One of the most important future problem is to find a flow from CFT to CFT. One simple realization of this kind of flow is adding flavour to the defect fields. This correspond to preparing the multiple D5-branes. Another way is to consider the defect connecting two different CFTs. This correspond to consider the bent D5-brane [5] .

This correspond to consider the bent D5-brane.


MicroRNAs (miRNAs) is a large family of small noncoding RNAs that negatively regulate target messenger RNA (mRNA) by interacting with complementary sites in the 3 0 -untranslated region (UTR) of mRNA molecules [9] . Various studies have demonstrated that miRNAs play a vital role in allergic airway inflammation [10] . Notably, miR-19a is upregulated in T cells from asthmatic subjects, and it promotes TH2 cytokine production and airway inflammatory signaling by direct targeting of the signaling inhibitors PTEN(phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10) [11] . PTEN has been widely identified as the key gene involved in the initiation, proliferation and metastasis of tumor cells [12] . In addition, miR-21 modulates human airway smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration in asthma by targeting PTEN [13] . Moreover, PTEN can exert its role as a suppressor by negatively regulating the PI3K(phosphatidylinositol(PI) 3-kinase)/Akt signaling pathway [14] . The PI3K/Akt signaling pathway has been shown to be involved in the proliferation, hypertrophy and migration of ASM cells [15] . Based on the aforementioned data, we hypothesized that HMGB1 exerts direct effects on the proliferation and migration of ASM cells in vitro by modulating the miR-19a/ PTEN/AKT axis. Therefore, the present study aimed to confirm this hypothesis.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) is a large family of small noncoding RNAs that negatively regulate target messenger RNA (mRNA) by interacting with complementary sites in the 3 0 -untranslated region (UTR) of mRNA molecules.

Various studies have demonstrated that miRNAs play a vital role in allergic airway inflammation.

Notably, miR-19a is upregulated in T cells from asthmatic subjects, and it promotes TH2 cytokine production and airway inflammatory signaling by direct targeting of the signaling inhibitors PTEN(phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10).

PTEN has been widely identified as the key gene involved in the initiation, proliferation and metastasis of tumor cells.

In addition, miR-21 modulates human airway smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration in asthma by targeting PTEN.

Moreover, PTEN can exert its role as a suppressor by negatively regulating the PI3K(phosphatidylinositol(PI) 3-kinase)/Akt signaling pathway.

The PI3K/Akt signaling pathway has been shown to be involved in the proliferation, hypertrophy and migration of ASM cells.


Cereal grains and their by-products are important ingredients in poultry diet. Cereals are the main components of complete feeds that may be contaminated with mycotoxins, secondary metabolites of moulds (Binder et al., 2007) . Feed spoilage by moulds may result in heating, reduced palatability and loss of nutritive value (Christensen, 1974) . Among various mycotoxins, aflatoxins (AF) are often encountered in feed ingredients even at high concentrations in many parts of the world under different environmental conditions (Jelinek et al., 1989) . Among avian species, goose is the most sensitive to the prooxidant effect of mycotoxins, followed by duck and chicken, while the most sensitive indicators are liver, blood plasma, and red blood cells (Mézes et al, 1999) .

Cereals are the main components of complete feeds that may be contaminated with mycotoxins, secondary metabolites of moulds.

Feed spoilage by moulds may result in heating, reduced palatability and loss of nutritive value.

Among various mycotoxins, aflatoxins (AF) are often encountered in feed ingredients even at high concentrations in many parts of the world under different environmental conditions.

Among avian species, goose is the most sensitive to the prooxidant effect of mycotoxins, followed by duck and chicken, while the most sensitive indicators are liver, blood plasma, and red blood cells.


Technological advances during the last decades in intensive care medicine made it possible to treat an increasing number of high risk surgical patients. Nevertheless, many patients awaiting elective surgery experience diffuse anxiety and a lack of subjective predictability regarding their stay on the intensive care unit. The psychological elements that become salient in the perioperative situation can be characterized as loss of control, irritation and uncertainty. These psychological elements are also known for contributing to postoperative complications such as delayed wound healing and an increased intake of sedatives and analgesics [1] . In addition, the strange and unfamiliar situation on the ICU in combination with sleep deprivation and ICU-noises is closely related with the incidence of a postoperative delirium also called ICU-Syndrome [2, 3] . In a preliminary study it was shown that only 16% of the asked patients felt sufficiently informed and prepared for their ICU-stay [4] .

These psychological elements are also known for contributing to postoperative complications such as delayed wound healing and an increased intake of sedatives and analgesics.

In addition, the strange and unfamiliar situation on the ICU in combination with sleep deprivation and ICU-noises is closely related with the incidence of a postoperative delirium also called ICU-Syndrome.

In a preliminary study it was shown that only 16% of the asked patients felt sufficiently informed and prepared for their ICU-stay.


In Japan, engineering and materials/chemistry inventions in universities typically arise from collaborations with large companies, limiting opportunities for spin-off company or start-up company formation or for licensing to small companies (Kneller 2007) . There are varieties of TT and knowledge transfer activities between the economic developed countries, like the UK and Japan, which are not appropriate for the Bayh-Dole-like model. But there is not any recent literature which compares the UK and Japan.

In Japan, engineering and materials/chemistry inventions in universities typically arise from collaborations with large companies, limiting opportunities for spin-off company or start-up company formation or for licensing to small companies.


Cloud computing offers many benefits for companies, public institutions and individuals willing to store and process their data in the cloud, such as, dynamically scalable resources, improved agility and manageability, scalability, availability and universal data access independently of geographical location, thus providing computational power and flexibility. Most important, cloud computing generally implies costs savings since it reduces infrastructure and maintenance costs, thus providing cheap storage capacity and computing. In relation to this, IBM forecasted 60% of the big organizations are ready to embrace cloud computing in the next years [1] .

In relation to this, IBM forecasted 60% of the big organizations are ready to embrace cloud computing in the next years.


Due to the economic and environmental bene�ts, developing chemical synthesis processes using renewable resource becomes increasingly important [1] . From the green chemistry point of view, the use of CO 2 as feedstock in synthesis and industrial applications plays an important role in the protection of environment because it is a primary greenhouse gas which contributes to global warming, and the emission of CO 2 from combustion into the atmosphere continues to rise [2, 3] . Without action toward stemming CO 2 emissions, global warming could pose a massive threat to our modern life; crop failure due to changing climates, increasingly common freak weather conditions, and loss of habitat are all potential consequences of humans carbon-rich lifestyle which are already becoming apparent [4, 5] .

Due to the economic and environmental bene�ts, developing chemical synthesis processes using renewable resource becomes increasingly important.

From the green chemistry point of view, the use of CO 2 as feedstock in synthesis and industrial applications plays an important role in the protection of environment because it is a primary greenhouse gas which contributes to global warming, and the emission of CO 2 from combustion into the atmosphere continues to rise.

Without action toward stemming CO 2 emissions, global warming could pose a massive threat to our modern life; crop failure due to changing climates, increasingly common freak weather conditions, and loss of habitat are all potential consequences of humans carbon-rich lifestyle which are already becoming apparent.


The E.ON Energy Research Center (Germany) also developed a single borehole model for single U-tube and coaxial type [11] . The pipe model is connected to an axially and radially discretized cylindrical ground model. A fixed temperature boundary condition is used for the ground model. The model does not take the dynamics of the grout into account and multiple borehole simulation is not possible.

The E.ON Energy Research Center (Germany) also developed a single borehole model for single U-tube and coaxial type.


Several models are implemented in TRNSYS. The Superposition Borehole Model (SBM), developed by Hellström, gives a detailed three-dimensional model for the transient thermal process in a borefield which has been implemented into TRNSYS [16] . The model can simulate single or multiple, vertical or inclined boreholes. The dynamics of the BHX is not taken into account and the computation time is very high. The Duct Heat Storage model (DST), developed by Hellström, calculates the transient thermal process for multiple borehole configurations, uniformly positioned in a cylindrical volume. The model does not take the dynamics of the BHX into account but it is fast and it calculates the interaction between the boreholes (it uses pre-computed g-functions obtained by the SBM). Its TRNSYS implementation (type 557) can be used together with a separate program called BORE to calculate the borehole thermal resistance depending on the flow rate and the temperature [16] .

The Superposition Borehole Model (SBM), developed by Hellström, gives a detailed three-dimensional model for the transient thermal process in a borefield which has been implemented into TRNSYS.

Its TRNSYS implementation (type 557) can be used together with a separate program called BORE to calculate the borehole thermal resistance depending on the flow rate and the temperature.


The studies of environmental factors that affect product performance have focused on environmental simulation test before the operational process [23] . These methods exposed the defects of product components by the reliability enhancement testing. The adaptability of product was improved according to the scheduled test environment. The existing fault diagnosis and maintenance techniques are mostly oriented to device components or the system itself but not deep enough to the environmental factors stress which causes the failure [24] .

The studies of environmental factors that affect product performance have focused on environmental simulation test before the operational process.

The existing fault diagnosis and maintenance techniques are mostly oriented to device components or the system itself but not deep enough to the environmental factors stress which causes the failure.


