The operational principle is based on the asymmetrical thermal expansion of the microstructure with different lengths of two beams, § E-mail: whsu@cc.nctu.edu.tw but not based on the variable cross sections of the microstructure. This design principle not only increases the thermal asymmetric effect, but also makes the actuator able to be driven even under the temperature rise of the whole structure. Here, a microgripper to demonstrate one possible application of the microactuator is fabricated and characterized. It is made of polysilicon thick film by a simple surface-bulk micromachining method with only one mask patterned [8] [9] [10] [11] . Moreover, the microactuator proposed here is able to be used for microswitch and micropositioning applications, and is also useful for material constant measurements of polysilicon films [5] . Figure 1 shows the basic concept design of an electrothermal microactuator. The microactuator consists of a pair of adjacent cantilever beams with different lengths, but the same thermal coefficient to form an actuating arm. The total dimensions of the full structure are within a 1000 µm × 700 µm area, including contact pads. The actuating beams are about 1-3 µm wide and 2-3 µm thick. The length of the longer beam ranges from 500 to 750 µm, and the shorter beam is from 100 to 500 µm, according to different feature size requirements. The main structure of the microactuator is made of undoped polysilicon by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD). Then phosphorus is doped into the top face, which is operated as a conductive layer. Heat generated in the conductive layer causes temperature changes of the actuating arm when current is applied. By the thermal expansion effect, the long beam elongates more than the short beam. This is not only due to the temperature difference ( T 1 > T 2 ) between the two beams but also the difference of the lengths (L 1 > L 2 ) between the two beams. Thus, owing to the unequal thermal expansions of two adjacent beams, the two beams curl toward the shorter one.

It is made of polysilicon thick film by a simple surface-bulk micromachining method with only one mask patterned.

Moreover, the microactuator proposed here is able to be used for microswitch and micropositioning applications, and is also useful for material constant measurements of polysilicon films.


In spite of the increase in the number of studies examining this issue, there is still a lack of in-depth studies which attempt to understand the teenagers' experience. In fact there are behavioral symptoms found during the development stage of teenagers which may contribute to delinquent behaviors. These might warrant a closer examination (Zaslow & Takanishi, 1993) .

These might warrant a closer examination.


Counseling is a process to help clients or individuals make adjustments in personal, social and emotion in order to function better in the environment. In the context of this study, as a relatively new approach in Malaysia, Expressive Arts Therapy is used to test its effectiveness for youths who have been involved with juvenile delinquency. Expressive Arts Therapy approach has been used in a variety of issues and problems, especially in group counseling (Testa & McCarthy, 2004) .

Expressive Arts Therapy approach has been used in a variety of issues and problems, especially in group counseling.


F ilariasis has been a major public health problem in India. The disease was recorded in India as early as 6 th century B.C. by the famous Indian physician, Susruta in his book 'Susruta Samhita' [1] . National Filaria Control Programme (NFCP) was launched in the country in 1955 with the objective of delimiting the problem and to undertake control measures in endemic areas. The manifold increase in filariasis during last four decades reflects failure of filariasis control programs [2] . Currently there may be up to 31 million microfilaraemics, 23 million cases of symptomatic filariasis, and about 473 million individuals potentially at risk of infection in the country. Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a major impediment to socioeconomic development (estimated loss $1 billion per year ) and is responsible for immense psychosocial suffering among the affected [3] .

The disease was recorded in India as early as 6 th century B.C. by the famous Indian physician, Susruta in his book 'Susruta Samhita'.

The manifold increase in filariasis during last four decades reflects failure of filariasis control programs.

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a major impediment to socioeconomic development (estimated loss $1 billion per year ) and is responsible for immense psychosocial suffering among the affected.


Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an experimentally induced autoimmune disease mediated by T cells. It can be induced in susceptible animals either by immunization with myelin basic protein (MBP) or proteolipid protein PLP, or by immunization with synthetic peptides from the MBP sequence [1] . EAE can also be initiated by the passive transfer of encephalitogenic, MBPspecific T cell lines or clones [2, 3] . In the Lewis rat, EAE is characterized by a self limiting, ascending, hind limb paralysis. Histologically, EAE is hallmarked by perivascular and submeningeal infiltration of inflammatory cells within the brain and spinal cord [4] . After recovery, animals become refractory to further induction of paralysis by immunization with MBP. Owing to similarities in clinical expression and histopathology, EAE has long been recognized as an animal model for multiple sclerosis, a demyelinating chronic inflammatory disease in humans of unknown origin. For this reason, studies on EAE are thought to elucidate aspects of the pathogenesis and indicate possible ways of immune intervention.

It can be induced in susceptible animals either by immunization with myelin basic protein (MBP) or proteolipid protein PLP, or by immunization with synthetic peptides from the MBP sequence.

EAE can also be initiated by the passive transfer of encephalitogenic, MBPspecific T cell lines or clones.

Histologically, EAE is hallmarked by perivascular and submeningeal infiltration of inflammatory cells within the brain and spinal cord.


Interestingly, rats immunized with the antigenized antibody expressing 93 ASSDSSNTE 101 but not 39 DMGHGLRLIHYSYDVNSTEKG 59 reacted immunologically with a synthetic peptide of human CD4 previously described to bind Ig [32] . Because the two antigenized antibodies reacted equally with the CD4 peptide and only differ by the composition of their CDR3, we suggest that binding to CD4 by anti-93 ASSDSSNTE 101 serum antibodies underscores qualitative differences of the immune response between rats immunized with γ1TCR-I and 1TCR-II, respectively. Thus, it appears as if 93 ASSDSSNTE 101 induced a different immune response than 39 DMGHGLRLIHYSYDVNSTEKG 59 . Furthermore, since vaccination with γ1TCR-I also promoted greater protection from EAE, it is tempting to speculate that a component of the anti-idiotypic response against γ1TCR-I is associated with protection.

Interestingly, rats immunized with the antigenized antibody expressing 93 ASSDSSNTE 101 but not 39 DMGHGLRLIHYSYDVNSTEKG 59 reacted immunologically with a synthetic peptide of human CD4 previously described to bind Ig.


There are several papers that compare risk attitudes between countries (Bruhin et al. 2010; Rieger et al. 2011; Weber and Hsee 1998) . Although all of these are controlled experiments, cultural studies hold additional pitfalls. The treatment in cultural comparisons consists by definition of the different subject pools from which samples are drawn. Cultural comparisons must thus by necessity abandon one of the elements that make the experimental method so powerful-the random assignment to treatments of subjects drawn from one and the same subject pool. Instead, it is now the subject pool itself that becomes the element of interest. In order to be sure that the effects picked up in a country comparison are really driven by the specific characteristics of a country, it is not sufficient to find differences between countries. We must also make sure that experiments run in different locations within a country produce the same or reasonably close results.

There are several papers that compare risk attitudes between countries.


Generating a descriptive theory grounded in the behaviors, experiences, and perceptions of organization members required constant movement between theory and data: data suggested theoretical hypotheses and concepts, which suggested further data collection needs (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) . I thus developed the theoretical framework in one organizational context and then redeveloped it in a different context. I entered the first setting armed with the sketchy definitions of personal engagement and disengagement outlined above, the desire to identify relevant psychological conditions, and the premise that those conditions would be created at the intersection of individual, interpersonal, group, intergroup, and organizational factors.

Generating a descriptive theory grounded in the behaviors, experiences, and perceptions of organization members required constant movement between theory and data: data suggested theoretical hypotheses and concepts, which suggested further data collection needs.


The second phase of data analysis, conducted after the study of the architecture firm, again involved transcribing interviews and identifying personal engagement and disengagement experiences. I sorted these data into the existing categories. The categories needed to change, however, to accommodate the new data and provide a base for a generalizable descriptive theory. The new categories reflected the greater complexity of both data and the concepts used to explain those data. With the greater complexity came sharper definition. The continuous movement between data and concepts ended when I had defined enough categories to explain what was recorded (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) . The third phase of data analysis consisted of returning to the camp data and resorting and reanalyzing them in terms of the more complex categories and concepts.

The continuous movement between data and concepts ended when I had defined enough categories to explain what was recorded.


However, the application of grinding fluids does not always lead to achieving the desired effects. Therefore, the methods and techniques of the delivery of the grinding fluids to the contact zone with the workpiece are highly significant. As a consequence, it is necessary to aim to the maximization of the grinding fluids which go directly to the grinding zone. The most common delivery method is conventional flood cooling, in which a large quantity of coolant is delivered continuously into the grinding zone at a low-pressure [16, 17] .

The most common delivery method is conventional flood cooling, in which a large quantity of coolant is delivered continuously into the grinding zone at a low-pressure.


