted to the drying stage, which consists of a thermodynamic process of heat transfer and moisture removal in the porous materials.

Because the drying process promotes volumetric variations in the molded part, this water needs to be removed carefully and homogeneously to avoid the formation of cracks, torsions, excessive deformations, and other types of defects.

Thus, it is important that the ceramic parts are submitted to a suitable drying process to give them the necessary strength and consistency during the firing stage.


A simple inexpensive control scheme for adjusting the repetition rates of two Ti:sapphire laser oscillators at an offset frequency of 20 kHz has been proposed. The scheme is appropriate for asynchronous optical sampling experiments in THz transient spectrometry, but due to 1/f noise and the delay of the frequency to voltage converter in translating the low frequencies into a voltage, it would be less suitable in applications where the offset between the two oscillators must remain at 1 Hz or less [12] . Performance is limited by the linearity of the frequency to voltage chip used in the implementation. The signal processing of time domain THz transients has been discussed in general terms and a new systems identification approach which can be implemented in the wavelet domain is proposed. The schemes are particularly promising for de-noising purposes as well as in chemometric applications where mixtures of absorbing species are studied.

The scheme is appropriate for asynchronous optical sampling experiments in THz transient spectrometry, but due to 1/f noise and the delay of the frequency to voltage converter in translating the low frequencies into a voltage, it would be less suitable in applications where the offset between the two oscillators must remain at 1 Hz or less.


In addition, although not extensively discussed by the THz community, the THz focusing elements in the system (paraboloids) have also a detrimental effect in the way the radiation propagates through the sample. The beam is diffractively spreading and can no longer be considered as a plane wave incident normally upon the sample. As a consequence, there are cases where not all of the radiation reflected from or transmitted through the sample is detected. One way of gaining further understanding of these phenomena in a quantitative way is to create a full vectorial description of the THz beam incident on the sample and investigate the effect of different degrees of focusing to the observed spectra in a systematic manner. Using information from the focusing elements in the system, the diffractively spreading THz beam can then be represented as a weighted distribution of plane waves incident on the sample over a range of possible angles of incidence [5] . The modification of these plane waves in amplitude, phase and polarisation content should then be propagated through the sample.

Using information from the focusing elements in the system, the diffractively spreading THz beam can then be represented as a weighted distribution of plane waves incident on the sample over a range of possible angles of incidence.


Medicago lupulina, M. lanigera, M. disciformis, M. minima, and M. tenoreana comprise a clade in the ML tree (Fig. 4) and in a subset of the MP trees (Fig. 3) . In the MP strict consensus tree, however, their relationships are not resolved (Fig. 2) . With the exception of M. lupulina, which has been treated alongside the rpoC1 intron-containing M. secundiflora in section Lupularia, all remaining taxa have been placed in Spirocarpos subsection Leptospireae (Small and Jomphe 1989) .

With the exception of M. lupulina, which has been treated alongside the rpoC1 intron-containing M. secundiflora in section Lupularia, all remaining taxa have been placed in Spirocarpos subsection Leptospireae.


The movement of walking systems is based on the principles of human and animal movement: step, running, jumping [7] . Threre are folloing disadvantages of walking robots: they include high complexity of control and stabilization, cost, low energy efficiency and relatively low speed [6] . We are mainly interested in bipedal walking robots, whose advantages is reduction of energy costs due to the use of natural oscillations. However, the stabilization problem is poorly solved due to the object's geometry complexity [8] .

The movement of walking systems is based on the principles of human and animal movement: step, running, jumping.

Threre are folloing disadvantages of walking robots: they include high complexity of control and stabilization, cost, low energy efficiency and relatively low speed.

However, the stabilization problem is poorly solved due to the object's geometry complexity.


In addition, legged locomotion allows for collecting materials, transporting goods, for moving to hard-to-reach areas of production and trunk pipelines, thus effectively allowing to create service robots. Let us cite the US Robotics 2016 Road Map report: «To extend the automation of the logistics chain into the world, robots must have mobility that matches human mobility -robots must negotiate stairs, elevators, doorways, curbs, broken concrete, cluttered environments, and go where people go. This type of advanced mobility is becoming realistic for robotic systems, legged and otherwise -and with such a solution, logistics will become fast, 24/7, on-demand, inexpensive, predictable, and well-tracked» [5] .

This type of advanced mobility is becoming realistic for robotic systems, legged and otherwise -and with such a solution, logistics will become fast, 24/7, on-demand, inexpensive, predictable, and well-tracked».