All images were tested in two modes: on a leaveone-out basis, and on a per-document basis. The latter involves removing from the training set any images which originate from the same document, as discussed earlier. Classification was performed using the PyMVPA library [8] . The k-nearestneighbour (k-nn) classifier (one of the most commonly used in writer identification) was tested for 1 ≤ k ≤ 5 using the Euclidean distance, as well as a Sparse Multinomial Logistic Regression classifier [9] . Each experiment was run 4 times and the results averaged.

Classification was performed using the PyMVPA library.

The k-nearestneighbour (k-nn) classifier (one of the most commonly used in writer identification) was tested for 1 ≤ k ≤ 5 using the Euclidean distance, as well as a Sparse Multinomial Logistic Regression classifier.


Inspired by the TTC approaches, this paper presents a novel approach to obtain Collision Risk Estimation (CRE) based on PCC from a monocular camera. Acting as a complement, a region-merging algorithm is also implemented which aims to represent homogeneous image regions. These image regions are matched to reduce the Pearson's variation. From an adaptation to the Pearson's method we obtain the interest points. Finally, in order to find the obstacle direction, we propose an interactive thresholding algorithm based on Otsu thresholding method (OTM) [28] . Our method does not take into account the relative acceleration between the host car and the subject "object", neither its distance nor its velocity.

Finally, in order to find the obstacle direction, we propose an interactive thresholding algorithm based on Otsu thresholding method (OTM).


The goal of the Grand Challenge was the development of an autonomous robot capable of traversing unrehearsed, offroad terrain [1] . For the Urban Challenge, the goal of the system was to drive a car, autonomously, in a city environment, with way crossings and with static and dynamic obstacles [2] . On the other hand, driven by the high number of vehicles in all over the world, the ADAS systems emerged to help the driver in its driver task [3] . Examples of such a system are: autonomous cruise control, laser-based systems, radar-based systems, collision avoidance system and precrash system [7] .

The goal of the Grand Challenge was the development of an autonomous robot capable of traversing unrehearsed, offroad terrain.

For the Urban Challenge, the goal of the system was to drive a car, autonomously, in a city environment, with way crossings and with static and dynamic obstacles.

On the other hand, driven by the high number of vehicles in all over the world, the ADAS systems emerged to help the driver in its driver task.

Examples of such a system are: autonomous cruise control, laser-based systems, radar-based systems, collision avoidance system and precrash system.


Two interruption moderators were used to design this experiment. Rarity is implemented into limited time and limited quantity. Mental accounting is operated into pay less and gets more. In order for clarity of the respondents the conditions of the questionnaire, this study manipulated four product types. In this experimental design, the pretest measurements are omitted because the participants are measured only once and its simplicity of this design makes it more attractive than the pretest-posttest control group design (Cooper, Schindler, & Sun, 2003) . In this study, we designed an experiment as two constraints of rarity which are limited time and limited quantity situation (Gierl et al., 2008) . Limited time is explained that the online page indicates "Limitation only in Children's Day or Valentine's Day", which means that it will appear only during a special season, on a special holiday or in one short period of time. Limited quantity means the online page indicates "limited 100 products/services or only five groups", which means that the quantity of goods is fixed and is no longer available after being sold out.

In this experimental design, the pretest measurements are omitted because the participants are measured only once and its simplicity of this design makes it more attractive than the pretest-posttest control group design.

In this study, we designed an experiment as two constraints of rarity which are limited time and limited quantity situation.


Multimedia tools and applications have greatly benefited from multimodal interfaces such as speech recognition and touch-based surfaces, which allow more transparent, flexible, efficient and expressive interaction with machines [36] . In particular, interaction on touch-sensitive screens is considered to be a direct form of user interface, where information control and display are unified in an intuitive manner [1] . Furthermore, nowadays most smartphones use multi-touch screen technology; thus, given the popularity of mobile devices, touch-based user interfaces have become the most pervasive interaction paradigm between people and computers. Nonetheless, touch-based interfaces may be a challenge for most visually impaired people, especially for users who have been totally blind since infancy [18] . For example, some gestures may require complicated finger movements or the coordination of several fingers in order to carry out an action (i.e., text editing). These gestures can be difficult to perform on a handheld device screen, especially when there is no feedback other than visual cues. Still, with the replacement of physical keys by virtual keys, touch-based interaction has become the main means of interaction with most smartphones. For instance, assistive technologies such as integrated screen readers for iOS and Android may require many touch-based commands, with numerous gestures to be learned. Unlike interaction with desktop platforms, visually impaired users do not have easy access to a mouse or a QUERTY-like physical keyboard to control their smartphone screen readers.

Multimedia tools and applications have greatly benefited from multimodal interfaces such as speech recognition and touch-based surfaces, which allow more transparent, flexible, efficient and expressive interaction with machines.

In particular, interaction on touch-sensitive screens is considered to be a direct form of user interface, where information control and display are unified in an intuitive manner.

Nonetheless, touch-based interfaces may be a challenge for most visually impaired people, especially for users who have been totally blind since infancy.


Rivaroxaban was shown to be associated with a significantly higher drain volume than low-molecular-weight heparin, aspirin and coumadin. Aspirin in combination with rivaroxaban increased drain volume over rivaroxaban alone and resulted in the greatest blood loss. Our study results contrast previous reports showing no significant difference between low-molecular-weight heparin and rivaroxaban and may reflect the surgeon effect on thrombophylactic preference not accounted for by multivariable analysis [26] . The patients continuing coumadin in the peri-operative period with an INR of 2 on the day of surgery was associated with a lower drain volume than patients treated with low-molecular-weight heparin and rivaroxaban. The practice of continuing coumadin without cessation in patients already taking the medication pre-operatively or in patients with previous history of pulmonary emboli was utilized by both surgeons and supports a growing trend that perioperative bridging therapy and coumadin cessation may not be necessary or the most effective strategy in patients undergoing TKA [27] .

Our study results contrast previous reports showing no significant difference between low-molecular-weight heparin and rivaroxaban and may reflect the surgeon effect on thrombophylactic preference not accounted for by multivariable analysis.

The practice of continuing coumadin without cessation in patients already taking the medication pre-operatively or in patients with previous history of pulmonary emboli was utilized by both surgeons and supports a growing trend that perioperative bridging therapy and coumadin cessation may not be necessary or the most effective strategy in patients undergoing TKA.


Five-axis numerical control (NC) machining has become an important technique for high-efficient machining the complex surface parts [1] . Compared with traditional three axis NC machining, five-axis NC machining can greatly improve the tool accessibility by changing the tool orientation and possess the superiority in high speed and high precision machining [2] . But one main factor affecting the five axis high speed and high precision machining is the smoothing problem of tool path. Most of the CAM software use the way that a series of linear segments approximate the complex surface to generate five axis tool path, which is composed of lots of discrete tool positions [3] . So the five axis tool path is linear segment and will result in the tangency and curvature discontinuity that appear at the junction of adjacent segments. During the machining, the tangential velocity will be mutation or be equal to zero at the corner of the adjacent segments so that greatly effects the machining efficiency and machining quality [4, 5] .

Five-axis numerical control (NC) machining has become an important technique for high-efficient machining the complex surface parts.

Compared with traditional three axis NC machining, five-axis NC machining can greatly improve the tool accessibility by changing the tool orientation and possess the superiority in high speed and high precision machining.

Most of the CAM software use the way that a series of linear segments approximate the complex surface to generate five axis tool path, which is composed of lots of discrete tool positions.

During the machining, the tangential velocity will be mutation or be equal to zero at the corner of the adjacent segments so that greatly effects the machining efficiency and machining quality.


Hence, geometrical smoothing of the linear tool path must be achieved first to guarantee the smooth motion and avoid the frequent acceleration/deceleration. Once the linear tool path is smoothed, velocity planning can be performed using the jerk continuous planning method to produce the smooth cutting movement along the tool path [6] . As a result, cutting efficient and machining quality will be improved significantly.

Once the linear tool path is smoothed, velocity planning can be performed using the jerk continuous planning method to produce the smooth cutting movement along the tool path.


Plasticity is one of the most important clay properties that are related to different parameters. The most disaggregated clay minerals with major ionic exchange capability are more plastic. Montmorillonitic minerals are most plastic, then illitics, and least kaolinitics. In each of this group exists significant variability of characteristics, crystalline structures, particle size distribution and specific surface, with a major capability to absorb water [5] . The ability of clay minerals to attract strongly water molecules to form a slurry and mud is used in the paint and pottery/ceramic industries as a carrier and shaping of ceramic products respectively [2] .

In each of this group exists significant variability of characteristics, crystalline structures, particle size distribution and specific surface, with a major capability to absorb water.

The ability of clay minerals to attract strongly water molecules to form a slurry and mud is used in the paint and pottery/ceramic industries as a carrier and shaping of ceramic products respectively.


The industrial utilization of a clay deposit depends on its geological, mineralogical, chemical and physical properties. The assessment of economic potentialities of a clay body must involve the evaluation of the separameters [6] . Some of the commonest and important applications of clays are in the manufacture of paper, paint, plastics, ink, roofing sheets, pottery, bricks, ceramics, floor tiles and rubber. Clays also find various applications in the manufacture of cement, fertilizers and insecticides [7] . They are used in advanced chemical processing because of their reactivity and catalytic activity [8] . Clays are also utilized in pharmaceuticals and food processing industries [9] . Some of these applications require the processing or the blending with other materials so as to improve on some desired characteristics of the finished product [10] .