The tendency to develop miniaturised electrochemical systems such as lab-on-chip and to make use of mass production, directs towards REs in a planar embodiment. Although a number of scientific approaches have been reported, with none of them proving successful for all the requirements, the traditional rod-shaped RE is still commercially dominant [11] . Several attempts have however been reported on the development of reference electrodes for ISFETs and silicon based substrates [15] - [20] . This paper provides a brief description of the construction and operation of the conventional Ag/AgCl RE and a comprehensive review on the advancements of screen-printed Ag/AgCl REs, not necessarily used for potentiometric sensors but that are suitable for implementation in potentiometric sensors. A combination of Thick-Film (TF) technology and electrochemical methods embraces the requirements of these devices by providing cost competitive solutions for the fabrication of compact, rugged and robust systems. TF technology offers several alternative solutions and allows flexible design with a wide range of materials, mass production and cost reduction through economies of scale [5] - [8] , [21] - [26] . Other approaches such as ink-jet printing, thin-film technology, spraying, heat sealing, conducting polymers, semi-permeable membranes and microfabrication have been reported but have yet to achieve the same level of reliability as the conventional silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) RE [27] - [34] . Several reviews have been published on general techniques with all-solidstate REs with satisfactory results but elevated cost [35] , [36] . It is our belief that TF technology may be able to overcome some problems of the conventional REs. There are many standard types of REs which most commonly include some 'wet chemistry' in the form of an electrolyte solution that is required for their operation. Implementing such electrolyte regions within new sensor designs as an in-line manufacturing step has been proven to be a stumbling block for more than a decade [15] , [37] - [41] .

Although a number of scientific approaches have been reported, with none of them proving successful for all the requirements, the traditional rod-shaped RE is still commercially dominant.

Several attempts have however been reported on the development of reference electrodes for ISFETs and silicon based substrates.

TF technology offers several alternative solutions and allows flexible design with a wide range of materials, mass production and cost reduction through economies of scale.

Other approaches such as ink-jet printing, thin-film technology, spraying, heat sealing, conducting polymers, semi-permeable membranes and microfabrication have been reported but have yet to achieve the same level of reliability as the conventional silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) RE.

Several reviews have been published on general techniques with all-solidstate REs with satisfactory results but elevated cost.

Implementing such electrolyte regions within new sensor designs as an in-line manufacturing step has been proven to be a stumbling block for more than a decade.


Clouds play a large role in the climate system. Conventional atmospheric general circulation models (GCMs) parameterize unresolved cloud processes. Uncertainties in cloud parameterizations are a major factor in the overall uncertainty in climate model projections. Differences between models in the representation of low clouds have been identified as major cause of model disparity in climate response (Bony and Dufresne 2005) . We do not yet have an accepted physical theory for predicting the response of low clouds to a climate change that allows us to prefer one GCM over another.

Differences between models in the representation of low clouds have been identified as major cause of model disparity in climate response.


The SP-CAM exhibits large increases in low cloud cover in a climate in We have taken a preliminary look at experiments using a few other GCMs to see the xtent to which this mechanism may play a role in their low cloud changes. Like SP-CAM, the majority of models exhibit an increase in boundary layer radiative cooling for higher LTS bins with SST+2K. However the low-cloud response in these models varies and is further explored in Part II (Blossey et al 2009) .

However the low-cloud response in these models varies and is further explored in Part II.


We found all these factors motivating enough to design and implement ACOMMA, an Ant-inspired Collaborative Offloading Middleware for Mobile Applications, that performs offloading on either distant cloud or SPC. ACOMMA is an automated offloading middleware that takes offloading decisions dynamically by applying an ant-inspired bi-objective decision-making algorithm. The details of offloading onto distant cloud are already explained and evaluated in our previous article [8] . In this paper, we demonstrate that taking a decision in a mobile device can benefit to all the other mobile devices in the vicinity and so better the application execution performances. We create a decision cache composed of the execution trails of mobile applications and, by using learning-based decision-making algorithm, ACOMMA could reuse previous offloading decisions instead of running its Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) decision-making algorithm.

The details of offloading onto distant cloud are already explained and evaluated in our previous article.


Solving stochastic programming problems is often done through the use of a discrete version of the stochastic problem (King and Wallace 2012) . A discrete version of the stochastic problem simplifies the problem through the use of a set of scenarios, or possible futures, to represent the distribution of the estimated uncertainty. Each scenario represents one possible initial inventory state and a corresponding possibility for future growth. To represent the uncertainty of the initial inventory state, modifications can be made to the basal area and height of the stands. We use these variables as they are the input variables for the growth and yield models, and these models determine which variables are of interest (Kangas 2010) . To represent growth model errors, one possible method is to match the observed empirical variation to that generated by the models (Haara and Leskinen 2009) . By using both methods of representing errors, it is possible to obtain a representative set of scenarios which can be used to approximate the stochastic problem.

Solving stochastic programming problems is often done through the use of a discrete version of the stochastic problem.

We use these variables as they are the input variables for the growth and yield models, and these models determine which variables are of interest.

To represent growth model errors, one possible method is to match the observed empirical variation to that generated by the models.


The problem of voltage collapse may simply be explained as the inability of the power system to supply the required reactive power or because of an excessive absorption of the reactive power by the system itself [2] . The problem of voltage instability or collapse has become a matter of great concern to the utilities in view of its prediction, prevention and necessary corrections to ensure stable operation. In recent years, the load demand in distribution systems are sharply increasing due to economical and environmental pressures. The operating conditions are thus closer to the voltage stability boundaries. In addition, distribution networks experience frequent distinct load changes. In certain industrial areas, it is observed that under certain critical loading conditions, the distribution system suffers from voltage collapse. In 1997, the voltage instability problem in a distribution system that spread to a corresponding transmission system caused a major blackout in S/SE Brazilian system [3] . Recently, the voltage stability (VS) of radial distribution system has been studied and various voltage stability indices have been developed [4] [5] [6] [7] .

The problem of voltage collapse may simply be explained as the inability of the power system to supply the required reactive power or because of an excessive absorption of the reactive power by the system itself.

In 1997, the voltage instability problem in a distribution system that spread to a corresponding transmission system caused a major blackout in S/SE Brazilian system.

Recently, the voltage stability (VS) of radial distribution system has been studied and various voltage stability indices have been developed.


At the present time, most thermal energy worldwide is obtained burning fossil fuels. However, these are limited resources, and its use also contributes to local air pollution and global climate change. A sustainable alternative is the use of renewable resources like solar energy, which conveniently is most available in the places that are in greatest need of drinking water [3] , [4] .

A sustainable alternative is the use of renewable resources like solar energy, which conveniently is most available in the places that are in greatest need of drinking water.


An alternative HDH configuration separates the evaporation and condensation processes, optimizing the working conditions for each. The achieved productivity is significantly larger than that of solar stills working under the same conditions [6] . These systems can produce as much as five times more water than a solar still receiving the same amount of solar energy [7] . Thus, HDH can be an environmentally sound, technically and economically feasible water purification method when the system is properly designed [2] .

The achieved productivity is significantly larger than that of solar stills working under the same conditions.

These systems can produce as much as five times more water than a solar still receiving the same amount of solar energy.

Thus, HDH can be an environmentally sound, technically and economically feasible water purification method when the system is properly designed.


Perhaps the most common method for solar distillation is the simple solar still, which is an application of the solar humidification-dehumidification (HDH) method. HDH uses air to allow the evaporation of water out of a saltwater source at temperatures below the boiling point, and then condenses this moisture out of the air, onto a colder surface. Solar stills are characterized by performing the entire HDH cycle in a single enclosed space, which is a relatively inexpensive design for small systems but becomes very expensive for large ones [5] . Solar stills are made very inefficient by their defining feature, that condensation and evaporation occur in the same enclosed space. Evaporation and condensation occur at temperatures that are very close to each other, and therefore the amount of moisture transported in the air is very low. Since the amount of air moving inside the still is also small, the overall efficiency is very low.

Solar stills are characterized by performing the entire HDH cycle in a single enclosed space, which is a relatively inexpensive design for small systems but becomes very expensive for large ones.


We study a thin plate lying on an elastic foundation with essentially nonlinear attachments of different configurations attached to it. We discretize the partial differential equation of motion of the thin plate using a finite element (FE) formulation to extract the structural matrices of the system, and then add the essentially nonlinear attachments with different configurations. For the class of systems considered in this work (e.g., a primary linear structure with an essentially nonlinear attachment at its boundary), it has been shown that at certain energy levels there may occur passive targeted energy transfer (TET) phenomena from the primary system to the nonlinear attachment, which acts, in essence as nonlinear energy sink (NES) (Vakakis, 2001) . When TET takes place, there occurs passive, broadband, directed (on the average) energy transfer from the primary, directly excited structure to the NES (that is initially at rest), where this energy gets localized (spatially confined) and locally dissipated without major backscattering to the primary structure.

For the class of systems considered in this work (e.g., a primary linear structure with an essentially nonlinear attachment at its boundary), it has been shown that at certain energy levels there may occur passive targeted energy transfer (TET) phenomena from the primary system to the nonlinear attachment, which acts, in essence as nonlinear energy sink (NES).


Compared with the wrapper method, the filter-based method is independent of the subsequent learning algorithms during the band selection process and has the advantages of a low computational complexity and strong generalization capability [40, 41] . However, there are still two issues that need to be addressed: (1) the representative bands can be quickly obtained in terms of the score of each band in the filter-based method, but the correlation between the selected bands may be high; (2) some bands show a significant and indispensable effect on HSIs classification when combined with other bands. However, their score may not be high, so they may be abandoned in error.

Compared with the wrapper method, the filter-based method is independent of the subsequent learning algorithms during the band selection process and has the advantages of a low computational complexity and strong generalization capability.


