This analysis provides an estimate of the measurement uncertainty in the experimental data for the change in d 00.2 , via the error in the determination of the benchmark peak shift for an equivalent SNR. At 25 dB, which is representative of the neutron data, the error in the d 00.2 shift is 7.86 Â 10 À5 Å and 7.9 Â 10 À5 Å respectively for the conventional and the XCORR method with a neutron peak. The strain measurement error is approximately 25 mε. This is within the expected precision of 50 mε for neutron diffraction [85] . The latter includes additional errors due to positioning that are not accommodated in this assessment of the intrinsic measurement uncertainty.

This is within the expected precision of 50 mε for neutron diffraction.


The analysis method is insensitive to the magnitude of the time delay, but is dependent of the peak shape, which differs for neutron and X-ray diffraction data (Fig. A1) . The full width of the d 00.2 peak is of the order of 0.15 Å, and the neutron data are at discrete intervals of 4 Â 10 À4 Å, whereas the intervals of the X-ray data are 5.3 Â 10 À3 Å around the position of the d 00.2 peak. The pixel size actually varies across the full diffraction spectra due to the intersection of the diffraction cone with the image plane, but the effect is negligible around individual peaks. The neutron TOF bins are regarded as equivalent to pixels; both are data at discrete intervals. The signal to noise ratios (SNR) for the neutron and X-ray peaks are 23.3 dB and 46.7 dB respectively, measured by determining the noise power as the variance on the profile baseline and the signal power as the mean square of the data [97] . In the analysis of the diffraction data using Bragg's Law, it is necessary to know the interplanar separation, d (hkl) , of the reference peak in order to calculate its change using the measured change in diffraction angle, D2q, which is provided by the cross-correlation 'time delay'. This was obtained by application of the conventional least-square peak fitting method to find the peak position, from which d 00.2 was calculated using the Ceria calibration. For the X-ray data, the ring diameter was measured to obtain 4q.

The signal to noise ratios (SNR) for the neutron and X-ray peaks are 23.3 dB and 46.7 dB respectively, measured by determining the noise power as the variance on the profile baseline and the signal power as the mean square of the data.


Strain measurement by the two-dimensional digital image correlation (DIC) technique has been used for quantitative in situ studies of damage nucleation and propagation in a range of materials [63, 64] . The measured displacement field, which can be obtained with high precision, is readily converted into a strain field. DIC, however, is confined to the surface of specimens. Measurements of the displacement field within a material by the threedimensional digital volume correlation (DVC) technique, applied to high resolution computed tomography [65e67], can provide quantitative information of the processes of damage development and the strains within materials [68] . Image correlation measures total strains, and to study the elastic strains it is necessary to apply scattering techniques such as diffraction. Although widely applied to monolithic materials (e.g. Refs.

Strain measurement by the two-dimensional digital image correlation (DIC) technique has been used for quantitative in situ studies of damage nucleation and propagation in a range of materials.

Measurements of the displacement field within a material by the threedimensional digital volume correlation (DVC) technique, applied to high resolution computed tomography [65e67], can provide quantitative information of the processes of damage development and the strains within materials.


The elastic strain behaviour in the tensile experiment requires further explanation. As graphitization takes place at temperatures in excess of 2500 C, and due to the graphite crystal structure being highly anisotopic due to the weak interplanar forces of the basal planes, significant thermal residual stresses develop within the graphite microstructure as it cools to ambient temperature. This is the origin of Mrozowski cracks on (00.1) planes [28] . The microstructure may be regarded to be in a state of equilibrium between these stresses and the critical stresses for micro-cracking and basal slip, which act to relax the thermal stresses that are due to the thermal strains. Experimental measurements show that tensile residual stress exists in the Gilsocarbon filler particles of this graphite grade, with compression in the matrix [29] . An increase in Table 2 The effect of applied peak stress on elastic modulus, measured in bending loading and unloading (from Fig. 13 applied strain would lead to further micro-cracking, and the permanent set in the tensile experiment data confirms that inelastic deformation occurs as the applied strain increases. The image correlation of radiographs demonstrates that this is localized at the millimeter length scale of the microstructure, and that some of this strain is not recoverable. This appears to provide a reasonable cause for the negligible change in the axial d 00.2 when the tensile load is first applied, where the static value represents the lattice strain of the elastic stress that is in equilibrium with the critical stresses for microcracking and slip. On removal of the applied load, the axial crystal elastic stress is relaxed, and d 00.2 decreases in this direction.

This is the origin of Mrozowski cracks on (00.1) planes.

Experimental measurements show that tensile residual stress exists in the Gilsocarbon filler particles of this graphite grade, with compression in the matrix.


The diffraction analyses, which measure the elastic strain in the graphite crystals as the change in d 00.2 , provide several interesting observations. There is very good agreement between the neutron and X-ray measurements, since both show non-linear behaviour of the crystal strains as a function of the applied tensile strain. The neutron data show the deformation is more linear in the compressive region (Fig. 12) , obtained in the bend specimen geometry. Such non-linearity in the response of this and related graphites has been proposed to be due to an inelastic mechanism such as microcracking or plastic deformation by basal slip [33] . Both would reduce the increase inelastic strain with increasing applied strain, though the clear effect on tensile behaviour observed here suggests that microcracking dominates in tension, as expected [36] . It is significant that in first load cycle of the tensile experiment the axial elastic strain, measured as the change in d 00.2 in the tensile direction, does not increase with the applied strain, and it decreases after unloading. Although the elastic strain that is measured under load subsequently increases with applied tensile strain, the residual elastic strain upon unloading is zero; i.e. d 00.2 returns to a value close to that of the as-received material. Similarly, the transverse elastic strain, which is measured as the change in d 00.2 at the 0 azimuth angle, is compressive for the first load cycle, does not change measurably when the load is removed, and then returns to zero on the next loading, at which it remains thereafter. In the bending specimen, the residual elastic strains tend to become compressive with increasing tensile permanent set, and vice versa (Fig. 14) . This behaviour is a simple consequence of the elastic spring-back with a gradient of permanent deformation e tensile plastic strain leads to compressive elastic spring-back. Unfortunately, the neutron data are not sufficiently sensitive to record the elastic strain decrease on first loading that is observed by X-ray diffraction in the tensile experiment.

Such non-linearity in the response of this and related graphites has been proposed to be due to an inelastic mechanism such as microcracking or plastic deformation by basal slip.

Both would reduce the increase inelastic strain with increasing applied strain, though the clear effect on tensile behaviour observed here suggests that microcracking dominates in tension, as expected.


For the symbionts, my results reveal that population structure can hinder or promote selection for beneficial symbionts through partner choice, depending on what happens after choice. When each chosen symbiont gets a fixed fitness increment, population structure works against the beneficial strain. This scenario indicates that the interaction between partner choice and population structure by itself is negative: each reduces the effectiveness of the other. When feedbacks tied to the host's performance (sometimes termed partner fidelity feedbacks) are added to the mix, population structure can promote selection for the beneficial strain. This is consistent with the fact that the feedback rewards from the host are effectively public goods for the symbiont, and increased relatedness favors production of public goods [41, 42] .

This is consistent with the fact that the feedback rewards from the host are effectively public goods for the symbiont, and increased relatedness favors production of public goods.


The association of silicon metabolism with such key events a s cell division and DNA replication creates a close coupling between silicon metabolism and the cell cycle. Diatom cell cycles follow the typical pattern of eukaryotic cells where mitosis (M) and cell division are separated from the period of DNA replication (S) by 2 gap phases denoted G1 and G2 (Mitchison 1971) . When growth ceases as a result of silicon deprivation, cells arrest at specific points within the cell cycle.

Diatom cell cycles follow the typical pattern of eukaryotic cells where mitosis (M) and cell division are separated from the period of DNA replication (S) by 2 gap phases denoted G1 and G2.


Honeybees are a group of insects that act as plant pollinator agent, so they increase the crop productivity (Corlett, 2011) . Very few flowers are dependent on a single insect species, although no other pollinators are as effective as are honeybees. Approximately 80% of flowering plants worldwide are pollinated by insects, and about 85% of these are pollinated by honeybees. As many as 90% of fruit tree flowers are dependent on honeybees. The list of flowering plants pollinated by honeybees includes about 170,000 species (Tautz, 2008) . Honeybees obtain feeds of nectar and pollen from flowers of plants. The nectar and pollen will be collected by worker bees regularly and continuously. Nectar is a sweet liquid secreted by plant nectaris glands that can grow in the flower (floral nectar), leaves and stems (extrafloral nectar). Bee-pollen is a product produced by worker bees from the pollen or plant male genitals as raw material. The pollen contains proteins, vitamins, and minerals that are needed by honeybees to make a healthy colony (Sihombing, 2005; Abrol, 2011) . Honeybees collect pollen and nectar from flowers as a source of carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, which are essential for growth and development, repairing of worn out tissue and stimulating the development of hypopharyngeal glands (Abrol, 2011) .

Honeybees are a group of insects that act as plant pollinator agent, so they increase the crop productivity.

The list of flowering plants pollinated by honeybees includes about 170,000 species.

The pollen contains proteins, vitamins, and minerals that are needed by honeybees to make a healthy colony.

Honeybees collect pollen and nectar from flowers as a source of carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, which are essential for growth and development, repairing of worn out tissue and stimulating the development of hypopharyngeal glands.