The assessment of economic potentialities of a clay body must involve the evaluation of the separameters.

Clays also find various applications in the manufacture of cement, fertilizers and insecticides.

They are used in advanced chemical processing because of their reactivity and catalytic activity.

Clays are also utilized in pharmaceuticals and food processing industries.

Some of these applications require the processing or the blending with other materials so as to improve on some desired characteristics of the finished product.


The novelty of our approach is in combining industrial symbiosis (IS) with sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) concepts for CE implementation. In IS, diverse organizations are engaged with the aim of reducing resource use, by sharing resources, using wastes for secondary raw materials and fostering eco-innovation (Lombardi and Laybourn, 2012) . While previously applied only to eco-industrial parks, recent IS applications are no longer limited by geographical co-location. There are multiple mechanisms to connect partners and develop mutually beneficial relationships (Lombardi and Laybourn, 2012) .

In IS, diverse organizations are engaged with the aim of reducing resource use, by sharing resources, using wastes for secondary raw materials and fostering eco-innovation.

There are multiple mechanisms to connect partners and develop mutually beneficial relationships.


More experience needs to be developed in CE implementation for a range of geographic scales including urban, regional, national and global scales. In this paper we introduce a method for CE implementation suitable for urban and regional scales. The method builds upon the idea of economic clusters formation, providing a range of benefits for the involved organizations and for the region where they operate (Martin and Sunley, 2003; St. John and Pouder, 2006) .

The method builds upon the idea of economic clusters formation, providing a range of benefits for the involved organizations and for the region where they operate.


IS and SSCM can be applied to CE development because they aspire to the CE goal of improving sustainability of resource use. Both concepts deal with interorganizational relationships based on material and energy flows and also share the approach of closing material loops. Yet, despite the common ground, the cross-pollination between the two concepts is still new (Liu et al., 2018) .

Yet, despite the common ground, the cross-pollination between the two concepts is still new.


The Simulated Car Racing competition (SCR 1 ) aims to design a controller in order to race competitors on various unknown tracks. This competition is based on The Open-source Racing Car Simulator (TORCS 2 ). Both scripted and evolutionary approaches can be used to control the virtual car. Within the frame of the 2015 competition that was held during GECCO2015, we have improved the approach based on gene regulation evolved with a genetic algorithm firstly presented at the previous edition in 2013 [21] . The SCR competition involves virtual car driver competing on 12 tracks, each of them having different properties (shape, track adherence, etc.). The virtual drivers can be hand-written scripts, optimized scripts or learning agents. For each track, the competitors first run alone for 5 laps (warm-up) during which they can learn the track. Then, the competitors run for a qualifying session during which they have to race against the clock in 5 laps. This qualifying session determines the starting order of the final round: the race. During this stage, all the competitors are running at the same time for 5 laps. The competitors are evaluated on this race based on the Formula One point system. The championship is composed of 12 of these races and the winner is the driver with the maximum number of points.

Within the frame of the 2015 competition that was held during GECCO2015, we have improved the approach based on gene regulation evolved with a genetic algorithm firstly presented at the previous edition in 2013.


The objective of this paper is to determine if, in the Asian banking sector, equity market information can complete accounting information to predict banks' financial distress. The paper also looks into the reliability and stability of market indicators given the presence of balance sheet structure effects. Indeed, it may be more difficult for market participants to assess the financial health of banks heavily involved in loan activities as they are supposed to be more opaque (Diamond, 1984) . By contrast, banks heavily relying on market funding may be more accurately scrutinized by the market. Using eight Asian countries as a point of study, this paper also aims to further investigate potential differences between banks from the tiger economies and banks from emerging markets.

Indeed, it may be more difficult for market participants to assess the financial health of banks heavily involved in loan activities as they are supposed to be more opaque.


Central BP can be directly measured only using a pressure sensor or catheter inserted into the aorta. This procedure is invasive and can lead to complications. Recently, central BP has been evaluated noninvasively by mathematically transforming the radial artery pulse waveform to the aortic pulse waveform [15, 16] . However, the clinical significance of central BP, which can be measured easily by automated applanation tonometry, has not been fully elucidated. More data are needed to establish and differentiate the clinical utility of central BP using automated applanation tonometry or brachial BP as a surrogate marker in predicting CV events in T2DM.

Recently, central BP has been evaluated noninvasively by mathematically transforming the radial artery pulse waveform to the aortic pulse waveform.


The dental pulp is a specialized loose connective tissue composed of cells and extracellular matrix (ECM). The main cells type of dental pulp are the fibroblasts, responsible for the synthesis and secretion of the ECM [1] . ECM is not simply a scaffold, which would stabilize the physical structure of the tissue itself, but it also has an important role in the adhesion, mobility, spreading, proliferation, and differentiation of the pulpal cell population [2] [3] [4] . ECM of pulp tissue comprises a variety of proteins and polysaccharides that are secreted locally, forming a neat network. Matrix macromolecules include collagenous proteins like type I (col I), III and IV collagens, noncollagenous proteins such as fibronectin (FN), tenascin -C (TNC), osteonectin (ONEC), osteopontin and osteocalcin, proteoglycans, and phospholipids [5] .

The main cells type of dental pulp are the fibroblasts, responsible for the synthesis and secretion of the ECM.

ECM is not simply a scaffold, which would stabilize the physical structure of the tissue itself, but it also has an important role in the adhesion, mobility, spreading, proliferation, and differentiation of the pulpal cell population.

Matrix macromolecules include collagenous proteins like type I (col I), III and IV collagens, noncollagenous proteins such as fibronectin (FN), tenascin -C (TNC), osteonectin (ONEC), osteopontin and osteocalcin, proteoglycans, and phospholipids.


With the technical improvement and wide application of silicon wafers, the PV industry has been growing very quickly in the past few decades [3] . This turns solar power into electricity with the advantages of being renewable, clean and easy to install. According to the European Photovoltaic Industry Association, global PV capacity reached 138.9 GW at the end of 2013 [4] . Compared to the capacity of 23 GW in 2009, the growth rate is up to 500%. From EPIA (European Photovoltaic Industry Association)'s analysis, a PV plant of this capacity can generate 160 terawatt hours of electricity, which is equal to the energy supply of 32 large fossil fuel power stations, and it can provide electricity to 45 million European residents.

With the technical improvement and wide application of silicon wafers, the PV industry has been growing very quickly in the past few decades.

According to the European Photovoltaic Industry Association, global PV capacity reached 138.9 GW at the end of 2013.


From a global perspective, the European PV industry started earlier than the rest of the world. Spain's PV industry grew rapidly in the very beginning, and then was followed by Germany and Italy. The European PV industry reached its peak in 2011. In 2013, Europe reached a PV capacity of 81.5 GW and took first place in the world, and Germany has the biggest capacity among all European countries [4] . The PV industry in China grew quickly in recent years. In 2013, the new installation was 11,800 MW, which was the highest in the world. Figure 1 shows the accumulated capacity and incremental capacity of 2013 from a global view. For Mainland China, installed PV plants are mainly concentrated systems, but the government is also working on developing distributed ones. By the end of 2014, Gansu Province, Qinghai Province and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region had the top three largest accumulated capacities, which are presented in Figure 2 [5] .

In 2013, Europe reached a PV capacity of 81.5 GW and took first place in the world, and Germany has the biggest capacity among all European countries.

By the end of 2014, Gansu Province, Qinghai Province and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region had the top three largest accumulated capacities, which are presented in Figure 2.


The multiple-objective method is widely used in decision-making processes with multiple evaluation indicators, especially when some of the indicators conflict [36] . One of the most common evaluation methods for multiple-objective projects is the entropy weight TOPSIS method. We used the entropy weight method to allocate weight to indicators and sorted the evaluation objects with the TOPSIS method.

The multiple-objective method is widely used in decision-making processes with multiple evaluation indicators, especially when some of the indicators conflict.


The inclusion of the effect of backreaction of the matter fields on the spacetime metric makes the condensate even harder to form. We find that our results are in very good agreement with the existing numerical results [46, 43] . We also derive an expression for the condensation operator in d-dimensions and then analyse the effects of the Born-Infeld and Gauss-Bonnet parameters in the presence of back reactions in d = 5 dimensions. Our results agree wonderfully with the available numerical results in the literature. The mean field value of 1/2 for the critical exponent is obtained in our analysis.

We find that our results are in very good agreement with the existing numerical results.


In this paper, we shall study the properties of holographic superconductors in higher dimensions in the framework of Born-Infeld electrodynamics away from the probe limit using the SL eigenvalue approach. In particular we obtain the relation between the critical temperature and the charge density of holographic superconductors in d-dimensions in the framework of Einstein and GB gravity and then study the d = 5 case. We have presented the plots of T c vs. ρ 1/3 which clearly show that the inclusion of any of the parameters, namely, the Born-Infeld parameter, the GB coupling parameter and the back reaction of the matter fields on the spacetime metric makes the scalar hair formation harder. Our analytical results agree with studies carried out in the literature using the matching method [43] . We further investigate the relation between the condensation operator and the critical temperature. We compute an expreesion for the condensation operator in d-dimensions and then study the effects of the Born-Infeld and Gauss-Bonnet parameters in the presence of back reactions in d = 5 dimensions.

Our analytical results agree with studies carried out in the literature using the matching method.


