Visible light communication (VLC) has gained increasing attentions in the past ten years. As an access technology that combines illumination and communication, VLC needs to complete its illumination task first, and then tries to achieve better communication performance under the constraint of illumination. This is also one of the most outstanding differences of VLC when compared to conventional radio-frequency based communications [1] , [2] .

This is also one of the most outstanding differences of VLC when compared to conventional radio-frequency based communications.


The purpose of this study was to establish a method of measuring the difficulty of gripping a hold with variable surface inclinations without having to tilt the wall. The results presented in this study are based on a single climber only in order to evaluate and define the parameters representing the difficulty of the grip, before applying them to a larger cohort of test persons. The most apparent difficulty parameters turned out to be the average resultant force, and the position angle of the average resultant force. The climber reduced both the vertical (downward) as well as the horizontal (outward, off the wall) load on the hold with increasing inclination of the grip surface. Surprisingly, the COF did not serve for quantifying the grip difficulty, at least not in the climber examined, as the COF decreased from the second highest to maximal inclination of the grip surface, in contrast to the result of previous studies [4] . Further experiments are required to confirm this result.

Surprisingly, the COF did not serve for quantifying the grip difficulty, at least not in the climber examined, as the COF decreased from the second highest to maximal inclination of the grip surface, in contrast to the result of previous studies.


The needs of modern businesses that operate worldwide, cooperate with various partners, and deliver their services in real-time pose complex tasks to be solved by technological disciplines. Over the years, this trend of connected businesses has affected the Web and lead to a change towards a platform for distributed applications. Beyond merely supplying documents to users, it has recently been used as a communication infrastructure that links together applications, e.g. by exposing functionality through Web services. Now, a tendency can be observed towards a new class of applications that is made possible by these technological advancements: the federated portal respectively 4 th generation portal (Gootzit and Phifer 2003) . The relationships within such federations of portals belonging to multiple organizations do not only consist of simple HTML links, but comprise the connection of the portal backbones, i.e. they also share for example data, functionality or user accounts.

Now, a tendency can be observed towards a new class of applications that is made possible by these technological advancements: the federated portal respectively 4 th generation portal.


A computer model, f (·), is a representation of a real-world process, given by a set of equations and parametrisations, that takes a vector of inputs x, and returns an output. This output may be a single value, a spatial field, a time series, or a combination of these across multiple different fields (e.g. climate models (von Salzen et al., 2013) ). Computer models often represent complex processes, and may require long running times on expensive supercomputers. It is therefore only possible to evaluate the model at a small sample of values from the input space.

This output may be a single value, a spatial field, a time series, or a combination of these across multiple different fields (e.g. climate models).


The present study might be of special relevance for bearing designers, as some counter-intuitive flow patterns might occur when adding an extra groove to a single groove bearing. As it will be seen, under certain conditions this addition might inclusively be deleterious for bearing performance in ways not normally predicted by many bearing performance prediction tools. In fact, an accurate prediction of the thermohydrodynamic behavior of journal bearings calls for a realistic treatment of the actual lubricant feed conditions, bearing geometry (namely real groove dimensions), film rupture and reformation [1, 10] .

In fact, an accurate prediction of the thermohydrodynamic behavior of journal bearings calls for a realistic treatment of the actual lubricant feed conditions, bearing geometry (namely real groove dimensions), film rupture and reformation.


Thus, to resolve the problem of the conventional technique, in our previous studies, a microchannel with 12 multi-layer electrodes is successfully fabricated using micro-electro-mechanical-systems processes [21] . Our multi-layer microchannel has a possibility to visualize spatial transition of ξ=3.0% particles in the vertical cross-section [22] . In addition, we investigated the effect of dp=1.3, 1.5 and 2.1 μm on the particle migration in the microchannel by using the multi-layer capacitance technique [23] [24] . Although the particles migration induced by inertial lift forces in the microchannel is a unique motion, however the detail studied is still required and not fully understood in terms of stream transitional as well as the dense initial particles concentrations.

Thus, to resolve the problem of the conventional technique, in our previous studies, a microchannel with 12 multi-layer electrodes is successfully fabricated using micro-electro-mechanical-systems processes.

Our multi-layer microchannel has a possibility to visualize spatial transition of ξ=3.0% particles in the vertical cross-section.

In addition, we investigated the effect of dp=1.3, 1.5 and 2.1 μm on the particle migration in the microchannel by using the multi-layer capacitance technique.


Thus, to overcome of this drawback, an electrical tomography measurement has a high possibility to measure a dense particle concentration in the particle-liquid phase flows. The multi-layer capacitance measurement; electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) is used to measure the particles concentration distribution at vertical cross-section based on the variation of the dielectric materials permittivity and capacitance distribution [19] [20] . In the ECT technique, a sensor containing several electrodes is wrapped around circumference pipeline, and the capacitances distribution between the electrodes is measured. But, the prior typical wet process and conventional silicon etching process are available for hole type cross-section, which not available for the microchannel cross-section.

The multi-layer capacitance measurement; electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) is used to measure the particles concentration distribution at vertical cross-section based on the variation of the dielectric materials permittivity and capacitance distribution.


The aim of this work was to use HPMC/HPS as a model for understanding the morphology and properties of thermal/cooling-gel bi-phasic systems. The ratio of the two components in the films, which have different inherent natures, could greatly influence the morphology and properties of the blends. Thus, the main focus in this work is on the effect of HPS/HPMC ratio which could affect the microstructures and inter-phases of HPMC/HPS blend films, studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical microscopy, and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Oxygen permeability, thermostability, mechanical and optical transparency properties were also evaluated, as they are important properties to be used as food packaging films and coatings. The microstructural analysis of the films in the current study would give significant information about the arrangement of the components in the system, which is relevant to understanding the water barrier, mechanical or optical properties [44] . Regarding this, films prepared from high concentration biopolymer solutions were in particular studied as it is more relevant to manufacturing situations.

The microstructural analysis of the films in the current study would give significant information about the arrangement of the components in the system, which is relevant to understanding the water barrier, mechanical or optical properties.


To cope with the property limitations of individual polymers, achieve specific or new material properties, reduce product prices, and to expand the applications in different sectors, blending two or more polymers is one of the most effective and applicable methods widely practiced [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] . However, most polymer blends are immiscible or incompatible on a molecular scale for thermodynamic reasons [6, 7] . On a larger scale, the degree of miscibility of polymer blends may also vary to a great extent, due to phase separation, incompatibility, and/or various levels of mixing [6, 8] . Moreover, the miscibility of polymer blends is of such underlying importance to determine the morphology and final properties. Regarding this, for example, mechanical properties can be optimized by controlling the blend morphology [1, 9] . Consequently, it is highly significant to understand the miscibility and morphology of blend systems.

To cope with the property limitations of individual polymers, achieve specific or new material properties, reduce product prices, and to expand the applications in different sectors, blending two or more polymers is one of the most effective and applicable methods widely practiced.

However, most polymer blends are immiscible or incompatible on a molecular scale for thermodynamic reasons.

On a larger scale, the degree of miscibility of polymer blends may also vary to a great extent, due to phase separation, incompatibility, and/or various levels of mixing.

Regarding this, for example, mechanical properties can be optimized by controlling the blend morphology.


Performance of students in assessments depends on the extent of their understanding of the subject and their ability to focus on its most important elements. In this regard, the fact that 86% of students thought that they were better equipped to answer questions in assessments, as a result of access to e-resources, is an important observation. Many students said that "e-resources helped to quickly revise all the topics prior to exams" and "it helped me make sure that I was prepared to answer the most important questions in exams". Some studies have shown that e-learning improved performance of students when compared to traditional teaching methods [15] [16] [17] . However, we did not find significant differences in the performances of the various usage groups in the final summative examination at the end of the course, when using the marks that they obtained in their test as the outcome. Nevertheless, the fact that being able to access and study from the e-resources gave students a sense of mastery over the subject and gave them confidence to perform is a very positive aspect of this intervention.

Some studies have shown that e-learning improved performance of students when compared to traditional teaching methods.


Recall that a rare set is a subset N of a topological space X such that Int(N ) = ∅. The complement of a preopen set is called preclosed [5] . The intersection of all preclosed sets containing a subset N of a space X is called the preclosure of N and is denoted by pCl(N ). The union of all preopen sets contained in a subset N of a space X is called the preinterior of N and is denoted by pInt(N ).

Recall that a rare set is a subset N of a topological space X such that Int(N ) = ∅. The complement of a preopen set is called preclosed.


Literature review about the impact of RERs and demand response on the power system is presented here. Firstly, it is known that RERs respond actively to deal with energy and environment problems, but they have the disadvantage of intermittency and uncertainty due to their physical characteristics. One of the most serious problems that may emerge is limited dispatchability of intermittent generation [1] . In particular, for wind farms, problems such as the variability in resource availability, errors in forecasting resource availability and loads should also be taken into consideration [2] . The frequency modulation, peak regulation and economic planning and operation of the overall power system may be influenced by the integration of RERs as well [3] . Secondly, in recent years, there is a rapid development and selfimprovement in demand response, which plays a significant role in reducing potential forecast error and redispatch costs [4] [5] [6] . Load shape and operation efficiency will be improved using demand response [7] . It is assumed that the real-time pricing is implemented. When actual wind generation is less than forecast, consumer demand will decrease due to high costs associated with ancillary services used to compensate the generation shortage. Consequently, costs to meet consumer demand will fall. Similarly, when actual wind generation is more than forecast, since wind generation has zero marginal cost there is an increase in electricity demand [8, 9] . Nevertheless, none of the studies involved problems concerning the comprehensive impact of RERs and demand response on the market equilibrium point. Therefore, this paper concentrates on the market equilibrium analysis based on the integration of RERs and demand response.

