The simulated robots have the same characteristics as s-bots from the swarmbots project [13] . We rely on ground sensors to perceive the structure of the nest. Infrared sensors are used for collision avoidance. The camera is employed to determine the location of the nest and discriminate the type of prey thanks to their colour. Last, the robots use the camera to perceive if a nearby prey is already being retrieved by another robot.

The simulated robots have the same characteristics as s-bots from the swarmbots project.


After a median 24 months follow-up, there were no recurrences in our group of patients. The correct selection of patients candidate for APBI, according to the ASTRO and ESTRO guidelines, may be a crucial point. From this point of view, instrumental radiologic evaluation is fundamental to avoid not considering some patients eligible due to extensive intraductal disease or multifocal tumors, not otherwise detected before final histology. To address this concern, we added breast MRI evaluation to standard mammographic and US examinations, considering MRI for its better ability to detect multifocal/multicenter disease and to have a further measurement of the lesion. Next, we tried to examine the added value of this additional pre-surgical evaluation. We used Linn's concordance among these radiologic tools, and between each of these radiologic examinations pathologic size was considered as a reference parameter. Globally, the concordance is poor, except for the evaluation between mammography and ultrasound which showed moderate concordance, according to McBride agreement criteria [46] . Considering this poor concordance between radiological tools and tumor size, MRI was more precise than mammography and slightly better than US in defining the size of the lesion using the pathological measurement as a reference; however, the better ability of MRI and the error of mammography and US did not seem to be related to the presence and rate of the intraductal component of the disease. Conversely, the error of measurement of MRI was negatively correlated with tumor size.

Globally, the concordance is poor, except for the evaluation between mammography and ultrasound which showed moderate concordance, according to McBride agreement criteria.


Today real estate market has become very popular. Though the near future of real estate is still in question, investors have been hungry for a fast way to play the market or to hedge against their volatile portfolios. Futures contracts have been an extremely popular method of balancing a portfolio in other markets, and real estate is, with a little knowledge, now in the same boat [1] .

Futures contracts have been an extremely popular method of balancing a portfolio in other markets, and real estate is, with a little knowledge, now in the same boat.


Treatment for PJI depends on the duration of symptoms. Early or hematogenous infections, with symptoms for less than 4 weeks, can be treated with local debridement and retention of the implant. In patients with late infections, one-stage or two-stage procedures are necessary [4] .

In patients with late infections, one-stage or two-stage procedures are necessary.


This paper deals with an explicit construction of this rather large class of invariant couplings based on full superspace integrals. They are coupled to conformal supergravity and are realized off-shell. This feature greatly facilitates their construction, which is based on previous work on N = 2 supergravity (in particular, on [13, 14] ). The general procedure underlying this construction will be presented, and, as an explicit example, many of the bosonic terms of the supergravitycoupled invariants that contain F 4 -, R 2 F 2 -, and R 4 -terms, will be discussed. Here F denotes the abelian vector multiplet field strengths and R the Riemann tensor.

This feature greatly facilitates their construction, which is based on previous work on N = 2 supergravity (in particular, on).


A composite is a structural material that consists of two or more combined constituents that are combined at a macroscopic level and are not soluble in each other. One constituent is called reinforcing phase and one in which it is embedded is called the matrix. The reinforcing phase material may be in the form of fibers, particles or flake. The matrix phase materials are generally continuous. The roles of matrix in composite materials are to give shape to the composite part, protect the reinforcements to the environment, transfer loads to reinforcements and toughness of material, together with reinforcements. Composite materials are used for Automobile, Ships, Aircraft, sports goods and so on [1] [2] [3] .

Composite materials are used for Automobile, Ships, Aircraft, sports goods and so on.


Our studies are intended to construct a new practical cooling system based on the thermoacoustic effect [1] . The thermoacoustic effect induces a mutual energy conversion of sound energy and heat energy [2] [3] [4] . By applying the thermoacoustic effect, it will be possible to construct a new epoch-making cooling system with many unique advantages: effective use of waste heat, no use of poisonous cooling media and no moving parts.

Our studies are intended to construct a new practical cooling system based on the thermoacoustic effect.

The thermoacoustic effect induces a mutual energy conversion of sound energy and heat energy.


The actual thickness of the viscosity boundary layer calculated from the observed resonance frequency is shown in Fig. 4 . HP and PM are found from Eqs. (1) and (2), and the observed resonance frequency is assigned to f. It is shown in Fig. 2 as observed frequencies that the resonant wavelength is 1 wavelength when the total tube length is 1,900 mm, and that the wavelength is 2 when the tube length is over 2,600 mm. In both cases, Fig. 4 indicates that the thickness of the viscosity boundary layer in stack 1 is smaller than the stack channel radius. This is different from Fig. 3 . When the thickness of the viscosity boundary layer is smaller than the stack channel radius, the influence of viscosity is not dominant and sound is generated. From Fig. 4 , it is regarded that the influence of the viscosity boundary layer in stack 2 of the heat pump is little because the thickness of the viscosity boundary layer is quite smaller than the channel radius of stack 2. Figure 5 shows the observed resonance frequency when the working fluid is Ar. As in the case of air, when the inner pressure is 0.1 MPa and the tube length is over 2,600 mm, the resonant wavelength is 2 wavelengths. When the inner pressure is 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 or 0.5 MPa, the sound is resonated by 1 wavelength with any tube length. This is because the thickness of the viscosity boundary layer is smaller at higher pressure. This is found from Eqs. (1) and (2) . With increasing inner pressure, increases. As increases, and PM decrease. As a result, even when the working fluid is Ar, the thickness of the viscosity boundary layer is always smaller than the stack channel radius of stack 1.

This is different from Fig. 3 .

This is found from Eqs. (1) and.

As increases, and PM decrease.


From the past experimental results, it is found that the sound pressure of generated sound in our thermoacoustic cooling system is increased with increasing supplied heat energy [5] . The detailed cooling mechanism, however, is not clarified yet. The resonance frequency is an important parameter for selecting other parameters of the thermoacoustic cooling system such as stack channel radius, total loop-tube length and inner pressure. Therefore, in this paper, the frequency of the sound generated in the thermoacoustic cooling system has been observed for various loop-tube lengths, inner pressures and working fluids, and the influence of the viscosity boundary layer upon the resonance frequency is discussed.

From the past experimental results, it is found that the sound pressure of generated sound in our thermoacoustic cooling system is increased with increasing supplied heat energy.


I would like to thank Gordan Savin for his interest in my works ( [7] , [8] , [9] ). While we were both visitors at the Erwin Schrödinger Institute in Vienna, our discussions inspired me to start this project. As I mentioned above, he explained to me the above mentioned result of Miličić which is an essential ingredient of the proof of Theorem 1-1 (ii). I would like to thank Joachim Schwermer and Marko Tadić, for some useful discussions. The work on the present paper has started while I was a visitor of the Erwin Schrödinger Institute in Vienna. I would like to thank the Erwin Schrödinger Institute and J. Schwermer for their hospitality. I would also like to thank the referee, who read the paper very carefully and helped to improve the style of presentation.

I would like to thank Gordan Savin for his interest in my works (,,).


Persimmon belongs to the genus Diospyros in the family Ebenaceae. Although the genus contains more than 400 species with ploidy levels ranging from diploid (2n=2x=30) to nonaploid (2n=9x=135), the most widespread cultivated species in the world is Diospyros kaki Thumb., which is mostly hexaploid (2n=6x=90) and originated in Eastern Asia. Since the introduction of persimmon in Spain, local varieties have been developed that reflect the influence of natural (random seedlings and bud mutations) and human selection (cross breeding). The culture of these local varieties has been limited by the astringency of the fruits; this trait is a handicap for marketing the fruits long distances. The "Rojo Brillante" cultivar, with outstanding fruit quality, along with a successful technique for removing astringency without losing fruit firmness, allowed expansion of the culture in the 1990s, especially in the area of "Ribera del Xúquer" in Valencia province (Eastern Spain) . Although the origins of this variety are uncertain, it is believed to come from a bud mutation found in a local variety named "Cristalino" in the 1940s (Llácer et al. 2008) . The "Rojo Brillante" cultivar currently represents 96% of the total persimmon production in Valencia and 83% of the total Spanish production. In this context, the availability of new varieties that would avoid the risk of relying the crop on one variety would be desirable. In order to meet these goals, the "Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias" (IVIA, Spain) has recently started a persimmon breeding program focused on the development of new varieties with the positive agronomic features of the cultivar "Rojo Brillante" but with more diversity in ripening date, astringency, and fruit characteristics.

Although the origins of this variety are uncertain, it is believed to come from a bud mutation found in a local variety named "Cristalino" in the 1940s.


These studies demonstrate the utility of latent class analyses to differentiate groups of student and older gamblers. However, to date no studies have considered whether groups of young gamblers can be differentiated on the basis of whether or not they have engaged in particular gambling activities and whether gambling is more problematic for some groups. This is particularly important given the cumulative body of research that demonstrates a link, at least for males, between problem gambling and beginning gambling at an early age (Shead, Derevensky & Gupta, 2010) . If those who are relatively young and have problematic gambling patterns can be identified, early intervention strategies can be developed.

This is particularly important given the cumulative body of research that demonstrates a link, at least for males, between problem gambling and beginning gambling at an early age.


