However, in most cases, the status of riparian forests worldwide has not been well analysed, and they are most likely one of the least-understood ecological features of rivers. There are few comprehensive procedures capable of assessing the status of the core elements of riparian stands. In most cases, these procedures are not at all associated with the hydromorphological functioning of the river, complicating further discussions about the causes of the alteration and the available measures for restoration (Hughes, 2003) .

In most cases, these procedures are not at all associated with the hydromorphological functioning of the river, complicating further discussions about the causes of the alteration and the available measures for restoration.


Two main approaches can be differentiated to deal with fracture processes in concrete. The classical is the approach where the material structure is excluded, and phenomenological relations between global stress and strain are determined with the help of experiments. In the second approach parameters of the material structure are included directly in the formulation. In this so-called microapproach it is important to decide to what level structure information is incorporated. The second approach can also be regarded as a more physical-based approach since detailed information about the fracture process in relation to the material structure is obtained [3] .

The second approach can also be regarded as a more physical-based approach since detailed information about the fracture process in relation to the material structure is obtained.


Analysis of fracture processes in concrete is a timely research topic. The matter is highly complicated due to the heterogeneous structure of the material over many different length scales. From the nanometer to the micrometer scale the structure of cement appears to be very heterogeneous. Even at the smallest level, i.e. the nanometer scale, the structure of hydrated cement appears elusive [1] . Scaling upward towards the micrometer or millimeter level will bring new elements in the structure, namely the sand and aggregate particles. Sand and aggregate have typical mineralogical compositions, which makes it interesting to study them at the microlevel as well. For concrete, however, the interface zone between aggregate and bulk cement paste appears to be the most important [2] . Therefore, concrete is usually considered as a three-phase material, i.e. matrix, aggregate and interface zones are distinguished [3, 4] .

Even at the smallest level, i.e. the nanometer scale, the structure of hydrated cement appears elusive.

For concrete, however, the interface zone between aggregate and bulk cement paste appears to be the most important.

Therefore, concrete is usually considered as a three-phase material, i.e. matrix, aggregate and interface zones are distinguished.


This concept refers to prompting a reduction in use and ultimately ownership of privately owned vehicles as a result of the introduction of car-shedding interventions or policy incentives. These incentives aim to encourage car owners to 'shed' a vehicle when other, more sustainable modes become more competitive in terms of convenience, time and cost efficiency. In this way, it is estimated that unsustainable utility and ownership of cars can be reduced through selling or forgoing ownership of a vehicle in exchange for more sustainable means of transport (Carroll, et al., 2017) .

In this way, it is estimated that unsustainable utility and ownership of cars can be reduced through selling or forgoing ownership of a vehicle in exchange for more sustainable means of transport.


Note that the calculated effective indexes of the fundamental CPP mode are somewhat smaller than the CPP mode indexes determined from the experimental SNOM images. This discrepancy can be attributed to the aforementioned (small) differences in V-groove shape. One should also keep in mind that the SNOM experiments were conducted at ambient conditions; thus water condensation could not be excluded (a very thin water layer can significantly increase the CPP mode index [24] ).

One should also keep in mind that the SNOM experiments were conducted at ambient conditions; thus water condensation could not be excluded (a very thin water layer can significantly increase the CPP mode index).


We believe that the results obtained in this work constitute an important step toward developing real-life applications of CPP-based plasmonic circuitry in the fields of optical interconnects and sensing. In this context, a significant challenge yet to be addressed is the realization of efficient in-and outcoupling of radiation, preferably without need for the end-fire coupling with optical fibers that, in fact, can be realized only from one side [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] . Strongly confined CPP modes seem especially attractive for sensing applications, in which Vgrooves would also be used for microfluidics, since these modes exhibit substantial field enhancements at V-groove bottoms (unlike weakly confined CPP modes [24] ). Filling V-grooves with fluids or other materials (e.g., polymers) efficiently represents, however, another formidable challenge that requires further extensive investigations.

In this context, a significant challenge yet to be addressed is the realization of efficient in-and outcoupling of radiation, preferably without need for the end-fire coupling with optical fibers that, in fact, can be realized only from one side.

Strongly confined CPP modes seem especially attractive for sensing applications, in which Vgrooves would also be used for microfluidics, since these modes exhibit substantial field enhancements at V-groove bottoms (unlike weakly confined CPP modes).


In Tables 4 and 5 we summarize the results of the calculations from the ANN for the geological environment as a whole. Table 4 provides a review of the results of sensitivity coefficients for the most influential chemical elements and parameters in the groundwater and evaluated the HI together with the order of influence for single elements. In Table 5 the results of calculations of ANN for life expectancy (LE) are shown including derived limit values for the most influential chemical elements and parameters in the groundwater. All results of ANN calculations for evaluated HI are published on the Geohealth website [36] .

All results of ANN calculations for evaluated HI are published on the Geohealth website.


Two-level Plackett-Burman (PB) designs have been used in the context of classical statistical experiments for screening purposes. However, PB designs cannot be used when higher number of levels is required or where simulator proxy's development remains the priority of the study. One variable at a time is a screening process involving varying a parameter values between its minimum (−1) and maximum (+1) ranges within the parameter space. The degree of the displacement from the base case of resultant response indicates the extent of influence the parameter has on the measured response. One variable at a time method is a static sensitivity common in classical laboratory experiments. However, its application for screening large number of uncertainties has been reported [8] .

However, its application for screening large number of uncertainties has been reported.


Whenever experimental design is used, RSM are usually constructed with regression, interpolation, and neural network [16, 17] methods. The methodology integrated 3-level designs with some screening linear designs. In reservoir simulation, a response surface model is essentially an equation derived from the multiple regressions of all the main attributes (reservoir parameters) that impact the reservoir response. This provides a good approximation to simulator and also provides simplified solution to even very complex problems that required huge computation time [18] . The resulting proxy model is a function of the number of values for each uncertainty and is readily amenable to sampling by Monte Carlo simulation for uncertainty quantification.

Whenever experimental design is used, RSM are usually constructed with regression, interpolation, and neural network methods.

This provides a good approximation to simulator and also provides simplified solution to even very complex problems that required huge computation time.


Three-level experimental design methods are high resolution algorithms for response surface construction. Central composite design (CCD) consists of a factorial design with the corners at +1 of the cube, augmented by additional "star" and "centre" points, which allow the estimation of the second-order polynomial equation [9] . Like CCDs, BoxBehnken designs are a family of three-level designs and can be constructed by the combination of factorial and incomplete block designs [7] . The application of 3-level full factorial is limited only to four factors or lower due to the accompanied large number of runs for large number of uncertainties. However, 2-level factorial designs (fractional designs) have also been used where 3-level full factorial is infeasible for response surface construction [10] .

Central composite design (CCD) consists of a factorial design with the corners at +1 of the cube, augmented by additional "star" and "centre" points, which allow the estimation of the second-order polynomial equation.

Like CCDs, BoxBehnken designs are a family of three-level designs and can be constructed by the combination of factorial and incomplete block designs.

However, 2-level factorial designs (fractional designs) have also been used where 3-level full factorial is infeasible for response surface construction.


Large-scale tropical circulations, such as Hadley, Walker and Monsoon circulations, are the strongest driving forces of the general circulation in the low latitudes. Year-to-year variations of these circulations have a great impact on climate variability. These variations arise from revesals in the temperature gradient between continents and adjacent oceans. Both the Walker and Hadley Cells are the result of thermal contrast and they act as a mechanism to transport moist static energy. Ferrel Cells are indirect cells driven by transient baroclinic eddies which transport heat and momentum poleward (Holton, 1992) .

Ferrel Cells are indirect cells driven by transient baroclinic eddies which transport heat and momentum poleward.


Up till now, no report of tolerance to S. rolfsii is Brazilian fields involving peanut commercial cultivar is found. Based on low DSI seen in Senegal 55437 (Table  2) , we suggest that it may be a genetic resource with tolerance to white mold and further studies should be encouraged to attest that suggestion. The low severity of disease may be associated with high earliness and short cycle (only 75-80 days), limiting a fast spreading of fungus, especially in reproductive phase (Duarte et al., 2013; Boote and Hammond, 1981) .

The low severity of disease may be associated with high earliness and short cycle (only 75-80 days), limiting a fast spreading of fungus, especially in reproductive phase.


In addition to wavelength-division and orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing, incoherent codedivision multiple-access (CDMA) has been receiving attention in fiber-optic communication systems because the latter does not rely on complex electronic processing and can support asynchronous and uncoordinated multi-user access, bursty-type traffic, soft limit in the number of subscribers, and gradual performance deterioration under heavy load [1] - [3] . Multiuser fiber-optic code-division multiple-access (FO-CDMA) experimental testbeds operating at 10+ Gbit/s with bit-error-rate of less than 10 −9 have been demonstrated [3] - [5] . Moreover, 2-D wavelength-time codes with good auto-and cross-correlation properties can provide scalability by coding in wavelength and time and also support adjustable quality-of-services (QoS) by controlling code length and weight [1] - [7] . Recently, the effects of fiber temperature variation in ultrafast incoherent FO-CDMA systems using picosecond multiwavelength codes have been investigated [8] - [11] . They create time skew and dispersion in multiwavelength pulses and, in turn, destroy the integrities of autocorrection and cross-correlation functions seen at FO-CDMA receivers. Software and hardware approaches have been proposed to mitigate this kind of physical (temperature-induced) impairments [10] - [14] .

