Long distances to facilities, lack of human resources, inadequate supplies and equipment, costly procedures and fear of surgical delivery have been put forth as explanations for these low levels of caesarean section. Cultural factors may also play a role. In Benin, for example, prolonged and difficult labour is a sign that a woman has been unfaithful to her husband, and can result in "treatments" being sought outside the formal health sector [3] . In low income settings, healthcare users perceive a direct causal link between the caesarean sections and maternal deaths [3] [4] [5] . Studies from different African settings have found that many women fear an emergency caesarean section because it is expensive and potentially devalues women in their two principal roles: productive and reproductive [6] . In addition, some women see caesarean section as an unnatural way to give birth or as a personal failure [5] .

Cultural factors may also play a role.

In Benin, for example, prolonged and difficult labour is a sign that a woman has been unfaithful to her husband, and can result in "treatments" being sought outside the formal health sector.

In low income settings, healthcare users perceive a direct causal link between the caesarean sections and maternal deaths.

Studies from different African settings have found that many women fear an emergency caesarean section because it is expensive and potentially devalues women in their two principal roles: productive and reproductive.

In addition, some women see caesarean section as an unnatural way to give birth or as a personal failure.


The premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) constitute psychosomatic gynaecological paradigms. They share some endocrine and nervous system causes, nutritional influences and psychosocial factors. All complaints are associated to increased costs -more indirect than direct-due to loss of work days and reduced productivity. Furthermore, they cause interpersonal problems that erode health, social and family relationships [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] . Although physical discomfort and mood changes related to menstruation have been known since Hippocrates times, it has taken quite long to reach a PMS definition. In 1931, Frank described 15 women with severe premenstrual symptoms proposing the concept of premenstrual tension. In 1953, Greene and Dalton introduced the term premenstrual syndrome, proposing an imbalance between estrogens and progesterone during the luteal phase as the biological cause, and used progesterone as a therapeutical option. The syndrome is a complex condition that includes up to 200 symptoms, but the most frequent are irritability, breast tenderness and dysphoria, among others. Its basic clinical *Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Zaragoza Faculty of Medicine, Domingo Miral s/n, Zaragoza 50009, Spain; E-mail: faustino.perez@unizar.es hallmark is the temporary presence of symptoms which appear in the luteal phase, and are reduced during menstruation and disappear in the follicular phase. In 1987, the American Psychiatric Association introduced in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) III-R, the concept of late luteal phase dysphoric disorder to conjunctly group all temporary changes in behavior [7] . In the fourth DSM edition (DSM-IV), nomenclature changed to premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) maintaining almost the same criteria [8] . PMDD defines a narrow group of women with the most severe emotional symptoms and functional impairment which are exacerbated premenstrually.

Furthermore, they cause interpersonal problems that erode health, social and family relationships.

In 1987, the American Psychiatric Association introduced in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) III-R, the concept of late luteal phase dysphoric disorder to conjunctly group all temporary changes in behavior.

In the fourth DSM edition (DSM-IV), nomenclature changed to premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) maintaining almost the same criteria.


A significant number of results were discarded with regard to the above-mentioned reasons, because the responses given by the listeners were inconsistent; 9) The evaluation was performed in the form of the socalled "blind test," i.e., the listeners did not know which sample is processed currently. It has to be noted that the perceived sound quality can be influenced by many other factors beyond the characteristics of the signal. It was shown in the literature that the appearance of the audio processing software GIU may have an influence on the subjective impression of the listeners [42] . The manufacturers of audio post-processing software often utilize catchy brand names to bias the listener towards liking the introduced algorithm. Our evaluation was free of such suggestions, therefore it can be considered an unbiased evaluation of the subjective audio quality.

It was shown in the literature that the appearance of the audio processing software GIU may have an influence on the subjective impression of the listeners.


Zinc biofortification significantly increased Zn concentrations in grain and in all of the milling fractions (Table 2 and Figure 1) . The target Zn concentration in wheat grain required to prevent Zn deficiency in humans was estimated to be 45 mg/kg [38, 39] . In the current study, this target concentration was generally achieved by application of 25 kg of ZnSO 4 ·7H 2 O/ha (Figure 1) . The Zn concentrations were lower in standard and refined flour than in whole or coarse flour. This was mainly due to the higher Zn concentration in brans than in other fractions ( Table 2 ). The current results were consistent with a previous finding that Zn occurs largely in the aleurone layer, in the lateral and dorsal parts of the grain [40] . The large difference in Zn concentration between bran and flour might be inherent to these fractions. That increasing Zn application rates did not increase the percentage of Zn in standard flour or bran relative to the total quantity of Zn in the wheat grain (Figure 2) indicates that the Zn application simultaneously increased the Zn concentration in all fractions of wheat grain.

The target Zn concentration in wheat grain required to prevent Zn deficiency in humans was estimated to be 45 mg/kg.

The current results were consistent with a previous finding that Zn occurs largely in the aleurone layer, in the lateral and dorsal parts of the grain.


In order to integrate and interoperate these IoT devices and guarantee the QoS requirements, Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) provides a promising solution [5] . SOA is different from traditional networks that solve the node-to-node communications based on IP packets, information and services are the centric of SOA [6] . Therefore, the network architecture becomes more complex. In order to guarantee the performance, cross-layer design and virtual network are two typical methods to improve the SOA-based complex networks [7] .

In order to integrate and interoperate these IoT devices and guarantee the QoS requirements, Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) provides a promising solution.

SOA is different from traditional networks that solve the node-to-node communications based on IP packets, information and services are the centric of SOA.

In order to guarantee the performance, cross-layer design and virtual network are two typical methods to improve the SOA-based complex networks.


Network virtualization is a significant feature in service oriented networks. The traditional networks always solve the data transmission problem between node and node. However, the data transmission is not limited to one route in a service oriented network. Multiple routes could be built to transmit one data file. Then, the service oriented network is regarded as a virtual network. The data flow of a data file is not the same as the packet flow of one route any more. The optimization of interface and interconnectivity between virtual network and physical network needs to be solved in service oriented networks [1] [9] .

The optimization of interface and interconnectivity between virtual network and physical network needs to be solved in service oriented networks.


Production of ethanol and other valuable products from fermentable sugars in peel hydrolyzate is an alternative to utilize industrial citrus processing waste and avoids the disposal-associated problems. However, the main obstacle to fermentation of orange peel is the presence of peel oil (more than 95% D-limonene, hereafter called limonene), a component that is extremely toxic to fermenting microorganisms. The antimicrobial effect of limonene was reported even at very low concentrations such as 0.01% (w/v), and resulted in complete failure of fermentations at higher concentrations [5] [6] [7] . Therefore, a successful fermentation usually requires prior separation of limonene from the medium, by e.g. filtration or aeration [7, 8] . Enclosing of yeast cells inside a selective and porous membrane through encapsulation could be a solution when toxic media are to be fermented. In the encapsulation method, a membrane is designed in which the nutrients and products can easily pass through while the toxic materials are excluded [9] . Encapsulation has already been presented as a powerful tool in fermentation of toxic lignocellulosic hydrolyzates, where strong inhibitors such as furfural were present in the culture [10] .

The antimicrobial effect of limonene was reported even at very low concentrations such as 0.01% (w/v), and resulted in complete failure of fermentations at higher concentrations.

Therefore, a successful fermentation usually requires prior separation of limonene from the medium, by e.g. filtration or aeration.

In the encapsulation method, a membrane is designed in which the nutrients and products can easily pass through while the toxic materials are excluded.

Encapsulation has already been presented as a powerful tool in fermentation of toxic lignocellulosic hydrolyzates, where strong inhibitors such as furfural were present in the culture.


The motivation of our work was to fabricate large areas of microring resonators (MRRs) with a minimum number of process steps operating in the very-near infrared region (around 900 nm). Our optimized fabrication method results in generation of patterns with a minimum residual layer of 40 nm without an etching step. The bend loss decreases significantly with decreasing thickness of the residual layer and consequently this increases the Q-factor. Considerable work on polymer optical devices at infrared wavelengths has been reported [14] . However, there is an urgent challenge and demand for the development of polymer photonic based device closer to/ or at visible wavelengths where the absorption of water is about 2000 times lower than in near infrared regions and lower cost light sources are available in this range [15] . In this work, we are exploring two PFPE materials, i.e., Fluorolink MD 700 (Solvay Solexis) and Fomblin MD 40 (Solvay Solexis) for the fabrication of a soft mold on a flexible polystyrene substrate. We compare the devices fabricated with these materials, and we optically characterized their performance. The devices fabricated with MD 700 demonstrate higher Q-factors due to the lower bend losses. Finally, we thermo-optically tuned the MRR resonances, demonstrating that at shorter wavelengths, the MRRs are less sensitive to temperature changes compared to longer wavelengths.

Considerable work on polymer optical devices at infrared wavelengths has been reported.

However, there is an urgent challenge and demand for the development of polymer photonic based device closer to/ or at visible wavelengths where the absorption of water is about 2000 times lower than in near infrared regions and lower cost light sources are available in this range.


In ongoing work, we plan to generalize our DCRF-based parser to multi-sentential text and also verify to what extent parsing and segmentation can be jointly performed. A longer term goal is to extend our framework to also work with graph structures of discourse, as recommended by several recent discourse theories (Wolf and Gibson, 2005) . Once we achieve similar performance on graph structures, we will perform extrinsic evaluation to determine their relative utility for various NLP tasks.

A longer term goal is to extend our framework to also work with graph structures of discourse, as recommended by several recent discourse theories.