Streamlining hardware description, using HLLs, typically used in software programming, or at least using dataflow languages, is a major and distinctive feature of HPRCs that potentially allows domain scientists to develop entire applications without relying on hardware designers. However, an HLL compiler for HPRCs must combine the capabilities of tools for traditional microprocessor compilation and tools for computer-aided design with FPGAs. It must also extend these two separate set of tools with capabilities for mutual synchronization and data transfer between microprocessors and reconfigurable processor subsystems [1] , [2] . The problems are further escalated by lack of standard interfaces and architectural diversity in reconfigurable computing sub-systems. Moreover, the range of tool choices and puffed up sales literature make it hard to comprehend real differences.

It must also extend these two separate set of tools with capabilities for mutual synchronization and data transfer between microprocessors and reconfigurable processor subsystems.


There is a systematic scheme to how symbols are developed. We will focus on 5 -6 year age group. Children at this age draw notions as parts of action which can be easily connected to the notion. They draw extremely a lot segments which are connected with a notion they want to present. As children get older number of segments decreases and the notion is much more in front. What children draw, which symbols do they use that shows us not only how they think, but also how will they identify illustration (Clyde, 2003) .

We will focus on 5 -6 year age group.

What children draw, which symbols do they use that shows us not only how they think, but also how will they identify illustration.


Pictures are so real for children that they are carriers of a universal message. Pictures, both moving and still images, contain "cues" which must be interpreted by the viewer. If a person is familiar with picture cues, he or she can accept this quickly without thinking about it. The way to interpret the picture cues derive from one's personal status, personal feelings or personal associations (Yu, 2007) .

The way to interpret the picture cues derive from one's personal status, personal feelings or personal associations.


Anthropology says that human motion perception is developed very early because it is a life depending ability. Humans were hunters, so we had to notice first what was moving. Our brains developed the ability to automati-cally concentrate first on what is moving and only then on everything else. We have preserved this ability till today (Kompare, Stražišar, & Vec, 2001) .

We have preserved this ability till today.


A novel approach of colorimetric quantification of chitosan based on the derivatization reaction of amino groups in chitosan with o-phthalaldehyde and a thiol-N-acetyl-Lcysteine has been developed by Larionova co-workers [10] . The procedure conditions have been optimized for chitosan assay in the presence of polyanionic electrolyte dextran sulphate. The method has proven to be convenient and reliable for quantitative determination of either the concentrations of chitosan of various molecular weights or their degree of deacetylation.

A novel approach of colorimetric quantification of chitosan based on the derivatization reaction of amino groups in chitosan with o-phthalaldehyde and a thiol-N-acetyl-Lcysteine has been developed by Larionova co-workers.


The overall purpose of this study was to understand the extent to which SWPBIS coaches report students with ESN are included in SWPBIS instruction and activities, given the stated purpose of SWPBIS to address the needs of all students with a focus on all staff and all school settings (Sugai & Horner, 2002) . Overall, respondents perceive that students with ESN are involved in the incentive-based components (e.g., reward assemblies and reward ticket programs) of their school's SWPBIS plan. However, there were differences in perception among the groups of respondents in the extent to which behavioral expectations are taught to students with ESN. There were also differences among the respondents in the reported existence of behavior plans and systems for documenting and managing behavior violations for students with ESN. For example, fewer general educators reported that there was a documented system for dealing with behavior violations than did administrators who were surveyed. A troubling finding of this study was that 41.5% of general educators surveyed indicated that they did not know if there was a crisis plan for responding for dangerous situations involving students with ESN.

The overall purpose of this study was to understand the extent to which SWPBIS coaches report students with ESN are included in SWPBIS instruction and activities, given the stated purpose of SWPBIS to address the needs of all students with a focus on all staff and all school settings.


Around the world, management concepts such as open innovation and user innovation have paved the way for a steady stream of new ideas originating outside of companies. The deregulation and introduction of global standards in the field of telecommunications is one example of advanced communications technology looking for useful applications (Magnusson, 2009) . This development has also led to a stream of new product and service ideas within the industry (Montoya-Weiss and O'Driscoll, 2000) . One recent example is the advent of the iPhone and Android markets, which have opened the door to a flood of new user-created applications. Often, the current problem is not the obtaining of new ideas for products or services, but deciding how to assess these. Therefore, how to screen new product and service ideas effectively in order to choose which ones to implement is a major challenge. The innovation and new product development (NPD) literature enables the identification of various approaches, the most common denominator being that these approaches all utilize some type of formal evaluation vis-à-vis specific predefined criteria, e.g. feasibility and originality. During idea screening, time is often a critical factor; for example, increasing the pace of a development process can play a vital role in ensuring that a company is first to market. Utilizing several specific decision criteria in the screening process is often quite time-and resource-consuming. Such a process is a two-round evaluation in which the assessors in the first round must make one rating per criterion. These ratings are aggregated in some way and form the input for a formal screening decision; i.e., a go/no-go decision. Another matter for debate is how to aggregate; i.e., how to aggregate and weight the various criteria (Soukhoroukova et al., 2012) .

The deregulation and introduction of global standards in the field of telecommunications is one example of advanced communications technology looking for useful applications.

This development has also led to a stream of new product and service ideas within the industry.

Another matter for debate is how to aggregate; i.e., how to aggregate and weight the various criteria.


The CompanionAble initiative 1 provides the synergy of robotics and ambient intelligence technologies, and their semantic integration for assistive home care. The project supports the cognitive stimulation and therapy management of the carerecipient, mediated by a robotic companion working collaboratively with a smart home environment. CompanionAble addresses the issues of social inclusion and home care of persons suffering from chronic cognitive disabilities prevalent among the older European population [6] .

CompanionAble addresses the issues of social inclusion and home care of persons suffering from chronic cognitive disabilities prevalent among the older European population.


Designing robots for social purposes has been a trendy topic for the last decades. The literature in this area is vast and has yielded several interesting designs [4, 5] . In this section we provide a brief description of recent ICT projects on this issue.

The literature in this area is vast and has yielded several interesting designs.


The salt mine in Hallstatt, Upper Austria, housed prehistoric mining activities during the Bronze Age (1500-1100 BC) and the Early Iron Age . Due to a geological disaster, both mines were filled with material. Huge amounts of soil, stones and whole trees liquidated the mining activities. Since that time, all organic material was covered by salt-rich clay. Since the nineteenth century, the prehistoric mines have been studied and therefore excavated. The high amount of organic findings gives reason for the high value of the archeological site of Hallstatt. Very rare insights into prehistoric life are possible due to textiles, wood handicrafts, leather, excrements and other findings, which usually are rotted and decomposed in other sites (Kern et al. 2009; Reschreiter 2013) . In the salt environment, microbial activity can be seen as negligible (Sorokin et al. 2013) . The good preservation of the findings regarding shape and even colors suggests that no aging process at all has taken place. Among the organic findings in Hallstatt, wood plays a special role due to the high number of wood pieces and the good status of preservation (Grabner et al. 2010) . The latter allows dating by dendrochronology. Up to now, no study assessed the chemistry of these wood findings.

Very rare insights into prehistoric life are possible due to textiles, wood handicrafts, leather, excrements and other findings, which usually are rotted and decomposed in other sites.

In the salt environment, microbial activity can be seen as negligible.

Among the organic findings in Hallstatt, wood plays a special role due to the high number of wood pieces and the good status of preservation.


Theorem 2 (Schenck-Smith) [17] . Let a be a positive integer. The line bundle O P n (a) satisfies Property N a+1 .

Theorem 2 (Schenck-Smith).

Let a be a positive integer.


In this paper, the WCIP method is extended to study substrate integrated structures. The advantage of this method remains in its ease of use due to the absence of test functions; its fast computation time, mainly due to the systematic use of Fast Mode Transform (FMT), and a gridded mesh use. This method proved its efficiency through several studies of Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW) [9] [10] [11] . To validate the proposed approach, several examples of SINRD structure are considered. Scattering coefficients obtained with the WCIP are successfully compared to published results, measurements and simulations obtained from other methods.

This method proved its efficiency through several studies of Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW).


In recent years, polymeric materials derived from biorenewable resources have attracted a lot of attention due to the shortage and high price of petroleum and the increase in environmental concerns. Currently, almost all commercially available polymers are derived from nonsustainable petroleum resources. About 7% of oil and gas are used to produce plastic [1] . A wide range of biorenewable polymeric materials have been developed that utilize biorenewable resources such as sugars, polysaccharides, lignins, plant oils, pine resin derivatives, and furans [2] .

About 7% of oil and gas are used to produce plastic.

A wide range of biorenewable polymeric materials have been developed that utilize biorenewable resources such as sugars, polysaccharides, lignins, plant oils, pine resin derivatives, and furans.


Unlike dense wireless sensor networks that are used commonly in environmental monitoring, LonWorks technology has not been designed for detection of event of interest at the same time by a large number of nodes in a sensor field. The dense networks are data-centric, meaning that data is requested based on certain attributes such as, which area has temperature more than 20ºC [20] ?. Meanwhile, LON sensor networks are node-centric since data is requested from a specific node. Furthermore, LON networks use statically-assigned addresses that are guaranteed to be unique, i.e. each node has a unique identification number (ID), used for routing. Instead, attribute-based addressing, where nodes are described by attributes other than addresses are appropriate for dense sensor networks [21] .

The dense networks are data-centric, meaning that data is requested based on certain attributes such as, which area has temperature more than 20ºC?.

Instead, attribute-based addressing, where nodes are described by attributes other than addresses are appropriate for dense sensor networks.