In addition to wavelength-division and orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing, incoherent codedivision multiple-access (CDMA) has been receiving attention in fiber-optic communication systems because the latter does not rely on complex electronic processing and can support asynchronous and uncoordinated multi-user access, bursty-type traffic, soft limit in the number of subscribers, and gradual performance deterioration under heavy load.

Multiuser fiber-optic code-division multiple-access (FO-CDMA) experimental testbeds operating at 10+ Gbit/s with bit-error-rate of less than 10 −9 have been demonstrated.

Moreover, 2-D wavelength-time codes with good auto-and cross-correlation properties can provide scalability by coding in wavelength and time and also support adjustable quality-of-services (QoS) by controlling code length and weight.

Recently, the effects of fiber temperature variation in ultrafast incoherent FO-CDMA systems using picosecond multiwavelength codes have been investigated.

Software and hardware approaches have been proposed to mitigate this kind of physical (temperature-induced) impairments.


The demands for production safety and quality stabilization in industrial process continue to draw attention to research in monitoring and fault diagnosis [1] - [3] . The characteristics of highly real-time and reliability are the essential requirements in practical industrial process. Moreover, process monitoring and fault diagnosis methods with high complexity and sensitive parameter selection cannot adapt to online rapid industrial production process. Therefore, it is significant to develop simple and effective monitoring and fault diagnosis methods for practical complex industrial process.

The demands for production safety and quality stabilization in industrial process continue to draw attention to research in monitoring and fault diagnosis.


The phenomenon of syneresis occurs during the aging of gel samples. Syneresis is a consolidation of the nano-particulate gel network resulting in the expulsion of liquid [2] . In the following it is shown that the oedometer test is applicable to silica gel. This measuring method originally stems from soil mechanics and has not been used in colloid science so far. In principle the oedometer test is a one-dimensional compression test. A load is applied to a gel sample. While the sample is shrinking, liquid passes through the pore network and leaves the sample at its top and at its bottom. The consolidation is measured as a function of time [3] . The oedometer test is regarded as an appropriate experiment for the investigation of consolidation of gel samples. It is a faster testing method than aging, and the effect of the process parameters, such as pH value, ionic strength, temperature, and solids content, can be identified more rapidly. Experimental results of the consolidation of gel samples as a function of time measured with the oedometer test are given. Furthermore, the semi-empirical method of Terzaghi is used to describe the experimental curves.

Syneresis is a consolidation of the nano-particulate gel network resulting in the expulsion of liquid.

A load is applied to a gel sample.

The consolidation is measured as a function of time.


Cadmium and Pb are the most toxic elements for man (Volpe et al., 2009) . In terms of environmental concentration, Pb is the HM closest to the level in which toxic signs manifest than any other substance (Baird, 2002) . Others elements such as Cr, Co and Ni, although essential for men, at concentrations higher than those recommended, may cause metabolic disorders. Moreover, an increasing awareness in terms of the importance of vegetables and fruits to human diet suggests that the monitoring of HMs in food crops should be carried out frequently, however information concerning this issue is scarce, especially in Brazil. Most major cities have been concerned with HM contents in vegetables (Ferré-Huguet et al., 2008) . São Paulo city, one of the largest metropolitan regions in the world, with over 39 million inhabitants, does not have this kind of monitoring and concern. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the concentrations of Cd, Pb, Ni, Co and Cr in the most frequently consumed vegetables of the São Paulo State, Brazil to compare then with the permissible limits established by Brazilian legislation. Also a value of intake of HMs in human diets was calculated to estimate the risk to human health.

Cadmium and Pb are the most toxic elements for man.

In terms of environmental concentration, Pb is the HM closest to the level in which toxic signs manifest than any other substance.

Most major cities have been concerned with HM contents in vegetables.


High-speed machining (HSM) at significantly increased cutting speeds and feed rates can lead to a significant reduction in the machining time. Therefore, high-speed machining is now recognized as one of the key manufacturing technologies for higher productivity. Key advantages of high-speed machining have been reported as high material removal rates, low cutting forces, the reduction in lead times, and improvement in part precision and surface finish [1] . The distinction between conventional and highspeed machining is based on the workpiece material being machined, the type of cutting operation, and the cutting tool used [2] .

Key advantages of high-speed machining have been reported as high material removal rates, low cutting forces, the reduction in lead times, and improvement in part precision and surface finish.

The distinction between conventional and highspeed machining is based on the workpiece material being machined, the type of cutting operation, and the cutting tool used.


It is now widely accepted that machining at higher cutting speeds leads to higher tool-chip interface temperatures. The temperature at the tool-chip interface and the heat transferred from this zone are crucial in determining tool wear, tool life, and surface integrity. These influences, which are predominant in dry machining at high speeds, are also extremely important for economical and ecological reasons. While heat generation depends mainly on process parameters and the machinability of the work material, the thermophysical properties of the cutting tool material are important factors in the distribution of temperature fields and heat dissipation [7] . Determination of the maximum temperature and temperature distribution along the rake face of the cutting tool is of particular interest because of their controlling influence on tool performance and tool life, as well as the quality of the machined part [8, 9] .

While heat generation depends mainly on process parameters and the machinability of the work material, the thermophysical properties of the cutting tool material are important factors in the distribution of temperature fields and heat dissipation.

Determination of the maximum temperature and temperature distribution along the rake face of the cutting tool is of particular interest because of their controlling influence on tool performance and tool life, as well as the quality of the machined part.


Since our technical systems in geographic information science are based on vector or raster geometry, their entities, relations, and operations are different from cognitive systems. If we want to support the cognitive concept of place it will be interesting to study further what relations and operations are needed to be able to generate appropriate information from querying a geographic information system. This question is challenging when we consider also the context-dependency between cognitive and geographic objects [14] .

This question is challenging when we consider also the context-dependency between cognitive and geographic objects.


The fact that data readings of nearby sensors are similar can be captured by spatial correlation [6] . Thus, an idea for determining faulty readings is to exploit this spatial correlation. In other words, if a sensor obtains an unusual reading, the sensor could inquire its nearby sensors (referred to as the witness set) by sending the suspected reading to them in order to determine whether the reading is faulty or not. Based on the classical majority voting, each sensor (e.g., sensor s i ) in the witness set makes a judgment by comparing its own reading with the unusual reading sent by the suspected sensor (e.g., sensor sj). If the difference between these two readings exceeds a predefined threshold, si considers the reading sent by s j as faulty and gives a negative vote to s j . Otherwise, s i claims that s j is normal and returns a positive vote to s j . After collecting votes from the nearby sensors, sj then can conclude whether the reading is faulty or not. If the number of negative votes is smaller than that of positive votes, the unusual reading reported by s j is identified as a faulty reading. Otherwise, it is viewed as an observed event. However, this simple majority voting approach does not work well when the number of faulty sensors increases. To address the problem, two weighted voting methods has been proposed in the literature [5, 9] . Motivated by an assumption that the closer sensors have more resemble readings, the weighted voting algorithms give more weights to closer neighbors in voting (i.e., the weights are assigned inverse to the distances from a sensor node to its neighbors).

The fact that data readings of nearby sensors are similar can be captured by spatial correlation.

To address the problem, two weighted voting methods has been proposed in the literature.


Sensors are prone to failure in harsh and unreliable environments. Faulty sensors are likely to report arbitrary readings which do not reflect the true state of environmental phenomenon or events under monitoring. Meanwhile, sensors may sometimes report noisy readings resulted from interferences [3] . Both arbitrary and noisy readings are viewed as faulty readings in this paper. The presence of faulty readings may cause inaccurate query results and hinder their usefulness. Thus, it is critical to identify and filter out faulty readings so as to improve the query accuracy.

Meanwhile, sensors may sometimes report noisy readings resulted from interferences.


Delivery of fundamental accounting concepts and techniques may be inadequate for the students to face their career in the future. The inclusion of accounting fraud into accounting classes can benefit both students and employers (Peterson, 2003) . Owing to the continuous concern of accounting fraud from the public after the incidents like Enron and Worldcom, the importance of ethical issues and analytical skills were further assured. In order to facilitate the non-accounting major students with this knowledge, incorporating movies in teaching fraud accounting in traditional classroom learning is expected to have a positive impact on the students in understanding the topic. However, multimedia can help in developing the critical think capabilities rather than enhance the results of the subject (Ellis, 2001) .

The inclusion of accounting fraud into accounting classes can benefit both students and employers.

However, multimedia can help in developing the critical think capabilities rather than enhance the results of the subject.


Students who study different kinds of management should have a basic knowledge and sensitivity on fraud accounting, as it is not just a concern for accounting major students (Gates, Lee, & Sullivan, 2011) . In delivering this topic, students are expected to understand the concept of accounting fraud and accounting scandal due to the increasing concern and need on ethical management decisions while TEDQUAL also intends to include the study of code of ethics officially within their requirement. Therefore, students can have a broader sense and picture of what they should concern for management and decision-making. However, learning the basic accounting theories and technical skills in a management accounting course under the tourism and hospitality curriculum is not an easy task for non-accounting major students. Fraud accounting is even more conceptual to them. In view of this, this study reports the findings on how instructors can attract the attention of students in learning this advanced accounting topic -fraud accounting.

Students who study different kinds of management should have a basic knowledge and sensitivity on fraud accounting, as it is not just a concern for accounting major students.