One of the most serious problems that may emerge is limited dispatchability of intermittent generation.

In particular, for wind farms, problems such as the variability in resource availability, errors in forecasting resource availability and loads should also be taken into consideration.

The frequency modulation, peak regulation and economic planning and operation of the overall power system may be influenced by the integration of RERs as well.

Secondly, in recent years, there is a rapid development and selfimprovement in demand response, which plays a significant role in reducing potential forecast error and redispatch costs.

Load shape and operation efficiency will be improved using demand response.

Similarly, when actual wind generation is more than forecast, since wind generation has zero marginal cost there is an increase in electricity demand.


Due to the advances in low-cost and low power consumption, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have gained variety of attentions and resulted in thousands of peer-reviewed publications. Significant results in this area have enabled multiple applications used in military and civilian. Most of researches and deployments on WSNs are concerned with scalar sensor networks that measure physical phenomena, such as temperature, pressure, humidity, or location of objects that can be transferred through low-bandwidth and delay-tolerant data streams. In general, WSNs are designed with purpose of data-only delay-tolerant applications without high bandwidth requirements [1] .

In general, WSNs are designed with purpose of data-only delay-tolerant applications without high bandwidth requirements.


Notably, this is the case in the original motivation for the notion of noninterference, operating systems separation kernels [16, 17, 18] . The function of this class of software system is to separate security domains in order to prevent * Work of the first author supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant. The first author thanks the Courant Institute, New York University and the Computer science Department, Stanford University for their hospitality in hosting a sabbatical visit during which this work was conducted. National ICT Australia is funded through the Australian Government's Backing Australia's Ability initiative, in part through the Australian Research Council.

Notably, this is the case in the original motivation for the notion of noninterference, operating systems separation kernels.


Separation technology has a dominant role in many process industries. Cyclone separators, which were developed in the last decades of 19th century, are devices that employ a centrifugal force generated by a swirling gas flow to separate particles from a carrier gas. Due to the relative simplicity, ease and low construction and operation, low space requirement, absence of moving parts, and adaptability to a wide range of operating conditions, cyclones have been considered the oldest and most commonly used industrial particulate control devices [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] . With the use of suitable materials and methods of construction, cyclones are particularly well suited for high temperature and pressure conditions. Depending on the size of the cyclones, the gas flow across cyclones has a wide range [8] .

Due to the relative simplicity, ease and low construction and operation, low space requirement, absence of moving parts, and adaptability to a wide range of operating conditions, cyclones have been considered the oldest and most commonly used industrial particulate control devices.

Depending on the size of the cyclones, the gas flow across cyclones has a wide range.


Cyclone design has remained largely unchanged for over a century. In general, cyclone designs are of two types: the straight-through cyclone and the more common conventional reverse flow cyclone. The reverse flow cyclone shown in Figure 1 is the most frequently used in the industry [3] .

The reverse flow cyclone shown in Figure 1 is the most frequently used in the industry.


Collection efficiency, fractional efficiencies, and pressure drop are the main performance characteristics of cyclones. Since its inception over a century ago, many researchers have contributed to the large volume of work to improve the cyclone performance, and extensive experimental work has been done to explain their flow characteristics [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] . Among these, Stairmand presented one of the most popular design guides, which suggested the ratio of the cylinder height and exit tube length of the cyclone body diameter for the design of a high efficiency cyclone, and was called the Stairmand high-efficiency cyclone structure. Zhu and Lee have conducted extensive experiments on cyclones of different heights and different vortex finder lengths and found that these parameters can influence the separation efficiency of cyclones considerably.

Since its inception over a century ago, many researchers have contributed to the large volume of work to improve the cyclone performance, and extensive experimental work has been done to explain their flow characteristics.


One method for assessing software is to extrapolate the curve of post-release failures. In this reliability engineering approach, analysts use knowledge of how the frequency of failures seen in a running system changes over time [26, 15] . Given a history of defects in a running system, reliability engineers extrapolate a reliability growth curve that predicts the future probability of failure on demand of a developing system. Such curves can predict how long before a system reaches a required level of reliability.

In this reliability engineering approach, analysts use knowledge of how the frequency of failures seen in a running system changes over time.


SOAs have three characteristics that complicate managing their end-to-end latency and throughput. First, request execution in SOAs spans tens to hundreds of services, forming a DAG across the service topology [37] . The exact structure of the DAG is often unknown when the request first enters the system, since it depends on multiple factors like the APIs invoked at each encountered service, the supplied arguments, the content of caches, as well as the use of load balancing along the service graph. Second, by design, individual services in SOAs lack end-to-end visibility into the service topology and by extension, the request execution graph; in fact, services view each other as black boxes. Third, requests from different tenants contend for shared resources within individual processes of a service such as threadpools, locks, blocking queues, and connection objects. Isolation mechanisms at the host OS or hypervisor fail here, as they lack visibility into the existence of multiple tenants as seen by individual processes.

First, request execution in SOAs spans tens to hundreds of services, forming a DAG across the service topology.


The initial (original) image and distorted (transformed) images are given (are considered) in FR IQA methods (metrics) [8] . The task is to provide the quality assessment of distorted (transformed) image. It is assumed here that initial distortion-free image has a "perfect" (absolute) quality. Full-reference IQA metrics (methods) are based on the measurement of the distance between the reference and distorted images. Fullreference image quality metrics are excellent for quality assessment in the coding-decoding, compression, transmission and reproduction, restore, fusion images, noise reduction and distortion compensation, and so on. However, full-reference IQA methods are generally not applicable for image enhancement since there perfect quality of enhanced image is not known a-priori.

The initial (original) image and distorted (transformed) images are given (are considered) in FR IQA methods (metrics).


Material defects in silicon wafers for PV applications lead to a significant reduction of the efficiency of the final solar cells due to a decrease of the carrier lifetime. Spectral photoluminescence imaging (SPL) is a technology that can reveal new knowledge on the shape and structure of radiative recombination active centers originating from crystal imperfections in the silicon wafers [1] . It is a non-destructive and non-contact method used on full size wafers and solar cells.

Spectral photoluminescence imaging (SPL) is a technology that can reveal new knowledge on the shape and structure of radiative recombination active centers originating from crystal imperfections in the silicon wafers.


As a result, the field of SHM has shifted from a global to a local and densely-distributed damage identification paradigm to identify and characterize progressive structural damage. The introduction of wireless sensors has dramatically reduced monitoring system costs while simultaneously allowing dense sensor instrumentation layouts [1] . Unfortunately, wireless sensors depend on a constant power supply such as batteries; engineers are required to replace these batteries every few years. Furthermore, for both cabled and wireless sensors, their form factor is usually too large to be embedded within structural components. Since damage (e.g., corrosion, cracking, composite delamination, among others) typically occurs beneath the structural surface, embedded sensors are crucial for accurate damage identification.

The introduction of wireless sensors has dramatically reduced monitoring system costs while simultaneously allowing dense sensor instrumentation layouts.


In this study, a multifunctional carbon nanotube-polyelectrolyte-based nanocomposite passive wireless sensor for SHM applications is presented [7] . Using a layer-by-layer (LbL) thin film fabrication technique, different sensing mechanisms (e.g., strain and corrosion/pH) are encoded within a thin film by simply controlling the polyelectrolyte species deposited [7, 8] . Upon deposition of these thin films onto planar coil antennas (from Texas Instruments, Inc.), passive RFID sensors are formed [2] . Given an applied stimulus, the multifunctional RFID sensor responds as manifested by a change in its inherent properties (resonant frequency and bandwidth) which is then wirelessly detected via a portable reader. This paper begins with a brief discussion on RFID theory and is followed by a description of the LbL sensor fabrication methodology. Preliminary wireless strain and pH sensing results are presented, along with discussions on future work.

In this study, a multifunctional carbon nanotube-polyelectrolyte-based nanocomposite passive wireless sensor for SHM applications is presented.

Using a layer-by-layer (LbL) thin film fabrication technique, different sensing mechanisms (e.g., strain and corrosion/pH) are encoded within a thin film by simply controlling the polyelectrolyte species deposited.

Upon deposition of these thin films onto planar coil antennas (from Texas Instruments, Inc.), passive RFID sensors are formed.


More recently, Ding and Samadzadeh used statistical analysis to create a fingerprint for Java author identification [5] . Their technique makes use of several dozen metrics (e.g., mean function name length) which they have statistically correlated to identify developers. They determined that metrics relating to code layout have a higher significance in identifying authors than other metrics. Their metrics extraction technique is similar to our own. However, where they use mostly scalar metrics derived from the source code, our metrics are formulated as histogram distributions. Our results are roughly comparable to theirs, with approximately one third of the metrics.

More recently, Ding and Samadzadeh used statistical analysis to create a fingerprint for Java author identification.


It is argued that CECs are important in the development of local energy practices, because they pioneer initiatives to generate and manage energy [15, 16] . In this innovative role, CECs actively challenge and question conventional practices through which the energy system is organized [17] . The challenges that are posed by local renewable energy generation to the grid infrastructure are becoming very palpable in several regions of the Netherlands [18] . CECs also challenge the conventional energy system by developing activities around managing the way that their community-generated energy is used. It is thus necessary to also take account of the practices of established energy system actors to understand the emergence and potential for CECs' energy practices. We do this by extending our concept of collective energy practice to be enmeshed in a broader system of energy practices, based on earlier system of practices work [7, 19] . In this paper, we elaborate a practice-based perspective that captures both the specific practices of CECs as well as the practices of other sites in the energy system.