In support of (2), the PLR group was better at syllable counting than phoneme counting, but the opposite was true of the GLR group, however, although the GLR subjects did better than the MLR subjects on both tasks. This pattern is reminiscent of Italian children for whom the initial advantage of syllables over phonemes also reversed for first and second graders (Cossu et al., 1988) . In contrast, for American children, the syllable advantage shrinks with age (nursery school, kindergarten, and first grade), but does not disappear (Liberman et al., 1974) . The similar pattern for Italian children and Yugoslav adult illiterates is noteworthy given that, relative to English, both languages are phonologically shallow. Again, across ages and across orthographies, language users with minimal phonemic awareness have considerably less difficulty with syllables-that is, segments that are closer to the basic unit of articulation. Whether a syllable advantage persists (or, perhaps, reverses with literacy experience) seems to be language specific, however.

This pattern is reminiscent of Italian children for whom the initial advantage of syllables over phonemes also reversed for first and second graders.

In contrast, for American children, the syllable advantage shrinks with age (nursery school, kindergarten, and first grade), but does not disappear.


Our results also indicate that plasma levels of SFAs are higher in American than in Japanese. Saturated fatty acids are considered to be one of the dietary risk factors of CVD, primarily because these fats raise LDL-cholesterol levels. A reduction in SFAs is a core dietary recommendation that has been issued by many health and government organizations to reduce the risk of CVD. Although this difference in SFA plasma levels may also be one of the reasons that Americans have a higher mortality rate for CVD than Japanese, plasma saturated (and monounsaturated) fatty acids are relatively poor markers of dietary SFA intake [26] .

Although this difference in SFA plasma levels may also be one of the reasons that Americans have a higher mortality rate for CVD than Japanese, plasma saturated (and monounsaturated) fatty acids are relatively poor markers of dietary SFA intake.


We also found that IP-trans fatty acids were lower in Japan vs the US. The reported intake of IP-TFA is 75% lower in Japan than in the US, again supporting the observed differences in biomarker levels. Circulating 18:2 trans fatty acids were shown to be most adversely associated with total mortality, mainly due to the increased risk of CVD [23] . It was also positively associated with total mortality and CHD. In a recent study from Germany, total trans fatty acids in erythrocyte membranes were shown to be inversely associated with mortality, but this was mainly driven by the naturally occurring 16:1 trans (trans-palmitoleic acid) [24] . As to relationship between IP-TFA or SFA intakes and CHD mortality, excessive intakes of both had a greater impact on risk for CHD in the US compared with Japan, whereas insufficient intakes of n6 PUFAs had about the same impact on risk in both countries [25] .

Circulating 18:2 trans fatty acids were shown to be most adversely associated with total mortality, mainly due to the increased risk of CVD.

In a recent study from Germany, total trans fatty acids in erythrocyte membranes were shown to be inversely associated with mortality, but this was mainly driven by the naturally occurring 16:1 trans (trans-palmitoleic acid).

As to relationship between IP-TFA or SFA intakes and CHD mortality, excessive intakes of both had a greater impact on risk for CHD in the US compared with Japan, whereas insufficient intakes of n6 PUFAs had about the same impact on risk in both countries.


The normal function of CK in cells is to add a phosphate group to creatine, turning it into the high-energy molecule phosphocreatine. During the process of muscle degeneration, muscle cells break open and their contents find their way into the bloodstream. Because most of the CK in the body normally exists in muscle, an increase in the amount of CK in the blood indicates that muscle damage has occurred or is occurring. LDH catalyses the interconversion of pyruvate and lactate. Exercising muscles convert Glc to lactate. Lactate is released into the blood and is eventually taken up by the liver .The liver converts lactate back to Glc and releases Glc into the blood. Energy for exercise is derived from circulating Glc released by the liver. TP is a rough measure of serum protein. Protein measurements can reflect nutritional state, kidney disease and liver disease [14] .

TP is a rough measure of serum protein.

Protein measurements can reflect nutritional state, kidney disease and liver disease.


We also observed lower AUCs of postprandial sphingosine levels after both meals in people in the HR-genotype group. Sphingosine is a breakdown product of ceramide degradation, and free sphingosine can be trapped for ceramide regeneration or for sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) formation, both of which have been associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and T2DM [45] [46] [47] . Lower plasma sphingosine levels observed in our study could have been a result of decreased release to the circulation (from ceramide degradation, etc.,) or increased rate of its intracellular acylation or phosphorylation, and both possibilities may have had a negative effect-the increase of cellular ceramide and S1P levels. Further studies are needed to elucidate the possible associations between the PROX1 HR-genotype and the sphingomyelin pathway.

Sphingosine is a breakdown product of ceramide degradation, and free sphingosine can be trapped for ceramide regeneration or for sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) formation, both of which have been associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and T2DM.


It has been pointed out that there is a strong relationship between the application of project risk management and the success of any project. When the project management is implicated there will be a high chance of project success [4] . This paper is an attempt to implement project risk management process on Libyan construction projects to show its impact on project outcomes to meet their objectives and to minimize project cost risk by constructing project cost model. A building project of 25,000 housing units/Quarsha sector in Benghazi was chosen as a case study.

When the project management is implicated there will be a high chance of project success.


Syrian crisis is about the reach its fifth year and no end to foresee yet. Since the outbreak of the crisis in March 2011, almost half of the Syrian population (around 7.65 million) has been forced to leave their home country (UNHCR, 2014a) . Over 40 per cent of these refugees have sought a remedy in neighbouring countries. The most striking and marginalized group in this refugee group is again children whose size is at least 1.7 million. Their educational need is obvious and should be of top priority and identified by the host countries.

Since the outbreak of the crisis in March 2011, almost half of the Syrian population (around 7.65 million) has been forced to leave their home country.


Refugee education has become high on Turkish educational agenda with the mass influx of Syrian refugees in the last five years. Turkey has not comprehensively identified educational needs of the refugee children yet, but the government started to concentrate on the matter in the end of 2013 (Seydi, 2013; Seydi, 2014; Kirişçi and Karaca, 2014) . This work will focus on the current educational assessment of Syrian child refugees in Turkey.

Turkey has not comprehensively identified educational needs of the refugee children yet, but the government started to concentrate on the matter in the end of 2013.


Because it is not recommended to plant only one macadamia nut cultivar, because even when self-pollination of plants occurs, cross pollination between cultivars is more effective for the formation of fruit, increasing the number of first quality kernels, the percentage of recovery of the kernels, and the size and number of nuts (O'Hare et al. 2004) . In this way, there is no planting of only one cultivar, but of different cultivars to favor cross-pollination. Because of this, the identification of the cultivars becomes important because several cultivars are harvested together, leading to a mixture of physical and chemical properties of the nuts, consequently the quality of the macadamia nuts arriving at the processor can be highly variable and this may influence the formula by which payment is determined.

Because it is not recommended to plant only one macadamia nut cultivar, because even when self-pollination of plants occurs, cross pollination between cultivars is more effective for the formation of fruit, increasing the number of first quality kernels, the percentage of recovery of the kernels, and the size and number of nuts.


Among all patients with GC/GEJC included in the analysis, the exposure estimates following treatment with nivolumab 240 mg Q2W were ~ 40% higher compared with exposure following nivolumab 3 mg/kg Q2W. As described earlier, the majority of patients included in the overall GC/ GEJC population were Asian (329 out of 387 total patients). It is possible that the different results between the overall population and non-Asian population could be explained by the fact that median BW among Asian patients was lower than the 80 kg reference used to calculate the nivolumab 240 mg Q2W dose. However, the predicted 240 mg Q2W exposure (median C avg1 ) of 31.0 µg/mL in Asian patients in this study was still below the previously reported exposure of 86.5 µg/mL achieved for a well-tolerated dose of 10 mg/kg Q2W [27] . Even the greater exposures remained within the range of nivolumab exposures that are well tolerated, providing an acceptable safety margin. Previous exposure-risk analyses have indicated that the safety risk does not increase with nivolumab doses up to 10 mg/kg Q2W [17, 25] . In addition, these greater exposures using a flat dose regimen would not be expected to negatively affect efficacy, based on the results of a nivolumab benefit-risk profile analysis in patients with solid tumors [27] . Overall, in patients with GC/GEJC, exposures following nivolumab 240 mg Q2W are predicted to provide similar responses and an acceptable safety profile to those following administration of nivolumab 3 mg/kg Q2W.

However, the predicted 240 mg Q2W exposure (median C avg1 ) of 31.0 µg/mL in Asian patients in this study was still below the previously reported exposure of 86.5 µg/mL achieved for a well-tolerated dose of 10 mg/kg Q2W.

Previous exposure-risk analyses have indicated that the safety risk does not increase with nivolumab doses up to 10 mg/kg Q2W.

In addition, these greater exposures using a flat dose regimen would not be expected to negatively affect efficacy, based on the results of a nivolumab benefit-risk profile analysis in patients with solid tumors.


One of the most important quantities of interest associated with every nonlinear medium is the efficiency with which the laser pulse energy is converted to XUV light, i.e., to higher harmonics of the fundamental laser frequency and consequently to attosecond pulses. According to predictions based on particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, under ideal conditions, the conversion efficiency of solid targets dramatically increases with laser intensity and for I L ≥ 1.0 × 10 18 W cm −2 significantly surpasses the corresponding conversion efficiency of gas targets [10, 16] . In view of the outmost importance of having a source providing intense attosecond pulses, these theoretical predictions have to be experimentally verified. An accurate conversion measurement in the case of harmonic emission from solid targets is far from trivial even for the ROM mechanism. The reason is the commonly large solid angle of the emission due to tight laser beam focusing compared to the pencil-like XUV beam produced by the gas targets. More importantly, instabilities occurring at the plasma-vacuum interface can cause rippling of the critical surface resulting in the scattering of the emission into a large solid angle up to 2π [21] [22] [23] . The generation of ROM harmonics with divergence corresponding to the harmonic wavelength, i.e., less than the original laser beam was accomplished only since the availability of high-contrast ultrashort laser pulses using double plasma mirrors [17] . It is therefore essential that the efficiency measurement is accompanied by a simultaneous determination of the beam divergence. In the past, a number of efficiency measurements mainly for individual harmonics and for different spectral ranges have been reported [13, 18, 21, [24] [25] [26] . The solid angle of the emission in these reports was mostly estimated without concurrent determination of the actual emission cone. More recent work has addressed the issues of divergence and XUV efficiency and their dependence on the initial density scalelength prevailing at the plasma-vacuum interface [19, 27, 28] .

