Hyperlinks and other relations between concepts and instances in Wikipedia have been successfully used in semantic tasks (Milne and Witten, 2013) . Still, many questions about the best way to leverage those links remain unanswered. For instance, methods using direct hyperlinks alone would wrongly disambiguate Lions in Figure 1 to B&I Lions, a rugby team from Britain and Ireland, as it shares two direct links to potential referents in the context (Darrel Fletcher, a British football player, and Cape Town, the city where the team suffered some memorable defeats), while Highveld Lions, a cricket Figure 1 : Simplified example motivating the use of the full graph. It shows the disambiguation of Lions in "Alan Kourie, CEO of the Lions franchise, had discussions with Fletcher in Cape Town". Each mention is linked to the candidate entities by arrows, e.g. B&I Lions and Highveld Lions for Lions. Solid lines correspond to direct hyperlinks and dashed lines to a path of several links. An algorithm using direct links alone would incorrectly output B&I Lions, while one using the full graph would correctly choose Highveld Lions.

Hyperlinks and other relations between concepts and instances in Wikipedia have been successfully used in semantic tasks.


To make complex changes in the physicians' performance, we need to overcome potential barriers at various levels (Grol & Wensing, 2004) . Common CME programs do not have scientific design based on the behavior change theory and also they do not explore participants' perceptions and performance following attending in those activities. In order to make them more effective, there is a need to deepen the understanding of GPs' experience regarding the obstacles of behavior change. Otherwise, CME providers could not be able to estimate the potential barriers of behavior change. CME organizers should take it into account that the nature of individual and contextual factors (Micro level)-Educational, professional, Psychological disorders and Work place issues-to design a successful CME intervention and utilize underpinning and testable theories such as the "stages of change".

To make complex changes in the physicians' performance, we need to overcome potential barriers at various levels.


Grol and Weising stated that effective CME interventional events should be planned based on personal, workplace and local health care system needs. They emphasize attention on causal variables that support or hinder targeted health care tailored intervention, using appropriate theories in social cognition models and health care results (Grol & Wensing, 2004) . The aim of all types of learning is change-changing mental models and creating new ways of thinking, so models of change are relevant. One of the applicable theories in this field is Readiness to Change model, which underpins the necessity to match interventions with the change stage and corresponding cognitive style. This model, originally known as the "trans-theoretical model", was developed by James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente in the early 1980s to explain the stages of change observed in persons striving to change addictive behaviour (Prochaska, 1992) . More specifically, the five stages of change are defined on the basis of people's propensity to change a specific behaviour and understanding. In the initial stage, individuals are not aware of any problem or contemplating change; in the second stage, they begin contemplating change; in the third stage, they actively prepare, and in the fourth stage, they actually change behaviour. A fifth stage is the consolidation or maintenance of the new change. CME in Iran is mandatory for physicians who wish to continue their professional practice (Shirazi et al., 2004) . A comprehensive project including interventions concerning education on improving General Practitioners' (GP) knowledge, attitude, and performance in the management of depressive disorders was carried through in 2006 .The evaluation of GPs' performance was done through the application of unannounced Standardized Patients (SP) . That study showed that some physicians changed their performance while others did not; the reason for lack of change was not identified (Figure 1 ) .

They emphasize attention on causal variables that support or hinder targeted health care tailored intervention, using appropriate theories in social cognition models and health care results.

This model, originally known as the "trans-theoretical model", was developed by James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente in the early 1980s to explain the stages of change observed in persons striving to change addictive behaviour.

CME in Iran is mandatory for physicians who wish to continue their professional practice.


This qualitative research was carried out by the use of phenomenology method. It consists of the semi-structured interviews with the data gathering method and qualitative content analysis for data analysis. The interviews were conducted between May 2010 and June 2011 (by MS). Qualitative content analysis is a method that accounts for the contradictory comments and unresolved issues concerning the meanings and application of concepts and procedures. Qualitative content analysis is used in a large number of fields, ranging from marketing and media studies to cultural studies, sociology, and cognitive science, as well as other fields of inquiry (Palmquist, 2010) .

Qualitative content analysis is used in a large number of fields, ranging from marketing and media studies to cultural studies, sociology, and cognitive science, as well as other fields of inquiry.


Based on the present research findings, several factors affect GPs' behavior change such as individual factors and setting specifications. Underpinning the andragogia view such as "Bandura", adult learning theory depends on three important factors: personal, contextual, and behavioral factors. So our findings are in line with Bandura and stages of change theories which emphasized on individual motivation to change their behavior (Rimer & Glanz, 2005) . We have found that behavior change occurs, when the personal and contextual factors are considered based on the GPs' points of view.

So our findings are in line with Bandura and stages of change theories which emphasized on individual motivation to change their behavior.


The work presented in this paper follows from an initial investigation of RAW's tiled-architecture as a high-bandwidth switching fabric [2] . In this paper we investigate the suitability of RAW as a general-purpose network router architecture, including switching, buffering and processing of IP packets. We also study the scalability and role of RAW on-chip networks for achieving highthroughput for a variety of network loads.

The work presented in this paper follows from an initial investigation of RAW's tiled-architecture as a high-bandwidth switching fabric.


The IceCube collaboration presented evidence of this astrophysical neutrino flux just two years ago, at International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC) 2013 in Rio de Janeiro [7] . The measured neutrino flux level is close to the theoretical upper bound inferred from the ultra-high-energy cosmic ray (UHECR) flux measurements [8] . At present, we must question the origin of this observed neutrino flux. For experiments with a limited number of detectable events, this rather complex question can be interpreted as a composition of four simpler questions, i.e., whether or not the flux is isotropic; whether or not the flux is equal in neutrino flavor ratio; whether the flux shape follows a simple power-law; or, if not, how the flux shape can be modeled. The answers to these simple questions are expected to be accessible based on the results of ongoing experiments, and will constitute the basis for constraining and constructing future source models. The spectral index and break/cut-off energy indicate cosmic-ray spectra in source objects at the mean energy region of approximately twenty times that of the observed neutrino energies. The observed neutrino flux should give hints on, for instance, cosmic-ray interactions with the ambient photon field or matter in the source objects, the maximal acceleration energy that the object can be responsible for, or transitions of classes of sources account for the neutrino flux.

The IceCube collaboration presented evidence of this astrophysical neutrino flux just two years ago, at International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC) 2013 in Rio de Janeiro.

The measured neutrino flux level is close to the theoretical upper bound inferred from the ultra-high-energy cosmic ray (UHECR) flux measurements.


Traditional use of plants for different purposes has a long history in Nepal. The ethnic communities have remarkable customary knowledge on utilization of plant and plant parts and there is a long tradition of transferring this indigenous knowledge from generation to generation. The indigenous knowledge on traditional use of plants is gaining recognition worldwide. In Nepal, Nepal Biodiversity Strategy has also highlighted its importance for proper conservation of Himalayan Biodiversity (NBS 2002) . The plant resources for various uses are collected from various habitats. At present, most of these habitats with useful species are under threat due to habitat destruction, unsustainable harvesting and over-exploitation; and many species are already threatened from collection pressure (Ghimire et al. 2005) . So, priority should be given to documentation of indigenous knowledge on traditional use and conservation of existing species and habitats before some of these are eliminated from the area (Joshi et al. 2003) .

In Nepal, Nepal Biodiversity Strategy has also highlighted its importance for proper conservation of Himalayan Biodiversity.

At present, most of these habitats with useful species are under threat due to habitat destruction, unsustainable harvesting and over-exploitation; and many species are already threatened from collection pressure.

So, priority should be given to documentation of indigenous knowledge on traditional use and conservation of existing species and habitats before some of these are eliminated from the area.


An attempt was made to resolve the complex blood serum spectrum in the nearultraviolet region using the second derivative methods. Figure 7 shows second derivative absorption spectra for blood serum obtained from 28-day newborn control and CP group. The well-resolved minima for control samples centred in the range of about 250-265 nm can be attributed to the phenyloalanine content. The remaining bands above 270 nm arise from the tyrosine and tryptophan residues [26] . In the first region (250-265 nm) the shifts of minima caused by maternal administration of CP are mainly observed. Above 270 nm not only shifts but also changes in intensities of the peaks are noted. It is interesting that the minimum at about 284 nm (Trp, Tyr) disappears after maternal administration of cyclophosphamide what can be due to the fact that alterations in protein proportions as well as in the microenvironment of amino acids can induce distortions in the protein molecular architecture [13] .

The remaining bands above 270 nm arise from the tyrosine and tryptophan residues.

It is interesting that the minimum at about 284 nm (Trp, Tyr) disappears after maternal administration of cyclophosphamide what can be due to the fact that alterations in protein proportions as well as in the microenvironment of amino acids can induce distortions in the protein molecular architecture.


Overall characteristics of the control group of newborns in relation to their age Figures 1 and 2 present UV-VIS spectra and DSC curves for solution of blood serum from 7-and 28-day old newborn rats, respectively. The averaged absorption spectra ( Fig. 1) show the broad band with maximum at about 278 nm and local minima at about 252 nm associated with the presence of aromatic amino acids such as tryptophan (Trp), tyrosine (Tyr), and phenyloanaline (Phe) originating from protein fractions-mainly albumins and globulins. The additional peak appearing at about 410 nm (Soret band) can be connected with the remaining haemoglobin forms [14] . Moreover, one can see that absorption spectra become more distinct with the age of newborns.

The additional peak appearing at about 410 nm (Soret band) can be connected with the remaining haemoglobin forms.