It is argued that CECs are important in the development of local energy practices, because they pioneer initiatives to generate and manage energy.

In this innovative role, CECs actively challenge and question conventional practices through which the energy system is organized.

The challenges that are posed by local renewable energy generation to the grid infrastructure are becoming very palpable in several regions of the Netherlands.

We do this by extending our concept of collective energy practice to be enmeshed in a broader system of energy practices, based on earlier system of practices work.


Glycoprotein hormone receptors (GPHRs) are mediators of signal transduction for important biological processes such as reproduction and thyroid physiology. A dysfunction of these receptors, e.g. by in vivo mutations, can lead to severe pathological effects [1] [2] [3] . Therefore, understanding the mechanism of action of GPHRs is an important tool in the development of ligands with specific binding and signaling profiles to treat various diseases mediated by GPHRs.

A dysfunction of these receptors, e.g. by in vivo mutations, can lead to severe pathological effects.


Dextrocardia, defined as the presence of a right-sided heart, can be mirror image or isolated. Situs inversus totalis with dextrocardia was first described by anatomist surgeon Marco Aurelio in 1643 [1] . The etiology of this anomaly, with an approximate prevalence of 1-2/10,000 normal population, has hitherto eluded the medical community, although it is thought to be autosomal recessive. The rate of atherosclerotic heart disease in people with this condition is similar to the general population [2] . We present our experience with 2 cases of situs inversus totalis with dextrocardia. The patients, who had coronary artery disease, underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with the surgeon standing on the right side of the patients and the right internal mammary artery (RIMA) harvested for bypass grafting instead of the left internal mammary artery (LIMA).

Situs inversus totalis with dextrocardia was first described by anatomist surgeon Marco Aurelio in 1643.

The rate of atherosclerotic heart disease in people with this condition is similar to the general population.


It has been found that even state of the art diffraction gratings are too low in diffraction efficiency to allow high-finesse cavities based on the grating diffraction [4, 5] . An alternative is to use a diffraction grating with low diffraction efficiency as an incoupler to a Fabry-Perot cavity, because in this case there is the advantage that the cavity finesse is determined by the reflection efficiency of the grating. In three-port, second-order-Littrow configuration (as shown in Figure 3 ) it is the zerothorder diffraction (equivalent to the reflection) that retains the light-field in the FabryPerot cavity [3] . Standard dielectric coating techniques provide the high-reflectance efficiency required for such a configuration.

It has been found that even state of the art diffraction gratings are too low in diffraction efficiency to allow high-finesse cavities based on the grating diffraction.

In three-port, second-order-Littrow configuration (as shown in Figure 3 ) it is the zerothorder diffraction (equivalent to the reflection) that retains the light-field in the FabryPerot cavity.


It has been suggested that the sensitivity of high-precision interferometers, with particular reference to laser-interferometric gravitational wave detectors, could be improved by using an all-reflective optical configuration [1] . Expected improvements include eliminating transmissive thermal noise and freeing optical substrates to be opaque thus widening the range of material choices. Furthermore, the shot noise contribution can be reduced by increasing laser power without increasing technical problems such as thermal lensing. Diffractive optics have been suggested as possible replacements for mirrors and beam-splitters that could function in an all-reflective configuration [2] . This document considers the case where a diffractive optic is used in place of a mirror to couple light into a Fabry-Perot cavity [3] .

It has been suggested that the sensitivity of high-precision interferometers, with particular reference to laser-interferometric gravitational wave detectors, could be improved by using an all-reflective optical configuration.

Diffractive optics have been suggested as possible replacements for mirrors and beam-splitters that could function in an all-reflective configuration.

This document considers the case where a diffractive optic is used in place of a mirror to couple light into a Fabry-Perot cavity.


For future reference and as it is only a minimal extra effort, we will formulate and prove some elementary assertions for the half space R d + for d ≥ 1 or even domains, and general A p weights w. In order to make the presentation as self-contained as possible, we further fully avoid the use of Triebel-Lizorkin spaces and Besov spaces, but we point out where they could be used. We will only use the UMD property of X through standard applications of the Mihlin multiplier theorem. Several results will be presented in such a way that the UMD property is not used. A detailed explanation of the theory of UMD spaces and their connection to harmonic analysis can be found in the monograph [20] . In their reflexive range, all standard function spaces are UMD spaces.

A detailed explanation of the theory of UMD spaces and their connection to harmonic analysis can be found in the monograph.


Therefore, a potential "ceiling-effect" might be present for student-centredness. Finally, to affect the change explained here may require a shift in the underpinning values that help to define the actions an individual takes (Lygo-Baker, 2006) . This is thought to be the most difficult change to facilitate and therefore during the relatively short period between the pre and post test the shift is unlikely to have had an opportunity to become recognisable to the participants.

Finally, to affect the change explained here may require a shift in the underpinning values that help to define the actions an individual takes.


An interesting finding that deserves more exploration is that both disciplinary and institutional differences appeared to substantially influence whether participants successfully completed a module or not. One possible explanation for the extremely low passing rate of 7% at Institution D is that teachers in applied universities of science are more likely to already have substantial knowledge and expertise with pedagogical design and technology, as their roles are primarily focussed on teaching, providing pastoral care and administration. In contrast, most academics from the other four participating HEIs were from so-called research-intensive universities, where academic staff are primarily judged and promoted based on their research profile (Kinchin, et al., 2008) . In particular, in more science-based institutions such as Institution A and Institution C, it is more common to use traditional teaching and learning approaches.

In contrast, most academics from the other four participating HEIs were from so-called research-intensive universities, where academic staff are primarily judged and promoted based on their research profile.


The impact energy of a composite is influenced by many factors: including the toughness properties of the reinforcement, the nature of interfacial region and frictional work involved in pulling out the particles from the matrix (Atuanya et al., 2014) . Fig. 4 depicts the variation in impact energy with wt% Snail shell particles. The Impact energy decreased with increment in the wt% Snail shell particles. This may be attributed to the interference by the filler in the mobility or deformability of the matrix. This interference was created through the physical interaction and immobilization of the polymer matrix by imposing mechanical restraints (Hassan et al., 2012; Imoisili et al., 2013) .

The impact energy of a composite is influenced by many factors: including the toughness properties of the reinforcement, the nature of interfacial region and frictional work involved in pulling out the particles from the matrix.

This interference was created through the physical interaction and immobilization of the polymer matrix by imposing mechanical restraints.


The Snail shell particles were dried in oven (UNB 100-500) for 24 h at 150°C to a moisture content of 0.5-1% (based on dry weight) before composite production (75 lm, 125 lm, 250 lm, 500 lm) and (0, 5, 10, 15 wt%) were compounded with recycled polyethylene using a co-rotating twin-screw extruder. The temperature used was 160°C with screw speed of 50 rpm (Agunsoye et al., 2012) . Finally, the mixed samples come out in bulk form. The crushing machine was used to crush into particle form. The composite compounded was fabricated into size of 150 mm · 150 mm · 6 mm. The used temperature was 160°C with a pressure of 25 Ton for 10 min. Each of the plate was cut into desired dimension for sample testing. Before the test, the samples were conditioned for 24 h at 23°C and at 50% relative humidity (Suresha and Chandramohan, 2004; Singha and Thakur, 2008) .

The temperature used was 160°C with screw speed of 50 rpm.

Before the test, the samples were conditioned for 24 h at 23°C and at 50% relative humidity.


The size of the Snail shell particles influenced the tensile and the flexural strengths (see Figs. 2 and 3 ). Snail shell particles were divided into coarse particles (around 500 lm), large particles (around 125 and 250 lm) and fine particles (around 75 lm) according to their sizes. The mechanical interlocking between Snail shell particles and matrix (RLDPE) significantly affected the properties (Agunsoye et al., 2012; Bledzki and Gassan, 1999) .

The mechanical interlocking between Snail shell particles and matrix (RLDPE) significantly affected the properties.


The situation for quaternionic fake quadrics is very similar to the case of fake projective planes which are surfaces of general type with the same numerical invariants as the projective plane. Fake projective planes are all quotients of the 2-dimensional complex unit ball B 2 by cocompact arithmetic lattices Γ ⊂ P U (2, 1) . This provides an arithmetic construction of these surfaces, but it is generally not easy to handle and construct these surfaces geometrically, e.g. as a quotient or ramified cover of some known surfaces.

Fake projective planes are all quotients of the 2-dimensional complex unit ball B 2 by cocompact arithmetic lattices Γ ⊂ P U.


Plagiarism detection is also closely related to code duplication detection. Here, the idea is to detect when developers use previously existing code which solved a problem similar to the one they are currently trying to solve. This may indicate a design problem as the duplicated code is difficult to maintain (e.g. fixing bugs must be done in several places). Although most of the existing solutions for duplication detection are based on the lexicographic approach, some of them use the structural properties of the source codes [24, 18] .

Although most of the existing solutions for duplication detection are based on the lexicographic approach, some of them use the structural properties of the source codes.


The Institute of Medicine's Quality Report estimates that nearly 98,000 deaths annually may be attributed to medical errors [1] . Within radiology, an important source of error is the wrong-patient error, wherein one patient's imaging study may be placed in another patient's folder in a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS). Such errors can create problems for both of the involved patients. In fact, the National Quality Forum recognizes that wrong-patient errors can affect radiologic practice, and that agency, along with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, specifically endorses implementation of a "standardized protocol to prevent mislabeling of radiographs" [2] .