In this paper, we propose a new sentence-level discourse parser that addresses both limitations. The crucial component is a probabilistic discriminative parsing model, expressed as a Dynamic Conditional Random Field (DCRF) (Sutton et al., 2007) . By representing the structure and the relation of each discourse tree constituent jointly and by explicitly capturing the sequential and hierarchical dependencies between constituents of a discourse tree, our DCRF model does not make any independence assumption among these properties. Furthermore, our parsing model supports a bottom-up parsing algorithm which is non-greedy and provably optimal.

The crucial component is a probabilistic discriminative parsing model, expressed as a Dynamic Conditional Random Field (DCRF).


On an overarching level, action research follows a particular cycle of activities, namely problem diagnosis, invention and reflective learning (Avison et al, 1999) . The challenges related to engineering presented in this paper have their origins in the problem diagnosis phase. Empirical qualitative data have been generated by the authors' active participation in the organised work-meetings and further analysed in debriefing activities. Data have Title also been generated in 17 semi-structured interviews with 14 persons from one of the participating companies, belonging to different functions (product development, customer support, marketing, production, IT service) and at different levels of the company hierarchy (process owners, project managers, company specialists, system users). The interviews were made in two separate sessions at the company facilities between June 2008 and February 2010. Each interview was audio recorded, transcribed, spell-checked and validated by the respondents. Excerpts presented in this paper have been taken from these recordings. An interview guide has served as a basis in the interviews, but, in line with semi-structured interviews, additional topics that came up in the interviews have also been followed up during these sessions. Two virtual workshops with the company specialists were also arranged after each session with the purpose of discussing and validating the outcomes of the interviews and to further highlight priority areas of intervention. Typically, for action research activities and for the generation of qualitative data it is hard to separate the analysis parts from the data generation parts since these are intertwined activities. However, an effort has been made to emphasise the practice and the informants' point of view. It should be noted that the 'social' factors that this research explores are not readily available without some observation of informal processes and that even interviews have to be drawn on the background knowledge that the researchers have acquired.

On an overarching level, action research follows a particular cycle of activities, namely problem diagnosis, invention and reflective learning.


The primary objective of this paper is to present the architecture of the SAGE software stack ("SAGE stack") providing more detail on our introductory work [7] . We also present early results from two of the components of the SAGE stack specifically in the area of programming models, which are part of High Level HPC APIs in Figure 2 clearly recognizing that results for the various other stack components is something we are planning to present in upcoming works as a follow-up to this work. The paper is organized as follows. Section 2 describes the challenges that storage systems need to address to support scalable and high performance I/O on an Exascale supercomputer, and it also introduces how the SAGE project meets these challenges. Section 3 describes the SAGE platform architecture and software stack. Section 4 presents the selected results of the components of the SAGE stack. Section 5 describes the related work. Finally, Section 6 summarizes the paper and outlines the future work.

The primary objective of this paper is to present the architecture of the SAGE software stack ("SAGE stack") providing more detail on our introductory work.

The paper is organized as follows.

Section 5 describes the related work.


The SAGE system ("SAGE") proposes hardware, to support a multi-tiered I/O hierarchy and associated intelligent management software, to provide a demonstrable path towards Exascale. Further, SAGE proposes a radical approach in extreme scale HPC, by moving traditional computations, typically done in the compute cluster, to the storage system, which provides the potential of sig-nificantly reducing the energy footprint of the overall system [5] . This design helps to move towards the Performance/Watt goals of Exascale class systems [6] .

Further, SAGE proposes a radical approach in extreme scale HPC, by moving traditional computations, typically done in the compute cluster, to the storage system, which provides the potential of sig-nificantly reducing the energy footprint of the overall system.

This design helps to move towards the Performance/Watt goals of Exascale class systems.


As technology develops, the computer simulation is used in a variety of fields including designing, executing and analyzing. Especially in the manufacturing industry, it is important that designing the product, process and resource in order to increase the competitiveness. These designs depend on the computer simulation. Many parts of manufacturing industry depend on the computer simulation, from a product design to production, as computing ability increases and people requires better virtual environments like realistic than ever. This demand has resulted in the concept of a virtual factory (VF). It is necessary to construct digital models for all the physical and logical elements (entities and activities) of a real manufacturing system to implement a virtual factory [3] . The fixture model and the 6-axis robot are typical digital models in the automotive body assembly lines, as shown in Fig. 1 . If the digital model is not well implemented, we can't see the value in it. Accordingly, many algorithms have been developed about digital models.

It is necessary to construct digital models for all the physical and logical elements (entities and activities) of a real manufacturing system to implement a virtual factory.


Optical fiber based sensing has received increasing attention over the last two decades for the purposes of structural health monitoring. Different sensing techniques have been developed to monitor specific parameters. Recently it has been reported that fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors were applied to detect cracks in carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites with a strain resolution of 1 × 10 −6 [1] . The fiber optic sensor technology can be embedded in or surfaced-bonded to the material for continuous monitoring. A typical FBG sensor, however, has a limited gage length and thus works as a "point" sensor [2] . Although the sensing gages can be multiplexed, the number of multiplexible gages is limited. Since the crack locations in a material are not known a-priori, conventional "point" sensors, even if they can be multiplexed, are not effective in crack detection. A truly distributed sensor system is desired for detection and continuous monitoring of cracks. Recently a study on crack detection using a distributed Brillouin fiber optic sensor was reported, which successfully detected a crack with a gap of 0.5 mm by taking advantage of the delamination over a 10cm length between the specialty optical fiber sensor cable and the structure around the crack [3] . This paper presents a distributed Brillouin fiber optic sensor with a higher spatial resolution (100mm), capable of detecting a fine crack with a gap in the order of 10μm. In this study, the capability of the sensor in detecting and locating micro cracks is quantitatively demonstrated using a micro crack (induced on a PVC plate) with a controllable crack width. Furthermore, optical fibers are bonded on the surface of ceramic tiles in different layout patterns to detect cracks caused by impact.

Recently it has been reported that fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors were applied to detect cracks in carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites with a strain resolution of 1 × 10 −6.

A typical FBG sensor, however, has a limited gage length and thus works as a "point" sensor.

Recently a study on crack detection using a distributed Brillouin fiber optic sensor was reported, which successfully detected a crack with a gap of 0.5 mm by taking advantage of the delamination over a 10cm length between the specialty optical fiber sensor cable and the structure around the crack.


Normally the spatial resolution can be increased by narrowing the input pulse in time domain. However, the narrow pulse will produce a wide Brillouin spectrum in frequency domain, which will reduce the resolution and accuracy of strain and temperature measurement since Brillouin sensor is indirect measurement of strain and temperature according to the calculation from Eqs. (1) and (2) . Due to the use of the coherent technology of probe-pump interaction in the Brillouin sensor, the Brillouin spectra, as shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, display less than 50 MHz line-width that assure to achieve an accurate measurement of the strain.

However, the narrow pulse will produce a wide Brillouin spectrum in frequency domain, which will reduce the resolution and accuracy of strain and temperature measurement since Brillouin sensor is indirect measurement of strain and temperature according to the calculation from Eqs. (1) and.


The cracked Specimen I is shown in Fig. 5 , in which two cracks, labeled as A and B, ran through the sensing fiber. Measurement was taken again after the specimen cracked. Figure 6 displays the Brillouin loss spectra of the optical sensing fiber at the room temperature before the ceramic tile was subjected to cracking, in which the central Brillouin frequency was measured as 10,847.10 MHz with a line-width of 49.14 MHz (Fig. 6 (a) ) with free of strain of sensing fibers and 10,874.47 MHz with a line-width of 49.72 MHz measured from pre-strained sensing fibers on the ceramic tile ( Fig. 6 (b) ). Compared Fig. 6 (b) to Fig. 6 (a) , the spectrum measured from strained sensing fiber can not be accurately modeled by a Lorentzian function, because the strain distribution causes Brillouin spectra to be deviated from a standard Lorentzian shape. In the experiment, the pulse width was 1ns with extinction ratio of 15dB and the line-width of the Brillouin spectrum was around 50 MHz that would assure to obtain an accurate measurement of the strain. It is noted the Brillouin fiber optic sensor is a direct measurement of the Brillouin frequency shift, and the strain/temperature are computed according to Eqs. (1) and (2) . Therefore, to obtain a narrow Brillouin spectrum that is close to the intrinsic Brillouin line-width 35 MHz of the pure cubic silica is a fundamental requirement for accurate measurement. The measurement was taken as the strain baseline from the un-cracked ceramic tile. After the ceramic tile was subjected to the compressive loading test, creating cracks A and B running through the sensing fiber as shown in Fig. 5 , the strain distribution along the fiber was measured again. Since the sensing fiber bonded on the middle of the ceramic tile was damaged by direct contact with attachment of universal testing machine during the compressive loading test, the fiber was spliced and two separate measurements were taken that covered Crack A and Crack B, respectively. The Brillouin loss spectra measured at the two Fig. 4 (a) ), (2) the crack caused a non-uniform strain distribution along the fiber, (3) the sampling resolution is 50 mm, and (4) the spatial resolution is 100 mm. The Brillouin interaction of the probe (Stokes) and the pump beams in the fiber includes both the DC-pump and the pulsepump interactions. Thus the Brillouin spectrum is the convolution of both the DC-pump and the pulse-pump interactions. Since the DC-pump interaction provides overall strain information along the whole sensing fiber and the pulse-pump gives local strain information, we have to deconvolute the Brillouin spectrum to obtain Brillouin frequencies on the crack locations. The solid curve represents the deconvolution of the Brillouin frequencies based on the coherent interaction of the probe and pump beams [8] .