Ultra-small scale integrated electrochemical sensors have gained considerable interest as solutions to diagnostic monitoring situations requiring a small footprint. One category of microsensors that benefits from miniaturization is medical implants which require fully autonomous sensing platforms along with electronic driving circuitry within the smallest possible volume [1] . Electrochemical sensing technology in particular is a very attractive solution for health monitoring as it is possible to integrate electrochemical circuits with device electronics on a comparatively small size scale [2] . Microscale and nanoscale patterning of the sensor surfaces holds the key to making these devices perform effectively and to reducing the sensor impedance [3] . Such techniques can also be used to enhance the performance of large scale electrodes made via more conventional methods (e.g., screen printing) [4] . Usual implementations of electrochemical sensors commonly utilize a planar electrode configuration, but micro/nanoscale patterning of the electrodes provides many technical advantages such as a higher surface area and the control over the diffusion profile near the electrode surfaces [5] . This surface patterning also allows for more efficient utilization of functional coatings (e.g., enzyme or binding coatings) on the electrodes [6] . Employing these techniques to decrease the total area needed per sensor, along with embedding CMOS electronics underneath the sensor, leads to reducing the system size to practical dimensions [7] . This size reduction also provides major advantages in reducing individual device cost and foreign body response to such devices when used for in vivo applications [8] .

One category of microsensors that benefits from miniaturization is medical implants which require fully autonomous sensing platforms along with electronic driving circuitry within the smallest possible volume.

Electrochemical sensing technology in particular is a very attractive solution for health monitoring as it is possible to integrate electrochemical circuits with device electronics on a comparatively small size scale.

Microscale and nanoscale patterning of the sensor surfaces holds the key to making these devices perform effectively and to reducing the sensor impedance.

Such techniques can also be used to enhance the performance of large scale electrodes made via more conventional methods (e.g., screen printing).

Usual implementations of electrochemical sensors commonly utilize a planar electrode configuration, but micro/nanoscale patterning of the electrodes provides many technical advantages such as a higher surface area and the control over the diffusion profile near the electrode surfaces.

This surface patterning also allows for more efficient utilization of functional coatings (e.g., enzyme or binding coatings) on the electrodes.

Employing these techniques to decrease the total area needed per sensor, along with embedding CMOS electronics underneath the sensor, leads to reducing the system size to practical dimensions.

This size reduction also provides major advantages in reducing individual device cost and foreign body response to such devices when used for in vivo applications.


The patient selection for LPD (<0.6 g/kg/day) supplemented by EAA/KA in our study was not random and could contain selection bias (patients with better compliance to diet can have better compliance to other nephroprotective strategies, such as antihypertensive and anti-RAAS therapy, sodium restriction, and optimal glycemic control. On the other hand, the matched control group recruited from 320 similar patients was rather close to the treatment group. These confounding factors were taken in consideration in multiple regression analysis. Of note, patients with pre-dialysis CKD were not regularly evaluated for acid-base balance, and rarely received bicarbonates; this information was not included into analysis. Evaluation of compliance to diet was more qualitative than quantitative, but such approach may be considered as acceptable [6] . The number of patients, included into analysis, was relatively small as it was restricted to those who received EAA/KA supplied from budgetary funded source; on the other hand, the amount of EAA/KA gained in drugstore was available as a surrogate measure for received doses in parallel with patients' diary.

Evaluation of compliance to diet was more qualitative than quantitative, but such approach may be considered as acceptable.


Mathematics is a universal language; it uses symbols and its terms have different definitions than if they were used in a setting that was not math related. Because math is so unique, individuals who have another learning disability will usually also develop math anxiety. A student who is diagnosed with dyslexia or disgraphia might also develop difficulties when faced with a mathematical situation (Wadlington & Wadlington, 2008) . Mathematics is similar to writing, in the sense that there is a process, procedures, steps, and a sequence to follow. If a student cannot express his or her understanding in linear thoughts the student then becomes frustrated and math anxiety will stem from his or her reading disability. Because other learning disabilities are easier to diagnose several students will never be treated or properly taught how to overcome their anxiety. It is more difficult for students with mathematics anxiety to meet the high expectations of today's society.

A student who is diagnosed with dyslexia or disgraphia might also develop difficulties when faced with a mathematical situation.


Studies have shown students learn best when they are active rather than passive learners (Spikell, 1993) . The theory of multiple intelligences addresses the different learning styles. Lessons are presented for visual/spatial, logical/mathematics, musical, body/kinesthetic, interpersonal and intrapersonal and verbal/linguistic. Everyone is capable of learning, but may learn in different ways. Therefore, lessons must be presented in a variety of ways. For example, different ways to teach a new concept can be through play acting, cooperative groups, visual aids, hands on activities and technology. Learners are different than they were forty years ago. These learners today ask questions why something is done this way or that way and why not this way? Whereas years ago learners did not question the why of math concepts; they simply memorized and mechanically performed the operations needed.

Studies have shown students learn best when they are active rather than passive learners.


Social and environmental facilitators emerged as a link to both future plans and QoL. Close relationships as having family support, friends and be able to go out with them, were identified by participants as important factors to improve their QoL. Moreover, the support given by therapists seems to have an important place for making choices about future life. These findings suggest the importance of social connectedness for adolescents with disabilities (Edwards, et al., 2003) . Social support, whether from the family or significant others outside the home, can be an important influence on the QoL of adolescents with disabilities (Emond, Fortin, & Picard, 1998) .

These findings suggest the importance of social connectedness for adolescents with disabilities.

Social support, whether from the family or significant others outside the home, can be an important influence on the QoL of adolescents with disabilities.


Referring to transition processes, there have been several studies with youth with disabilities making the transition from school to work and adult life that inform about important interventions that promise positive impact on transition outcomes. Generally transition refers to a change in status from behaving as a student to assuming emergent adult roles in the community (employment, participating in post-secondary education, maintaining a home, becoming appropriately involved in the community, and experiencing satisfactory personal and social relationships). Many influences appear to affect this transition including the quality and impact of the student's high school program, the nature and quality of transition services that are provided to the student and his or her family, opportunities in the community that are actually available for the young person (Halpern, 1994) . For example, having paid work experiences during the last years of secondary school is a factor associated with successful post school employment outcomes (Luecking & Fabian, 2000; Wagner, Newman, Cameto, & Levine, 2006) . There is emerging evidence to suggest the value of student empowerment to participate in and make informed choices about transition planning. The most popular strategy used to prepare secondary students with high-incidence disabilities for life after high school is one in which the student attends, contributes to, and assumes some responsibility for the Individual Educational Program and Transition Plan (Martin et al., 2006) . Moreover, when secondary students with high-incidence disabilities participate in their transition and educational planning meetings as active members with responsibilities, they are more motivated (Skouge, Kelly, Roberts, Leake, & Stodden, 2007) .

Many influences appear to affect this transition including the quality and impact of the student's high school program, the nature and quality of transition services that are provided to the student and his or her family, opportunities in the community that are actually available for the young person.

For example, having paid work experiences during the last years of secondary school is a factor associated with successful post school employment outcomes.

The most popular strategy used to prepare secondary students with high-incidence disabilities for life after high school is one in which the student attends, contributes to, and assumes some responsibility for the Individual Educational Program and Transition Plan.

Moreover, when secondary students with high-incidence disabilities participate in their transition and educational planning meetings as active members with responsibilities, they are more motivated.


Dialysis patients exhibit a dramatically increased cardiovascular mortality when compared to the normal population [1] . Both vascular and valvular calcifications are important predictors of mortality in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on haemodialysis [2, 3] . Uraemia-associated risk factors like chronic inflammation, hyperphosphataemia and an increased calcium phosphate product contribute to progressive vascular calcifications in patients on renal replacement therapy [4] [5] [6] [7] . However, these factors, as well as the traditional Framingham risk factors, can only partly explain the increased vascular disease burden of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Dialysis patients exhibit a dramatically increased cardiovascular mortality when compared to the normal population.

Both vascular and valvular calcifications are important predictors of mortality in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on haemodialysis.

Uraemia-associated risk factors like chronic inflammation, hyperphosphataemia and an increased calcium phosphate product contribute to progressive vascular calcifications in patients on renal replacement therapy.


Hence, there is a need of finding better ways of dealing with cholera so as to reduce cases of cholera in different countries in the world. According to WHO report, about 1.4 to 4.3 million cases of cholera are reported each year worldwide and more than 140,000 deaths per year are reported due to cholera. The cholera outbreak in Tanzania which began in August 2015 has resulted in over 24,000 cases as of 20 April, 2016 and caused 378 deaths [27] . There are several measures which have been suggested by WHO to prevent cholera these measures are environmental sanitation, water treatment, provision of clean water, provision of education on the effect of cholera [26] .

The cholera outbreak in Tanzania which began in August 2015 has resulted in over 24,000 cases as of 20 April, 2016 and caused 378 deaths.

There are several measures which have been suggested by WHO to prevent cholera these measures are environmental sanitation, water treatment, provision of clean water, provision of education on the effect of cholera.


Majority of relatively new techniques (case-based reasoning, Indentation-based decision support, etc.) eliminates the shortcomings of existing approaches making them a powerful tool for solving certain classes of problems [14] , [15] , [16] . Current level of human development draws the gaze towards modeling and simulation of physiological processes for a particular patient. Fantastic amounts of clinical data from a variety of sources (from electronic health records (EHR) to wearable sensors) stimulate the application of Data Mining methods to aggregation and analysis of these data. These results could be considered while choosing treatment not only for one patient, but for all similar patients. This abundance of ways of development implies that the user interaction with the system will go beyond a simple input-output to a more complex and sophisticated level.