The Institute of Medicine's Quality Report estimates that nearly 98,000 deaths annually may be attributed to medical errors.

In fact, the National Quality Forum recognizes that wrong-patient errors can affect radiologic practice, and that agency, along with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, specifically endorses implementation of a "standardized protocol to prevent mislabeling of radiographs".


Many of the genetic mutations that drive lymphomagenesis via constitutive NF-kB activation in ABC-DLBCL occur upstream of the canonical heterotrimeric IKK complex containing IKKa, IKKb and NEMO. Therefore, specifically targeting this complex may provide therapeutic benefit for patients with ABC-DLBCL regardless of the specific mutation that disrupts signal regulation. Evaluation of small molecule ATP-binding site inhibitors of IKKb re-inforces this concept although off-target side effects together with the compensatory activity of IKKa homodimers observed in the presence of IKKb inhibition may reduce their therapeutic efficacy [37, 38] . In contrast, NBD peptide binds to and inhibits association of NEMO with IKKa and IKKb making its inhibitory effect specific for the IKK complex.

Evaluation of small molecule ATP-binding site inhibitors of IKKb re-inforces this concept although off-target side effects together with the compensatory activity of IKKa homodimers observed in the presence of IKKb inhibition may reduce their therapeutic efficacy.


The aim of this study was to determine the safety and biologically effective dose of systemically administered NBD peptide in dogs with ABC-like DLBCL. Our results show that there were no significant acute or chronic toxicities identified at any NBD peptide dose evaluated (0.5-2.0 mg/kg) either by clinical or hematological and biochemical parameters and all dogs survived for at least one month after treatment. One dog did develop transient biochemical abnormalities that were consistant with hepatotoxic damage. This dog also received L9asparaginase which, although not reported in dogs, causes hepatocellular enzyme elevations and subclinical hepatopathy in humans. In all dogs, mild reductions in lymphocyte counts were detected one week after NBD peptide plus chemotherapy. We have previously shown that NBD peptide has minimal effect on peripheral B cells and consider it likely that these changes are associated with concurrent chemotherapy rather than peptide-induced B or T cell apoptosis [25] . While this safety data relates only to a single dose of peptide, cummulative toxicities following repeat dosing are unlikely to occur given the short half life of the peptide and the available safety data on multi-dose administration in rodents. Following peptide administration and chemotherapy 7 dogs achieved durable clinical remissions and three of these dogs survived greater than 16 months (Table S1 ). Two relapsed dogs (dogs 4 and 6) were treated with the same chemotherapeutic agents following NBD peptide as they had been resistant to before peptide administration. In these cases, the single dose of NBD peptide did not appear to reverse chemoresistance and induce a CR. However, it is likely that NBD peptide will need to be administered more than once to reverse resistance and lead to an improved clinical response. Further placebo controlled clinical trials will be required to determine whether NF-kB inhibition synergizes with chemotherapy to prolong time to progression and overall survival in dogs with DLBCL [28] .

We have previously shown that NBD peptide has minimal effect on peripheral B cells and consider it likely that these changes are associated with concurrent chemotherapy rather than peptide-induced B or T cell apoptosis.

Further placebo controlled clinical trials will be required to determine whether NF-kB inhibition synergizes with chemotherapy to prolong time to progression and overall survival in dogs with DLBCL.


The strategies can be characterized by the number of considered traffic intersections, and how they model the traffic demand and response [10] . A control strategy can produce a time plan for a single or multiple interactions. The former are called 'isolated' strategies, and the latter are called 'coordinated' strategies. The traffic demand can be statically determined using (off-line) historical demands, and is used to produce 'fixed-time' traffic-control response strategies. Alternatively, the demand can be dynamically determined using real-time measurements to produce adaptive traffic response strategies. Combining these two characteristics, we get four possible categories of traffic control strategies.

The strategies can be characterized by the number of considered traffic intersections, and how they model the traffic demand and response.


The primary research was based on two pillars. Google Trends data was analyzed to find answers for research questions 4 and 5, while questions 1, 2, 3, 6 were dealt with through using online surveys. Both approaches extend on and discuss in detail earlier research of the author carried out in March 2015 and summarized briefly in a conference proceedings of an international management conference titled ICOM organized by Szent István University, Hungary (Lengyel, 2015) . This paper discusses in detail those parts of the earlier research which have either not been reflected upon at all in the proceedings paper or were presented without much detail. The sample surveyed in March 2015 will be referred to as S1 while the sample surveyed in June 2015, S2. There are three reasons why only potential Hungarian wellness and ecotourists were targeted with the surveys. The first concerns the availability of a large enough sample of potential wellness and ecotourists. The second is connected to the pressing challenge posed by an extremely unhealthy Hungarian population. Thirdly, as sustainability issues concerning aviation-based international tourism become more and more pressing, domestic tourism will probably gain new significance (Peeters & Dubois, 2010) . Within the country several shorter trips are affordable for a much broader portion of the population with significantly lower emission levels and higher level of positive wellbeing effects (Nawijn, 2012) .

Both approaches extend on and discuss in detail earlier research of the author carried out in March 2015 and summarized briefly in a conference proceedings of an international management conference titled ICOM organized by Szent István University, Hungary.

Thirdly, as sustainability issues concerning aviation-based international tourism become more and more pressing, domestic tourism will probably gain new significance.

Within the country several shorter trips are affordable for a much broader portion of the population with significantly lower emission levels and higher level of positive wellbeing effects.


Brillouin optical time-domain analysis (BOTDA) sensors have been established during the last years as a powerful technique for structural health monitoring that potentially could provide dynamic measurements of strain along structures such as wind-turbines, airplane wings, civil engineering structures, and others. Several methods have been recently presented to allow such fast dynamic measurements using the BOTDA principle [1] - [4] . Among them, the slope-assisted methods stand out as a simple solution to perform real-time measurements without increasing the complexity of the BOTDA setup [1] , [4] . They are based on the frequency discriminator principle in which the probe wave is set on the slope of the Brillouin gain spectrum (BGS) and the amplitude of the detected signal is interrogated so that variations of the Brillouin frequency shift (BFS) due to temperature or strain changes are translated to variations in the amplitude of the detected probe wave.

Several methods have been recently presented to allow such fast dynamic measurements using the BOTDA principle.

Among them, the slope-assisted methods stand out as a simple solution to perform real-time measurements without increasing the complexity of the BOTDA setup.


However, there is an important limitation that affects the multi-component pulse technique. As multiple pump pulses are injected to the fiber, the maximum peak pump pulse power has to be reduced due to the modulation instability (MI) and four wave mixing (FWM) effects [10] - [12] . MI and FWM effects are directly dependent on the pump power injected to the fiber, inducing a depletion of the pump power along the fiber that reduces the interaction between the probe and pump waves. This depletion limits the performance of this system via the reduction of the SNR. Fig. 8 depicts the normalized BOTDA traces of an 8-km spool fiber for different levels of pump peak power. All traces have been normalized to the peak power and the fiber attenuation has been compensated. This figure shows the pump power depletion along the fiber for a single spectral component pump pulse of 10-ns length due to MI. As it has been explained, there is a dependence of the pump depletion with the pump peak power injected to the fiber: the pump depletion becomes more severe as the pump peak power is increased [10] . Notice that in the traces of Fig. 8 , there are some variations in signal level at the few hundred meters of the end of the fiber that are not due to FWM or MI but to a BFS change due to the use of a different fiber type for this final section of the FUT. Fig. 9 depicts how the pump depletion just analyzed is worsen as additional frequency components are added to the pump pulses. This penalty can be analyzed by considering the so-called critical pump power, which is defined as the maximum pump power that can be launched into a given length of fiber before the pump depletion at its end becomes larger than 10%. Fig. 10 depicts this parameter as a function of the fiber length and for different number of frequency components in the pump pulse. The resultant penalty in terms of power for the use of four and six-component pump pulses is around 9 dB and 11 dB, respectively. This SNR degradation is partially compensated with the increase of the RF amplitude spectrum level, due to the overlap of the multiple spectra generated by each pump component. This enhancement of the detected signal for both multi-component pump cases is 1.7 dB and 2 dB; hence, the net penalty of this method is 7.3 dB (4-component) and 9 dB (6-component), respectively.

As multiple pump pulses are injected to the fiber, the maximum peak pump pulse power has to be reduced due to the modulation instability (MI) and four wave mixing (FWM) effects.

As it has been explained, there is a dependence of the pump depletion with the pump peak power injected to the fiber: the pump depletion becomes more severe as the pump peak power is increased.


Another fundamental limitation of the dynamic BOTDA sensors based on the slope-assisted technique is the reduced dynamic range that they provide. The dynamic range is defined by the linear region of the slope of the BGS, which depends on the BGS linewidth. For instance, for 10-ns pump pulse duration, the usable width of the BGS slope is typically around 50 MHz. This, assuming a 20 με/MHz strain coefficient, translates to a dynamic range of about 1000 με, which is insufficient for many structural health monitoring applications. This can be extended by switching the probe wave frequency in several steps within a given range, so that multiple BGS slopes can be interrogated [6] , [7] . However, the measurement time also increases proportionally to the number of frequency steps. Another option is to deploy short pump pulses with the aim of broadening the BGS shape [8] .

This can be extended by switching the probe wave frequency in several steps within a given range, so that multiple BGS slopes can be interrogated.

Another option is to deploy short pump pulses with the aim of broadening the BGS shape.