According to predictions based on particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, under ideal conditions, the conversion efficiency of solid targets dramatically increases with laser intensity and for I L ≥ 1.0 × 10 18 W cm −2 significantly surpasses the corresponding conversion efficiency of gas targets.

More importantly, instabilities occurring at the plasma-vacuum interface can cause rippling of the critical surface resulting in the scattering of the emission into a large solid angle up to 2π.

The generation of ROM harmonics with divergence corresponding to the harmonic wavelength, i.e., less than the original laser beam was accomplished only since the availability of high-contrast ultrashort laser pulses using double plasma mirrors.

In the past, a number of efficiency measurements mainly for individual harmonics and for different spectral ranges have been reported.

More recent work has addressed the issues of divergence and XUV efficiency and their dependence on the initial density scalelength prevailing at the plasma-vacuum interface.


Perhaps anticipating such a broad usage, the MLS policy language in SELinux is general enough to express a wide variety of confidentiality policies. The problem is that the MLS policy language is so broad that it is not easy to determine exactly what information flow goals are enforced by a given policy. For example, in a given policy, it is important to know that all possible information flows are constrained by the policy (there should be no unconstrained way to read or write data). Also, it may be important to know that the policy faithfully implements standard high-level goals, such as the simple security condition (no read-up) or the -property (no write-down) as defined by Bell and LaPadula [2] . Finally, there are cases in which it is valuable to know that one MLS policy is compliant with another. For example, in a distributed system when a new machine joins a trusted group it is important to determine that the new machine will faithfully enforce the policy goals of the group [11] . Thus a policy compliance test is warranted.

Also, it may be important to know that the policy faithfully implements standard high-level goals, such as the simple security condition (no read-up) or the -property (no write-down) as defined by Bell and LaPadula.

For example, in a distributed system when a new machine joins a trusted group it is important to determine that the new machine will faithfully enforce the policy goals of the group.


Hemophilic pseudotumors were first described in literature by Starker in 1918 [3] . The pathogenesis of pseudotumors is not fully understood. Proposed theories include an extension from hemarthrosis, soft tissue or subperiosteal haemorrhage, or cortical or medullary haemorrhage. Any of these mechanisms is possible when there is history of trauma [1] . However, this patient did not give any history of trauma.

Hemophilic pseudotumors were first described in literature by Starker in 1918.

Any of these mechanisms is possible when there is history of trauma.


Austenitic stainless steels are widely used in a wide range of applications such as steam generating plants (as piping and superheating tube materials), chemical reactors, and nuclear plants due to their excellent corrosion resistance, good mechanical properties, and good weldability at elevated temperatures. Austenitic stainless steels possess excellent resistance to general corrosion; however, when they are subjected to a treatment like welding in the temperature range between 500°C and 800°C, they suffer from corrosion in forms of intergranular corrosion and intergranular stress corrosion cracking. This is generally attributed to sensitization as a result of chromium depletion which in turn is due to the chromium carbide precipitation in the grain boundaries [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] . Sensitization as a serious and momentous problem during welding of stainless steel has not been completely prevented by conventional techniques such as reduction of carbon content (below 0.03 wt.%), addition of strong carbide formers (such as titanium, niobium or zirconium), and solution heat treatment. Although these methods have met with various degrees of success, they have increased the cost of the materials without producing sensitization-free materials [6, 7] . Recent investigations have revealed that the degree of sensitization (DOS) of austenitic stainless steels depends strongly on the grain size and nature of the grain boundary. Moreover, studies about the grain boundary design and control have shown that materials characterized by a high frequency of low-energy grain boundaries such as coincidence site lattice boundaries are strongly resistant to intergranular precipitation and corrosion [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] . It has also been reported that the DOS is inversely related to the grain size and shows a nearly exponential decrease with increasing grain boundary surface area (decreasing grain size) [5] . Surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) is a new and potentially effective method to produce nanostructured surface layers in bulk materials. Investigations indicate that the grain refinement via SMAT process can cause the formation of twins in the materials with low-stacking fault energy, for example, in 304 stainless steel [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] . So, in this paper an attempt was made to evaluate the effect of nano grains and twins formation in the 304 stainless steel (by using SMAT) on the prevention of weld-decay.

This is generally attributed to sensitization as a result of chromium depletion which in turn is due to the chromium carbide precipitation in the grain boundaries.

Although these methods have met with various degrees of success, they have increased the cost of the materials without producing sensitization-free materials.

Moreover, studies about the grain boundary design and control have shown that materials characterized by a high frequency of low-energy grain boundaries such as coincidence site lattice boundaries are strongly resistant to intergranular precipitation and corrosion.

It has also been reported that the DOS is inversely related to the grain size and shows a nearly exponential decrease with increasing grain boundary surface area (decreasing grain size).

Investigations indicate that the grain refinement via SMAT process can cause the formation of twins in the materials with low-stacking fault energy, for example, in 304 stainless steel.


A very good opportunity to increase the intention of people towards cycling and to be more careful when using the existent infrastructure is to include them in transport planning and decision-making. This decision will lead them to better understand the present situation and to be more cooperative with other stakeholders and the municipality [49, 50] . Nevertheless, public participation in transport planning is often regarded as a formal compulsory phase of the decision-making process and lacks in its real purpose [50] . Involving stakeholders and citizens at the beginning and during the planning process is a necessary condition to have consensus, transparency, and pursue sustainability [51] .

This decision will lead them to better understand the present situation and to be more cooperative with other stakeholders and the municipality.

Nevertheless, public participation in transport planning is often regarded as a formal compulsory phase of the decision-making process and lacks in its real purpose.

Involving stakeholders and citizens at the beginning and during the planning process is a necessary condition to have consensus, transparency, and pursue sustainability.


A good opportunity for curbing the use of cars is the shift from automobile trips to using other transportation forms called 'active transportation' [8] . The most common forms of active transportation are walking and cycling. Many cities of the world have given substantial emphasis to the promotion of active travel with a series of reports from government and other bodies making the case for people to walk or cycle for short journeys [9, 10] . Bicycle sharing schemes have become increasingly popular in countries throughout Europe, Asia, and America to encourage cycling as an alternative means of transportation in urban areas [11] .

A good opportunity for curbing the use of cars is the shift from automobile trips to using other transportation forms called 'active transportation'.

Many cities of the world have given substantial emphasis to the promotion of active travel with a series of reports from government and other bodies making the case for people to walk or cycle for short journeys.

Bicycle sharing schemes have become increasingly popular in countries throughout Europe, Asia, and America to encourage cycling as an alternative means of transportation in urban areas.


For cities related to tourism, it is suggested that a shared-type smart cycling network is developed for young and unemployed entrepreneurs that will fulfill the mobility needs of the elderly and tourists and add it as option to the existing application for taxis. The state and local authorities should take measures for the insufficiencies found and promote slow city policies that connect the environment to social wellbeing and the local economy [78] . In Preveza, where the use of the bicycle is prominent when compared to other Greek cities, there are efforts to promote cycling by constructing an extensive network of bicycling facilities, implementing transit integration, and organizing exhibitions and weekly races for cyclists.

The state and local authorities should take measures for the insufficiencies found and promote slow city policies that connect the environment to social wellbeing and the local economy.


Residents' supported state subvention as motivation to use bicycle. Meanwhile, there are many ways that bicycle usage can be encouraged [76] . Much cycling research overlooks the importance of "end of trip facilities". Support facilities such as bicycle parking racks have supportive development to complement cycling and secure bike parking options at shops and places of employment and recreation [77] .

Meanwhile, there are many ways that bicycle usage can be encouraged.

Support facilities such as bicycle parking racks have supportive development to complement cycling and secure bike parking options at shops and places of employment and recreation.


In addition, small cities with a high potential in tourism may benefit most from the slow tourism opportunities offered by cycling as a mode of transportation. Slow tourism offers a more meaningful and deliberate way of connecting with the visited city. The origin of the concept of slow tourism traces back to social movements such as slow food and slow cities (CittaSlow) that started in Italy in the 1990s. It often emphasized its close link to mobility, with a particular interest in transportations that could reduce environmental pollution and save depleting energy resources [48] .

It often emphasized its close link to mobility, with a particular interest in transportations that could reduce environmental pollution and save depleting energy resources.


Their work was extended by Kang, Oh and Park to the integrable highest weight modules V q (λ) (λ ∈ P + ) over a quantum generalized Kac-Moody algebra U q (g) and to the negative half U − q (g) [7, 8] . It was shown that the upper global bases (or dual canonical bases) B(λ) and B(∞) are perfect bases of V q (λ) and U − q (g), respectively. They also showed that all the crystals arising from perfect bases of V q (λ) and U − q (g) are isomorphic to the crystals B(λ) and B(∞), respectively.

Their work was extended by Kang, Oh and Park to the integrable highest weight modules V q (λ) (λ ∈ P + ) over a quantum generalized Kac-Moody algebra U q (g) and to the negative half U − q (g).


