State machines are widely used for implementation of network protocols to describe the conversation between a sender and receiver. Business processes for ecommerce platforms also interact frequently with each other. Examples are negotiation scenarios between buyers and sellers, where the current state determines the next available actions to each. State machines have been also used to model negotiations [18] . They have been used for real-time systems; a system reacts or responds to events with a quick, nearly instantaneous response [19] . Thus, there is strong evidence to support that state machines would be useful for interactive, conversational and responsive online business systems. Fig. 1 shows the lifecycle of business processes in the FlexFlow system. A visual modeling tool is used to design business processes as process state diagrams. The visual modeling tool generates from the process state diagrams an XML representation, which is a full description of the business process. It contains all the information required by the FlexFlow engine to control the execution of the business process. This XML description is compiled and loaded into the FlexFlow system database tables. An additional table is used to store the current state of each instance of a business process running at a given time in the business system. The FlexFlow engine uses these tables to control the execution of business processes as well as the user interface. The visual modeling tool is also used to modify definitions of business processes. Different versions of the business process are stored in the business flow storage. Business processes can be changed with limited or no change to the task logic or computer programs that are implementations of the business actions. Simply reconfiguring its corresponding state machine reconfigures a commerce function.

State machines have been also used to model negotiations.

They have been used for real-time systems; a system reacts or responds to events with a quick, nearly instantaneous response.


The previous studies focused mainly on the simple point process model, where the jump size is constant. In the present study, the existing simple Hawkes model was extended to the marked Hawkes model to handle more realistic price movements in stock markets where the random size jumps (marks) are introduced. A marked point process was introduced based on the ACM-ACD model, where points are the transaction time and the marks are information on the transaction (Russell and Engle, 2005) . The Hawkes process was adopted to explain the aftermath effects of the marks, which is more convenient for calculating the useful formula. The future effects of the marks depend on the absolute sizes of the marks and hence a linear impact function is introduced to deal with the future impact of the mark. Our empirical study shows that the estimates of the slope parameter of the impact function are significant positive values in stock markets. This suggests that the larger marks tend to magnify the future intensities more than the smaller marks. For the distribution of the mark, a specific distribution is not assumed in this paper but the empirical distribution is used for estimations and volatility calculation. Our model is not limited to the independent mark as the empirical studies show the intensity dependent mark distribution.

A marked point process was introduced based on the ACM-ACD model, where points are the transaction time and the marks are information on the transaction.


Conventional thick film technology (e.g., screen printing) involves forcing a viscous paste through apertures in the screen and produces film thicknesses greater than 2.5 µm [1] . Patterns are generated by sealing apertures in the mesh except where ink can be passed through. After the ink has been patterned onto the substrate it is dried and fired in a furnace. Firing temperatures (850°C for most inks) restrict the acceptable substrates to ceramics such as alumina. Multiple layer devices can be built using the LowTemperature Co-fired Ceramic (LTCC) process. This involves screen printing onto a green substrate (alumina mixed with organics and binders). Vias are punched mechanically and these layers are stacked and aligned before being pressed and fired together. This allows the design of high-density devices with buried passive components. This is a mature technology capable of very high throughputs, but it has several limitations. Even with a high mesh number (325-400 openings per linear inch), the finest lines and spacing that can be consistently produced are 3-5 mil (75-100 µm) [1] . Thin lines may also have a serrated pattern because of the mesh. This, along with limitations in the feature size, restricts the use of screen printing for very high frequencies because the majority of the current is carried along the surface of the conductor.

Conventional thick film technology (e.g., screen printing) involves forcing a viscous paste through apertures in the screen and produces film thicknesses greater than 2.5 µm.

Even with a high mesh number (325-400 openings per linear inch), the finest lines and spacing that can be consistently produced are 3-5 mil (75-100 µm).


Thermal spray is one of the most potent tools for producing thick coatings. The principle of operation is based on a heat source, which under the influence of a strong gas flow, results in a high velocity hot stream of gas. Particles are inserted into the jet, which are heated and accelerated towards an usually cold substrate where they arrive as splats to build up upon each other to form a coating. Various technologies are currently in use which can be distinguished by the heat source [1] . These range from chemical reactions as in the high velocity oxy-fuel spraying (HVOF) over plasmas generated by electricity to systems like the so-called cold spray or kinetic spray, where the majority of the energy that the particle obtains is kinetic energy. Each technology provides a distinct range of particle velocities and temperatures, thus making each suitable for certain materials and applications (Fig. 1) .

Various technologies are currently in use which can be distinguished by the heat source.


This is the required exact solution of initial value system (12) of PDEs. The same solution is obtained by using homotopy perturbation method [21] . The solution behavior of , V, and at = 1 is depicted in Figures 2 and 3 .

The same solution is obtained by using homotopy perturbation method.


The smaller members of these series are well known at the laboratory, but under hard experimental conditions and extreme detection sensitivity, only its well known the rotational spectra up to HC 17 N, as the longest members of the series [6] . However, HC 7 N to HC 11 N were first discovered in the ISM by means of theoretical predictions of their rotational spectra and the subsequent detection of these spectra by radio telescopes. While HC 11 N, the largest linear interstellar molecule was the last-discovered member of these cyanopolyynes series [7, 8] .

The smaller members of these series are well known at the laboratory, but under hard experimental conditions and extreme detection sensitivity, only its well known the rotational spectra up to HC 17 N, as the longest members of the series.

While HC 11 N, the largest linear interstellar molecule was the last-discovered member of these cyanopolyynes series.


Soil fabric corresponds to the geometrical arrangement of soil particles [4] . When dealing with compacted soils, it is well known that on the wet side of the optimum, compacted soils have a homogenous fabric, whereas on the dry side they exhibit a fabric with macro and micropores [5, 6, 7] . Such soil fabric was termed "double structure" [8] .

Soil fabric corresponds to the geometrical arrangement of soil particles.

When dealing with compacted soils, it is well known that on the wet side of the optimum, compacted soils have a homogenous fabric, whereas on the dry side they exhibit a fabric with macro and micropores.

Such soil fabric was termed "double structure".


Photonic integrated circuits (PICs), consisted of active and passive devices linked by waveguides, have been developed for reducing cost and power consumption in the optical communications and signal processing systems [1] - [6] . For III-V compound semiconductor based monolithic integration, severe large propagation loss of the waveguide formed by using the same material as the active devices is unavoidable, because they have the same band gap for optical transition. It's reported that the propagation loss of the strip waveguides in the same material as the optical sources is very high and obviously unsuitable for monolithic integration [7] . Till now, there are two common solutions for this problem. One is to hybrid integrate the III-V compound semiconductors on silicon on insulator (SOI) substrates through bonding technology [8] , [9] . The other approach is to remove the active layer and fabricate the waveguides using a regrowth technique [10] . Nevertheless, both solutions increase the difficulty of fabrication especially taking the alignment problem between nano-structures into account. Therefore, if a low loss waveguide could be achieved based on the same material of optical sources, the fabrication process will be greatly simplified, which is significant for the monolithic integration based on the same material, no matter for the silicon based or III-V compound based PIC.

Photonic integrated circuits (PICs), consisted of active and passive devices linked by waveguides, have been developed for reducing cost and power consumption in the optical communications and signal processing systems.

It's reported that the propagation loss of the strip waveguides in the same material as the optical sources is very high and obviously unsuitable for monolithic integration.

One is to hybrid integrate the III-V compound semiconductors on silicon on insulator (SOI) substrates through bonding technology.

The other approach is to remove the active layer and fabricate the waveguides using a regrowth technique.


In the present study, we investigated the clinicopathological features of 22 patients with breast carcinoma containing SRCs to variable degrees. We divided the patients into high and low SRC groups, comprising more or less than 30 % of the tumor cells, respectively, to assess the effect of SRC population on other clinicopathological features. We also morphologically categorized SRCs into the intra-cytoplasmic lumen (ICL) and non-ICL types, according to the 2013 WHO classification, to see if SRC types may have clinical significance [14] . We further performed immunohistochemical analysis to assess the expression of MUC1, MUC2, MUC4, MUC5AC, and MUC6 to delineate the prognostic significance of the expression level of each mucin with a particular emphasis on the expression level of MUC1 and its subcellular localization pattern.

We also morphologically categorized SRCs into the intra-cytoplasmic lumen (ICL) and non-ICL types, according to the 2013 WHO classification, to see if SRC types may have clinical significance.


To evaluate the notion of the CIA in relation to innovation strategies, we selected the pharmaceutical biotechnology industry and more specifically the development of therapeutics, along with Germany as the market economy, since, according to proponents of comparative capitalism, the characteristics of this industry and the institutional framework of Germany do not fit together. Whereas the dominant institutions of the German economy are seen to be conducive to incremental innovations and detrimental to radical ones, this segment of the biotech industry is characterized by radical innovations. The development of biotherapeutics is radically innovative because the technical risks are extremely high and most therapeutics fail, the financial costs are tremendous and in the range of several hundred million US dollars, and the time to market is very long, at least ten years (Casper, 2000; Casper and Whitley, 2004) . Interestingly, in the mid-1990s, a biotech sector emerged in Germany, and in recent years many biotech firms have focused on the development of therapeutics. Hence, this case suits well the overall task of this article. However, in order to assess the performance of German biotech firms in the pharmaceutical sector and the extent to which it is supported by the institutional framework, we need to employ a comparison. We opted for the UK since this market economy is supposed to have a CIA in radically innovative industries according to proponents of the comparative capitalism literature (Hall and Soskice, 2001; Amable, 2003; Casper and Whitley, 2004) .