In the current study, RA was associated with an increased prevalence of hepatitis B. This corresponds well with the recent nationwide data in Taiwan, which reported that RA patients had an increased risk of hepatitis B infection after adjustment for potential risk factors [77] . Extrahepatic manifestation of hepatitis B infection includes serum sickness-like syndrome, vasculitis, skin rash, arthritis, and glomerulonephritis [78] . The pathogenesis of HBV-associated arthritis is attributed to the deposition of immune complexes containing viral antigens (HBV surface antigen HBsAg or HBeAg) and their respective antibodies (anti-HBs and antiHBe) in synovial tissues [79] . Reactivation of viral hepatitis due to the use of immunosuppressive drugs might also contribute to the increased risk of hepatitis in RA patients.

In the current study, RA was associated with an increased prevalence of hepatitis B. This corresponds well with the recent nationwide data in Taiwan, which reported that RA patients had an increased risk of hepatitis B infection after adjustment for potential risk factors.

Extrahepatic manifestation of hepatitis B infection includes serum sickness-like syndrome, vasculitis, skin rash, arthritis, and glomerulonephritis.

The pathogenesis of HBV-associated arthritis is attributed to the deposition of immune complexes containing viral antigens (HBV surface antigen HBsAg or HBeAg) and their respective antibodies (anti-HBs and antiHBe) in synovial tissues.


The increased prevalence of comorbidities, as well as RA itself, is associated with an economic burden on patients, their families, and society [11] . The elderly RA patients who also have emerging comorbidities present a unique challenge to treating clinicians [12] . Although occurrence of comorbidities is more common in RA than controls, comorbidity is often underrecognized and undertreated [13, 14] . Detecting and managing specific comorbidities and preventing their development are important and recommended by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) [15] .

The increased prevalence of comorbidities, as well as RA itself, is associated with an economic burden on patients, their families, and society.

The elderly RA patients who also have emerging comorbidities present a unique challenge to treating clinicians.

Although occurrence of comorbidities is more common in RA than controls, comorbidity is often underrecognized and undertreated.

Detecting and managing specific comorbidities and preventing their development are important and recommended by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR).


The aim of the present study was to investigate whether two edible mushroom species of worldwide popularity, P. ostreatus and P. eryngii, can be used in bio-enrichment with Se, Cu, Zn in a single-, double-and triple-element cultivation model, and whether such fortified mushrooms may exert some beneficial antioxidative effects. Specifically, the preventive effect of hot water extracts of fruiting bodies on tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tBHP)-induced oxidative stress in human platelets isolated from healthy donors. It has been evidenced that reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a role in triggering the activation cascade in platelets that involves tethering to the endothelium, rolling adhesion, aggregation and eventually formation of thrombus [30] . Therefore, any antiplatelet effect of bio-enriched mushrooms could play a potentially positive role in the prevention of cardiovascular complications.

It has been evidenced that reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a role in triggering the activation cascade in platelets that involves tethering to the endothelium, rolling adhesion, aggregation and eventually formation of thrombus.


Gastric peptic ulcer is one of the common disorders of gastrointestinal tract, which occur due to an imbalance between the offensive (gastric acid secretion) and defensive (gastric mucosal integrity) factors [1] . It is an illness that affects a considerable number of people worldwide. The etiological factors of this disorder include: stress, smoking, nutritional deficiencies, infections, frequent and indiscriminate use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) [2] .

Gastric peptic ulcer is one of the common disorders of gastrointestinal tract, which occur due to an imbalance between the offensive (gastric acid secretion) and defensive (gastric mucosal integrity) factors.

The etiological factors of this disorder include: stress, smoking, nutritional deficiencies, infections, frequent and indiscriminate use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).


Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are a population of cells with infinite proliferation capability and the potential to differentiate into cells of the mesoderm lineage. Research studies have reported that MSC has the capability to differentiate into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, cardiomyocytes, myocytes, adipose cells and even neural cells. MSC can be isolated from multiple areas in adult tissue such as bone marrow, adipose tissue, umbilical cords, and peripheral blood [2, 3, 4] . Umbilical Cord Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (UC-MSCs) have proliferation and differentiation capabilities. These stem cells have also been shown to have the ability to differentiate into unipotent cells that have a chondrocyte pattern [5] .

MSC can be isolated from multiple areas in adult tissue such as bone marrow, adipose tissue, umbilical cords, and peripheral blood.

These stem cells have also been shown to have the ability to differentiate into unipotent cells that have a chondrocyte pattern.


Experiments were conducted to evaluate the proposed new approach along with different parameter settings. The study cases including their search methods and associated parameters are shown in Table 1 . The 'ORC0' case is the same approach used in previous work [2] . The 'ORC1' case utilized a different cost function to increase runway throughput (Eqn.2). The 'ORC2' case increased the perception horizon to 120 minutes to include trailing flight information to improve planning. The 'ORC3' case introduced the temporal dimension.

The 'ORC0' case is the same approach used in previous work.


Software effort estimation (SEE) is the process of predicting the effort (e.g., in person-month or person-hour) required to develop a software system. It often takes place in the very early stage of software development and, based on it, project managers make important decisions such as the budget, the schedule of the project, and the bidding price [4] . Though being investigated for decades, there are still several problems hindering the practical use of SEE models. Among all of them, we focus on three challenging problems, as explained next.

It often takes place in the very early stage of software development and, based on it, project managers make important decisions such as the budget, the schedule of the project, and the bidding price.


Medicinal plants are cheap and renewable sources of pharmacologically-active substances and are known to produce certain chemicals that are naturally toxic to bacteria (Basile et al., 1999) . Carica papaya is an evergreen shrub or small tree that grows best in full sun to light shade. The plant likes lots of water and fertilizer in warm weather. Flowers are similar in shape to the flowers of Plumeria but are much smaller, wax-like and appear on the axils of the leaves, maturing into fruit, which ripes when it feels soft and its skin has attained an amber or orange colour. It has been used locally in the treatment of urinary tract infections (Aliyu, 2006) .

Medicinal plants are cheap and renewable sources of pharmacologically-active substances and are known to produce certain chemicals that are naturally toxic to bacteria.

It has been used locally in the treatment of urinary tract infections.


A large number of buildings are built for residential, commercial and office purposes every year all over the world. Building construction sector experiences fast paced growth in developing countries, like India, due to growth economy and rapid urbanization. Worldwide buildings consume 30% -40% amount of primary energy in their construction, operation and maintenance and held responsible for emitting 40% of global warming gases [1] . In India, 24% of primary energy and 30% of electrical energy is consumed in buildings [2] . Since, buildings are consuming large amount of energy; they need to be analyzed in the lifecycle perspective to develop strategies for reduction of their energy use and associated environmental impacts, and make them sustainable. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is the state of art tool in assessing the sustainability of buildings. In order to assess the environmental impact, it is necessary to perform an inventory analysis of building materials and the process of construction, and demolition. But, building materials production processes are much less standardized because of the unique character of each building. There is limited quantitative information about the environmental impacts of the production and manufacturing of construction materials, and the actual process of construction and demolition particularly in developing countries like India.

Worldwide buildings consume 30% -40% amount of primary energy in their construction, operation and maintenance and held responsible for emitting 40% of global warming gases.

In India, 24% of primary energy and 30% of electrical energy is consumed in buildings.


The maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky) is one of the major pests of stored grains and grain products in the tropics and subtropics (Liu and Ho, 1999) . Infestations not only cause significant losses due to the consumption of grains; they also result in elevated temperature and moisture conditions that lead to an accelerated growth of molds, including toxigenic species (Magan et al., 2003) . Currently, control of stored product insects relies heavily on the use of synthetic insecticides and fumigants, which has led to problems such as disturbance of the environment, increasing application *Corresponding author: E-mail: zhilongliu@cau.edu.cn. Tel: +86-10-62732800. Fax: +86-10-62732800.

The maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky) is one of the major pests of stored grains and grain products in the tropics and subtropics.

Infestations not only cause significant losses due to the consumption of grains; they also result in elevated temperature and moisture conditions that lead to an accelerated growth of molds, including toxigenic species.

Tel: +86-10-62732800.

Fax: +86-10-62732800.


Composite Higgs models provide an elegant solution to the big hierarchy problem as the Higgs sector is replaced by a new, strongly coupled sector, so is rendered insensitive to any physics above the compositeness scale. In this strong sector a global symmetry group is spontaneously broken at a scale f and the Higgs is identified as one of the associated Nambu-Goldstone bosons [1] [2] [3] . In modern incarnations the global symmetry is explicitly broken by linear couplings of elementary, SM states to operators in the strong sector, thereby inducing electroweak symmetry breaking and generating a mass for the Higgs [4, 5] . To obtain the correct electroweak vacuum expectation value (VEV), v, a tuning of order v 2 /f 2 is required in terms contributing to the Higgs potential.

In this strong sector a global symmetry group is spontaneously broken at a scale f and the Higgs is identified as one of the associated Nambu-Goldstone bosons.

In modern incarnations the global symmetry is explicitly broken by linear couplings of elementary, SM states to operators in the strong sector, thereby inducing electroweak symmetry breaking and generating a mass for the Higgs.


There are now over a dozen commercially available small-animal PET scanners and a similar number of smallanimal SPECT systems. Many of those systems combine nuclear imaging with X-ray computed tomography (CT). The benefit of such combination is that PET and SPECT provide "functional", while CT provides "structural" information. Putting it simply, "functional" imaging provides molecular-level information while "structural" imaging provides contextual information about the location of molecular signals, such as the position of the bones and main organs. There is also, so far, one commercially available PET scanner integrated with Magnetic Resonance Imaging [1] . Depending on the settings, magnetic resonance may be used as both, functional and structural imaging technique and in combination with PET and SPECT may prove to be the most robust of available imaging tools.