We have evaluated the internal consistency of each measure by calculating Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Table 3 shows descriptive statistics and the reliability of each measure of the study. The internal reliability coefficients of the MLQ measures are quite low. Specifically, we observed very low alpha coefficients for effectiveness ( 1 = 0.27; 2 =0.56) and satisfaction ( 1 = 0.61; 2 =0.19). The lack of internal consistency may be due to the translation, since for the original scale there is evidence of higher reliability. To assess the overall effects of leadership training we ran a repeated measure t-test comparing leadership styles for the two observation points (before and after the class). Examination of the data revealed only marginal changes from pre-test to post-test. Hence, we investigated whether the effectiveness of the training simulator was moderated by students' intelligence or extraversion. While we found no significant moderation effect of intelligence (perhaps due to the small sample size), the results of the analysis that controlled for implicit and explicit extraversion are interesting. Table 2 shows the correlations between all variables at pre and post-tests. Extraversion measures, at pre-test, are positively correlated with leadership outcomes. Dynamism and Dominance are positively correlated with some elements of transformational leadership: idealized influence attribute and behaviors, inspirational motivation and intellectual stimulation. These results are in line with the literature (Avolio & Bass, 2004; Judge & Bono, 2000) . In both observations, transactional and transformational leadership are correlated with each other and with the outcomes. To assess whether the effects of the leadership training are moderated by inter-individual differences in extraversion (dynamism and dominance), we conducted a series of univariate analyses of covariance for repeated measures (RM GLM) on the MLQ measures.

These results are in line with the literature.


In this study, a single dose of the methanol extract (250 mg/kg) of T. terrestris significantly lowered FBG to their corresponding initial levels (at zero time) at 2 h. The methanol extract significantly lowered the FBG by 22.5 -59.1 % with respect to the hyperglycaemic animals; which is comparable to that of glibenclamide treated group (33.9 -64.6 %). Recently, treatment with the T. terrestris extract (50 mg/kg) was reported to have a significant effect on both fasting and postprandial hyperglycemia in the diabetic rats, with a significant improvement in the insulin level and no improvement in the expressions of glucose transporter isoforms GLUT 2 and GLUT4 in liver and muscle, respectively [21] . Moreover, an ethanol extract of Tribulus terrestris L. flowers and rhizomes exhibited 70 % inhibition of α-glucosidase at 500 μg/ml using maltose as the substrate and 100 % inhibition of aldose reductase at a dose of 30 μg/ml using dl-glyceraldehyde as the substrate [18] . Inhibition of α-glucosidase and aldose reducatse is useful in treatment of both postprandial hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinaemia, and thereby in improving insulin sensitivity.

Recently, treatment with the T. terrestris extract (50 mg/kg) was reported to have a significant effect on both fasting and postprandial hyperglycemia in the diabetic rats, with a significant improvement in the insulin level and no improvement in the expressions of glucose transporter isoforms GLUT 2 and GLUT4 in liver and muscle, respectively.

Moreover, an ethanol extract of Tribulus terrestris L. flowers and rhizomes exhibited 70 % inhibition of α-glucosidase at 500 μg/ml using maltose as the substrate and 100 % inhibition of aldose reductase at a dose of 30 μg/ml using dl-glyceraldehyde as the substrate.


Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease with life threatening complications, characterized by hyperglycaemia and alterations in carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism, associated with absolute or relative deficiencies in insulin secretion and/or insulin action. The treatment of hyperglycaemia in diabetic patients is directed towards achieving euglycemia and minimizes chronic complications by administering oral hypoglycaemic agents. Over 400 plants as well as 700 recipes and compounds have been scientifically evaluated for Type 2 DM treatment [20] . In light of this we made an attempt to study the anti-hyperglycaemic effect of T. terrestris aerial part in glucose loaded normal rabbits.

Over 400 plants as well as 700 recipes and compounds have been scientifically evaluated for Type 2 DM treatment.


Future communication systems will enable multiple geographically distributed users to share common experiences, as if were in the same location. Such realistic inter-personal communications can be supported by the realization of multiparty 3D Tele-Immersive (TI) environments [1] (Fig. 1) . In this paper, we deal with the challenging task of full 3D reconstruction of moving humans in real-time, an important task for TI applications. Reconstruction is achieved by the fusion of multiple RGB-Depth data, captured by multiple Microsoft Kinect sensors.

Such realistic inter-personal communications can be supported by the realization of multiparty 3D Tele-Immersive (TI) environments(Fig. 1).


Although the Riva method has been published to encourage its greater take up, few studies have been reported that assess the strong assertion just noted. One study, undertaken in a faculty at the University of the West of England (UWE), applied Riva to the faculty administration organisation (Green and Ould, 2005) . In order to assess Ould's assertion, and thus the potential for reuse of process architectures, as well as the ease with which Riva can be applied, the work in this paper, discussed herein, extends that early study by applying Riva to the development and deployment of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes (i.e. awards or courses) that belonged in 2006 to two different higher education institutions: the faculty of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (CEMS) at the UWE, and to the School of Management at the University of Bath (UB). The main question that was addressed through this research was:  Would the same essential process architecture be found in two organisations that were ostensibly in the same business, but manifestly had many important differences?

One study, undertaken in a faculty at the University of the West of England (UWE), applied Riva to the faculty administration organisation.


And again, within the literature on business process change, there is general acceptance of the idea of reusing process architectures as a principle. A variety of writers on business process re-engineering or redesign stress the importance of developing in the operators of a process a sense of how their work connects to the other business processes in the organisation (Grover et al. 2000; Hammer, 1996; Kettinger et al., 1997) . Process redesign projects require a holistic perspective and its effective communication if they are to produce lasting beneficial change. The idea of a process architecture makes such a perspective specific to the organisational situation while creating a link to the analysis of individual processes.

A variety of writers on business process re-engineering or redesign stress the importance of developing in the operators of a process a sense of how their work connects to the other business processes in the organisation.


Since the end of the intense era of political turmoil, Cambodia has been in a state of reorganization, providing a window of opportunity for sustainability planning. In resource management, a key platform of this planning has been communitybased management. In Cambodia, experimentation with community-based fisheries and forestry initiatives has begun, in part encouraged by donor agencies favouring participatory, democratic approaches, as seen in other parts of the world as well (Moffat et al. 1998) . But it is in part motivated by a real search for alternatives to reverse resource declines, one could say, starting with a perception of unsustainability (Wilkinson and Cary 2002) . The larger sociopolitical context is that communitybased management is being used as a tool to provide some measure of environmental security in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge regime and the resulting relocations.

In Cambodia, experimentation with community-based fisheries and forestry initiatives has begun, in part encouraged by donor agencies favouring participatory, democratic approaches, as seen in other parts of the world as well.

But it is in part motivated by a real search for alternatives to reverse resource declines, one could say, starting with a perception of unsustainability.


As has been shown by the experience in Kompong Phluk and Koh Sralao, communitybased management can emerge in many ways. Through self-organization and development of common institutions, experimentation, elaboration of knowledge and social learning, unsustainable practices can be made more sustainable. In this regard, the development of the ability to selforganize, learn and adapt, may be more important than solving particular problems (Berkes et al. 2003) . Creating the political space for communities to practice learning-by-doing, and enabling communities to deal with resource management problems can be effective ways to facilitate the dynamics of sustainability 'on the ground'. Finding and sustaining flexible approaches that support creative learning-by-doing and problem-solving opportunities represents an important challenge for local resource management and development.

In this regard, the development of the ability to selforganize, learn and adapt, may be more important than solving particular problems.


With an accelerating trend of global economic integration, market and industry environments tend to be more complicated, dynamic and uncertain, which lead to so called hyper-competition (D'Aveni, 1994) . Globalization and technological innovation make competition fiercer; disintegration of original frameworks changes competition rules in many industries. As a result, markets become more complicated and unpredictable, which forces companies to sense their competitors' action and make corresponding response more quickly. Rapid changes make existing competitive advantage erode quickly. Competitive advantage has to be shaped through a new strategy (Griffith and Harvey, 2001) .

With an accelerating trend of global economic integration, market and industry environments tend to be more complicated, dynamic and uncertain, which lead to so called hyper-competition.

Competitive advantage has to be shaped through a new strategy.


Last, the results of this study indicate that role clarity partially mediated the influence of feedback seeking on evaluations of task performance and OCBs. Our findings are particularly robust given that both feedback-seeking and performance data were gathered from supervisors, minimizing biases associated with self-reported behavioral information (Podsakoff, et al., 2003; Robins & John, 1997) . The mediation of role clarity clearly emphasizes the importance of providing a well-known referent standard of performance to employees, facilitating improvement in task performance. Our findings also have important implications for the relationship between feedback seeking, role clarity, and OCBs. Specifically, our results imply that (a) feedback-seeking behavior provides employees with an enhanced understanding of the types of OCBs that are valued by the organization, and (b) role clarity attained as a consequence of feedback seeking from supervisors evokes a sense of obligation on the part of employees to reciprocate back to the organization in the form of OCBs. These results suggest that training feedback sources to provide feedback high in quality may effectively curb misdirected or insufficient effort on the part of those lacking a clear understanding of role expectations.

Our findings are particularly robust given that both feedback-seeking and performance data were gathered from supervisors, minimizing biases associated with self-reported behavioral information.