It is noted the Brillouin fiber optic sensor is a direct measurement of the Brillouin frequency shift, and the strain/temperature are computed according to Eqs. (1) and.

The solid curve represents the deconvolution of the Brillouin frequencies based on the coherent interaction of the probe and pump beams.


From this backdrop, supply chain resilience (SCR) has gained recent recognition among researchers. SCR can be defined as the ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from potential disruptions, and increase market share [11] . The main difference between efficient and resilient SCs is that the latter pursue redundant capacity or inventory intentionally when business is normal, in order to manage possible disruptions effectively. Numerous contributions have been made to understand resilience, and there are two distinct streams of research. The first constructs a conceptual framework to define and schematize resilience [12] [13] [14] . These studies define several key factors of resilience and identified their relationship with resilience performance measures, e.g., the number of disruptions in an SC. The second group of studies uses quantitative models [15, 16] . These studies have drawn managerial insights through simulation and complex network theory.

SCR can be defined as the ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from potential disruptions, and increase market share.

The first constructs a conceptual framework to define and schematize resilience.

The second group of studies uses quantitative models.


Firms can increase their competitiveness by improving their supply chain (SC) activities, which encompasses procurement of raw materials, manufacturing of products, and forward/reverse logistics of the manufactured goods [1] . This revolutionary concept has changed the way managers perceive business. Close coordination among upstream and downstream SC members is critical to business success as competition arises among SCs, not among individual companies [2] . Previously in the business arena, there was a time that efficient SC strategies were the trend. These include efficient consumer response (ECR), vendor managed inventory (VMI), collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment (CPFR), and lean SCs [3] [4] [5] [6] . The primary objective of these strategies is to reduce work-in-process inventory while increasing customer service. Toyota's just-in-time strategy and Walmart's VMI practices show that efficient strategies could be effective methods for reducing costs. Thus, it is not surprising that firms benchmarked efficient SCs rigorously.

Firms can increase their competitiveness by improving their supply chain (SC) activities, which encompasses procurement of raw materials, manufacturing of products, and forward/reverse logistics of the manufactured goods.

Close coordination among upstream and downstream SC members is critical to business success as competition arises among SCs, not among individual companies.

These include efficient consumer response (ECR), vendor managed inventory (VMI), collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment (CPFR), and lean SCs.


Maximizing efficiency, however, is not always the best strategy. Efficient SCs are susceptible to critical damage from sudden market changes and unexpected disruptions because they are established in a specific manufacturing context seeking zero inventories, leaving little flexibility to accommodate disruptions in their operation [7] . Currently, business is more exposed to risks as a result of globalization, outsourcing, and increased terrorist attacks [8, 9] . Lack of preparation for such disruptions can be detrimental to firms in the following two areas: First, firms can lose profitability. For example, the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 caused significant losses for Ford and Toyota [10] . Factories for both companies were forced to wait for long periods of time to receive components, for the initiating new airport security measures and, more critically, had little safety stock as a result of their just-in-time inventory policy. Second, firms can lose market share or are forced to exit the market when their responses to disruptions are ineffective compared to their competitors. This is well illustrated in Ericsson's painful experience [10] . When its semiconductor supplier, Philips NV, was disrupted due to lightning in 2000, Ericsson failed to take immediate action to find alternative supply sources. In contrast, Nokia secured all remaining supplies of semiconductors from various sources swiftly. Consequently, Ericsson experienced a $400 million loss in the phone market and eventually discontinued business. At this juncture, it is clear that firms' ability to respond to disruptions is not only imperative but also valuable for strategic competitive advantage.

Efficient SCs are susceptible to critical damage from sudden market changes and unexpected disruptions because they are established in a specific manufacturing context seeking zero inventories, leaving little flexibility to accommodate disruptions in their operation.

Currently, business is more exposed to risks as a result of globalization, outsourcing, and increased terrorist attacks.

For example, the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 caused significant losses for Ford and Toyota.

This is well illustrated in Ericsson's painful experience.


The hedonic price method is adopted in calculating the welfare gain. This method rests on an assumption that price differentials established in the market for plaice in Denmark at first-hand-sales reveals consumer preferences. These prices reflect a non-optimal market situation because consumers have imperfect information about the quality of fish. Furthermore, a very simple linear demand system is estimated. There are two reasons for this choice. First, in order to calculate welfare, demand curves with a globally negative slope and positive intercept must be required (Jensen, Nielsen and Roth (2003) ). Second, the calculation of welfare in the case of labelling is complicated even with a simple linear demand system.

There are two reasons for this choice.

First, in order to calculate welfare, demand curves with a globally negative slope and positive intercept must be required).


The objective of the present paper is to introduce a new method for calculating the economic value of fish quality, thereby being able to evaluate the economic rational for implementing a public labelling scheme for fish quality in the retail market for plaice in Denmark. The rationale is evaluated by comparing the welfare of total absence of labelling with the welfare in the presence of a full public labelling scheme, where perfect information prevail and where producers differentiate prices accordingly. The economic welfare is calculated both with and without labelling, thereby identifying the rise in welfare associated with the introduction of labelling. This is done under two alternative assumptions on the reaction of the market. In the first case it is assumed that the price adjustment in the market remains unchanged despite the introduction of the public labelling scheme while the second case establishes a market reaction which leads to a social optimum. Thereby, a lower and an upper limit of the welfare associated with a public labelling scheme appear. Price differentiation is assumed possible only with labelling, with prices being higher for higher quality fish. Without labelling fish of all qualities are sold at the same price. The hypothesis of the paper is that the benefit of the introduction of a public labelling scheme of plaice quality is small, since demand for fish generally is inflexible to changing quantities (Nielsen (1999) ). This is further underlined by the relative insignificance of supply of one country to the total market. Provided that this is the case, the costs might be larger than the benefit and the scheme should not be implemented for rational economic reasons.

The hypothesis of the paper is that the benefit of the introduction of a public labelling scheme of plaice quality is small, since demand for fish generally is inflexible to changing quantities).


Electrogenic microorganisms can donate electrons from biochemical processes inside the cell to acceptors in the environment, which can be harvested in bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) such as microbial fuel cells (MFCs; [1] [2] [3] ). Electrons can be derived from organic substrates in microorganisms (sometimes referred to as heterotrophic MFCs) or from photosynthetic processes in photosynthetic MFCs (pMFCs). Liberated electrons pass through an external circuit as electric current and combine with cathodic electron acceptors through electrocatalytic or biocatalytic reductions. These BESs can be 'mediated', using mobile electron shuttles as redox mediators, or 'mediator-less', where electrons are transferred directly from the microorganism to the electrode. This is referred to as direct electron transfer (DET) where electrons may be delivered by electron transport enzymes or, modified pilus-like structures ('nanowires') directly to the anode.

Electrogenic microorganisms can donate electrons from biochemical processes inside the cell to acceptors in the environment, which can be harvested in bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) such as microbial fuel cells (MFCs;).


As the pMFC is wired conventionally to the recording equipment, a positive electrogenic response where electrons are delivered from the photosynthetic microorganism to the anode of the pMFC, is represented by a downward movement of the recording trace. This decrease in potential follows an increase of negatively charged electrons at the anode [11] . The stabilisation period of light on: light off cycles after the load was applied to the pMFC is shown in Figure 1 for 4-week old culture of P.pseudovolvox in F/2-Si media. Following this period the peak area of the delivered current varied by no more than 5% with an average peak area (equation (1)) of 2.92 × 10 4 ± 0.095 (SEM) mV.s -1 . The stable light-dependent electrogenic effect is shown in Figure 2 . A similar behaviour was demonstrated for 4-week old cultures of CAWBG64 (data not shown). In all cases the area of the current peak was smaller following addition of the toxicants (Figure 3 ). For some toxicants at certain concentrations the observed response after the addition comprised two phases: an initial upward deflection with a short peak, followed by a downward deflection representing the increase in current delivered to the anode throughout the rest of the 2 h light period ( Figure 3 ). We investigated this initial response with a series of experiments adding different volumes of F/2-Si media alone and concluded that this was not noise measured by the recording equipment during the intervention, but likely a localised increase in ionic strength on addition of the solute owing to poor mixing inside the pMFC. To factor out this potential confounding effect we excluded these initial peaks from the calculation of the area of electrogenic response (Figure 3 ). For copper, zinc and glyphosate there was a dose-dependent decrease in the lightdependent electrogenic effect (Figure 4) giving an EC 50 of 196, 1035 and 375 µM respectively (Table 1) for P. pseudovolvox. The light-dependent electrogenic response of P. pseudovolvox was resistant to thallium, i.e., there was no dose-dependent decrease at any concentration of this toxicant tested (up to 3 mM, data not shown). CAWBG64 however was sensitive to thallium with a 100% decrease in the light-dependent electrogenic response at doses as low as 125 µM (data not shown). Further data is currently being gathered to generate robust dose curves and calculate EC50's for this species, but preliminary data indicate that it is generally more sensitive to the toxicants tested than P. pseudovolvox.

This decrease in potential follows an increase of negatively charged electrons at the anode.


The federal government defines HSIs as not-for-profit higher education institutions that enroll at least 25 percent Latinos; HSIs that receive additional funding under the Title V program for Minority-Serving Institutions also enroll a significant percentage of low-income students (U.S. Department of Education, 2005 Education, , 2007 . There are over 200 HSIs in the US, and their numbers are growing (Santiago & Andrade, 2010) . These institutions are concentrated in 15 states; seven of which are in the West, followed by 4 in the North, and 2 each in the South and Midwest (Santiago, 2006) . About half (47%) of HSIs are community colleges, with the remainder divided about equally between 4-year private and public institutions (Mercer & Stedman, 2008) . Four-year HSIs may play a critical role in providing Hispanics with college options, particularly when access to selective flagship institutions for Hispanics is limited (Perna, Li, Walsh, & Raible, 2010) .