The development of biotherapeutics is radically innovative because the technical risks are extremely high and most therapeutics fail, the financial costs are tremendous and in the range of several hundred million US dollars, and the time to market is very long, at least ten years.

We opted for the UK since this market economy is supposed to have a CIA in radically innovative industries according to proponents of the comparative capitalism literature.


This paper presents a stand-alone ubiquitous evolvable hardware (u-EHW) system to process the adaptable heart disease diagnosis algorithm and detect heart disease. The u-EHW system consists of a reconfigurable evolvable hardware (rEHW) chip, an evolvable embedded processor, and a PDA. The rEHW chip can effectively find the optimal set of preprocessing, and processes the adaptive digital signal processing (DSP). That is, the rEHW chip processes the low-pass, band-pass, and high-pass FIR filter algorithms with various frequencies. The evolvable embedded processor operates GA, feature extraction, and a classifier for each group of signal type. Currently, many DSP and smart health care applications are implemented on digital signal processors and embedded processors by software. Effective DSP algorithms require computing architectures that are less complicated, highly flexible, and more cost-effective for smart health care applications. Currently, complex and fast computation can be performed by dedicated hardware instead of digital signal processor since dedicated hardware can operate in parallel. The concept of reconfigurable hardware and evolvable hardware has been studied actively [2] [3] [4] . Since evolvable hardware can evolve in real time, it can maintain optimal performance in a variety of unexpected environments. The configurations that optimize the device output responses are combined so as to make better configurations until an optimal architecture can be realized [6] . Evolvable hardware continues to reconfigure itself in order to achieve better performance.

The concept of reconfigurable hardware and evolvable hardware has been studied actively.

The configurations that optimize the device output responses are combined so as to make better configurations until an optimal architecture can be realized.


The strength distribution of one RVE can further be related to the strength cdf of a nano scale element through a multiscale statistical model, where the strength statistics of the nanoscale element is derived from atomistic fracture mechanics of nanocracks propagating by small, activation-energy-controlled, random jumps through the nanoscale structure [8] . The model predicts that the cdf of structural strength depends on the structure size; as the size increases, there is a gradual transition from the Gaussian (or normal) distribution (modified by a far-left power-law tail) to the Weibull distribution (which should properly be called the FisherTippett-Weibull distribution [10] ). Consequently, the model implies an intricate size effect on the mean structural strength, which agrees with the predictions by other well-established mechanical models such as nonlocal Weibull theory and cohesive crack model [7] .

The strength distribution of one RVE can further be related to the strength cdf of a nano scale element through a multiscale statistical model, where the strength statistics of the nanoscale element is derived from atomistic fracture mechanics of nanocracks propagating by small, activation-energy-controlled, random jumps through the nanoscale structure.

The model predicts that the cdf of structural strength depends on the structure size; as the size increases, there is a gradual transition from the Gaussian (or normal) distribution (modified by a far-left power-law tail) to the Weibull distribution (which should properly be called the FisherTippett-Weibull distribution).

Consequently, the model implies an intricate size effect on the mean structural strength, which agrees with the predictions by other well-established mechanical models such as nonlocal Weibull theory and cohesive crack model.


Modern engineering structures are often made of quasi-brittle materials. These are brittle heterogeneous materials which include concrete (as the archetypical example), rocks, coarse-grained and toughened ceramics, fiber composites, masonry, mortar, stiff cohesive soils, grouted soils, consolidated snow, wood, paper, rigid foams, sea ice, dental ceramics, dentine, bone, biological shells, many bio and bio-inspired materials, and many more materials at the micro-and nanoscales. The salient feature of quasi-brittle structures is that the size of material inhomogeneities is not negligible compared to the structure size. This causes the quasi-brittle structures to exhibit a size-dependent failure behavior: small-size structures fail in a quasi-plastic manner, whereas large-size structures fail in a brittle manner. Such a transition has been well demonstrated by the analysis of size effect on the mean structural strength [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] .

Such a transition has been well demonstrated by the analysis of size effect on the mean structural strength.


Today, the carbon emissions issue has become a bottleneck which is restricting the development of the global economy and society as a whole [1] [2] [3] [4] . Carbon currently contributes approximately 63% of the gaseous radiative force contributing to climate change, as reported by the IPCC [5] . Due to rapid economic development and accelerated urbanization, the transport sector has experienced dramatic growth that in turn has led to excessive demand for fossil fuel energy forms. Oil consumption and carbon dioxide emissions in the transportation sector account for approximately 50% and 25% of global totals, respectively [6] . In 2002, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) predicted that the carbon emissions resulting from transport will double by 2020 (compared with 1990 levels) unless appropriate action is taken [7] . As a large consumer of energy, China has committed itself to lowering the carbon intensity of GDP by from 40% to 45% (below 2005 levels) by 2020 [8, 9] . This commitment was made at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in 2009. Faced with the pressure of this commitment, China has clearly now realized the importance of reducing carbon emissions [10] [11] [12] [13] .

Today, the carbon emissions issue has become a bottleneck which is restricting the development of the global economy and society as a whole.

Carbon currently contributes approximately 63% of the gaseous radiative force contributing to climate change, as reported by the IPCC.

Oil consumption and carbon dioxide emissions in the transportation sector account for approximately 50% and 25% of global totals, respectively.

In 2002, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) predicted that the carbon emissions resulting from transport will double by 2020 (compared with 1990 levels) unless appropriate action is taken.

As a large consumer of energy, China has committed itself to lowering the carbon intensity of GDP by from 40% to 45% (below 2005 levels) by 2020.

Faced with the pressure of this commitment, China has clearly now realized the importance of reducing carbon emissions.


The shelf-life of foods is often limited as their stability is restricted due to reactions such as oxidative degradation of lipids. Oxidation of lipids not only produces rancid odours and flavours, but also can decrease the nutritional quality and safety by the formation of secondary products in food after cooking and processing [1] [2] [3] . Antioxidants are used as food additives in order to prevent the oxidative deterioration of fats and oils in processed food. Addition of synthetic antioxidants such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) can control lipid oxidation in foods [4, 5] . Since some of synthetic antioxidants had toxigenic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic effects and some natural antioxidants were effective in enhancing the shelf life of food but less effective than synthetic antioxidants, there is a great demand for the use of new natural antioxidants in food [5, 6] . Therefore, there is a strong need for effective antioxidants from natural sources to prevent deterioration of foods. Some components of extracts isolated from oil seeds, spices, fruits and vegetables have been proven in model systems to be as effective antioxidants as synthetic antioxidants [5, [7] [8] [9] .

Oxidation of lipids not only produces rancid odours and flavours, but also can decrease the nutritional quality and safety by the formation of secondary products in food after cooking and processing.

Addition of synthetic antioxidants such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) can control lipid oxidation in foods.

Since some of synthetic antioxidants had toxigenic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic effects and some natural antioxidants were effective in enhancing the shelf life of food but less effective than synthetic antioxidants, there is a great demand for the use of new natural antioxidants in food.

Some components of extracts isolated from oil seeds, spices, fruits and vegetables have been proven in model systems to be as effective antioxidants as synthetic antioxidants.


Local existence and uniqueness of regular solutions of 3D NSE are well-known. As an illustration, if ∇u 0 ∈ L 2 (Ω), there exists T * ( ∇u 0 L 2 ) > 0 such that u is regular on (0, T * ). Moreover, for as long as it is regular, u is in analytic Gevrey class [9] .

Moreover, for as long as it is regular, u is in analytic Gevrey class.


As a coal based power plant with CO 2 capture consists of many additional sub-systems, a systems oriented approach to the design of future coal based power plants is necessary. This systems oriented approach would guide us in building power plants that are much more efficient compared to a similar power plant designed using conventional design methods [6] . In a modern large scale steam power plant, as many as nine feedwater heaters are used to preheat the boiler feedwater in stages. This results in improved overall efficiency of the power plant. Also, air preheating is employed to recover heat from the flue gases exiting the boiler. In an oxy-combustion power plant, most of the flue gases are recycled for temperature control and oxygen from the ASU is used for combustion. This eliminates the need for air preheating. A small amount of oxygen preheating is done to avoid condensation of moisture available in the flue gases when the flue gases are mixed with oxygen before combustion. The above design feature of an oxy-combustion power plant results in a fairly high temperature of the flue gases exiting the boiler that has to be cooled down before the downstream processing in CPU. This presents an opportunity for heat recovery. Also a large portion of the power consumed by the CPU is for compression of gases and hence a large amount of cooling is required in order to reduce the CPU energy requirements. This also provides an opportunity for heat integration. One of the ways of integrating this large amount of heat is to use it to preheat the boiler feedwater in the steam cycle. The traditional way of steam cycle design is not adapted to integrate a large amount of external process heat. This makes the systems approach to the design of the steam cycle more important. Pinch analysis is used as a tool in this study to design a steam cycle with heat integration in mind. This design is then compared with the traditional method of steam cycle design in order to evaluate the relative improvement in efficiency brought by the Pinch based systems approach. The pinch based systems approach would result in a tightly integrated system that will use the available energy much more efficiently albeit at an increased investment in the heat exchange area and increased network complexity. The economic feasibility of this approach will be studied subsequently to add more value to the thermodynamic results obtained in this study. The challenges related to increased complexity and the associated operability and control related issues are out of scope for the study.