The importance of feedback quality for evoking utility becomes increasingly salient as jobs become more complex and employees are required to operate autonomously (London & Maurer, 2004) . For example, employees are increasingly asked to work independently (e.g., telecommuters), far away from their home organization (e.g., expatriates), or within an increasingly diverse and multicultural workforce (Rau & Hyland, 2002; van Knippenberg, De Dreu, & Homan, 2004) . As a result, employees are likely finding it increasingly difficult to gauge how others view their performance and obtain feedback unless they seek that feedback directly. As the need for self-directed, continuous learning becomes more important, managers have to question what can be done to better suit employees for work situations where role and process information must be actively elicited. In general, the results of this study suggest that employees are more motivated to seek out and use feedback if they know that the feedback provided will be highly informative and provide specific information for effective performance and enhancement/maintenance of self-concept.

The importance of feedback quality for evoking utility becomes increasingly salient as jobs become more complex and employees are required to operate autonomously.

For example, employees are increasingly asked to work independently (e.g., telecommuters), far away from their home organization (e.g., expatriates), or within an increasingly diverse and multicultural workforce.


The possible mechanism for the methoxymethylation of various alcohols in the presence of SANM as a promoter is shown in Scheme 3. On the basis of this mechanism, SANM catalyzes the reaction by electrophilic activation of FDMA and by making the central carbon of FDMA susceptible to nucleophilic attack by the alcohol. Successive elimination of MeOH results in the formation of MOM-ether derivatives and regenerates SANM in the reaction mixture [7] .

Successive elimination of MeOH results in the formation of MOM-ether derivatives and regenerates SANM in the reaction mixture.


The lower body of the Tactical Hazardous Operations Robot (THOR), seen in Figure 1 , uses twelve linear SEAs [9] . THOR features three similar versions of the SEA: two driving each ankle joint through a carbon fiber tube, two for the knee and hip pitch joints driven by a mechanical linkage connected to the output of the ball screw, and a more compact carbon fiber version for the hip yaw and roll joints [9, 17] . The actuators spanning the hip and ankle joints are in a parallel configuration. Similar to the SAFFiR SEA design, the configurable compliant spring is independent of the actuator. The actuators attach through custom universal joints to the structure of THOR and to the compliant members. This paper details the design of the THOR SEA, and its relation to providing a high-force actuator within a small packaging space. Section 2 details the key actuator subsystems which underwent design changes to meet packaging and load requirements. Section 3 describes the design of the custom universal joints employed at each end of the actuators. Section 4 briefly discusses an alternate use of the linear SEA for THOR. Section 5 summarizes and concludes this paper, including recommendations for future research using this SEA.

The lower body of the Tactical Hazardous Operations Robot (THOR), seen in Figure 1 , uses twelve linear SEAs.

THOR features three similar versions of the SEA: two driving each ankle joint through a carbon fiber tube, two for the knee and hip pitch joints driven by a mechanical linkage connected to the output of the ball screw, and a more compact carbon fiber version for the hip yaw and roll joints.


The original SEAs were designed around ball screw drives with coil springs to provide the elastic element [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] . These SEAs are self-contained packages that are well designed for high bandwidth force control. By building around an efficient ball screw, the overall friction in the system is decreased. This allows the actuator to command small forces without the interference of Coulomb friction. The SAFFiR linear SEA is designed around a ball screw, but its configurable compliant spring is isolated from the linear actuator [1] . This packaging allows for the redesign of either subsystem without impacting the other. There are also linear actuators centered around lead screws [12, 13] . These actuators have more friction in the system, but are lower in cost and lighter weight. Depending on the application, this may be a more important design consideration.

The original SEAs were designed around ball screw drives with coil springs to provide the elastic element.

The SAFFiR linear SEA is designed around a ball screw, but its configurable compliant spring is isolated from the linear actuator.

There are also linear actuators centered around lead screws.


Series elasticity plays a large role in determining the effectiveness of an SEA. Low-elasticity systems are easier to control, but have worse force control performance. Highelasticity systems are the opposite, with better performance capabilities and more difficult control. A few groups have designed compliant mechanisms that have a range of stiffnesses [14] [15] [16] . These mechanisms allow the user to alter the performance of their SEA without manufacturing a new system. Parallel actuation enables multiple actuators to control the same number of degrees of freedom in a joint. Several legged robotic platforms use parallel SEAs to drive their hip and ankle joints [8, 9, 11] . This actuator configuration moves mass higher up each link, decreasing the overall inertia of the leg. Additionally, two actuators cooperatively pushing on a joint can increase its torque potential compared to each actuator driving its own joint.

A few groups have designed compliant mechanisms that have a range of stiffnesses.

Several legged robotic platforms use parallel SEAs to drive their hip and ankle joints.


Harvesting and handling broccoli for market imposes a series of stresses on tissue, including wounding, separation from nutrient source, and dehydration. Harvest stresses are particularly severe on organs containing immature tissue that was actively growing at harvest (e.g., broccoli florets). These organs are unable to maintain metabolic homeostasis and senesce rapidly (Huber, 1987) .

These organs are unable to maintain metabolic homeostasis and senesce rapidly.


The rapid decline in organic acids from all sections of 'Green Belt' broccoli branchlets at 6 to 12 h strongly suggests that these components were oxidized at this time. This does not always occur in other broccoli cultivars (Dostal et al., 1965) . Increased levels of organic acids in middle and base sections at 6 h may reflect activation or derepression of phosphoenylpyruvate carboxylase activity to replenish citric acid cycle intermediates as occurs in other stress situations (Tietz and Wild, 1991) . Theoretical calculations of RQs for the oxidation of organic acids commonly give ratios around 1.3, the exact value depending on the organic acid being oxidized. As the RQ consistently declined during the first 12 h, sugars, organic acids, and other cellular components were all probably being oxidized by branchlets during this period, with the RQ reflecting a composite value. The rapid loss of protein from floral sections during the first 12 h supports this view. Although no determination of lipid has yet been undertaken, any lipid oxidized would contribute to the low RQ detected.

This does not always occur in other broccoli cultivars.

Increased levels of organic acids in middle and base sections at 6 h may reflect activation or derepression of phosphoenylpyruvate carboxylase activity to replenish citric acid cycle intermediates as occurs in other stress situations.


Changes in the metabolism of nitrogen-containing compounds in addition to protein were also detected in senescing broccoli branchlets. Glutamine and asparagine accumulated to high levels by 96 h, with the two amides collectively accounting for ≈50% of the free amino acids present during late senescence. Amide accumulation, together with maintenance of the glutamic acid pool, strongly suggests operation of the glutamine synthetase/asparagine synthetase pathway reassimilating ammonia produced by proteolysis in floral sections to fuel respiration under starvation stress conditions (Genix et al., 1990; Hurst et al., 1993a; Peoples and Dalling, 1988; Sieciechowicz et al., 1988) .

Amide accumulation, together with maintenance of the glutamic acid pool, strongly suggests operation of the glutamine synthetase/asparagine synthetase pathway reassimilating ammonia produced by proteolysis in floral sections to fuel respiration under starvation stress conditions.


Losses of sugars were greatest in middle and base sections during the first 12 h, and greatly exceeded that required to support CO 2 production from these sections (data not presented). In addition to biosynthetic processes, it is likely that some of these sugars were translocated to floral sections to help maintain the floral sugar pool and support the high respiratory demand of floral sections (King and Morris, 1994) . Conversion of starch to glucose and fructose in floral sections during the first 24 h would also contribute to maintaining the floral sugar pools.

In addition to biosynthetic processes, it is likely that some of these sugars were translocated to floral sections to help maintain the floral sugar pool and support the high respiratory demand of floral sections.


In summary, the results lead to the assumption that the learning materials seemed to be beneficial with regard to fourth grade students' self-regulated learning and mathematics achievement. However, the results of the pretest and posttest measurements for self-regulated learning have to be discussed critically. Regarding the experimental group, there was only a small, nonsignificant increase found for the overall scale and the scales strategic planning, intrinsic value, attention focusing, self-recording, self-evaluation, and causal attribution. Additionally, no interaction effects were found for the variables attention focusing, self-evaluation, and causal attribution. As the variables self-recording and self-evaluation were not involved as part of the training, this result was not unexpected. Obviously, it was not possible to improve these variables by training other specific processes of self-regulated learning. With respect to the other variables, the lack of effects was not expected. It can be discussed as to whether there was enough time to practice and transfer the strategies of these units, which were very complex. The students worked on the teaching materials for the duration of one lesson per week and had to deal with one task per training session. It would probably have been useful if the students had worked on more than one task during each training session to make sure that they transferred the learned strategies to their everyday work. Furthermore, it may be possible that the imparted strategies initially interfere with already existing strategies [68] . As the study was realized at grade four, the students may already have developed their own strategies to regulate their learning behavior. Greater effects might be expected when there is a continuous and fairly long-term instruction of self-regulated learning in regular classes [69] .

Furthermore, it may be possible that the imparted strategies initially interfere with already existing strategies.

Greater effects might be expected when there is a continuous and fairly long-term instruction of self-regulated learning in regular classes.


Botnet network is formed for commercial reasons, either in order to earn money by sending SPAM mail or tampering of rivals. The biggest problem which the organizer can have is Command and Control (C&C) of the net [8] . The same as many other program tools based on network communication, Bot programs also mutually communicate with their owners by means of well defined network protocols. In most cases Botnet nets do not create new net protocols, but they use already existing, implemented by the tools which are available in public (for example IRC protocol as well as publicly available implementations of IRC clients and servers).

The biggest problem which the organizer can have is Command and Control (C&C) of the net.