There are over 200 HSIs in the US, and their numbers are growing.

These institutions are concentrated in 15 states; seven of which are in the West, followed by 4 in the North, and 2 each in the South and Midwest.

About half (47%) of HSIs are community colleges, with the remainder divided about equally between 4-year private and public institutions.

Four-year HSIs may play a critical role in providing Hispanics with college options, particularly when access to selective flagship institutions for Hispanics is limited.


Students in 4-year HSIs evidently have an individual habitus oriented toward being closer to home. Current models of student persistence tend to focus on students who reside at colleges rather than live at home (Wolf-Wendel, Ward, & Kinzie, 2009) . Examining local or non-residential 2-or 4-year college students' experiences more closely could strengthen college student retention theories and inform policy and practice to enhance students' sense of belonging in college. Such research could also inform HSIs' recruitment and retention efforts.

Current models of student persistence tend to focus on students who reside at colleges rather than live at home.


Because of these limitations, we turned to the more developed literature on HBCU college choice to build this study's theoretical grounding. It is important to remember that the institutional context of HBCUs differs significantly from that of HSIs, as HBCUs have a distinct mission to serve African American students. HSIs to date, however, have not shared a common mission, but only the characteristic of having 25% Hispanic student enrollment (Gasman, 2008) .

HSIs to date, however, have not shared a common mission, but only the characteristic of having 25% Hispanic student enrollment.


This study extends past research on college choice by taking high school, as well as individual, factors into account to examine factors associated with high school students' choice of HSIs. These results suggest that accounting for high school context greatly enhances the understanding of students' pathways toward 2-year or 4-year HSIs. Findings also suggest that less is understood about what predicts college choice in the 2-year sector, compared with the 4-year sector (Perna, 2006) . The following sections detail the influence of multiple capitals, and individual and organizational habitus on the choice of 2-year and 4-year HSIs.

Findings also suggest that less is understood about what predicts college choice in the 2-year sector, compared with the 4-year sector.


Collectively, this research suggests that high school students who choose HSIs have distinct characteristics and come from different high school contexts than their non-HSI counterparts. To explore this possibility, studies are needed that are theoretically grounded, generalizable to broader populations, and longitudinal. It is also important to address high school contextual factors and employ multivariate approaches to control for different effects over time. Moreover, to better understand characteristics of students at HSIs, it is important to examine what leads Hispanic and non-Hispanic students to enroll in HSIs, since non-Hispanic students can compose up to 75% of an HSI's student body (Santiago, 2006) .

Moreover, to better understand characteristics of students at HSIs, it is important to examine what leads Hispanic and non-Hispanic students to enroll in HSIs, since non-Hispanic students can compose up to 75% of an HSI's student body.


Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) are most commonly defined as 2-or 4-year, not-for-profit colleges and universities that enroll at least 25 percent Hispanic students (Santiago, 2006) . They compose only six percent of American postsecondary institutions, but enroll almost half of Hispanic undergraduates in the U.S. (Mercer & Stedman, 2008) . As Hispanics are the largest and fastest-growing racial/ethnic group, HSIs are seeing significant enrollment growth, and the number of HSIs is expected to increase in the coming years (Santiago & Andrade, 2010) .

Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) are most commonly defined as 2-or 4-year, not-for-profit colleges and universities that enroll at least 25 percent Hispanic students.

They compose only six percent of American postsecondary institutions, but enroll almost half of Hispanic undergraduates in the U.S..

As Hispanics are the largest and fastest-growing racial/ethnic group, HSIs are seeing significant enrollment growth, and the number of HSIs is expected to increase in the coming years.


Third, limited types of variables and missing data precluded us from including other variables in the model reflecting our theoretical frameworks. As other observers have noted, NCES data sets sometimes contain limited proxies for such constructs (Perna, 2007) . Finally, disaggregating analyses of college choice by racial/ethnic group could yield insights about how members of different racial/ethnic groups decide to enroll in HSIs.

As other observers have noted, NCES data sets sometimes contain limited proxies for such constructs.


There is also a limited characterisation of the critical mechanical properties for aerospace applications, particularly for fracture toughness, which hasn't been tested in different build directions (Kruth et al., 2010) . So there is a need for an in-depth and systematic study on the SLM processing of stainless steel for aerospace applications. This is essential both in order to further improve the capability of SLM to process 316L, and for the resulting properties of parts for aerospace applications. A systematic study is required to provide a clear understanding of the fundamental process mechanisms governing the resulting microstructure; and thus the properties of 316L parts.

There is also a limited characterisation of the critical mechanical properties for aerospace applications, particularly for fracture toughness, which hasn't been tested in different build directions.


Moreover, wetting properties of magnesium surfaces can be investigated. Theoretically, on an ideal, flat, rigid and homogeneous surface the contact angle (Θ) is used to determine the surface energy and the surface tension to describe solid-liquid interactions [16] . The contact angle (Θ) of a liquid drop on a solid surface is defined by the mechanical equilibrium of the drop under the action of three interfacial tensions (γ): solid-vapor γ sv , solid-liquid γ sl and liquid-vapor γ lv . This equilibrium relation described in Equation (2) is known as Young's equation [17] .

Theoretically, on an ideal, flat, rigid and homogeneous surface the contact angle (Θ) is used to determine the surface energy and the surface tension to describe solid-liquid interactions.

This equilibrium relation described in Equation (2) is known as Young's equation.


The Aerosol Wetting Test (AWT) is a method to rapidly characterize the wetting properties of large-scale surfaces [23] . This technique was developed to overcome some limitations of contact angle measurements with respect to their speed and, as well, to overcome the limitations of the fast water break test with respect to obtaining continuous data for quantitatively describing wetting properties. With the AWT, two sides of a sample can be measured separately, curved surfaces can be investigated, large samples can be measured, and a quick access to surface wettability maps is facilitated. Moreover, the AWT adds high material throughput because it can be applied to measure areas of approximately ten square centimeters in less than five seconds.

The Aerosol Wetting Test (AWT) is a method to rapidly characterize the wetting properties of large-scale surfaces.


Magnesium alloys have been used in transport and especially automotive industries due to their mechanical properties combining light weight and high specific strength. Magnesium is also an excellent functional material. Its alloys are attractive battery electrodes, sacrifice anodes, and hydrogen storage materials. However, when exposed to ambient atmosphere and wet environments, unprotected magnesium is too reactive and susceptible to corrosion [1] . Evidently, applications and devices profiting from the structural properties of magnesium alloys must be reliable [2] . In this way, corrosion protection is a relevant aspect to be considered.

However, when exposed to ambient atmosphere and wet environments, unprotected magnesium is too reactive and susceptible to corrosion.

Evidently, applications and devices profiting from the structural properties of magnesium alloys must be reliable.


The main objective of this study was to ®nd a method of organizing a waste management system for a particular company, and of gaining an overview of the whole system. All stages of the process were included i.e. waste production, collection, transportation, sorting, container handling, local treatment, recovery of material and energy and ®nal treatment. A methodology is presented which has been developed at the former Division of Waste Management and Recovery, Lund University, Sweden. The application of the method to the Stora Enso Hylte AB paper-mill (hereafter denoted``Stora'') in Sweden is presented as a case study [14] . The methodology is currently also being applied to the Swedish pump and mixer manufacturing company ITT Flygt AB.

The application of the method to the Stora Enso Hylte AB paper-mill (hereafter denoted``Stora'') in Sweden is presented as a case study.


The objective of many papers is to search for new raw materials of alternative inorganic cementitious materials with a lower carbon footprint compared to Portland cement, and which are suitable for bio-composite preparation [20, [38] [39] [40] . Studies have shown the advantages of using MgO-cement in composites based on hemp hurds in terms of higher compressive strength values compared to composites with hydrated lime and cement matrix [41] . The properties of composites based on hemp hurds depend on the chemical composition and structure of the hemp materials, the matrix properties, and good adhesion at the hemp fiber (hurds)-matrix interface. Key problems for the successful application of hemp hurds in composites are their heterogeneity and hydrophility, resulting in high moisture-sorption sensitivity of biomaterials and the related incompatibility with the matrix. The incompatibility between natural fibers and the matrix leads to low interface strength compared to glass or carbon fiber composites. Many research projects have been devoted to studying the enhancement of the adhesion at the interface of the fiber and inorganic matrix, using various methods for the modification of the surface fibers. The adhesion of the fibers can be optimized by their chemical/physical pre-treatment, which involves removing impurities and amorphous components (pectin, lignin, hemicelluloses) and the separation of bundles of fibers in the fibrils [42] [43] [44] .

The objective of many papers is to search for new raw materials of alternative inorganic cementitious materials with a lower carbon footprint compared to Portland cement, and which are suitable for bio-composite preparation.

Studies have shown the advantages of using MgO-cement in composites based on hemp hurds in terms of higher compressive strength values compared to composites with hydrated lime and cement matrix.

The adhesion of the fibers can be optimized by their chemical/physical pre-treatment, which involves removing impurities and amorphous components (pectin, lignin, hemicelluloses) and the separation of bundles of fibers in the fibrils.