This systems oriented approach would guide us in building power plants that are much more efficient compared to a similar power plant designed using conventional design methods.


The composite curves of the subcritical cases are presented in Fig. 4 . The min between the extracted steam and the boiler feedwater in case of conventional design increases as the pressure level increases. This is despite the fact that each heater in the feedwater heating train is designed with a min of 3 o C at the hot end. This shows that although individual heaters are constrained at both ends, the system as a whole deviates from the allowable min . This can be attributed to the selection of steam extraction pressures in the conventional design methodology. The steam extraction pressure is based on the saturation temperature of the steam rather than the actual temperature of the steam. As the pressure level increases, the degree of superheat available in the extracted steam is very high and this leads to the deviation from the designed min for the system. The Pinch based design requires a new arrangement for the feedwater heaters which makes better use of this available superheat in the extracted steam, and this result in increased steam extraction mass flows and a corresponding increase in the final feedwater temperature for the same extraction pressures. Despite the increase in steam extraction mass flows, the Pinch method of design results in higher power output from the turbines for the same fuel input. In the Pinch method, the external process heat is integrated in such a way that it substitutes the steam extraction of the highest pressure levels and hence allows the most expensive steam to generate power while using the best of both steam extraction and external process heat to preheat the feedwater. This leads to a systems approach in designing the steam cycle that is tightly integrated with other sub-systems in the power plant. As this systems approach requires a whole new arrangement of heaters, the method is best suitable for new plants rather than retrofit applications. The systems approach results in a more complicated and integrated feedwater heating network for an oxy-combustion coal based power plant. If needed, simpler heat exchanger network designs can be derived at the expense of thermal efficiency by using the same Pinch method. For instance, a steam cycle designed by using a systems approach achieves the same thermal efficiency with fewer number of steam extractions from the turbines [6] . Integration of the compression heat from the CPU compressors into the steam cycle may result in some operational difficulties. The steam cycle becomes more complex and may face difficulties in changing the power output when required. Moreover, the startup and the shutdown procedures of such integrated systems may be complicated compared to conventional designs. But keeping in mind the energy penalty associated with CO 2 capture, such heat integration within the power plant is necessary to increase the overall efficiency of the power plant. Similar approach of using pinch analysis to reduce the capture penalty of post combustion CCS power plants also shows the promising potential of heat integration [13] .

For instance, a steam cycle designed by using a systems approach achieves the same thermal efficiency with fewer number of steam extractions from the turbines.

Similar approach of using pinch analysis to reduce the capture penalty of post combustion CCS power plants also shows the promising potential of heat integration.


Secondly, such an explanation underplays the extent to which organised labour can shape processes of change and avoid the negative imposition of management strategies. We found no evidence that trade unions had become more compliant as a result of its involvement in the mediation scheme. Unions still represented members in the strongest possible terms through formal procedures when necessary. However, union respondents believed that, for the most part, informal resolutions provided better outcomes for members. Moreover, they saw mediation as a way of broadening influence over the way in which conflict was handled and decisions made and thus challenging the exercise of managerial prerogative implicit within conventional disputes procedures (Robinson et al., 2005) .

Moreover, they saw mediation as a way of broadening influence over the way in which conflict was handled and decisions made and thus challenging the exercise of managerial prerogative implicit within conventional disputes procedures.


In recent years, cases of air and water pollution have been increasing due to the continuous rise in population and urbanization. Improper waste management has been identified as one of the prime factors that contribute to the pollution. In 2003, the average amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in Malaysia was 0.5-0.8 kg/person/day, which has further increased to 1.7 kg/person/day in major cities [1] . Solid waste management continues to be a major challenge throughout the world, particularly in rapidly growing cities and towns [2] .

In 2003, the average amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in Malaysia was 0.5-0.8 kg/person/day, which has further increased to 1.7 kg/person/day in major cities.

Solid waste management continues to be a major challenge throughout the world, particularly in rapidly growing cities and towns.


Hypothesis 3 investigated the relationship between a) destructive leadership, b) workload, and c) off-TAJD, on the one hand, and exhaustion, on the other. As expected, the results confirmed Hypothesis 3b, showing the well-established relationship in the literature between workload and exhaustion [52, 53] . Contrary to our expectations, a positive direct relationship between both destructive leadership and off-TAJD and exhaustion was not found in this study; thus, Hypotheses 3a and 3c were rejected.

As expected, the results confirmed Hypothesis 3b, showing the well-established relationship in the literature between workload and exhaustion.


Today's organizations are faced with global competition and technology innovations, which are changing the way people and organizations work. As a consequence, workers are exposed to greater instability and insecurity that may threaten their psychological and physical well-being [1] . In the frame of psychology of sustainability, sustainable development has been suggested as a way to promote healthier organizations and to find a balance between ever-changing working conditions and workers' well-being [2] . Particularly, human capital, sustainable leadership, and workplace relational civility have been found to be positive resources associated to well-being [3] . On the contrary, job requirements typical of the current working environments and negative leadership styles may be considered unsustainable factors able to decrease people's well-being. Thus, this paper's aim was to investigate unsustainable dynamics within organizations considering the association between specific job requests and exhaustion through the mediation of workaholism.

As a consequence, workers are exposed to greater instability and insecurity that may threaten their psychological and physical well-being.

In the frame of psychology of sustainability, sustainable development has been suggested as a way to promote healthier organizations and to find a balance between ever-changing working conditions and workers' well-being.

Particularly, human capital, sustainable leadership, and workplace relational civility have been found to be positive resources associated to well-being.


Our approach relies on the theory of concept (or Galois) lattices (Wille, 1984; Davey & Priestley, 1990) . This theory offers a formal and natural tool for restricting, representing, and ordering the set of concepts that can be induced over a collection of objects described by a set of properties. However, there has been relatively little work on the automation of the theory and its application (Godin et al., 1991; Carpineto & Romano, 1993a) . In the paper we address these issues. We define an algorithm for incremental construction of a concept lattice, implemented in a system named GALOIS l, and we report results showing that its time complexity grows at most quadratically with the number of objects in the lattice. The algorithm can also build a generalised version of a concept lattice, which we introduce to take into account background information about the properties describing the objects.

Our approach relies on the theory of concept (or Galois) lattices.

However, there has been relatively little work on the automation of the theory and its application.

In the paper we address these issues.


A key purpose of this study was to test the relationship of Confucian values to the emergence of spiritual leadership. As hypothesized, the derived factor of social order showed significant and positive relationships to the spiritual leadership variables of hope/faith and altruistic love with path coefficients of .28 and .25, respectively. Additionally, the inclusion of the social order variable resulted in strong model fit, as shown through goodness-of-fit measures, like NFI and CFI, above the .90 level (Bentler & Bonett, 1980; Browne & Cudeck, 1993) . Indeed, the inclusion of social order did not deteriorate the goodness-of-fit measures, wherein the baseline model without social order revealed NFI, CFI, and RMSEA fit values of .911, .954, and .056, respectively, as compared to NFI, CFI, and RMSEA fit values with social order of .905, .955, and .05, respectively. Finally, the inclusion of social order increased the explained variance of hope/faith by .07, altruistic love by .06, and organizational commitment by .01, which supported the hypothesis that Confucian values contribute to the emergence of spiritual leadership within a Confucian-based culture.

Additionally, the inclusion of the social order variable resulted in strong model fit, as shown through goodness-of-fit measures, like NFI and CFI, above the .90 level.


From a "fast forwarding" technology, MPLS has evolved into a set of protocols that offers sophisticated traffic engineering options, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and multi-protocol support through logical distinction between IP forwarding and routing. MPLS has been widely deployed on the ISP backbone to replace Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and traditional IP routing. Further, it has been introduced into metro and access-networks, and even some private enterprise networks (Stallings & Case, 2013) . This paper develops mathematical programming techniques that directly consider both costs as well as service quality to design and operate telecommunication networks. A major incentive is the vigorous revision of link capacities by considering the same criterion used in the flow assignment problem in combination with a blocking model for describing call admission controls in multiservice broadband networks. Traffic of a number of different types requiring different bandwidth allocations is offered to each source-destination pair. The network manager must implement a call admission control scheme to minimize the packet delay and maximize the throughput earned from the network while maintaining agreed QoS constraints.

Further, it has been introduced into metro and access-networks, and even some private enterprise networks.


Myoclonus is a rare feature of HD. It does not sufficiently respond to antidopaminergic medication. A few reports of myoclonus in HD have mainly concerned cases of juvenile onset [1] [2] [3] .

Myoclonus is a rare feature of HD.

A few reports of myoclonus in HD have mainly concerned cases of juvenile onset.


The finding of this study that the measurements of the distal interphalangeal joint are relatively less consistent corresponds to the results of the earlier research [2, 26, 33, 37] . This phenomenon may be associated with the stabilization difficulty of the less powered interphalangeal joints and limited phalangeal length available for the alignment of the arms of goniometers. The results of the current study also corroborate the observations of the other researchers that intra-rater reliability is better than inter-rater reliability [2, 6, 7, 23, 25, 26, 28, 33] .

The finding of this study that the measurements of the distal interphalangeal joint are relatively less consistent corresponds to the results of the earlier research.

The results of the current study also corroborate the observations of the other researchers that intra-rater reliability is better than inter-rater reliability.