Multilevel inverter (MLI) has offered the solution to increase the converter output voltage above the voltage limits of classical semiconductors [1] [2] [3] . The stepped approximation of the sinusoidal output waveform with higher levels reduces the harmonic distortion of output waveform. They finds applications mainly in industries such as Brushless DC motor, AC power supplies, renewable energy sources, drive systems, etc. The output voltage waveform of a multilevel inverter is composed of the number of voltage levels, obtained from capacitor voltage sources. The multilevel inverters are basically classified into three topologies namely, the flying capacitor inverter, the diode clamped inverter and the cascaded H-bridge inverter [4, 5] . All the topologies have same property of reducing the harmonics. The cascaded has disadvantage, it needs separate DC sources but circuit layout is compact and voltage sharing problem is absent. Due to these advantages, the cascaded inverter bridge has been widely applied to the applications such as HVDC, SVC, stabilizer, high power motor drive and so on [6, 7] .

Multilevel inverter (MLI) has offered the solution to increase the converter output voltage above the voltage limits of classical semiconductors.

The multilevel inverters are basically classified into three topologies namely, the flying capacitor inverter, the diode clamped inverter and the cascaded H-bridge inverter.

Due to these advantages, the cascaded inverter bridge has been widely applied to the applications such as HVDC, SVC, stabilizer, high power motor drive and so on.


A difficulty with our current study is that there is no agreed ''gold standard'' for assessment of outcome after anti-reflux surgery. We have, however, reported extensively using the Likert scores applied in the current study, and have shown a good correlation between these scores and clinically meaningful outcomes, as well as with the outcomes from objective measures such as pH monitoring [3, 5] . It seems likely therefore, that the conclusion that the SF-36 performs poorly for the assessment of outcomes following surgery for reflux is valid, and a disease-specific QoL measure such as the GERD-hr-QoL would be a better choice for outcome assessment.

We have, however, reported extensively using the Likert scores applied in the current study, and have shown a good correlation between these scores and clinically meaningful outcomes, as well as with the outcomes from objective measures such as pH monitoring.


This paper is organized as follows. In the next section, we review some basic materials for the character variety, in particular, the representation polynomial of a 2-bridge knot group due to Riley [30] . In Section 3, we quickly review the definition of the twisted Alexander polynomials associated with SL(2, C)-representations. In Section 4, we show finiteness of monic characters in a curve component of the character variety of nonabelian representations of a nonfibered 2-bridge knot. We also show the genus of a 2-bridge knot is detected by the twisted Alexander polynomial and the character variety of the knot group. Section 5 is devoted to the calculation of an upper bound of the number of monic characters for a family of 2-bridge knots. In the last section, we give some remarks and state conjectures on the fibering problem from the viewpoint of SL(2, C)-representations of a knot group.

This paper is organized as follows.

In the next section, we review some basic materials for the character variety, in particular, the representation polynomial of a 2-bridge knot group due to Riley.


The typical precursors used to produce carbon fibers are polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and pitch. Because PAN-based carbon fibers have high tensile strength and productivity, the current commercial market is mostly dominated by fibers from that source [10] . However, the relatively low carbon content in the PAN precursor also results in cost limitations that have to be overcome. Another precursor of carbon fibers, pitch, is obtained by the distillation process of natural resources such as petroleum and coal [11, 12] . The typical raw materials for producing pitch are pyrolysis fuel oil (PFO), catalytic slurry oil, and coal tar. The production of carbon fiber from pitch can result in cost reductions or very high properties with an additional processing step. Therefore, efforts to produce carbon fiber using pitch have flourished in recent years [13] [14] [15] [16] .

Because PAN-based carbon fibers have high tensile strength and productivity, the current commercial market is mostly dominated by fibers from that source.

Another precursor of carbon fibers, pitch, is obtained by the distillation process of natural resources such as petroleum and coal.

Therefore, efforts to produce carbon fiber using pitch have flourished in recent years.


A study of allele distributions of the egg white proteins in chicken populations and breeds can be used to explain genetic variability within a population or breed and genetic relationships among chicken breeds and populations. Our previous study elucidated the genetic variability of Asian native chicken populations and commercial breeds and genetic relationships among them using seven egg white protein polymorphisms (Kinoshita et al., 2002) . However, allele distributions for the seven egg white proteins have not yet been analyzed in Japanese native chicken breeds.

Our previous study elucidated the genetic variability of Asian native chicken populations and commercial breeds and genetic relationships among them using seven egg white protein polymorphisms.


A vision-based underwater mapping system for shallow waters was demonstrated in an archaeological survey of the submerged ancient town of Pavlopetri (Mahon et al., 2011) . The system produced three-dimensional textured models allowing for further archaeological research to be performed, overcoming time limitations that dives usually entail. In another study, the process of automatically creating virtual tours from the most relevant images of the datasets was explored (Bosch et al., 2015) . They used an omnidirectional underwater camera in Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) that can cover large marine areas with precise navigation.

A vision-based underwater mapping system for shallow waters was demonstrated in an archaeological survey of the submerged ancient town of Pavlopetri.

In another study, the process of automatically creating virtual tours from the most relevant images of the datasets was explored.


The long spawning migration, the mating and spawning process, the development of eggs and larvae, and the long migration of eel larvae are all under the influence of oceanic factors and climate variation. Large-scale environmental fluctuations of particular interest are the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which have been shown to affect both marine and terrestrial communities (Stenseth et al. 2002) . In the case of eels, significant negative correlations have been determined between glass eel recruitment abundance and the NAO winter index (NAOI) for European and American eels, and the ENSO index for Japanese eel Anguilla japonica (Knights 2003) .

Large-scale environmental fluctuations of particular interest are the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which have been shown to affect both marine and terrestrial communities.

In the case of eels, significant negative correlations have been determined between glass eel recruitment abundance and the NAO winter index (NAOI) for European and American eels, and the ENSO index for Japanese eel Anguilla japonica.


One of the current buzzwords across business ecosystems is "digitalization". The advances made in the field of technology are changing the way companies see themselves and market their products [1] . It is no surprise that such extensive transformation is now trickling into our day to day activities, whether in the workplace or in the safety and comfort of our own homes. The technology changes are disruptive and while policies are struggling to keep the pace, companies have quickly adapted and they have transformed their products to be consumption-ecosystem focused, with interdependencies that evolve after a product is sold and it is being consumed [2] .

The advances made in the field of technology are changing the way companies see themselves and market their products.

The technology changes are disruptive and while policies are struggling to keep the pace, companies have quickly adapted and they have transformed their products to be consumption-ecosystem focused, with interdependencies that evolve after a product is sold and it is being consumed.


In designing and delivering online classes, the degree of student perceptions and satisfaction should be important as higher education institutions often consider student satisfaction as one of the key factors in online education quality [7, 8] . However, without knowing what predicts student satisfaction in online classes, it is difficult to meet their needs and improve their learning outcomes. Therefore there is a need to better understand predictors that affect student satisfaction in online classes, including self-efficacy, technical skills and attitudes toward online learning and cultural differences that may affect these predictors. New challenges in online education are characterized by the increased focus on users' characteristics and reactions and their changing needs. The problem is that people differ across regional, linguistic, and country boundaries and users' requirements are strongly influenced by their local cultural perspective. The increasing use and acceptance of online learning puts forth the issue that such use and acceptance of online learning is a function of culture. Catering for cultural diversity seems imperative for the diffusion of online courses for international use. It has been claimed that the Internet and electronic commerce (e-commerce) originated in Western culture as the majority of Internet websites and e-commerce applications have been developed in Western countries [9] . The same can be said for the use and acceptance of online learning. Subsequently, Western vs non-Western culture constitutes a set of parameters that may significantly influence online learning acceptance and satisfaction.

In designing and delivering online classes, the degree of student perceptions and satisfaction should be important as higher education institutions often consider student satisfaction as one of the key factors in online education quality.

It has been claimed that the Internet and electronic commerce (e-commerce) originated in Western culture as the majority of Internet websites and e-commerce applications have been developed in Western countries.


In this note we will modify the DeVore-Yu polynomials and for a convex /, obtain polynomials which are convex on [-1,1] and which satisfy (3) and (4), thus improving Shvedov's estimates (2) . Also, if in addition, / is monotone, then the polynomials are monotone. Our result is therefore THEOREM 1. There exists an absolute constant C such that for any convex function f G C[-1,1] and every n > 1, there is a convex polynomial pn of degree not exceeding n satisfying (3) and (4) . If in addition f is monotone, then so is pn.

In this note we will modify the DeVore-Yu polynomials and for a convex /, obtain polynomials which are convex on [-1,1] and which satisfy (3) and (4), thus improving Shvedov's estimates.

Our result is therefore THEOREM 1.

There exists an absolute constant C such that for any convex function f G C[-1,1] and every n > 1, there is a convex polynomial pn of degree not exceeding n satisfying (3) and.


Research in the area tends to be based on studies with relatively small sample sizes. Household monitoring studies are labour and resource intensive, and it may be difficult to recruit large numbers of households to participate in studies. Data-analysis techniques have almost exclusively relied upon averaged or standardized household temperatures to estimate model parameters (Green & Gilbertson, 2008; Howden-Chapman et al., 2007; Richardson et al., 2006; Summerfield et al., 2007) . That means that the sample size is effectively limited to the number of households included in the study. Furthermore, existing approaches are restricted in their ability to examine the impacts of individual measures when there is variation in the measures delivered within energy-efficiency improvement programmes, different building and construction types, or to study the performance of energy-efficiency measures under different external conditions, as they do not have sufficient statistical power to conduct such sub-analyses.

Data-analysis techniques have almost exclusively relied upon averaged or standardized household temperatures to estimate model parameters.