Wild vegetables have been previously reported as natural sources of phenolic compounds, mainly flavonoids. Natural phenolic compounds are accumulated as end-products from the shikimate and acetate pathways and can range from relatively simple molecules (phenolic acids, phenylpropanoids, flavonoids) to highly polymerised compounds (lignins, melanins, tannins), being flavonoids the most common and widely distributed sub-group (Bravo 1998) . The antioxidant properties of phenolic compounds are well known. They play a vital role in the stability of food products, as well as in the antioxidative defense mechanisms of biological systems (Nijveldt et al. 2001) .

Natural phenolic compounds are accumulated as end-products from the shikimate and acetate pathways and can range from relatively simple molecules (phenolic acids, phenylpropanoids, flavonoids) to highly polymerised compounds (lignins, melanins, tannins), being flavonoids the most common and widely distributed sub-group.

They play a vital role in the stability of food products, as well as in the antioxidative defense mechanisms of biological systems.


Animals, Design, and Protocols. The Animal Care Facilities of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG, Brazil) supplied 77 6-to 8-weekold female C57BL/6 mice used in our study. The animals were kept under standard conditions and randomly assigned to the unexercised (n = 40) and exercise-trained (n = 37) groups. After four weeks, EAE was induced in half of the animals in each group, and the exercise protocol was maintained until 10 days post induction (dpi). Biochemical and metabolic analyses were performed at dpi 14. The exercise program, EAE induction, and associated evaluations were performed as previously described [5, 6] .

Animals, Design, and Protocols.

The exercise program, EAE induction, and associated evaluations were performed as previously described.


Because physical exercise was shown to be associated with a reduction in the level of inflammatory cytokines, possible blocking of lipolysis in adipose tissues, and that of muscle protein breakdown, it has been suggested as a promising intervention strategy for both prevention and treatment of cachexia [4] . In terms of prevention, our research group described a systematic protocol of 6-week-long swimming exercise performed prior to the disease development, which led to significant attenuation of EAE clinical score and changes in the body mass from EAE onset to its PD [5] . These data suggested that a regular program of exercise could be a useful strategy for prevention of the cachexia outcomes related to EAE.

Because physical exercise was shown to be associated with a reduction in the level of inflammatory cytokines, possible blocking of lipolysis in adipose tissues, and that of muscle protein breakdown, it has been suggested as a promising intervention strategy for both prevention and treatment of cachexia.

In terms of prevention, our research group described a systematic protocol of 6-week-long swimming exercise performed prior to the disease development, which led to significant attenuation of EAE clinical score and changes in the body mass from EAE onset to its PD.


EAE is also related to a reduction of the body mass concomitant to sickness behavior (including anorexia), which is probably linked to increased levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines at the peak of the disease (PD) [3] . Since these molecules stimulate lipolysis and breakdown of muscle proteins, a significant loss of the muscle and fat mass named cachexia can usually be observed [4] . However, the metabolic outcomes underlying the body mass loss in EAE PD have not been examined experimentally.

EAE is also related to a reduction of the body mass concomitant to sickness behavior (including anorexia), which is probably linked to increased levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines at the peak of the disease (PD).

Since these molecules stimulate lipolysis and breakdown of muscle proteins, a significant loss of the muscle and fat mass named cachexia can usually be observed.


The development of dynamic adaptive pathways provides a sequencing of promising actions that can be used by decision makers as a guideline for making decisions under uncertainty. It provides information on which actions and decisions should be taken now, which can be deferred, to ensure that the preferred pathway can be followed and the predefined objectives can be met [4] . Albeit this approach provides an overview of the different available options, it does not help to choose the best pathway that should be followed in current time to deal with uncertainty. This study aimed to extend the DAPP approach; by identifying the preferred pathway that should be selected from the range of possible pathways developed using the DAPP approach. It is necessary to determine the preferred pathway or the baseline pathway, as decision makers have to select one option (among the multiple available ones) to implement at current time. Pathways that are not selected in the current time frame remain active as options in case the future turns out to be incompatible with preferred plans. To account for the uncertainty and to value the flexibility generated by the DAPP approach, the assessment is undertaken employing Real Option Analysis. ROA is able to take in into account and value uncertainty and flexibility, as opposed to traditional approaches of economic valuation. Choosing a different pathway at a time in future when more information about the uncertain driver is available, allows one to limit the downside of making a wrong decision, and capture the upside of new information and opportunities. This flexibility can be translated into an economic gain which can be captured by ROA.

It provides information on which actions and decisions should be taken now, which can be deferred, to ensure that the preferred pathway can be followed and the predefined objectives can be met.


Multi-Carrier parallel transmission has various benefits such as high spectral efficiency, dispersion tolerance, and two dimensional bandwidth allocations in time and frequency domains. For this reason, multi-carrier access based passive optical network (PON) such as OFDMA-PON has been widely researched as a promising candidate for the next generation of optical access requiring fixed mobile convergence, high transmission capacity and bandwidth flexibility [1] - [4] . Such researches have been focused on improvement of transmission capacity, dynamic bandwidth allocation and multiple-access.

For this reason, multi-carrier access based passive optical network (PON) such as OFDMA-PON has been widely researched as a promising candidate for the next generation of optical access requiring fixed mobile convergence, high transmission capacity and bandwidth flexibility.


Since flash chip capacity is doubling every year, the mounting time will soon become the most dominant reason of the delay of system start-up time [7] . The goal of this research is to design and implement a new fast and reliable flash file system called RFFS, which minimizes mounting time and provides consistency of file system and contents of files at abrupt failures for such embedded systems. This paper is organized as follows. In Section 2, we describe JFFS and YAFFS, the NAND flash file systems, respectively. In Section 3, we present our proposed file system to support fast mounting and reliability. The evaluation results are presented in Section 4, and the conclusion is shown in Section 5.

Since flash chip capacity is doubling every year, the mounting time will soon become the most dominant reason of the delay of system start-up time.

This paper is organized as follows.


It is appreciated that it is often impractical to obtain multiple AER measurements in the clinical setting before deciding on treatment. Furthermore, it is important to appreciate that the relationship between AER and renal/vascular outcomes is continuous [5] . Attempts to classify AER into categories are performed to provide a simple framework for researchers and clinicians to interpret the results of interventions that alter albuminuria and to stratify the risk that individual patients have for the development and progression of renal and vascular disease. Clinicians should be aware of the wide variability of urinary albumin excretion and find a balance between theoretical suggestions for the number of AER measurements in the context of other risk factors. For instance, increases in AER in participants with hypertension are an indication for intervention whereas shortterm increases in AER in normotensive participants are not necessarily an indication for intervention. During the time that the current study was conducted, many centres were using AER routinely as the way of determining albuminuria. Over the years, ACR has increasingly been used to determine albuminuria. The current study addressed the variability in AER therefore we are not able to comment as to whether the study will change the way we manage our patients as very few centres are now using AER to measure albuminuria.

Furthermore, it is important to appreciate that the relationship between AER and renal/vascular outcomes is continuous.


The kinetics and mechanism of hydration in various cementitious systems can be investigated by use of calorimetry [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] . The heat evolution curve reflects the rate of reactions occurring in the hydrating system and accompanying cement setting and hardening. Hydration of cement paste is a complex process, however, the heat evolution profile consists generally of the two peaks with the induction period between them and this can be observed only in case of binding materials in which the hydration reactions, structure formation and, finally, proper setting and strength development occur. Moreover, this method appears very useful as an auxiliary tool giving an overall continuous view on the hydration process not only at early age but also it is very helpful as the more practical parameters of hardened material should be predicted. The DTA/TG method has been commonly used for a long time to characterize the hydration products based on their dehydration curves on heating.

The kinetics and mechanism of hydration in various cementitious systems can be investigated by use of calorimetry.


The kinetics of this reaction and the course of volume/ structure changes are strongly affected by the chemical activity and proportions of the Al 2 O 3 and CaOÁSO 3 bearing compounds and the presence of CaO [11] . Not only the type and amount of aluminate proportioned into the Portland cement determine the rate and amount of ettringite formed at appropriate time to give the expansion but also the source of sulfate and calcium ions which provide an environment to stabilize the ettringite crystals [10] [11] [12] . Ettringite begins to form almost immediately after water is added to cement, however, it can hinder the dissolution of the other components when present as an impermeable layer on the surface of hydrating grains. On the other side, the calcium sulfoaluminate component should be completely synthesized and should exhibit a ''hydration ability''. The CaO component should be neither too active nor inactive (it depends on the temperature of calcium carbonate decomposition).

The kinetics of this reaction and the course of volume/ structure changes are strongly affected by the chemical activity and proportions of the Al 2 O 3 and CaOÁSO 3 bearing compounds and the presence of CaO.

Not only the type and amount of aluminate proportioned into the Portland cement determine the rate and amount of ettringite formed at appropriate time to give the expansion but also the source of sulfate and calcium ions which provide an environment to stabilize the ettringite crystals.


In our experiments, signiWcant interactive eVects between temperature and salinity on time-to-right and time spent swimming were observed, so that isopods were more vulnerable to lower salinities when exposed to higher temperatures. Similar interactions were noted in some other species. Tolerance of scallop Nodipecten nodosus to low salinity decreased as temperature increased (Rupp and Parsons 2004) . The mortality and egg production of adult copepod Gladioferens pectinatus were inXuenced by temperature and salinity with salinity tolerance decreasing at elevated temperatures (Hall and Burns 2002) . Similarly, supercooling abilities of copepods Tigriopus brevicornis were aVected by salinity changes (McAllen and Block 1997) .