The problem of approximating solutions of ordinary or partial differential equations by spectral methods, known as Galerkin approximation, involves the projection onto the span of some appropriate set of basis functions, typically arising as the eigenfunctions of a singular Sturm-Liouville problem. The members of the basis may satisfy automatically the auxiliary conditions imposed on the problem, such as initial, boundary or more general conditions. Alternatively, these conditions may be imposed as constraints on the expansion coefficients, as in Lanczos -method, Lanczos [21] .

Alternatively, these conditions may be imposed as constraints on the expansion coefficients, as in Lanczos -method, Lanczos.


The finding that one in ten women had been in contact with general health services since the onset of PPD symptoms does not indicate that these women would have been looking for, or received, mental health care. At the time of the study there was no mental health service within general health care facilities [45] . Instead, it is likely that somatic symptoms of depression were the motivating factor [46] . This accords with our finding that help-seeking from health services was higher in women who attributed their symptoms to a physical cause. There are no mental health professionals working within the district, and so it is noteworthy that 4.2 % of women sought out mental health care from the psychiatric nurse-led out-patient clinic in the neighboring district (30 to 50 km away). Indicators of severity of PPD (increasing number of depression symptoms, perceived severity and level of functional impairment) were all associated with higher levels of help-seeking from health services. This supports the notion that symptoms were troublesome for women and having an adverse impact upon their lives. The willingness of 12 % of women to seek help from health services, together with the further 49.8 % who expressed a preference for biomedical care for their problem, indicates potential acceptability for plans to integrate mental health care into maternal health care platforms in this rural Ethiopian district. However, possible barriers to help-seeking from health services were also apparent in our study. Women from rural areas were less likely to seek help from health services, which may reflect a combination of factors, including proximity, level of autonomy and awareness of the potential benefits of treatment. Contrary to expectations, there was no association between indicators of socioeconomic status (e.g. experiencing hunger in the last one month, relative wealth) or educational status and help-seeking from health services. The limited variation in socio-economic status in rural communities may have contributed to this negative finding. More than 80 % of the respondents did not receive formal education and are housewives by occupation. In line with many studies, perceived social support was associated with help seeking in this study [47] [48] [49] . Urban residence was associated with help seeking and is likely Fig. 1 The frequency of the 23 items of the Barriers to Access to Care Evaluation to be due to a better access of urban residents to health institutions and contact with health professionals for routine maternal and child health services.

At the time of the study there was no mental health service within general health care facilities.

Instead, it is likely that somatic symptoms of depression were the motivating factor.

In line with many studies, perceived social support was associated with help seeking in this study.


It is still unknown whether the set of FB finite semigroups is recursive although a very large volume of work is devoted to this problem (see the surveys [15, 16] ). In contrast with McKenzie's result, a powerful description of the INFB finite semigroups has been obtained by M. Sapir [9, 10] . These results show that we need to concentrate on NFB finite semigroups that are not INFB.

It is still unknown whether the set of FB finite semigroups is recursive although a very large volume of work is devoted to this problem (see the surveys).

In contrast with McKenzie's result, a powerful description of the INFB finite semigroups has been obtained by M. Sapir.


The functionally graded (FG) materials are widely used in aerospace, automobile, and civil engineering due to continuous variation of material properties along the thickness direction [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] . As is known to us, the FG shallow shellsstructures, i.e., FG plate, FG circular cylindrical shallow shell, FG spherical shallow shell, and FG hyperbolic paraboloidal shallow shell, have attracted considerable attention for its high strength and stiffness [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] . It is noticed that the FG shallow shells are unavoidably suffered from dynamic loads, which can lead to fatigue wear and structural damage [13] [14] [15] . Therefore, it is essential to study the free vibration characteristics of FG shallow shell structures.

The functionally graded (FG) materials are widely used in aerospace, automobile, and civil engineering due to continuous variation of material properties along the thickness direction.

As is known to us, the FG shallow shellsstructures, i.e., FG plate, FG circular cylindrical shallow shell, FG spherical shallow shell, and FG hyperbolic paraboloidal shallow shell, have attracted considerable attention for its high strength and stiffness.

It is noticed that the FG shallow shells are unavoidably suffered from dynamic loads, which can lead to fatigue wear and structural damage.


Most of the above researches are limited to the classical boundary restraints (clamped, free, simply supported, and shear-diaphragm supported), which requires constant modification of the solution procedure according to the variation of the boundary restraints [28] [29] [30] . However, in practical engineering applications, the boundary restraints are not always in certain classical case. There are many possible boundaries such as nonuniform boundaries, elastic edge boundaries, and point-supported boundaries [31] [32] [33] [34] .

Most of the above researches are limited to the classical boundary restraints (clamped, free, simply supported, and shear-diaphragm supported), which requires constant modification of the solution procedure according to the variation of the boundary restraints.

There are many possible boundaries such as nonuniform boundaries, elastic edge boundaries, and point-supported boundaries.


The Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC) is a multi-purpose research facility complex consisting of 3 accelerators and 4 experimental facilities. The Materials and Life science experimental Facility (MLF) is one of experimental facilities of J-PARC, having muon and neutron facilities. At MLF, a pulsed spallation neutron source was built to provide high-intensity and high-quality neutron beams for cutting-edge research on a variety of materials science [1] . It was designed to receive a 3 GeV proton beam with 333 µA, the power of 1 MW, at a repetition rate of 25 Hz. The proton beam is accelerated up to 0.4 GeV by a linac and accumulated in 2 short bunches, and then accelerated up to 3 GeV in the Rapid Cycling Synchrotron (RCS), resulting to have a structure of a 150 ns bunch width with a spacing of 600 ns per 1 macro pulse. The beam extracted from the RCS is delivered to the spallation neutron source through the 3 GeV RCS to Neutron Facility Beam Transport (3NBT) [2] [3] [4] .

At MLF, a pulsed spallation neutron source was built to provide high-intensity and high-quality neutron beams for cutting-edge research on a variety of materials science.

The beam extracted from the RCS is delivered to the spallation neutron source through the 3 GeV RCS to Neutron Facility Beam Transport (3NBT).


The target, moderators and reflector are highly damaged by a high-power operation at 1 MW. Therefore, they must be replaced by full remote-controlled tools before the estimated end of lifetime. Since the lifetime of the target vessel is much shorter than that of the moderators and reflector, different access ways, horizontal access for the target vessel replacement and vertical access for the moderator-reflector system replacement, were selected. This enables us to replace the mercury target vessel without handling the moderators and reflector. The shielding structure surrounding the target-moderator-reflector system, e.g., neutron beam shutter, was determined by three-dimensional Monte-Carlo simulations in which geometry of all components was exactly modelled [7] . In particular, neutron and/or photon streaming through the gap between the components installed side by side were estimated carefully to meet the shielding design criteria that the dose rate was less than 2.5 µSv/h at the biological shield surface. As a result, the diameter of the target station was determined as 10 m with additional heavy weight concrete with a thickness from 2 to 2.5 m as biological shield, while the height was set to 10 m including an open space of 1.8 m for the neutron shutter drive devices.

The shielding structure surrounding the target-moderator-reflector system, e.g., neutron beam shutter, was determined by three-dimensional Monte-Carlo simulations in which geometry of all components was exactly modelled.


In order to complete our discussion it would be valuable to give an accurate estimate of the accuracy of our formulae. Such an estimate would involve the order of magnitude of the terms that have been dropped in the derivation of our asymptotic formula (2) . These terms are of a very complicated nature, and such an estimate would be difficult to obtain. They go on to provide a heuristic analysis of the error and demonstrate its accuracy for particular values of the parameters. While giving the reader a general sense of the accuracy for large values of n, there are no hard error bounds akin to Equation (1) .

Such an estimate would involve the order of magnitude of the terms that have been dropped in the derivation of our asymptotic formula.

While giving the reader a general sense of the accuracy for large values of n, there are no hard error bounds akin to Equation.


In accordance with results linking occupation and current smoking status, results from this study showed that Malaysians with low socioeconomic status had greater smoking rates than those with high socioeconomic status. This pattern is similar to other countries. It is likely that individuals with low education, low level occupation, and low income have less access to adequate health care information and face financial difficulties that increase their stress levels, making them more susceptible to partake in unhealthy lifestyle or health risks such as smoking. Previous studies have shown that smoking is often used as a coping mechanism to deal with stress [57] . Therefore, social disparities in smoking need to be addressed into future health policies.

Previous studies have shown that smoking is often used as a coping mechanism to deal with stress.


The new approaches have proposed company-wide performance evaluation methodologies and an interface of formal control mechanisms with informal mechanisms to increase the potential of the decision-making processes (Cravens et al., 2004; Pitkänen and Lukka, 2010) . Some new MCS have also complemented the formal control systems with informal mechanisms to encourage people to behave in accordance with managerial expectations (Jordão, 2009) . In this sense, the model proposed by BSC can be perceived as part of an MCS by integrating these perspectives both for formal and informal control, as well as due to the important role in the process of strategic implementation.

The new approaches have proposed company-wide performance evaluation methodologies and an interface of formal control mechanisms with informal mechanisms to increase the potential of the decision-making processes.

Some new MCS have also complemented the formal control systems with informal mechanisms to encourage people to behave in accordance with managerial expectations.