SWI is a new MRI technique which is more sensitive than CT, conventional MR and T2*WI GRE sequences in detecting paramagnetic blood products such as deoxyhemoglobin, methemoglobin and haemosiderin in central nervous system [5] . It has been widely used in detecting microbleeds in a variety of brain diseases such as brain trauma, stroke and vascular malformation [8] [9] [10] [11] . In addition, SWI in spinal cord trauma has also been investigated by our team and was proved valuable in detecting spinal cord hemorrhage [14] . Some recent studies in glioma have explored SWI's value and found that it's helpful in tumor grading and patient management strategies [15, 16] . But so far no studies have been done on the value of SWI in prostate cancer and other prostate diseases.

SWI is a new MRI technique which is more sensitive than CT, conventional MR and T2*WI GRE sequences in detecting paramagnetic blood products such as deoxyhemoglobin, methemoglobin and haemosiderin in central nervous system.

It has been widely used in detecting microbleeds in a variety of brain diseases such as brain trauma, stroke and vascular malformation.

In addition, SWI in spinal cord trauma has also been investigated by our team and was proved valuable in detecting spinal cord hemorrhage.

Some recent studies in glioma have explored SWI's value and found that it's helpful in tumor grading and patient management strategies.


Soil bulk density was oven-dried at 105°C. Available Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn in soil were extracted with 0.005M diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), 0.1M CaCl 2 , and 0.1M triethanolamine (TEA) with pH of 7.3, and determined with flame atomic absorption spectrometry (Perkin-Elmer AAnalyst 100, USA). Soil organic carbon (SOC) was measured using SSM-5000A for TOC-5000 analyzer (Shimadzu, Japan), and total nitrogen was determined by semi-microkjeldahl method. Total P was digested by H 2 SO 4 -HClO 4 and determined by Molybdenum-blue complex method, and total S was digested by Mg(NO 3 ) 2 -HNO 3 and determined by BaSO 4 turbidimetry (Page et al. 1982) . Soil pH was determined by using a glass electrode (1:2.5, soil/water ratio). Soil exchangeable cations were extracted by 1M NH 4 OAc and determined with AAS (Page et al. 1982) . The chemicals used were manufactured by the Tianjin Kermel Chemical Reagent Co., Ltd., China.

Total P was digested by H 2 SO 4 -HClO 4 and determined by Molybdenum-blue complex method, and total S was digested by Mg(NO 3 ) 2 -HNO 3 and determined by BaSO 4 turbidimetry.

Soil exchangeable cations were extracted by 1M NH 4 OAc and determined with AAS.


In the surface soil horizon, micronutrient distribution was controlled by soil pH, Eh and cation exchange capacity, and so on (Jiang et al. 2006) . The natural and human disturbance was greater in the surface horizon than in the deeper layers, and hence the variation of micronutrient concentration in the surface soil horizon, e.g. 0-20 cm layers in the paddy field, was comparatively greater. Moreover, soil sampling might contribute to part of the variations.

In the surface soil horizon, micronutrient distribution was controlled by soil pH, Eh and cation exchange capacity, and so on.


Several approaches have been proposed for prefetching data to reduce or eliminate load latency. These range from inserting compiler-based prefetches to pure hardware-based data prefetching. Compiler-based prefetching annotates load instructions or inserts explicit prefetch instructions to bring data into the cache before it is needed to hide the load latency. These techniques use locality analysis to determine where to insert prefetch instructions and show significant improvements [27] . Hardware-based prefetching can dynamically predict prefetch address streams and predict prefetch addresses that may be hard to find using compiler analysis. Compiler and hardwarebased prefetching can be used together, since the compiler can be used to prefetch load instructions for which it can accurately determine locality information, and the hardware prefetcher can be used for those load address patterns not captured. In this paper we focus on a new hardware-based prefetcher.

These techniques use locality analysis to determine where to insert prefetch instructions and show significant improvements.


The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. In Sec. 2 we will define the simplified models used in our results and present the computation of efficiency maps as well as their validation against the results presented in the CMS search [11] . In Sec. 3 we explain our implementation of the decomposition of a full BSM model into simplified model topologies and how these are used to constrain the full model. An application of our results to a CMSSM scenario with a nearly mass degenerate neutralino and stau will be presented in Sec. 4. We conclude in Sec. 5.

In Sec. 2 we will define the simplified models used in our results and present the computation of efficiency maps as well as their validation against the results presented in the CMS search.

We conclude in Sec. 5.


In theories beyond the standard model (BSM) with an unbroken Z 2 -symmetry the lightest Z 2 -odd particle (LOP) is stable and hence usually required to be neutral as there exist strong bounds on the presence of stable charged particles in the universe [1] [2] [3] . The typical collider signature of such a BSM scenario is missing transverse energy (MET) caused by the invisible LOP escaping the collider. However, there are scenarios where a heavy Z 2 -odd particle can become sufficiently long-lived to appear as stable in a collider experiment. This particle can be charged and thus produce a very distinct signature.

In theories beyond the standard model (BSM) with an unbroken Z 2 -symmetry the lightest Z 2 -odd particle (LOP) is stable and hence usually required to be neutral as there exist strong bounds on the presence of stable charged particles in the universe.


The main practical usefulness of the OIPP distribution is that it provides the only modelling option for 1-inflation and provides a population size estimate that is much smaller than other estimators, one of which is thought to provide a lower bound in the presence of heterogeneity (Chao, 1987) . The Horvitz-Thompson estimator via the OIPP distribution typically estimates between a half and a quarter as many missing 0s as alternative estimators, in cases where 1-inflation is plausible. The OIPP distribution is obtained through modifying the PP process, by adding an extra proportion ω to the probability of observing a '1', while decreasing the proportion of remaining counts by 1 − ω. In justifying the one-inflated process, it is useful to consider a justification for the zero-truncated process. The prevalence of zero-truncated count distributions has been attributed to the tendency of the observational apparatus to become active only when at least one event occurs (Johnson and Kotz, 1969) . The OIPP distribution goes one step further in allowing the activation of the observational apparatus to alter the PP process for some proportion ω of the population, such that only 1-counts are generated. The act of observation alters the process being observed, but only for a portion of the population.

The main practical usefulness of the OIPP distribution is that it provides the only modelling option for 1-inflation and provides a population size estimate that is much smaller than other estimators, one of which is thought to provide a lower bound in the presence of heterogeneity.

The prevalence of zero-truncated count distributions has been attributed to the tendency of the observational apparatus to become active only when at least one event occurs.


Gossypiboma refers to a retained surgical sponge and the associated foreign body reaction. Surgical sponges are the most frequently retained surgical foreign body accounting for approximately two thirds of retained objects [1] . They can range from small gauze pads to full towels. Small blood soaked sponges may be difficult to differ- rentiate from tissue and may be unintentionally left behind in a body cavity. The word has a dual origin; "gossypium" is the Latin word for cotton or wool and "boma" is a Kiswahili word for "place of concealment". It is also known as a textiloma, cottonoid or gauzeoma [2] . The incidence ranges from 1/8000 to 1/18,000 but this may be under reported due to the medico-legal implications [3] .

Surgical sponges are the most frequently retained surgical foreign body accounting for approximately two thirds of retained objects.

It is also known as a textiloma, cottonoid or gauzeoma.

The incidence ranges from 1/8000 to 1/18,000 but this may be under reported due to the medico-legal implications.


The estimation of Okun's Law is, in general, sensitive to the chosen model, the de-trending techniques used to extract the long-run trends from the unemployment and growth series and whether the model is static or dynamic (Moosa 2008) . To test for robustness of Okun's Law in the MENA region, this study estimates two versions of Okun's Law: the difference and the gap versions for the seventeen individual countries in our sample. The study will also test the stability of the obtained coefficients for the seventeen countries using the CUSUM of squares test. Finally, we test Okun's Law for the entire MENA sample using panel data regression.

The estimation of Okun's Law is, in general, sensitive to the chosen model, the de-trending techniques used to extract the long-run trends from the unemployment and growth series and whether the model is static or dynamic.


Several methods have been developed to align the restriction fragments, such as partial and complete digestions. Smith-Birnstiel strategy, application of 'linking' or 'jumping' libraries, and 'link-up' method [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] . With these methods, macro-physical maps of E. ccli, S. pombe and some mammalian chromosome regions have been successfully constructed [12] [13] [14] [15] .

Smith-Birnstiel strategy, application of 'linking' or 'jumping' libraries, and 'link-up' method.

With these methods, macro-physical maps of E. ccli, S. pombe and some mammalian chromosome regions have been successfully constructed.


Similar graph queries were proposed on large RDF graphs as well [2] . A large RDF databases contains millions of RDF tuples (s, p, v) where s is a subject, p is a property and v is a value. Every RDF database has an associated RDF graph where vertices correspond to subjects and values, and the edges linking them are labeled with a property. A graph query expressed in SPARQL language may contain some variable vertices which can be substituted by either subject or value vertices in the RDF graph. Note a RDF graph contains vertices in two different categories: subject and value, and each vertex bears a distinct label. So RDF graphs are a special kind of networks in our study and our graph indexing method is more general and can be easily extended to answer graph queries on large RDF graphs.

Similar graph queries were proposed on large RDF graphs as well.


In both urban food strategy development processes foresight methods had been used as tools to "engage with complex challenges, and to mobilize action" [61] . In this they acknowledge future uncertainties, and together with a multi-scale, multi-actor group explore diverse possible future scenarios, without being held back by contemporary constraints or claims. There are many different foresight methods that all have a particular objective. In the case of Proeftuin040, "the seeds game", back casting and scenario-modelling were employed to help people to start thinking in new ways of the future. In Exeter, back casting in particular was used to envision more sustainable food systems in Exeter, and necessary steps to achieve these.