Majority of relatively new techniques (case-based reasoning, Indentation-based decision support, etc.) eliminates the shortcomings of existing approaches making them a powerful tool for solving certain classes of problems.


Talking about some "canonical" clinical DSS (CDSS) would be incorrect. In general terms, it is an information system aimed to assist the clinician in making a decision [8] . The forms of assistance may vary from the rapid provision of context-sensitive disease-or drug-specific information to determination of the probable diagnosis for a particular patient. And the purpose of a specific CDSS determines the approaches that can be used in its development.

In general terms, it is an information system aimed to assist the clinician in making a decision.


The HI has been used in applications related to mining, oil and gas operations, dermatology, and agriculture, with controlled illumination and static scene content [10] . As an addition to these applications, we used it for acquiring outdoor hyperspectral image data which is extra challenging because the radiometric conditions of the image scene are generally not static and the illumination does not have a smooth spectrum. Therefore, additional measures for dealing with these issues are required. By providing a detailed work-flow of the image cube acquisition and post-processing for reflectance factor imaging of outdoor scenes, this paper targets readers from the scientific community as well as engineers using similar technologies for hyperspectral imaging. To our knowledge, we are the first who use this technology for outdoor spectral reflectance factor imaging. Some solutions for dealing with the challenges in outdoor hyperspectral imaging as well as the whole work-flow are therefore novel or have not been thoroughly explained in the literature.

The HI has been used in applications related to mining, oil and gas operations, dermatology, and agriculture, with controlled illumination and static scene content.


In recent years, hyperspectral imaging has drawn increasing attention in a wide range of fields such as astronomy, agriculture, and medicine [1] [2] [3] . A hyperspectral image of n bands with spatial resolution of r × c can be represented as a threedimensional (3D) data cube C Cx; y; λ r×c×n , where x and y represent the spatial dimensions of the image, and λ represents the spectral dimension (usually comprising a range of consecutive wavelengths). In most cases, the image intensity corresponds to either the spectral radiance or spectral reflectance factor [4] . Generally, hyperspectral cameras sense scene radiance, and the reflectance factor data is computed by accounting for the spectral power distribution of the scene illumination.

In recent years, hyperspectral imaging has drawn increasing attention in a wide range of fields such as astronomy, agriculture, and medicine.

In most cases, the image intensity corresponds to either the spectral radiance or spectral reflectance factor.


As we can notice, IL-36 family members as other IL-1 superfamily proteins need N-terminal cleavage to reach the entire biological activity. The mechanisms of IL-36Ra activation steel are weakly known. From all of the enzymes, produced by neutrophils, only elastase can cleave IL-36Ra, transforming it to a highly active antagonistic type [55] .

From all of the enzymes, produced by neutrophils, only elastase can cleave IL-36Ra, transforming it to a highly active antagonistic type.


Along with the construction of higher and more complex civil structures, there have been concerns about their safety under natural disasters, such as typhoons and earthquakes. It is nearly impossible for the designers to fully predict the excitations during the service stage; if the designers try to enhance the capacity of the structure against all possibilities, the loadings will largely increase the cost of the construction. Structural control is considered to be an effective approach to adapt the host structures to different kinds of harmful excitations and enhance their safety and serviceability [1] [2] [3] . Passive control approaches, such as tuned-mass-dampers (TMD), viscous dampers, viscoelastic dampers, and base isolation techniques have advantages of low cost and easy implementation [4] . Particularly, TMD is considered to be one of the most effective passive devices and has many applications, such as the CN tower in Toronto and the Taipei 101 building [5] . It possesses the merit of easy maintenance and can be implemented even on existing structures. The TMD absorbs inertial force from the host structure to reduce its motion, with its effectiveness determined by its dynamic characteristics, stroke, and the amount of added mass it employs. The potential of the TMD has been verified in reducing vibrations under a variety of excitations [6] . A TMD consist of a mass, a damping mechanism, and a restoring mechanism with certain stiffness connected to the host structure. During operation, the TMD is tuned to a certain frequency and a certain amount of the vibration energy will be transferred to the movement of the mass of the device. However, studies have pointed out that passive devices are hard to adjust once they are installed and their robustness is questionable when the host structure is subjected to different excitations. Since TMD can only reduce vibration components whose frequencies are close to the tuned frequencies, it is believed that the most significant limitation of the TMD is its narrow effective bandwidth and the high sensitivity to even a small change in the tuning [7] [8] [9] [10] . Thus, it is considered to be unsuitable for vibration control under broadband earthquake inputs [11] .

Structural control is considered to be an effective approach to adapt the host structures to different kinds of harmful excitations and enhance their safety and serviceability.

Passive control approaches, such as tuned-mass-dampers (TMD), viscous dampers, viscoelastic dampers, and base isolation techniques have advantages of low cost and easy implementation.

Particularly, TMD is considered to be one of the most effective passive devices and has many applications, such as the CN tower in Toronto and the Taipei 101 building.

The potential of the TMD has been verified in reducing vibrations under a variety of excitations.

Since TMD can only reduce vibration components whose frequencies are close to the tuned frequencies, it is believed that the most significant limitation of the TMD is its narrow effective bandwidth and the high sensitivity to even a small change in the tuning.

Thus, it is considered to be unsuitable for vibration control under broadband earthquake inputs.


Prediction of sewing thread consumption is one of the significant factors in thread procurement. In apparel industry both garment manufacturers and thread suppliers predict thread consumption per unit length of stitch for their thread purchasing and logistics processes. Inaccurate thread consumption predictions lead to inaccurate costing and reduction of warehouse utilization for both garment manufacturers and sewing thread manufacturers. Purchase of excess or shortage quantities of thread cones make suppliers to endure those excess or shortage thread quantities, so that both parties undergo inflexible logistic process (Jaouadi et al. 2006) . In this context sewing thread manufacturers and garment manufacturers are looking for accurate method predicting sewing thread consumption for given stitch lengths so that wastages could be minimized.

Purchase of excess or shortage quantities of thread cones make suppliers to endure those excess or shortage thread quantities, so that both parties undergo inflexible logistic process.


Introduction of consumption ratios is another prediction technique which decides ratio of thread amount with respect to the geometry of the stitch. Different ratios were derived as per the stitch types though these ratios have limited to one stitch density value. To overcome these disadvantages, thread suppliers subsequently developed consumption ratios for selected stitches which facilitate calculation of thread consumption for given set of stitch densities and fabric thickness values (Amann Group 2010; American & Efird Inc 2007) .

To overcome these disadvantages, thread suppliers subsequently developed consumption ratios for selected stitches which facilitate calculation of thread consumption for given set of stitch densities and fabric thickness values.


Leveraging on such developments, our broader goal is to explore tangible interfaces for supporting creative design activity. The elements of such interfaces are not confined within the computer desktop, but rather distributed among tangible objects that can be easily handled using natural human dexterity [3] . As a result, users can combine expressive hand movements with the physical affordances and motion constraints of tangible objects to perform design tasks in an intuitive and efficient manner. Un-like conventional design tools, which merely aid the design process, tangible interfaces can actually serve as integral counterparts to a user's design activity. The physical plausibility of tangible interactions enables users to quickly learn and apply the design tools based on real-life experiences and their understanding of the physical world. Additionally, such interactions also provide rich tactile feedback that enhances kinesthetic control of virtual objects and help reduce visual cognitive load.

The elements of such interfaces are not confined within the computer desktop, but rather distributed among tangible objects that can be easily handled using natural human dexterity.


Traditionally the infrastructure, knowledge, and skill required for designing and creating real-world artifacts have been confined within professional domains. As a result, large number of individuals possessing imaginative ideas but lacking technical design expertise have been unable to participate in creative design activities. One of the primary reasons for this gap is that conventional computer-aided design tools pose significant knowledge and skill related barriers that prevent convenient learning and usage of the tools. These tools also impede creative design expression and exploration due to their reliance on cognitively tedious design modeling operations through WIMP (windows-icons-menus-pointers) based paradigms [1] . However, recent advancements in affordable and light-weight computing hardware and vision-based 3D sensors have created possibilities for novel interfaces that are more conducive towards design activities. These interfaces facilitate human-computer interactions based on users' natural abilities (acquired from day-to-day human experiences) to directly express design modeling intent [2] .

These tools also impede creative design expression and exploration due to their reliance on cognitively tedious design modeling operations through WIMP (windows-icons-menus-pointers) based paradigms.

These interfaces facilitate human-computer interactions based on users' natural abilities (acquired from day-to-day human experiences) to directly express design modeling intent.


Previous work on 3D analysis has illustrated the increase of interlaminar shear stress at the edge region. Although the global load may be lower than the composites strength, the interlaminar shear stress can induce the initial delamination at edge region which will reduce the fatigue life of composites. This phenomenon has been reported in composites design and manufacturing [21] . In order to investigate the free edge effect on interlaminar shear stress, most of the previous works were focused on the uniform axial loads. This type of loading condition does not induce some stress components, such as out-of-plane stresses, which nevertheless have a significant effect on the bending failure behaviour. Moreover, with the decrease of the support span in bending, these stress components play an increasingly important role in composite failure modes. Due to the nature of bending, laminates are subjected to tension, compression and shear, so all of the six stress components should be considered when evaluating failure criteria. However, there have been few reports on the free edge effect in bending.