In recent years, the model known as Balanced Scorecard (BSC) contributed to help organizations to establish actions aligned to a value creating strategy (Moore, 2003) . In addition, BSC contributes to meet the shareholder, employee and customer expectations, as well as to the improvement of service, internal processes, learning and innovation. Norton and , based on a study including almost 300 executives, stated that the capability to strategy execution is, probably, more important than strategy quality.

In recent years, the model known as Balanced Scorecard (BSC) contributed to help organizations to establish actions aligned to a value creating strategy.


Understanding the processes underlying insufficiency progression in patients with ascending aortic pathologies, as well as the aortic root structure and function, has become the basis for the development and implementation of extravalvular exoprosthetic repair of the aortic root (the Florida sleeve procedure), a new approach to valve-sparing surgery for the aortic root. The Florida sleeve technique allows aortic root reconstruction to be combined with aortic valve annuloplasty. In addition, the use of this procedure makes it possible to strengthen the aortic root and sinuses of Valsalva, and to repair the sinotubular junction, and to preserve the stereometry of aortic root components [6] . It also eliminates the need for reimplantation of coronary arteries, cutting out the sinuses, and fixing the commissures, which in turn reduces the risk of bleeding and potential torsion of coronary arteries during reimplantation. Therefore, if aortic insufficiency is accompanied by an aneurysm of the aortic root, we would recommend reimplantation or the Florida sleeve technique. Regardless of the technique used to repair the dilated aortic root, the cusps must coapt above the level of the nadir of the aortic annulus and the coaptation length must be at least 4 mm in the central part of the valve [11] . Although the aortic valve closes at the end of systole mainly due to lowering of the axial pressure difference, also the pooling of blood into the aortic sinuses may be involved in the diastolic closing phase. The aortic valve is exposed to laminar shear stress on the ventricular side when the blood flows past the leaflets during systole, and to oscillatory shear stress on the aortic side when blood pools into the sinuses during diastole. The diastolic coronary flow partially induces laminar shear stress over the left and right cusps, whereas the flow over the non-coronary cusp may be solely oscillatory. Interestingly, an echocardiographic study identified the non-coronary cusp as firstly affected by thickening, suggesting that lower laminar shear stress, in the absence of diastolic coronary flow, may accelerate valvular thickening [12] . The axial pressure acts on the basis of the aortic cusp. A surgical procedure (according to the El Khoury method: a sub-commissural annuloplasty, plication of the free edge of the cusp, shaving the leaflet, enucleated nodular calcifications, and commissurotomy) may result in tightness of the aortic valve. Oscillatory shear stress mostly affects the native tissue.

In addition, the use of this procedure makes it possible to strengthen the aortic root and sinuses of Valsalva, and to repair the sinotubular junction, and to preserve the stereometry of aortic root components.

Regardless of the technique used to repair the dilated aortic root, the cusps must coapt above the level of the nadir of the aortic annulus and the coaptation length must be at least 4 mm in the central part of the valve.

Interestingly, an echocardiographic study identified the non-coronary cusp as firstly affected by thickening, suggesting that lower laminar shear stress, in the absence of diastolic coronary flow, may accelerate valvular thickening.


These existing standards, although rigorous, have been developed based on the capabilities of traditional manufacturing processes. The aim of this paper is to highlight the need in current tolerancing standards and to suggest possible means of specifying tolerances to parts that are manufactured using AM processes. The notion of specialized tolerance specification standards is not new. There are existing standards for tolerance specification related to parts produced using casting, forging and molding [7] . In the following sections a brief summary of AM capabilities and the role and status of tolerance specification are presented.

There are existing standards for tolerance specification related to parts produced using casting, forging and molding.


The effectiveness of the proposed control scheme is studied by a number of numerical techniques. For this purpose, bifurcation diagrams and basins of attraction are computed for various dynamical scenarios with a practical relevance. Furthermore, the performance of the linear augmentation control law is analyzed in terms of integral indices related to the expenditure of energy due to the control signals and the behavior of the error during the transient phase after the controller is activated. To study in detail the effect of the system and control parameters on these performance indices, numerical continuation methods for non-smooth dynamical systems were applied via the continuation platform COCO [34] . Our numerical study revealed a compromise between the performance indices when the parameters are adjusted. Specifically, optimizing one index may lead to unsuitable values of the other, as is common in many practical cases. To investigate this issue further, we used COCO's capabilities to introduce parameter constraints during continuation in order to generate a family of curves in a two-dimensional space defined by the main control parameters. In this way, we were able to systematically determine parameter values yielding optimal control for given energy constraints, and one path of future research may be the implementation of the proposed optimization scheme to more involved mechanical systems and the experimental verification of the numerical predictions.

To study in detail the effect of the system and control parameters on these performance indices, numerical continuation methods for non-smooth dynamical systems were applied via the continuation platform COCO.


The characteristics of seawater are distinguishable into two main categories; conservative and non-conservative. Conservative characteristics are those which are unaffected by the biological productivity of the system, such as temperature and salinity. Non-conservative characteristics are those produced by the biological productivity of the system such as nutrients, dissolved oxygen and chlorophyll a (Badran & Al-Zibdeh, 2005; Giordani et al., 2005) . Modifications in the water temperature caused by the run-off of cooling water or fresh water, which can be easily detected using self-recording sensitive and reliable equipment, are extremely significant because they directly affect biological productivity. Modifications of non-conservative characteristics can be either natural or anthropogenic. These are usually more difficult to detect, particularly in the oligotrophic waters. They are, however, essential determinants in a monitoring program because they shape the biological productivity of the system and consequently the ecosystem biodiversity.

Non-conservative characteristics are those produced by the biological productivity of the system such as nutrients, dissolved oxygen and chlorophyll a.


The aim of this paper is to study the open version of HFFVRP. In residential and commercial waste collection, there are several applications of the HFFVRP [6] . In this problem, vehicles commonly have different capacities and a specific vehicle is used when the actual service at a location must be completed such as a side loader with mechanical arms which picks up the trash cans. As a result, in logistic operations, decisions relating to routing heterogeneous fleets of vehicles are frequently taken into consideration [7] . The difference between the open HFFVRP and the HFFVRP is the fact that a solution of the former consists of a set of Hamiltonian paths, rather than Hamiltonian cycles [8, 9] . On the other hand, the OVRP is not very realistic since most companies have heterogeneous fleets of vehicles. If using heterogeneous fixed fleet as constraints are assumed for the OVRP, we call the problem a heterogeneous fixed fleet open vehicle routing problem (HFFOVRP) which is a relaxation of the standard OVRP. In the HFFOVRP, the fleet is composed of several vehicle types. Unlike the VRP, the number of vehicles of each type is limited [10] . Moreover, the vehicles have different capacities, fixed costs, and variable costs per unit distance. The idea of this problem is not only to consider the routing of the vehicles but also to take into account the composition of the vehicle fleet. This problem is more practical in distribution management and transportation [11] . In more detail, the HFFOVRP appears in situations where the fleet is purchased: it combines tactical decisions (selecting the number of vehicles to be acquired) and operational ones (computing the trips and the vehicles assigned to them).

In residential and commercial waste collection, there are several applications of the HFFVRP.

As a result, in logistic operations, decisions relating to routing heterogeneous fleets of vehicles are frequently taken into consideration.

The difference between the open HFFVRP and the HFFVRP is the fact that a solution of the former consists of a set of Hamiltonian paths, rather than Hamiltonian cycles.

Unlike the VRP, the number of vehicles of each type is limited.

This problem is more practical in distribution management and transportation.


The overarching idea is that many linear programs like HFFOVRP are too large to consider all the variables explicitly [18] . Since most of the variables will be nonbasic and assume a value of zero in the optimal solution, only a subset of variables need to be considered in theory when solving the problem. Column generation leverages this idea to generate only the variables which have the potential to improve the objective function-that is, to find variables with negative reduced cost (assuming without loss of generality that the problem is a minimization problem). So, the column generation is one of the effective algorithms in order to solve an NP-hard problems.

The overarching idea is that many linear programs like HFFOVRP are too large to consider all the variables explicitly.


A lot of antibiotics have been widely used in animal feeds for improving animal production and preventing diseases. Due to the side effects of antibiotics, such as bacterial patience and resistance to antibiotics, and its residue in meat, egg and milk, there is almost universal agreement that animal production must move away from the use of antibiotics and other chemicals (Christensen, 2000) . It is imperative to find a product without antibiotic while maintaining or even increasing production efficiency. Researches have shown that Lactobacillus is one of the ideal probiotics in improving production, controlling pathogenic microorganisms, and reducing diarrhea in pigs, especially for newly weaned or artificially reared pigs (Pollmann et al., 1980) . At present, phytase produced by the transformed microorganisms has been added in almost all the diets of non-ruminant animals as feed additive. How to reduce cost and improve phytase effetiveness in animal gut becomes more and more important. In order to find an alternative economical method to supply phytase for animals, phytase gene has been successfully over-expressed in Lactobacillus cacei (L. cacei) in our laboratory , which was the first report to combine phytase and probiotic together. The transformed L. cacei with phytase gene is able to survive in animal gut and excrete phytase once it is ingested by animals. It will have both functions of phytase and probiotics. The aim of this research was to determine the effect of the transformed L. cacei on pig production performance, nutrient digestibility, etc., so as to verify whether it can become a new kind of feed additive for animal feeding in the future.

Due to the side effects of antibiotics, such as bacterial patience and resistance to antibiotics, and its residue in meat, egg and milk, there is almost universal agreement that animal production must move away from the use of antibiotics and other chemicals.