Sketching algorithms have emerged in the computer science community as a powerful device for the analysis of massive datasets (Mahoney & Drineas, 2016) . Sketched regression algorithms use random projections to reduce the size of the original dataset, the sketched dataset is then used to estimate the optimal least squares coefficients. Most existing theory for sketched regression is from an algorithmic worst case perspective and connects with random matrix theory and computational geometry (Raskutti & Mahoney, 2014; Thanei et al., 2017) . In this paper we have provided a complementary statistical perspective and derived new tools for assessing the uncertainty attached to sketched estimators as well as guidelines for choosing between competing sketching algorithms.

Sketching algorithms have emerged in the computer science community as a powerful device for the analysis of massive datasets.

Most existing theory for sketched regression is from an algorithmic worst case perspective and connects with random matrix theory and computational geometry.


Most existing results on the accuracy of sketching are universal worst case bounds (Woodruff, 2014; Mahoney & Drineas, 2016) . This is typical for randomised algorithms, however a more detailed error analysis can provide important insights (Halko et al., 2011) . We investigate the statistical properties of β P and β S when using data oblivious sketches. An important finding is upper and lower bounds on the relative efficiency of complete sketching to partial sketching in terms of the signal to noise ratio in the source dataset. The statistical analysis also allows the construction of exact confidence intervals for the Gaussian sketch, and asymptotic confidence intervals for other random projections, paving the way for their wider use in the statistical community interested in Big Data methods.

Most existing results on the accuracy of sketching are universal worst case bounds.

This is typical for randomised algorithms, however a more detailed error analysis can provide important insights.


Sketching is a general probabilistic data compression technique designed for Big Data applications (Cormode, 2011) . Even routine calculations can be prohibitively computationally expensive on massive datasets. Computation time can be reduced to an acceptable level by allowing for some approximation error in the results. Sketching algorithms relax the computational task by generating a compressed version of the original dataset which then serves as a surrogate for calculations. The compressed dataset is referred to as a sketch as it acts as a compact representation of the full dataset. Sketching algorithms use a randomised compression stage which makes them interesting from a statistical viewpoint. Sketching algorithms for linear regression have attracted significant attention in the numerical linear algebra and theoretical computer science communities (Woodruff, 2014; Mahoney, 2011) . In this paper we investigate the statistical properties of sketched regression algorithms, a perspective which has received little attention up to now.

Sketching is a general probabilistic data compression technique designed for Big Data applications.

Sketching algorithms for linear regression have attracted significant attention in the numerical linear algebra and theoretical computer science communities.


Iterative methods, in particular stochastic gradient descent have not been mentioned so far. For large n regression problems, stochastic gradient descent will produce iterates that converge to β F under very mild conditions. Comparisons between single pass sketching and stochastic gradient methods are difficult, as the two techniques are not formulated for the exact same purpose. Single pass sketching algorithms are designed to return an approximate solution in finite time with probabilistically controlled error, whereas stochastic gradient methods are designed to converge to the exact solution asymptotically. It is perhaps more appropriate to compare stochastic gradient descent to iterative sketching methods, as iterative sketching algorithms also come with convergence guarantees to β F (Pilanci & Wainwright, 2016; Gower & Richtrik, 2015) . Iterative sketching methods make use of approximate second order information that can lead to a potential improvement compared to first order stochastic gradient methods (Roosta-Khorasani & Mahoney, 2016) . Our focus has been on characterising the approximation error attached to single pass sketching estimators.

It is perhaps more appropriate to compare stochastic gradient descent to iterative sketching methods, as iterative sketching algorithms also come with convergence guarantees to β F.

Iterative sketching methods make use of approximate second order information that can lead to a potential improvement compared to first order stochastic gradient methods.


The problem of heat conduction with time-dependent boundary conditions cannot be solved directly by the method of separation of variables. In most of the analyses, an integral transform has been used to remove the time-dependent term. For the problem of heat conduction in circular hollow uniform cylinders with time-dependent boundary conditions, the associated governing differential equation is a secondorder Bessel differential equation with constant coefficients. After conducting a Laplace transformation, the analytical solution can be obtained and found in the book byŐzisik [1] .

After conducting a Laplace transformation, the analytical solution can be obtained and found in the book byŐzisik.


The problem of determining the sequence of intersecting strokes always considered a great aim for forensic document examiners [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] . An investigation of the sequence of intersecting strokes is a sufficient method for detecting the authentication and validation of the documents. In order to adopt the legal form, the signature of the parties involved or their representatives must be signed on the document [6] [7] [8] [9] .

The problem of determining the sequence of intersecting strokes always considered a great aim for forensic document examiners.

In order to adopt the legal form, the signature of the parties involved or their representatives must be signed on the document.


Fourth, for r = 1 the highest true positive (FCN-Melanoma) and true negative (FCN-Benign) rates are achieved for the 25% boundary area case using the benign images as the training set of images to determine B, with the highest true positive rate of 91.29% at α = 0.4 and the highest true negative rate of 86.9% at α = 0.2 and 0.4. The true negative rates using the benign images as the training set of images are consistently higher at the 25% boundary area case for all alpha-cuts than for the other boundary area percentage case. The feature R(α,r) for r = 1 is computed as the sum of the number of eight-connected neighbors that satisfy the alpha-cut criterion for each pixel within the lesion that satisfies the alpha-cut criterion divided by the sum of eight-connected neighbors that have non-zero membership in B for each pixel within the lesion that has non-zero membership in B. This feature is similar to a crisp color clustering ratio investigated in previous research [26, 27] .

The feature R(α,r) for r = 1 is computed as the sum of the number of eight-connected neighbors that satisfy the alpha-cut criterion for each pixel within the lesion that satisfies the alpha-cut criterion divided by the sum of eight-connected neighbors that have non-zero membership in B for each pixel within the lesion that has non-zero membership in B. This feature is similar to a crisp color clustering ratio investigated in previous research.


The relatively low diagnostic accuracy for discrimination of malignant melanoma demonstrates the uncertainty involved in skin lesion analysis. This low diagnostic accuracy is an important medical problem for society, since the incidence of cutaneous melanoma, 161,790 cases estimated in the US in 2017, vs. 140,860 cases for 2016, has risen every year since 1979 [11, 12] . In more recent advances, techniques such as deep learning have shown potential using pixel blocks from lesion images with disease labels for significantly improved skin lesion discrimination, achieving an area under the diagnostic ROC curve of approximately 0.91, exceeding the performance of dermatologists [8] . Even with the improvements in computer-assisted techniques for skin lesion classification, learning and application of specific features for skin lesion discrimination is important for clinicians and clinician training. Therefore, the investigation of computer-assisted techniques for the determination and analysis of specific skin lesion features is useful in the dermatology community. In this research, we focus on automatic detection of melanoma colors.

This low diagnostic accuracy is an important medical problem for society, since the incidence of cutaneous melanoma, 161,790 cases estimated in the US in 2017, vs. 140,860 cases for 2016, has risen every year since 1979.

In more recent advances, techniques such as deep learning have shown potential using pixel blocks from lesion images with disease labels for significantly improved skin lesion discrimination, achieving an area under the diagnostic ROC curve of approximately 0.91, exceeding the performance of dermatologists.


In the current study, we used transvaginal probe for measurement of uterine artery indices. Because trans-abdominal approach is not practical in postpartum, we adopted a transvaginal approach method to standardize the measurement technique during the antepartum and postpartum periods. The reliability of transvaginal measurement of uterine artery Doppler in the antepartum period was reported by several investigators [34, 35] .

The reliability of transvaginal measurement of uterine artery Doppler in the antepartum period was reported by several investigators.


Results from the AHP method may vary while performed by different experts and, thus, may be subjected to subjectivity. This kind of weighting method is purely subjective. However, methods that depend on expert opinions are still useful, especially for large-scale assessments or for areas with no available landslide inventory. The main issue is not to invite as many experts as possible but to invite experts with detailed knowledge of the landslide events in the area under investigation and to ensure an overall consensus of their evaluation about the importance of the factors involved. One of the most important limits for of the AHP method lies in its inability to determine the uncertainty produced by changes in factor ranking [25] . Because the factor ranking process was subjective in the AHP method, uncertainties associated with this process would thus affect the final produced landslide susceptibility maps. Several studies have focused on the uncertainty of AHP from different aspects, such as the variation of the weighting criteria, uncertainties of spatial and quantitative impacts in the evaluation results and the uncertainty of factor ranking [25, 39] . In the proposed integrated method, the uncertainty of factor ranking for the subclasses within each classes can be minimized by replacing the subjective ranking values with objective frequency ratio value.

One of the most important limits for of the AHP method lies in its inability to determine the uncertainty produced by changes in factor ranking.

Several studies have focused on the uncertainty of AHP from different aspects, such as the variation of the weighting criteria, uncertainties of spatial and quantitative impacts in the evaluation results and the uncertainty of factor ranking.


A community-based cohort of 239 patients with incident parkinsonism was recruited within the county of Cambridgeshire, UK, over a 2-year period between December 2000 and December 2002 using multiple sources of case ascertainment. Full details of the recruitment process have been published elsewhere (Foltynie et al., 2004a) . All patients underwent comprehensive clinical and neuropsychological assessments at baseline. Follow-up assessments were conducted in patients' own homes over a 13-month period between December 2004 and December 2005 and comprised a repeat of the full baseline assessment and an evaluation of dementia status (see later).