Tolerance of scallop Nodipecten nodosus to low salinity decreased as temperature increased.

The mortality and egg production of adult copepod Gladioferens pectinatus were inXuenced by temperature and salinity with salinity tolerance decreasing at elevated temperatures.

Similarly, supercooling abilities of copepods Tigriopus brevicornis were aVected by salinity changes.


In a broad sense of meaning, carsharing refers to an innovative type of business based on the shared use of cars, which provides access to cars without actual ownership [5] . Although there are different kinds of options for carsharing, most carsharing systems are often designed for shorter time and shorter distance trips as an extension of the transportation network. From the perspective of parking location, carsharing systems can be divided into free-floating systems and station-based systems. Free-floating systems allow vehicles to be picked up and left anywhere within a designated operating area, while station-based systems require users to return vehicles to an available station [6] .

In a broad sense of meaning, carsharing refers to an innovative type of business based on the shared use of cars, which provides access to cars without actual ownership.

Free-floating systems allow vehicles to be picked up and left anywhere within a designated operating area, while station-based systems require users to return vehicles to an available station.


In a comparison of results from five European studies (Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden, and the UK), variations of the components in the ERI model were reviewed according to types of occupation, education, age, and gender [1] . In three countries, the effort scale measurements were higher in men than in women, whereas a reverse tendency was found in the UK study. Lower effort was associated with increased age in two studies with a high proportion of elderly subjects. Mean effort was significantly higher among better-educated groups in four samples, and a similar nonsignificant tendency was observed in a smaller German sample. Reward did not differ according to gender in a consistent way, but there was a tendency of higher sores among older employees and especially in men. A positive association of reward with degree of education was observed in two samples. A clearcut gradient was observed with higher reward scores among higher employment grades. Men and women aged 45-54 generally had the highest overcommitment scores, and employees with higher education tended to exhibit higher overcommitment scores.

In a comparison of results from five European studies (Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden, and the UK), variations of the components in the ERI model were reviewed according to types of occupation, education, age, and gender.


Various techniques are available in the literature to construct views that describe the runtime of a software system. Most of them are reverse engineering techniques that use runtime data based on execution traces of source code entities i.e. functions, methods, classes, and packages. However, applying these techniques on a large and complex software-intensive system with heterogeneous implementations is a major challenge [5] . On the one hand, it is hard to obtain codebased runtime information from heterogeneous and large implementations. On the other hand, views constructed with code-based runtime information do not include instances of actual runtime entities, such as data repositories and hardware entities, which play an important role within the actual runtime structure and behavior of software-intensive systems.

However, applying these techniques on a large and complex software-intensive system with heterogeneous implementations is a major challenge.


In order to determine the stability of the estimated ARDL model within the context of the coefficients of the long run and the short run relating to the link between capital flights and its causes, the researachers use the Cumulative Sum of Recursive Residuals (CUSUM) and the Cumulative Sum of Squares (CUSUMQ). The rules says if the plots lie within the 5% range of significance level, the null hypothesis implies that the coefficients in the Error Correction Models (ECM) are stable and cannot be rejected. Thus, the null hypothesis of the constancy of the coefficients can be rejected (Bahmani-Oskooee & Ng, 2002) .

Thus, the null hypothesis of the constancy of the coefficients can be rejected.


The patients in the current showed abnormal values associated with hepatic congestion (elevated γ-GT or alkaline phosphatase) [21] . Both chronic venous congestion and hepatic hypoperfusion due to restricted cardiac output is therefore suggested as potential mechanism leading to structural liver damage in Fontan patients. Considering that the hepatic perfusion in this study did not correlate with the follow-up time since the Fontan operation, this suggests that the hepatic hypoperfusion and congestion are chronic and stable over time.

The patients in the current showed abnormal values associated with hepatic congestion (elevated γ-GT or alkaline phosphatase).


During an ISU process, the undesirable products of the pyrolysis such as coke are left in the rock formation because the upgrading takes place in the reservoir. The main product of the upgrading is formed of molecules of lower molecular weight (typically lower than C30) that become volatile at modest temperatures. In addition, the viscosity of the oil phase is reduced by both the temperature and the conversion, unlike simple temperature-led viscosity reduction observed in standard SAGD processes [7] . As a result, the efficiency of the process, estimated by the Energy Return Over Investment (EROI) ratio, is potentially large compared to SAGD. Moreover, no water is used at the recovery stage, so using ISU can reduce costs by reducing the amount of infrastructure required on site for separation and treatment of the produced oil prior to transportation.

In addition, the viscosity of the oil phase is reduced by both the temperature and the conversion, unlike simple temperature-led viscosity reduction observed in standard SAGD processes.


For domains with low permeability such as oil shale, the pressure rise in the domain can lead to the formation of fractures [38] . To describe the ISU of oil shale more accurately, our model needs to include these fractures, and so needs to be coupled with a geomechanical model for fracture propagation. Future work could investigate whether the correlation for optimal energy efficiency still holds when these additional effects are included.

For domains with low permeability such as oil shale, the pressure rise in the domain can lead to the formation of fractures.


As an alternative, the process of In-Situ Upgrading (ISU) by subsurface pyrolysis has been applied in various pilot projects and laboratory experiments [5, 6] . The idea behind ISU is to use subsurface electrical heaters to bring the formation to a high temperature of about 350 C. At this temperature, the long chain hydrocarbon structures that mostly compose bitumen decompose through a series of chemical reactions of pyrolysis and cracking. Initially, this will occur in a zone near the heat source. As the heat propagates through the formation, initially by thermal conduction, a reaction zone propagates following the heat front. The pressure in the heated domain increases due to thermal expansion and creation of lighter products and the fluids flow toward the production well. This fluid transport also enables further heat transfer via convection. As the heat continue to propagate in the domain, more bitumen is converted and more hydrocarbons are produced.

As an alternative, the process of In-Situ Upgrading (ISU) by subsurface pyrolysis has been applied in various pilot projects and laboratory experiments.


ISU can also be applied to oil shale reservoirs. Kerogen, the organic matter contained in oil shales is similar to the organic matter of source rocks that transform to petroleum fluids through geological time [8] . In oil shales, the natural maturation process, which would eventually lead to oil and gas, is at a very early stage and may still require millions of years and deeper burial. This process can be accelerated through ISU [9] . The initial decomposition of kerogen gives an asphaltene-rich heavy oil which then pyrolyses further in a manner very similar to heavy oil upgrading. The main differences between heavy oil and oil shale upgrading are that (1) the primary reactant for oil shales is solid rather than very viscous liquid and (2) unlike oil sands, oil shales initially have a very low permeability. During the initial stages of pyrolysis the reaction products are trapped in pores within the solid, resulting in an increase of pressure in the heated domain. However, as more of the solid decomposes, these pores become interconnected and the liquid and/or gas can flow away from the reaction zone and to the producer well.

Kerogen, the organic matter contained in oil shales is similar to the organic matter of source rocks that transform to petroleum fluids through geological time.

This process can be accelerated through ISU.


Hip arthroplasty is frequently done in an emergency situation after fracture of the proximal femur in fragile elderly patients [1] . Pain often complicates preoperative skin preparation of the limb, which therefore may be incomplete, possibly increasing the risk of postoperative infectious complications [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] . This study confirmed our hypothesis: in these conditions, the initial bacterial skin flora is three times more abundant than in patients who were prepared for a scheduled intervention according to the current guidelines [4] . However, detersive cleaning in the operating room seems to be sufficiently effective to correct the excess bacteria in the trochanter area. The inguinal area remains significantly more contaminated. This study presents a certain number of limits. The first is the comparability of the two groups of patients studied. The patients managed in an emergency setting were logically older since they presented a fracture of the femoral neck. On the other hand, group A was characterized by a lower BMI and a higher prevalence of diabetes than the patients undergoing planned surgery. This totally involuntary selection bias due to the fortuitousness of the inclusion criteria could probably be corrected with a larger sample studied over a longer time. Although some of these criteria are recognized as being risk factors for surgical site infection, only diabetes could influence the cutaneous bacterial flora of the lower limb [7, [10] [11] [12] [13] . The second limit is related to the follow-up in this study, which was insufficient to clearly confirm the absence of infection at the surgical site. However, the objective was not to determine how the arthroplasties performed evolved, and this follow-up period was sufficient to eliminate superficial wound infection. Nonetheless, at the maximum follow-up and with revision being completely exhaustive, none of the patients in the two groups presented any signs of infection. Finally, we did not identify the patients from an elderly-care facility, with medical care or otherwise. This could induce a bias because institutionalized patients are carriers of a different quantity and quality of bacteria. However, this study was close to the management of the elderly person suffering from a fracture and we excluded early revisions within less than 6 months since these patients had been exposed to hospital bacteria.

Hip arthroplasty is frequently done in an emergency situation after fracture of the proximal femur in fragile elderly patients.

Pain often complicates preoperative skin preparation of the limb, which therefore may be incomplete, possibly increasing the risk of postoperative infectious complications.

This study confirmed our hypothesis: in these conditions, the initial bacterial skin flora is three times more abundant than in patients who were prepared for a scheduled intervention according to the current guidelines.