There is also, so far, one commercially available PET scanner integrated with Magnetic Resonance Imaging.


Until more robust clinical dosing support tools are developed, clinicians will continue to rely on trough concentration monitoring to help guide vancomycin dosing in neonates. Our findings reinforce the large variability observed in vancomycin trough concentrations among neonates and the inability of a trough concentration alone to reliably predict an individual neonate's AUC 24 . Targeting an AUC 24 /MIC C400 is recommended by the Infectious Disease Society of America when treating invasive MRSA infections and a trough concentration of 15-20 mg/L is suggested in adults to achieve this target [1, 21] . The current study provides further support that in neonates a vancomycin trough concentration of 15-20 mg/L is unnecessary to achieve an AUC 24 /MIC C400 with an MIC B1 mg/L and that lower trough concentrations are likely adequate based on AUC 24 considerations [7] . Accordingly, a trough concentration of approximately 10 mg/L is likely a reasonable first-line target that will provide adequate exposure for invasive MRSA while also appropriately covering for coagulase negative staphylococcal infections. Further dose adjustment and individualization of the therapeutic approach should be guided by the specific pathogen identified, susceptibility testing, clinical status, etc. For example, for MRSA infections with MICs C2 mg/L, an alternative to vancomycin may be necessary since an AUC 24 /MIC C400 will not be achieved in neonates even at trough concentrations of 15-20 mg/L [7] . Lastly, the extent to which the target AUC 24 /MIC C400 is generalizable to neonates is unclear and requires further study.

Targeting an AUC 24 /MIC C400 is recommended by the Infectious Disease Society of America when treating invasive MRSA infections and a trough concentration of 15-20 mg/L is suggested in adults to achieve this target.

The current study provides further support that in neonates a vancomycin trough concentration of 15-20 mg/L is unnecessary to achieve an AUC 24 /MIC C400 with an MIC B1 mg/L and that lower trough concentrations are likely adequate based on AUC 24 considerations.

For example, for MRSA infections with MICs C2 mg/L, an alternative to vancomycin may be necessary since an AUC 24 /MIC C400 will not be achieved in neonates even at trough concentrations of 15-20 mg/L.


A considerable amount of explicit knowledge is scattered throughout various documents within public and governmental organizations and people minds working there. In many cases the possibility to efficiently access (retrieve) and reuse this knowledge is limited [3] . As a result of this, most knowledge is not sufficiently exploited, shared and subsequently forgotten in relatively short time after it has been introduced to, invented/discovered within the organization. Therefore, in the approaching information society, it is vitally important for knowledge-intensive organizations as public and governmental institutions to make the best use of information gathered from various information resources inside the organizations and from external sources like the Internet. On the other hand, tacit knowledge of authors of the documents' provides important context to them, which cannot be effectively intercepted.

In many cases the possibility to efficiently access (retrieve) and reuse this knowledge is limited.


The development of the mammary gland occurs mainly after birth. During puberty, tubule formation coupled with branching morphogenesis establishes the basic arboreal network of ducts emanating from the nipple (Sekhri et al., 1967) . In pregnancy, alveoli are formed along this network and produce milk under the control of milk-stimulating hormones, such as insulin, hydrocortisone, and prolactin. The mammary epithelium consists of two cell layers, a luminal layer and an outer contractile myoepithelial layer. In the ducts, the myoepithelial layer is continuous, but, in the distended alveoli, the arrangement is more like a woven basket, allowing the secretory luminal epithelial cells direct contact with the basement membrane (Emerman and Vogl, 1986) . The latter lie on a specialised form of extracellular matrix containing laminins and collagen IV amongst other components, and the epithelial cells interact with it via integrins (Streuli and Edwards, 1998) . This paper addresses the role of the laminin-binding integrins ␣3␤1, ␣6␤1, and ␣6␤4 in the development and function of the mammary gland in vivo.

During puberty, tubule formation coupled with branching morphogenesis establishes the basic arboreal network of ducts emanating from the nipple.

In the ducts, the myoepithelial layer is continuous, but, in the distended alveoli, the arrangement is more like a woven basket, allowing the secretory luminal epithelial cells direct contact with the basement membrane.

The latter lie on a specialised form of extracellular matrix containing laminins and collagen IV amongst other components, and the epithelial cells interact with it via integrins.


In this paper, we test the hypothesis that the function of the mammary gland is compromised by the lack of these integrin subunits. Since these gene deletions are lethal in mice at early stages of development or close to parturition, it was necessary to transplant embryonic rudiments to the cleared mammary fat pads of syngeneic hosts (DeOme et al., 1959; Klinowska and Streuli, 2000) . To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to study the functional consequences of loss of ␣3 or ␣6 integrin subunits in an adult developmental context.

Since these gene deletions are lethal in mice at early stages of development or close to parturition, it was necessary to transplant embryonic rudiments to the cleared mammary fat pads of syngeneic hosts.


The ␣3 integrin subunit null mouse dies at the neonatal stage with kidney and lung abnormalities (Kreidberg et al., 1996) . One of the major phenotypic aspects in these tissues is a defect in branching morphogenesis. The skin and glomerular basement membranes are also disorganised, suggesting that ␣3␤1 has an important role in the organisation of the matrix (DiPersio et al., 1997; Kreidberg et al., 1996) . The glomerular podocytes of ␣3 null embryos do not differentiate normally (Kreidberg et al., 1996) . In addition, blocking the ␣3␤1 integrin affects the differentiation of hepatocytes in culture, and inhibits a MAP kinasetransduced proliferation signal in cultured epithelial cells (Gonzales et al., 1999; Lora et al., 1998) . These data strongly suggest that absence of the ␣3␤1 integrin might affect the branching morphogenesis and differentiation of mammary epithelium.

The ␣3 integrin subunit null mouse dies at the neonatal stage with kidney and lung abnormalities.

The skin and glomerular basement membranes are also disorganised, suggesting that ␣3␤1 has an important role in the organisation of the matrix.

The glomerular podocytes of ␣3 null embryos do not differentiate normally.

In addition, blocking the ␣3␤1 integrin affects the differentiation of hepatocytes in culture, and inhibits a MAP kinasetransduced proliferation signal in cultured epithelial cells.


We have previously shown that blocking ␣6 integrin function in vivo does not affect the branching of ducts in mammary tissue, although there is an effect on morphogenesis in other organs such as the salivary gland (Kadoya et al., 1995; Klinowska et al., 1999) . However, in cultured primary mammary epithelial cells, function-blocking antibodies against ␣6 compromise both survival and milk protein gene expression during cellular differentiation (Farrelly et al., 1999; Muschler et al., 1999) . Mammary myoepithelial cells contain hemidesmosomes along the basement membrane of their contractile fingers. In mammary epithelial cell lines, antibodies to either laminin-5, or to ␣3␤1 or ␣6␤4 integrins, inhibit hemidesmosome assembly and block branching morphogenesis in matrigel culture (Stahl et al., 1997; Weaver et al., 1997) . Nothing is known about the requirement of ␤4 integrin for mammary gland function in vivo, but we speculate that, if the ␣6 or the ␤4 integrin subunit is required for hemidesmosome formation, the absence of either of these subunits may compromise mammary gland development.

We have previously shown that blocking ␣6 integrin function in vivo does not affect the branching of ducts in mammary tissue, although there is an effect on morphogenesis in other organs such as the salivary gland.

However, in cultured primary mammary epithelial cells, function-blocking antibodies against ␣6 compromise both survival and milk protein gene expression during cellular differentiation.

In mammary epithelial cell lines, antibodies to either laminin-5, or to ␣3␤1 or ␣6␤4 integrins, inhibit hemidesmosome assembly and block branching morphogenesis in matrigel culture.


In addition to the positive changes associated with body composition, our participants noted substantial subjective improvements in both physical and mental quality of life, as rated with the SF-36, one of the gold standards in this area. Thus, we surmise that the objective findings in body composition validate the subjective improvements noted by the participants, particularly in better vitality, bodily pain, and general health. Our results are consistent with other studies that have shown improvements in ratings of quality of life in parallel with weight loss [38, 39] . Our findings extend prior work by showing improvements in both the mental and physical quality of life domains, whereas others typically have only noted improvements in the physical domain [40, 41] .

Our results are consistent with other studies that have shown improvements in ratings of quality of life in parallel with weight loss.

Our findings extend prior work by showing improvements in both the mental and physical quality of life domains, whereas others typically have only noted improvements in the physical domain.


Soil enzyme activities are involved in soil nutrient cycling dynamics and can catalyze the conversion of nutrient from unavailable to forms readily assimilable by plants and microorganisms. Enzyme activity is generally higher in rhizosphere than in bulk soil, as a result of a greater microbial activity sustained by exudates, actively or passively released by roots, or due to the release of enzymes from plant roots (Pinton et al., 2001) . Among soil enzyme activities, hydrolase activities of rhizosphere are supposed to play an important role in plant nutrition. For example, the hydrolysis of organic phosphate monoesters by phosphomonoesterases can account for 30-80% of P taken up by plants in agricultural soils (Tarafdar and Jungk, 1987; Gilbert et al., 1999) .

Enzyme activity is generally higher in rhizosphere than in bulk soil, as a result of a greater microbial activity sustained by exudates, actively or passively released by roots, or due to the release of enzymes from plant roots.

For example, the hydrolysis of organic phosphate monoesters by phosphomonoesterases can account for 30-80% of P taken up by plants in agricultural soils.