The approach presented in this paper overcomes two important limitations of our prior work [15] . While we introduced fingerprints in that work, our approach for finding fingerprints (i) required a high-level description of security-sensitive operations, and (ii) used dynamic program analysis to find fingerprints. Both (i) and (ii) prevented our approach from easily being applied to a wide variety of servers. In particular, while a high-level description of security-sensitive operations was available for the case study that we considered (the X server), this may not be the case with other servers, as indeed was the case with Pen-nMUSH. A dynamic approach to fingerprint-finding meant that the fingerprints found were restricted to code paths exercised by the manually chosen inputs to the server. This paper directly addresses both these shortcomings. Concept analysis automatically mines candidate fingerprints without the need for an a priori description of security-sensitive operations. Further, because static program analysis ensures better coverage than dynamic analysis, the approach presented here can mine more fingerprints than our prior work.

The approach presented in this paper overcomes two important limitations of our prior work.


Few studies had examined the nonmedical costs (which includes direct nonmedical cost and indirect cost) of screening for CRC (Frew, Wolstenholme, Atkin, & Whynes, 1999; Heitman et al., 2008; Henry, Ness, Stiles, Shintani, & Dittus, 2007; Jonas, Russell, Sandler, Chou, & Pignone, 2007; Yabroff, Borowski, & Lipscomb, 2013) . In a recent review, Yabroff and colleagues found that of 65 international studies published in 2000-2010, only 18 addressed costs for patient or caregiver time, travel, or lost productivity (Yabroff et al., 2013) . These studies did not specifically focus on CRC screening, and they were mostly related to cancer care. There is no study to date that provides a comprehensive assessment of the cost to lowincome patients and those who accompany them for colonoscopy screening (caregivers) in the United States. These costs can be an important barrier for undergoing colonoscopy screening.

Few studies had examined the nonmedical costs (which includes direct nonmedical cost and indirect cost) of screening for CRC.

In a recent review, Yabroff and colleagues found that of 65 international studies published in 2000-2010, only 18 addressed costs for patient or caregiver time, travel, or lost productivity.


The INF-γ responding cells displayed a cytolytic effector profile: flow cytometry showed peptide induced production of MIP-1β and TNFα and CD107 degranulation, which identified these cells as authentic effector T cells. Polyfunctional responses to KSHV have also been reported elsewhere [31, 32] . Such responses have been reported to be associated with HIV control and non-progression in HIV disease [33, 34] . In this study both CD8+ and CD4+ antiviral effector T-cell responses were detected. The presence of CD4+ T cells with direct effector responses, while unusual, has been described previously. Indeed, several cytolytic T-cell responses to viruses inducing chronic disease, including the herpesviruses EBV and human cytomegalovirus are predominantly from CD4+ T-cell clones [35] . CD4+ T cells are also directly implicated in the control of both HIV and SIV [16, [36] [37] [38] [39] .

Polyfunctional responses to KSHV have also been reported elsewhere.

Such responses have been reported to be associated with HIV control and non-progression in HIV disease.

Indeed, several cytolytic T-cell responses to viruses inducing chronic disease, including the herpesviruses EBV and human cytomegalovirus are predominantly from CD4+ T-cell clones.

CD4+ T cells are also directly implicated in the control of both HIV and SIV.


XRPD pattern of the La 1.5 Sr 0.5 Ni 0.9 Fe 0.1 O 4+ -SDC mixture after calcination at 1250 ∘ C for 1 h exhibits no impurity peaks, indicating that there was no reaction between the cathode and SDC (Fig. 1) . On the contrary, XRPD profile of the La (Fig. 1) . Because of this interaction, SDC was used as a buffer layer between the cathode and the electrolyte. Figure 2 illustrates temperature dependencies of total conductivity represented in the form of the ln( T) = f(1/T) plots. Total conductivity of the studied oxides shows semiconductor behavior within the whole temperature range studied. The linear ln T = f(1/T) dependencies indicate that conductivity in La 1.5 Sr 0.5 Ni 1−y Fe y O 4+ is thermally activated. The activation energy values lay within the 9.7-13 kJ mol −1 range, which is characteristic of a small-polaron mechanism [10] . The total conductivity significantly decreases with iron doping, which can be attributed to the hole trapping by iron cations forming stable Fe 3+ states [10] .

The activation energy values lay within the 9.7-13 kJ mol −1 range, which is characteristic of a small-polaron mechanism.

The total conductivity significantly decreases with iron doping, which can be attributed to the hole trapping by iron cations forming stable Fe 3+ states.


The electrochemical performances of single fuel cells are shown in Figure 3 . The open circuit voltage (OCV) decreases with temperature for all fuel cells. The experimental OCVs were close to the theoretical values for all cells indicating a good densification of the LSGM electrolyte, no gas leakage, and absence of electronic conduction across the electrolyte. It can be concluded that despite the significant decrease of total conductivity, the performance of the La 1.5 Sr 0.5 Ni 1-y Fe y O 4+ cathodes has been improved with the iron doping. This could be attributed to an increase of interstitial oxygen concentration with y, which, in its turn, benefits the oxygen-ion transport in the oxides [13] .

This could be attributed to an increase of interstitial oxygen concentration with y, which, in its turn, benefits the oxygen-ion transport in the oxides.


The effective way to modify properties in order to improve the cathode characteristics of La 2 NiO 4 is chemical doping. An acceptor-type strontium doping of La 2 NiO 4 was extensively studied earlier [4] [5] [6] . The addition of strontium increases total conductivity of the oxides, although it significantly diminishes oxygen content [5] . The thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) of La 2− Sr NiO 4 in the 0<x<0.6 range is almost constant and equals to and La 2− Sr NiO 4 by iron exhibits an opposite effect: gradual decrease of electric conductivity along with the rise of interstitial oxygen concentration [7] . The TEC values slightly increased with addition of iron [8] .

An acceptor-type strontium doping of La 2 NiO 4 was extensively studied earlier.

The addition of strontium increases total conductivity of the oxides, although it significantly diminishes oxygen content.

The thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) of La 2− Sr NiO 4 in the 0<x<0.6 range is almost constant and equals to and La 2− Sr NiO 4 by iron exhibits an opposite effect: gradual decrease of electric conductivity along with the rise of interstitial oxygen concentration.

The TEC values slightly increased with addition of iron.


Chemical compatibility of La 2 NiO 4 with electrolytes such as YSZ, CGO, and LSGM was previously studied [2, 3] . Chemical reactions were observed in case of both YSZ and CGO electrolytes [2] . It was also shown that La 2 NiO 4 was not chemically compatible with LSGM electrolyte neither at fabrication conditions nor at operation ones [3] .

Chemical compatibility of La 2 NiO 4 with electrolytes such as YSZ, CGO, and LSGM was previously studied.

Chemical reactions were observed in case of both YSZ and CGO electrolytes.

It was also shown that La 2 NiO 4 was not chemically compatible with LSGM electrolyte neither at fabrication conditions nor at operation ones.


La 2 NiO 4+ with the K 2 NiF 4 -type structure is a mixed conductor with large oxygen excess. It is considered as a promising cathode material for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) due to a number of advantages such as relatively fast oxygen-ion transport via interstitial oxygen ions, moderate thermal expansion, and high electrocatalytic activity. Nevertheless, it has a few shortcomings such as relatively low total conductivity and chemical incompatibility with various well-known electrolytes [1] [2] [3] .

Nevertheless, it has a few shortcomings such as relatively low total conductivity and chemical incompatibility with various well-known electrolytes.


The series of the La 1.5 Sr 0.5 Ni 1-y Fe y O 4+ complex oxides (y=0.1-0.4) was synthesized via citric-nitric technique as described elsewhere [9] . The phase purity of the samples was confirmed by the XRPD analysis using Equinox 3000 (FWHM ∼ 0.05 ∘ at 2 ) instrument with Cu-K radiation at room temperature (RT The cathode materials were preliminary sonicated in ethanol media for ten minutes to reduce particle size and, thus, intensify a sintering process. The cathode and the anode materials were painted on the opposite sides of the electrolyte pellet and sintered at 1250 ∘ C in air for 1 h. In order to separate the anode side, a single fuel cell sandwich with attached Pt-wire current collectors was placed on an YSZ tube and sealed using special high-temperature glass. The fuel H 2 gas was fed inside of the tube with the rate of 250 ml/min. The current-voltage (I-U) characteristics of the cells were measured at 700, 750, 800, and 850 ∘ C using a resistance box and the Agilent 34401A multimeter.

The series of the La 1.5 Sr 0.5 Ni 1-y Fe y O 4+ complex oxides (y=0.1-0.4) was synthesized via citric-nitric technique as described elsewhere.


In the Introduction, we posited an analogy between environmental health and human well-being. This connection is implicit in each of the case studies. A eutrophic, sewage-polluted Tampa Bay would present risks to human health, be detrimental to recreation and fisheries, and generally reduce the quality of life and economic potential of the area. In the Louisiana example, if sustainability is not achieved, coastal land loss will continue to cause displacements of people and communities, economic losses, and social stresses, all to the detriment of human well-being. Marine fisheries that depend on sustainable coastal habitats have economic, nutritional, cultural, and recreational benefits that will be diminished or lost along with the habitats in the absence of effective, scalable policy and governance structures. We do not attempt a deeper analysis of these connections (and doubt that it would be supported by the extant literature), but the examples illustrate the dependence of human well-being on the sustainability and integrity of coastal ecosystems, which in turn depend upon effective policies and governance structures. In Figure 2 , we offer a schematic view of these aspects of the relationships between policy, governance, and the three pillars of sustainability, including human well-being. Sustainability, as measured by appropriate indicators, could be a benchmark, serving as a null hypothesis for testing a vision of future management of coastal resources against current policies and alternatives [40] . To this end, advances in modeling and prediction of complex systems are providing more power to evaluate scenarios and trade-offs [41] . In the governance realm, a paradigm shift may be underway: an evolution from traditional regulatory regimes toward more participatory, consensus, and networked structures. Climate change, sea level rise, and the demands brought on by population growth are global challenges to the sustainability of coastal resources for future generations.