In both urban food strategy development processes foresight methods had been used as tools to "engage with complex challenges, and to mobilize action".


The use of participatory policy processes is an attempt to break out of traditional forms of policy making [30, 34, 40] . Through the incorporation of the types of actors and knowledges related to the policy goal in question and the creation of new policy-spaces, new ways of policy making can be shaped that arguably are more democratic and effective [26] . The two cases show that when interrogating accountability and participation, participatory policy-making processes are differently shaped and conceptualised in the Exeter and Eindhoven cases. Reflecting on both cases with respect to the conceptual framework, we conclude that the combination of accountability and participation are crucial for the participatory policy process being able to provide a space for different types of actors to interact and shape effective policy as a result. Differences in the participatory policy processes are highlighted when focussing on the involved actors, knowledges, and policy spaces. Both cases paid specific attention to broadening participation within their policy-processes-Exeter within a confined "elite" group, and Eindhoven constrained by a limited number of recruited volunteer participants-whereas accountability was less addressed overall. Moreover, highlighted in the ultimate rejection of the Eindhoven UFS proposal is the complexity of participatory policy-making and the shaping of new policy spaces.

The use of participatory policy processes is an attempt to break out of traditional forms of policy making.

Through the incorporation of the types of actors and knowledges related to the policy goal in question and the creation of new policy-spaces, new ways of policy making can be shaped that arguably are more democratic and effective.


In Fig. 1 , the mean DSC curve (the excess specific heat capacity as a function of temperature) of serum coming from sportsmen before the exercise test is shown. It may be compared with the mean plasma or serum DSC curves reported previously for healthy individuals [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] . Generally, plasma and serum curves should be very similar, although the kind of solvent used for serum dissolution may be an important origin of differences. Differences between plasma and serum are mainly due to fibrinogen content in plasma and its lack in serum (it is removed when plasma is allowed to clot). Two main peaks have been revealed in fibrinogen DSC profile: at about 51 and 93°C [3] .

It may be compared with the mean plasma or serum DSC curves reported previously for healthy individuals.

Two main peaks have been revealed in fibrinogen DSC profile: at about 51 and 93°C.


One way to overcome the difficulties imposed by such uncertainties is to develop intelligent EMC designs capable of operating well under a variety of realizations of the environmental and operational parameters. The problem of accounting for uncertainties in energy systems has been addressed by a number of different techniques such as sensitivity analysis, fuzzy mathematical programming, stochastic programming, and robust optimization [12] . In this paper, we employ a scenario-robust optimization approach, where our scenarios are derived from ensemble weather forecasts. In contrast to existing approaches that use a deterministic weather forecast, our model takes as input an ensemble weather forecast as produced by most state-of-the-art weather models such as the Global Ensemble Forecasting System (GEFS) developed by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) [13] . We perform computational experiments demonstrating the superior operating schedules that result from planning over an ensemble weather forecast. However, there are various practical considerations to be made when using ensemble weather forecasts. One such consideration is the forecast quality, which deteriorates substantially at long lead times. To address this issue, we perform a sensitivity analysis aimed at determining an appropriate planning horizon for use with ensemble forecasts.

The problem of accounting for uncertainties in energy systems has been addressed by a number of different techniques such as sensitivity analysis, fuzzy mathematical programming, stochastic programming, and robust optimization.

In contrast to existing approaches that use a deterministic weather forecast, our model takes as input an ensemble weather forecast as produced by most state-of-the-art weather models such as the Global Ensemble Forecasting System (GEFS) developed by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP).


The Innovation Theory has emphasized only two of the effects, instead of the stipulated three in most of the past studies. In this study, the authors applied all three types of the effects as theory proposes. No significant improvement has been done, although the service delivery problem had been raised frequently. The service delivery problem has led to the dissatisfaction of the public with the Malaysian government agencies. Whenever there are problems, finger pointing precedes any effort to solve them. Apparently, there are no solutions found despite many steps were taken by various parties. For instance, when questioned, many have responded that the service delivered by the Road Transport Department (RTD) is inconsistent, i.e., sometimes satisfactory, and sometimes unsatisfactory (Hock, 2005) . This leads to the deterioration of the image of the government agency due to the inconsistent service quality.

For instance, when questioned, many have responded that the service delivered by the Road Transport Department (RTD) is inconsistent, i.e., sometimes satisfactory, and sometimes unsatisfactory.


In terms of formal education in the Czech Republic and Slovakia entrepreneurial potential is developed on the basis of entrepreneurship education. The objective of entrepreneurship education is to help transfer the knowledge, focusing on active identifying and using market opportunities, on the ability and willingness to take risks, to proceed tenaciously, to acquire knowledge and then to acquire skills in activities which would be targeted towards building an effective business and doing business. It combines the knowledge of entrepreneurship with the development of key competencies in relation to entrepreneurship, which are at the level of secondary education in the Czech Republic regarded as competencies to seek employment and entrepreneurial activities and in the Slovak Republic as initiative and entrepreneurship. In tertiary education, it is a purposeful forming of motivation and students' attitude to entrepreneurship and development of professional skills important for being successful in business in the fields which they are professionally trained for (Chromý, 2016) . On the basis of content analysis and own research the authors aim to compare approaches to development of entrepreneurial potential and their educational effect in Slovakia and in the Czech Republic. The author´s research is based upon the generalized scientific results of authors Turek in the Slovak Republic and Malach in the Czech Republic, which are the most important researchers involved in the research for a long-term period. However, the article is focused on the authors´ own authentic experience of scientific projects and on the educational activities to develop the entrepreneurial potential of students. At their current and former workplaces both authors have been involved in the research and pedagogically engaged since 2008 up to now. The basic premise of the authors´ research, which the main hypothesis comes out of, is based on the assumption that contemporary curriculum of secondary and tertiary education does not create conditions favourable for the development of entrepreneurial potential of students, with all the consequences that are recognized further in the paper in the selected sub-hypotheses. To achieve the objectives and verify hypotheses combined portfolio of research methods was used, mainly based on natural pedagogical experiment and exploratory methods.

In tertiary education, it is a purposeful forming of motivation and students' attitude to entrepreneurship and development of professional skills important for being successful in business in the fields which they are professionally trained for.


The increases observed in non-labile P fraction (0.5 M NaOH) are attributed to the addition of the phosphate fertilizer (Table 2 ). The absence of an effect in the non-labile organic forms can be attributed to the low lability of this fraction in the soil due to high ionic strength exerted by the extraction with 0.5 M NaOH. This fraction is considered to complement the inorganic and organic forms obtained by the extraction with 0.1 M NaOH (Hedley et al., 1982) .

This fraction is considered to complement the inorganic and organic forms obtained by the extraction with 0.1 M NaOH.


Congo grass dry matter yields had a response to P rates regardless of soil type, up to 80 mg kg −1 of P (Figure 1 ). However, yields were higher in RH than in TH. In addition, plant P concentrations increased linearly with fertilizer rates. Some plants can modify the soil chemical properties such as pH and the cation exchange capacity by exuding organic acids in the rhizosphere (Devau et al., 2011) . However, in the present experiment the average pH was 5.2 in RH and 5.4 in TH and it was not affected by phosphate fertilization or Congo grass (results not shown).

Some plants can modify the soil chemical properties such as pH and the cation exchange capacity by exuding organic acids in the rhizosphere.


We believe that the current results demonstrate the power of large-scale supercomputer simulations applied to superstring theory. A number of future directions are definitely worth investigating. Besides increasing the precision of the numerical results presented in our study to test the duality between the D0-brane quantum mechanics and type IIA superstring even more accurately, we will focus on the very low temperature region where the system is expected to be described by M-theory [4] [5] [6] . Studying super Yang-Mills in other spacetime dimensions with an equally large-scale study is an another important direction.

Besides increasing the precision of the numerical results presented in our study to test the duality between the D0-brane quantum mechanics and type IIA superstring even more accurately, we will focus on the very low temperature region where the system is expected to be described by M-theory.


Further complications in interpreting our results arise because of the limited specificity (proportion of true negatives that are detected) and sensitivity (proportion of true positives that are detected) of the disease tests themselves (in part because most of the tests we used were bovine-validated and not ''gold standards'') (Thrusfield, 2005) . Some of the difference in comparisons between pre-and post-wolf seroprevalences may potentially be attributed to different tests and methods such as titer level interpretation (see Table 2 ). Additionally, our comparisons were hampered by limited overlap in the pathogens surveyed. Nevertheless, the fact that post-wolf seroprevalence for some diseases were so much lower suggests that wolves could be selecting individuals with those diseases and reducing their prevalence or reducing the overall herd sufficiently to reduce the transmission of this disease and therefore, the prevalence. Certainly this finding could form a valuable hypothesis for other studies to test.

Further complications in interpreting our results arise because of the limited specificity (proportion of true negatives that are detected) and sensitivity (proportion of true positives that are detected) of the disease tests themselves (in part because most of the tests we used were bovine-validated and not ''gold standards'').


Tracking of deformable objects in video sequences is a challenging computer vision problem. Model-based approaches to this problem require the construction of a model and its initialization [8] . In practice, models are often handcrafted when object types are known a priori and initialization, when not performed manually, relies on strong hypotheses concerning the initial pose of the object. Once the model is initialized, tracking may be conducted in several ways [6, 12] .

Model-based approaches to this problem require the construction of a model and its initialization.

Once the model is initialized, tracking may be conducted in several ways.