Full details of the recruitment process have been published elsewhere.


A remaining question is to what extent the identified narrative techniques do indeed enhance the audience's immersion into the story. A previous study showed no differences in immersion between a text-only journalistic story and two different types of multimedia journalistic stories [36] . This result might be explained by the topic of the story used in that study, which was a personal story focusing on a woman's life rather than a specific event or series of events. The lack of a clear story plot might have impeded the immersive potential of the multimedia elements to become realized. Future studies could examine the immersive effects of multimedia stories covering a range of different topics to gain a more comprehensive view on their impact. In addition, future studies could systematically manipulate the expression of the three techniques in the various media format in order to scrutinize which techniques, expressed in which (combination of) media format(s), have the potential to influence the audience's immersion into multimedia stories.

A previous study showed no differences in immersion between a text-only journalistic story and two different types of multimedia journalistic stories.


The goal of this study was to explore how the text-linguistic narrative techniques used in print news stories are translated into multimedia journalistic stories. Results of the case study show that while text is in multimedia stories still central to these techniques, it is complemented with other media formats in different combinations. Table 2 provides an overview of these combinations. Table 2 shows that each narrative category is expressed in a unique combination of media formats. Each of these combinations can be expected to intensify the audience's immersion in distinctive ways. Detailed visual scene reconstructions, for example, enhance the audience's imagination of the story's setting and thus provide them with the opportunity to mentally create a world in which to become immersed. Location markers are used to guide them through this world as the narrative unfolds. These markers are expressed in text, as well as graphic animations. The story's event structure is mainly expressed in text, with an occasional picture reinforcing the narrative time as being present (color picture) or past (black and white picture). Although the story starts in medias res and includes several flashbacks, the main story plot is narrated in a dominantly chronological order, thus increasing feelings of suspense [15] .

Although the story starts in medias res and includes several flashbacks, the main story plot is narrated in a dominantly chronological order, thus increasing feelings of suspense.


One of the main obstacles in the challenge of link prediction is that there is a trade-off between the amount of information (nodes, links, and features) to be analyzed and the complexity of the method used for the analysis. This problem becomes apparent especially when studying real-world networks containing thousands of nodes and interactions [75] . Furthermore, network datasets pose the problem of an imbalance resulting from the sparsity of networks [75] .

This problem becomes apparent especially when studying real-world networks containing thousands of nodes and interactions.

Furthermore, network datasets pose the problem of an imbalance resulting from the sparsity of networks.


Petroleum is at present Nigeria's and indeed the world's most important derived energy source (Moffat and Linden, 2005) . Petroleum in its natural state is referred to as crude oil (Ukoli, 2003) . Crude oil is mainly either black or green but it can also be light yellow (Onifade et al., 2007) . It varies considerably in density and is described as heavy, average or light (Ojo and Adebusuyi, 1996) . Crude oil is one of the most significant pollutants in the environment as it is capable of causing serious damages to humans and the ecosystem (Okpokwasili, 1996) .

Petroleum is at present Nigeria's and indeed the world's most important derived energy source.

Petroleum in its natural state is referred to as crude oil.

Crude oil is mainly either black or green but it can also be light yellow.

It varies considerably in density and is described as heavy, average or light.

Crude oil is one of the most significant pollutants in the environment as it is capable of causing serious damages to humans and the ecosystem.


This section provides the results of travel mode detection using the specification described in the previous sections. All inferences were carried out within a Bayesian framework, using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods. In particular, different MCMC sampling schemes were employed for the different stochastic nodes of the Bayesian network. Specifically, for the categorical nodes (P (s κ t | s κ t−1 )) a discrete Metropolis sampling scheme, and for the continuous nodes (P (m κ ), P (µ κ ), P (p), P (α κ ), P (β 1..#covariates ), P (τ κ )) a combination of Metropolis, Adaptive Metropolis and Gibbs (Hit and Run sampler) (Brooks et al. 2011) .

Specifically, for the categorical nodes (P (s κ t | s κ t−1 )) a discrete Metropolis sampling scheme, and for the continuous nodes (P (m κ ), P (µ κ ), P (p), P (α κ ), P (β 1..#covariates ), P (τ κ )) a combination of Metropolis, Adaptive Metropolis and Gibbs (Hit and Run sampler).


Making cities more resilient has become one of the most important goals of urban sustainability in many countries. How to build a resilient city in order to respond to climate change and other possible disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunamis, is of major interest to planners, politicians and the public. For researchers, great efforts have been made to contribute to resilience policies, but there are still major gaps in the existing literature on urban resilience. In particular, we lack a sound method through which to properly evaluate alternative resilience policies. Policies for resilient cities are interpreted here as those strengthening the urban system's capacity to change in response to economic and natural shocks to the system [26] . The various human-built systems of a city and the natural system are complex. In particular, the complexity of urban systems presents a major challenge for identifying environmental impacts of urban processes and for evaluating the efficiency of policies in reducing environmental and health impacts. Recently, simulation tools have seen significant developments in relation to transport emissions and other health-related effects. The approaches range from operations research (OR) to system dynamics (SD) and discrete-event or discrete-agent system simulation approaches (DS). This paper has introduced an integrated land use-transport-environment model, which can be used to evaluate city resilience outcomes under different policy scenarios. City resilience is measured by its capacity to reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions, the vulnerability of its transport and land use system to sea-level rise and the costs related to reducing the vulnerability to a safe level by taking into account its financial capacity. The model is designed to estimate the complex links between urban economic activities, household and firms' location choices, transportation and land use, building on accepted theories of urban systems. The design of the model can enhance our existing knowledge of a systemic approach to study urban transport and land use policies and effects on urban sustainability.

Policies for resilient cities are interpreted here as those strengthening the urban system's capacity to change in response to economic and natural shocks to the system.


Today, more than 95% of the world's population lives in less than 10% of the Earth's land area, mainly in cities and towns. The level of urbanization continues to rise, and it is forecast that by 2050, the urban population could be 6.29 billion, which will account for 69% of the total global population [1] . The most important influences of urbanization on the environment are energy use and the related increase in the emission of greenhouse gases, due to changes in land use and urban human activities [2, 3] . The human population of the planet has increased four-fold over the last one hundred years, while-in the same time period-material and energy use has increased ten-fold [1] . With increasing urbanization, cities now consume about 75% of total global energy and produce 80% of its greenhouse gases [1] .

The level of urbanization continues to rise, and it is forecast that by 2050, the urban population could be 6.29 billion, which will account for 69% of the total global population.

The most important influences of urbanization on the environment are energy use and the related increase in the emission of greenhouse gases, due to changes in land use and urban human activities.

The human population of the planet has increased four-fold over the last one hundred years, while-in the same time period-material and energy use has increased ten-fold.

With increasing urbanization, cities now consume about 75% of total global energy and produce 80% of its greenhouse gases.


Cities have become significant players in regard to policies, which are attempting to respond to peak oil and climate change. Recently, these policies have been focused on building resilient cities, which aim to enhance a city's ability to respond to a natural resource shortage and the recognition of the human impact on climate change [4] . Resilient cities are believed to adapt better to change through adjusting inner systems, for example, by changing their transport-land use system to reduce energy consumption and exposure of the system to potential natural disasters (e.g., sea-level rise). A resilient city reduces its ecological footprint (e.g., energy consumption), while simultaneously improving its quality of life. Resilient city policies are concerned with strengthening a city's capacity to adapt to shocks, such as natural disasters [5] . Such policies increase the degree of collaboration between urban subsystems (social, environmental-infrastructural, economic and institutional systems), while enhancing the robustness of each subsystem.

Recently, these policies have been focused on building resilient cities, which aim to enhance a city's ability to respond to a natural resource shortage and the recognition of the human impact on climate change.

Resilient city policies are concerned with strengthening a city's capacity to adapt to shocks, such as natural disasters.


In addition, many policies designed to reduce GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions from road transport are focused on vehicle and fuel technology. However, many transportation researchers argue that individual travel behaviour is a critical aspect of sustainable transportation and just as important as technical factors and infrastructure supply. Many empirical studies have already provided evidence for this [21] . Therefore, developing a model based on individuals' travel behaviour is necessary in order to evaluate GHG emissions reduction policies. This paper introduces an urban model that can be used to evaluate city resilience outcomes under a range of policy scenarios. The model is the Wellington Integrated Land Use-Transport-Environment Model (WILUTE), which is currently being developed by the New Zealand Centre for Sustainable City, University of Otago. The model is used to consider different policy scenarios and assess resilience. In the model, resilience is measured in three aspects. One is a city's capacity to reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions, in particular, from transportation changes. Another is the vulnerability of a city's land use and transport system to sea-level rise. The other is the costs related to reduce the vulnerability to a safe level with a consideration of its financial capacity. If the vulnerability and the costs are too high for its financial capacity, the city has a low resilience. Wellington is a typical small to medium-sized (city region population around 490,000) coastal city. It is the capital of New Zealand, which, with most cities being coastal, is vulnerable to sea-level rise, but resilient in terms of institutional, policy and human capacity. A model based on Wellington is useful in illustrating climate mitigation and resilience policies for other medium-sized coastal cities in New Zealand and in other countries.

Many empirical studies have already provided evidence for this.