This phenomenon has been reported in composites design and manufacturing.


A key aspect of any skeletonization method is its ability to produce robust, hierarchical skeletons. At the core of any such method is an importance measure for the skeleton points. Such measures have the desirable property that small values correspond to skeleton points that represent object details, whereas large values correspond to points that represent the object's main structure. Simplified skeletons can be obtained by pruning the skeleton using the importance measure [21] .

Simplified skeletons can be obtained by pruning the skeleton using the importance measure.


These results conceptually replicate past research demonstrating that motive-goal matches predict greater felt self-concordance for those goals (Sheldon and Cooper 2008; Sheldon and Schüler 2011) . They also extend this research by assessing implicit motives via projective techniques, as well as assessing explicit motives via selfreport techniques. Finding support for our hypotheses for both implicit achievement and implicit affiliation motives bolsters a central claim of the self-concordance model, that I-PLOC ratings for goals index the fit between the conscious goals that people have selected and other important aspects of their personalities, including those aspects that may not be revealed by self-report methods (Sheldon, in press ). The current findings also support the notion that people can in some way sense how well their goals suit them, which may be a reflection of an organismic valuing process (Rogers 1964; Sheldon et al. 2003) . Answering the question ''why are you pursuing this goal?'', we suggest, provides people an opportunity to attend to the outputs of such a process and to express whatever lurking ambivalence or reluctance they may feel.

These results conceptually replicate past research demonstrating that motive-goal matches predict greater felt self-concordance for those goals.

The current findings also support the notion that people can in some way sense how well their goals suit them, which may be a reflection of an organismic valuing process.


In reptiles, color variations have long been studied as examples of adaptive evolution [14, 16, 17] . On the one hand, coloration impacts thermoregulation in ectotherms because darker reptiles are able to warm faster and maintain higher body temperatures for longer [18] [19] [20] . Coloration also affects detectability by avian predators, so natural selection for substrate color matching is predicted to be strong for diurnal reptiles [21] [22] [23] [24] . On the other hand, many reptiles use visual sexual signals based on colourful conspicuous traits in intraspecific communication and sexual selection [1] . However, the characteristics and relative importance of visual sexual signals against alternatives such as chemical signals may also depend on the relative efficacy of these signals in each environment [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] .

In reptiles, color variations have long been studied as examples of adaptive evolution.

On the one hand, coloration impacts thermoregulation in ectotherms because darker reptiles are able to warm faster and maintain higher body temperatures for longer.

Coloration also affects detectability by avian predators, so natural selection for substrate color matching is predicted to be strong for diurnal reptiles.

On the other hand, many reptiles use visual sexual signals based on colourful conspicuous traits in intraspecific communication and sexual selection.

However, the characteristics and relative importance of visual sexual signals against alternatives such as chemical signals may also depend on the relative efficacy of these signals in each environment.


A third account is the evolutionary view: Children come prepared with a highly functional and flexible learning system geared toward threat detection -a sort of fear 'template' sensitive to the child's long maturational process that is specialized to pick up particular kinds of information from the environment (Barrett, 2005; Boyer and Bergstrom, 2011) . Regardless of cultureor environment-specific dangers, children develop age-appropriate fears (Boyer and Bergstrom, 2011) . On this account, preschool is a time during which children actively explore their environment often without the constant or close presence of the primary caregiver, and so it becomes especially important for them to anticipate and avoid threatening situations involving predators. Thus, the monsters, ghosts, and other non-existent creatures children imagine are a simply a byproduct of their ability to anticipate real predators.

A third account is the evolutionary view: Children come prepared with a highly functional and flexible learning system geared toward threat detection -a sort of fear 'template' sensitive to the child's long maturational process that is specialized to pick up particular kinds of information from the environment.

Regardless of cultureor environment-specific dangers, children develop age-appropriate fears.


The perceived rarity of the species is easily explained: outside nesting periods it is so inconspicuous that it was once thought to migrate to unknown winter quarters (Collar and Stuart 1985) . To overcome this problem we searched for nests and timed our surveys to coincide with the few weeks when this species is most conspicuous. Fortunately, given its nesting habits, we are certain to have detected a high proportion of pairs in each survey strip. Detectability will have declined with increased distance of territories from the track, but to correct for this bias it would have been necessary to use distance sampling methods. These methods, which may have generated a more accurate population assessment, were impractical given the dense, thorny habitat. Our method of searching for nests thus represents the most direct and workable approach to assessing and monitoring the status of the species.

The perceived rarity of the species is easily explained: outside nesting periods it is so inconspicuous that it was once thought to migrate to unknown winter quarters.


We believe that there are several opportunities to improve the query suggestion system developed in this work. We envision enhancements to the algorithm, the underlying data structures and the interface. Moreover, we plan to contribute to the development of the OAC CHV vocabulary through the validation of the translation of the OAC CHV into the Portuguese language. This will not only improve the performance of the query suggestion system but also contribute to the resources available in Portuguese. Envisioning the validated Portuguese OAC CHV, we have already begun with the development of a web application that will be disseminated in the medical community (Silva & Lopes, 2016) .

Envisioning the validated Portuguese OAC CHV, we have already begun with the development of a web application that will be disseminated in the medical community.


The trend of C stock in the forest floor leaf litter was coherent with the general mass decrease in the leaf litter stock. This trend was consistent for all forest floor variables. Generally, a seasonal trend can be observed in forest floor leaf litter, which is congruous with the minimum reached in July for all stocks and the reprise in October, with the beginning of the new litter fall. According to our results, only phenols appear to have a smaller impact in Italian alder ecosystems, and their role falls within the variability of ethanol extractables, as proved by the correlation coefficients for both forest floor leaf litter and topsoil (Table 3) . Accordingly, soluble polyphenolic compounds are likely leached very quickly from the litter, as has been shown also for black alder, where they were leached out almost entirely from litter in less than 30 days of decomposition [52] .

Accordingly, soluble polyphenolic compounds are likely leached very quickly from the litter, as has been shown also for black alder, where they were leached out almost entirely from litter in less than 30 days of decomposition.


Generally, for in vitro studies human OC have been generated in co-cultures of hemopoietic cells and osteoblasts or stroma cells (Fujikawa et al. 1996) . Since recombinant RANKL protein is commercially available, OC can be generated from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) in the presence of RANKL and M-CSF, without co-culturing other cells types. OC formation is commonly quantified by the number of plastic adherent multinucleated tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive cells (TRAP+ cells) in cultures of PBMNC (Buckley et al. 2005; Nicholson et al. 2000; Hodge et al. 2004; Husheem et al. 2005; Schilling et al. 2004; Susa et al. 2004; Atkins et al. 2005) . However, the expression of TRAP and the multinucleation does not distinguish between formation of non-mature cells (TRAP+ cells) and mature, functionally active osteoclasts. Other markers such as cathepsin K, calcitonin receptor, type II carbonic anhydrase or vitronectin receptor can similar to TRAP, also be regarded as indicators of an OC phenotype.

Generally, for in vitro studies human OC have been generated in co-cultures of hemopoietic cells and osteoblasts or stroma cells.

OC formation is commonly quantified by the number of plastic adherent multinucleated tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive cells (TRAP+ cells) in cultures of PBMNC.


So far, we have restricted our attention to a specific class of configurations, namely the thinshell Vaidya-AdS spacetimes, serving a convenient toy model of quantum quench in the field theory. A complementary approach to elucidating the nature of χ and Ξ is to maximally relax the assumptions about the bulk spacetime, and consider general global properties that these constructs must satisfy. Since this approach is rather more formal, we have chosen to present the results separately in a companion paper [45] . As a preview, here we simply note some of the key features.

Since this approach is rather more formal, we have chosen to present the results separately in a companion paper.


The study of QR-submanifolds of a quaternionic Kähler manifold was initiated by A. Bejancu [4] . Among all submanifolds of a quaternionic Kähler manifold, QRsubmanifolds have been intensively studied by several authors [1, 3, 5, 9, 13, 14, 17, 19, 20] . In Section 2 one recalls the definitions and basic properties of quaternionic manifolds and QR-submanifolds of a quaternionic Kähler manifold.

The study of QR-submanifolds of a quaternionic Kähler manifold was initiated by A. Bejancu.

Among all submanifolds of a quaternionic Kähler manifold, QRsubmanifolds have been intensively studied by several authors.


The present study gives important insight in the behavior of BT models, especially in view of the applications of breaking detection criteria. In particular, our result shows that these criteria must not only take into account the type of breaking expected in the flow, but also the underlying form of the propagation model. For simplicity, we only consider here models well suited for the near shore range (reduced wave numers kd ≤ π), however very similar arguments can be used to study deep water variants [14] .

For simplicity, we only consider here models well suited for the near shore range (reduced wave numers kd ≤ π), however very similar arguments can be used to study deep water variants.


Another difference with these studies is the definition of the phases of care. In previous studies, the duration of care phases was fixed and equal for all patients (6/ 12 months for the initial care phase, and the last 12 months for the advanced care phase). The definition of phases was based on the observed U-shaped patterns of costs following diagnosis in a previous study (highest costs in the initial and terminal phases of care and lower costs in the continuing phase of care) [33] . These phases were chosen to coincide with clinically relevant events. In our study, the duration of the three phases for each patient was determined through an algorithm based on clinical information, which can reflect and predict disease progression more accurately. This approach could affect the phase of care cost estimation obtained (e.g. the cost of the advanced phase of care, with a longer duration, was greater in all stages compared to the estimation obtained through the last 12 months of life; data not shown).