Researches have shown that Lactobacillus is one of the ideal probiotics in improving production, controlling pathogenic microorganisms, and reducing diarrhea in pigs, especially for newly weaned or artificially reared pigs.


Though the question is important, the answer is not yet clear-cut as the interpretation of the relationship between the number of children and mother's work is complicated by endogenous fertility decisions. Ignoring individual unobserved heterogeneity such as preferences for childbearing and career ambition, ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions may overestimate the impact of fertility on female labor force participation (Agüero and Marks, 2008) . In addition, the effect running from female labor force participation to fertility decisions indicates the presence of reverse causality (Mishra and Smyth, 2010) .

Ignoring individual unobserved heterogeneity such as preferences for childbearing and career ambition, ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions may overestimate the impact of fertility on female labor force participation.

In addition, the effect running from female labor force participation to fertility decisions indicates the presence of reverse causality.


Indigenous buildings in warm-humid regions are often marked by increased permeability to allow cross ventilation where wind is given a pathway through the structure. Openings should be large, with similarly sized inlets for wider circulation of air [5, 6] . A hot-humid climate, such as that of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, requires a passive cooling solution that helps eliminate the energy use of active air conditioning systems. Providing a hybrid system (passive/active) is fundamental in a building that boasts environmental stewardship. However, unlike mechanical ventilation, the desired conditions for natural ventilation (i.e., air temperature, humidity, velocity, and quality) are often less predictable and controllable due to the complexity of the influencing factors. In the early building design stage, it is sensible to optimize the building form and window openings as much as possible to ensure best conditions for natural ventilation and airflow through the building structure.

Openings should be large, with similarly sized inlets for wider circulation of air.


Providing a healthy living, working or education environment that promotes thermal and olfactory comfort is essential for the performance and satisfaction of the users. Natural ventilation is a passive technique that helps remove foul air and moisture, as well as provide occupants with thermal comfort under certain conditions. It is a key factor in preventing the spread of airborne illnesses, while reducing the CO 2 concentration in a space [1] . Compared to mechanical ventilation, natural ventilation requires little technical effort, maintenance, and above all, energy use [2, 3] . However, some risks, such as outdoor air pollution, noise, and dust may arise and must be prevented [4] .

It is a key factor in preventing the spread of airborne illnesses, while reducing the CO 2 concentration in a space.

Compared to mechanical ventilation, natural ventilation requires little technical effort, maintenance, and above all, energy use.

However, some risks, such as outdoor air pollution, noise, and dust may arise and must be prevented.


The spectral comb of the generated 10 GHz repetition rate of the sinc-shaped Nyquist pulses are shown on Fig 2(b) , while temporal waveform of the 500 MHz repetition rate pulse train is depicted in Fig 2(a) . Note that due to the limited 50 GHz bandwidth of the telecom band photodetector, the impulse response is observed. ) shows spectra recorded at the output of the HNLF and the TDF for an average pump power of 35 dBm. The attenuation and its tilt were taken into account and actual powers are displayed. The continuum observed at the output of the HNLF results from cascaded Raman generation up to the third order, as well as soliton compression on the generated Stoke propagating in the anomalous dispersion regime [8] . This second effect leads to the generation of spectral components out of the gain region of the Raman Stokes. At the 3 rd Raman spectral region, 10 dB more power spectral density (PSD) is obtained compared to the 1 st and 2 nd Raman Stokes spectral region, maximizing the power of the seed signal at the input of the TDFA stage.

The continuum observed at the output of the HNLF results from cascaded Raman generation up to the third order, as well as soliton compression on the generated Stoke propagating in the anomalous dispersion regime.


Finally, the thermodynamic model of bounded rationality suggests a notion of intelligence that is closely related to the process of evolution. It was already mentioned that bounded rational controllers of the form (3.2) share their structure with Bayes' rule, which in turn shares its structural form with discrete replicator dynamics that model evolutionary processes [92] . In such evolutionary processes, a population of samples are pushed through a fitness function (likelihood, gain function) that biases the distribution of the population, thereby transforming a distribution p 0 to a new distribution p. In this picture, different hypotheses x compete for probability mass over subsequent iterations, favouring those x that have a lower-than-average This study was supported by the DFG, Emmy Noether grant no. BR4164/1-1.

It was already mentioned that bounded rational controllers of the form (3.2) share their structure with Bayes' rule, which in turn shares its structural form with discrete replicator dynamics that model evolutionary processes.


Thermodynamics provides a framework for bounded rationality that can be both descriptive and prescriptive. It can be descriptive in the sense that it describes behaviour that is clearly suboptimal from the point of view of a perfectly rational decision-maker with infinite resources. It can be prescriptive in the sense that it prescribes how a bounded rational actor should behave optimally given resource constraints formalized by β. Ultimately, it might even be possible to connect computational processes of bounded rational decision-makers with real physical processes, for example, by relating the generated entropy to energy requirements [40] .

Ultimately, it might even be possible to connect computational processes of bounded rational decision-makers with real physical processes, for example, by relating the generated entropy to energy requirements.


A similar cable-driven design concept can be followed in the lower extremity prostheses design to extend the controllable degrees of freedom (DOFs) beyond state of the art. Currently available ankle-foot prostheses are capable of controlling the ankle joint in only a single DOF in the sagittal plane. These prostheses improve the quality of life of amputees and are designed to increase mobility. However, turning plays a major role in activities of daily living and account for an average of 25% of steps, ranging from 8% to 50% of all steps depending on the activity [2] . Turning requires modulation of ankle impedance in the sagittal and frontal planes to control lateral and propulsive ground reaction forces in order to accelerate the body center of mass along the gait path, resulting in increased lateral and propulsive impulses when compared to a straight step [3] . As a result, turning strategies for amputees and nonamputees are different. Non-amputees rely on hip movement in the frontal plane and moment generation at the ankle joint, while amputees using passive prostheses rely on hip extension in the sagittal plane to compensate for the lack of forward propulsion from their passive prosthesis [4] [5] [6] [7] . This data suggests that the next generation of ankle-foot prosthesis can benefit from designs that are capable of functioning in both the frontal and sagittal planes. A cable-driven mechanism seems to be a suitable solution to overcome the weight, size, and profile constraints while introducing a second actuation component. An ankle-foot mechanism capable of impedance modulation and power generation in both the sagittal and fontal planes allows the user to turn in arbitrary directions and walk on slopes that will increase their agility.

However, turning plays a major role in activities of daily living and account for an average of 25% of steps, ranging from 8% to 50% of all steps depending on the activity.

Turning requires modulation of ankle impedance in the sagittal and frontal planes to control lateral and propulsive ground reaction forces in order to accelerate the body center of mass along the gait path, resulting in increased lateral and propulsive impulses when compared to a straight step.

Non-amputees rely on hip movement in the frontal plane and moment generation at the ankle joint, while amputees using passive prostheses rely on hip extension in the sagittal plane to compensate for the lack of forward propulsion from their passive prosthesis.


Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) have also been documented to possess optical and electronic properties well suited for biomedical engineering applications [20] . It has been reported that GQDs can effectively inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria by generating reactive oxygen species upon photoexcitation [21] . However, though such particles share many physical and chemical properties with GOs, GQDs demonstrated no appreciable toxicity in one mouse model [22] .

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) have also been documented to possess optical and electronic properties well suited for biomedical engineering applications.

It has been reported that GQDs can effectively inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria by generating reactive oxygen species upon photoexcitation.

However, though such particles share many physical and chemical properties with GOs, GQDs demonstrated no appreciable toxicity in one mouse model.


The study of the mixed problem in Lipschitz domains appears as problem 3.2.15 in Kenig's CBMS lecture notes [16] . Recall that simple examples show that we cannot expect to find solutions with the gradient in L 2 of the boundary. For example, the function Re √ z on the upper half-plane has zero Neumann data on the positive real axis and zero Dirichlet data on the negative real axis but the gradient is not locally square integrable on the boundary of the upper halfspace. This appears to present a technical problem as the standard technique for studying boundary value problems has been the Rellich identity which produces estimates in L 2 .

The study of the mixed problem in Lipschitz domains appears as problem 3.2.15 in Kenig's CBMS lecture notes.


With the Hardy space results in hand, we establish the existence of solutions to the mixed problem when the Neumann data is in L p (N ) and the Dirichlet data is in the Sobolev space W 1,p (D). This is done in sections 6 and 7 by adapting the reverse Hölder technique used by Shen to study boundary value problems for elliptic systems [29] . The novel feature in our work is that we are able to substitute an estimate in Hardy spaces while Shen's work begins with existence in L 2 .

This is done in sections 6 and 7 by adapting the reverse Hölder technique used by Shen to study boundary value problems for elliptic systems.


Ion beam sources have been widely used in the field of science and industry such as substrate cleaning, DLC film deposition and surface modification [20, [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] . Anode layer type linear ion source (ALIS) is a kind of closed drift type linear ion sources promoted by the plasma acceleration technology of the aerospace thruster [30] . As a large-area surface treatment technique, the ALIS is a gridded ion source 2 Journal of Nanomaterials with simple electrode structure, which can provide a higher ion beam current density and readily be scaled to any desired length [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] .

Ion beam sources have been widely used in the field of science and industry such as substrate cleaning, DLC film deposition and surface modification.