Similar to the energy management system (EMS) in the main grid, the EMS of MG includes day-ahead power scheduling and real-time energy management [10] . Based on distributed generation availability, load forecasting, the purchasing/selling electricity price (forecasted clearing price in the power market), the MG control center optimally schedules the power output of DGs, ES, and controllable load the next day. The schematic is shown in Fig. 2 . Moreover, the ultra-short term load forecasting is implemented to help adjust the day-ahead operation scheduling to reduce the errors in real-time MG EMS.

Similar to the energy management system (EMS) in the main grid, the EMS of MG includes day-ahead power scheduling and real-time energy management.

The schematic is shown in Fig. 2 .


As an essential element of modernizing power grids to form future smart grids, distributed generations (DGs) have developed rapidly in recent years. Serving as the buffer between DGs and the main grid, the microgrid (MG) mitigates the impact of the randomness and intermittency of DGs on external grid [1] . By coordinately controlling DGs and energy storage (ES), the MG is able to À efficiently manage and control a large number of DGs, and`maximize economic and environmental benefits [2] .

Serving as the buffer between DGs and the main grid, the microgrid (MG) mitigates the impact of the randomness and intermittency of DGs on external grid.

By coordinately controlling DGs and energy storage (ES), the MG is able to À efficiently manage and control a large number of DGs, and`maximize economic and environmental benefits.


The algorithms and techniques for day-ahead energy management and optimal scheduling in the MGs with DGs and ES controls have been discussed [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] . If there are high cost dispatchable sources in the MG, such as diesel generators or micro-turbines (MTs), the operational economic efficiency becomes more important and the objective is to minimize total cost or maximize the generation profit. Due to the high-energy cost of dispatchable sources, the principle of determining power generation based on heat/cold amount is applied in grid-connected MG. In this case, ES can be a useful tool for MG EMS. The electricity market restructuring brings various price mechanisms, which make energy management and optimal control of grid-connected MGs a hot topic for both academia and industry.

The algorithms and techniques for day-ahead energy management and optimal scheduling in the MGs with DGs and ES controls have been discussed.


A variety of molecules have been identified in the complicated network system of protein synthesis, such as Guanine triphosphate (GTP), ribosome, initial factors, elongation factors and termination factors. In protein translational elongation process, elongation factor 1 A (EF1A) contributes to the binding of aminoacyl-tRNA to the A site of ribosome at the presence of GTP and maintaining EF1A-GTP concentration in tRNA channeling which EF1βγ subunits were for exchange of GDP/GTP (Sanders et al., 1993) . The elongation factor 2 promotes the translocation of tRNA with the nascent polypeptide from the A-site to the P-site of the ribosome (Joseph and Noller, 1998) .

In protein translational elongation process, elongation factor 1 A (EF1A) contributes to the binding of aminoacyl-tRNA to the A site of ribosome at the presence of GTP and maintaining EF1A-GTP concentration in tRNA channeling which EF1βγ subunits were for exchange of GDP/GTP.

The elongation factor 2 promotes the translocation of tRNA with the nascent polypeptide from the A-site to the P-site of the ribosome.


Various indicators are used to assess the utilization of oral and dental health services, including the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMF) index. The DMF index is the most important index of oral health status used worldwide in epidemiological studies [13] . This index can determine the number of teeth that need treatment for caries; it is also used to determine the number of teeth that have been lost because of decay [7] . Data obtained using this index can be utilized to assess the oral health of communities and to design relevant programs and policies. For example, the data obtained from the assessment of this index can be used as a measure to evaluate caries prevention programs, such as adding fluoride to the water and distributing syrup or liquid fluoride among students. The results of such studies might also pave the way for the delivery of oral health services and other prevention programs [14, 15] .

The DMF index is the most important index of oral health status used worldwide in epidemiological studies.

This index can determine the number of teeth that need treatment for caries; it is also used to determine the number of teeth that have been lost because of decay.

The results of such studies might also pave the way for the delivery of oral health services and other prevention programs.


Sea ice buildup and decay in coastal regions have a great effect on the local human activities such as marine navigation and transportation, local economy such as fishing and oil and gas exploration and production, and even local ecosystem. In view of economical marine navigation and transportation, prompt knowledge of the timing of the opening of the Arctic seaway will help save money and time for North Atlantic ships going to East Asia because the Arctic seaway is about one-quarter distance shorter than the route through the Panama and Sues Canals. Grounded ice and ice ridges formed at the border of fast ice can pose as a great barrier for offshore oil and gas exploration (Divine et al., 2004) . In the aspect of local ecosystem, it was found that the algal assemblage north of Drygalski Ice Tongue, in the western Ross Sea, Antarctica, is most closely associated with Fragilariopsis curta (a diatom common in stratified ice edge zones), suggesting that water column seeding by species melting out of coastal sea ice is important in the area (Cunningham and Leventer, 1998) . Ice edge upwelling in the marginal ice zone can break down stratification formed from previous melting season and bring up nutrients to the photic zone for the coming spring phytoplankton bloom (Okkonen and Niebauer, 1995) . A number of spe-cies of marine birds and mammals that need open water, including leads, to access the benthos for feeding also rely on pack ice to reduce winds and dampen waves to live among fragmented floes in the marginal ice zone (Hunt, 1991; Hunt et al., 1996; Stirling, 1997; Bump and Lovvorn, 2004) . The spacing, size, and duration of open water will directly affect the foraging activities or even the survival of these spices. During the buildup, decay, and breakup time, dynamic motion of massive sea ice and landfast ice can jeopardize the oil and gas platforms and ships and disrupt transportation schedule. On the other hand, buildup and decay patterns of coastal sea ice may also indicate the climate and oceanic current dynamics. Accurate and effective detection and monitoring can provide useful information and feedback for climate and oceanographic modeling and prediction.

Grounded ice and ice ridges formed at the border of fast ice can pose as a great barrier for offshore oil and gas exploration.

In the aspect of local ecosystem, it was found that the algal assemblage north of Drygalski Ice Tongue, in the western Ross Sea, Antarctica, is most closely associated with Fragilariopsis curta (a diatom common in stratified ice edge zones), suggesting that water column seeding by species melting out of coastal sea ice is important in the area.

Ice edge upwelling in the marginal ice zone can break down stratification formed from previous melting season and bring up nutrients to the photic zone for the coming spring phytoplankton bloom.

A number of spe-cies of marine birds and mammals that need open water, including leads, to access the benthos for feeding also rely on pack ice to reduce winds and dampen waves to live among fragmented floes in the marginal ice zone.


The maintenance of low inflation and or price stability has been the focus of many countries since evidence abound that sustained and predictable high rates of inflation can have adverse effects on economic growth or real sector activities [1] . Although there is no general consensus on the effect of inflation on growth, several empirical studies have found that inflation negatively affect the real sector [2] . Of particular interest is a study on both industrialized and developing countries on the inflation growth nexus which found the existence of a threshold level of inflation beyond which the inflation growth relationship is negative [3, 4] .

The maintenance of low inflation and or price stability has been the focus of many countries since evidence abound that sustained and predictable high rates of inflation can have adverse effects on economic growth or real sector activities.

Although there is no general consensus on the effect of inflation on growth, several empirical studies have found that inflation negatively affect the real sector.

Of particular interest is a study on both industrialized and developing countries on the inflation growth nexus which found the existence of a threshold level of inflation beyond which the inflation growth relationship is negative.


New to this study was the visual Go/NoGo task, which did not reveal between-group differences. This finding is consistent with other studies that employed visual tests of executive function to compare language groups [12, 13] . Because we tested participants in both, auditory and visual modalities, we were able to determine that enhanced inhibition in bilinguals is modality specific and favors the auditory over the visual. Moreover, these findings are consistent with animal studies investigating the link between sensory plasticity and cortical inhibition [17, 18] . Results are also consistent with ERP studies suggesting that NoGo N2 reflects modality specific inhibition [9, 10] . If experience-dependent changes in inhibition processes occurred broadly, we would expect to see greater NoGo N2 amplitude across the two modalities in bilinguals compared to monolinguals, and this was not the case. Lastly, our results reveal that the N2 ERP component is a sensitive marker of neural inhibition and useful for distinguishing bilinguals and monolinguals.

This finding is consistent with other studies that employed visual tests of executive function to compare language groups.

Moreover, these findings are consistent with animal studies investigating the link between sensory plasticity and cortical inhibition.

Results are also consistent with ERP studies suggesting that NoGo N2 reflects modality specific inhibition.


Another important aspect for safety-critical avionics systems is that smart transducers interfaces must respect strict constraints to meet high reliability requirements imposed by regulations and standards. Generally, system level hardware redundancy is the solution for designing reliable and fault tolerant systems. However, this solution may lead to a higher complexity, size, weight, and power consumption. Moreover, in a distributed environment where smart transducers interfaces are deployed close to the sensing and actuation elements, hardware redundancy-based fault tolerance complicates fault diagnosis and isolation [2] . Thus, smart transducer interfaces with embedded fault detection and diagnosis capabilities are needed to achieve fault tolerance with minimum hardware and to guarantee effective redundancy management.

Moreover, in a distributed environment where smart transducers interfaces are deployed close to the sensing and actuation elements, hardware redundancy-based fault tolerance complicates fault diagnosis and isolation.