The intervention measures were not equally effective. The introduction of external wall insulation and connection to the gas mains network significantly increased indoor air temperatures; windows and doors or a new heating system did not. The increases in indoor air temperatures in British steel-framed buildings and buildings with solid walls can mainly be attributed to the external wall insulation they received. Both windows and doors and connection to the gas mains network increased indoor relative humidity, although these increases were small in absolute terms. External wall insulation most likely did not increase indoor relative humidity because of mechanical ventilation installed alongside. Increases in indoor relative humidity levels were only observed in buildings that received cavity-wall insulation (which were generally without mechanical ventilation), not in British steel-framed buildings or in buildings with solid walls receiving insulation. It shows the importance of using mechanical ventilation when making building more airtight (Bone et al., 2010) .

It shows the importance of using mechanical ventilation when making building more airtight.


While the study involved detailed long-term monitoring before and after the intervention, including a control group, and controlled for external hydrothermal conditions, it did not monitor occupancy, heating and/or occupant behaviour. Occupancy and occupant behaviour have a large impact on the energy consumption and internal conditions of buildings (Guerra Santin, Itard, & Visscher, 2009; Yohanis, Mondol, Wright, & Norton, 2008) . Including these aspects would improve our understanding of adaptive behaviours resulting from the energy-efficiency investments. Information about occupancy would also help to determine with more precision the length and cumulative amount of exposure to substandard temperatures. However, it was beyond the scope of the study to incorporate internal household behavioural dynamics. Furthermore, energy use was estimated from meter readings taken during the installation and collection of the monitors. This can only provide a broad indication of the energy savings as a result of the energy-efficiency investments. Higher-resolution energy monitoring, sensors and social science research methods are needed to provide more precise and ideally disaggregated estimates for specific purposes (such as heating or cooking) to get a better understanding of occupants' behaviour, their thermal experiences and responses to changes in the built environment.

Occupancy and occupant behaviour have a large impact on the energy consumption and internal conditions of buildings.


A further limitation was that the monitoring sample was self-selected. The study was conducted in lowincome areas, which tend to have low response rates for research studies (Parry, Bancroft, Gnich, & Amos, 2001) . There is, however, little evidence that selection and attrition have systematically biased the sample, suggesting that the results may be generalized to similar energy-performance investment programmes. The results may, however, not be directly generalizable to non-deprived communities or households with different financial circumstances who respond differently to energy-efficiency investments (Gavankar & Geyer, 2010) .

The study was conducted in lowincome areas, which tend to have low response rates for research studies.

The results may, however, not be directly generalizable to non-deprived communities or households with different financial circumstances who respond differently to energy-efficiency investments.


In what follows we assume familiarity with Mingers' paper (Mingers, 1989) . Mingers provides an introduction to the splitting rules under evaluation, then describes his experimental procedure and the results obtained. His main conclusion is that the predictive error of induced trees is not sensitive to the splitting rule, and in particular that use of a random splitting rule does not significantly increase classification error (Mingers, 1989, p. 338) .

In what follows we assume familiarity with Mingers' paper.


The complement blockade with eculizumab in 22 patients with PNH has been assessed in a recent study, suggesting that there might be an important variability in the response [37] . The residual functional activity of C5 was screened using a CH50 assay, which is sensitive to changes in the activity of the components of the terminal complement pathway. Lack of detectable CH50 activity (≤10% of normal values) was found in 51% of the samples and was directly related to circulating free eculizumab levels. In this regard, low free eculizumab levels (<50 mg/mL) correlated with detectable CH50 activity, elevated bilirubin levels, and the need for transfusions. The authors have concluded that concomitant assessment of CH50 and circulating free eculizumab levels may be useful for monitoring complement blockade in patients treated with eculizumab in order to detect possible underdosing [37] . Similarly, the determination of the functional alternative complement pathway using a APH50 assay has also been used in the assessment of the response to eculizumab in patients with aHUS [38] . However, it must be taken into account that CH50, which measures the functional activity of the classical complement pathway, is a nonspecific indirect way of measuring the activity of eculizumab and its usefulness in the clinical setting remains controversial [39] . Currently, not all the Spanish centers have included in their aHUS protocols the determination of CH50 or APH50, and the clinical evolution of the patient continues to be a key factor for the assessment of the response to eculizumab and the modification of the treatment pattern.

The complement blockade with eculizumab in 22 patients with PNH has been assessed in a recent study, suggesting that there might be an important variability in the response.

The authors have concluded that concomitant assessment of CH50 and circulating free eculizumab levels may be useful for monitoring complement blockade in patients treated with eculizumab in order to detect possible underdosing.

Similarly, the determination of the functional alternative complement pathway using a APH50 assay has also been used in the assessment of the response to eculizumab in patients with aHUS.

However, it must be taken into account that CH50, which measures the functional activity of the classical complement pathway, is a nonspecific indirect way of measuring the activity of eculizumab and its usefulness in the clinical setting remains controversial.


If no further actions are taken, it is most likely that butterfly populations will keep declining and species extinctions will continue. Therefore, it seems necessary that butterfly persistence in semi-natural habitats of Europe is supported with appropriate conservation-oriented management of their sites, e.g., within nature reserves or Natura 2000 areas (van Swaay and Warren 2006; Pöyry 2007; van Swaay et al. 2012) . Our review offers some rule-of-thumb recommendations in this respect.

Therefore, it seems necessary that butterfly persistence in semi-natural habitats of Europe is supported with appropriate conservation-oriented management of their sites, e.g., within nature reserves or Natura 2000 areas.


Random regression forests stood out quite clearly as the best overall approach, achieving the best performance on 13 of the 17 datasets. This is in line with recent results showing the strong performance of this model for algorithm runtime prediction [54] . The results are also consistent with those of the original papers introducing the datasets. Figure 5 : Summary of the results of our study. We show how much of the gap between the single best and the virtual best solver in terms of PAR10 score was closed by each model. That is, a value of 0 corresponds to the single best solver and a value of 1 to the virtual best. Negative values indicate performance worse than the single best solver. Within each data set, the best model is annotated with an asterisk. The shading emphasizes that comparison: green cells correspond to values close to 1 (i.e., close to the virtual best solver), whereas red shows the models with bad performance. White shading indicates values close to 0, i.e. the model has the same performance as the single best algorithm. The arithmetic mean for each model type across all scenarios is given in parentheses after the model name.

This is in line with recent results showing the strong performance of this model for algorithm runtime prediction.


The present study assessed the impact of an educational intervention on the knowledge of medical and nursing students in Bahrain on WTS and its relationship with various health-related outcomes. The intervention, a combination of an informative video session followed by a tobacco research expert's lecture, improved the students' knowledge, and to some extent their smoking behaviour. Students' knowledge about the health effects of WTS significantly improved and the overall mean knowledge score increased following the intervention. This change may be attributed to the intervention since no changes have occurred in the curriculum of these institutions during the study period that could have affected the students' knowledge on tobacco health hazards. The fact that medical students were more knowledgeable than the nursing, as found in the pre-intervention survey, is most likely due to the higher coverage of the harmful effects of WTS in the medical curriculum. Further, the remarkable improvement in the knowledge of nursing students affirms the potentially important role that such an intervention can play in improving knowledge on the hazards of WTS. Although there are scarcely any similar studies, these results are consistent with studies that have repeatedly shown a positive impact of educational interventions on participants' knowledge improvement [27] . A recent study showed that educational messages, even if delivered online, could have a positive impact on changing the population's perceptions about WTS. However, the effectiveness of these messages in reducing the prevalence of WTS has not been encouraging [28] .

Although there are scarcely any similar studies, these results are consistent with studies that have repeatedly shown a positive impact of educational interventions on participants' knowledge improvement.

However, the effectiveness of these messages in reducing the prevalence of WTS has not been encouraging.


In this section, we evaluate the performance of our approach through experimentations over the database schema of the TPC-H benchmark [2] . Our approach takes as input a set of selection-projection-join (SPJ) queries that may involve aggregation and group by clause as well. For each query, we consider all possible execution plans which represent its execution strategies. Then, all the queries are merged into the same graph (see Section 4) in order to detect the overlapping and capture the dependencies among them. Our approach produces as output the set of materialized views. The performance of our approach was evaluated by measuring the gain in solution quality obtained by the materialized views.

In this section, we evaluate the performance of our approach through experimentations over the database schema of the TPC-H benchmark.


More recently, the view selection has been investigated in data placement in a distributed setting [5] . For this purpose, we have extended our constraint satisfaction model to deal with the distributed setting. The formulation of the view selection problem in a distributed context can be found in our recent work [22] . As a future work, we are planning to solve the view selection problem in a large scale distributed environments such as peer to peer or cloud computing environments.

More recently, the view selection has been investigated in data placement in a distributed setting.

The formulation of the view selection problem in a distributed context can be found in our recent work.


We evaluate our prototype using fifteen programs, each of which has one type error. Most of them are from the functional programming courses in Ochanomizu University. Some examples are from the online demonstration of Skalpel [13] . Three of them include multiple type conflicts. The OCaml compiler's error message locates the cause of a type error correctly for Test 5, 7, 9 and 11.

Some examples are from the online demonstration of Skalpel.


After a certain time, often self-determined by the community nurse team, the non-healing patient is referred to a "wound care specialist" who will initially assess the wound care policy and patient records of how they have been treated to date. If the treatment was deemed to be poor or sub optimal, the wound care specialist will initially instigate a "gold standard" regime of advanced wound care therapy. If this therapy is successful, they will continue to healing with advanced wound care alone [2] .

If this therapy is successful, they will continue to healing with advanced wound care alone.