Anode layer type linear ion source (ALIS) is a kind of closed drift type linear ion sources promoted by the plasma acceleration technology of the aerospace thruster.

As a large-area surface treatment technique, the ALIS is a gridded ion source 2 Journal of Nanomaterials with simple electrode structure, which can provide a higher ion beam current density and readily be scaled to any desired length.


Semi-structured interviews were conducted to allow for some set questions to be covered while giving leeway to probe issues further based on the interviewee's discussion (Kumar, 1996) . Interviewees were chosen based on a preliminary survey and importance of organizations in Saudi Arabia. This is due to the fact that these organizations are in an appropriate position to give accurate details on barriers to OEGR (Niosi, 2006) . Key officials were selected from these organizations based on their job position and the degree of their organizations' experience in electronic services provisions. Fifteen interviews were completed in this study (See Table 1 ). Access to these key officials was arranged through referrals from contacts in the related organizations. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed for facilitating the accurate source of comments (Ticehurst & Veal, 2000) . In addition, it allowed the researcher to establish rapport with the interviewee through face-to-face contact, information assimilation and effective questioning (Blaxter et al., 2001) . The content of the interviews was analyzed thematically. Codes were developed as patterns in the data emerged and were helpful in identifying and analyzing patterns of themes (Carson et al., 2001; Miles & Huberman, 1994) .

Semi-structured interviews were conducted to allow for some set questions to be covered while giving leeway to probe issues further based on the interviewee's discussion.

This is due to the fact that these organizations are in an appropriate position to give accurate details on barriers to OEGR.

Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed for facilitating the accurate source of comments.

In addition, it allowed the researcher to establish rapport with the interviewee through face-to-face contact, information assimilation and effective questioning.

Codes were developed as patterns in the data emerged and were helpful in identifying and analyzing patterns of themes.


Among persons with cognitive impairment, the attempt to maximize performance by using alternate brain structures or neural networks is conceived of as compensation (Stern, 2003) . Although persons with cognitive impairment may recruit additional resources to compensate for a relatively heightened demand, the amount of reserve available is limited relative to adults without brain damage (Satz, 1993; Stern, 2003) . In addition to the increase in relative demand-to-resource ratio required of persons with cognitive impairment to complete a task, testing at a nonpreferred time also increases the relative difficulty of a task. Persons with cognitive impairment may have adequate reserve to meet increased demands that arise during ideal environmental conditions (i.e., optimal testing time); however, the added tax imposed by a nonoptimal testing time may exceed available reserve to meet the increased demand. Alternatively, it may be that the diminished resources available, or loss of efficiency in neural networks during nonpreferred times, places the individual below the critical minimum of resources needed to perform well.

Among persons with cognitive impairment, the attempt to maximize performance by using alternate brain structures or neural networks is conceived of as compensation.

Although persons with cognitive impairment may recruit additional resources to compensate for a relatively heightened demand, the amount of reserve available is limited relative to adults without brain damage.


The ability to recognize facial emotional expression correctly is a crucial task in social behavior and a key skill in community reintegration post brain injury. Inappropriate behavioral responses to others' emotions can eventually lead to isolation, as others withdraw from interactions with the patient. Such behavioral missteps may strain family relationships, occupational standing, and friendships. Poor community reintegration has been associated with poorer recovery after brain injury and disability generally (Charlifue & Gerhart, 2004; Man et al., 2004; Ponsford, 2004) . Thus, understanding factors that may influence successful emotion decoding is an important focus for clinicians and researchers. Persons with acute stroke have more difficulty interpreting emotional facial expressions at nonpreferred than at preferred times of the day, irrespective of general visual discrimination or facial recognition skills. This finding is important for both assessment and intervention.

Poor community reintegration has been associated with poorer recovery after brain injury and disability generally.


Previous work in this subject has concentrated on the (2+1)-dimensional case [6] . Here we demonstrate that renormalization group flow from Lifshitz spacetime in the UV to AdS spacetime in the IR generalizes to any dimensionality in the marginally relevant case yielding deformations of the pure Lifshitz spacetime. From a thermodynamic perspective, we find that physical quantities such as the ratios s/T (entropy density to temperature), F/T s (free energy density to T s), and E/T s (energy density over T s) exhibit progressively weaker dependence on temperature at sub-leading order in log(Λ z /T ) as dimensionality increases. We also find that the maximal flux of the vector field near the horizon grows linearly with increasing dimension.

Previous work in this subject has concentrated on the (2+1)-dimensional case.


However, for many real-world applications, that involve independent and several simultaneously occurring events, a single changepoint model may not be sufficient. For example, in video surveillance independent objects can enter and exit the scene and we may be interested in infering their trajectory or visual features, given only video data. Another application is in sound analysis and music transcription where independent sound sources occur simultaneously and these need to be separated and segmented jointly [6] . For such scenarios, it is convenient to model each object/source by an independent changepoint model. We call such models factorial changepoint models.

Another application is in sound analysis and music transcription where independent sound sources occur simultaneously and these need to be separated and segmented jointly.


In particular, the existence of non-local correlations, apart from revealing a counter intuitive feature of nature, has led to the development of device-independent protocols for quantum key distribution (QKD), quantum random number generation (QRNG) and verified delegated quantum computation (VDQC) [3, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16] . In these applications two parties, Alice and Bob, do not trust their devices throughout the run of the protocol. Instead, by obtaining non-local correlations between the classical outputs of their devices, they can test their devices and obtain the correct functionality. This is achieved by confirming that the states they were sharing were entangled and measured in such a way that the resulting correlations could not have come from any classical system. Thus, the two parties either obtain a correct and secure result or detect that the devices are working incorrectly (thus being insecure) and abort. Such protocols are highly desired for practical implementation as they provide a higher level of security, unachievable by classical systems. However, there are certain practical issues that hinder their development such as the need for high detection thresholds, high fidelity transmission channels, space-like separation and a high overhead [17, 13] .

In particular, the existence of non-local correlations, apart from revealing a counter intuitive feature of nature, has led to the development of device-independent protocols for quantum key distribution (QKD), quantum random number generation (QRNG) and verified delegated quantum computation (VDQC).

However, there are certain practical issues that hinder their development such as the need for high detection thresholds, high fidelity transmission channels, space-like separation and a high overhead.


To increase the battery pack capacity and to prevent premature battery failures, the battery management system employs various cell balancing techniques. In general, these techniques can be broadly categorized into two types: Passive and active balancing. The passive balancing technique selectively shunts the current around each cell as it becomes fully charged through bypass resistors during a charging cycle [13, 15] . Although this technique is simple and straightforward, a substantial amount of energy is lost as heat in shunt resistors.

The passive balancing technique selectively shunts the current around each cell as it becomes fully charged through bypass resistors during a charging cycle.


Technology integration is the effective use of technology inside the classroom to better facilitate learning and prepare learners of all societies for the digital era. Because of the potential power of ICT, its possibilities and application in education have been widely researched and, as new possibilities emerge, the boundaries of traditional teaching and learning are constantly being moved (Imison & Taylor, 2001) . Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) have become so highly valued in many societies that they dictate the way we communicate, socialise, organise, plan, interact, behave, work and live. They affect all spheres of our lives, and have become indispensable tools to function in modern society in a globalised world (Anderson, 2010) . The on-going infusion of ICTs in schools, driven by the belief that ICTs can play an important part in reforming education and advancing educational goals, has placed pressure on school management teams in many countries to address reform and make ICT a priority in schools (Wong, Li, Choi & Lee, 2008) .

Because of the potential power of ICT, its possibilities and application in education have been widely researched and, as new possibilities emerge, the boundaries of traditional teaching and learning are constantly being moved.

They affect all spheres of our lives, and have become indispensable tools to function in modern society in a globalised world.

The on-going infusion of ICTs in schools, driven by the belief that ICTs can play an important part in reforming education and advancing educational goals, has placed pressure on school management teams in many countries to address reform and make ICT a priority in schools.


There are a large number of parameters that influence the conventional spinning process which may be described either as machine or workpiece parameters. The machine parameters include rotational mandrel speed, roller feed rate, roller design (e.g. roller nose radius), tool surface quality, and material. The workpiece parameters include sheet thickness, initial blank diameter, and material properties. In addition, there are some common measures, these are the relative clearance between the roller and mandrel, contact pressure, friction coefficient, and sliding velocity [1] . It is therefore important to identify the individual parameters and the combination of parameters that most directly affect the process performance.

In addition, there are some common measures, these are the relative clearance between the roller and mandrel, contact pressure, friction coefficient, and sliding velocity.


Multivariate Gaussian and general Gabor systems though are far from being understood. While, for example, it is known that for any g, the Gabor system (g, Λ) = {e 2πiωt g(t − x) : (x, ω) ∈ Λ} is not a frame for L 2 (R d ) if the set Λ has density less than 1, nontrivial positive results for given window functions such as the Gaussian are scarce in the literature [6] . Simultaneously to our work, Gröchenig has started to study of multivariate Gaussian Gabor systems. His focus though is on so-called complex lattices [7] . Here, we provide some results that illustrate the intricate structure of Gaussian Gabor frames in higher dimensions for real lattices.

While, for example, it is known that for any g, the Gabor system (g, Λ) = {e 2πiωt g(t − x) : (x, ω) ∈ Λ} is not a frame for L 2 (R d ) if the set Λ has density less than 1, nontrivial positive results for given window functions such as the Gaussian are scarce in the literature.