Because of the high complexity of the rhizosphere environment, the mineralization of the different root exudates and their stimulatory effects on microbial activity have been approached studying the effects of single low molecular weight organic molecules in simple systems mimicking the rhizosphere environment (Kozdroj and van Elsas, 2000; Badalucco and Kuikman, 2001; Falchini et al., 2003; Baudoin et al., 2003) . These studies have confirmed that root exudation is the main factor controlling microbial activity and community structure in the rhizosphere. However, to our knowledge no studies have focussed on the effects of single low molecular weight organic molecules of root exudates on hydrolase activities of microbial origin in the rhizosphere.

Because of the high complexity of the rhizosphere environment, the mineralization of the different root exudates and their stimulatory effects on microbial activity have been approached studying the effects of single low molecular weight organic molecules in simple systems mimicking the rhizosphere environment.


Artificial dental implants have been in development for nearly 60 years, and under the constant research and improvements of clinicians and scholars [1] . Most artificial prosthesis implant systems include three parts: fixtures, abutments, and prostheses. A fixture is used to replace the natural root of the tooth and form osseointegration with the edentulous ridge; an abutment is used to connect the structures of the fixture and prosthesis; and the prosthesis is used to replace the natural tooth crown for occlusion and aesthetic functions. The treatment can be divided into two stages: in the first stage, the fixture is surgically implanted into the alveolar bone; after osseointegration is completed three to six months later, the second stage (prosthodontic treatment) is executed. The treatment is completed after the abutment and prosthesis are connected to the fixture.

Artificial dental implants have been in development for nearly 60 years, and under the constant research and improvements of clinicians and scholars.


Requiring HPV vaccination for school entry could circumvent many of the problems described above and is another strategy with potential to dramatically increase vaccine coverage; however, policymakers in the U.S. have adopted this approach only rarely to date, as such requirements have been controversial. Opponents have argued that HPV school immunization requirements infringe on parental autonomy and have decried the vaccine as unnecessary, unsafe, or implicitly encouraging teenage sexual activity [26] [27] [28] . Between 2007 and 2010, 24 states and the District of Columbia proposed legislation requiring HPV vaccination for girls entering sixth grade, but the legislation failed or was withdrawn in a host of states, including Michigan, Ohio, Texas, California, and Maryland [29] . To date, Washington DC and Virginia are the only jurisdictions that have enacted requirements, but both allow parents to easily opt out of the requirement for any reason [29, 30] . In the absence of school requirements in most states, voluntary school-based HPV vaccination remains a central strategy to explore, and understanding parental attitudes toward school-based HPV vaccination is an important first step.

Opponents have argued that HPV school immunization requirements infringe on parental autonomy and have decried the vaccine as unnecessary, unsafe, or implicitly encouraging teenage sexual activity.

Between 2007 and 2010, 24 states and the District of Columbia proposed legislation requiring HPV vaccination for girls entering sixth grade, but the legislation failed or was withdrawn in a host of states, including Michigan, Ohio, Texas, California, and Maryland.

To date, Washington DC and Virginia are the only jurisdictions that have enacted requirements, but both allow parents to easily opt out of the requirement for any reason.


Algorithms that sample the feasible region of an underdetermined linear problem in a uniform way, have already been described in the literature (Smith 1984) . Here we introduce an R function that includes these algorithms in addition to an algorithm developed by the authors, that is more stable in high-dimensional situations. The implemented function returns a sample set that is uniformly distributed over the feasible region of equation set (2) when A and b are lacking.

Algorithms that sample the feasible region of an underdetermined linear problem in a uniform way, have already been described in the literature.


The present study reveals that in normal rats, IT induces significant changes in the structure and function of the gracilis muscle. These changes are similar to those induced by CT. The structural and functional adaptations within our rats gracilis muscle are consistent with those in earlier reports [21, 37, 41, 42] . For example, the observed values for capillary to fiber ratio of IT and CT are in line with previously published reports [2, 16, 20, 35] . Such changes within the muscles explain, at least in part, the substantially increased capacity for aerobic work observed after training.

The structural and functional adaptations within our rats gracilis muscle are consistent with those in earlier reports.

For example, the observed values for capillary to fiber ratio of IT and CT are in line with previously published reports.


Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) emitting at the telecom wavelength of 1550 nm are very promising devices due to their inherent advantages in comparison with edge-emitting devices [1] . Optical injection in VCSELs is an attractive method to obtain bistable behaviour and nonlinear switching that can be used for all-optical signal processing. Polarization switching and optical bistability have been reported in VCSELs subject to orthogonal optical injection [2] [3] [4] [5] . In that configuration linearly polarized light from a tunable laser is injected orthogonally to the linear polarization of a free-running VCSEL. Switching from that polarization to the orthogonal polarization is observed as the injected power increases [2] [3] [4] [5] . Optical injection is also a method that can induce a rich variety of nonlinear dynamics in the light emitted by the VCSEL. An example of those dynamics has been obtained with a 850 nm wavelength VCSEL subject to orthogonal optical injection [2] . Recently attention has been focused on the study of orthogonal optical injection in 1550nm VCSELs [3] [4] [5] . A stability map has been reported for the total power identifying the boundaries between regions of different behavior, including periodic dynamics, chaos and polarization switching (PS) [5] . In this work we perform an experimental study of the polarization-resolved nonlinear dynamics of a 1550 nm wavelength single-mode VCSEL when subject to orthogonal optical injection. The RF spectrum of both polarizations is measured for different frequency detuning and injected power values.

Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) emitting at the telecom wavelength of 1550 nm are very promising devices due to their inherent advantages in comparison with edge-emitting devices.

Polarization switching and optical bistability have been reported in VCSELs subject to orthogonal optical injection.

Switching from that polarization to the orthogonal polarization is observed as the injected power increases.

An example of those dynamics has been obtained with a 850 nm wavelength VCSEL subject to orthogonal optical injection.

Recently attention has been focused on the study of orthogonal optical injection in 1550nm VCSELs.

A stability map has been reported for the total power identifying the boundaries between regions of different behavior, including periodic dynamics, chaos and polarization switching (PS).


One of the most effi cient methods of maintaining grasslands and their natural value is cattle grazing. Grazing was always typical particularly of less favoured areas (LFA) where grasslands were established or formed during a long-term natural, social and agrarian development. In these areas, replacement of ruminant farming by another agrarian activity is impossible in practice (Hervieu, 2002) .

In these areas, replacement of ruminant farming by another agrarian activity is impossible in practice.


Consequently, pasture management is a big issue in the prevention of negative changes in many marginal areas (Caredda et al., 2002) . Ecologists suggest that the relationship between grazing and diversity should be better exploited to the benefi t of many degraded grasslands or rangelands. Understanding the infl uence of livestock enterprises on grazing land is critical for the development of management strategies needed to optimize ecosystem functions (Schacht and Reece, 2008) .

Consequently, pasture management is a big issue in the prevention of negative changes in many marginal areas.

Understanding the infl uence of livestock enterprises on grazing land is critical for the development of management strategies needed to optimize ecosystem functions.


Layout problem is inherently a multidisciplinary task (Giassi et al, 2004) . It covers all the aspects of the product design life cycle from the conceptual to the detailed stage and makes necessary the collaboration between experts of technical and economical disciplines. In fact, layout design is usually formulated as an optimization problem: find the best arrangement (location and orientation) of components in a given available space satisfying geometrical and functional constraints. A nonoverlapping constraint is basically a common geometrical constraint for all three-dimensional layout problems, while alignment, orientation or gathering components refer to functional constraints. Because of the geometrical complexity, the three-dimensional layout optimization problems are generally considered as non-linear and NP-hard problems. It means that the problem is intrinsically harder than those which can be solved by a non-deterministic Turing machine in polynomial time. The objective and constraints evaluation is generally time consuming.

Layout problem is inherently a multidisciplinary task.


SC-based interventions show promising beneficial results on mental health [13, 14, 58, 76] . Its potential still needs to be confirmed by robust trial designs with appropriate allocation concealment, double blinding of participants to ensure generalization of these results. It would also be desirable to standardize the SC definitions and measurements, to allow better outcome evaluations and comparisons in the mental health research field. Finally, taking into account implementation and delivery of complex SC interventions, future studies need to consider additional measures to motivate participants' adherence to the study and follow-up assessments, to prevent high attrition rates and loss to follow-up reported in some studies.

SC-based interventions show promising beneficial results on mental health.


Liver ectopia is the least common of the two abnormalities described. Ectopic liver has been found above and below the diaphragm. Gallbladder-associated ectopic liver is the most common intra-abdominal location, and reports of size range from microscopic tissue to 3 cm [2, 3] .

Gallbladder-associated ectopic liver is the most common intra-abdominal location, and reports of size range from microscopic tissue to 3 cm.


Bleed time was positively correlated with plasma CK levels in both Least and Semipalmated sandpipers in our study, with higher CK levels at longer bleed times. This positive relationship of plasma CK with bleed time is consistent with results from previous studies (Guglielmo et al. 2001) . TRIG (negatively) and BUTY (positively) also often vary with bleed time in migrants . Such trends are also generally consistent with our data (Table 2) , despite the limited amount of variation in the timing of sample collection in our study (most samples were collected within 5 min of capture).

This positive relationship of plasma CK with bleed time is consistent with results from previous studies.


Immunoassays are effective in mycotoxin detection , (Li, Wang, & Guo, 2012) . The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a sensitive and highthroughput method for sample screening and quantification . The lateral-flow immunochromatographic assay (ICA) strip method is a rapid, simple, and instrument-free diagnostic tool for on-site screening with qualitative/semi-quantitative detection (Khaemba et al., 2016) .

Immunoassays are effective in mycotoxin detection.