Purpose Tacrolimus blood concentrations demonstrate a wide intraand interindividual variability. Therefore, monitoring of these concentrations remains an issue of pivotal importance to safeguard therapeutic efficacy and to manage the risk for nephrotoxicity, other toxicities, and rejection in liver transplantation patients [1] . This study examines the feasibility and clinical benefits of using a support vector regression (SVR) algorithm in comparison with a multiple linear regression AI = artificial intelligence; ALKPHOS = alkaline phosphatise; ALT = alanine aminotransferase; ANN = artificial neural network; AST = aspartate aminotransferase; CR = serum creatinine; GGT = gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase; Hct = hematocrit; ICU = intensive care unit; LDH = lactate dehydrogenase; MLR = multiple linear regression; RBF = radial basis function; RBF SVR = radial basis function support vector regression (nonlinear support vector regression); SD = standard deviation; SVM = support vector machine; SVR = support vector regression; UR = urea.

Therefore, monitoring of these concentrations remains an issue of pivotal importance to safeguard therapeutic efficacy and to manage the risk for nephrotoxicity, other toxicities, and rejection in liver transplantation patients.


The smectitic product of the dissolution of palygorskite at 160"C had properties of saponite, as indicated by XRD, IR, and chemical data on the product (Table  4) . The broad absorption bands of the smectite ( Figure  3a ) indicate extensive substitution of A1 for Si in the tetrahedral positions (Farmer, 1974) . The IR peaks 445,665, and 1005 cm -~ were characteristic of saponite.

The broad absorption bands of the smectite ( Figure  3a ) indicate extensive substitution of A1 for Si in the tetrahedral positions.


The butterfly subgenus Agrodiaetus is distributed throughout the Western Palaearctic and Central Asia. Sexes are often dimorphic, with females usually brown in colour, and with males displaying colours such as white, silver, blue, violet, or brown on the dorsal part of the wings, which is probably a signature of the reinforcement of pre-zygotic isolation (Lukhtanov et al., 2005) . Agrodiaetus has gone through an explosive radiation, with more than 120 species appearing during the last three million years (Eckweiler & Häuser, 1997; Kandul et al., 2004; Kandul, Lukhtanov & Pierce, 2007; Talavera et al., 2013) . Such extreme diversification has been accompanied by an impressive diversity of karyotypes, ranging from n = 10 to n = 134, and placing Agrodiaetus among the most striking examples of chromosome number variation documented (Lesse, 1960; Lukhtanov & Dantchenko, 2002) .

Sexes are often dimorphic, with females usually brown in colour, and with males displaying colours such as white, silver, blue, violet, or brown on the dorsal part of the wings, which is probably a signature of the reinforcement of pre-zygotic isolation.

Agrodiaetus has gone through an explosive radiation, with more than 120 species appearing during the last three million years.

Such extreme diversification has been accompanied by an impressive diversity of karyotypes, ranging from n = 10 to n = 134, and placing Agrodiaetus among the most striking examples of chromosome number variation documented.


Our results provide some evidence of specialization in reproductive or ecological niche at a smaller spatial scale. Specifically, some species appear to prefer dorsal branch surfaces, while other, often closely related and similarly abundant, species showed no such preference (Table 4) . Another case was the predominance of encroachment from the proximal end of the cylindrat in some cases and from the distal end in others. Further study is needed to determine whether this is the consequence of differences in response to the disturbance, or to differences in distribution prior to the disturbance. The other case of apparent niche specialization was that of the branch tip specialists in the genus Orthotrichum, which are more often found higher in the canopy, where their superior capacity for water retention likely makes them better suited for establishment than the other, mostly pleurocarpous, species (Lloret 1994) .

The other case of apparent niche specialization was that of the branch tip specialists in the genus Orthotrichum, which are more often found higher in the canopy, where their superior capacity for water retention likely makes them better suited for establishment than the other, mostly pleurocarpous, species.


However, soil and water conservation technologies are not equally successful or effective in many parts of Ethiopia. Level of farmers participation in soil conservation activities are influenced by inadequate expert follow-up and assistance, farmers landholding size and technical skills (Wolka and Negash 2014; Mekonen and Tesfahunegn 2011; Sinore et al. 2018) . Nowadays, millions hectare of lands are covered with soil and water conservation practices. But, successful stories are reported from northern Ethiopia and scientific evidences that justify the success of soil conservation technology in southern Ethiopia including of Lemo district are limited. The information on suitability of soil and water conservation measures implemented in Lemo district will assist the stakeholders (farmers, development agents, decision makers) in the selection, design and proper implementation of conservation measures for better outcomes. Therefore, the objectives of present study were to assess; (1) technical fitness of physical soil and water conservation structures implemented in the study area, (2) effect of the implemented structures on selected soil physicochemical properties, and (3) factors affect levels of farmers participation in soil conservation practices.

Level of farmers participation in soil conservation activities are influenced by inadequate expert follow-up and assistance, farmers landholding size and technical skills.


If a fault occurs at the cable line side and is cleared up, a post-reclosing order on the fault condition will be an unsuccessful reclosing maneuver. Also, the grid will have to withstand a new fault condition and be able to clear it up again. Beside these two disadvantages of unsuccessful reclosing maneuvers, another is the fact of creating significant and extensive damage in the cable, being the most probable consequence to have to replace it entirely. This circumstance will keep the distribution line out of order for a long time while the cable is replaced. Therefore, the discrimination of the fault in the overhead side or in the line side is essential to allow to protection and the control system to send a reclosing order [9] . Currently, there are different protection criteria to remove from service a line with a ground fault.

Therefore, the discrimination of the fault in the overhead side or in the line side is essential to allow to protection and the control system to send a reclosing order.


This presents a technique that determines where the ground fault has taken place in an overhead-cable line considering a grounding method mostly used in power distribution networks with the overhead side substations solidly grounded, or through grounding impedance with low ohmic value. At the cable end side, the system is ungrounded with power transformers in a delta connection in their primary side. The models used follow the impedance calculation described in the standard EN60909-3 [10] .

The models used follow the impedance calculation described in the standard EN60909-3.


The azole moiety is an important structural feature of many biologically active compounds [8] . Various 1,3-oxazole functional group associated biological activities [9] , [10] . More thiazole ring system is an important class of compounds in medicinal chemistry [11] . This structure has found applications in drug development. A number of thiazole derivatives have been reported to possess significant and diverse biological activities [12] , [13] . Moreover, 1,2,4-triazole and their derivatives have been found to be associated with diverse agricultural, industrial and pharmacological activities [14] , [15] .

The azole moiety is an important structural feature of many biologically active compounds.

Various 1,3-oxazole functional group associated biological activities.

More thiazole ring system is an important class of compounds in medicinal chemistry.

A number of thiazole derivatives have been reported to possess significant and diverse biological activities.

Moreover, 1,2,4-triazole and their derivatives have been found to be associated with diverse agricultural, industrial and pharmacological activities.


Existing work considers reliability, timeliness and energy consumption largely in isolation, as discussed in Section 5. Few attempts have been made to satisfy these requirements simultaneously. This simultaneous satisfaction imposes several challenges. First, reliability and timeliness are two competing goals. The requirement on reliability (i.e., the number of sensor reports) ensures that the base station can have enough information to make informed decisions on a detected event. The requirement on timeliness (i.e., deadline) aids timely decisions on a detected event. In order to ensure reliable data delivery, hop-by-hop recovery is often applied; however, this may not meet a given timeliness requirement. Second, reliability and energy efficiency conflict with each other. The more data the base station receives, the more reliable decisions can be made based on the data; however, more energy is consumed for extra data retransmissions and recovery actions. Third, there exists a tradeoff between timeliness and energy efficiency. In order to detect an event sooner, more energy is drained from nodes because more data transmissions are required. This paper addresses the above challenge by designing WSN applications after biological systems. This design strategy is motivated by an observation that various biological systems have developed the mechanisms to meet conflicting requirements simultaneously. For example, a bee colony simultaneously maximizes the amount of collected nectar, maintains the temperature in a nest, and minimizes the number of dead drones [20] . If bees focus only on foraging, they fail to ventilate their nest and remove dead drones. Given this observation, this paper proposes a biologicallyinspired architecture for WSN applications to adaptively balance the tradeoffs among conflicting requirements.

For example, a bee colony simultaneously maximizes the amount of collected nectar, maintains the temperature in a nest, and minimizes the number of dead drones.


EGR was expected to slow down the combustion, and previous research has come to this conclusion [19, 30] . In this study the isolated effect of EGR on combustion duration is negligible and cannot be proven. This conclusion does however assume that combustion timing is kept constant as EGR is introduced.

EGR was expected to slow down the combustion, and previous research has come to this conclusion.


Another common classification of innovations is systemic versus autonomous (Garcia and Calantone, 2002) . If autonomous innovations do not influence nor are influenced by the context in which they are used, systemic innovations require/cause changes also in their context. Developing successful systemic innovations requires the acquisition of knowledge related to the context of the problem to be solved. Compared to autonomous innovations, the sources of knowledge are expected to be different. Also the interactions with other actors are expected to change. As a consequence the two following hypotheses can be formulated: H7: There is a statistically significant difference in the perceived usefulness of different sources of knowledge between solvers perceiving their innovations as autonomous compared to those perceiving their innovations as systemic. H8: There is a statistically significant difference in the perceived usefulness of the services provided by the intermediary in BS between solvers perceiving their innovations as autonomous compared to those perceiving their innovations as systemic.