Although some of these criteria are recognized as being risk factors for surgical site infection, only diabetes could influence the cutaneous bacterial flora of the lower limb.


There always seems to be a ray of light in the darkness of difficulties. In the vast desert of villages and towns, some of them will stand out as oasis with promising potential to be developed as important nodes in China's urban-rural network. Among them, Historically Cultural Villages (HCVs), Traditional Villages (TVs), the culture-heritage towns in rural areas, and towns with locational advantages in peri-urban areas will be the highlight oasis worth special attention. So far, there is still no systematic database showing detailed metrics of each village in China. Yet the Chinese government has started to dig out the qualified HCVs and TVs in an aim to boost their redevelopment by mobilizing their heritage resources and cultural value. For example, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MoHURD) and State Administration of Culture Heritage (SACH) has jointly launched a village screening program since 2003, designating 276 qualified villages to be HCVs by six batches of selection until 2014 [26] . By joint efforts of MoHURD, the Ministry of Culture (MoC) and the Ministry of Finance (MoF), a wider campaign on protection of TVs has been underway since 2012. With three batches of identification and selection, up to 2555 TVs have been qualified and designated [27] .

For example, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MoHURD) and State Administration of Culture Heritage (SACH) has jointly launched a village screening program since 2003, designating 276 qualified villages to be HCVs by six batches of selection until 2014.

With three batches of identification and selection, up to 2555 TVs have been qualified and designated.


Culture is increasingly becoming an important factor in promoting rural sustainable development, especially for ancient villages/towns with rich cultural heritage. In China, the success of UNESCO site in Kaiping town of Guangdong province, based on its Diaolou (fortified tower houses) heritage, shows that the culture impulse policies do make great contributions to its vital tourism development [28] . Hongcun and Xidi villages, located in southern Anhui province, are also good examples in using the title of World Heritage List (WHL) to attract more visitors and enhance its overall development [29] .

In China, the success of UNESCO site in Kaiping town of Guangdong province, based on its Diaolou (fortified tower houses) heritage, shows that the culture impulse policies do make great contributions to its vital tourism development.

Hongcun and Xidi villages, located in southern Anhui province, are also good examples in using the title of World Heritage List (WHL) to attract more visitors and enhance its overall development.


The importance of "just-in-time" inventory management in industry has motivated the study of theoretical scheduling models. Among these models, many research efforts have been devoted to the classical earliness and tardiness (E/T) scheduling problems, and most of them consider earliness and tardiness penalties only for the last operation of the job [1] [2] [3] . Although the job may be finished on time, no storage and insurance cost are considered for intermediary operations which are processed as early as possible, which obviously violate the JIT philosophy [4] .

Among these models, many research efforts have been devoted to the classical earliness and tardiness (E/T) scheduling problems, and most of them consider earliness and tardiness penalties only for the last operation of the job.

Although the job may be finished on time, no storage and insurance cost are considered for intermediary operations which are processed as early as possible, which obviously violate the JIT philosophy.


In order to minimize the sum of total penalty costs in the JITJSSP problem, all operations are required to be completed as close to their due dates as possible, and thus the idle time is necessary to delay the start time of an early operation. In fact, it is a serious trouble how well idle time is inserted when severity resource contention occurs [7] . The mathematical programming method, which is suitable for a small solution space, can obtain an optimal solution. However, for the JITJSSP problem with a large number of jobs and machines, the computation time is intractability.

In fact, it is a serious trouble how well idle time is inserted when severity resource contention occurs.


Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is the most important home dialysis therapy for patients with end-stage renal disease. Although the rate of peritoneal dialysis-related peritonitis has been significantly reduced, it remains a major complication of PD [1] . The repeated or severe peritonitis may cause peritoneal membrane dysfunction and eventually leads to dropout of PD.

Although the rate of peritoneal dialysis-related peritonitis has been significantly reduced, it remains a major complication of PD.


Measuring the effect of foreign aid on agricultural growth is a complex and difficult task. Our results are far from definitive, and suffer from the usual limitations of cross-country analysis. Another shortcoming in this type of aggregate study is that there are conceptual difficulties in identifying and measuring the true determinants of agricultural income growth. Various other so-cial, economic, and demographic variables that are not easily quantified may have an important influence on the effectiveness of aid in promoting growth. For example, wars, natural disasters, droughts and political turmoil can severely hinder growth. Concurrently, a society's propensity to save, its initial endowment of natural resources, its macroeconomic policies and institutions, and its government structure, organization, and efficiency all have an important bearing on how capital inflows can be absorbed and used in the development process. Individual country-studies could provide an alternative measure of the impact of foreign aid on agricultural growth, savings and imports (Lele, 1992; Lele and Goldsmith, 1989) . These studies should include more detailed demographic, social, political, and policy variables which influence capital utilization, agricultural growth and trade in LDCs, and should decompose the effects of foreign assistance by type (technical assistance, project loans, aid grants, food aid) (Islam, 1992) . Although conclusions from case studies cannot always be generalized to identify common factors that affect growth, the two approaches do complement each other.

Individual country-studies could provide an alternative measure of the impact of foreign aid on agricultural growth, savings and imports.

These studies should include more detailed demographic, social, political, and policy variables which influence capital utilization, agricultural growth and trade in LDCs, and should decompose the effects of foreign assistance by type (technical assistance, project loans, aid grants, food aid).


This section presents the obtained results. The ANE used, Figure 2 , is a monthly one relative to the South subsystem, starting in January 1931 and ending in December 2008, totaling 936 observations. The ANE is computed from the natural streamflows and the possible production equivalent for the storage of 65% of the useful volume of the hydropower reservoirs [2] .

The ANE is computed from the natural streamflows and the possible production equivalent for the storage of 65% of the useful volume of the hydropower reservoirs.


In rest conditions thermoregulatory system provides temperature maintaining on relatively constant level. At the same time skin temperature of all body surface as on separate body segments can vary in a wide range -from 25.2 to 34 °С [1] . In elderly and senile persons it is observed skin temperature decrease caused by atherosclerosis and blood vessels infiltration and drop in blood flow related to capillary recruiting deficiency that results in lowering of thermoproduction level [7] .

At the same time skin temperature of all body surface as on separate body segments can vary in a wide range -from 25.2 to 34 °С.

In elderly and senile persons it is observed skin temperature decrease caused by atherosclerosis and blood vessels infiltration and drop in blood flow related to capillary recruiting deficiency that results in lowering of thermoproduction level.


Together with large individual differences thermography imaging method can reveal and visualize temperature distribution differences on skin surface area for each individual [4, 12, 13] . Forming mechanism of these differences relies on three basic factors: capillary net structure and its functional activity, sweat glands functioning and its density and metabolic activity of tissues underlying skin layer. In combination with environmental conditions all these parameters provide to form a specific individual thermal "portrait" which analyzing in sportsmen of different specializations become main purpose of our research.

Together with large individual differences thermography imaging method can reveal and visualize temperature distribution differences on skin surface area for each individual.


New options of modern infra-red thermography video technique allow seeing mosaic distribution of temperature on body skin surface of person located in conditions due to moderate activation of thermoregulation processes (comfort humidity, temperature 5-7 °С below thermoneutral) during 15 minutes period. We confine ourselves with examination of back surface area only as it presents a homogeneous massive in respect to skin layer thickness. In spite of well pronounced individual differences it is possible to mark out several zones on back surface that demonstrate increased or decreased temperature as compared with average weighted one in most cases. Almost all examinated persons show increased temperature in cervical region, in thoracic spine area and also in lumbar vertebral area seen as tight stripe shaped zone. On the contrary lateral back regions demonstrate low temperature values differed from most hot spots on skin surface by 7-8 °С. These results are in agreement with other researches using similar methods [7, 9] . Nevertheless main question is the cause of mosaic distribution of skin temperature. Only getting the answer we can approach to adequate explanation of obtained results and perhaps thermography imaging will hold its place among diagnostic procedures. Today however the situation in this context is not clear.

On the contrary lateral back regions demonstrate low temperature values differed from most hot spots on skin surface by 7-8 °С. These results are in agreement with other researches using similar methods.


It is well known that one of the most metabolically active tissues of human organism is brown adipose tissue [2] . Its activity is under strong sympathetic control [3] . Recent research materials disprove early point of view that brown adipose tissue is inactive in adult people. It is proved that considerable part of adult population has active brown adipose tissue [5] . Its localization is differently presented by authors but more frequently mentioned regions are cervical and supraclavicular areas. Children brown adipose tissue has its main location in cervical and intrascapular zones that is similar with temperature distribution of some individuals in our experiments (see Figure 2 , Group 4). Brown adipose tissue contributes to carbohydrate and lipid metabolism during intensive food intake promoting normalization of carbohydrates and lipids in blood. This why converting of white fat in brown to fight obesity is one of the aims of novel genetic engineering investigations [6] . New molecular genetic researches found adipocyte precursors of brown adipose to be much more closer by its characteristics to muscle precursors cells that to white adipose tissue precursors. In that aspect our data suggesting correlation between VO 2max and back surface temperature obtain another aspect. Even though it's not enough for concluding that sportsmen with high VO 2max values and aerobic capacity have significant amount of brown adipose tissue this proposition seems quite logic and in turns it gives new direction for future investigations.

It is well known that one of the most metabolically active tissues of human organism is brown adipose tissue.