Sustainability, as measured by appropriate indicators, could be a benchmark, serving as a null hypothesis for testing a vision of future management of coastal resources against current policies and alternatives.

To this end, advances in modeling and prediction of complex systems are providing more power to evaluate scenarios and trade-offs.


In closing, social presence is important in blended learning programs because the shifting literacies in multimodal learning environments create unique challenges and opportunities for teaching and learning with profound consequences for learners and instructors (Selber, 2004) . Instructors are still exploring the affordances of a mix of face-to-face and online environments and are continually learning more about how to maximize student learning in a multimodal program (Bender, 2012) . Blended learning programs are challenging because instructors and learners are toggling among the different media, which requires a lot of adaptability and increases the need for social presence. Therefore, this research provides an exploration of one landscape of learning that may lead to future explorations and advancements within educational discourse. The author recommends more programmatic studies that explore social presence, especially in blended learning programs. Additionally, we need studies that target the role of assessment, engagement, and student learning outcomes (SLOs) in concert with social presence.

In closing, social presence is important in blended learning programs because the shifting literacies in multimodal learning environments create unique challenges and opportunities for teaching and learning with profound consequences for learners and instructors.

Instructors are still exploring the affordances of a mix of face-to-face and online environments and are continually learning more about how to maximize student learning in a multimodal program.


The lateral exchange flow between two fluid bodies of different density is a classic fluid mechanics topic with many variations. One family of these flows involves a basin of limited horizontal extent which communicates with a large reservoir through some form of constriction. For an exchange flow to persist, the density gradient across the constriction must be sustained by either a source or a sink of buoyancy within the basin. In the latter case, there is a surface flow into the basin and a compensating deeper return flow (see figure 1) . Geophysical examples of such systems include the Red and Mediterranean Seas, where the buoyancy sink occurs as an upward flux at the surface due to the combined effect of evaporation and cooling (Phillips 1966) . Some Arctic fjords are subjected to similar forcing conditions when either cooled at the surface or when a growing layer of sea ice ejects brine and hence reduces buoyancy near the surface (Møller 1984) .

Geophysical examples of such systems include the Red and Mediterranean Seas, where the buoyancy sink occurs as an upward flux at the surface due to the combined effect of evaporation and cooling.

Some Arctic fjords are subjected to similar forcing conditions when either cooled at the surface or when a growing layer of sea ice ejects brine and hence reduces buoyancy near the surface.


When several parties want to pursue a joint illegal activity, they need to trust each other. This paper presents experimental evidence that taking this into account is crucial to the optimal design of law enforcement institutions. In particular, we focus on deterrence of collusion among oligopolistic firms. Cartels, like most other forms of organized economic crime (corruption, fraud, smuggling, etc.) , require effective cooperation between multiple wrongdoers. Being profitable in expectation is therefore not sufficient for them to be viable. Illegal contracts between wrongdoers cannot be enforced, so the collusive agreement must be self-enforcing, sustainable in equilibrium: each wrongdoer must prefer to respect the agreement rather than unilaterally deviate from it by 'running away with the money' (Stigler 1964) . Moreover, the wrongdoers must coordinate on the cooperative equilibrium and trust that their partners, for the entire period of collaboration and afterwards, will not get "cold feet" and report to law enforcers. A further peculiarity of crimes like these is that there are always 'witnesses': cooperating wrongdoers typically end up having information about each other that could be elicited through suitably designed incentives to report.

Illegal contracts between wrongdoers cannot be enforced, so the collusive agreement must be self-enforcing, sustainable in equilibrium: each wrongdoer must prefer to respect the agreement rather than unilaterally deviate from it by 'running away with the money'.


Previous works have shown successful Cherenkov/scintillation light separation for cosmic-ray muons in linear alkylbenzene (LAB) and an LAB scintillator cocktail containing 2,5-Diphenyloxazole (PPO) [10] [11] [12] . Though these experiments operate in the minimum ionizing particle regime, the muons themselves have energies over 1 GeV, and do not experience significant scattering. This work represents the first time this technique has been demonstrated for electrons with 1 to 2 MeV energies. Relative to cosmic-ray muons, these particles present the added Cherenkov signal reconstruction challenges of increased scattering, varying energy, and lower Cherenkov light yields. Though we demonstrate Cherenkov light detection only on average and in pure LAB, this is a step towards demonstrating the utility of timing-based Cherenkov/scintillation separation for background rejection in double-beta decay experiments.

Previous works have shown successful Cherenkov/scintillation light separation for cosmic-ray muons in linear alkylbenzene (LAB) and an LAB scintillator cocktail containing 2,5-Diphenyloxazole (PPO).


The only recognizable and treatable risk factor for progression of glaucoma is elevated IOP. The Goldmann tonometer estimates the pressure by measuring the force required to applanate a fixed area of the cornea based on the Imber-Fick Principle. However, it requires a slit lamp microscope and topical anesthetic agents, which have a slight decreasing effect on IOP and can record pressures only in sitting posture (Almubrad TM, 2007) . Pressure measurements by GAT depend on corneal biomechanics, curvature and thickness and are widely proved to be inaccurate in post-refractive surgical eyes. Perkins has slightly (1-1.5 mm Hg) lowered values than Goldmann. Nevertheless, it can be safely be used in the post operative period and during the retinal detachment surgery (Vernon SA, 1989; Chiqnell AH, 1971) .

However, it requires a slit lamp microscope and topical anesthetic agents, which have a slight decreasing effect on IOP and can record pressures only in sitting posture.

Nevertheless, it can be safely be used in the post operative period and during the retinal detachment surgery.


MIMO technology which utilizes multiple antennas at transmitter and/or receiver is able to achieve high diversity through space-time coding and high data rate through spatial multiplexing [1] . It is commonly used in combination with OFDM technique to combat intersymbol interference (ISI) and therefore achieve better spectral efficiency. Modern channel coding schemes such as turbo codes or LDPC codes are powerful forward error correction (FEC) codes that are able to protect the integrity of the transmitted data and to approach the channel capacity. Therefore, the coded MIMO-OFDM systems are recognized as attractive solutions for the future high speed wireless communication systems. However, the practical design of such coded MIMO-OFDM systems involves numerous challenges at the receiver.

MIMO technology which utilizes multiple antennas at transmitter and/or receiver is able to achieve high diversity through space-time coding and high data rate through spatial multiplexing.


Instead of model-based methods, some proposed the morphological watershed based region growing techniques [10, 11] . The approach is based on the fact that smooth surfaces can be decomposed into hills and valleys by studying critical points and their gradient. Considering pixel properties (intensity or gradient) as elevation and then simulating rainfall on the landscape, rain water will flow from areas of high altitude along lines of steepest descent to arrive at some regional minimal height. The catchment basins are defined as the draining areas of its regional minima and their boundaries can then be used in object extraction. Though assuming water collection, the method does not use the features of water itself and focuses on the image's geographical features. The non-linearity arising from issues like finding steepest descent lines between two points makes the method complicated. Moreover, the region growing framework often yields irregular boundaries, over-segmentation and small holes.

Instead of model-based methods, some proposed the morphological watershed based region growing techniques.


Additionally, dynamic scheduling of disassembly line enables disassembly process to reduce the energy consumption and improve the efficiency [21] . From the perspective of customer demand, the optimization of assembly-disassembly system can cut down the potential risk of disrupting operation [22] . As far as we know, different proficiency of dismantling workers will affect the operation of the entire disassembly line, and the importance of robot disassembly production line is obvious. The advantages of it are the improvement of disassembly efficiency, and the reduction of labor intensity and negative impact of human factors on the disassembly line [23] . However, fixed disassembly operation time and the complexity and time uncertainty of single product disassembly are the main research directions at present, which cannot fully adapt to the actual situation [24, 25] . In actual disassembly operation, there are many kinds of decommissioned mechanical products, and the service time, wear degree, skilled level of workers and structural differences between products and other factors will affect the operation efficiency. Disassembly of multiple products in the same disassembly line is an inevitable development trend, which can not only avoid switching between products, save time and cost, but also improve the operating efficiency. Therefore, we proposed a balancing method of mixed-model disassembly line in random working environment by considering the above influence factors, not only established the balancing model of mixed-model disassembly line, but also adopted a novel adaptive simulated annealing genetic algorithm (ASAGA) to enhance the model solving ability. Finally, a mixed-model disassembly of multi-engine products was taken as a case for the validation of model and ASAGA.

Additionally, dynamic scheduling of disassembly line enables disassembly process to reduce the energy consumption and improve the efficiency.

From the perspective of customer demand, the optimization of assembly-disassembly system can cut down the potential risk of disrupting operation.

The advantages of it are the improvement of disassembly efficiency, and the reduction of labor intensity and negative impact of human factors on the disassembly line.

However, fixed disassembly operation time and the complexity and time uncertainty of single product disassembly are the main research directions at present, which cannot fully adapt to the actual situation.


Disassembly is the primary step in the remanufacturing of retired products, and the components in the decommissioned products are dismantled through systematic techniques and methods [6] . It plays an indispensable role in green manufacturing that parts with high value and high demand are processed and put back into the market [7] . In order to solve the disassembly problem of decommissioned products, an optional disassembly method was designed by combining ant colony algorithm with constraint graph, which greatly reduced the energy consumption of disassembly [8] . The beam search algorithm is used to efficiently and reasonably distribute the tasks that need to be disassembled into the workstation, which not only improves the disassembly efficiency, but also ensures that the removal line is in normal operation and the minimum number of disassembly stations are opened [9] . There are various decommissioned products and different internal structures in the disassembly operation. The new disassembly operation mode based on sequence-dependent can not only eliminate the hindering of disassembly operation caused by the complex internal space of the decommissioned products, but also make the disassembly operation closer to the actual situation [10] .