The definition of phases was based on the observed U-shaped patterns of costs following diagnosis in a previous study (highest costs in the initial and terminal phases of care and lower costs in the continuing phase of care).


In the late 1990s, people realized that big application systems such as SAP use a DBMS only as a glorified file system with a builtin persistent B-tree [5] . At the time, the reaction of the DBMS vendors was to ask SAP how they could extend their products in order to better meet SAP's requirements. The right question to ask would have been how to repackage DBMS functionality in order to better integrate into the application architecture. Unfortunately, this question was never asked.

In the late 1990s, people realized that big application systems such as SAP use a DBMS only as a glorified file system with a builtin persistent B-tree.


Among the questions which are sometimes hotly debated is whether public education should be provided by local or central governments. It is interesting to note that the involvement of central government in education policy varies greatly even among relatively similar countries. For instance, the share of central government funds towards primary and secondary education in OECD countries ranges from less than 10 percent in Switzerland, Canada, Germany, and the US to 90 percent or more in the Netherlands, Ireland, Greece, Portugal and New Zealand (OECD, 2004) . Explaining this variation would be an interesting task for a positive economic theory.

For instance, the share of central government funds towards primary and secondary education in OECD countries ranges from less than 10 percent in Switzerland, Canada, Germany, and the US to 90 percent or more in the Netherlands, Ireland, Greece, Portugal and New Zealand.


While the political economy of centralising public service provision has been studied before, the analysis reveals that the existence of private alternatives has a significant impact on this problem. The conventional wisdom is that decentralised public spending leads to segregated communities, and that centralisation yields policies which are farther away from the local median voters (Bolton and Roland, 1997; Borck, 1998) . Those who benefit from centralisation are the voters in the middle of the distribution while voters at the edges are bound to lose. With a private alternative, this need not be the case. In particular, I show, using numerical simulation with parameters calibrated to match US outcomes, that at the contrary, it may be the poorest and richest voters who benefit from centralisation because they then pay lower taxes than under decentralisation. This is due to the fact that public education with private alternatives may result in an "ends against the middle" coalition.

The conventional wisdom is that decentralised public spending leads to segregated communities, and that centralisation yields policies which are farther away from the local median voters.


The condition-based maintenance (CBM) paradigm establishes a connection between the equipment condition and its performance expressed in the readings of sensors existing in that equipment [5] - [6] . Such information about the actual condition of the equipment can be used to make maintenance decisions that are optimally synchronized with human and material resources in the manufacturing system, and the least intrusive on the overall manufacturing operations. If implemented successfully, CBM can optimize maintenance decisions for future generations of manufacturing facilities.

The condition-based maintenance (CBM) paradigm establishes a connection between the equipment condition and its performance expressed in the readings of sensors existing in that equipment.


The aim of this paper is to present a concrete realization of these ideas by constructing an infinite class of finite-dimensional Fock spaces based on spinor representations of the de Sitter group. This paper is organized as follows. After a brief review of the de Sitter group in section 2, we present the main idea behind the construction in section 3. The finitely many Fock states corresponding to a static patch of de Sitter space do not form representations of the de Sitter group but only of the (compact) rotation subgroup that preserves the observer's horizon. Global de Sitter space is described by a tensor product of two copies of the Fock space, one corresponding to each of an antipodal pair of observers. The key point is that there are states in the tensor product space that are de Sitter-invariant. In section 4, we make the abstract discussion concrete by presenting two constructions of a finite-dimensional Fock space. In the first construction, the dual theory is based on Dirac spinors. This is perhaps the simplest toy model of de Sitter space [10] . A more general construction, presented in section 5, elevates the Dirac spinors to a spinor field theory living on a sphere. It is manifestly holographic in that the sphere can be thought of as the boundary of de Sitter space. Moreover, it allows representations that, while finite, can be arbitrarily large. In section 6, we identify the de Sitter-invariant states in the tensor product of the antipodal Fock spaces. These singlet states are the key to implementing the de Sitter symmetry. We argue that, by making an antipodal identification of de Sitter space, the two Fock spaces can be thought of as the space of initial and final states. The invariant states can then be reinterpreted as de Sitter-invariant S-matrix elements. Section 7 is a brief illustration of how observer complementarity works in practice.

This paper is organized as follows.

This is perhaps the simplest toy model of de Sitter space.


Unfortunately, the increase in the mechanisation level has introduced additional sources of risk for operators. In fact, since their appearance in the market, these tools have been characterised by lack of comfort due to the quite high levels of noise and vibration, as well as to the fatigue caused by the weight (Iannicelli and Ragni, 1994; Blandini et al., 1997; Caruso et al., 2005; Deboli et al., 2008; Pascuzzi et al., 2008) . These aspects are often underestimated by users, mainly interested in the gain of productivity.

In fact, since their appearance in the market, these tools have been characterised by lack of comfort due to the quite high levels of noise and vibration, as well as to the fatigue caused by the weight.


Economic feasibility is identified as the main hindering aspect of direct use geothermal systems, with payback periods extending up to 33 years [16] . Drilling is considered a major cost factor and increasing the success rates would benefit geothermal project developments [16] . Additionally, the economics of geothermal energy production (electricity or heat) are usually addressed in a top down manner [17e19], contrary to the commonly accepted need for project level geotechnical studies. Thus, while the insights from a top down analysis are valuable, they do not clarify the interplay between the geological context, the specific economic conditions of a project and the contextual parameters, such as the regulatory framework with its possible incentives and restrictions [3] .

Economic feasibility is identified as the main hindering aspect of direct use geothermal systems, with payback periods extending up to 33 years.

Drilling is considered a major cost factor and increasing the success rates would benefit geothermal project developments.

Thus, while the insights from a top down analysis are valuable, they do not clarify the interplay between the geological context, the specific economic conditions of a project and the contextual parameters, such as the regulatory framework with its possible incentives and restrictions.


Promoting the sustainability agenda within renewable energy projects encourages the efficient use of geothermal resources [13] . Previous research has highlighted points of exergy destruction that are important for optimizing the energetic efficiency of existing systems [14, 15] . In order to expand installed geothermal capacity, project level studies are needed to address the complexities and inherent uncertainty of geothermal field development [5, 13] .

Promoting the sustainability agenda within renewable energy projects encourages the efficient use of geothermal resources.

Previous research has highlighted points of exergy destruction that are important for optimizing the energetic efficiency of existing systems.

In order to expand installed geothermal capacity, project level studies are needed to address the complexities and inherent uncertainty of geothermal field development.


Garlic, which is the edible bulb of the Liliaceae family, has been used not only as flavoring agent and food ingredient but also as traditional medicine for treating and preventing several disorders for over 4000 years. A number of favorable therapeutic effects and biological activities of the garlic have been reported, however, garlic should be consumed in appropriate amount because cytotoxicity was reported at high doses (Kim et al., 2012) . The volatility and permeability of the allicin resulted in irritating body and breathe odor. Thus, it is necessary to develop new type of the garlic product for unlimited consumption in people.

A number of favorable therapeutic effects and biological activities of the garlic have been reported, however, garlic should be consumed in appropriate amount because cytotoxicity was reported at high doses.


Wind energy is becoming a crucial part in the supply mix to meet the growing demand for electric energy. Compared with the conventional fossil energy, wind energy can reduce greenhouse gas emission and mitigate energy shortage. With the incorporation of wind farms into electric power grids, the installed capacity of wind power is increasing worldwide, and a discussion is going on concerning the utilization of wind power [1] . However, the intermittent characteristic of wind speed leads to strong randomness and instability for wind power generation. Moreover, the unstable wind power generation brings challenges to the power system transmission and consumption [2] . Therefore, an accurate prediction method for short-term wind speed data is needed.

With the incorporation of wind farms into electric power grids, the installed capacity of wind power is increasing worldwide, and a discussion is going on concerning the utilization of wind power.

Moreover, the unstable wind power generation brings challenges to the power system transmission and consumption.


The use of strict criteria for follow-up clinical significance, namely no prescribed psychotropics and/or referral to psychology or psychiatry, served to reduce the apparent effectiveness of both treatments. However, it has been argued that this is preferable to the procedure wherein poststudy treatments are not given sufficient attention (Sharp & Power, 1997) . Follow-up results were also affected by lack of information available for patients who defaulted on follow-up appointments. The question of maintenance of treatment gains is of considerable clinical relevance given the high level of co-morbidity among PTSD patients, the current dearth of studies with long-term followup data and the apparent heavy demands on primary care resources both prior to and following treatment. The considerable treatment gains, initially achieved, appear to be well-maintained at long-term follow-up, but a substantial proportion of patients only maintain this level of clinical improvement if additional psychological, psychiatric and/or psychotropic treatment is available. For many of the patients presenting with PTSD a high level of health service usage arises following the trauma and appears to continue after treatment. In summary, the present study suggests that both EMDR and E C CR are effective in the treatment of PTSD, albeit with fewer EMDR treatment sessions.

However, it has been argued that this is preferable to the procedure wherein poststudy treatments are not given sufficient attention.