His focus though is on so-called complex lattices.


For an arbitrary partition of data into k clusters, the original objects can be projected into two-dimensional space using dimensionality reduction methods (e.g., principal component analysis or multidimensional scaling). Objects belonging to the same cluster can be marked and separation between clusters can be judged visually (Pison, Struyf, and Rousseeuw 1999) . This type of visualization works well only if the dimensionality reduction method preserves a large portion of the dimensions which separate the clusters. The usefulness of the display deteriorates if the separating dimension has a relatively small variability compared to the other dimensions, which becomes more likely as the dimensionality of the data increases.

Objects belonging to the same cluster can be marked and separation between clusters can be judged visually.


Brazil is noted for its fructiferous biodiversity, and the buriti is one of the most abundant fruits in Brazilian territory, presenting great environmental importance and a significant supply of products for rural populations. The moriche palm tree (Mauritia flexuosa L. f.) is from the Arecaceae family, and it may be found in regions ranging from the Amazon forest to the Cerrado (savannah) in several Brazilian states (Lorenzi et al., 2004) . Its fruit, the buriti, has an especial color, flavor and aroma, being greatly appreciated by regional communities located in areas of high production (Darnet et al., 2011) . However, trade in native fruits in Brazil has been expanding to metropolitan areas, due to the demand for natural foods with possible beneficial health effects (Dliveira et al., 2006) .

The moriche palm tree (Mauritia flexuosa L. f.) is from the Arecaceae family, and it may be found in regions ranging from the Amazon forest to the Cerrado (savannah) in several Brazilian states.

Its fruit, the buriti, has an especial color, flavor and aroma, being greatly appreciated by regional communities located in areas of high production.

However, trade in native fruits in Brazil has been expanding to metropolitan areas, due to the demand for natural foods with possible beneficial health effects.


The functional potential of buriti fruits is due in large part to the high levels of bioactive compounds such as carotenoids and total phenolics, which have an important antioxidant action and possible protective effect against free radical damage in the body (Manhães & Sabaa-Srur, 2011; Koolen et al., 2013; Bataglion et al., 2014; Candido et al., 2015) . However, there is a difference in the contents of chemical compounds as a function of the region of origin. This fact reinforces the need for research on native fruits, as a natural resource of chemical compounds, according to the producing regions (Candido et al., 2015) .

The functional potential of buriti fruits is due in large part to the high levels of bioactive compounds such as carotenoids and total phenolics, which have an important antioxidant action and possible protective effect against free radical damage in the body.

This fact reinforces the need for research on native fruits, as a natural resource of chemical compounds, according to the producing regions.


Potato, a principal rotation crop in Hokkaido (the northernmost island of Japan), generates by-products applicable for ethanol production during food processing. Local starchmanufacturing plants use about one million tons of potatoes annually, accompanied by the excretion of pulp corresponding to 10% of fresh tuber (Oda et al., 2002) . However, potato pulp cannot fulfill the requirements for ethanol production. High energy must be used for the gelatinization of residual starch by heating prior to enzymatic hydrolysis. Furthermore, fresh potato pulp is generally available only from September to November, during which potato processing mostly takes place. On the other hand, potato peel and substandard mash can be used as raw materials without further heat treatment from processing plants operating daily throughout the year. The resultant residue following fermentation has been supplied to animals as concentrated feed, such as dried distillers grains with solubles (Stein and Shurson, 2009) .

Local starchmanufacturing plants use about one million tons of potatoes annually, accompanied by the excretion of pulp corresponding to 10% of fresh tuber.

The resultant residue following fermentation has been supplied to animals as concentrated feed, such as dried distillers grains with solubles.


To conclude, we mention that it would be very interesting to study in super no-scale models the higher order corrections in string coupling to the effective potential. This would allow to see wether insisting on the flatness condition would yield additional restrictions on the models. One can also construct super no-scale theories by implementing Z 2 or Z 2 × Z 2 orbifold actions on N = 4 → 0 no-scale models, where each Z 2 admits fixed points [11] .

One can also construct super no-scale theories by implementing Z 2 or Z 2 × Z 2 orbifold actions on N = 4 → 0 no-scale models, where each Z 2 admits fixed points.


At the quantum level, the 1-loop effective potential receives non-trivial corrections. The latter are however under control, at least in the regime of low supersymmetry breaking scale, m 3/2 < cM s , in which case one has V 1-loop = ξ(n F − n B ) m The above formula arises from the contributions of the light KK towers of states associated to the large internal space, and remains valid in the string context we consider even when the no-scale models realize the N = 2 → 0 or N = 1 → 0 breaking. These facts lead us to consider the situation where the numbers of massless fermionic and bosonic degrees of freedom are equal, n F = n B [11, 12] . In this case, V 1-loop vanishes modulo exponentially suppressed terms and we refer to these theories as "super no-scale string models". At the 1-loop level, they satisfy the flatness condition, as well as the absence of dilaton and no-scale modulus tadpoles.

These facts lead us to consider the situation where the numbers of massless fermionic and bosonic degrees of freedom are equal, n F = n B.


The Metro Line 9 in Barcelona is a reference tunneling project due to its total length of shield driven tunnels of more than 40 Km and large excavation diameters (9.4 m and 12.0 m), encountering a wide variety of geological and hydrological conditions (Deulofeu et al., 2007) . The case study corresponds to a neighborhood located at the north of the city, over an area of soft alluvium soils of the Besòs river delta. This zone represents one of the four main residential complexes built in 1929 in order to relocate workers coming from south Spain for the construction works developed for the World Exposition celebrated in the city. Today, a reconstruction of the neighborhood is being done with the demolition of the oldest houses and the relocation of tenants in several new buildings, achieving the most substantial improvement for the neighborhood with the arrival of the Metro Line L9 in 2010.

The Metro Line 9 in Barcelona is a reference tunneling project due to its total length of shield driven tunnels of more than 40 Km and large excavation diameters (9.4 m and 12.0 m), encountering a wide variety of geological and hydrological conditions.


There are several reasons to be interested in the order of the phase transitions for this model. Firstly, let us point out the connection to the topology change between a black hole and a black string [7, 8] . In order to understand it, note that the bosonic matrix model in Eq. (1.1) is the high-temperature limit of two-dimensional maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills (SYM) theory compactified on the spatial circle S 1 . The bosonic matrix model is obtained by shrinking the temporal circle of the two-dimensional SYM theory to a point. Consequently, what is called the "temporal circle" in the bosonic matrix model actually corresponds to the "spatial circle" in the compactified two-dimensional SYM theory. The phase transition we study in this paper is the remnant of center symmetry breaking/restoration along the spatial S 1 in this higher-dimensional theory, which can be regarded as the black hole/black string topology change in the R 1,8 × S 1 spacetime of the dual gravitational description [9] .

Firstly, let us point out the connection to the topology change between a black hole and a black string.

The phase transition we study in this paper is the remnant of center symmetry breaking/restoration along the spatial S 1 in this higher-dimensional theory, which can be regarded as the black hole/black string topology change in the R 1,8 × S 1 spacetime of the dual gravitational description.


At a tourist destination, the context in which information is captured through mobile phones favours risks (monitoring, location data, etc.) being taken more unconsciously and vulnerability in terms of privacy intrusion [8, 9] . Although this is a very important element of debate in understanding the role of digital tourists, the relationship between the perception of risk and the use of mobile phones on holidays is a field rarely studied. The debate surrounding the constraints, limits and barriers to the use of mobile phones in tourist destinations is a fundamental element for their efficient management. However, there is limited empirical analysis and few cases of study.

At a tourist destination, the context in which information is captured through mobile phones favours risks (monitoring, location data, etc.) being taken more unconsciously and vulnerability in terms of privacy intrusion.


Regression analysis shows that age, risk to privacy, dependence and technology skills are all significant variables. Surprisingly, however, age acted in a way opposite to that hypothesised. Our results demonstrated that age is a factor that positively influences the perceived value of mobile devices. This can be interpreted in a twofold manner. First, our results support other researchers' statements about the use of smartphones in digital marketing, which claim that the existing gap is narrowing, as more consumers from all age groups embrace mobile marketing through increased smartphone penetration [72] . A second interpretation, complementary to the previous one, involves older generations' perceptions of the utility value of mobile devices. According to our study, these age groups feel that mobile devices and technology in general provide a useful, previously non-existent solution to problems in their daily life (and tourism activity). Unlike older generations, young people-and digital natives in particular-do not seem to expect as much from technology, because they do not see them as disruptive innovation but rather a natural, everyday tool. A future area of study could include in-depth analysis of the observed differences between tourist age groups in order to better understand the factors that explain the differences in their perceptions of technology and mobile devices.

First, our results support other researchers' statements about the use of smartphones in digital marketing, which claim that the existing gap is narrowing, as more consumers from all age groups embrace mobile marketing through increased smartphone penetration.


The rest of the variables were not statistically significant. Our findings with regard to gender are consistent with several studies on Internet use that point out that gender differences have virtually disappeared [73] . Surprisingly, however, tourists' travel experience and previous knowledge about the destination were not significant variables. A possible interpretation of this result is that risk perception of mobile devices does not follow a learning process, but instead is consistent with an intrinsic consequence of pleasure, fun and unawareness of risk in the tourist experience.

Our findings with regard to gender are consistent with several studies on Internet use that point out that gender differences have virtually disappeared.