An experimental prototype of a solar chimney power plant was assembled and tested at the University of New Mexico, USA, on the roof of the mechanical engineering building to maximize exposure of the apparatus to wind. The chimney proper (3 m tall) was constructed from a stack of 40 motorcycle and scooter tyre inner tubes (figure 4) glued together following the proportional design scheme [10] . The apparatus was designed to serve as a proof of principle for the inflatable tower concept, and to provide performance benchmarks for numerical modelling under realistic insolation and wind conditions; thus, all the testing of wind resistance and dynamics was done outside. During the experiments, the chimney was exposed to a variety of weather conditions, including sustained winds exceeding 20 m s −1 . With higher values of overpressure, the tower demonstrated remarkable stability; unfortunately, deflections are very hard to measure in that case. Thus, in what follows, we concentrate on data collected at a modest overpressure of 0.17 atm, which is far below the maximum rated pressure for the inner tubes in excess of 30 psi-or about 2 atm. This lower overpressure leads to a variety of interesting behaviours. Below, we focus on the static deflections only. The overall viability of the inflatable-chimney design has been demonstrated, with even the small prototype producing measurable power and continuing operation after sunset because thermal storage elements under the greenhouse (water bladders) continued to release heat accumulated during the day. Moreover, the chimney survived some very strong winds, with gusts up to 27 m s −1 .

The chimney proper (3 m tall) was constructed from a stack of 40 motorcycle and scooter tyre inner tubes (figure 4) glued together following the proportional design scheme.


Various authors evaluate the self-reported data in alcohol research as reliable [53] [54] [55] . Tourangeau and colleagues even concluded that self-reported data is more reliable in the absence of a research confederate [56] . However, as an extra means to check data integrity, we included a social desirability scale, to measure whether these tendencies occur in our research population.

Various authors evaluate the self-reported data in alcohol research as reliable.

Tourangeau and colleagues even concluded that self-reported data is more reliable in the absence of a research confederate.


A common use of learning systems in education is the wide range of multimedia functionalities, which offer many features that can enhance student learning. One study uses computers' multimedia capabilities to lend a sensory component that help reinforce concepts and appeal to a wider variety of approaches to learning [31] . It is highlighted that graphical aspects help students visualize two-and three-dimensional geometric figures and represent mathematical ideas such as the nature of arithmetic versus exponential growth. It is further emphasized that students can make conjectures and experiment with these graphical representations to see the results. Another team of researchers has also explored the use of technology to explore the impact of multimedia resources situated in a national e-learning portal to improve overall science learning experiences [7] .

One study uses computers' multimedia capabilities to lend a sensory component that help reinforce concepts and appeal to a wider variety of approaches to learning.

Another team of researchers has also explored the use of technology to explore the impact of multimedia resources situated in a national e-learning portal to improve overall science learning experiences.


Vegetable oils with high viscosity indices, low volatility and a high flash point have been applied in a series of applications as lubricants and additives in polymer, coatings and resins [7] . For example, epoxidized vegetable oil not only improves the stability of the oil, but also provides adequate reactivity to form chemical linkages with other polymer chains. For example, vernonia oil, in conjunction with other epoxidized plant oils, has been used as a plasticizer and stabilizer to modify the properties of plastic resins or to act as a reactive modifier (diluent or toughener) in epoxy resins [11] - [14] .

Vegetable oils with high viscosity indices, low volatility and a high flash point have been applied in a series of applications as lubricants and additives in polymer, coatings and resins.

For example, vernonia oil, in conjunction with other epoxidized plant oils, has been used as a plasticizer and stabilizer to modify the properties of plastic resins or to act as a reactive modifier (diluent or toughener) in epoxy resins.


Already for a long time, plant oils and their derivatives have been used by polymer chemists due to their renewable nature, world wide availability at relatively low price, and their wide application possibilities. In recent year, there has been a large amount of demand for plant oils as an alternative resource for the production of ad-ditive for various applications such as polymer, coating, adhesive and nanocomposite [1] - [5] . The necessity of releasing the polymer industry from its dependence on depleting resources represents a major concern, pushing the search for industrially applicable renewable alternatives. In this case, plant oils offer many advantages apart from their renewability. Their worldwide availability and relatively low prices make them industrially attractive and feasible, as daily demonstrated with industrial oleo chemistry. The largest sources of vegetable oils are annual plants such as soybean, corn, linseed, cottonseed or peanuts. However, other sources are oil-bearing perennials such as the palm, olive or coconut [6] .

In recent year, there has been a large amount of demand for plant oils as an alternative resource for the production of ad-ditive for various applications such as polymer, coating, adhesive and nanocomposite.

However, other sources are oil-bearing perennials such as the palm, olive or coconut.


For the strength, stability and development of the anti-risk capability, the current situation on the high-tech SMEs growth is worrisome. High-tech SMEs growth is fraught with difficulties and hardships, which make the growth become a universal problem [8] . How to evaluate the high-tech SMEs growth is very important. At present, domestic and foreign scholars focus on high-tech SMEs growth study from two aspects [9] [10] . That is, how to establish indicators and which methods are used to evaluate. In this paper, catastrophe theory and improved principal components projection method are used and a mutation series of high-tech SMEs growth evaluation index system is built. Taking Dalian high-tech SMEs as an example, high-tech SMEs growth is evaluated, which contributes to their growth forecast and government to formulate policies to support SMEs developments.

High-tech SMEs growth is fraught with difficulties and hardships, which make the growth become a universal problem.

At present, domestic and foreign scholars focus on high-tech SMEs growth study from two aspects.


European countries are working to improve their energy policies: one of the themes is energy saving. Publication of the 2010/31 EU Directive is proof of the importance of energy saving in buildings. Insulation and/or more efficient technology (for example, condensing boilers, heat pumps or district heating related to a cogeneration power plant) could help reach these goals. There is currently an increased interest in developing a distributed system of smaller-scale facilities at a single location, allowing electricity and heat to be produced and distributed close to the end user and thereby minimizing the costs associated with transportation [1] , [2] . Micro CHP (combined heat and power) for household application falls also within this category. However, micro CHPs face the problem of heat-to power ratio (defined as the ratio between heating demand and electricity consumption) that varies during the day as well as between the seasons due to the different consumption [3] .

There is currently an increased interest in developing a distributed system of smaller-scale facilities at a single location, allowing electricity and heat to be produced and distributed close to the end user and thereby minimizing the costs associated with transportation.

However, micro CHPs face the problem of heat-to power ratio (defined as the ratio between heating demand and electricity consumption) that varies during the day as well as between the seasons due to the different consumption.


Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) are one of the most promising types of fuel cells, particularly regarding energy production. They are expected to produce clean electrical energy at high convention rates with low noise and low pollutant emissions [4] . SOFC stacks will soon enter the commercialization phase, while heat pumps have been available in the market for decades. It therefore would be interesting to integrate these two technologies into a single system, combining the benefits of each system to establish a new technology.

They are expected to produce clean electrical energy at high convention rates with low noise and low pollutant emissions.


Pineapple (Ananas Comosus), a leading member of the family Bromeliaceae comprises about 2,000 species mostly epiphytic and many strikingly ornamental and varies from nearly white to yellow in Color (Morton, 1987) . It is an herbaceous perennial plant which grows to 1.0 to 1.5 m tall with 30 or more trough-shaped and pointed leaves, 30 cm long, surrounding a thick stem. It is a multiple fruit, forming what appears to be a single fleshy fruit. Pineapples contain good sugar proportion which makes it suitable for wine making (Adaikan and Ganesan, 2004) .

Pineapple (Ananas Comosus), a leading member of the family Bromeliaceae comprises about 2,000 species mostly epiphytic and many strikingly ornamental and varies from nearly white to yellow in Color.

Pineapples contain good sugar proportion which makes it suitable for wine making.


Deregulation has evolved in all three sectors of the power system (i.e. generation, transmission, and distribution) from centralized to a decentralized status. One of the main concepts in deregulation is Microgrids which are used at the distribution level [2] . Microgrid, with its decentralized electricity generation, combined with onsite production of heat and cooling, could provide reliable electric power as well as heat and cooling to its consumers at an economic cost. This set is named combined cooling, heat and power (CCHP) system. Nowadays, following the expansion of natural gas networks and also benefits of this energy carrier such as lower emission level and prices, CCHP technologies have attained unprecedented level of popularity as one of the most important distributed energy resources [3] .

One of the main concepts in deregulation is Microgrids which are used at the distribution level.

Nowadays, following the expansion of natural gas networks and also benefits of this energy carrier such as lower emission level and prices, CCHP technologies have attained unprecedented level of popularity as one of the most important distributed energy resources.


The cost of generation of electricity and heat from a CCHP can be classified into capital investment cost, operation and maintenance (O&M) costs and fuel cost. On the other hand, the benefits from the CCHP placement can be classified into power cost and power loss reducetion and significantly decreasing the expected energy not supplied which is a favorable effect in a power system. CCHP can inject its power directly into distribution feeders and by alleviating transmission losses the benefits of power loss reduction become quite clear [6] . Moreover reliability enhancement has received substantial attentions as it reduces the costs of losses incurred by utility customers as a result of power failures [7] .

CCHP can inject its power directly into distribution feeders and by alleviating transmission losses the benefits of power loss reduction become quite clear.

Moreover reliability enhancement has received substantial attentions as it reduces the costs of losses incurred by utility customers as a result of power failures.