The two criterions of effectiveness of walking robots which have to work and move in complex terrain in-and outdoor, climb stairs, go to narrow spaces are the use of battery power and the ability to self-stabilize in various stochastic environment. The standard function of measuring robots' and other moving vehicles' efficiency in terms of moving is Cost of Transport (CoT), which is the non-dimensionalized energy criterion per unit weight and unit distance [13] . One of the main tasks of robotic engineers is the making the CoT parameter as low as possible. For example, the MIT Cheetah has a cost of transport around 0.5, better than similar robots, and extremely close to its biological sources of inspiration [14] . On the one side of the problem there is the passive walking approach which can be highly efficient on determined, often flat surface, but very hulking and unstable within unpredictive conditions, i.e. the Cornell biped which seems to be the most efficient legged machine built today [15] . But such robots usually are scientific experiments and are unable to solve any kind of utility task in real world. Vast majority of walking robots use the same actuators for kinematics and stabilization just like humans and animals do. Some researchers try to optimize the design of electric motors and gears for the specific robots, the common approach is to use direct-drive actuators with elastic behavior [16] .

The standard function of measuring robots' and other moving vehicles' efficiency in terms of moving is Cost of Transport (CoT), which is the non-dimensionalized energy criterion per unit weight and unit distance.

For example, the MIT Cheetah has a cost of transport around 0.5, better than similar robots, and extremely close to its biological sources of inspiration.

On the one side of the problem there is the passive walking approach which can be highly efficient on determined, often flat surface, but very hulking and unstable within unpredictive conditions, i.e. the Cornell biped which seems to be the most efficient legged machine built today.

Some researchers try to optimize the design of electric motors and gears for the specific robots, the common approach is to use direct-drive actuators with elastic behavior.


In our study, all infants who had exchange transfusions (n = 11) died. The peak WBC count in this group ranged between 60 000 and 132 000 cells/µL. All of these infants had pneumonia and 9 had documented pulmonary hypertension. All of these infants had cardiogenic shock and respiratory failure, and 1 infant had multiorgan failure prior to the exchange transfusion procedure. Recent California data have shown that among 10 infants who received exchange transfusion, 5 died; all fatal cases, but none of the survivors, were hypotensive or had organ failure prior to the procedure [20] . These data indicate that if exchange transfusion is considered, it should be performed before hypotension or organ failure has occurred. Data from a study of 31 infants with severe pertussis suggest that exchange transfusion should be considered on the basis of the pulse rate, respiratory rate, the total WBC count and rapidity of rise, and the early occurrence of pneumonia [13] . Exchange transfusion may be preferred over leukodepletion methods because it removes PT as well as reduces the WBC count.

Recent California data have shown that among 10 infants who received exchange transfusion, 5 died; all fatal cases, but none of the survivors, were hypotensive or had organ failure prior to the procedure.

Data from a study of 31 infants with severe pertussis suggest that exchange transfusion should be considered on the basis of the pulse rate, respiratory rate, the total WBC count and rapidity of rise, and the early occurrence of pneumonia.


For those that had not published at least one article, it is clear that the main barrier was not having the opportunity to perform research as they were not engaged in any research activities in the first instance; hence, they feel they have nothing to declare as a publication. This was also in agreement with the findings reported by Griffin and Hindocha [40] . A survey of Australian researchers showed that research infrastructure support is vital to research productivity [44] .

This was also in agreement with the findings reported by Griffin and Hindocha.

A survey of Australian researchers showed that research infrastructure support is vital to research productivity.


In general, epilepsy is considered to be a disorder of abnormal structural and functional connections between neurons and/or groups of neurons [8] . In recent years, neuroimaging has allowed us to build dynamic models of brain activity and assess structural (SC) and functional connectivity (FC) in the brain. These 2 measures are considered to reflect each other: SC (measured with DTI) assesses the direct connections between various brain structures, while FC (measured with fMRI) assesses the functional interactions between regions that are not necessarily connected directly but may be connected via a third region [9] . Applying these concepts to patients with GGEs is important because in these patients the site of seizure onset and the origin of GSWDs continue to be questioned. It is clear that while at least 1 node of the network for seizure generation and maintenance needs to generate the epileptiform discharge, there is rapid involvement of the entire network in the event, which results in clinical presentation of an absence, myoclonic, or generalized seizure; the node involved in the generation of GSWDs and seizures may be different depending on, for example, the epilepsy syndrome and clinical response to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) [1, 10, 11] .

In general, epilepsy is considered to be a disorder of abnormal structural and functional connections between neurons and/or groups of neurons.

These 2 measures are considered to reflect each other: SC (measured with DTI) assesses the direct connections between various brain structures, while FC (measured with fMRI) assesses the functional interactions between regions that are not necessarily connected directly but may be connected via a third region.

It is clear that while at least 1 node of the network for seizure generation and maintenance needs to generate the epileptiform discharge, there is rapid involvement of the entire network in the event, which results in clinical presentation of an absence, myoclonic, or generalized seizure; the node involved in the generation of GSWDs and seizures may be different depending on, for example, the epilepsy syndrome and clinical response to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs).