Its activity is under strong sympathetic control.

It is proved that considerable part of adult population has active brown adipose tissue.

This why converting of white fat in brown to fight obesity is one of the aims of novel genetic engineering investigations.


This paper presents research from the NSF-funded TangibleK Robotics Program, a classroom-based study carried out in three kindergarten classrooms in the greater Boston area (Bers 2010) . While the majority of research on robotics and programming in education focuses on later schooling, teaching these subjects during foundational early childhood years can be an engaging and rewarding experience for young learners of both genders (Bers 2008) . Previous research has shown that children as young as 4 years old can build and program simple robotics projects (Bers et al. 2002; Cejka et al. 2006; Perlman 1976) . Robotic manipulatives allow children to develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination while also engaging in collaboration and teamwork. They also provide a concrete and tangible way to understand abstract ideas (Bers 2008) . Results from research on the TangibleK Robotics Program demonstrate that kindergarteners can successfully learn powerful ideas of engineering, technology, and computer programming while also building their computational thinking skills (Bers 2010) . Introducing robotics and programming in early childhood also serves as a way to increase girls' interest and abilities in engineering fields before stereotype threat makes this more difficult in later years. The purpose of this study was to analyze results from the TangibleK Program in order to determine whether boys and girls were equally successful in their mastery of introductory robotics and programming.

This paper presents research from the NSF-funded TangibleK Robotics Program, a classroom-based study carried out in three kindergarten classrooms in the greater Boston area.

While the majority of research on robotics and programming in education focuses on later schooling, teaching these subjects during foundational early childhood years can be an engaging and rewarding experience for young learners of both genders.

Previous research has shown that children as young as 4 years old can build and program simple robotics projects.

They also provide a concrete and tangible way to understand abstract ideas.

Results from research on the TangibleK Robotics Program demonstrate that kindergarteners can successfully learn powerful ideas of engineering, technology, and computer programming while also building their computational thinking skills.


Men continue to outnumber women in numerous STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields including computer science, mathematical science, environmental science, and electrical engineering (AAUW 2010) . This persistent gender disparity may be due to the negative effect of stereotype threat on women's confidence and interest in these traditionally masculine fields (Spencer et al. 1998) . One way to address this gender disparity is to attract the interest of girls during formative early childhood before extreme gender stereotypes are ingrained (Metz 2007; Steele 1997) .

Men continue to outnumber women in numerous STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields including computer science, mathematical science, environmental science, and electrical engineering.

This persistent gender disparity may be due to the negative effect of stereotype threat on women's confidence and interest in these traditionally masculine fields.

One way to address this gender disparity is to attract the interest of girls during formative early childhood before extreme gender stereotypes are ingrained.


Recently, several studies have been conducted to improve the flexural stiffness and strength of RC members by using high-performance fiber concrete and FRP-mixed strengthening materials [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] . However, these two materials each have their own problem. In the case of FRP, the strengthening system is not sufficient to ensure satisfactory strengthening of structures exposed to excessive deflection due to a sustained load or when required to improve flexural strength (or stiffness) because the FRP material has a lower modulus of elasticity than steel. The steel plate, as mentioned above, is an effective method, but its heavy weight and corrosion make it impractical for field work.

Recently, several studies have been conducted to improve the flexural stiffness and strength of RC members by using high-performance fiber concrete and FRP-mixed strengthening materials.


In the past decade, goal-oriented spoken dialogue systems (SDS), such as the virtual personal assistants Microsoft's Cortana and Apple's Siri, are being incorporated in various devices and allow users to speak to systems freely in order to finish tasks more efficiently. A key component of these conversational systems is the natural language understanding (NLU) module-it refers to the targeted understanding of human speech directed at machines (Tur and De Mori, 2011) . The goal of such "targeted" understanding is to convert the recognized user speech into a task-specific semantic representation of the user's intention, at each turn, that aligns with the back-end knowledge and action sources for task completion. The dialogue manager then interprets the semantics of the user's request and associated back-end results, and decides the most appropriate system action, by exploiting semantic context and user specific meta-information, such as geo-location and personal preferences (McTear, 2004; Rudnicky and Xu, 1999) .

A key component of these conversational systems is the natural language understanding (NLU) module-it refers to the targeted understanding of human speech directed at machines.

The dialogue manager then interprets the semantics of the user's request and associated back-end results, and decides the most appropriate system action, by exploiting semantic context and user specific meta-information, such as geo-location and personal preferences.


In this model, the components of the displacement field are first expressed as sums of both pressure (P) and shear (S) wave contributions, like in the two-dimensional case [5] . The main difference with the three-dimensional case consists in the direction of S-wave induced displacement, which is orthogonal to the direction of propagation. While in two dimensions the orthogonal direction is well defined via a single vector, in three-dimensions the orthogonal direction is contained within the orthogonal plane to the propagation direction and therefore two vectors are required for its resolution. Furthermore, in two dimensions, the directions of the approximating plane waves are easily defined whether in a uniform or nonuniform distribution. This is not the case in three dimensions where the distribution of plane waves in space, either uniform or nonuniform, is not straightforward.

In this model, the components of the displacement field are first expressed as sums of both pressure (P) and shear (S) wave contributions, like in the two-dimensional case.


Carbon materials, such as activated carbon (AC), carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, and graphene, have been widely used in pollution control because of their structural stability and increased micropores, mesopores and surface areas. Due to their remarkable adsorption capability, ACs have been commonly used as an adsorbent for the removal of various contaminants. However, the manufacture of ACs requires high temperature, high pressure, and costly activation processes [16] . The resulting high operational costs have limited the practical applicability of ACs for large plants or facilities. Thus, inexpensive and abundant adsorbents, such as agriculture wastes, nature materials, and non-toxic industrial wastes, should be used as alternative adsorbents for pollutant removal.

However, the manufacture of ACs requires high temperature, high pressure, and costly activation processes.


Thus, BC is a new and promising adsorbent that can be utilized for pollutant removal because of its excellent porous structure, specific surface properties, reusability, minimal costs, and environmentally friendly nature. However, it is hard to selectively adsorb pollutants from a system that contains a mixture of pollutants [27] . To enhance their capacity and selectivity for pollutant removal or adsorbent stability, the modification of the carbon materials in BC has been proposed [11, 28] . Although pretreatments or modification of carbon materials such as BCs increase cost, they are necessary steps for improving the selective adsorption of pollutants and for increasing adsorption capacity. Several methods (e.g., acid and alkali modification, oxidation, and chemical grafting) have been used for the pretreatment or modification of BC in order to improve the adsorption capacity [29] [30] [31] . Generally, these techniques modify the BC's interfacial regions by increasing its specific surface area, porous structure or chemical reactivity obtained through the formation of surface functional groups that can chemically bond or interact (chelate) with the DMS.

However, it is hard to selectively adsorb pollutants from a system that contains a mixture of pollutants.

To enhance their capacity and selectivity for pollutant removal or adsorbent stability, the modification of the carbon materials in BC has been proposed.

Several methods (e.g., acid and alkali modification, oxidation, and chemical grafting) have been used for the pretreatment or modification of BC in order to improve the adsorption capacity.


For the sake of implementation simplicity, the use of traditional PD/PID control is very popular, not only because of its simple structure and easy implementation, but also its acceptable performance for some applications of robot control. On one hand, it has been shown that PD control can be used for trajectory tracking with the asymptotic stability if the control gains are carefully selected [2] [3] [4] . On the other hand, it was noted that PD control is not satisfactory for implementations where high tracking accuracy is a prior requirement, or the system runs at high speeds. Such a limitation with PD/PID control is simply due to the inherent "mismatch" between the nonlinear dynamics behaviour of a robot manipulator versus the linear regulating behaviour of a PD/PID controller.

On one hand, it has been shown that PD control can be used for trajectory tracking with the asymptotic stability if the control gains are carefully selected.


Improvement of dose homogeneity with IMRT in breast cancer has a positive influence on clinical benefits for the patients in terms of reduced acute or late toxicity. Toxicity analysis of 172 breast cancer patients treated with either IMRT or with wedge-based radiotherapy showed a significant reduction in acute dermatitis grade 2 or worse, edema or hyperpigmentation when IMRT was applied. Chronic edema grade 2 or worse was also significantly reduced in favor of IMRT [24] . A significant reduction in the occurrence of acute radiation dermatitis using IMRT has also been demonstrated in a multicenter double-blind, randomized clinical trial of about 330 breast cancer patients, who were treated with either IMRT or standard radiotherapy with wedge compensation to a total dose of 50 Gy in 25 fractions with an additional boost of 16 Gy when necessary [25] . This study demonstrated a significant decrease in the occurrence of moist desquamation during or up to 6 weeks post radiation treatment for the IMRT group. In particular, 31.2% of the patients treated with IMRT showed acute radiation dermatitis, while the value was 47.8% for the standard treatment arm. The same study showed no correlation of IMRT with pain or quality of life, still the presence of moist desquamation did significantly correlate with both pain and a reduced quality of life.

Chronic edema grade 2 or worse was also significantly reduced in favor of IMRT.

A significant reduction in the occurrence of acute radiation dermatitis using IMRT has also been demonstrated in a multicenter double-blind, randomized clinical trial of about 330 breast cancer patients, who were treated with either IMRT or standard radiotherapy with wedge compensation to a total dose of 50 Gy in 25 fractions with an additional boost of 16 Gy when necessary.