The current use of fossil fuels is unsustainable due to its associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the depletion of fossil resources. To mitigate climate change, increase competitiveness and guarantee energy security for the region, the European Union (EU) has decided to transform into a highly efficient, low-carbon economy. The so-called "20-20-20" targets have been set and the key objectives are to reduce GHG emissions by 20% compared to the level of 1990, to reduce the use of primary energy by 20% through energy efficiency measures, and to increase the share of renewable energy within the EU to 20% [1] . Based on the directive for the promotion of the use of renewable resources, Sweden intends to increase the share of renewables in the transportation sector to at least 10% in 2020 [2] .

The so-called "20-20-20" targets have been set and the key objectives are to reduce GHG emissions by 20% compared to the level of 1990, to reduce the use of primary energy by 20% through energy efficiency measures, and to increase the share of renewable energy within the EU to 20%.

Based on the directive for the promotion of the use of renewable resources, Sweden intends to increase the share of renewables in the transportation sector to at least 10% in 2020.


Several efforts have been made to understand the trade-offs between economic development and environmental quality. Investigating the empirical relationship between economic development and environmental quality has been a constant topic of academic research since the emergence of the seminal concept on the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) [1] . The EKC approach deduces the relationship between the level of economic growth of a country or region and the level of environmental degradation measured by various environmental indicators. The EKC hypothesis states that some forms of environmental degradation are triggered by the initial phase of economic development of a region, but a subsequent increase in income in the long run would ultimately improve the environmental quality [10] .

Investigating the empirical relationship between economic development and environmental quality has been a constant topic of academic research since the emergence of the seminal concept on the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC).

The EKC hypothesis states that some forms of environmental degradation are triggered by the initial phase of economic development of a region, but a subsequent increase in income in the long run would ultimately improve the environmental quality.


The dual roles of forests in regulating the atmospheric CO 2 level have been well documented. The total forest area in the world is 3999 million hectares, which acts as a primary reservoir of carbon [6] . Global forests store more than 650 billion tons of carbon, including 296 billion tons in both above-and below-ground biomass, and sequester 8.5 billion tons of CO 2 per year from the atmosphere [6] . On the other hand, deforestation and forest degradation account for about 11% of anthropogenic emissions, equivalent to 5-9 Gt CO 2 e [7] . The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports that land use, land-use change, and forestry account for around 17% of total annual global greenhouse gas emissions [8] . Over 25 years, between 1990 and 2015, carbon stocks in forest biomass decreased by about 17.4 Gt (697 million tons per year), mainly due to conversion to agriculture, settlements, and degradation of forest land [6] . This is an important oversight, given that some developing countries have increased forest carbon stock as they have transitioned from net deforestation to net reforestation in the past decade [9] . For example, over the recent period from 2010 to 2015, annual forest cover gain in China, Chile, the Philippines, and India was 1,542,000 ha, 301,000 ha, 240,000 ha, and 178,000 ha, respectively [6] . Because carbon financing in REDD+ implementation has been put forth as a mechanism for reducing atmospheric CO 2 , it is critically important to understand whether forests are a net carbon sink or source.

The total forest area in the world is 3999 million hectares, which acts as a primary reservoir of carbon.

Global forests store more than 650 billion tons of carbon, including 296 billion tons in both above-and below-ground biomass, and sequester 8.5 billion tons of CO 2 per year from the atmosphere.

On the other hand, deforestation and forest degradation account for about 11% of anthropogenic emissions, equivalent to 5-9 Gt CO 2 e.

The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports that land use, land-use change, and forestry account for around 17% of total annual global greenhouse gas emissions.

Over 25 years, between 1990 and 2015, carbon stocks in forest biomass decreased by about 17.4 Gt (697 million tons per year), mainly due to conversion to agriculture, settlements, and degradation of forest land.

This is an important oversight, given that some developing countries have increased forest carbon stock as they have transitioned from net deforestation to net reforestation in the past decade.

For example, over the recent period from 2010 to 2015, annual forest cover gain in China, Chile, the Philippines, and India was 1,542,000 ha, 301,000 ha, 240,000 ha, and 178,000 ha, respectively.


The past few decades have witnessed significant global efforts in sustainable development as environmental conservation has come to the forefront of international negotiations and policies. An important milestone in those efforts was the "The Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) and Enhancing Carbon Stocks (REDD+)", as it postulated an idea of "payment for environmental services (PES)" [4] . Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the concept of REDD+ envisions a result-based payment system in which the countries that put efforts toward forest conservation would be rewarded for their efforts [5] .

An important milestone in those efforts was the "The Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) and Enhancing Carbon Stocks (REDD+)", as it postulated an idea of "payment for environmental services (PES)".

Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the concept of REDD+ envisions a result-based payment system in which the countries that put efforts toward forest conservation would be rewarded for their efforts.


While economic development brings much needed prosperity in society, it comes at costs to the environment [1] . In particular, natural resources such as forests are under continuous pressure of economic development. Deforestation is a major source of human-induced carbon emissions, second only to fossil fuel combustion. It has reduced the total available acres of forest cover and has resulted in substantial land use change around the world [2] . Non-forestry uses of land, such as harvesting timber for conversion to agricultural land, release a substantial amount of carbon into the atmosphere [3] .

While economic development brings much needed prosperity in society, it comes at costs to the environment.

It has reduced the total available acres of forest cover and has resulted in substantial land use change around the world.

Non-forestry uses of land, such as harvesting timber for conversion to agricultural land, release a substantial amount of carbon into the atmosphere.


Recently, spacecraft with high pointing accuracy and stability gains increasing importance in space missions. For example, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) requires the pointing stability to be less than 0.007 arcsecond within periods up to 24 hours [1] . The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) needs the line of sight motion to be 4 milliarcseconds [2] . The Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph (TPF-C) must also maintain the pointing accuracy to 4 milli-arcseconds in order to meet the minimum science requirements [3] .

For example, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) requires the pointing stability to be less than 0.007 arcsecond within periods up to 24 hours.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) needs the line of sight motion to be 4 milliarcseconds.

The Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph (TPF-C) must also maintain the pointing accuracy to 4 milli-arcseconds in order to meet the minimum science requirements.


A new class of problems called Mathematical Program with Equilibrium Constraints is widely developed for JOP with competitive and hierarchical optimization goals in the last two decades [5] . There are several computational methods for obtaining the Stackelberg solution. The first one is vertex enumeration approach, it is based on the property that an extreme point in a set of rational responses of the follower is also an extreme point in a set of common constraints [2] . However, it will not be applicable when the follower or leader is not in a convex region. Another approach is based on the Karush Kuhn Tucker (KKT) condition and its alternative, Fritz John approach to derive necessary optimality conditions [6] . Furthermore, the other approaches are mostly based on penalty function. They use a smooth method with penalty to convert the original problem into a standard nonlinear programming problem [7, 8, 9] . Although these methods have relatively good results in some non-differentiable and implicit problems which are common in engineering world, they are still slow to converge in case of combination problems. In this paper, a direct search and a stochastic optimization approach are proposed and analyzed for solving combination JOP.

A new class of problems called Mathematical Program with Equilibrium Constraints is widely developed for JOP with competitive and hierarchical optimization goals in the last two decades.

The first one is vertex enumeration approach, it is based on the property that an extreme point in a set of rational responses of the follower is also an extreme point in a set of common constraints.

Another approach is based on the Karush Kuhn Tucker (KKT) condition and its alternative, Fritz John approach to derive necessary optimality conditions.

They use a smooth method with penalty to convert the original problem into a standard nonlinear programming problem.


As a by-product of our calculation (at φ = 0), we determine the n f C F,4 term in the fourloop anomalous dimension of the HQET heavy-quark field. Currently it is only known to three loops [17, 18] . Our result can serve as a non-trivial cross-check of future calculations.

Currently it is only known to three loops.


Considering that the main disadvantage of using fuzzy logic in WSN is a large number of rules (what is not appropriate for energy and memory limited sensor node devices) and that storing a full rule-base on every node might not be reasonable because constantly traversing of a large rule-base might considerably slow down the event detection and drain energy resources, the second approach (less number of rules) appears to be a better choice (compared to approach one). In such way, the fuzzy approach with fewer rules in the rule base enables saving the power as well as life of battery used for WSN node. Thus, it can be stated that by using only the rules which are important for a particular node instead of storing a full rule-base on every node, the power consumption in proposed approaches has been reduced compared to full rulebase approaches (the processor deals with less data [43] [44] [45] ).

Thus, it can be stated that by using only the rules which are important for a particular node instead of storing a full rule-base on every node, the power consumption in proposed approaches has been reduced compared to full rulebase approaches (the processor deals with less data).


Under this condition, some fundamental system parameters of seaborne radars can deviate significantly from their original values which are specified by the standard refractive conditions. These include extending the maximum operation range, creating radar 'holes', and increasing sea surface clutter. However, this unwanted clutter is a rich source of information about the atmospheric environment and can be used to determine the local refractive conditions [1] . This technique is termed RFC, i.e., refractivity from clutter, which has the advantages of using radar itself as the remote sensing device and not needing additional hardware or extra meteorological or electromagnetic measurements.

However, this unwanted clutter is a rich source of information about the atmospheric environment and can be used to determine the local refractive conditions.