Bacterial cellulose fibers mimics Collagen in creating an extra cellular matrix in the wound, which is neither originating from animals (e.g. SIS matrix) nor synthetic (man-made), and it therefore must be described as Artificial Biology. This artificial biological ECM replaces the body's own lost or damaged ECM and also stimulates the body to produce more of its own collagen, which supports the body's wound healing closure mechanism. Stimulating fibroblast production and subsequently TGF-b (Transforming growth factor beta) production will also be stimulated. Then granulation and epithelialization will start due to the presence of fibroblasts, endothelial cells are attracted to the wound producing growth factors, fibroblasts will release the body's own collagen and glycosaminoglycans. The combination of collagen and fibronectin forms the new ECM, ECM synthesis and new vessels, granulation tissue formation and epithelialization by keratinocyte migration, resulting in and increasing in the dermis volume and accelerating the healing. Besides, BC like Natural ECM also activates NK killer cells (same sized cells) T and B cells. The body then understands when to produce positive items (collagen etc.) and when to stop. Correcting wound modulation and kick starting correct cellular communication. The body then auto regulates the delivery of the necessary components necessary to promote wound repair and these fibers have high concentration of flavonoid compounds, diterpene, triterpene, lignans, phenylpropanoids and prenylated acetophenones which strengthen our immunity cells and improve our immune system [18] [19] .

The body then auto regulates the delivery of the necessary components necessary to promote wound repair and these fibers have high concentration of flavonoid compounds, diterpene, triterpene, lignans, phenylpropanoids and prenylated acetophenones which strengthen our immunity cells and improve our immune system.


Shell elements can also be classified according to the thin shell elements and thick shell elements [1, 2] . Thin shell elements are based on the Kirchhoff-Love theory in which transverse shear deformations are neglected, while thick shell elements are based on the Reissner-Mindlin theory which includes transverse shear deformations. The thin shell elements are limited only for thin shells and require C1 continuity for the deflection field which makes the formulation become more difficult. While the thick shell elements, or Reissner-Mindlin shell elements, can be used for both thin and thick shells and only require C0 continuity for the deflection and rotation fields which make the formulation become easier. However, three-node triangular Reissner-Mindlin shell elements often suffer from two major drawbacks; (1) the so called "shear locking" phenomena which pollutes the numerical results in the thin limit; and (2) the overly stiff behavior which leads to poor accuracy and low convergence of numerical solutions.

Shell elements can also be classified according to the thin shell elements and thick shell elements.


Vibration signal analysis is the main technique for monitoring the condition and detecting faults in a gearbox. By employing appropriate signal processing methods, changes in vibration signals caused by faults can be detected to aid in evaluating the gearbox's health status. The development process from the normal state to a fault in the gearbox is a slow one. With the limitation of the mechanical structure and its working environment, it is difficult to directly measure the changes of state for a gearbox, e.g. gear wear and cracking. Generally, the changes of state are estimated by observing the changes of features extracted from vibration signals. Although a great variety of features provides information about different aspects of the working condition, it remains difficult to identify the condition only with a visual estimation. To solve this problem, pattern recognition is employed on the basis of feature extraction. With pattern recognition, the working condition of a gearbox can be classified, and faults can be detected automatically. Therefore, gearbox fault detection consists of feature extraction and pattern recognition [2] .

Therefore, gearbox fault detection consists of feature extraction and pattern recognition.


We have investigated trends in tree-ring widths of a forest chronosequence in which harvests and thinning are carried out regularly to fulfil a management plan. The forests include a set of stands of increasing age, within which each stand is usually even aged. The main aim of studying forest chronosequences is to substitute space for time so that one can consider present-day stands as different age stages of the same stand (Foster and Tilman 2000) . A complete analysis of C-sequestration trends, however, should provide a full C accounting that includes root productivity and heterotrophic soil respiration.

The main aim of studying forest chronosequences is to substitute space for time so that one can consider present-day stands as different age stages of the same stand.


The results showed that the chitosan/b-GP system prepared in this study maintained its viscosity values from room temperature until 30°C and then started to increase gradually until temperature 37.5°C. The rise in the viscosity reached about three fold increase as it reached temperature 37.5°C. This change in the viscosity values is a result of the sol-gel transition in the chitosan/b-GP system due to the increase in the hydrophobic interaction between the chitosan chains as the temperature rises (Chenite et al., 2001) .

This change in the viscosity values is a result of the sol-gel transition in the chitosan/b-GP system due to the increase in the hydrophobic interaction between the chitosan chains as the temperature rises.


Insecure attachment creates little internalized feeling of security. The insecurely attached person is unlikely to cope with a stressful occasion and could probably experience depression. Such persons might interpret interpersonal incidents negatively as their own demerit and low self-efficacy which may produce depression symptoms itself. These people have negative attributive styles and suffer from mental cud towards depression symptoms and consequences which is an inappropriate coping strategy (Margolese et al., 2005) . There are miscellaneous methods like therapeutic methods such as drug, interpersonal, cognitive-behavioral and family therapy and psychoanalysis ones to treat depression (Sadock and Sadock, 2003) . However, basic difference of family therapy with other approaches is that in contrast to other methods, family therapy focuses on the quality and adjustment of parent-child relationships, instead of concentrating on the family. According to mother-adolescent training method, direct conversation on communicational deficiencies is a mechanism by which persons form and develop secure attachment. Helping adolescents to recognize important things for them and helping parents to get serious concerns is an outstanding feature and major principal of attachment based therapy (Diamond, 2002) .

These people have negative attributive styles and suffer from mental cud towards depression symptoms and consequences which is an inappropriate coping strategy.

There are miscellaneous methods like therapeutic methods such as drug, interpersonal, cognitive-behavioral and family therapy and psychoanalysis ones to treat depression.

Helping adolescents to recognize important things for them and helping parents to get serious concerns is an outstanding feature and major principal of attachment based therapy.


The basis of the work presented in this paper can be considered as a substantial enhancement to another RET technique, namely the addition of sub-resolution assist features around mask shapes. Assist features are effective because the light striking the mask has a degree of partial coherence making it possible to generate constructive and/or destructive interference at the substrate surface and so modify the projected line shapes. The extension of this idea to the patterning of grossly non-planar substrates requires constructing the mask as something closer to a full hologram, so that, when illuminated with a sufficiently coherent light source, the required non-planar light distribution is produced [5, 6] .

The extension of this idea to the patterning of grossly non-planar substrates requires constructing the mask as something closer to a full hologram, so that, when illuminated with a sufficiently coherent light source, the required non-planar light distribution is produced.


Globally, many countries are experiencing an unprecedented flow of migrants. More than 65 million people are displaced worldwide and this rate is likely to accelerate. For example, the conflicts in North Africa and the Middle East continue to raise migration trends in Europe with an estimated 172,301 people in 2017 arriving via the Mediterranean, who are mostly of African and Middle Eastern nationalities [1] . The internationally agreed definition for a migrant is used in this paper as "any person who is moving or has moved across an international border or within a State away from his/her habitual place of residence, regardless of (i) the person's legal status; (ii) whether the movement is voluntary or involuntary; (iii) what the causes for the movement are; or (iv) what the length of the stay is" [2] .

For example, the conflicts in North Africa and the Middle East continue to raise migration trends in Europe with an estimated 172,301 people in 2017 arriving via the Mediterranean, who are mostly of African and Middle Eastern nationalities.

The internationally agreed definition for a migrant is used in this paper as "any person who is moving or has moved across an international border or within a State away from his/her habitual place of residence, regardless of (i) the person's legal status; (ii) whether the movement is voluntary or involuntary; (iii) what the causes for the movement are; or (iv) what the length of the stay is".


In recent years Cambodia has made a concerted effort to address health inequities and the issue recurs as a prominent theme within many of the country's health policies, as does a specific focus on equity in maternal and newborn health [27] [28] [29] [30] . On the demand-side, there has been a focus on access to health services for the poor through the expansion of user fee exemptions, health equity funds (HEF), vouchers and communitybased health insurance (CBHI). The most prominent of these are HEFs, which provide health insurance for the poor at tertiary and increasingly at primary levels, through a third party purchaser of health services that reimburses providers for free services provided to those identified as poor. Despite these efforts, out-of-pocket payments on healthcare in Cambodia remain high with the cost of healthcare posing a poverty trap for the country's poor [31] . On the supply-side, policies to improve maternal and newborn health include the training of midwives, a midwifery financial incentive scheme, and a ban on home deliveries by traditional midwives.

In recent years Cambodia has made a concerted effort to address health inequities and the issue recurs as a prominent theme within many of the country's health policies, as does a specific focus on equity in maternal and newborn health.

Despite these efforts, out-of-pocket payments on healthcare in Cambodia remain high with the cost of healthcare posing a poverty trap for the country's poor.


Supercapacitors are energy storage devices that have high power densities and long lifetimes compared with batteries [1] . Charge storage in supercapacitors takes advantage of the electrostatic field that forms at the electrolyte/electrode interface [2] . Novel strategies to fabricate so-called multifunctional structural supercapacitors have been of interest in recent years [3] . Structural supercapacitors generally make use of an electrode, a solid electrolyte and a separator that simultaneously resist mechanical stresses and store electrochemical energy [3] . Among the materials used for electrodes in structural supercapacitors, carbon fibres are one of the best candidates, since they combine both conductive and high mechanical properties (stiffness, strength) for reinforcing matrix electrolytes [4] .

Supercapacitors are energy storage devices that have high power densities and long lifetimes compared with batteries.

Charge storage in supercapacitors takes advantage of the electrostatic field that forms at the electrolyte/electrode interface.

Novel strategies to fabricate so-called multifunctional structural supercapacitors have been of interest in recent years.

Structural supercapacitors generally make use of an electrode, a solid electrolyte and a separator that simultaneously resist mechanical stresses and store electrochemical energy.

Among the materials used for electrodes in structural supercapacitors, carbon fibres are one of the best candidates, since they combine both conductive and high mechanical properties (stiffness, strength) for reinforcing matrix electrolytes.