The lateral-flow immunochromatographic assay (ICA) strip method is a rapid, simple, and instrument-free diagnostic tool for on-site screening with qualitative/semi-quantitative detection.


ABC is a new swarm intelligence algorithm proposed by Karaboga in 2005, which is inspired by the behavior of honey bees [3] . Since the development of ABC, it has been applied to solve different kinds of problems [6] . Similar to other stochastic algorithms, ABC also faces up some challenging problems. For example, ABC shows slow convergence speed during the search process. Due to the special search pattern of bees, a new candidate solution is generated by updating a random dimension vector of its parent solution.

ABC is a new swarm intelligence algorithm proposed by Karaboga in 2005, which is inspired by the behavior of honey bees.

Since the development of ABC, it has been applied to solve different kinds of problems.


Therefore, the offspring (new candidate solution) is similar to its parent, and the convergence speed becomes slow. Moreover, ABC easily falls into local minima when handling complex multimodal problems. The search pattern of bees is good at exploration but poor at exploitation [7] . However, a good optimization algorithm should balance exploration and exploitation during the search process.

The search pattern of bees is good at exploration but poor at exploitation.


Porous membranes as a kind of promising chromatography media have shown great preponderances. One of the most important superiority of membrane chromatography is that the mass transfer resistance is reduced when compared to beads-packed column chromatography, which boosts the adsorption rate and reduces the buffer usage [3] [4] [5] [6] . These advantages make membrane chromatography much more attractive these years. Polyvinylidene fluoride microporous membranes applied for purification of monoclonal antibody, chimeric heavy chain monoclonal antibody, human plasma proteins, mono-PEGylated lysozyme, immunoglobulin G and its subclasses have been reported by Ghosh and coworkers, implying that membranes could be a kind of cost-effective media for protein HIC with high efficiency [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] . Moreover, filter papers modified with polyethylene glycol, poly-(N-isopropylacrylamide)butyl-acrylate or poly (N-vinyl caprolactam) were also developed as HIC media [6, 16, 17] . These filter paperbased HIC media could allow the flow flux of the mobile phase being heavily improved. Although HIC membranes have been in existence for quite a while, the limited binding capacity of these membranes caused by the relatively small specific surface area restricts their practical applications [18] [19] [20] .

One of the most important superiority of membrane chromatography is that the mass transfer resistance is reduced when compared to beads-packed column chromatography, which boosts the adsorption rate and reduces the buffer usage.

Polyvinylidene fluoride microporous membranes applied for purification of monoclonal antibody, chimeric heavy chain monoclonal antibody, human plasma proteins, mono-PEGylated lysozyme, immunoglobulin G and its subclasses have been reported by Ghosh and coworkers, implying that membranes could be a kind of cost-effective media for protein HIC with high efficiency.

Moreover, filter papers modified with polyethylene glycol, poly-(N-isopropylacrylamide)butyl-acrylate or poly (N-vinyl caprolactam) were also developed as HIC media.

Although HIC membranes have been in existence for quite a while, the limited binding capacity of these membranes caused by the relatively small specific surface area restricts their practical applications.


Separation and purification of proteins are mostly performed by chromatography owing to its high efficiency and high resolution [1] . Hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) as a complementary to ion exchange and affinity chromatography, which separates proteins with minimum protein structural denaturation, has been regard as a powerful method for protein separation both in laboratory and industry [2] . Conventional HIC columns for bio-separation are packed with porous resin beads or gel microspheres modified with butyl, hexyl, octyl or phenyl groups. These media are incapable of meeting large quantities of separation due to their inherent deficiencies, such as the slow adsorption rate, low flow rate and large dosage of solvent consumption caused by diffusion type and internal binding sites.

Separation and purification of proteins are mostly performed by chromatography owing to its high efficiency and high resolution.

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) as a complementary to ion exchange and affinity chromatography, which separates proteins with minimum protein structural denaturation, has been regard as a powerful method for protein separation both in laboratory and industry.


In this paper, we discussed the universal nature of the product of the entropies associated with all the horizons of a black hole, and in particular that the product depends only on the charges and angular momenta, which are subject to quantisation conditions. The entropy- This picture can be extended to higher-dimensional non-supersymmetric theories, where the Reissner-Nordström black hole again emerges as a superposition of more fundamental ingredients [43] . Thus for a theory that supports multiply-charged black holes, if the solution specialises to the Reissner-Nordström black hole when the charges are equated, then the number of charges can be viewed as "maximal," and the entropy-product formulae will hold.

The entropy- This picture can be extended to higher-dimensional non-supersymmetric theories, where the Reissner-Nordström black hole again emerges as a superposition of more fundamental ingredients.


Our approach intelligently utilises stability factor calculation based on the information management approach [9] . Therefore, it serves as leveraging information dissemination throughout the balanced query/insert/retracts. Tracking the most relevant requests of the information through the scalable, energy efficient mechanism. Whole approach efficiently utilises different computing platform, though some complexity in computations exists.

Our approach intelligently utilises stability factor calculation based on the information management approach.


Recently, much attention has been paid to the study of integrable field theory with a boundary [1] [8] . The study of such field theories is not only intrinsically interesting but also provides a better understanding of boundary related phenomena in statistical physics and condensed matter [9] [10] . Probably the most famous physical example of a boundary integrable model is the Kondo problem, where the 1+1 dimensional field theory is an effective field theory of s-wave scattering of electrons off a magnetic spin impurity. Such an impurity problem, in which one concentrates on s-wave scattering from some isolated object at the origin, generically provides interesting 1+1 dimensional boundary field theory. There are also 1+1 dimensional boundary quantum integrable systems of experimental relevance, such as a Luttinger liquid (Thirring) model for the edge states of electrons in the fractional quantum Hall effect [10] .

Recently, much attention has been paid to the study of integrable field theory with a boundary.

The study of such field theories is not only intrinsically interesting but also provides a better understanding of boundary related phenomena in statistical physics and condensed matter.

There are also 1+1 dimensional boundary quantum integrable systems of experimental relevance, such as a Luttinger liquid (Thirring) model for the edge states of electrons in the fractional quantum Hall effect.


Previous studies have shown various approaches for assessing landscape structure and its impact on the variation of the LST over the urban area [19] [20] [21] [22] . A few popular approaches include (i) observing the pattern of the LST along the urban-rural zone (URZ) and (ii) studying the variation of the LST concerning land use and land cover [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] . However, these approaches necessitate the classification of Land use and land cover(LULC ) and the computation of LST (LULC as a local climate zone). Geospatial and remote sensing (RS) techniques are facilitated for the classification and investigation of the changes in LULC in both spatial and temporal viewpoints, as conventional approaches such as ground-based methods are limited as they are time-and capital-consuming [28] [29] [30] . Similarly, calculation of the LST from thermal infrared RS data is a large-scale time-consuming approach and a solution for the absence of ground-based temperature data [13, 31] . Assessing the composition of the LULC provides necessary information to understand the spatial and temporal distribution pattern of the landscape. Variation in the magnitude of both LST and LULC can be observed through intensity calculation. The influence of LST on the dynamic urban landscape structure is difficult to study from a single perspective, and a multidirectional and multitemporal approach can overcome this obstacle by generating a comprehensive LST profile.

Previous studies have shown various approaches for assessing landscape structure and its impact on the variation of the LST over the urban area.

A few popular approaches include (i) observing the pattern of the LST along the urban-rural zone (URZ) and (ii) studying the variation of the LST concerning land use and land cover.

Geospatial and remote sensing (RS) techniques are facilitated for the classification and investigation of the changes in LULC in both spatial and temporal viewpoints, as conventional approaches such as ground-based methods are limited as they are time-and capital-consuming.

Similarly, calculation of the LST from thermal infrared RS data is a large-scale time-consuming approach and a solution for the absence of ground-based temperature data.


At the turn of the 20th century, there were 371 cities with one million or more inhabitants around the world and this increased to 548 cities in 2018 [1] . It is projected that in 2030, there will be 706 such cities. The number of global urban residents surpassed the global rural population in 2007. Moreover, about 60% and 66% of the global population is expected to be lodged in urban areas in 2030 and 2050 respectively [2] . From the urbanization viewpoint, Africa and Asia have been notable regions since 1950, and Ethiopia has been identified as a country with relatively rapid urbanization similar to that of developing counties [3] . The population of Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, is more than 3 million and is predicted to be 12 million in 2024 [4] . Changing landscape and biophysical attributes of the urban environment are some of the offshoots of overpopulation in the urban area. They resulted in rapid changes in the urban landscape by converting natural vegetation into the impervious surface (IS) [5] .

At the turn of the 20th century, there were 371 cities with one million or more inhabitants around the world and this increased to 548 cities in 2018.

Moreover, about 60% and 66% of the global population is expected to be lodged in urban areas in 2030 and 2050 respectively.

From the urbanization viewpoint, Africa and Asia have been notable regions since 1950, and Ethiopia has been identified as a country with relatively rapid urbanization similar to that of developing counties.

The population of Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, is more than 3 million and is predicted to be 12 million in 2024.

They resulted in rapid changes in the urban landscape by converting natural vegetation into the impervious surface (IS).


The problem of water pollution is a big challenge in our time. Due to rapid population growth, water demand is higher every day [1] . The discharge of wastewater containing large amounts of organic contaminants represents a serious risk to the general population [2] . Wastewater containing organic contaminants such as phenolic compounds implies serious discharge problems, due to their poor biodegradability, high toxicity, and possible accumulation in the environment.

Due to rapid population growth, water demand is higher every day.

The discharge of wastewater containing large amounts of organic contaminants represents a serious risk to the general population.