In Section 2 we present the Bayesian approach for non-sequential and sequential multicompartment deterministic simulation models. We follow in Section 3 with an application to a one-compartment model for predicting contaminant concentration in soil, including a comparison of the Bayesian approach to the current state-of-the-art method of two-dimensional Monte Carlo (Hoffman and Hammonds, 1994; McKone, 1994; Cullen and Frey, 1999) . This method separates the contributions of uncertainty due to lack of knowledge from variability due to natural heterogeneity in the population of interest or across time and space, but does not use the empirical data on model outputs. Section 4 contains an application to a sequential two-compartment model for predicting contaminant concentration in vegetables. We conclude with discussion.

We follow in Section 3 with an application to a one-compartment model for predicting contaminant concentration in soil, including a comparison of the Bayesian approach to the current state-of-the-art method of two-dimensional Monte Carlo.

We conclude with discussion.


In the 1980s authors began to call for a probabilistic approach to exposure assessment to account for uncertainty (Morgan et al., 1985; Bogen and Spear, 1987; IAEA, 1989; Finkel, 1990) . Our aim here is to present a Bayesian method which accounts for the uncertainty about the values of model inputs and propagates this through to the output. This will be done by using all available relevant information, both application-specific empirical data and expert knowledge. The result will be a posterior distribution for an outcome of interest which accounts for uncertainty and which informs decisionmakers about the range of potential exposure in the population and the associated level of uncertainty.

In the 1980s authors began to call for a probabilistic approach to exposure assessment to account for uncertainty.


Risk is the probability of an adverse outcome, and risk assessment is a process by which an estimate of this probability is obtained. A health risk assessment generally follows four steps: hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment and risk characterization. In the hazard identification step, the potential hazard and its adverse health effects (if any) are identified. The exposure assessment step identifies populations which could be exposed and the pathways by which this may occur. The dose-response step quantifies the relationship between levels of exposure and the level of potential adverse effect (NRC, 1983) . The final risk characterization step involves combining the results of the previous three steps to determine some outcome of interest, for instance, the risk of an adverse health effect for an individual exposed to a contaminant. This article focuses on problems in the exposure assessment phase of a risk assessment. We consider the case in which a deterministic model relates an output, such as contaminant concentration, to a group of inputs.

The dose-response step quantifies the relationship between levels of exposure and the level of potential adverse effect.


Descriptions of the inputs are given in Table 1 . The numerator in Equation (5) represents the mass flux (deposition) of the contaminant from air onto soil. The denominator represents the dilution and decay of the contaminant in the soil (Cullen, 2002) .

The denominator represents the dilution and decay of the contaminant in the soil.


As sources of fresh water are becoming scarcer, new possibilities of sea and brackish water desalination are being investigated. Traditional technologies like reverse osmosis still cover most of the demand due to the high capacity, but issues like brine disposal and energy consumption need to be addressed in order to keep the need for desalination sustainable. Investigation of membrane distillation has gained popularity in recent years. Driven by temperature rather than pressure gradient, MD can concentrate feed solutions to their saturation point without a significant flux decline. The process can be driven by low grade waste heat, including solar and geothermal energy [1] .

The process can be driven by low grade waste heat, including solar and geothermal energy.


The purpose of this study is (i) to integrate existing tracking and classification computer vision methods for automated thermal video data collection under low visibility conditions, nighttime and shadows, and (ii) to evaluate the performance of thermal video sensors under varying lighting and temperature conditions compared to visible light cameras. Performance is evaluated with respect to road user detection, classification, and vehicle speed measurements. Lighting and temperature conditions where each camera outperformed the other are identified to provide practical recommendations for the implementation of video-based sensors. An early version of this paper has been presented previously [14, 15] .

An early version of this paper has been presented previously.


Vibration problems not admitting closed-form eigensolutions are by far the rule rather than the exception. In approximate methods to solve eigenproblems of distributed structures, attaining accurate eigenfunctions is as critical as obtaining accurate eigenvalues. The latter are squares of natural frequencies which are academically the only frequencies with which synchronous motion is possible and practically the frequencies of harmonic forces that generate resonance in the structural response. The former are the distributed amplitude of these synchronic motions and, more importantly, a function-space basis for the structural response to any excitation; more precisely, the expansion theorem establishes that the general response of a continuous system can be written as a linear combination of the system eigenfunctions [3] . Synchronous motion is a free and undamped vibration in which every point of the system executes harmonic motion with the same frequency, and no phase angle; coincidentally, the only initial conditions that imply this natural motion are an initial deformation as an eigenfunction and zero initial velocities. Again, this concept is of educational interest only; in nonclassroom structural systems the eigensolution cannot be attained in closed form and the actual interest is in that the numerical methods yield an accurate eigensolution so that precise natural frequencies and structural response analyses be possible.

The former are the distributed amplitude of these synchronic motions and, more importantly, a function-space basis for the structural response to any excitation; more precisely, the expansion theorem establishes that the general response of a continuous system can be written as a linear combination of the system eigenfunctions.


The genetic analyses of the nine populations showed a high level of differentiation among populations. The coefficient of hierarchical F ST among populations ranged from 0.140 to 0.248. Its mean F ST was 0.186, indicating that 18.6% of the total genetic diversity existed among populations and 81.4% within populations. This result was consistent with the variation models reported in anemophilous pines (Yeh and Layton, 1997) . The high level of interpopulation differentiation might result from the differentiation of habitats, for instance, with respect to climate, temperature, annual rainfall, or landform features. Southwestern China is located in the center area of Himalayan-Hengduan Mountains and is characterized by rolling hills, high peaks, and criss-crossing valleys and canyons. It contains various geographical features and microenvironments. Heterogeneous environments promote maintenance of high genetic diversity due to developmental homeostasis (Lerner, 1954) . Various climate and ecological conditions in these areas have led to a high species diversity and genetic diversity (Peng et al., 2005) . The Himalayan-Hengduan Mountains and surrounding areas are considered to be a new concentration area of temperate and alpine plants due to their geographic and environmental characteristics (Ming et al., 2006; Sun, 2002) . Suitable habitats and little disturbance by human activities might be the main reasons for the high diversity within these walnut populations.

This result was consistent with the variation models reported in anemophilous pines.

Heterogeneous environments promote maintenance of high genetic diversity due to developmental homeostasis.

Various climate and ecological conditions in these areas have led to a high species diversity and genetic diversity.

The Himalayan-Hengduan Mountains and surrounding areas are considered to be a new concentration area of temperate and alpine plants due to their geographic and environmental characteristics.


Almost all over the world, there are demonstrable social gradients in health [4] . And the associations are invariably one-directional, namely that the poorer you are or the lower you are on the social hierarchy, the worse your health is. This is especially true for solid life and death indicators like infant mortality rate, life expectancy, under-five mortality, and likewise. People living in poor countries, at an aggregate level, have shorter life expectancy than more well-off. At the aggregate level, we also know some of the causes of ill health: improper nutrition, poor access and utilization of preventive interventions (immunization coverage), poor housing, more exposure to infectious agents, and so forth. Disparities in health based on socioeconomic status and the nature of social relationships have been demonstrated in different studies in the social and medical sciences [5] [6] [7] [8] . These studies reveal that disparities in health are driven by a complex set of causal processes including largely social determinants. Therefore, social factors (social network, level of education, the status in the social hierarchy, and economic status, etc.) would make people more vulnerable and being at risk of diseases than others. Risk factors could be the number of cigarettes smoked, inability to buy a health insurance, poor knowledge of factors that contribute to exposure, or simply poor ability to own assets. It could also be risky behaviors like unsafe sexual intercourse or eating fat-/carbohydrate-rich foods. These risk factors affect the probability that you get unhealthy or do not get health assistance when you have a disease. To understand how social positioning, poverty, low level of education, and similar things can bring individuals being more at risk (e.g., of disease or death), we need a better close-up understanding about the pathways/mechanisms of social factors that affect health: the limitations and lack of choices people have in concrete health-hazard situations at the microlevel. In order to illustrate how this may be enacted and how different social positions may end up in vastly different endpoints from the same risk position, even in a country that is among the poorest in the world, such as Burkina Faso, we have chosen to look at a common but difficult situation for young women, namely, induced termination of pregnancy.

Almost all over the world, there are demonstrable social gradients in health.

Disparities in health based on socioeconomic status and the nature of social relationships have been demonstrated in different studies in the social and medical sciences.


In recent times, ultra-wide band (UWB) communication technology has become widely used in wireless sensing applications such as structural health monitoring, patient health care monitoring, military surveillance, and smart homes, etc. Owing to its attractive features like lower power consumption, its power spectrum below the noise floor, and its consistency with preexisting wireless technologies, there is a shift of interest among researchers towards the pulse-based UWB communication since narrow-band communication for WSN is afflicted with channel impairments and bandwidth constraints. In a UWB system, the narrow-band signal is a major interferer; however, a significant number of articles have been reported to mitigate these problems [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] .

In a UWB system, the narrow-band signal is a major interferer; however, a significant number of articles have been reported to mitigate these problems.