Structural supercapacitors rely on the combination of high mechanical properties and electrocapacitive performance of the materials used for their construction. The main component of a structural supercapacitor is the electrode material, which should possess both sufficient electrical conductivity and high mechanical properties. As laminated carbon fibre composites have a similar architecture to supercapacitors, woven carbon fibres have been chosen as electrodes for the fabrication of structural supercapacitors in recent years [20, 30] . In order to further improve their performance, the incorporation of woven carbon fibres with a carbon aerogel, has been attempted to increase the electrodes' surface area and pore volume [12] .

As laminated carbon fibre composites have a similar architecture to supercapacitors, woven carbon fibres have been chosen as electrodes for the fabrication of structural supercapacitors in recent years.

In order to further improve their performance, the incorporation of woven carbon fibres with a carbon aerogel, has been attempted to increase the electrodes' surface area and pore volume.


Morphology and porosity characterization of CNF and CNF/CNTs Figure 2a , b shows the morphologies of CF900 and CF900/CNTs, respectively. CNTs were observed at the circumferential surfaces of CF900. No other carbon impurities were observed after CVD, in agreement with a previous study [18] . The absorptiondesorption isotherms for these materials and their respective surface areas have been previously reported; surface area was found to grow from 712 to 1211 m 2 g -1 after growth of CNTs on CNF [8] .

No other carbon impurities were observed after CVD, in agreement with a previous study.

The absorptiondesorption isotherms for these materials and their respective surface areas have been previously reported; surface area was found to grow from 712 to 1211 m 2 g -1 after growth of CNTs on CNF.


Recently, electrospinning has been applied to prepare nanofibres for electrocapacitive applications [5] . This approach can be used to spin precursor materials, which when thermally treated can be converted to carbon nanofibre (CNF)-based electrodes [6] . These electrodes can be used for supercapacitors, due to their high surface area to volume ratios, desirable porosity, and excellent mechanical properties [7] . We have recently shown that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be grown on the surface of carbon fibres, produced by an electrospinning method, improving the electrocapacitive performance [8] . Growing CNTs on the surface of the carbon fibres could also be an effective approach to enhance the interfacial strength of a structural supercapacitor, as has been shown to be the case with traditional composite materials [9, 10] .

Recently, electrospinning has been applied to prepare nanofibres for electrocapacitive applications.

This approach can be used to spin precursor materials, which when thermally treated can be converted to carbon nanofibre (CNF)-based electrodes.

These electrodes can be used for supercapacitors, due to their high surface area to volume ratios, desirable porosity, and excellent mechanical properties.

We have recently shown that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be grown on the surface of carbon fibres, produced by an electrospinning method, improving the electrocapacitive performance.

Growing CNTs on the surface of the carbon fibres could also be an effective approach to enhance the interfacial strength of a structural supercapacitor, as has been shown to be the case with traditional composite materials.


Infection of Foc has been associated with Fusarium wilt (Panama disease) and has caused serious damages to abaca plantation in Indonesia (Nasir & Jumjunidang 2003) . The existance of Foc in various regions in Indonesia hamperred abaca plantation development because of unavailability of Foc-resistance abaca cultivar (Damayanti 2004) . Therefore, development of Foc-resistance abaca has become a major research topic at Central Research of Tobacco and Fibre Crops, Malang-Indonesia.

Infection of Foc has been associated with Fusarium wilt (Panama disease) and has caused serious damages to abaca plantation in Indonesia.

The existance of Foc in various regions in Indonesia hamperred abaca plantation development because of unavailability of Foc-resistance abaca cultivar.


Results of this research showed, CF from all of three tested Foc isolates (Banyuwangi, Bojonegoro, and Malang) exhibited different inhibitory effects on shoot growth of abaca cv. Tangongon and Sangihe-1. Culture filtrate of Foc Bw showed the highest inhibitory effects as compared to that of Foc Bn and Foc Ml. Differences in the inhibitory effects might be because of differences in the rates of toxin production by the respective isolates. The Foc Bw might be able to produce more toxin than that of Foc Ml or Foc Bn. Fungal isolates capable of producing more toxin have been shown to posses more inhibitory CF (Cachinero et al. 2002) .

Tangongon and Sangihe-1.

Fungal isolates capable of producing more toxin have been shown to posses more inhibitory CF.


With this apparatus, we can now investigate different situations: first, for disorderto-order transitions, specific predictions exist for binary hard disc mixtures under similar conditions to those described here [42] . Second, disorder-to-disorder transitions are expected for systems with attractive interactions exposed to modulated potentials [40] . Both these transitions represent reversible transitions starting from equilibrium states, in which the initial states are recovered on removal of the modulated potential. In contrast, in a third situation, high-density non-equilibrium systems, in particular repulsive and attractive glasses, might undergo irreversible transitions from their non-equilibrium state to an ordered equilibrium state upon exposure to a modulated potential. In this case, structural rearrangements lead to stable configurations that persist even after removal of the external potential. In addition to revealing new physics, this might also have implications for material sciences.

With this apparatus, we can now investigate different situations: first, for disorderto-order transitions, specific predictions exist for binary hard disc mixtures under similar conditions to those described here.

Second, disorder-to-disorder transitions are expected for systems with attractive interactions exposed to modulated potentials.


Acid Orange 7 is one of the dyes that are produced in large amounts in the world. It is commonly used in pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetics industries. Acid Orange 7 is an azoique dye used in dyeing of silk and wool. For these qualities, Acid Orange 7 is much used in the textile industry. The molecular structure of azo-dye Orange II is shown in Fig. 2 . Acid Orange 7 is not amenable to conventional biological treatment [8] .

Acid Orange 7 is not amenable to conventional biological treatment.


Periodically poled structures in KTP and isomorphic RbTiOAsO 4 (RTA) crystals with a thickness of up to 3 mm have been reported previously [11, 12] . RTA has a substantially lower ionic conductivity than KTP which is beneficial for large aperture poling, however this material is not readily available from commercial vendors. In flux-grown KTP the high ionic conductivity, the inhomogeneous stoichiometry over a single wafer and a poor wafer-to-wafer consistency makes large-aperture poling a complicated process even for 3-mm thick samples.

Periodically poled structures in KTP and isomorphic RbTiOAsO 4 (RTA) crystals with a thickness of up to 3 mm have been reported previously.


A combined OPO signal and idler output energy of 60 mJ was reached at the maximum pump energy in the crystal of 120 mJ, corresponding to incident pump energy of 130 mJ (1.03 J/cm 2 ). The OPO output energy was limited by the maximum available pump energy. Nanosecond PPKTP OPOs generating at 2.1 µm can be operated reliably at higher fluencies of at least up to 2 J/cm 2 [18] . In our case this fluence would correspond to a peak pump intensity of about 170 MW/cm 2 and hence the pump energy could be safely increased up to 250 mJ. Accordingly we expect that with higher pump energy and appropriate coatings on the PPRKTP OPO output energies exceeding 100 mJ can be achieved.

Nanosecond PPKTP OPOs generating at 2.1 µm can be operated reliably at higher fluencies of at least up to 2 J/cm 2.


Fabricating large aperture periodically poled crystals in any of the above-mentioned materials is challenging due to, first, the increasingly high electric field required for polarization-switching; and second, the difficulty of propagating the domain grating through the whole crystal thickness. Furthermore, in thick samples even a small domain broadening can lead to merging of the domains, overall resulting in a spatially inhomogeneous QPM grating. Periodically poled Mg-doped congruent LiNbO 3 (PPMgLN) and Mg-doped congruent LiTaO 3 (PPMgLT) with thicknesses of up to 5 mm along the polar axis have been recently reported [5, 6] . In these materials the decrease of the coercive field with increasing temperature was employed in order to limit the electric-field magnitude required for the ferroelectric domain inversion. However, the periodic domain structures obtained, especially those demonstrated in PPMgLT, are still limited in homogeneity due to duty cycle variations, domain broadening and domain merging throughout the crystal thickness.

Periodically poled Mg-doped congruent LiNbO 3 (PPMgLN) and Mg-doped congruent LiTaO 3 (PPMgLT) with thicknesses of up to 5 mm along the polar axis have been recently reported.


After an operation is finished, the intermediate result can be transported to other devices or saved temporarily in a dedicated storage unit. Figure 1d shows a detailed schematic of a mixer connected to a storage unit with eight cells [1] . These side-by-side storage cells are constructed from normal flow channels but with multiplexer-like controlling valves at each end. Consequently, only one fluid sample can enter or leave the storage unit at a certain moment.

Figure 1d shows a detailed schematic of a mixer connected to a storage unit with eight cells.


We can see the difference in relative mobility between (V c1 = 50 meV, V c2 = 50 meV) and (V c1 = 50 meV, V c2 = 400 meV) and between (V c1 = 650 meV, V c2 = 50 meV) and (V c1 = 650 meV, V c2 = 400 meV). The value of mobility difference increases from 0.18 to 0.44, and it doubles. Generally the mobility increases when increasing V c1 and V c2 . This could be explained by the fact that the electrons in quantum take more energy to move when the two potentials contacts increase. Figure 4 shows the relative conductivity as a function of V c1 with 50 meV < V c1 < 650 meV for different values of V c2 = 50, 200, 300 and 400 meV. The relative conductivity rises when V c1 and V c2 are rising, and it has an almost linear behavior. In other words, the transconductance is almost flat. The same behavior was seen in UltraThin Independent Double Gate MOSFET in Munteanu's work [13] .

The same behavior was seen in UltraThin Independent Double Gate MOSFET in Munteanu's work.


Mainly, we will study the transport properties of the new δ-MIGFET (δ-Multiple Independent Gate FET) ( Figure 1 ) transistor in symmetrical and asymmetrical modes. The transconductance observed in this system is almost stable in asymmetrical mode as the experimental work in conventional MIGFET [11] . This feature is highly desirable in electronics to reduce the noise in amplifications and improve the stability [18] .