Arsenic accumulation in the straw of up to about 8.3 mg/kg in the highest arsenate treatment showed that the wheat straw has the potential to accumulate high level of arsenic. Straw in the UK fed to cattle contained arsenic less than 0.20 mg/kg (Nicholson et al. 1999) . Sheep fed with organoarsenicas showed a significantly increased arsenic concentration in tissue and milk (Shariatpanahi and Anderson 1984) . Therefore, it is possible that cattle fed with arsenic contaminated straw may show elevated arsenic in the meat and/or milk. Cattle fed with high arsenic contaminated straw could be a direct threat to their health and to human health via ingesting arsenic contaminated meat and drinking milk with elevated arsenic concentration (Abedin et al. 2002) . However, arsenic concentrations of rape stem and leaf is of 0.77-3.63 mg/kg which is much less than that in wheat shoots. It can be assumed that rape could transfer less arsenic to the food chain and thus pose lower risk to human or animal health than wheat.

Straw in the UK fed to cattle contained arsenic less than 0.20 mg/kg.

Sheep fed with organoarsenicas showed a significantly increased arsenic concentration in tissue and milk.

Cattle fed with high arsenic contaminated straw could be a direct threat to their health and to human health via ingesting arsenic contaminated meat and drinking milk with elevated arsenic concentration.


In the second phase of our experiment, we compared the differential white cell count and the rate of oxidative burst in overwintering fry from farm II and brood fish from the Jihlava River. There was no difference between the level of phagocytic activity in the autumn and the spring in the nase fry from farm II but there was a difference in the total phagocyte cell count because the fish in the spring had a low rate. It could be due to the physical condition after winter or seasonal changes which are reported in fish; however, these studies focused on adult fish capable of spawning (Collazos et al. 1995; Kortet et al. 2003) .

It could be due to the physical condition after winter or seasonal changes which are reported in fish; however, these studies focused on adult fish capable of spawning.


The main difference seems to be in the quality of the water source for rearing ponds and for containing the fry before expedition. Water from the middle course of the Jihlava River is under a deeper anthropogenic impact than water from the course of small rills. The anthropogenic impact, such as pollution, could cause a lower rate of oxidative burst (Warinner et al. 1988; Dunier and Siwicki 1993) . Polluted water affects the phagocytic activity not only by the immunosuppressive substance content but also by a decreasing level of dissolved oxygen. The low level of dissolved oxygen is another important stress factor (Boleza et al. 2001; Valenzuela et al. 2005) . The other potential factor that may have an effect on the oxidative burst level is the availability and quality of feeding, especially the positive influence of vitamin C and E and polyunsaturated fatty acids (Secombes 1994) .

The anthropogenic impact, such as pollution, could cause a lower rate of oxidative burst.

The low level of dissolved oxygen is another important stress factor.

The other potential factor that may have an effect on the oxidative burst level is the availability and quality of feeding, especially the positive influence of vitamin C and E and polyunsaturated fatty acids.


An improvement of business processes is necessary in order to maintain the competitiveness of the business and increase the financial performance. The enterprises have to carry out various innovative activities, not only for the outputs, but also for the processes. The presumption of effective management and a sustainable enterprise improvement are measuring, assessment, control, and further optimization of the enterprise processes. Efficiency and effectivity are the main parameters of processes optimization. These two terms relate to each other closely and are often confused, though there is a certain distinction in their definitions. While the effectiveness expresses the ability of completing the proper steps to achieve the purpose, in other words, the level which the system achieves in the relation to the level which was stated (the current output to the expected output), the efficiency describes the level when the system uses the proper sources in a proper way, so it addresses the question of whether we do the right steps in the right way (the currently used sources to anticipate source consumption) [1] .

While the effectiveness expresses the ability of completing the proper steps to achieve the purpose, in other words, the level which the system achieves in the relation to the level which was stated (the current output to the expected output), the efficiency describes the level when the system uses the proper sources in a proper way, so it addresses the question of whether we do the right steps in the right way (the currently used sources to anticipate source consumption).


The second step was to identify the essential parameters of the critical manufacturing sub-process (the process of chip formation in parts cutting-milling). The technical parameters of the sub-process (milling) describe its physical nature (spindle speed, cutting speed, feed rate, depth of cut, etc.). It is observed that the cutting speed is the most influential parameter for surface roughness, followed by the feed rate [20] [21] [22] . In addition, it was not possible to vary the depth of cut during the experiment in the reference enterprise. Therefore, the input parameters were the cutting speed and feed rate, which were varied. The depth of cut was constant (a = 1 mm) and a total volume of removed material was calculated. The output parameters of the process milling were the surface roughness, process duration, and process cost.

It is observed that the cutting speed is the most influential parameter for surface roughness, followed by the feed rate.


The interface between the mushy layer and the melt is always undercooled, which is to say that the interfacial temperature is below the local liquidus temperature of the melt. The degree of undercooling is usually small and confined to the near neighbourhood of the interface. It can often be safely neglected, particularly when the only mechanism for heat and mass transport in the system is molecular diffusion. However, it has been found that such interfacial undercooling can have large, global consequences when coupled with thermal convection in the melt (Flood & Hunt 1987; Kerr et al. 1990b) . Indeed, the interfacial undercooling itself can provide sufficient buoyancy to drive vigorous thermal convection in the melt (Worster, Huppert & Sparks 1990 . Here, we examine the compositional convection of the melt that is driven by interfacial disequilibrium, while the mushy layer is assumed to remain stagnant. The consequent evolution of the melt and the mushy layer is determined and we assess how this affects the onset of convection within the mushy layer.

However, it has been found that such interfacial undercooling can have large, global consequences when coupled with thermal convection in the melt.


Database management systems (DBMSs) have complex interactions with storage systems. Data layouts in storage systems are established with different types of data structures, such as indexes, user tables, temporary data and others. Thus, a DBMS typically issues different types of I/O requests with different quality of service (QoS) requirements [13] . Common practice has treated storage as a black box for a long time. With the development of heterogeneous devices, such as solid-state drives (SSDs), phase-change memories (PCMs), and the traditional hard disk drives (HDDs), storage systems are inevitably becoming hybrid [5, 6, 17, 20] . The "black-box" concept of management for storage is hindering us from benefiting from the rich resources of advanced storage systems.

Thus, a DBMS typically issues different types of I/O requests with different quality of service (QoS) requirements.

With the development of heterogeneous devices, such as solid-state drives (SSDs), phase-change memories (PCMs), and the traditional hard disk drives (HDDs), storage systems are inevitably becoming hybrid.


To alleviate this problem, an obvious idea is to extract rules from k-best parses instead. However, a k-best list, with its limited scope, has too few variations and too many redundancies (Huang, 2008) . This situation worsens with longer sentences as the number of possible parses grows exponentially with the sentence length and a k-best list will only capture a tiny fraction of the whole space. In addition, many subtrees are repeated across different parses, so it is IP NP x 1 :NPB CC yǔ x 2 :NPB x 3 :VPB → x 1 x 3 with x 2 Figure 1 : Example translation rule r 1 . The Chinese conjunction yǔ "and" is translated into English prep. "with".

However, a k-best list, with its limited scope, has too few variations and too many redundancies.


This high-throughput sequencing study of a polar year in the Arctic Ocean revealed the driving force of light and phytoplankton blooms on the marine prokaryote community, and in particular the Thaumarchaeota, in both surface and deep ocean waters. Investigations such as this one and others discussed in the text are fundamentally important as a historic record of the current microbial state of the polar oceans and an indicator of the ongoing rate of change (Ducklow et al., 2009) . Additionally, we believe that it is crucial to consider the deeper water column in these studies, as part of a whole, dynamic and interconnected marine system. As a complement to this study, we are also investigating shotgun metagenomic and metatranscriptomic data for these same seasonal samples, which will greatly improve the resolution of these preliminary results. We suggest that the future progress of the field would benefit greatly from repeated longer-term investigations, in concert with the continued improvement of omics tools and in this manner, we hope that these data may be used to support the overwhelming physical evidence of our changing global climate.

Investigations such as this one and others discussed in the text are fundamentally important as a historic record of the current microbial state of the polar oceans and an indicator of the ongoing rate of change.


As the majority of Arctic studies of marine microbial communities have either been carried out in the more amenable spring and summer seasons or in shallow waters, the primary objective of the present study was to expand upon these data. More specifically, we wished to identify the key mediators of the prokaryotic microbial community in the Atlantic water inflow to the Arctic Ocean during the light-driven summers vs. the dark winter night, seasons characterized by the massive variation in availability of fresh photosynthesis-derived carbon. Additionally, we intended to compare the cold, deep and dark mesopelagic ocean with the cold, shallow and dark surface waters above, to gain more insight into the driving mechanisms resulting from such environmental conditions. High-throughput sequencing technologies have previously highlighted the extreme microbial seasonality of the polar regions (Kirchman et al., 2010; Christman et al., 2011; Connelly et al., 2014) . In this study we implement the same technologies to sequence reverse-transcribed total RNA (with its significantly shorter life span than DNA) to provide a timely snapshot of the more metabolically-active fraction of the marine microbial community.

High-throughput sequencing technologies have previously highlighted the extreme microbial seasonality of the polar regions.