Another common classification of innovations is systemic versus autonomous.


The experience of solvers as inventors is expected to change the way solvers interact with the intermediary organization (Calderini et al. 2007; Breazeal, 2013) . Innocentive, for example, provides support in different phases of BS. Experienced inventors are more familiar with the problem solving process and, as a consequence, are expected to demand a different type of support from the intermediary. Some of these services will be perceived as more useful by not experienced solvers.

The experience of solvers as inventors is expected to change the way solvers interact with the intermediary organization.


H3: There is a statistically significant difference in the perceived usefulness of different sources of knowledge between solvers working in research and non-research organizations. Similarly, solvers working in research organizations develop peculiar problem solving practices compared to employees of non-research organizations. When they interact with intermediaries like Innocentive, they are expected to use difThe aim of this paper is to extend existing empirical evidence on the behaviour of participants in IOI and crowdsourcing processes in several ways. In fact, it focuses on the still under-researched field of BS and attempts to better clarify the variations in the behaviour of solvers (Breazeal, 2013) . In particular, it investigates how the practices of solvers vary according to the type of solution (i.e. incremental or radical, systemic or modular), the characteristics of solvers (i.e. their experience as inventors), and their organizational context. This paper contributes to clarify the nature of the market of ideas created through BS. The results can help us understanding if BS creates the opportunity to exploit knowledge that otherwise would have been wasted and can, thus, be considered as a means to make the overall innovation system more efficient.

In fact, it focuses on the still under-researched field of BS and attempts to better clarify the variations in the behaviour of solvers.


To reduce radiation exposure, the use of low-radiation devices has become more common in determining spinal curvatures, such as EOS 2D/3D devices, which are suitable for determining the Cobb angles [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] . Follow-up should be regular and frequent for children with scoliosis, which significantly increases their level of radiation exposure. Higher levels of exposure increase the risks of lung cancer, breast cancer and leukaemia in patients with AIS [18, 19] . The recommendation by the Society on Scoliosis Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT) in 2014 proposes the use of alternative, non-radiation devices [20] . The flexiruler, the goniometer, the kyphometer, ultrasound-based systems such as the Scoliscan, rasterstereographic systems and the Spinal Mouse (SM) are the best-known non-invasive devices to determine spinal curvatures through the skin [21, 22, [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] .

To reduce radiation exposure, the use of low-radiation devices has become more common in determining spinal curvatures, such as EOS 2D/3D devices, which are suitable for determining the Cobb angles.

Higher levels of exposure increase the risks of lung cancer, breast cancer and leukaemia in patients with AIS.

The recommendation by the Society on Scoliosis Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT) in 2014 proposes the use of alternative, non-radiation devices.

The flexiruler, the goniometer, the kyphometer, ultrasound-based systems such as the Scoliscan, rasterstereographic systems and the Spinal Mouse (SM) are the best-known non-invasive devices to determine spinal curvatures through the skin.


The prediction in H3 that the more of the above positive practices a firm adopts enhances financial performance is partially supported, particularly practices such as valuing employees, amicable labor relations, social responsibility, and strong, shared vision. In short, the more an organization adopts these specific SL practices, the higher the corporate financial performance is likely to be. In terms of the rankings, valuing employees had the highest impact and predictive strength on corporate financial performance, consistent with the literature on its importance as a key success factor for improving the bottom line [80] . The second key predictor in the ranking is amicable labor relations, followed by social responsibility, and strong, shared vision, respectively.

In terms of the rankings, valuing employees had the highest impact and predictive strength on corporate financial performance, consistent with the literature on its importance as a key success factor for improving the bottom line.


In spite of the excellent results shown in recent years, GaN-based device performance can still be limited by dispersion effects related to the presence of surface, bulk, or interface traps [15] [16] [17] . One of the most well-known trapping phenomena is the current collapse, which is a temporary recoverable reduction in drain current (7 D ) under the application of a high drain field in the ON-state [17, 18] . The performance degradation due to charge trapping is related to intrinsic and extrinsic degradation mechanisms. Whereas the intrinsic effects are present prior to device operation, the extrinsic effects are generated by stressing the device during operation. The intrinsic effects are related to defect states which appear during growth and fabrication. They range from point defects (impurities and vacancies) to structural defects (threading dislocations, stacking faults, or screw dislocations) [19] .

In spite of the excellent results shown in recent years, GaN-based device performance can still be limited by dispersion effects related to the presence of surface, bulk, or interface traps.

One of the most well-known trapping phenomena is the current collapse, which is a temporary recoverable reduction in drain current (7 D ) under the application of a high drain field in the ON-state.

They range from point defects (impurities and vacancies) to structural defects (threading dislocations, stacking faults, or screw dislocations).


On the other hand, the optimal device layout design depends on the specific application requirements. In general, sub-micron gate length (L G ) devices are more suitable for RF applications, whereas larger gate-to-drain distance (L GD ) increases the breakdown voltage (VBD)-However, other factors, such as the influence of the geometry on self-heating, need to be considered during the device design [23] . Similarly, the device geometry may also affect the trapping effects observed; however, no results concerning this topic have been found in the literature. Therefore, a deep study, by means of both, experimental and simulation tools, can be useful for the optimization of the device design.

In general, sub-micron gate length (L G ) devices are more suitable for RF applications, whereas larger gate-to-drain distance (L GD ) increases the breakdown voltage (VBD)-However, other factors, such as the influence of the geometry on self-heating, need to be considered during the device design.


Several studies have modelled the effect of the gustiness of wind on gas transport in porous media in one, two and three dimensions (Farrell et al., 1966; Scotter & Raats, 1969; Kimball & Lemon, 1970; Colbeck, 1981) . These studies have generally represented wind action as sinusoidal pressure or velocity waves (including superimposed waves) to simplify computation. However, used stochastic modelling to generate random fluctuations with specific statistical properties. A comparison of the modelling results from these two approaches showed that wind-induced gas transport in porous media is a multi-dimensional process, and that the use of sinusoidal functions to represent one-dimensional wind action generally underestimates gas transport. The above studies show further that wind-induced gas transport decreases with increasing distance from the surface exposed to wind action.

Several studies have modelled the effect of the gustiness of wind on gas transport in porous media in one, two and three dimensions.


If more than one person is involved in the decision, the decision problem becomes a group decision problem. Many organizations have moved from a single decision maker or expert to a group of experts (e.g., Delphi) to accomplish this task successfully [13, 14] . Note that an "expert" represents an authorized person or an expert who should be involved in this decision making process. However, no single alternative works best for all performance attributes, and the assessment of each alternative given by different decision makers may diverge considerably. As a consequence, multiple attribute group decision making (MAGDM) is more difficult than cases where a single decision maker decides using a multiple attribute decision making method.

Many organizations have moved from a single decision maker or expert to a group of experts (e.g., Delphi) to accomplish this task successfully.


MAGDM is one of the most common activities in modern society, which involves selecting the optimal one from a finite set of alternatives with respect to a collection of the predefined criteria by a group of experts with a high collective knowledge level on these particular criteria [15] . When a group of experts wants to choose a solution from among several alternatives, preference relations is one type of assessment that experts could provide. Preference relations are comparisons between two alternatives for a particular attribute. A higher preference relation means that there is a higher degree of preference for one alternative over another.

MAGDM is one of the most common activities in modern society, which involves selecting the optimal one from a finite set of alternatives with respect to a collection of the predefined criteria by a group of experts with a high collective knowledge level on these particular criteria.


The samples have been prepared for SEM, microhardness, and tensile tests. Bonding did not occur in A1, A2, and A4 samples either because temperatures were too low or because there was not enough time. While 480 • C temperatures, even after 60 min, were too low to weld, 680 • C was too high. Because of the yielding of aluminum, 680 • C temperatures were not investigated in tests and analyses [15] . Bonding did not occur after 30 or 45 min at 520 • C, but successful bonding did occur after 60 min at 520 • C. In addition, bonding did not occur after 30 min at 560 • C; thus, in order for atoms to diffuse, appropriate temperatures and times are required.

Because of the yielding of aluminum, 680 • C temperatures were not investigated in tests and analyses.


The samples have been prepared for SEM, microhardness, and tensile tests. Bonding did not occur in A1, A2, and A4 samples either because temperatures were too low or because there was not enough time. While 480 °C temperatures, even after 60 min, were too low to weld, 680 °C was too high. Because of the yielding of aluminum, 680 °C temperatures were not investigated in tests and analyses [15] . Bonding did not occur after 30 or 45 min at 520 °C, but successful bonding did occur after 60 min at 520 °C. In addition, bonding did not occur after 30 min at 560 °C; thus, in order for atoms to diffuse, appropriate temperatures and times are required.

Because of the yielding of aluminum, 680 °C temperatures were not investigated in tests and analyses.


The transition of chronically ill adolescents from pediatric to adult medicine should conserve or improve their state of health. Such a transition can be considered successful if it promotes the patients' health competence, supports their psychosocial rehabilitation, and improves their self-determination efficacy, including their ability to make decisions and communicate about their care. The overarching goal of transition is to enable patients to be as independent as possible and have the best possible quality of life. Achieving these goals requires, in addition to addressing medical issues, a multidimensional, multidisciplinary approach, including critical interventions in psychosocial, school-related, and occupational spheres [1] .