Along with the evolution of production systems regardless of industry type, several paradigms played a major role in understanding of how to cope with continuously fluctuating customer demands. On a business and networking approach, agile manufacturing created a definition of how all elements of production can be connected in a low cost and flexibilityoriented approach [1] . When reflected on hardware level, the concept of flexibility further found application in flexible and reconfigurable manufacturing paradigms -later called as either flexible (FMS) or reconfigurable (RMS) manufacturing systems respectively [2] . In FMS, production equipment are conceptualized to have a built-in set of functionalities that can handle variations in products and processes in all steps of production [3] . On the other hand, reconfigurable manufacturing systems focus on the limitation of flexibility to reduce the cost and focus on a more modular approach -which is the reconfigurability of hardware and software systems to provide additional functionalities only when needed [4] . Whether aforementioned paradigms concentrate on the either limitation or generalization of flexibility, they stress the importance of using flexibility with low cost and shorter time windows to correspond to changing business paradigms.

On a business and networking approach, agile manufacturing created a definition of how all elements of production can be connected in a low cost and flexibilityoriented approach.

When reflected on hardware level, the concept of flexibility further found application in flexible and reconfigurable manufacturing paradigms -later called as either flexible (FMS) or reconfigurable (RMS) manufacturing systems respectively.

In FMS, production equipment are conceptualized to have a built-in set of functionalities that can handle variations in products and processes in all steps of production.

On the other hand, reconfigurable manufacturing systems focus on the limitation of flexibility to reduce the cost and focus on a more modular approach -which is the reconfigurability of hardware and software systems to provide additional functionalities only when needed.


Whether the result of the alignment is towards the concept of customized flexibility as with RMS philosophy or more generalized one as in flexible manufacturing systems, it is often conceptualized for a solution initiated by a business requirement; then, complemented with technical knowledge; and finally, verified by using the same requirements. When this cycle of creating production equipment is reproduced for aerospace industry, a particular element of manufacturing often draws attention in the attempts of various researchers to provide flexibility. Particularly, assembly operations in aerospace industry is often comprised of dedicated and modular tooling components where the nature of the operations is manual labor oriented [15, 16] . Even though these dedicated fixtures provide satisfactory amount of robustness and performance in assembly of wing structures, the same nature of dedication requires excessive amounts of design/procurement times and investment cost both for infrastructure and tooling hardware [17] . Furthermore, the assembly of large scale units, particularly aircraft wings, requires corrections in terms of shimming of the non-rigid materials to secure robust process within tolerance limits. Thus, aerospace industry copes with the variation manually due to the dedicated nature of the conventional tooling. Therefore, there is a certain need for active fixturing solution that is reconfigurable and supported by intelligence to adapt to different products and variations within a workpiece [18] .

Particularly, assembly operations in aerospace industry is often comprised of dedicated and modular tooling components where the nature of the operations is manual labor oriented.

Even though these dedicated fixtures provide satisfactory amount of robustness and performance in assembly of wing structures, the same nature of dedication requires excessive amounts of design/procurement times and investment cost both for infrastructure and tooling hardware.

Therefore, there is a certain need for active fixturing solution that is reconfigurable and supported by intelligence to adapt to different products and variations within a workpiece.


Previous study has been reported about early phase process evaluation, (Putra, 2016) . Here, in this article, the pinch analysis has been applied to improve the design of a chemical plant. A revamp project was done on the plant to keep up to the increasing market demands. As background information, its current and revamped situations will be discussed. Next, a pinch analysis of the plant is applied and a straightforward solution is recommended. Due to confidentiality, all drawings and data have been changed from the original case, leaving only the similar problem and the recommended solution.

Previous study has been reported about early phase process evaluation.


Some communities (mostly in remote areas and on small islands) have generated their own electricity using small generator engines. This option, however, is not environmentally friendly. Oil fuels happen to more and more difficult and are not available in remote areas. Electricity price using this option is much more expensive. At a non-subsidized diesel fuel price of 9,400 IDR/L and engine efficiency of 30%, the cost of electricity is around 3,100 IDR/kWh just to cover fuel consumption. In more remote areas the electricity price using diesel generators will be much more expensive as compared to current electricity price of 1,509.38 IDR/kWh for R1-TR connection type (PLN, 2015) .

In more remote areas the electricity price using diesel generators will be much more expensive as compared to current electricity price of 1,509.38 IDR/kWh for R1-TR connection type.


The RO x measurement system shows a much larger NO 3 interference than the OH and HO x cells (Fig. 12) . The major difference is the RO x conversion reactor upstream of the detection cell. The converter has a larger nozzle orifice, through which air is sampled. Furthermore, it has a large inner surface and a different wall material (Teflon) (Fuchs et al., 2008b) . The residence time of air is approximately 0.6 s at a higher pressure of 25 hPa. Part of the reactor flow is sampled through a second nozzle into the detection cell. In the HO x mode (only CO is added into the conversion reactor), the interference is a factor of 200 higher than in the other cells. When 0.7 ppmv NO is added (RO x mode), the interference signal is suppressed by a factor of 2. Under these conditions, the lifetime of NO 3 is only 90 ms and all NO 3 is expected to be removed in the first half of the reactor. The final part of the reactor and the following detection cell are then expected to be free from possible OH production. This could mean that either the surface of the reactor wall contributes to the enhanced interference and/or each of the two nozzle inlets (into the reactor and into the detection cell). Further experimental tests will be needed to explore how NO 3 contributes to the OH production in the gas phase.

Furthermore, it has a large inner surface and a different wall material (Teflon).


Open questions about the exact reaction mechanism of the ozonolysis of alkenes still exist, especially for alkenes with a high carbon number (Donahue et al., 2011) . Ozone adds to the double bond of the organic compound, forming a primary ozonide, which quickly decomposes to a carbonyl oxide (CI) and a carbonyl compound. Gas phase ozonolysis is extremely exothermic, so that the products carry excess energy. The short-lived excited CI can then either decompose or can be stabilized by collisions forming a sCI. Decomposition of the excited CI leads to the formation of OH when the CI is disubstituted or has a syntype structure (Johnson and Marston, 2008) .

Open questions about the exact reaction mechanism of the ozonolysis of alkenes still exist, especially for alkenes with a high carbon number.

Decomposition of the excited CI leads to the formation of OH when the CI is disubstituted or has a syntype structure.


Constipation is a common gastrointestinal disorder, which is a more complex pathogenesis, based on mainly gastrointestinal disturbance. The clinical manifestations of constipation are defecation difficulties, prolonged defecation time and so on. The classification of organic disease constipation can be divided into organic and functional [1] . Constipation has a tremendous impact on the life quality of patients, and even seriously threatens the lives of patients. The incidence of constipation in China is 6% and the overall prevalence is higher in females than in males [2] [3] [4] .

The classification of organic disease constipation can be divided into organic and functional.

The incidence of constipation in China is 6% and the overall prevalence is higher in females than in males.


Malus halliana Koehne (Figure 1 ), belonging to the Rosaceae family, is distributed in Shanxi, Jiangsu, Anhui and Zhejiang Province in China [14] . M. halliana, taste slightly bitter, astringent, ping, belonging to the liver meridian. M. halliana has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine to treat metrorrhagia [15] . Pharmacological studies showed that M. halliana had the ability of protect liver, antioxidant, inhibition of α-glycosidase enzymes in vitro and antithrombotic effect in vivo [16] [17] [18] . Chemical composition research of M. halliana focused on flavonoids [19, 20] . No studies on biological activity of polysaccharides have been reported. As a part of our continuous research for M. halliana flowers. In this study, the M. halliana flower's polysaccharides were extracted and investigated on functional constipation.

Malus halliana Koehne (Figure 1 ), belonging to the Rosaceae family, is distributed in Shanxi, Jiangsu, Anhui and Zhejiang Province in China.

M. halliana has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine to treat metrorrhagia.

Pharmacological studies showed that M. halliana had the ability of protect liver, antioxidant, inhibition of α-glycosidase enzymes in vitro and antithrombotic effect in vivo.

Chemical composition research of M. halliana focused on flavonoids.


Although these entities may be probed individually, BN-PAGE provides a relatively non-invasive technique to explore how these biomolecules function collaboratively. The ability of this analytical tool to maintain proteins and their superstructures in native conditions enables the molecular visualization of these enzymes in a relatively undisturbed fashion [16] . This procedure also tends to have minimal impact on the transient forces that orchestrate diverse enzymes to congregate for their select metabolic tasks. Hence, the exploration of these complexes and some of the key enzymes that dictate the occurrence of a specific metabolic network generate an accurate functional landscape of a particular metabolic nodule and its performance at a given time [17] .

The ability of this analytical tool to maintain proteins and their superstructures in native conditions enables the molecular visualization of these enzymes in a relatively undisturbed fashion.

Hence, the exploration of these complexes and some of the key enzymes that dictate the occurrence of a specific metabolic network generate an accurate functional landscape of a particular metabolic nodule and its performance at a given time.


However, student acceptance behavior towards MMLSs has only been assessed in few studies. In general, like any information systems, user acceptance and usage are important primary measures of system success (DeLone & McLean, 1992) . Without consideration on student involvement and participation, even the best developed system cannot be successful (Catchpole, 1993) . Similarly, a successful MLS should be widely adopted with active participation from students.

In general, like any information systems, user acceptance and usage are important primary measures of system success.

Without consideration on student involvement and participation, even the best developed system cannot be successful.