The major problem of a tight WCET analysis is that the maximal number of computation steps, in particular, the number of iterations of loops, may heavily depend on the input data. For this reason, most approaches require that the programmer specifies an upper bound on the number of loop iterations. For nontrivial programs, this is an error-prone task and can lead to rather pessimistic WCET estimates [6] .

For nontrivial programs, this is an error-prone task and can lead to rather pessimistic WCET estimates.


The aforementioned charging strategies proposed for integrating PV and a charging station are not suitable for battery charging in a BSS. The charging strategy of a BSS is different from the general EV charging mode. In a BSS, a depleted EV battery system is replaced with a fully charged battery system in several minutes, and the depleted batteries are stored on a centralized charging platform. Recently, several studies have investigated charging strategies for BSSs without renewable energy generation. A novel centralized charging strategy for BSSs considered optimal charging priority and charging location [24] . A direct projection method was developed to compute an optimal charging schedule of the BSS efficiently [25] . However, these charging strategies have not properly considered the uncertain features of PV generation and battery swapping requirements.

A novel centralized charging strategy for BSSs considered optimal charging priority and charging location.

A direct projection method was developed to compute an optimal charging schedule of the BSS efficiently.


There are three types of EV charging modes: conventional charging, fast charging, and battery swapping [8, 9] . The battery swapping mode replaces depleted batteries with fully charged batteries and charges the depleted batteries on a charging platform. The battery swapping mode is mainly applied in public transport, such as electric buses and electric taxis. As an important charging mode, the State Grid Corporation of China has invested in and constructed dozens of battery swapping stations (BSSs) in large cities in China [10, 11] . The centralized charging strategy in BSSs is constructive for the integration of renewable energy generation.

There are three types of EV charging modes: conventional charging, fast charging, and battery swapping.

As an important charging mode, the State Grid Corporation of China has invested in and constructed dozens of battery swapping stations (BSSs) in large cities in China.


Renewable energy and electric vehicles (EVs) have emerged as methods for ensuring energy security and for reducing emissions in many countries. However, for photovoltaics (PV) and other intermittent renewable energy sources with output volatility, large-scale renewable energy connected to the power grid still has many barriers to overcome. Moreover, it is difficult to maintain stable operation of the power grid and optimize scheduling for large populations of EVs with uncertain charging characteristics [1] [2] [3] . In addition, if the charging power is generated by coal-fired power plants, the emission advantage for EV is not obvious [4, 5] . The direct integration of PV with EV charging devices is an effective way to reduce EV emissions and the impact of EV charging on the power grid [6, 7] .

Moreover, it is difficult to maintain stable operation of the power grid and optimize scheduling for large populations of EVs with uncertain charging characteristics.

In addition, if the charging power is generated by coal-fired power plants, the emission advantage for EV is not obvious.

The direct integration of PV with EV charging devices is an effective way to reduce EV emissions and the impact of EV charging on the power grid.


Rich countries have studied the major factor of pollution: the production of energy (Efthimeros 2000) . One solution consists to develop a clean form of energy and to decrease consumption. For this, the alternative production of energy (wind turbine, solar system) is used more often and the productions systems are increasingly well mastered with regards to energy. But energy production is continuously increasing and rejecting CO2 emissions in the atmosphere. Factories have improved their production systems to have lower electrical energy consumption. In raw material processing, plastic injection or machining processes, electrical energy consumption is taken into consideration to select the best process (Kalitventzeff 2000; Munoz 1995) .

Rich countries have studied the major factor of pollution: the production of energy.

In raw material processing, plastic injection or machining processes, electrical energy consumption is taken into consideration to select the best process.


HYDRO MAGNESIUM, a company, which makes magnesium parts, has a factory in Porsgrunn (Norway). They have studied their process from the beginning to the end and they have proposes, at each state, solution to reduce emissions. They have observed during the last few years, a global diminution of CO2 emissions in their magnesium production, which put them in compliance with current environmental norms (Hydro 2000) .

They have observed during the last few years, a global diminution of CO2 emissions in their magnesium production, which put them in compliance with current environmental norms.


This paper employs a mixed method approach, drawing on both quantitative as well as qualitative research methods (Johnson & Onwuegbuzie, 2004) . A mixed methods approach is valuable as it can draw from the strengths and minimize the weaknesses of both and it is now being widely used and recognised as a research paradigm in itself (Johnson, Onwuegbuzie, & Turner, 2007) . A quantitative household survey was used to elicit information on respondents' characteristics, their behaviour in relation to tree planting, as well as the attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control in relation to tree planting. In addition, qualitative focus group discussions were used to explore some of these findings in more detail and as a way of triangulating the results of the questionnaires.

This paper employs a mixed method approach, drawing on both quantitative as well as qualitative research methods.

A mixed methods approach is valuable as it can draw from the strengths and minimize the weaknesses of both and it is now being widely used and recognised as a research paradigm in itself.


The study also demonstrated that several socio-economic characteristics of the farmer influence the attitude components in relation to tree planting; however, of these socio-economic variables, only membership of a farmers group directly affected reported tree planting behaviour. The lack of a significant effect of socio-economic variables on behaviour is in line with previous studies of the TPB and environmental behaviour (Han et al., 2011; McGinty et al., 2008) . The hierarchical regression analysis showed that a model comprising of both socio-economic variables and TPB constructs better explained tree planting behaviour than socioeconomic variables alone. This supports the notion that both extrinsic and intrinsic factors play a role in explaining agroforestry adoption . Although most of the socio-economic variables studied here did not have a direct effect on tree planting behaviour, some of these were correlated to the attitude towards tree planting, and as such, they can affect tree planting behaviour indirectly. This provides further support for the idea that the role of these extrinsic variables are mediated through intrinsic socio-psychological variables . The findings of the multivariate models presented in the Appendix are in agreement with the outcomes of the hierarchical regression analysis, suggesting that our findings are robust. One could argue that the direction of the relationship between attitudes and reported behaviour is not defined; perhaps farmers who have planted trees on their land may have developed positive attitudes as a result. This is plausible as we measured reported behaviour that has taken place in the past. To a certain degree there will be a feedback effect where farmers who have planted trees on their land do develop more positive attitudes towards this behaviour as a result of the implementation of the behaviour (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975) .

The lack of a significant effect of socio-economic variables on behaviour is in line with previous studies of the TPB and environmental behaviour.

To a certain degree there will be a feedback effect where farmers who have planted trees on their land do develop more positive attitudes towards this behaviour as a result of the implementation of the behaviour.


This study uses the TPB as a theoretical framework to examine farmers' attitudes towards tree planting and the relationship between these attitudes and self-reported tree planting behaviour in two regions of Malawi. The study aims to understand the attitudes towards tree planting, the socio-economic variables influencing these attitudes, the variables that predict tree planting behaviour, and the barriers that constrain tree planting. There are distinct differences in the conditions between the northern and southern regions of Malawi, with the south having relatively high population densities and low forest cover (Mauambeta, Chitedze, Mumba, & Gama, 2010; NSO, 2008) . As a result of lower population pressures and more abundant forests in the north, it has been suggested that farmers in the north are less motivated to engage in agroforestry activities compared to farmers in the south. In addition, previous research has suggested that male and female farmers play a different role when it comes to decision-making and implementation of activities related to tree planting and tree management in Malawi (Meijer, Sileshi, Kundhlande, Catacutan, & Nieuwenhuis, 2015) . Tree planting and tree management were found to be mainly the domain of men; however, decision-making on tree planting by the wife and joint decision-making on tree management resulted in higher densities of trees planted on farms compared to situations where decisions were made by the husband alone. These findings suggest that there might be differences in the attitudes and behaviours related to tree planting between men and women as well. Therefore, this study will not only look into differences in attitudes and behaviours between farmers in the northern and southern regions of Malawi, but also differences between male and female farmers.

There are distinct differences in the conditions between the northern and southern regions of Malawi, with the south having relatively high population densities and low forest cover.

In addition, previous research has suggested that male and female farmers play a different role when it comes to decision-making and implementation of activities related to tree planting and tree management in Malawi.


The effectiveness of tree planting programs and activities will be largely determined by the degree to which we understand and address the factors which encourage or discourage farmers to plant trees. It is essential to comprehend how farmers perceive the benefits and challenges associated with tree planting in order to explain the current extent of tree planting in Malawi and scale up these efforts in the future. To accomplish this, it is important to understand the decision-making process of farmers who plant trees on their land. In addition to the beliefs farmers hold with regards to the possible positive and negative outcomes of tree planting activities, their decisions are also influenced by the opinions and behaviour of relevant others in their surroundings as well as the practical possibilities they have to plant trees (Ajzen, 1991) .

In addition to the beliefs farmers hold with regards to the possible positive and negative outcomes of tree planting activities, their decisions are also influenced by the opinions and behaviour of relevant others in their surroundings as well as the practical possibilities they have to plant trees.


Managers' behavior Social capitalism Workers' safety behavior This paper also contributes to the research on adopting social capitalism into managing human behaviors. Of special note is "guanxi" (relation), which has had an important role in social activities for a long time, especially eastern countries such as China. In the current study, social capitalism provides a detailed application of "guanxi" in construction safety management. Given the importance of social capitalism for safety management in construction projects, there is a need to gain a better understanding of ''how social capitalism influences project team cooperation and safety performance''. This paper responds to the unanswered call from Kob and Rowlinson [15, 16] . The results also reveal that social capitalism can promote individual contact and communication and thus improve people's feelings and project identification; relational social capitalism will encourage workers to form relationships and trust others. It extends the trust of social capitalism to help coordinate public transport activities and regulate drivers' behaviors [25] .