The transconductance observed in this system is almost stable in asymmetrical mode as the experimental work in conventional MIGFET.

This feature is highly desirable in electronics to reduce the noise in amplifications and improve the stability.


These properties are due primarily to the good electronic confinement achieved in the two contact gates on both sides and secondly, to the conduction channel control in an independent way in the two gates. The transport phenomena is studied in two forms. The first one requires the electronic structure calculations results, as a preview study applied to δ-FET and ALD-FET [21] [22] [23] . The second one uses the Thomas Fermi approach; this one has an advantage since it is not necessary to calculate the electronic structure [eigenfunctions, eigenvalues] .

The first one requires the electronic structure calculations results, as a preview study applied to δ-FET and ALD-FET.


Double gate Silicon On Insulator (SOI) devices have been also widely researched to replace the current planar SOI devices [8, 11, 12] . The main advantage of this architecture is that it offers a reinforced electrostatic coupling between the conduction channel and the gate electrode. A double gate structure can efficiently sandwich the semiconductor element playing the role of the transistor channel [13] . Recently, double gate structures with independent gate devices have offered additional advantages and challenges [2, 6, [14] [15] [16] [17] .

Double gate Silicon On Insulator (SOI) devices have been also widely researched to replace the current planar SOI devices.

A double gate structure can efficiently sandwich the semiconductor element playing the role of the transistor channel.

Recently, double gate structures with independent gate devices have offered additional advantages and challenges.


The isolates SF 262, SF 264, SF 266, SF 267, SF 268, SF 271, SF 292 and SF 629 were mass-produced in 250-mL Erlenmeyer flasks containing 50 mL MSF broth (2.5g NaCl; 2g KH 2 PO 4 ; 2.5g K 2 HPO 4 ; 0.25g MgSO 4 .7H2O; 0.1g MnSO 4 .H2O; 5 g dextrose and 4 g yeast extract per 1,000 mL of water). The flasks were kept on a rotary shaker (250 rpm) at 25 ºC for 96 h, which culminated with the formation of endospores. The broth was then centrifuged at 2,000 g for 15 min. The suspension was kept in a refrigerator (4 ºC) until use. The formulations were composed of 10-40% of the bacterial suspension (10 9 colony-forming units/mL), 1-3% xanthan gum, 1-5% of talc, 3-8% triton X-100, 5% of trealose and 35-65% of the liquid carrier -water, soybean oil and MSF broth (Burges, 1998) . The pH of the formulations was adjusted to 7.0. The bionematicides were kept in 500-mL dark flasks and stored at the room temperature (25±2 ºC) or in the refrigerator (8 ºC±1 ºC). The shelf-life of the formulations was evaluated weekly by plating them on MSF broth in Petri dishes (90 mm in diameter), followed by the incubation at 25 ºC. The number of colony-forming units (CFU) was recorded after 72 h.

The formulations were composed of 10-40% of the bacterial suspension (10 9 colony-forming units/mL), 1-3% xanthan gum, 1-5% of talc, 3-8% triton X-100, 5% of trealose and 35-65% of the liquid carrier -water, soybean oil and MSF broth.


The new algorithm is used to examine Subantarctic Mode Water (SAMW) and Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) formation using Argo data. SAMW is the name given to the waters encompassed by the deep mixed layers immediately north of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). AAIW, a subset of SAMW, can be traced as a relatively low-salinity tongue throughout almost all of the Southern Hemisphere and the tropical oceans at about 1000-m depth (Deacon 1937) . AAIW is believed to form in the southeast Pacific Ocean, upstream of the Drake Passage (McCartney 1977; England et al. 1993; Talley 1996) . The AAIW formation region is a good place to test the algorithm because it features a strong seasonal thermocline in the summer and deep winter mixed layers rivaled only by the North Atlantic, and it is monitored by a collection of Argo floats. The region has been relatively unstudied during the winter. Section 5 discusses the results of applying the algorithm to Argo data from the SAMW-AAIW formation region.

AAIW, a subset of SAMW, can be traced as a relatively low-salinity tongue throughout almost all of the Southern Hemisphere and the tropical oceans at about 1000-m depth.

AAIW is believed to form in the southeast Pacific Ocean, upstream of the Drake Passage.


The mixed layer is important to a variety of ocean processes. The mixed layer responds to atmospheric fluxes and transmits those fluxes to the ocean interior. Wind forcing acts through the mixed layer to drive ocean circulation (Chereskin and Roemmich 1991) . The depth of the mixed layer establishes the volume of water over which the surface heat flux is distributed (Chen et al. 1994; Ohlmann et al. 1996) . In areas where deep convection occurs, winter mixed layer conditions set the properties of the deep and intermediate water masses of the ocean's interior (Talley 1999) .

Wind forcing acts through the mixed layer to drive ocean circulation.

The depth of the mixed layer establishes the volume of water over which the surface heat flux is distributed.

In areas where deep convection occurs, winter mixed layer conditions set the properties of the deep and intermediate water masses of the ocean's interior.


The surface layer of the ocean records past winter mixing events and the subsequent onset of spring restratification, as well as the traces of all physical processes occurring above the ocean's permanent thermocline. Typical ocean observations reveal a well-mixed layer, in which temperature, salinity, and density are nearly vertically uniform, embedded in the surface layer. Turbulent mixing processes powered by wind stress and heat exchange at the air-sea interface create this neutrally buoyant and thoroughly mixed column in the upper ocean. This turbulently mixed layer is highly variable. In the summer, mixed layer depths (MLDs) can reach tens of meters or even be absent. In the winter, deep convection driven by surface heat loss can mix the water column to 2000 m in select locations (Marshall and Schott 1999) . Coupled with the intense seasonal and spatial variation of the mixed layer is a complexity of structures in the ocean surface layer that can often obscure the depth of the turbulently mixed layer (Sprintall and Roemmich 1999; Dong et al. 2008) .

In the winter, deep convection driven by surface heat loss can mix the water column to 2000 m in select locations.

Coupled with the intense seasonal and spatial variation of the mixed layer is a complexity of structures in the ocean surface layer that can often obscure the depth of the turbulently mixed layer.


On the other hand, the performance of HMC deteriorates exponentially, in terms of acceptance rates, with respect to the system's size and the step size due to errors introduced by numerical approximations [34] . Many rejections induce high correlations between samples and reduce the efficiency of the estimator. Thus, in systems with large number of parameters, or latent parameters, or when the data set of observations is very large, efficient sampling might require a substantial number of evaluations of the posterior distribution and its gradient. This may be computationally too demanding for HMC. In order to maintain the acceptance rate for larger systems at a high level, one should either decrease a step size or use a higher order integrator, which is usually impractical for large systems.

On the other hand, the performance of HMC deteriorates exponentially, in terms of acceptance rates, with respect to the system's size and the step size due to errors introduced by numerical approximations.


The theory of sound field synthesis is the name adopted for a recent body of work, one of the aims of which is to eradicate the requirement for spherical loudspeaker arrays and allow arrays of arbitrary geometry [4] . If the mapping onto spherical harmonic coefficients is performed on the same surface on which the loudspeakers are located then an inverse problem arises which has the form of an acoustic scattering problem involving an obstacle with a sound-soft boundary condition [5] . It is well known that this problem possesses frequencies, corresponding to resonances of a hypothetical enclosed cavity, at which the solution is non-unique. It is therefore no surprise that the same issues affect sound field synthesis [3] .

The theory of sound field synthesis is the name adopted for a recent body of work, one of the aims of which is to eradicate the requirement for spherical loudspeaker arrays and allow arrays of arbitrary geometry.

If the mapping onto spherical harmonic coefficients is performed on the same surface on which the loudspeakers are located then an inverse problem arises which has the form of an acoustic scattering problem involving an obstacle with a sound-soft boundary condition.

It is therefore no surprise that the same issues affect sound field synthesis.


Process measures refer to what providers do to and for patients. These include documented adherence to established best practices, such as the use of peri-operative beta blockade to reduce myocardial ischemia, or time from hospital arrival to angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction in order to limit irreversible heart muscle injury. Process measures may be available for many conditions where outcome measures do not exist or have limited applicability due to sample size issues or infrequent endpoints. Another attractive feature is that they are transparent and actionable, giving providers immediate guidance as to where to focus improvement efforts. Process measures also have the advantage of not requiring direct risk adjustment, but legitimate exclusions from the denominator, such as contraindications to the recommended practice, must be recognized and documented. With the increasing availability of evidence-based practice guidelines, there has been a corresponding increase in the number of candidate measures for process-based quality improvement. However, there is some concern that excessive emphasis on achieving compliance with process measures stimulated by public reporting or payfor-performance initiatives might lead to unnecessary screening procedures or treatments, or that they might conflict with a physician's best judgment or patient preference (Werner and Asch, 2005) . Furthermore, process measures focus on only a limited segment of the overall care provided for a particular medical condition; they may be applicable to only a small percentage of patients with a given condition; and they explain a relatively small percentage of the variability in outcomes, which is the real interest of patients (Krumholz et al., 2007; Werner and Bradlow, 2006; Bradley et al., 2006; Rathore et al., 2003) .

However, there is some concern that excessive emphasis on achieving compliance with process measures stimulated by public reporting or payfor-performance initiatives might lead to unnecessary screening procedures or treatments, or that they might conflict with a physician's best judgment or patient preference.

Furthermore, process measures focus on only a limited segment of the overall care provided for a particular medical condition; they may be applicable to only a small percentage of patients with a given condition; and they explain a relatively small percentage of the variability in outcomes, which is the real interest of patients.