Our study also contributes by showing that the learning curve is salient in knowledge work and by quantifying the extent to which learning improves performance in knowledge work activities like software development. Understanding whether individuals, groups, and organizations can leverage prior experience to improve productivity in knowledge work has important implications for hiring, training, and organization of work. Our analyses reveal that the highest rate of learning from individual experience in our context was about 21%, 20 lower than the learning rate of 80% found in manufacturing studies (Argote 1999) . This suggests that experience has a substantially larger impact on productivity in manufacturing compared to knowledge work. Further, because software development tasks are somewhat more structured and repetitive than other knowledgework tasks, the learning rate in those tasks could be even lower.

Our analyses reveal that the highest rate of learning from individual experience in our context was about 21%, 20 lower than the learning rate of 80% found in manufacturing studies.


Science process skills are seen as a problem solving skill in which a problem is represented, a systematic process is carried out in order to arrive to solve the problem (Gagne et al., 1993) . Science process skills are important to teaching ways of reaching knowledge. The students need the process skills both when doing scientific investigations and during their learning process (Harlen, 2000; Taconis, Ferguson-Hessler & Broekkamp, 2000) . Science process skills is also believed to be able to ensure that students have the meaningful learning experience because they help students to develop higher order thinking (Germann & Aram, 1996; Lee et al., 2002) .

Science process skills are seen as a problem solving skill in which a problem is represented, a systematic process is carried out in order to arrive to solve the problem.

The students need the process skills both when doing scientific investigations and during their learning process.

Science process skills is also believed to be able to ensure that students have the meaningful learning experience because they help students to develop higher order thinking.


Theoretical studies with complicated models have been conducted to investigate the dynamic performance of water-lubricated hybrid bearings [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] . With the increasing demand for high precision and high speed of spindles, more accurate values of bearing dynamic coefficients are necessary for proper design and operation of high-speed spindles. However, theoretical predictions usually introduce errors resulting from different assumptions and simplifications. Thus, experimental investigation is necessary to find out the key design parameters of high-speed rotor-bearing system [8] [9] [10] .

Theoretical studies with complicated models have been conducted to investigate the dynamic performance of water-lubricated hybrid bearings.

Thus, experimental investigation is necessary to find out the key design parameters of high-speed rotor-bearing system.


Based on the above two excitation methods, dynamic coefficients of the front bearing are identified and compared with theoretical results. The theoretical results and their geometry parameters are obtained by a thermal-hydrodynamic analysis model from the authors' previous study [10, 13] . Figure 4 indicates the stiffness results of noncontact harmonic excitation. The direct stiffness coefficients increase with water supply pressure and spindle rotating speed owing to the hydrostatic effect and the hydrodynamic effect, respectively. The discrepancies of experimental results between 4 Hz condition and 60 Hz condition are not more than 25%. The maximum errors between the experimental results of 60 Hz condition and theoretical results are 19% ( of 6,000 r/min), 25% ( of 9,000 r/min), 22% ( of 6,000 r/min), and 11% ( of 9,000 r/min), respectively. The cross stiffness coefficients vary slightly with water supply pressure, because they are mainly affected by the hydrodynamic effect. The cross stiffness coefficients of theoretical results increases with rotating speed, while those of experimental results show few discrepancies. Besides, the theoretical results are about four to six times higher than the experimental results. It can be seen from Figures 4 and 5 that the direct stiffness coefficients have a better agreement than the cross stiffness coefficients between theoretical results and experimental results, especially for the 60 Hz condition. As for the damping coefficients, the experimental results of 60 Hz condition have a better coherence with the theoretical results. Phase errors are introduced during the measurement, and the test of lower excitation frequency is more sensitive to the phase errors, so a higher excitation frequency is preferred to get better results for bearing coefficients identification. Figure 6 shows the stiffness results of additional unbalance excitation. Both experimental results and theoretical results indicate the same trend that the stiffness coefficients increase with rotating speed. The direct stiffness coefficients of experimental results are smaller than those of theoretical results for most cases, while the cross stiffness coefficients of experimental results are larger than or similar to those of theoretical results. Figure 7 presents the damping results of additional unbalance excitation. It can be seen that the direct damping coefficients of experimental results have the same order of magnitude as those of theoretical values, while the cross damping coefficients of experimental results are larger than those of theoretical values by nearly two orders of magnitude.

The theoretical results and their geometry parameters are obtained by a thermal-hydrodynamic analysis model from the authors' previous study.


Recently, the existence of an exactly gauge invariant 1 lattice construction of anomaly-free chiral gauge theories using exact lattice chiral symmetries has been proven in several particular cases [9, 13] . However, an explicit formulation of the action and measure outside of perturbation theory is currently not available. We thus believe that the further study of the problem, the consideration of new proposals, and of their relationship to old and new advances in the field is a worthwhile task.

Recently, the existence of an exactly gauge invariant 1 lattice construction of anomaly-free chiral gauge theories using exact lattice chiral symmetries has been proven in several particular cases.


However, sodium is not an essential element and it cannot be expected to have a specific role in the metabolic activities of plants. In high concentration, sodium can wholly replace potassium. In such circumstances, sodium is ineffective as a substitute for potassium and reduces the positive physiological roles of potassium (Hasegawa et al., 2000) .

In such circumstances, sodium is ineffective as a substitute for potassium and reduces the positive physiological roles of potassium.


Tonogenesis is said to be motivated by myriad factors including pre-vocalic laryngealization, stress patterns, and vowel height variations. Yet, the most prevalent hypothesis for many cases of the origin and subsequent splits of tonemes relates to the voicing contrasts of adjacent consonants (Hombert et al. 1979) . Vowels following voiceless consonants tend to have higher fundamental frequencies than those following voiced consonants, and if the consonantal voicing contrast in question is neutralized or elided, and all that remains is the associated F0 shift of the adjacent vowels, this pitch discrepancy may be phonologized. Such tonogenetic accounts are descriptive rather than predictive, since many languages with the relevant voicing contrast do not subsequently develop phonemic tone. Nevertheless, the accounts are well grounded and motivated, and we stress that our account does not contradict them in any way. Yet, bearing in mind the descriptive usefulness of such accounts, consider that they do not explain one of the clearest observations one can make about tonal patterns, in particular complex tone, from a typological perspective: it is very regional, tending to cluster in non-arid areas that frequently have arid borders. It is precisely this sort of finding that our account may help to explain. While we are not proffering an alternate account of tonogenetic mechanisms, we are offering a plausible motivation (and there could be others) for the fact that tone crosses linguistic boundaries readily in many regions, but not in all regions.

Yet, the most prevalent hypothesis for many cases of the origin and subsequent splits of tonemes relates to the voicing contrasts of adjacent consonants.


Adomian and his coauthors have presented a systematic methodology for practical solution of linear or nonlinear and deterministic or stochastic operator equations, including algebraic equations, ordinary differential equations, partial differential equations, and integral and integrodifferential equations [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] . Adomian decomposition method is a powerful technique, which provides efficient algorithms for analytic approximate solutions and numerical simulations for real-world applications in the applied sciences and engineering. Using the ADM, we calculate a series solution, but, in practice, we approximate the solution by a truncated series. The series sometimes coincides with the Taylor expansion of the exact solution in the neighborhood of the point = 0. Although the series can be rapidly convergent in a small region, it has a slower convergence rate in the wider region.

Adomian and his coauthors have presented a systematic methodology for practical solution of linear or nonlinear and deterministic or stochastic operator equations, including algebraic equations, ordinary differential equations, partial differential equations, and integral and integrodifferential equations.


Adult I. pygmaeus (62^148 mg) were collected between May and September 1994 from surface waters adjacent to rocky breakwaters and mangroves near Townsville, North Queensland, Australia (19815' S, 146850' E) . Animals were maintained individually in 30 cm 3 glass aquaria, attached to a 120 000 l recirculating seawater system situated outdoors to maintain natural diel periodicity. Individuals had ad libitum access to live freshly caught Acetes sibogae australis (glass shrimp) and were observed eating six to ten Acetes a day each. Idiosepius pygmaeus were maintained for seven days, which represents approximately 20% of the adult life span. This was considered su¤cient time to detect changes in somatic growth due to captivity. Captive animals were compared to individuals of similar size from the wild (Pecl & Moltschaniwskyj 1997) .

Captive animals were compared to individuals of similar size from the wild.


Static analysis by abstract interpretation is a fully automatic program analysis method. When applied to imperative programs, it computes an inductive invariant mapping each program location (or a subset thereof) to a set of states represented symbolically [8] . For instance, if we are only interested in scalar numerical program variables, such a set may be a convex polyhedron (the set of solutions of a system of linear inequalities) [9, 17, 1, 4] .

When applied to imperative programs, it computes an inductive invariant mapping each program location (or a subset thereof) to a set of states represented symbolically.

For instance, if we are only interested in scalar numerical program variables, such a set may be a convex polyhedron (the set of solutions of a system of linear inequalities).


Any factor that increases the primary arc or jump distance should increase stability [11, 12] . Elevated-rim liners improve stability by increasing the jump distance in one direction. However, they have been shown to reduce the primary arc of motion in the opposite direction and lead to impingement (Figure 1b) . Impingement between the rim of acetabular component and the neck of the femoral stem is a known cause for dislocation [13] . This occurs by a lever effect of the impingement forcing the femoral head over the acetabular rim, which causes the dislocation. The point of impingement will vary according to the position of the elevated rim in the acetabular shell; impingement will occur more or less in a certain direction depending on the specific plane of movement and the position of the elevated rim.

Any factor that increases the primary arc or jump distance should increase stability.

Impingement between the rim of acetabular component and the neck of the femoral stem is a known cause for dislocation.