The main aim of this research paper improves the capability of the software agency by supporting real time data communication and improve the filtering method, the proposed web application was tested based on case study with considering two scenarios i.e., with disturbance and without disturbance. To prove the system's degree of effectiveness, two indicators were defined, and the results showed that the proposed agent-based web application improved the rate of recommendation compared with other platforms, also real time data communication was happening based on Scenario 2 on the whole system, which improved the customization of the system. Furthermore, the proposed system performed better in terms of runtime because the MAS-based system took immediate action to reschedule items whenever the TSC caused strong disturbances. This explains why the recall value on the second scenario was much better than the precision value, because based on real time communication, available packages reduced to 65. Therefore, in the proposed system, the rate of recommendation of the packages improved and performed better than existing system. However, this study has some limitations that helped determine the topics for the future studies. The first limitation is the case study; the case study is not tested for real customers. Therefore, it needs to be further simulated and tested in the general environment. The second drawback is the communication between the proposed system and the TSC, which was not tested via real hotel sector conditions. Thus, a more realistic condition will be tested in the future. Finally, the developed system used a centralized cloud environment that suffered from trust and third-party problems [76] . As such, future work will have developed blockchain-based data sharing and a platform for smart tourism industry to improve the security and trust of this service-based industry. Author Contributions: R.H. conducted the research and prepared the initial draft, methodology section; A.V.B. designed the research methodology, software and co-supervised the research; H.A. applied the statistical analysis and co-supervised; Z.L. supervised the project; all of the authors contributed to the data analysis.

Finally, the developed system used a centralized cloud environment that suffered from trust and third-party problems.


Agent technology has emerged in the last years as a newer and promising paradigm, which is focused on the modelling, design and development of complex systems and software [47] . It has become a leading area of research in AI as well as the focus of a number of major initiatives. Agents, and more generally, multiagent systems (MAS) are allowed to model in a realistic way (i.e., Complex, heterogeneous and distributed software and environments), by assigning an agent to each real-world entity involved in the domain. Therefore, agent-based technology has been introduced in the design and implementation of an intelligent software agency by taking into account the various types of RS [48, 49] . RS and multiagent-based software have been presented by many researchers as a more optimum alternative [17, 18] . In last decade, MAS research field has undergone several advancements and has displayed certain features that have offered a specific solution to this problem. In fact, the MAS has been recommended as an appropriate tool to developed and design autonomous application with high level of intelligent and possibility combine with web application [50, 51] .

Agent technology has emerged in the last years as a newer and promising paradigm, which is focused on the modelling, design and development of complex systems and software.

Therefore, agent-based technology has been introduced in the design and implementation of an intelligent software agency by taking into account the various types of RS.

RS and multiagent-based software have been presented by many researchers as a more optimum alternative.

In fact, the MAS has been recommended as an appropriate tool to developed and design autonomous application with high level of intelligent and possibility combine with web application.


While limited data exists for causes of hospital deaths in Bangladesh, the leading causes of in-hospital death in this study follow those from similar studies [15, 16] . However, the large proportion of adult deaths that were impossible to specify and child deaths due to sepsis was anomalous. Deaths that were impossible to specify can be attributed to physicians having either no or insufficient information to make a diagnosis. Similarly, physicians often diagnose sepsis when clinical features indicate illness of infectious origin, but they cannot make any definitive diagnosis either due to a lack of clear symptoms/signs or a lack of pathological support for making a specific diagnosis.

While limited data exists for causes of hospital deaths in Bangladesh, the leading causes of in-hospital death in this study follow those from similar studies.


Evidence is presented that suggests there are consistent differences between the sexes -with nesting stage and with the species of predator and its mode of approach. The various measures of parental defense examined in this study, i.e., level of response, distraction display distance, and response distance, show that killdeer parental defense correlates with the ability of offspring to gain from defense. The most intense responses, medium and high intensity injury-feigning, were given by both males and females just after hatching. Distances between displaying birds and potential predators were shortest for both sexes around hatching and decreased after hatching as the chicks became more independent. Similar results have been seen in other precocial species (Simmons 1955; Gramza 1967) . However, the overall pattern of risk-taking by killdeer supports both defense models at different stages; during early nesting stages increasing levels of defense are consistent with increasing offspring age ( Fig. 1 b) , while later stages show decreasing levels of defense consistent with decreasing chick vulnerability (Fig. I c) .

Similar results have been seen in other precocial species.


The main result of §4 is Theorem 4.1 which states that the characteristic function of the complement of the reachability set is a viscosity solution of a nonlinear parabolic partial differential equation. Note that although the characteristic function is discontinuous, it solves a second order partial differential equation. This is common in the weak-viscosity theory for geometric flows; [4, 8, 13, 25] .

This is common in the weak-viscosity theory for geometric flows.


Seven PE teachers from two municipalities in central Sweden took part in the interviews. In order to participate, the teachers had to have a teacher education degree in PE, teach and grade students in secondary school (equivalent with years seven to nine in Swedish compulsory school). Grades are given from year six and in order to gather as much grading experience as possible, teachers in secondary school were selected. To increase the diversity of the sample the teachers were chosen in order to represent different schools of different sizes (working alone or with several PE colleagues) from different areas (small village, outskirts or centre of a small and middle-sized town, with different catchment areas). The teachers -four men and three women -had between three and 18 years of teaching experience at the time of the interview. They were informed that their participation was voluntary and that they could withdraw from the study at any time. Pseudonyms are used in order to protect their identity. The teachers chose the location for the interview themselves. Step one involved a RG interview where the teachers reflected on the aspects they considered important for giving a high grade by using the RG technique. This technique can be used to verbalise people's explicit and implicit perceptions of a phenomenon (Fransella, Bell, and Bannister 2004; Svennberg, Meckbach, and Redelius 2014) . It also facilitates access to teachers' tacit knowledge about grading criteria (Björklund 2008) . Even though teachers sometimes find it difficult to specify and describe the characteristics of a student assessed as able in movement, they can often articulate the differences between one student and another if they know their own students well. Each teacher chose seven students who represented all the possible grades in a class they were teaching and grading (Fransella, Bell, and Bannister 2004) . In total 49 students were discussed by the teachers during the seven interviews. The names of the chosen students were written down on pieces of paper and presented to the teacher three at a time. The teacher was asked to explain how two of the students were similar and different from the third in those aspects regarded as significant for grading purposes. The similarities and differences are called constructs. For instance if two students are considered similar in the way that they both understand the principles of the game and get in position and the third student differs in that he remains standing, the construct is: understand the principles of the game and get in position -remains standing. The constructs were written down and new combinations of students were presented until the teacher could no longer come up with new similarities and differences. The two different poles of the constructs help us to understand the meaning of the construct in the specific context (Fransella, Bell, and Bannister 2004) .

This technique can be used to verbalise people's explicit and implicit perceptions of a phenomenon.

It also facilitates access to teachers' tacit knowledge about grading criteria.

Each teacher chose seven students who represented all the possible grades in a class they were teaching and grading.

The two different poles of the constructs help us to understand the meaning of the construct in the specific context.


Almost 32% of wheat culture confronts various types of drought stress during the growth season in developing countries (Shamsi, 2010) . The development of high yielding wheat cultivars is a major objective in breeding programs (Leilah and AL-khateed, 2005) . It is obvious that besides the yield, it is necessary to include some other (adapted) traits related to good resistance to drought into wheat breeding for drought conditions.

Almost 32% of wheat culture confronts various types of drought stress during the growth season in developing countries.

The development of high yielding wheat cultivars is a major objective in breeding programs.


Currently, a large proportion of research on drug metabolism and toxicity of NDs, including nanotoxicity, utilises two-dimensional cell culture models. These 2D models have severe limitations: they lack 'biomimicry' and are unable to provide 3D cellular information that exists in vivo and do not provide robust scientific evidence of nanoparticle effects on humans [21, 22] . Thus, the research interest is shifting towards the use of complex 3D tissue-like models for the assessment of nanotoxicity. These models more closely replicate the natural in vivo environment where cells exist in 3D microenvironments with complex networks of cell-cell interactions for the exchange of nutrients, formation of extracellular matrices and many other vital processes that facilitate the retention of cellular polarity for tissue organisation [23] [24] [25] . However, most of the models developed are based on the use of scaffold or external matrix for the formation of 3D structure. These models may have some limitations, such as extracellular matrices derived from different tissue have specific markers related to the tissue of origin in terms of biochemical composition, structural and mechanical properties. Thus, the artificial scaffolding material may not be able to replicate the exact complexity of the natural matrix and this may influence the ability of the model to mimic the exact in vivo environment [26] [27] [28] .

These 2D models have severe limitations: they lack 'biomimicry' and are unable to provide 3D cellular information that exists in vivo and do not provide robust scientific evidence of nanoparticle effects on humans.

These models more closely replicate the natural in vivo environment where cells exist in 3D microenvironments with complex networks of cell-cell interactions for the exchange of nutrients, formation of extracellular matrices and many other vital processes that facilitate the retention of cellular polarity for tissue organisation.

Thus, the artificial scaffolding material may not be able to replicate the exact complexity of the natural matrix and this may influence the ability of the model to mimic the exact in vivo environment.


We simulated RPL using WSNet, an efficient event-driven simulator dedicated to WSN, which has been extensively evaluated [41] . The results are averaged over 30 simulations with different random topologies: the sink is situated in the center, while the location of each node is chosen randomly in the simulation area. For the traffic, we considered usual CBR convergecast flows.

We simulated RPL using WSNet, an efficient event-driven simulator dedicated to WSN, which has been extensively evaluated.