Disassembly is the primary step in the remanufacturing of retired products, and the components in the decommissioned products are dismantled through systematic techniques and methods.

It plays an indispensable role in green manufacturing that parts with high value and high demand are processed and put back into the market.

In order to solve the disassembly problem of decommissioned products, an optional disassembly method was designed by combining ant colony algorithm with constraint graph, which greatly reduced the energy consumption of disassembly.

The beam search algorithm is used to efficiently and reasonably distribute the tasks that need to be disassembled into the workstation, which not only improves the disassembly efficiency, but also ensures that the removal line is in normal operation and the minimum number of disassembly stations are opened.

The new disassembly operation mode based on sequence-dependent can not only eliminate the hindering of disassembly operation caused by the complex internal space of the decommissioned products, but also make the disassembly operation closer to the actual situation.


The situation worsens considering FE modeling since non-prismatic beams are often approximated with a sequence of beam elements with piecewise-cons-tant thickness [17] [18] . Unfortunately, this approach introduces further approximation errors and even increases the computational efforts without any real benefit for the model accuracy [15] . As a consequence, several researchers suggest the usage of 2D or 3D FE in order to obtain accurate stiffness and displacement descriptions [19] . Unfortunately, the full FE discretization is not so common in timber engineering practice due to the approach complexity and the corresponding high computational cost (if compared with standard beam FE).

The situation worsens considering FE modeling since non-prismatic beams are often approximated with a sequence of beam elements with piecewise-cons-tant thickness.

Unfortunately, this approach introduces further approximation errors and even increases the computational efforts without any real benefit for the model accuracy.

As a consequence, several researchers suggest the usage of 2D or 3D FE in order to obtain accurate stiffness and displacement descriptions.


Random Forests are an ensemble method for classification that has been shown to have good performance in many bioinformatic applications. However, Random Forrest is prone to over-fitting in datasets with noisy classification tasks. In addition, it is very hard to interpret the classifications made by Random Forests. Furthermore, if data contain categorical variables with different number of levels, Random Forest favors variables with more levels, making the variable importance measures unreliable [38] .

Furthermore, if data contain categorical variables with different number of levels, Random Forest favors variables with more levels, making the variable importance measures unreliable.


In order to address limitations of single covariate analysis methods, several approaches have been developed for simultaneous analysis of multiple covariates [11] - [13] . In linear regression framework, the least square method is used to obtain estimate of parameters. The ordinary least square estimates obtained are not quite satisfactory mainly due to poor accuracy of prediction resulting from high variances of estimates and the large number of covariates with respect to small sample size [14] . It is preferred to select a smaller subset of covariates, sometimes referred to as feature selection, which offer the strongest effect and discriminating power. A standard method used to improve the parameter estimation, prediction, and classification is subset selection and its variants such as backward elimination, forward and stepwise selections. These methods are all discrete processes and can be highly inconsistent, meaning that a small change in the data can result in very different models [14] - [16] . In addition, these approaches are computationally expensive and unstable when sample sizes are much smaller than the number of covariates [14] [15] . Moreover in this setting, over-fitting is a major concern and may result in failure to identify important predictors. Thus, the data structure of typical microarray experiments makes it difficult to use traditional multivariate regression analysis [10] . Given the aforementioned drawbacks, several groups have developed methods to simultaneously analyze a large number of covariates [15] - [19] . It has been proposed that prediction accuracy can be improved by setting the unimportant covariates to zero and thus obtaining more accurate prediction for the significant covariates [14] .

In order to address limitations of single covariate analysis methods, several approaches have been developed for simultaneous analysis of multiple covariates.

The ordinary least square estimates obtained are not quite satisfactory mainly due to poor accuracy of prediction resulting from high variances of estimates and the large number of covariates with respect to small sample size.

These methods are all discrete processes and can be highly inconsistent, meaning that a small change in the data can result in very different models.

In addition, these approaches are computationally expensive and unstable when sample sizes are much smaller than the number of covariates.

Thus, the data structure of typical microarray experiments makes it difficult to use traditional multivariate regression analysis.

Given the aforementioned drawbacks, several groups have developed methods to simultaneously analyze a large number of covariates.

It has been proposed that prediction accuracy can be improved by setting the unimportant covariates to zero and thus obtaining more accurate prediction for the significant covariates.


Electrohydraulic shaking table is a piece of the most important test equipment for replicating actual vibration situations in seismic tests and many other applications [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] . Multisupport, multidimension, and nonuniform excitation experiments have new requirements for shaking table array system in synchronous tracking control [2, [7] [8] [9] . Seismic tests of such large-span structures as bridges, dams, railways, pipelines, and so on should consider the traveling wave effect, partial coherent effect, and local site effect to accurately simulate their motion in earthquake. Therefore, synchronous tracking control strategy has become increasingly important and is in need of further development.

Electrohydraulic shaking table is a piece of the most important test equipment for replicating actual vibration situations in seismic tests and many other applications.

Multisupport, multidimension, and nonuniform excitation experiments have new requirements for shaking table array system in synchronous tracking control.


Participants came to a computer lab and were told that they would be doing some tasks on the computer, but first were to view a video. Depending upon their experimental condition, they saw one of three twenty minute videos: the positive or "happy" mood-induction group saw a comedy routine by Bill Cosby and a clip from Jim Carrey's movie Liar, Liar; the neutral mood-induction group viewed a documentary about Einstein, and the negative (sad) mood-induction group viewed a clip from the movie Steel Magnolias, taken from a critical scene where Julia Robert's character dies and her mother, played by Sally Field, has a breakdown at the funeral. These mood-induction videos had been pre-tested to ensure the elicitation of the proper mood-state (Puccinelli, 2000) .

These mood-induction videos had been pre-tested to ensure the elicitation of the proper mood-state.


Based on previous research, only reaction times from correct trials were used for analysis (Phillips et al., 2002) . A 2 (information type: congruent vs. incongruent)×2 (environment: simple vs. complex)×3 (mood: positive, negative, neutral) mixed-model ANOVA was performed with information type and environment as within factors and mood effect as between factor. The dependent measure was the speed in categorizing the information. There was a main effect of environment, F(1,77)= 19.35, p<.0001, information type, F(1,77)=65.76, p<.0001. There was a marginal effect of mood, F(2,76)=2.76, p=.07. However, the variables mood and information type interacted, F(2,76)=5.57, p=.006. None of the other interactions reached significance.

Based on previous research, only reaction times from correct trials were used for analysis.


Program understanding is an important aspect of software maintenance. Current industrial projects are often based on collaborative development of millions of code lines. Industry practice studies have shown that maintainers spend 50% of their time on understanding this code [16] . In this context, software visualization addresses several facets of program and process understanding, such as reverse engineering and process recovery and execution and algorithm animation.

Industry practice studies have shown that maintainers spend 50% of their time on understanding this code.


In this paper, we consider the Rauzy fractals T a,b associated with the substitutions over the alphabet {1, 2, 3}, where a ≥ b ≥ 1. For every such parameters a, b, σ a,b is an irreducible primitive unimodular Pisot substitution. Moreover, it satisfies the super coincidence condition [7, 41] . Therefore, T a,b induces a periodic tiling and its subtiles T a,b (i) (i = 1, 2, 3) an aperiodic self-replicating tiling of the plane.

Moreover, it satisfies the super coincidence condition.


The experimental design was completely randomized, with four repetitions of one hundred seeds each. Germination, first germination count and vigour classification, in percentage, were transformed by arcsine (x/100) 0.5 . The length and dry matter weight results were not transformed. Variance was analyzed by F test, and if it was significant, the average com-parison was made using Tukey's test at 5% of probability. For the submersion periods, a polynomial regression was performed. All statistical analysis was carried out using the software SANEST (Zonta et al., 1984) .

All statistical analysis was carried out using the software SANEST.


There is an increasing trend towards integrating sustainability as a transversal theme, rather than limiting it to specific parts of the curriculum, hence improving the potential for impact on all university students. Universities are extremely important in the formal delivery of environmental education yet they do not always provide effective environmental and sustainability learning. Sustainability and environmental themes require interdisciplinary solutions that sometimes are hard to achieve in a university setting (Pearson, Honeywood and O'Toole, 2005) . Further, environmental education can be key for the formation of an aware society; universities have a leadership role to play in identifying coherent and suitable solutions in the future (Brandli, Frandoloso and Tauchen, 2011) .

Sustainability and environmental themes require interdisciplinary solutions that sometimes are hard to achieve in a university setting.

Further, environmental education can be key for the formation of an aware society; universities have a leadership role to play in identifying coherent and suitable solutions in the future.


In this report, we used ureteric distensibility to describe the ureteric response to ureteric calibration assessed using serial dilators. From the efficiency of practice standpoint, if a protocol in potential ureteroscopy for stone is to go to operative room for possible ureteroscopy, pass a guide wire, calibrate the ureter. If we are unable to pass a 10 Fr dilator, a stent is placed and secondary ureteroscopy is the pathway. The saving is that no additional time, nor reprocessing of the ureteroscope is needed if the patient fails the calibration test. However, some degree of ureteric dilatation is usually obtained as a secondary response to this calibration procedure. Although being subjective and difficult to define, the difference between dilation and calibration (how much force is used) is likely well appreciated by experienced endourologists. Active ureteral dilation is becoming less common because it does not prevent complications nor does it improve the outcomes of ureteroscopic lithotripsy [5] [6] [7] . We think that non-intentional active ureteral dilation occurs during ureteroscopy either following the introduction of the ureteroscope itself or through hydro-dilation. However, the question remains: will all ureters respond to non-intentional dilatation?