The factors affecting stability from a component position and design perspective are dictated by two key concepts, 'Primary arc' and the 'Jump distance' [11] [12] . The total movement of a prosthetic head inside a Polyethylene liner until the point of impingement is known as the 'Primary arc'. The further movement from that point until the point of dislocation is known as the 'Jump distance' (Figure 1 ).

The factors affecting stability from a component position and design perspective are dictated by two key concepts, 'Primary arc' and the 'Jump distance'.


With paucity of data in the literature regarding lip liner position that may improve hip stability, biomechanically and with soft tissue effects aside, our study shows that an inferiorly placed lip liner will allow increased hip abduction compared to a traditionally superiorly / postero-superiorly placed lip liner. Whilst abduction is generally a safe position unless in extreme range (as in performing a split) and therefore not of concern in the vast majority of hip replacement patients the value of increasing inferior jump distance may be in mixed abduction and flexion activities (riding a horse or a jetski) as demonstrated above. Further, the model does not take into account the soft tissue envelope that will, in-vivo, have a significant influence on range (allowance and restriction) and potential impingement [32] .

Further, the model does not take into account the soft tissue envelope that will, in-vivo, have a significant influence on range (allowance and restriction) and potential impingement.


The demands of the patient receiving a modern total hip replacement are ever increasing due to younger and more active patients being operated on. Dislocation continues to be a common complication in total hip arthroplasty (THA). According to the Australian Orthopaedic Association's National Joint Replacement Registry (AOA NJRR), the 14 year cumulative percent revision for primary THA is 9.5% of which 24.2% is due to dislocation [2] . Thus, new implant designs, bearing surfaces and the use of muscle sparing surgical approaches claiming increased stability without standard hip precautions are being utilised [3, 4] .

According to the Australian Orthopaedic Association's National Joint Replacement Registry (AOA NJRR), the 14 year cumulative percent revision for primary THA is 9.5% of which 24.2% is due to dislocation.

Thus, new implant designs, bearing surfaces and the use of muscle sparing surgical approaches claiming increased stability without standard hip precautions are being utilised.


In terms of experimental instrumentation, four different quantities are usually measured [6, 10, 19, 20, 21, 23, 26, 27] . Strains between bolts on one of the assembled plates are measured with strain gauges, the level of bolt tension is evaluated with strain gauges, the relative motion of two assembled plates plates or that between the bold head with respect to one of the plates is measured with extensometers. In the following study, Digital Image Correlation (DIC) is used to show its applicability to measuring displacement fields and analyzing the stiffness of bolted assemblies, and to study the change of the frictional coefficient with the applied number of cycles. FFT-DIC was used very recently to monitor local slip displacements between the specimen and pad in friction experiments by resorting to a long distance microscope [28] . In the present analysis, the observation will be on a larger scale.

In terms of experimental instrumentation, four different quantities are usually measured.

FFT-DIC was used very recently to monitor local slip displacements between the specimen and pad in friction experiments by resorting to a long distance microscope.


Recently, there has been a lot of interest in models which have no explicit scales present at the tree level. These models have been applied to address the questions concerning the dynamical generation of electroweak scale or the scale of dark matter . For example, theories where the Higgs boson appears as a composite particle explain the origin of the electroweak scale dynamically with essentially no fine tuning of the parameters in the underlying gauge theory. Scale invariant hidden sectors are natural in isolation and, if the coupling between the Standard Model (SM) and a hidden sector is small, also protected from any naturalness problems originating from the SM sector [28] .

Scale invariant hidden sectors are natural in isolation and, if the coupling between the Standard Model (SM) and a hidden sector is small, also protected from any naturalness problems originating from the SM sector.


Individuals bearing two copies of the apoE ε4 allele have been found to be at signi$cantly greater risk for AD (Strittmatter et al., 1993; Poirier et al., 1993a) . In addition, apoE ε4 AD patients have been reported as showing lower levels of apoE in the brain (Bertrand et al., 1995; Beffert et al., 1999a; Glockner et al., 2002) . It has been proposed that reduced levels of apoE may signi$cantly inhibit apoEmediated lipid transport and homeostasis, synaptic plasticity, and Aβ clearance (Mahley, 1988; Boyles et al., 1989; Poirier, 1994; Holtzman & Fagan, 1998) .

Individuals bearing two copies of the apoE ε4 allele have been found to be at signi$cantly greater risk for AD.

In addition, apoE ε4 AD patients have been reported as showing lower levels of apoE in the brain.

It has been proposed that reduced levels of apoE may signi$cantly inhibit apoEmediated lipid transport and homeostasis, synaptic plasticity, and Aβ clearance.


Strawberry plant diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, phytoplasmas, fungi, and nematodes result in severe economic losses in plant and fruit productions. Control of plant diseases using methods that are both economically and environmentally sustainable is essential to provide a regular production. More particularly, management of soilborn pathogens is a challenge when looking for alternatives to methyl bromide, which became banned in 2005 following the Montreal Protocol [1] .

More particularly, management of soilborn pathogens is a challenge when looking for alternatives to methyl bromide, which became banned in 2005 following the Montreal Protocol.


In light of efforts to improve healthcare efficiency, enhancing the integration of primary care within the mental healthcare system is strongly recommended [1] [2] [3] . It has been reported that in countries with more fully developed primary care, the healthcare system is more effective with regard to service accessibility, service continuity and patient outcomes [4] [5] [6] [7] . The trend toward extending primary mental health care is related to the communitybased movement in mental health whose objective is to promote patient recovery [8] [9] [10] . Over the past 40 years, deinstitutionalization has returned individuals with mental disorders to the community. Accordingly, general practitioners (GPs) are increasingly viewed as major partners in the mental healthcare system [1, 11] .

In light of efforts to improve healthcare efficiency, enhancing the integration of primary care within the mental healthcare system is strongly recommended.

It has been reported that in countries with more fully developed primary care, the healthcare system is more effective with regard to service accessibility, service continuity and patient outcomes.

The trend toward extending primary mental health care is related to the communitybased movement in mental health whose objective is to promote patient recovery.

Accordingly, general practitioners (GPs) are increasingly viewed as major partners in the mental healthcare system.


In India, biomass fuels dominate the rural energy consumption patterns, accounting for over 80% of total energy consumed [1] . Fuelwood, crop residues (including plantation crops) and livestock dung are the biomass fuels used in rural areas. Fuelwood is the preferred and most dominant biomass source accounting for 54% of biofuels used in India [1] . Scarcity and increasing prices of fuelwood have been altering the biofuel consumption pattern. Due to scarcity of fuelwood, people are shifting to dung and various crop residues. The use of biofuels in domestic devices is associated with drudgery and adverse health impacts on women [2] . In most rural houses, the fuel use efficiency in domestic devices, particularly cook stoves, is low, in the range of 10-14% [1] . Thus, improving the conversion efficiency would be a significant step towards improving the quality of ARTICLE IN PRESS life and environment. Efforts are already under way to promote efficient devices and alternate energy sources for improving the quality of life and conserving biomass resources.

In India, biomass fuels dominate the rural energy consumption patterns, accounting for over 80% of total energy consumed.

Fuelwood is the preferred and most dominant biomass source accounting for 54% of biofuels used in India.

The use of biofuels in domestic devices is associated with drudgery and adverse health impacts on women.

In most rural houses, the fuel use efficiency in domestic devices, particularly cook stoves, is low, in the range of 10-14%.


The urban energy demand in India is largely met by modern sources of energy such as electricity, LPG and kerosene. The urban population accounts for nearly one-fourth (25.7%) of the total population and is growing at a faster rate than the rural population in India. The population in the urban areas is likely to double by 2010, while the quantity of Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW) generated is expected to triple [3] . Thus, the disposal of solid and liquid streams is one of the major emerging environmental problems of urban India and requires large investments. As significant part of these materials is organic in nature, they could be effectively harnessed as feedstock for producing gaseous fuel and electricity. With growing industrialization, the industrial residue generation has also been growing; these could also be harnessed for energy generation.

The population in the urban areas is likely to double by 2010, while the quantity of Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW) generated is expected to triple.


Leptodactylus latrans. This species was also recorded in the area. It is not a threatened species but it is considered as a priority because of its commercial interest, however it does not depend on the creation of protected areas for its conservation (Soutullo et al. 2013) .

Leptodactylus latrans.

It is not a threatened species but it is considered as a priority because of its commercial interest, however it does not depend on the creation of protected areas for its conservation.


We propose to look into approaches of fusion by filtering tested and proven on Time-of-Flight (ToF) cameras [3] [4] [5] [6] . Our main goal is to generalize such approach and define a global framework that may be adapted to other active sensors, specifically an RGB-D consumer camera, but also to more traditional passive ones, such as a dense stereo camera. The filtering is based on the concept of fusing the depth map with a guidance or a reference image (or images), usually taken as the matching 2-D image. This guidance image is used to correct unreliable depth regions. In this paper, we will design confidence measures, adequate to the considered sensor, to incorporate to the filter in order to indicate those areas within the initial depth map that require special attention.

We propose to look into approaches of fusion by filtering tested and proven on Time-of-Flight (ToF) cameras.


There were five steps to the concept mapping method employed in the study [62] . First, participants were recruited and asked to respond to a question. Second, redundant responses were removed and those remaining were edited for clarity. In the third step, a complete set of responses to the question by all participants was provided to each who was asked to group them into concepts. Fourth, statistical analysis was employed on the groupings provided by participants, which included multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis. A decision was made by researchers about the optimal number of concepts based on the analysis. Finally, the concepts were given descriptive labels by researchers, based on the responses contained within each.

There were five steps to the concept mapping method employed in the study.