This paper responds to the unanswered call from Kob and Rowlinson.

It extends the trust of social capitalism to help coordinate public transport activities and regulate drivers' behaviors.


The research has identified different influences on construction workers' safety behaviors and determined that social capitalism has a significant influence on construction safety behaviors. An explanatory case study was adopted from a mega construction project in Tianjin, China. The semi-structured interviews and questionnaires of safety behaviors and social capitalism were designed and a theoretical model was established based on the case study. The influence of social capitalism between managers and workers can be divided into three aspects: structural dimension, relational dimension, and cognitive dimension. The structural dimension, which describes the interaction, communication, and information sharing between project managers and construction workers, has positive effects on workers' safety compliance behaviors. The relational dimension, which describes the trust relationship, reciprocity norm, and organizational identity formed between project managers and construction workers, has positive effects on workers' safety participation behavior. The cognitive dimension, which describes the common language, vision, This paper also contributes to the research on adopting social capitalism into managing human behaviors. Of special note is "guanxi" (relation), which has had an important role in social activities for a long time, especially eastern countries such as China. In the current study, social capitalism provides a detailed application of "guanxi" in construction safety management. Given the importance of social capitalism for safety management in construction projects, there is a need to gain a better understanding of "how social capitalism influences project team cooperation and safety performance". This paper responds to the unanswered call from Kob and Rowlinson [15, 16] . The results also reveal that social capitalism can promote individual contact and communication and thus improve people's feelings and project identification; relational social capitalism will encourage workers to form relationships and trust others. It extends the trust of social capitalism to help coordinate public transport activities and regulate drivers' behaviors [25] .


An exploratory case study approach was adopted to consider this under-researched area of social capitalism's effects on safety behaviors. Furthermore, this case study approach is more appropriate for discovering new phenomena, especially for the detailed relationships between multiple variables [60] . Case selection is typically based on theoretical sampling instead of random sampling and focuses on the case that conforms to the research question [61] . On this basis, a mixed development project was selected. This project was completed in 2016 by Vanke in Tianjin, China. It is notable that Vanke is a leading developer in China and has been listed on the Fortune Global 500, ranking 307 in 2017. The name of this project was Vanke Wonderland and consists of residential and commercial buildings. The project covers an area of 170,000 square meters and has a gross floor area of 240,000 square meters. The general contractor of this project was Hunan No. 3 Construction and Engineering Co. Ltd., which has won many honors and awards related to safety management.

Furthermore, this case study approach is more appropriate for discovering new phenomena, especially for the detailed relationships between multiple variables.

Case selection is typically based on theoretical sampling instead of random sampling and focuses on the case that conforms to the research question.


It should be noted that an earlier version of this paper has been presented at the tenth Twente Student Conference on Information Technology [3] . That conference is an internal conference of the University of Twente, of which the proceedings have not officially been published by a real publisher. This paper is short version of the earlier paper, and it is the first publication for an international audience.

It should be noted that an earlier version of this paper has been presented at the tenth Twente Student Conference on Information Technology.


Complex decongestive physiotherapy (CDP) is used as a treatment method for lymphedema. This technique includes four parts: (a) manual lymph drainage (MLD), (b) compression bandage, (c) skin care, and (d) remedial exercises. MLD applied in an isolated form is absolutely inadequate. In the drainage area bordering the lymphostatic region, mild strokes are applied. The aim is to stimulate lymphangiomotoric activity. Inside the lymphedematous region itself, the strokes are applied with more pressure to limber up indurate tissues. Compression bandages are constructed in the following manner: for skin protection, one pulls on a cotton sleeve. One inserts upholstering materials with either a smooth surface or a rugged surface followed by textile elastic compression bandages. By using remedial exercises, one activates the muscle and the joint pumps. The aim of skin care is to prevent mycotic and bacterial infections. Skin care starts with hygienic measures. If necessary, disinfective agents are applied; eventually, antimycotics and/or antiallergics are used. In addition to CDP, other methods of physiotherapy often are applied to mobilize joints, to improve the function of the muscle and joint pumps, to rebuild muscles, or to alleviate pains [5, 6] .

In addition to CDP, other methods of physiotherapy often are applied to mobilize joints, to improve the function of the muscle and joint pumps, to rebuild muscles, or to alleviate pains.


The flying height changes are a function of design parameters and manufacturing tolerance [15] . The authors discuss the sensitivity of flying height on BH for these three patterns. As shown in Fig. 7a , the flying heights are plotted as functions of BH for broad patterned sliders. The sensitivity of FH on BH increases as the bump pitches (r) decreases. This result comes from that as the bump pitch increases, the bumps number on the slider surface decreases. There, little bumps on the bearing surface don't have enough contribution on the pressure generation, and thus the FH is less sensitive to bump height. In Fig. 7b , the FHs are plotted as functions of BH for bump pitch (r) equals to 30 lm. The sensitivity of flying height on bump height is almost the same for these three patterns.

The flying height changes are a function of design parameters and manufacturing tolerance.


Characterization of the modified electrode Figure 1 shows the cyclic voltammograms of the electropolymerization of ortho-aminophenol monomers in the presence of MWCNs. The effect of DBSA, as an anionic dopant, on the electropolymerization of the polymer in aqueous solutions has been investigated. DBSA increases the conductivity of the polymer [7] . The broad peak on the first positive sweep (Inset of Figure 1 ) between 0.61 and 0.75 V is due to the oxidation of the hydroxyl group of oAP and amino group, which leads to the polymerization of the monomer [18] . In the second cycle, a pair of redox peaks appears at 0.34 and 0.31 V, which related to the formation of a cyclic dimmer of the polymer, the 3-aminophenoxazone (3APZ). As it can be seen in Figure 1 , during continuous cycling, the current response of this pair of redox peaks diminishes slowly, and at the same time, another redox peak appears between 0.1 and 0.23 V. This pair of redox peaks is due to the oxidation and reduction of PoAP, indicating the formation of PoAP [19] . Therefore, 3APZ plays the role of a monomer in the formation of PoAP as evident from the disappearance of the system at 0.34 V and corresponding growth of the polymer film between 0.1 and 0.23 V.

DBSA increases the conductivity of the polymer.

The broad peak on the first positive sweep (Inset of Figure 1 ) between 0.61 and 0.75 V is due to the oxidation of the hydroxyl group of oAP and amino group, which leads to the polymerization of the monomer.

As it can be seen in Figure 1 , during continuous cycling, the current response of this pair of redox peaks diminishes slowly, and at the same time, another redox peak appears between 0.1 and 0.23 V. This pair of redox peaks is due to the oxidation and reduction of PoAP, indicating the formation of PoAP.


The Friction stir processing (FSP) is modification of FSW techniques which refines the microstructure and improves the mechanical properties [20] . Further produces a homogeneous distribution of reinforcement particles in the aluminium matrix depending upon the process parameters employed and refines the grains [21] . The process is environmentally clean technology as it does not produce any fumes and harmful gases and noise like in other conventional techniques as process can be done in solid state itself. The temperatures developed during the FSW and FSP was below the melting point of material to be processed which avoids interfacial reactions and avoids defects like pin hole porosity, air inclusions. The FSW threedimensional model for Al alloy was developed and validated by researchers to build up the qualitative parameters [22, 23] .

The Friction stir processing (FSP) is modification of FSW techniques which refines the microstructure and improves the mechanical properties.

Further produces a homogeneous distribution of reinforcement particles in the aluminium matrix depending upon the process parameters employed and refines the grains.

The FSW threedimensional model for Al alloy was developed and validated by researchers to build up the qualitative parameters.


Color is a very important visual cue for image retrieval and object recognition. Color histograms are invariant to orientation and scale, and this feature makes it more powerful in image classification. Color histogram-based image retrieval is easy to implement and widely used in CBIR systems. Some of the commonly used color descriptors including compact color moments, the color coherence vector, and color correlo-gram [3] .

Some of the commonly used color descriptors including compact color moments, the color coherence vector, and color correlo-gram.


Diabetes mellitus is known to increase a person's susceptibility to infection [1] . It has been found to have detrimental effects on the immune system, including decreased chemotaxis, leukocyte adherence, and phagocytosis [2, 3] . In fact, certain rare infections are reported to occur more frequently in diabetic patients, though many more commonly encountered infectious diseases have not still formally been evaluated to be associated with diabetes [1, 4] . However, individuals with diabetes tend to have higher risk for morbidity and mortality from commonly found infections [5] [6] [7] [8] . These studies have focused on bacterial infections, and few have studied the interaction between diabetes and the severity of viral infections [9, 10] .

Diabetes mellitus is known to increase a person's susceptibility to infection.

It has been found to have detrimental effects on the immune system, including decreased chemotaxis, leukocyte adherence, and phagocytosis.

In fact, certain rare infections are reported to occur more frequently in diabetic patients, though many more commonly encountered infectious diseases have not still formally been evaluated to be associated with diabetes.

However, individuals with diabetes tend to have higher risk for morbidity and mortality from commonly found infections.

These studies have focused on bacterial infections, and few have studied the interaction between diabetes and the severity of viral infections.