The electrowetting response data shown in figure 5 displays the dependence of the contact angle on voltage as a function of varying HCl concentrations in the silicone oil [43] . The black curve corresponds to the theoretical response predicted by the electrowetting equation, using a surface tension of 445 mN m −1 [1] . To fabricate the acidic oil, HCl was added to Ar-purged silicone oil until the oil is saturated with HCl (maximum molarity of 1.5 M, 6.28 wt% HCl [43] ). This HCl-saturated oil was then diluted with regular oil. Therefore here and in figure 5 we will describe oil concentrations as the volume % of HCl-saturated oil blended with regular oil (e.g. 100% is HCl-saturated oil).

The electrowetting response data shown in figure 5 displays the dependence of the contact angle on voltage as a function of varying HCl concentrations in the silicone oil.

The black curve corresponds to the theoretical response predicted by the electrowetting equation, using a surface tension of 445 mN m −1.

To fabricate the acidic oil, HCl was added to Ar-purged silicone oil until the oil is saturated with HCl (maximum molarity of 1.5 M, 6.28 wt% HCl).


Device actuation was then tested with EGaIn in a lowoxygen glovebox held below 1 ppm oxygen, which has been reported to increase the longevity of oxide-free GaLMAs [40] . In our observation, in a glove box at these oxygen levels, the droplets oxidized enough to prevent device operation within minutes when no HCl oil was utilized. Indeed, others report more stringent environmental requirements for oxide prevention, such as ultrahigh (10 9 − Torr) vacuum systems, with oxidation rates steadily increasing at higher pressures [38, 39] . We thus concluded that optimal device performance would be achieved by assembling the device in the glove box in concert with the use of acidic oil for active oxide removal. Slight modifications to the wire grid polarizer were made to enable this assembly, as detailed in the supplemental information.

Device actuation was then tested with EGaIn in a lowoxygen glovebox held below 1 ppm oxygen, which has been reported to increase the longevity of oxide-free GaLMAs.

Indeed, others report more stringent environmental requirements for oxide prevention, such as ultrahigh (10 9 − Torr) vacuum systems, with oxidation rates steadily increasing at higher pressures.


Unlike utility-scale wind turbines, which have a rated power of 750 kW or higher, small-capacity wind turbines include various different types, e.g., horizontal axis or vertical axis and lift-type or drag-type [7] . Horizontal-axis wind turbines have higher aerodynamic efficiencies than their vertical-axis counterparts, and lift-type wind turbines have higher aerodynamic efficiencies than their drag-type counterparts. However, because small-capacity wind turbines are often installed in the vicinity of residential areas, other parameters, e.g., rotating speed, durability, noise, and visual impact, are often considered to be more important than efficiency. This is why drag-type wind turbines still survive and are used to generate electricity.

Unlike utility-scale wind turbines, which have a rated power of 750 kW or higher, small-capacity wind turbines include various different types, e.g., horizontal axis or vertical axis and lift-type or drag-type.


Another options of pervious concrete involve the improvement of water quality in ground-water recharge [8] . Due to the storm-water runoff infiltration into the ground, the sediment is filtered and contaminants do not pass into the groundwater. Similarly, due to water infiltration through the concrete layer, pervious concrete parking lots can serve as recharge basins. Other benefits of pervious concrete are following: better road safety because of increased skid resistance, road sound dampening, and a reduction of the "heat island" effect [2, 9, 10] .

Another options of pervious concrete involve the improvement of water quality in ground-water recharge.

Other benefits of pervious concrete are following: better road safety because of increased skid resistance, road sound dampening, and a reduction of the "heat island" effect.


Focusing on the pervious concrete, it can be described as a material consisting of open-graded coarse aggregate, Portland cement, water, and admixtures. The basic arrangement of composition contains mainly characterization of the aggregate: size of approximately 8 mm; sand is neglected to leave the space between grains empty. A representative pervious concrete has 15% to 25% of void space [2, 3] .

A representative pervious concrete has 15% to 25% of void space.


There is always tradeoff between data delivery latency and nodes' energy consumption. Unlike static sink scenarios, the network topology becomes dynamic as the sink keeps on changing its location [5] . To cope with the dynamic network topology, nodes need to be aware of the updated location of the mobile sink for efficient data delivery. Network-wide dissemination of sink's location updates helps to improve the data delivery performance to the mobile sink thereby facilitating dynamic routes adjustments. However, subject to sink's speeds the frequent dissemination of sink's location information causes high network control overhead which leads to extensive energy consumption. On the other hand, infrequent propagation of sink's location information leads to long data delivery paths in terms of hop-counts where packets are ultimately dropped due to expiry of time-to-live (TTL) period while chasing a mobile sink over an extended period of time. To optimize the tradeoff between the latency and nodes' energy consumption, virtual infrastructure based data dissemination is considered as an efficient approach [6] . In the virtual infrastructure based data dissemination schemes, a set of designated nodes scattered in the sensor field are only responsible to keep track of sink's location. Such designated nodes gather the observed data from the nodes in their vicinity and then upon sink's discovery proactively or reactively report data to the mobile sink.

Unlike static sink scenarios, the network topology becomes dynamic as the sink keeps on changing its location.

To optimize the tradeoff between the latency and nodes' energy consumption, virtual infrastructure based data dissemination is considered as an efficient approach.


Several applications of WSNs require the sensed data to be delivered to the sink with high quality of service in terms of delay and data deliver ratio. Examples of such applications are the rescue operations in a postdisaster management system where a rescuer equipped with a smart-phone can obtain information about any survivor while on the move [4] . Similarly, in a battlefield environment, a commander or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can obtain real-time information about any intrusion of enemies, scale of attack, suspicious activities, and so forth via field sensors while on the move. In such applications delayed data delivery or low 2 International Journal of Distributed Sensor Networks packet delivery ratio might lead to inappropriate conclusions which potentially offset the purpose of such networks.

Examples of such applications are the rescue operations in a postdisaster management system where a rescuer equipped with a smart-phone can obtain information about any survivor while on the move.


The objective of the present work is to analyze the critical strain for onset of tensile damage of brittle layers on steel and polyimide substrates [3] . The two substrate materials present markedly different mechanical contrast, with a stiffness ratio close to 20. Their thickness also differs considerably, the steel substrate being almost 20 times thicker. As a consequence, one may anticipate significant differences in terms of mechanical damage under stress for the two cases, and detailed information on this issue should be useful in terms of design of flexible devices like displays. In this work attention was paid to 4-level TFTs structured on SiO 2 insulator layers. In addition, since the geometry of the TFT devices is anisotropic, attention was also paid to the influence of the loading direction on the failure of the TFT structures.

The objective of the present work is to analyze the critical strain for onset of tensile damage of brittle layers on steel and polyimide substrates.


The released material from nanostructured materials may be in form of atoms, molecules and -of main interest -nanoparticles (particles with different shapes and all three dimensions in the nanoscale), nano-objects (particles with at least one dimension in the nanoscale) as well as agglomerates or aggregates of such nanoparticles and nano-objects. The occupational risks of engineered materials that consist of nano-objects such as nanoparticles, nanofibers, nanotubes and nanowires, as well as aggregates and agglomerates of these materials (NOAA) have attracted increasing attention [10] . In case of nanostructured materials and their products there exists special concern, because they contain small entities, which, once released, do have a high mobility causing a fast distribution in the environment and living beings [11] . From many earlier studies on particles in the environment it is known that the hazard potential of particles in certain exposure situations is larger than that of the corresponding bulk materials. This is especially true for the inhalation of particles [12] . A large amount of knowledge exists about particles emitted from technical processes into air causing exposure followed by inhalation by mainly human beings and their effects in the human body [13, 14] . Currently, numerous types of novel nanoparticles with different properties are being produced for widespread applications in consumer products as well as bionanomaterials to be used in therapeutic, diagnostic and other novel medical applications. In the wake of this development literally hundreds of thousands ' new ' types of nanoparticles are already or will be manufactured differing in size, surface area and mass per particle, agglomeration stage, shape, surface charge, composition as well as surface functionalization, layered structure and many more properties [15] .

The occupational risks of engineered materials that consist of nano-objects such as nanoparticles, nanofibers, nanotubes and nanowires, as well as aggregates and agglomerates of these materials (NOAA) have attracted increasing attention.

In case of nanostructured materials and their products there exists special concern, because they contain small entities, which, once released, do have a high mobility causing a fast distribution in the environment and living beings.

This is especially true for the inhalation of particles.

A large amount of knowledge exists about particles emitted from technical processes into air causing exposure followed by inhalation by mainly human beings and their effects in the human body.

In the wake of this development literally hundreds of thousands ' new ' types of nanoparticles are already or will be manufactured differing in size, surface area and mass per particle, agglomeration stage, shape, surface charge, composition as well as surface functionalization, layered structure and many more properties.


This exposure measurement is very difficult especially for nanostructured materials for several reasons. First of all we deal with a large variety of different released materials depending on the nanostructured materials and the treatment processes leading to the release. Any exposure measurement thereafter along the exposure pathway may lead to different results because of transformation processes changing the released nanostructured material in the environment. The best exposure measurement point is at the entrance to the biological system (personal sampler) [16, 17] . Another difficulty is the fact that -because of the many different biological effects -the toxicologists ask for various concentration measures and additionally for a large set of properties of the exposed nanostructured material.

The best exposure measurement point is at the entrance to the biological system (personal sampler).