Active ureteral dilation is becoming less common because it does not prevent complications nor does it improve the outcomes of ureteroscopic lithotripsy.


In Section 6 we review the basic set-up surrounding the ring of quasisymmetric functions. For a bounded labeled digraph we introduce the rising and falling quasisymmetric functions and relate these with a shift of the aforementioned rising and falling polynomials. We show the rising and falling quasisymmetric functions are Hopf algebra homeomorphisms from the Hopf algebra formed by the linear span of bounded labeled acyclic digraphs to the quasisymmetric functions. We reformulate Theorem 4.7 in terms of Stembridge's peak algebra [36] .

We reformulate Theorem 4.7 in terms of Stembridge's peak algebra.


Recall that the classical cd-index of the face lattice of a polytope, and more generally, any spherically-shellable poset, has non-negative coefficients [35] . Non-negativity also holds for Gorenstein* posets [26] . These results form two cornerstones for the research program of classifying all the linear inequalities satisfied by the cd-index. We conjecture non-negativity for the cd-index of a bounded labeled acyclic digraph equipped with a balanced edge labeling that is linear; see Conjecture 8.4.

Recall that the classical cd-index of the face lattice of a polytope, and more generally, any spherically-shellable poset, has non-negative coefficients.

Non-negativity also holds for Gorenstein* posets.


The RI Beam Factory is under construction at RIKEN [1] . The new accelerator system consists of three cascade cyclotrons (fRC, IRC and SRC) and Multi-Use Experimental Storage rings (MUSES) [2] . A beam from the RIKEN Ring Cyclotron (RRC) is injected into the system. Nuclei up to Uranium are accelerated with the highest intensity ≈1 particle⋅µA (pµA). High peak current, such as 100pµA, ion beam acceleration is required in the cyclotron injector.

The RI Beam Factory is under construction at RIKEN.

The new accelerator system consists of three cascade cyclotrons (fRC, IRC and SRC) and Multi-Use Experimental Storage rings (MUSES).


Several authors have investigated the space charge effects in cyclotrons [3] [4] [5] [6] . A special attention should be paid to the LSC effects, since isochronous cyclotrons do not have the property of longitudinal focusing. Adjusting the phase of the flattop harmonic with respect to the accelerating RF voltage can compensate the linear part of the bunch broadening. The turns remain separated as long as the space charge induced energy spread is smaller than the energy gain per turn at the extraction radius.

Several authors have investigated the space charge effects in cyclotrons.


It is puzzling also why not all fully-grown males contain a maturing testis, although almost all fully-grown females had maturing ovaries. In our study only males more than 38 cm in total length were used for the analysis of the GSI, and only medium-sized adult males were further selected for the analysis of spermatogenesis. Indeed, there was no significant difference in total length of male specimens over a period of months. Thus, it seems that there might be two kinds of males, those with and those without maturing testes, of which total length are not different, in the same population of hagfish in water of 50 m depth. Clearly, further studies are needed to solve these questions. Comparative studies may also be relevant, because in the Atlantic hagfish, Myxine glutinosa, mature males are fewer than mature females (Walvig, 1963) .

Comparative studies may also be relevant, because in the Atlantic hagfish, Myxine glutinosa, mature males are fewer than mature females.


Event-driven middleware enables the nodes of a wireless sensor network (WSN) application to communicate over a decentralized event bus. The middleware relieves developers from intricate concerns such as resource management and volatile connections. Even with these concerns out of the way, a node's communication with other nodes is often difficult to program. Different events need to be reacted to differently at run-time. This usually implies some form of dispatching over each event that is received. Reacting to a sequence of events implies keeping track of how many events of the sequence have already occurred. Without adequate middleware support for these problems, developers have to resort to ad-hoc solutions in event handlers. However, such solutions have been shown to violate a range of software engineering principles [18] . A node's event handler, for instance, cannot simply be composed with another to have it react to an additional event sequence. While these problems plague other event-driven architectures as well, existing solutions do not readily translate to WSNs. Next to messages concerned with application logic, events carry sensor readings that have to be handled as such. Small fluctuations in the payload of successive events might not warrant a reaction. When a node disconnects, on the other hand, some of the state changes it induced in other nodes might have to be undone as well. Not only will ad-hoc solutions lead to code duplication, they will also require a considerable amount of bookkeeping.

However, such solutions have been shown to violate a range of software engineering principles.


The network-centric features of CrimeSPOT are comparable to those introduced by ATaG [3] . ATaG advocates specifying a WSN application in terms of tasks that have to be instantiated on particular nodes. Unlike CrimeSPOT, ATaG employs a graphical notation and is more expressive concerning the instantiation of tasks on nodes and the interactions between tasks. However, ATaG provides no support for programming the tasks themselves. Reactions to incoming data still have to be implemented through an event handler. Moreover, there is no control over the subsumption and expiration of this data.

The network-centric features of CrimeSPOT are comparable to those introduced by ATaG.


Criticisms of students include an approach to learning as memorisation; an inability to handle complex problems; and a lack of analytical, conceptual thinking and communication skills (Booth et al., 1999; Sharma, 1997) . The learning approaches adopted by accounting students are a key factor influencing the quality of their learning outcomes (Booth et al., 1999; Davidson, 2002) . Two common learning approaches employed by students are described as deep and surface learning. The achievement of high quality learning outcomes such as analytical and conceptual thinking skills may not be achieved unless students are encouraged to adopt deep approaches to learning. Prior research indicates that accounting students often adopt higher surface learning approaches and lower deep learning approaches compared to other university students (Booth et al., 1999; Eley, 1992; Gow, Kember and Cooper, 1994) .

Criticisms of students include an approach to learning as memorisation; an inability to handle complex problems; and a lack of analytical, conceptual thinking and communication skills.

The learning approaches adopted by accounting students are a key factor influencing the quality of their learning outcomes.

Prior research indicates that accounting students often adopt higher surface learning approaches and lower deep learning approaches compared to other university students.


In the paper, a low-cost FPGA-based multichannel system is presented for heterogeneous inputs. A single high speed successive approximation (SAR) A/D converter and several multiplexers are used to sample the multiple heterogeneous signals, and FPGA modules are used to implement sampling channel control and analogue to digital conversion. The paper presents the high efficiency multiplexing scheme for multichannel data acquisition system with different sampling frequencies. An FPGA-based multiplexing scheme lookup table, which can be reconfigured according to the different application requisitions, is established for the channel control reliably, and it can easily be reconfigured for other applications. In addition, to improve the measurement accuracy as much as possible is the primary goal in a data acquisition system. In a number of high-precision requirements, such as weak signal detection technology, high-resolution ADC chips are usually used to achieve high-precision measurements. In addition to using the high-resolution ADC chips, some other technologies are used to obtain higher resolution. Oversampling and averaging methods are mentioned to improve the measurement resolution [7] [8] [9] [10] . In this paper, a simple way which makes the reference to the oversampling and averaging theory is proposed to improve the acquisition accuracy of the multichannel acquisition system.

Oversampling and averaging methods are mentioned to improve the measurement resolution.


Multiplexing is typically done with SAR A/D converters. It has the characteristic of medium resolution and speed, small chip area, and low power consumption, and so forth. Moreover, it is convenient to make multichannel conversions because their sample times can be made arbitrarily. Due to their mixed advantages in resolution, speed, power, and cost, SAR ADCs are widely applied in industry controlling, medical instruments, auxiliary analogue-to-digital interfaces of microprocessors, and so on [11, 12] . In recent years, FPGA with the advantages of design flexibility and adaptability is the current trend for the digital implement [13] [14] [15] . As shown in Figure 1 , the multichannel acquisition system is composed of a single high speed SAR A/D converter, a FPGA module, a flash storage module, a USB controller module, several analogue multiplexers, and signal conditioners. The brief workflow of the multichannel acquisition system is as follows. First, the input analogue signals are modulated by the conditioner to meet the back-end ADC's requirement. The signal conditioner is used for gain controlling, offset adjustment, noise reduction, and impedance transform. The circuit of the conditioner usually consists of the operational amplifier, several resistances, and capacitances. And they can adjust the amplitude of the inputs to the maximum range of the ADC. Then, the FPGA module is designed to complete the implementation of sampling channel control, analogue-to-digital conversion, and transports data between a multiplexed data stream and channel data buffers using a user defined format. Flash module is used to store the quantization. Finally, a computer is used to reveal the data from the flash storage module by the USB controller and analyze the data. This paper puts emphasis on introducing the technologies for the multiplexing and the improved sampling control method.

Due to their mixed advantages in resolution, speed, power, and cost, SAR ADCs are widely applied in industry controlling, medical instruments, auxiliary analogue-to-digital interfaces of microprocessors, and so on.

In recent years, FPGA with the advantages of design flexibility and adaptability is the current trend for the digital implement.


The leaves of P. sarmentosum are traditionally used as a condiment and also in many South Asian cuisines. In traditional medicine, the leaves are consumed for their carminative properties and the whole plant possesses anti-inflammatory, expectorant and anodyne properties. The plant is also used to cure skin diseases, rheumatism, headache, diarrhea, fever, indigestion and toothache. In addition, the roots can be administered for the treatment of cough, asthma and toothache [6] . The dried fruits (infructescence) are occasionally used as spices and medicines [3] .

In addition, the roots can be administered for the treatment of cough, asthma and toothache.

The dried fruits (infructescence) are occasionally used as spices and medicines.