Colony fission permits the formation of propagules composed of a queen accompanied by an already efficient worker force. The small number of gynes produced in A. senilis nests is consistent with the hypothesis that in cases of colony fission, excess gyne production is disadvantageous because only one will eventually head each propagule, and that the number of gynes is limited by the size of the mother colony (Bulmer 1983; Bourke and Franks 1995) . Males, on the other hand, are the dispersing sex, and therefore their mass production is beneficial. In the field, 172 A. senilis males were produced for each gyne, in accordance with the theory. This is in contrast to A. rudis, in which male production was only fivefold greater than that of gynes, again as predicted from this species' mode of reproduction. Another difference between the two species is that in nature, the A. senilis queen seems to inhibit sexual production, at least in most of the range of colony size, while in A. rudis, gynes are produced only in QR colonies, and males are produced both in QL and QR colonies.

The small number of gynes produced in A. senilis nests is consistent with the hypothesis that in cases of colony fission, excess gyne production is disadvantageous because only one will eventually head each propagule, and that the number of gynes is limited by the size of the mother colony.


The present study investigates the reproductive strategy of the ant Aphaenogaster senilis, a species that reproduces by colony fission whereby workers participate in colony foundation. A consequence of fission is that the number of female propagules is limited by the size of the mother colony and the minimum number of workers necessary to initiate a new nest. Moreover, colony fission may provoke local resource competition compared to independent colony founding, especially in ants, because dispersal of female propagules is limited by the lack of wings in workers. Consequently, the payoff of producing many gynes may be reduced compared to the production of males, which disperse farther away from the mother colony (Craig 1980; Bulmer 1983; Bourke and Franks 1995; Pearcy and Aron 2006) .

Consequently, the payoff of producing many gynes may be reduced compared to the production of males, which disperse farther away from the mother colony.


A social network is a set of people, each of whom is acquainted with some subset of the others. This set of people is referred to as agents. The interactions of agents form a social network where they link and stochastically evolve over time [1] . Evolution has history of past and current interactions that contain the information about the agent abilities and dispositions [2] . The social interactions DOI: 10.4236/sn.2018. 73012 148 Social Networking affect user activity and pairs of individuals with strong ties are likely to exhibit greater similarity than those with weak ties [3] . The social interactions evolve due to agents strategies that are random in order to reinforce the benefits gained.

The interactions of agents form a social network where they link and stochastically evolve over time.

Evolution has history of past and current interactions that contain the information about the agent abilities and dispositions.

The social interactions DOI: 10.4236/sn.2018. 73012 148 Social Networking affect user activity and pairs of individuals with strong ties are likely to exhibit greater similarity than those with weak ties.


The LEE approach can be further simplified by assuming that the mean flow is at rest, often referred to as the zero-Machnumber approximation. Under this assumption, the problem can be reformulated as an inhomogeneous Helmholtz equation for the acoustic pressure. The main advantage of this method is its small computational burden while keeping a realistic geometry. The main drawback is that only acoustic perturbations are accounted for, since vorticity and entropy waves do not propagate when the mean flow is at rest. The effects of convection on the acoustic waves are also neglected. Nevertheless, this method offers great flexibility for physical modelling and systematic variation of input parameters. For example, the flame transfer function that represents flame/acoustic interaction or the acoustic absorption by multiperforated plates have been successfully implemented into a three-dimensional Helmholtz solver [16, 17] . Combined with LES, this approach proved useful to gain understanding on the structure and nature of the instabilities observed in a burner [18, 19] .

For example, the flame transfer function that represents flame/acoustic interaction or the acoustic absorption by multiperforated plates have been successfully implemented into a three-dimensional Helmholtz solver.

Combined with LES, this approach proved useful to gain understanding on the structure and nature of the instabilities observed in a burner.


In West Lombok regency, gold and silver artisanal mining activities have been operating since 2008. It started from Sekotong Sub District, then ASGM has been done in many places of Lombok and Sumbawa Islands (Krisnayanti et al., 2012) . Based on preliminary studies it is known that artisanal gold mining in Sekotong is done by simple technologies, so it has a high risk for mining workers. ASGM at Sekotong is an informal and unregulated system on gold mining that doing by traditionally miners. Gold recovery is done through two processing steps i.e. amalgamation with mercury (Hg) and cyanidation.

It started from Sekotong Sub District, then ASGM has been done in many places of Lombok and Sumbawa Islands.


In what follows, I will offer a critique of this mainstream MEG narrative, and some insights on how Environmental History has dealt with energy and the IR. My analysis is informed by the long-standing concern of Environmental History with the political meaning/use of historical narratives (Cronon, 1992; Hughes, 1995; Merchant, 2004; Redclift, 1995; Dovers, 2000) . Though pointing to some faulties of the mainstream story of the IR, my critique is mostly concerned with what is missing from that narrative -that is, with the way in which it systematically silences environmental and social costs and the global inequalities incorporated into current energy regimes.

My analysis is informed by the long-standing concern of Environmental History with the political meaning/use of historical narratives.