Achieving these goals requires, in addition to addressing medical issues, a multidimensional, multidisciplinary approach, including critical interventions in psychosocial, school-related, and occupational spheres.


Because of its high dynamic and nearly unlimited resolution piezoelectric actuators are best suited as drives in micropositioning systems. To guarantee a high precision positioning under variable operating conditions the position is normally controlled in a closed loop with the help of an high precision position sensor and a PID-controller [2] . With the assumption of a linear transfer characteristic of the transducer the controller guarantees a fast and sufficiently damped transient over the whole operating range, if the parameters of the controller are well adjusted. However, the assumption of a linear transfer characteristic of the transducer is only a crude approximation because the transducer is driven with highvoltage amplitudes to generate the longest possible displacements. Due to this high-voltage modulation, the electromechanical transfer characteristic is considerably characterized by rate-independent hysteresis effects shown in Fig. 1 . This leads to a reduction of the control performance in the large signal operating range [6] . The present paper will describe an alternative solution for the compensation of the hysteretic transfer characteristics of a piezoelectric stack transducer by an adaptive inverse hysteretic control. For that purpose the real hysteretic transfer characteristic of the transducer is modeled by a complex hysteresis operator H[]. Based on this hysteresis operator an inverse hysteresis operator H -1 [] is derived, which can be used as a feed-forward compensator, see Fig.2 [7] . In this approach the model parameter of the inverse hysteretic control is determined on-line during the operation of the transducer. By this means a self-learning or adaptive hysteretic inverse control can be realized.

To guarantee a high precision positioning under variable operating conditions the position is normally controlled in a closed loop with the help of an high precision position sensor and a PID-controller.

This leads to a reduction of the control performance in the large signal operating range.

Based on this hysteresis operator an inverse hysteresis operator H -1 [] is derived, which can be used as a feed-forward compensator, see Fig.2.


Future research directions include exploratory visual analytics methods that support comprehensive analysis of three-way spatial, temporal, and semantic relationships that are embedded (and potentially) hidden in these rich data sources. One strategy we will adapt is the group, select, and filter methodology in which analysts can select arbitrary subsets of entities in multivariate space to explore the cross-connections [23] . We have demonstrated the integration of two types of thematic perspectives in this article. Integrating spatial data with non-spatial data is an even more challenging area of research for future research.

One strategy we will adapt is the group, select, and filter methodology in which analysts can select arbitrary subsets of entities in multivariate space to explore the cross-connections.


Thus, with the background that stressed individuals show a distinct molecular and questionnaire profile pattern, we wanted to find out the contributing factors for the uniqueness of respective groups. All the statistical tests were performed while assuming a Gaussian distribution for the data which was validated by Kolmogrov Smirnov test [29] . To find out significant metabolite and questionnaire markers, 2-way ANOVA was done. Also independent group based profiles were compared using column statistics to see overall changes in the respective profiles within a group. Figure 3a shows relatively high Q-scores for stress (S) group unlike NS and BL groups, with NS individuals scoring minimum. Figure 3b (in two panels) shows the set of significant Q-markers for three groups. For NS and BL groups, there were only two questions that gave a p value less than 0.05; for BL and S groups, 6 questions (Q-markers) shows a statistical significance of p,0.05; but unlike the two comparisons, between NS and S groups; 45 questions out of 75 came up as significant Q-markers. The list of Q-markers and their scores for respective groups is given in table S3A and annotations of Q-markers are shown in table S3B. Similarly, significant metabolites were screened for metabolite profiles. Figure 3c reveals that the stressed (S) group is significantly different in terms of elevated expression of metabolites compared to other two groups (NS and BL). Figure 3d shows that the 30 significant metabolite peaks, out of a total of 187 peaks from NMR data, contributed to the differences among three groups (S, NS and BL). When the metabolites corresponding to these peaks were checked for any association with stress, it was found that out of 41 metabolite peaks, 18 metabolites were reported in literature to be related with PS or PS associated diseases. Table S4A gives a detail of these metabolites. Since, the up-regulation of these metabolites in most of the cases is associated with PS, the group with higher expression of these metabolites was assigned as stressed group. Thus, A group was assigned to be stressed, B to be borderline and C to be Non-stressed. All metabolites, mentioned in Table S4B , have been associated with PS or PS associated diseases which include liver dysfunction, IFD, metabolic syndrome (Table S5) . Thus, changes in metabolite profiles point to systemic variation incurred by PS in the body.

All the statistical tests were performed while assuming a Gaussian distribution for the data which was validated by Kolmogrov Smirnov test.


The misrepresentation of uplift processes provides one reason for the lack of reliability of dust in climate models (Evan et al., 2014) . It supplies motivation for work focussed on a better understanding of the interactions of multiscale processes within the West African Monsoon, which, due to the inherently complex and chaotic nature of convective systems and the strong horizontal gradients are still not adequately represented in any simulations. Alongside improved representation of the monsoon there is a need for further research into parameterization of haboobs (Pantillon et al., 2016) . This work also suggests that caution should be applied when studying dust uplift using analysed winds (Evan et al., 2016) . It highlights that climate models (technically similar ERA-I) miss key uplift processes. Therefore, climate predictions of dust are likely to have spatial and temporal errors in uplift, potentially leading to unrealistic dust loadings and transport.

The misrepresentation of uplift processes provides one reason for the lack of reliability of dust in climate models.

Alongside improved representation of the monsoon there is a need for further research into parameterization of haboobs.

This work also suggests that caution should be applied when studying dust uplift using analysed winds.


Where observations are sparse, the observational constraint on reanalyses can be insufficient, leading to significant errors (Agustí-Panareda et al., 2010; Garcia-Carreras et al., 2013; Roberts et al., 2015) . This becomes something of circular problem, in that for regions with very few observations model developers, and researchers commonly use reanalyses as de-facto observations. This can be particularly important when we consider the known limitations of models to capture key dust uplift mechanisms.

Where observations are sparse, the observational constraint on reanalyses can be insufficient, leading to significant errors.


Large dust biases exist in climate models, such as their inability to capture the observed Saharan summertime maximum (Heinold et al., 2016; Todd and Cavazos-Guerra, 2016) . The severe shortage of data from the region has meant systematic analysis of modelled/analysed dust-generating winds has been very limited. Observations are mostly restricted to the inhabited margins and have systematic sampling biases, especially of the diurnal cycle (Cowie et al., 2014) .

Large dust biases exist in climate models, such as their inability to capture the observed Saharan summertime maximum.

Observations are mostly restricted to the inhabited margins and have systematic sampling biases, especially of the diurnal cycle.


To the best of our knowledge, few studies have explored a single end-to-end ASR architecture trained on raw speech waveforms to directly output text transcription, and none of those models were built based on an encoder-decoder architecture. In this paper, we take a step forward to construct an end-to-end ASR using an attentional-based encoder-decoder model for processing raw speech waveform, naming it as "Attention-based Wav2Text". We investigate the performance of our proposed models on standard ASR datasets. In practice, optimizing an encoder-decoder framework is more difficult than a standard neural network architecture [11] . Therefore, we propose a feature transfer learning method to assist the training process for our end-to-end attention-based ASR model.

In practice, optimizing an encoder-decoder framework is more difficult than a standard neural network architecture.


Aerosol water uptake and hygroscopicity was measured using an HTDMA and a CCNc. Good agreement was found between the measurements of both instruments. Particle growth factors from the HTDMA varied little over most of the measurement period and were typically between 1.2 and 1.4 (low hygroscopicity mode). Aerosol hygroscopicity was found to be low (κ = 0.12) for Aitken-mode particles, and increased slightly to κ = 0.18 for accumulation-mode particles. This is consistent with previous measurements at or near this site, and with the observation that Aitken-mode particle composition is dominated by organic material, while accumulation-mode particles exhibited higher sulfate mass fractions (Pöschl et al., 2010) .

This is consistent with previous measurements at or near this site, and with the observation that Aitken-mode particle composition is dominated by organic material, while accumulation-mode particles exhibited higher sulfate mass fractions.


The Amazon basin consists of the world's largest rainforest, covering an area of 5.5 million km 2 . The Amazon rainforest is one of the few continental regions where atmospheric processes are minimally influenced by anthropogenic emissions, particularly during the wet season, and ambient conditions can represent, to some extent, those of the pristine pre-industrial era (Pöschl et al., 2010) . Concentrations and properties of aerosol particles are largely governed by biogenic emissions of both primary biological aerosol particles (PBAP) and biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), which contribute to secondary organic aerosol (SOA). On a regional scale, in the wet season, the hydrological cycle is strongly influenced by these biogenic aerosol emissions, which provide most of the cloud condensation nuclei and thereby influence the radiation balance and cloud lifetime (Pöschl et al., 2010) . In the dry season, by contrast, widespread biomass burning can result in a substantially increased aerosol optical depth over large areas of Amazonia, as well as modified cloud properties and suppressed precipitation .

The Amazon rainforest is one of the few continental regions where atmospheric processes are minimally influenced by anthropogenic emissions, particularly during the wet season, and ambient conditions can represent, to some extent, those of the pristine pre-industrial era.

On a regional scale, in the wet season, the hydrological cycle is strongly influenced by these biogenic aerosol emissions, which provide most of the cloud condensation nuclei and thereby influence the radiation balance and cloud lifetime.