The effects of nanoparticles, nano-objects and nanostructured materials are still mostly unknown and therefore also the dose -effect relationship, which is the main topic of this special issue of the journal. The dose represents the amount of material collected by the biological system. In case of particles the amount can be described by the total number, mass (volume), surface area collected depending on the kind of effect investigated and its relevant measure. To be able to perform a study with a realistic dose range, possible dose ranges occurring in real environment have to be determined [14] . Since the dose is difficult to measure directly, the exposure at an appropriate entrance port, a concentration measure of the entering material, is determined instead. The dose is then calculated with known flow rate, exposure time and, if necessary, factors describing the transmission process.

To be able to perform a study with a realistic dose range, possible dose ranges occurring in real environment have to be determined.


During production and use of any kind of material unwanted release of energy and of material produced and of by-products may occur. The material is distributed in the environmental compartments air, water and soil and transported to biological systems, where it contributes to the exposure situation. This is the starting point for safety considerations, since the exposure of nature and human beings may cause negative effects. The study of negative and also positive effects in biological systems starts with different doses, which are time integrated values of exposure concentrations of different metrics times flow rates at a relevant point outside or in the biological system. To perform a realistic study, exposure concentrations in form of number, surface area and/or volume (mass) concentrations are needed to determine the relevant dose. This is obvious since the effect does not have to be determined if there is no exposure and therefore no dose. Even if there are small exposure concentrations, they may not be large enough to overcome an effect threshold [1] .

Even if there are small exposure concentrations, they may not be large enough to overcome an effect threshold.


For the least squares models with only positive values of the dependent variables (equations 1), 3), and 11)), we use a log-log specification (logarithm of the dependent variable and of all continuous uncensored explanatory variables). Because there are zero values for some household assets (land, livestock, and equipment) for some households, it is not possible to use a simple logarithmic transformation for these variables. Instead, we included a dummy variable for positive asset ownership, to allow for an intercept shift for households with zero values for some assets, as well as the logarithm of assets for households that have positive asset levels. These transformations reduced problems with non-linearity and outliers, improving the robustness of the regression results (Mukherjee, et al. 1998) .

These transformations reduced problems with non-linearity and outliers, improving the robustness of the regression results.


In order to decrease the sintering temperature, but still achieve materials of high density, pressure-assisted sintering is highly desirable, due to its enhancement of the densification kinetics and the curbing of grain growth. Spark plasma sintering (SPS) was found to show great potential in bioceramic processing, because this technique enables very high density to be attained while maintaining a very fine microstructure in very short processing times [23, 24] . Instead of an external heating source, the raw powder is heated from inside and outside using of a pulsed, direct current passing through the electrically conducting pressure die and through the sample. SPS is a rapid densification technique that promotes neck growth between the particles, thereby efficiently increasing their sinterability [10, 25] .

Spark plasma sintering (SPS) was found to show great potential in bioceramic processing, because this technique enables very high density to be attained while maintaining a very fine microstructure in very short processing times.

SPS is a rapid densification technique that promotes neck growth between the particles, thereby efficiently increasing their sinterability.


Dense, controlled porous and scaffold forms of hydroxyapatite (HAP) bioceramics, prepared by different sintering methods, are often used as reparation material in maxillofacial, dental and orthopedic surgery. Despite its optimal chemical composition, bioactivity and excellent biocompatibility with hard tissues, the brittle nature of HAP materials limit there use in load-bearing clinical applications [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] . During sintering at relatively high temperatures, calcium-deficient apatite becomes a mixture of HAP and α-or β-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) and the presence of TCP phases in HAP-based bioceramic materials is detrimental for their mechanical properties. Monophasic HAP materials have appreciably higher values of fracture toughness and hardness than biphasic HAP/TCP ones, and in order to avoid deterioration of these mechanical properties, the absence of the TCP in HAP materials is essential [6] [7] [8] [9] .

Despite its optimal chemical composition, bioactivity and excellent biocompatibility with hard tissues, the brittle nature of HAP materials limit there use in load-bearing clinical applications.

Monophasic HAP materials have appreciably higher values of fracture toughness and hardness than biphasic HAP/TCP ones, and in order to avoid deterioration of these mechanical properties, the absence of the TCP in HAP materials is essential.


The combination of space-borne γ-ray telescopes and ground-based IACTs has proven to be successful on expanding our knowledge on persistent as well as transient phenomena. First, the large collection area of IACTs makes up for the limited payload of space telescopes, allowing us to explore shorter variability time scales with an improved sensitivity for moderate observation times [1] . Second, space-borne instruments, in particular the Fermi-LAT, compensates for the limited field of view of IACTs, typically of a few degrees in diameter, as it surveys the whole sky in a matter of hours, having accumulated observation time over the whole γ-ray sky for nearly a decade. For this reason, the all-sky survey conducted by the Fermi-LAT has been a key asset for ground-based telescopes, guiding follow-up observations on potential very-high-energy (E > 100 GeV) emitters and triggering targets of opportunity on transient phenomena.

First, the large collection area of IACTs makes up for the limited payload of space telescopes, allowing us to explore shorter variability time scales with an improved sensitivity for moderate observation times.


In the European Union (EU) GHG emissions decreased in most sectors between 1990 and 2014. At the end of this period, the level was 24.4% below the 1990 level, according to the 2014 GHG inventory [4] . Of this reduction 20% is in agriculture, where the main source of emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide is livestock production [5] . Nevertheless, the GHG emissions from livestock in the EU represent 10% of the total. Enteric fermentation of ruminants and manure management were the main sources of methane, which could be reduced by modifications in animal diet [6, 7] .

At the end of this period, the level was 24.4% below the 1990 level, according to the 2014 GHG inventory.

Of this reduction 20% is in agriculture, where the main source of emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide is livestock production.

Enteric fermentation of ruminants and manure management were the main sources of methane, which could be reduced by modifications in animal diet.


Recently, there has been some interest in "dark" scalars [19, 20] . These are scalars that have no Yukawa couplings, and are thus decoupled from ordinary matter. Furthermore, they have no vacuum expectation values (VEVs) and therefore display truncated couplings to the gauge bosons. However, they would have quadrilinear vector-vector-scalar-scalar and trilinear vector-scalar-scalar (but no vector-vector-scalar) couplings, and would thus also contribute to, and be constrained by, ∆ρ.

Recently, there has been some interest in "dark" scalars.


Here and in the following, we use the abbreviations c W = cos θ W , s W = sin θ W . At one loop, the contributions of new physics to the self-energies constitute intrinsically divergent Feynman diagrams, but the divergent parts cancel out among different diagrams, between A W W (0) and c 2 W A ZZ (0), and also, eventually, through the subtraction of the SM contributions laid out in equation (5) . If the new-physics model is renormalizable, then ∆ρ is finite. The cancellations finally leave either a quadratic or a logarithmic dependence of ∆ρ on the masses of the new-physics particles. The pronounced effects of large masses is what renders the parameter ∆ρ so interesting for probing physics beyond the Standard Model.

At one loop, the contributions of new physics to the self-energies constitute intrinsically divergent Feynman diagrams, but the divergent parts cancel out among different diagrams, between A W W (0) and c 2 W A ZZ (0), and also, eventually, through the subtraction of the SM contributions laid out in equation.


Fiber-based telecommunication systems have sustained a startling increase in capacity demand since the inception of the internet. New technologies such as erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs), wave division multiplexing (WDM), and high-spectral efficiency coding have allowed bandwidth capacity to keep up with demand [1] . However, with the latest digital-signal-processing (DSP)-assisted coherent detection, we are approaching the theoretical capacity limit of conventional single mode fibers (SMFs) [2] . If this trend proceeds, a "capacity crunch" may happen in the future, where the current communication system can no longer sustain the bandwidth demands of the internet [1] . The crisis might not be imminent as it can be addressed by funding more infrastructure with multiple parallel links and by trimming down the transmitted data itself via compression. But neither solution can be scaled up indefinitely as multiple links and data compression imply substantial energy consumption. The more elegant solution is to develop new technologies that enable the next round of capacity boost.

New technologies such as erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs), wave division multiplexing (WDM), and high-spectral efficiency coding have allowed bandwidth capacity to keep up with demand.

However, with the latest digital-signal-processing (DSP)-assisted coherent detection, we are approaching the theoretical capacity limit of conventional single mode fibers (SMFs).

If this trend proceeds, a "capacity crunch" may happen in the future, where the current communication system can no longer sustain the bandwidth demands of the internet.


During ascent of the staircase there is a swing phase and stance phase (see Fig. 1 ). In the swing phase (from V1 to P1 and P1 to V2), the leading knee is typically flexed during the swing phase to prepare for foot contact. The stance phase can be divided into two periods, one is an initial stance phase (from V2 to P2) during early weight bearing (a single leg support); a second (from P2 to next V1) is in full stance phase with weight bearing (double leg support). The ETS has been routinely used in our Motion Analysis Laboratory. In a previous study, we compared the reproducibility of the ETS measurements with other authors [12] . Intraclass coefficient (ICC) ranged from 0.62 to 0.94. This indicates the ETS is reliable in the assessment of the lower extremity for younger subjects with the BPTB reconstruction [14] .

In a previous study, we compared the reproducibility of the ETS measurements with other authors.

This indicates the ETS is reliable in the assessment of the lower extremity for younger subjects with the BPTB reconstruction.